Chapter 61

“Seventh floor is also a forest field, huh?”

On the other side of the teleportation gate lay a dense forest, even greener and deeper than the sixth floor.

If the sixth floor was a refreshing field perfect for forest bathing and hiking, the seventh floor was more akin to a sea of trees.

The vegetation was significantly different from before.

Moss-covered giant trees twisted their way upwards, and vine-like plants entangled themselves around the trunks. Despite it being daytime, sunlight struggled to penetrate, leaving the forest dim and shadowy.

“Looks like there’s plenty of water here.”

The damp ground squelched softly underfoot. If one wasn’t careful, their feet could sink down to their ankles. Small marsh-like pools peeked out here and there.

This forest seemed to be a treasure trove of berries, offering not only blueberries and raspberries but also cranberries, blackberries, and wild strawberries.

“With all these berries around, it’s weird that I don’t see any regular strawberries.”

While wild strawberries were present, they were vastly different from the delicious strawberries one might find in Japan. Still, it felt like a waste not to gather some, so I tried tasting one on a whim—and immediately regretted it.

“Sour…”

A female friend from college had once enthusiastically grown wild strawberries in a pot, claiming it would improve her luck in love. Perhaps taste had been an afterthought. Admittedly, they did look cute.

“Sour… but oddly addictive?”

Curiously, I found myself wanting another bite. I popped one into my mouth and bit down, but the tartness was overwhelming. There was almost no sweetness to speak of, but the faint strawberry aroma made me think this fruit was meant to be appreciated for its fragrance.

“Maybe they’d taste better as dried fruits.”

Taking advantage of the lack of monster activity in the area, I filled a basket with berries. It wouldn’t hurt to avoid a vitamin deficiency, and it seemed like a fun, slow-life activity. Making jam also sounded enjoyable.

While jams from dollar stores or convenience stores were decent, fruits from this other world—rich in magic power—tasted far better, just like the meat.

“If I’m making jam, blueberries and raspberries are a must. I also want to use the figs I harvested from the Great Forest. Maybe I’ll take a day off, study enchanting magic, and simmer some jam.”

Having worked tirelessly for a while, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a day to relax. Camping in the middle of this forest seemed charming in its own way.

“…Alright, let’s at least find a spot with a better view.”

The location for camping was important. It needed to be open, comfortable, and ideally near a water source. Since this was inside a dungeon, there was no risk of sudden weather changes causing floods, making it safe to pitch a tent near rivers or lakes.

Thus, the goal for today became finding a suitable base.

“Great view, water source, solid ground! This will be today’s campsite!”

Surprisingly, I found a good spot quickly. I had been following a beautiful butterfly as it flitted about and stumbled upon an ideal location. The blue butterfly danced above a crystal-clear lake, eventually settling on the petal of a large water lily.

“Did a giant tree rot and collapse here? Might as well store it. Could this sell for something? Oh, this earns me quite a few points!”

I uprooted nearly twenty fallen trees and converted them into points. With the obstacles cleared, the area became open and easy to survey. Taking the opportunity, I used earth magic to level and firm up the surrounding ground.

While this wasn’t a designated safe zone, pitching a tent blessed by the Creator God instantly transformed the area into a secure and safe haven.

With practiced ease, I set up a cooking station and a foldable table. I placed a hammock and chairs in a spot with a nice view.

A little distance from the tent, I used earth magic to create a makeshift stove. There was plenty of firewood, and though damp, I used drying magic to turn it into excellent kindling. Here, I planned to simmer the berry jam I’d gathered earlier.

“Plenty of twigs and leaves around. They’re wet, but drying magic makes them perfect for fire-starting.”

Alongside the jam, I decided to prepare a stew for dinner: a brown stew made with Forest Boar meat I had hunted in the woods.

Using inexpensive red wine and beef stew roux bought from a convenience store, I would let it simmer gently. With half a day of slow cooking, the stew would become perfectly tender.

“Since the lake here is so beautiful, fishing might be fun too.”

I didn’t expect to catch anything. The simple act of casting a line was enjoyable enough.

I’d bought a fishing rod from a dollar store and planned to use fish sausages as bait. Once the jam and stew were set up to simmer, I could occasionally stir them to prevent burning and otherwise leave them alone.

In the meantime, I could enjoy reading my spellbook while keeping an eye on the fishing rod.

“Not a bad day off, right? This place feels less like a sea of trees and more like Yakushima. The forest bathing makes it perfect.”

While enjoying the aroma of coffee, nibbling on cookies also brings happiness.

Occasionally, clumsy magical beasts bump into the tent’s barrier, and I deal with them using magic arrows, converting them into points—it’s a meaningful way to spend my time.

I had been leisurely enjoying the dungeon camp until around evening, but while I was dozing off with the fishing line cast, I noticed the forest had become unusually noisy.

“What’s going on…? The trees are screaming? That’s strange.”

The trees, which are usually calm even when being felled, seemed to be releasing painful emotions.

Perhaps it was one of the abilities of the High Elves, but I could occasionally hear the voices of ancient trees.

“Help… that child…”

As I listened closely, I could sense these feelings.

“Who are the trees asking for help? Could it be… one of my kin?”

The forest guardians, elves.

Or perhaps a High Elf, a higher-ranking elf, might be in this dungeon.

“Could it be that I’m finally going to encounter someone from the First Otherworld? And not a human, but one of my own kind!”

I had gotten used to talking to myself, and now it seemed I might be able to interact with someone who might be my kin.

“Alright, let’s go!”

I grabbed my trusty magical bow and activated [Body Enhancement], heading directly for the scene.

I easily dodged the trees, rocks, and magical beasts, defeating them casually as I made my way toward the place where the screams were coming from.

“Ah! The smell of blood…!”

A foul odor brushed past my nose, causing me to frown. The unpleasant scent of rusted iron was familiar to me, after all, I had once died in a spectacular way.

The [Presence Detection] skill also warned me of a disturbing presence. It was large and powerful.

Moreover, the creature was intoxicated by blood and was in a frenzy.

“Help… the fairy child…”

The blue butterfly, which had led me to the lake earlier, fluttered just in front of my nose. My soul trembled with a strong wish.

A fairy…? The creature the butterfly was pointing to was a giant bear-like magical beast covered in bright red fur.

“I burned it with fire magic, sliced it with wind magic, pierced it with earth spears, and choked it with water magic. Only then could I finally defeat it…”

Breathing heavily, I stored the mangled corpse in my [Item Box].

When I identified it, I realized that it was a higher-tier magical beast that had somehow wandered in from a deeper level of the dungeon.

“And it had eaten a poisonous mushroom and gone into a frenzy. What a nuisance.”

I crouched down and gently picked up the creature that the bear had attacked.

There was blood splattered everywhere around, so it seemed likely that its companions had been eaten.

“It’s okay. I’ll save you.”

I cast healing magic on the small warmth in my arms. The weak breathing gradually became calmer, and I let out a relieved sigh.

“Identification… Yeah, as expected. It’s not what it appears to be, not in this dangerous dungeon.”

In my arms, the creature sleeping peacefully resembled a tiny, adorable kitten no larger than the palm of my hand—

“A cat fairy, a Ketsue. I see.”