The smell of the greenery is thick.
Squinting my eyes under the vibrant green shade, I look up at the blue sky peeking through the gaps in the trees.
I had been told by the Creator God that this land was rich in magical essence, but it wasn’t until I stepped into the great forest that I truly understood what that meant, the meaning of those words became painfully clear.
“Yeah, it really is painful, literally. My skin tingles.”
Perhaps it’s because of the high elf’s sensitivity to magical power, but I could feel the flow of magical essence throughout my body.
And it gets stronger the deeper I go.
(But, for me, this isn’t so bad.)
Even when I use magic, my MP recovers faster than when I was walking through the plains. I realized this after repeatedly using water magic to take down Horn Rabbits that appeared from the bushes.
(Am I recovering the mana I’ve consumed by absorbing the surrounding magical essence…?)
I could feel the magical power circulating throughout my body.
It was as if power was reaching every cell, activating them. It was a strange sensation.
Finally, I felt like I could breathe properly, and I was confused. I realized that when I was in the plains, I had not been in optimal condition.
“I see, now I understand the meaning of ‘forest elf’.”
So, elves really do excel in lush, green forests.
Both my body and mind feel strangely elated. I wanted to run wild through the forest, but I managed to hold myself back.
“Right now, I’ve only just entered the forest. The real fun begins when I venture deeper, into the areas where no humans tread.”
I walk lightly, not feeling tired at all. Despite having once found it difficult to walk through forests during mountain camping in my past life in Japan, I can now easily leap over fallen trees and roots.
What surprised me the most was how clearly I could hear the sounds of the forest. I could sense the presence of animals and magical beasts dwelling in the great forest, even from a distance.
“Thanks to that, I’m able to defeat them without trouble, which I’m grateful for.”
Before any magical beast notices me, I use water magic to take them down. I suppress my urge to gather rare flowers and instead focus on neatly storing the defeated magical beasts in my [Item Box].
“…Wait, haven’t I become harder for magical beasts to notice?”
Curious, I check my status, and to my surprise, I had acquired the [Presence Detection] and [Stealth] skills.
(Is this another benefit of being a high elf? It’s a useful skill, though!)
These skills aren’t something to complain about, so I decide to make use of them. In fact, they complement my magic-based method of taking down magical beasts very well. As I head deeper into the forest toward the direction with more magical essence, the magical beasts I encounter start to change.
“I haven’t seen any more Horn Rabbits. Instead, the Green Foxes are becoming more common.”
Green Foxes are magical beasts that literally wear a pale green fur coat. They’re small but highly sensitive to their surroundings, quick, and troublesome because they use wind magic to attack.
“Well, it’s easy to beat them if we strike first.”
The foxes blend well into the forest with their fur color, but it seems my high elf [Stealth] skill is superior. The Green Foxes, unaware of my presence, are taken down with water magic while munching on mushrooms.
“I guess fox meat is inedible.”
Curious, I store it in my [Item Box] and convert it into points. Only the magic stone and fur are bought, and I receive 5000P for them.
“Seriously? The magic stone is 1000P, and the fur is 4000P. That’s quite profitable…”
Compared to the 250P for Grass Mice and 1200P for Horn Rabbits, this is a good amount. The magical beasts aren’t too strong, so I should be able to handle them easily, as long as they don’t notice me first.
“Alright, I’ll focus on farming points with the foxes. I also need to send supplies to them.”
I’m asked to summon goods worth about 30,000 points every day. I also have things I want, so I want to gather as many points as I can.
“The Horn Rabbit meat was delicious, so I’ll keep some for myself instead of exchanging it for points.”
Rabbit meat is 300 points. It’s much better to eat it myself than to convert it. In exchange, I’ll actively hunt the foxes using [Presence Detection].
Once I decide on my plan, I focus on the task at hand. But before proceeding, I’m curious about the mushrooms I’ve been seeing everywhere.
The Green Foxes seemed so engrossed in eating them. What kind of mushrooms are they?
“Oh, it’s a mushroom. There’s both white and brown. Edible, tasty. Alright, I’ll eat them.”
I gather them quickly.
It seems to be a patch of mushrooms, though the foxes have bitten into a few, there are plenty left. By the way, each mushroom is worth 100P.
Thanks to the dense magical essence, I don’t feel the hunger I did yesterday, even though I’m using magic. This is surprisingly convenient.
Excessive magical power use tends to make me painfully hungry, and I’d have to stop every few hours for snacks. But today, it’s just a matter of sipping water and sucking on candy.
“I’m lucky that all I need is water and candy to get by.”
I drink from my stainless steel mug and pop a candy into my mouth, letting it roll on my tongue as I walk through the forest. I continue deep into the woods until my smartphone alarm goes off at noon.
“It’s noon. I need to find a place to rest.”
I tap the alarm off and look around. There’s no spacious area for setting up a tent. Since I can’t relax and eat without a tent with a 10-meter boundary, I decide to search for a suitable place.
“Should I climb?”
I had everything in my [Item Box], so I was walking empty-handed. I chose a sturdy tree with thick branches and began to climb. I’ve always been good at tree climbing, thanks to my hobbies of bouldering and parkour.
I made my way to the top easily.
“Wow, it’s a sea of trees.”
I couldn’t help but whistle at the sight. Everywhere seemed to be densely packed with trees, but I could see some gaps in between.
“I’ll aim for that spot.”
I head towards a small spring.
There’s enough space next to the spring to set up a tent, so I decide to pitch my tent there.
“Now, what should I make for lunch?”
I bring out the cooking equipment and think for a moment while checking my [Item Box].
“Alright, let’s make fried rice and sautéed rabbit meat.”
First, I’ll make the fried rice. I add mayonnaise to the pan and light the stove. I fry the rabbit meat cut into small pieces, then add sliced mushrooms. Once cooked, I add the pre-cooked rice and fry it all together. I don’t use eggs to save them.
I season it with garlic slices, salt, pepper, and dried green onions, then add a dash of soy sauce. The fried rice is ready, and I store it to keep it warm.
“Now for the sautéed meat. I’ll use the hot sandwich maker.”
It’s a camp essential that’s versatile for more than just sandwiches. I’ve used it to cook frozen gyoza and even steamed buns, and I’m excited to cook with it.
I’ll cook the rabbit meat with the same method I use for chicken.
“Seasoning? Magic salt should be fine. It’s salt, pepper, herbs, and garlic—perfect. Let’s season it first.”
I apply some olive oil, heat the sandwich maker, and start cooking the rabbit meat. Unlike chicken, rabbit meat doesn’t release much fat, so I use a little extra olive oil. I lightly coat the meat with potato starch before cooking.
The pleasant sizzling sound reaches my ears as I cook the meat, making sure to cook it evenly on both sides. Once it’s nicely browned, I take it out and cut it into pieces to make it easier to eat.
“Place the sautéed meat on top of the fried rice. Time to eat!”
There’s no fancy name for this meal, but it was incredibly delicious. The sautéed Horn Rabbit was tender, and the fried rice, though made without eggs, tasted great thanks to the mayonnaise.
Most surprisingly, the mushrooms were incredibly tasty.
“These mushrooms in this world are amazing.”
I’ve never particularly liked mushrooms, but these were addictive. I have to gather more of them.
(Is this also thanks to the magical essence in the land?)
If these mushrooms taste this good, the other plants must be delicious as well. While savoring my coffee after the meal, I realize I’ve developed a newfound enthusiasm for gathering plants, and I’m filled with excitement.
