Chapter 71

In the pursuit of a comfortable life, I ended up buying more than I intended, but I don’t regret it.

Inside the expanded tent, there is a full set of impressive furniture. My favorites are the queen-sized bed and the genuine leather sofa.

Ketsue also seems to like the bed and sofa, but he’s been completely melted by the giant beanbag cushion that’s rumored to spoil both humans and cats.

Cats are like liquid. I see what they mean.

His stretched-out limbs are surprisingly long.

“Wait, were you that long?” I think to myself.

“That said, my points balance has taken a huge hit…”

With the 1.5 million points left, I can probably only afford a small storage-sized hut.

These points were earned diligently during the rainy season in the dungeon, but once spent, they disappear in an instant.

“Well, there’s no choice. I’ll have to work seriously for a while. Ketsue, do you want to go to the dungeon? If we gather more points, we can get some treats.”

“Meow~”

Ketsue, who had become totally enamored with the high-end cat treats from the convenience store, seemed excited.

Thanks to leveling up in the dungeon, he’s now able to freely use spirit magic.

He understands that if he brings me the materials dropped by defeated monsters, he gets delicious treats.

It’s surprising that he’s only three months old.

My little one is incredibly talented, isn’t he?

The base already has a makeshift orchard and garden. Using earth magic, I mixed in the humus from the great forest, creating rich, fluffy soil that should be great for growing vegetables.

So far, I’ve planted a variety of vegetable seeds that I bought from the 100-yen shop.

I was craving leafy greens, so I chose spinach, baby leaf lettuce, and radish sprouts.

Next, I picked easy-to-grow crops like mini tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants.

For root vegetables, I went with carrots and turnips, and I chose the early-harvest variety of radishes.

The season? I don’t worry about that.

I’m relying on the dense magic of the great forest and Ketsue’s plant magic. It would be nice if the High Elf bonus helps a little too.

“If this works, I could expand the garden. I’d like to grow corn, broccoli, and fava beans too.”

I have almost no knowledge of farming, so I just planted the seeds the way the bag instructed.

Fortunately, the 100-yen shop had everything I needed for a home garden, so I bought it all as an initial investment.

I water the plants with water magic and leave the rest to Ketsue, the cat fairy, Kett-She.

As a reward, I prepared some irresistible “Nyarl” treats—tuna, bonito, and chicken flavors.

Thanks to Ketsue’s diligent use of plant magic, the seeds took root, and cute little sprouts popped up from the garden.

I presented him with a treat in celebration, and Ketsue delightedly narrowed his eyes, savoring the “Nyarl.”

His little tongue licked it up without a care, making the sound of “chachacha” as he did so. It was adorable.

Of course, I made sure to record a video.

Later, I’ll brag to my fellow cat lover, Akimi.

“The fruit trees are looking pretty good too.”

While exploring the area around the base, I transplanted some fruit trees—blueberries, raspberries, apple and pear trees, and even a plum tree that Ketsue found for me.

There are probably more fruit trees out there, so if I come across any good ones, I plan to bring them back.

I wonder if the fruit trees in the dungeon will respawn if I take the whole tree, not just the fruit?

“Well, I’ll take just enough to avoid overdoing it.”

Ketsue, the cat fairy, seems to love being surrounded by greenery and has been in a great mood ever since.

Being a fairy that prefers to inhabit “homes” and live in harmony with their owners, I plan to let him stand on his own when he’s grown strong. But…

(Sigh… I hope he’ll stay with me, liking my “home” and always be by my side.)

I’m totally becoming that type of parent who can’t let go.

I raised him from milk, so I guess it’s natural.

“To get the perfect ‘home,’ I need to level up and earn more points. Let’s go, Ketsue!”

“Meow!”

With a brave cry, I pick up the kitten and touch the teleportation door at the dungeon entrance.

The destination is the twentieth floor, still in the middle of the dungeon’s challenge.

The twenty-floor dungeon area, surrounded by forest, contains a village of High Orcs.

There are over fifty of them, including high-level ones, so caution is needed. However, since I’ve already defeated them before, I know where their village is.

Ketsue and I launched an assault, quickly wiping them out with attribute-enhanced arrows and spirit magic.

“Alright, it seems like there are no leftovers, and nothing got detected by [Presence Detection]. Let’s gather the loot.”

I didn’t want to get into close combat with these strong magical beasts like the High Orcs, so I attacked from a distance, but gathering the loot is a hassle.

“Shouldn’t the item box skill let me just store things with a glance…?!”

It’s one of the three basic skills from reincarnation—[Appraisal], [Universal Language Understanding], and [Item Box]—and while it’s convenient, it has slight limitations that are annoying.

At least with my increased level, I’ve gained a lot more storage space, and the time-stop feature is helpful.

“Meow?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. You were helping, huh? Thanks.”

Ketsue’s collar, dropped from a treasure chest in the dungeon, is a magical item with storage capabilities. It adjusts to fit the wearer’s size and can store up to 10 square meters of items.

When I appraised it, I quickly put it on Ketsue. It turned out to be more of a bracelet than a collar, but the delicate design of the fine silverwork suits him well.

The magic tool swallows items when they are brought close and wished for.

It’s been a huge help in collecting drop items.

“Looks like we got plenty of High Orc meat. Let’s make steak tonight.”

Smiling happily, I gather the drop items. Higher-level monsters often drop treasure chests, so I’m excited to see what’s inside.

In a High Orc village, weapons, accessories, and tools also count as spoils, so I toss them all into the [Item Box].

Inside the treasure chest were golden ingots.

It wasn’t the most useful magic tool or weapon, but converting it to points will give me several hundred thousand points, so it’s not a total loss.

I converted everything except the meat into points.

“Alright, let’s head down to the next floor.”

“Meow!”

Ketsue, now in a good mood after leveling up, climbs up to my shoulder and purrs as he settles in.

Laughing at how useful he’s become as my travel companion, I touch the teleportation door.

After spending half a day in the dungeon, we return to the base in time for the day. Going down about two floors in a day keeps the fatigue low and is efficient.

Levels increase faster the further down you go.

So far, with just the two of us and our magic, we’ve been progressing smoothly without any trouble.

“Level 82… I’m not sure if that’s average or weak.”

Ketsue’s level has also risen quite a bit.

His magic power has increased, and the potency of his spirit magic is now drastically stronger than when he was at level 1.

Just today, we earned a little over a million points. The dungeon really is a goldmine, and even the treasure chests bring in a lot.

Treasure chests don’t only contain drop items—they can also be hidden in ruins, making the treasure hunt aspect fun.

As I organize the [Item Box] in high spirits, I hear the familiar ping of a message on my smartphone.

“A message from the heroes? Huh, what did they send?”

I quickly glance over the list of items stored and spot a gift from my cousins at the bottom.

• Wine Barrel (empty) ×1

“This is what I’ve been waiting for! I can finally take a bath!”

I can’t help but let out an excited cheer.

I immediately take the barrel out of the [Item Box] to check it.

I had asked for a used barrel, but it looks like they got me a brand-new one.

It’s a wine barrel made of beechwood slats bound with iron rings, and it has a slightly different shape from Japanese barrels, with the middle section bulging out.

But honestly, the shape doesn’t matter.

What’s important is the size and whether it leaks.

“Perfect! This size is just right for a solo bath.”

It’s probably about 500 liters in capacity.

It’s about a meter tall, so I won’t be able to stretch my legs completely, but if I can soak up to my shoulders, I’ll be satisfied.

“Time to take a bath!”