“I’ve definitely bought too much.”
I checked my point balance and am currently regretting it.
Convenience store items are so attractive, and I ended up impulsively throwing them into my shopping cart without thinking—before I knew it, I had spent a considerable amount of points.
“Those guys spent three gold coins on their shopping too…”
Even though the 300,000 points were an investment, I was the one who was at fault for happily purchasing alcohol.
(It’s because I didn’t pay with cash that I let my guard down…)
I was interested in the new beer, chuhai, and even some liqueurs.
I also couldn’t resist tossing a large quantity of wine into the cart, thinking it would go well with the stewed monster meat, which turned out to be quite a waste.
“Starting today, I need to seriously work on earning points… Also, I need to find a base.”
I checked the summoning items list on the status screen, but the buildings are still locked and I can’t buy them yet.
If only I knew how high my Summoning Magic skill needed to be to use them, just having that information would really motivate me.
“Right now, my Summoning Magic skill level is 4. Maybe I won’t be able to use it until level 10?”
That would be far too late. The rainy season in the great forest is almost here. In fact, the weather could change drastically tomorrow.
“There’s no point in worrying, so let’s focus on finding a base to survive the rainy season.”
Normally, staying in the mountains during heavy rain would be insane, but with the Identification skill granted by the Creator God and the magical book that acts like a search engine, I plan to find a place safe from landslides.
“I hear there’s a huge sacred tree in the demon mountain. It might be fun to camp under it, but…”
The location is unknown.
Also, apparently, there’s a fierce holy beast guarding the tree, so I’ve decided to remove that location from my list for now.
“If possible, it would be great if there was a natural cave.”
If not, maybe I could just dig into a rocky mountain myself. Using earth magic, that should be possible.
“I couldn’t build a house on flat land, but digging through rock should be fine.”
I did try using earth magic once.
I found a large open area, solidified the foundation, and shaped the floor and walls with earth magic, somehow creating a box-shaped building. But…
“If it’s a house made with magic, the soil loses its power and crumbles… I was really worried about that.”
I was really scared back then.
If I had accidentally fallen asleep inside, I would have been buried alive.
The Creator God’s protection only guards against attacks from monsters and magical beasts, so the tent’s barrier wouldn’t help.
It was a good decision to quickly escape the earthen house when I heard unsettling noises.
“If I carve out a cave in a naturally strong rocky mountain, it won’t crumble like a magic-built house. As long as I choose a good spot, I won’t have to worry about rain or wind.”
I need to be careful about landslides and flooding, and just make sure to stay away from water sources.
I must avoid being near rivers due to the danger of rising water.
“As long as I earn points, I’ll be able to survive in isolation for a while.”
This is the advantage of summoning magic online shopping. It’s perfect for someone who wants to be a recluse—though I do need to earn points!
“Now that I’ve decided on a plan, I’ll have lunch and get back to searching for a base.”
And of course, I’ll keep working on earning points.
While praying for a monster I can sell at a good price, I’ll quietly move along the animal trails.
For lunch, I had a convenience store meal pack and skewered boar meat. I’ve been spending too much, but after gorging myself on convenience store food, I realized something.
Japanese bento suits my tastes, but the monster meat is definitely more delicious.
I can save points and eat well by buying rice balls, bread, and noodles—basically, carbs—summoned from Japan, and getting meat and vegetables from the Great Forest.
“Yeah, this boar meat is really good. It’s way better than convenience store yakitori. The sauce should definitely be Japanese, though.”
I was moved by the hot snacks I devoured—fried chicken, croquettes, and karaage—out of nostalgia, but after calming down and evaluating, the monster meat karaage was actually tastier.
My cousins, who wasted their gold coins, might be regretting it now.
“Well, it’s a nostalgic taste. I can’t help it. It’s nice that I can have seafood now too, and I’ve been able to get eggs and milk.”
The eggs that my cousins sent me through their purchases couldn’t be eaten raw, and the milk was too rich and hard to drink. It was fine for cooking, but after getting used to Japan’s easy-to-drink processed milk, the strong smell was hard to handle.
Convenience store milk, on the other hand, had the familiar taste I was used to, and being able to enjoy raw eggs was a relief.
“Let’s have boar meat sukiyaki for dinner today. I can get vegetables, grilled tofu, and shirataki noodles at the convenience store.”
For the final course, I also have frozen udon.
Of course, I plan to eat it with raw egg. I’m really looking forward to it.
I quickly finished lunch and packed up the tent.
Since I’m walking along an animal trail, I grabbed a sickle to clear the path and set off.
As I climbed the Demon Mountain, the number of magical beasts increased. The troublesome ones were the ones that cast magic.
Luckily, the Creator God’s blessing also repelled magic from monsters and magical beasts, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
For example, if a repelled magic hits a nearby large tree and a broken branch falls, the barrier won’t protect me from that.
So, whenever I encounter magical beasts that use magic, I decided to attack immediately.
“Black wolves and silver wolves. The higher-ranking wolves living in the Demon Mountain all seem to use magic…”
Most of them use wind and water magic, but sometimes higher-ranking ones use dark magic, which really surprised me.
I was horrified when shadow tentacles sprouted from the ground. I quickly killed it, and after that, I practiced and learned that dark magic, so it turned out to be a good thing.
“The wolf tribe comes in packs, so they’re good for earning points.”
Meat, fur, fangs, and magic stones. All of these can be exchanged for high-value points. The silver wolf’s fur is particularly popular, so it’s worth a lot.
“Got some high orc meat! Ogres, though, their meat doesn’t sell…”
The blue-skinned ogre with horns looks more like a demon than a monster. Its huge, nearly three-meter frame is strong, so hand-to-hand combat is out of the question.
Fortunately, it seems they can’t use magic, so I was able to find it first using the [Presence Detection] skill and take it down from a distance with magic.
I couldn’t eat the meat, but its skin, magic stone, and horns were valuable items, so I happily exchanged them for points.
By the way, when I tried selling the weapons that ogres and high orcs had, I was able to exchange them for points too.
“Only a few thousand points, but every little bit helps. Unfortunately, none of the weapons are useful to me.”
Weapons used by large monsters were too big for my small arms to wield properly. I had a hard time even lifting the ogre’s club.
“Hmm, but this bow might be useful?”
The wooden bow that the hobgoblin had might be usable with a little work.
I’m good with bows. I took up archery when I was young.
My mother was into archery and bow shooting as a hobby, so I went to the dojo with her and picked it up a bit.
It was also me who taught Natsuki archery.
(Though, I’m probably no match for him now. Well, I can at least hit a magical beast.)
Hitting moving targets takes practice, but fortunately, the magical beasts on the Demon Mountain are large, so they’re easier to hit.
I should be able to deal with airborne targets too.
“I can probably aim like clay pigeon shooting.”
I’m grateful to my parents for letting me try out whatever sports or hobbies interested me.
Even though I only dabbled in it, with the help of my physical enhancement skills, my senses and physical strength were sharpened, and that gives me a huge advantage.
After trying out the bow a few times, I managed to catch a few cockbirds. When I noticed the rocky surface above me, I moved through the bushes and came upon a rugged rocky area.
“This rock face is perfect for climbing.”
The terrain is uneven, but I could see a sizable hole at the top of the nearly vertical rock wall.
Could it be…?
“…A cave?”
