“The Mountain of Magic—Arrival!”
I was so thrilled that I clenched my fists and shouted loudly.
It had been a little over three weeks since I departed that grassy plain, and finally, I had arrived at my destination: the Mountain of Magic.
For a moment, I let myself bask in the sense of accomplishment.
Reaching this point had been anything but easy. The beasts and monsters I encountered kept getting bigger, more ferocious, and more dangerous—
“Well, at least my level went up a lot, and I racked up tons of points, so there’s that.”
Thanks to the blessings of the Creator God, I couldn’t be directly harmed by the beasts and monsters, but I had a few scares—like when I got sent flying, barrier and all.
I’d assumed nothing could touch the protective barrier around me.
Apparently, highly magical and powerful creatures could bypass it.
The barrier formed a sphere centered around me, which must have looked like a ball with a tasty snack inside to high-level monsters.
“What was that thing called? The giant inflatable ball you can climb into and play with on water? A water ball? Yeah, it felt like I was in one of those—getting picked up, tossed, and kicked around by those things like a toy.”
Monsters like orcs and kobolds were especially tricky because they had some intelligence.
The higher-ranked types, like the Orc Knights, were downright troublesome. They’d come at me with glee, forcing me to retreat into trees for safety.
Despite the “knight” in their name, they were far from honorable. Of course, I had no qualms about striking them down from my perch with magic.
The Mountain of Magic was rumored to have many flying beasts, and when I was attacked by a giant, eagle-like creature, I truly thought I was done for.
Thankfully, its sharp talons couldn’t pierce the barrier, and I managed to escape with my life.
Not only did I survive, but I also got a lot of chicken meat and valuable materials from its beak and feathers, which earned me a ton of points. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind running into that one again.
One way or another, I had reached my destination.
Looking up at the imposing mountain, I made a silent vow to toast the occasion with a chilled beer tonight.
The forest at the base of the mountain reminded me of the sea of trees I’d only seen in videos from my previous life in Japan.
Although I expected to struggle to find a trail leading up the mountain, that problem resolved itself quickly—thanks to the beasts and monsters frequently traveling through, a decent-sized path had naturally formed.
Gratefully, I decided to use it.
The dense magic essence saturating the base of the Mountain of Magic had its perks.
The area was abundant with berries, fruits, mushrooms, wild greens, and medicinal herbs.
When I tried gathering some and appraising their value, I discovered their high rarity fetched impressive prices.
“Just gathering stuff here could earn me a fortune in points.”
It wasn’t just the flora that had absorbed the magic essence. The forest itself was packed with towering trees that blocked out sunlight, even during the day.
When I chopped one down and appraised it, I was shocked—it earned me 20,000 points per tree.
“…Should I just become a lumberjack for a while?”
The idea was tempting, but ultimately, I had to hunt monsters to level up, so I let it go.
“First things first, though—I need to find a base for today.”
I debated camping at the base of the mountain but decided to start climbing since it was still morning.
Luckily, I found several trails, making it easy to navigate.
Of course, since these were beast trails, I encountered monsters frequently, but I had already mastered all intermediate attack spells, so I wasn’t worried.
“Got some premium chicken and pork today. Dinner’s going to be amazing.”
I took down a Flying Ostrich and a High Orc using wind magic to decapitate them cleanly, preserving the materials.
Flying Ostrich meat was said to be lean and flavorful. This one was massive, so I had plenty to harvest, and I even found an egg the size of my palms in its nest.
It was freshly laid and spotless. After appraising it to ensure it was free of contaminants, I confirmed it was safe to eat raw.
“A quick Cleanse spell, and it’ll be even safer. Worst case, I’ve got healing and detox spells. This egg is practically begging me to eat it…”
The timing was perfect for a lunch break.
I cleared a space by cutting down some trees, set up a tent, and prepared my cooking area. Today’s meal would be simple.
After all, the thing I wanted most was a bowl of rice with fresh raw egg.
“Heat up this pack of rice, pile it into a bowl, and…”
Carefully, I cracked the enormous egg into a bowl. It was enough to fill it to the brim.
I briefly considered separating the yolk and whipping it, but the sight of the plump, golden yolk was too tempting.
I whisked it quickly and poured it over the steaming rice. The rest of the egg went into my [Item Box] for later.
“Now, just drizzle on some soy sauce I got from the 100-yen shop and dig in!”
Though I’d considered fancier variations, I couldn’t wait any longer.
Lifting the bowl high, I shoveled the rich, creamy mixture into my mouth. The intense flavor of the egg made my eyes flutter shut in bliss.
It was just rice, egg, and soy sauce, but it was the best meal I’d had in 21 years.
“That was amazing…”
I let out a satisfied sigh.
The egg was so delicious I couldn’t resist going back for more until I’d polished it off.
Even though it was equivalent to ten regular eggs, I easily devoured it all.
The bowl was spotless, as if licked clean.
Honestly, the Flying Ostrich’s eggs might be more valuable than its meat.
“I’ll have to try poaching or frying them next time. Raw eggs like this are rare treasures.”
Even the thick eggshells could be ground into medicine, and they earned points when sold.
“Come to think of it, the ostrich’s hide is considered premium leather…”
Its skin and magic stone fetched high points, leaving me both wealthy and delighted.
With my camp set for the night, I decided to explore the area further.
…But when I got overconfident and chased my prey too far, I stumbled into a High Orc settlement.
Fifty or more High Orcs and their higher-ranked kin came at me, forcing a fierce battle.
It was impossible to preserve their materials, so I blasted them with high-damage intermediate spells until the settlement was wiped out.
I collected the bodies and flattened the site.
According to the magic books, failing to destroy a settlement could lead to new monsters repopulating the area.
“Fire magic really is powerful, though. Most of the materials are ruined.”
The charred meat was unsellable, but I salvaged the magic stones and trimmed the damaged parts to eat.
Although it was a rough fight, the large number of High Orcs and higher-ranked monsters defeated raised my level significantly.
With a cheerful “Piron!” sound, my Net Summoning magic leveled up as well.
“Alright! What’s unlocked now? Can I finally buy a house?!”
Excitedly, I tapped through my status screen, only to tilt my head in confusion at the newly available shop category.
“‘Convenience Store Now Open’…?
