โWhen my stomach was full, a sudden surge of curiosity hit me. I stepped out from under the tarp and looked up at the sky.
The time on my wristwatch read exactly six oโclock in the evening.
It might be Earth time, but I decided to think of it as the time of this new world.
When I was eating dinner, the sky was still bright, gleaming in shades of orange. Now it was dyed in a soft gradient of pale purple.
โTwo moonsโฆ itโs definitely another world.โ
A large, pale-blue moon hung in the sky, accompanied by a smaller, reddish crescent beside it. It was a strange yet beautiful sight.
I pulled out my smartphone, which I had shoved in my pocket, to capture this memorable first night in another world. The photo turned out well, so I set it as my home screen background.
โOh, right.โ
Suddenly, I remembered that I hadnโt checked my own face yet. Natsuki had mentioned that my basic features were the same, though there had been various changes since Iโd transformed into a high elf.
Since I didnโt have a mirror, Iโd forgotten all about it, but I could use my phone to take a selfie.
I switched to the front camera and peeked at the screen.
โWhat theโฆ?โ
I had always been aware of my somewhat feminine, decent-looking face, inherited from my mother. But my current appearance was on an entirely different level.
โNatsukiโฆ How is this even remotely the same base? Iโve turned into some ridiculously good-looking personโฆโ
My hair was a deep navy blue, almost a blackish-blue. My eyes were a clear, deep blue, similar to the sapphire my grandmother had cherished.
My skin was porcelain-like, smooth and flawless, surpassing even my aunt who swore by luxury beauty serums. The texture of my skin was incredibly fine.
Each of my facial featuresโeyes, nose, lipsโwas perfectly shaped and placed just right. My face had the delicate beauty of a top-tier pretty girl.
โโฆNo, I donโt have a chest, and thereโs still something down there. Iโm a guy. Iโm still a guyโฆ!โ
I double-checked in a bit of a panic.
I parted my hair to look at my ears, and seeing that only the tips were slightly pointed, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The elves Iโd seen in Japanese fiction usually had quite long and prominent ears.
โWith ears this length, I can easily hide them. Good. Or maybe not? With a face like this, I might stand out too much. Or are elves here generally this attractive?โ
I was around 160 centimeters tall, which was about four centimeters shorter than in my previous life. However, I felt that my limbs had grown longer in proportion.
Staring at the selfie Iโd just taken, I realized that my head size had also changed. My body proportions were far from typical for a Japanese person.
โIf my classmates back in college saw this, theyโd probably go crazy with jealousy over how small my face has gottenโฆโ
And that was with no makeupโjust naturally looking like an idol-level pretty girl. No, Iโm a guy, and this is absolutely not something to be happy about!
โIf anything, Iโd have preferred to be a cool, muscular elfโฆโ
I held a grudge against that fluffball Kesaran Pasaran a little bit.
With this appearance, I looked like I was only in my mid-teens. For a long-lived elf, this would probably still be considered baby-faced.
โOh well, thereโs no point in dwelling on it now. Iโll be living alone in this forest for a while, away from people anyway.โ
I stored my phone in the item box, pulled out my work gloves, and a sickle for cutting grass.
It was a bit early to sleep, so I decided to earn some points. I placed a magically enchanted lantern by my feet and set about cutting grass with focus.
With a style of gripping as much as I could with one hand and chopping away, I didnโt bother to appraise the plants. This way, I could gather around fifty stalks at a time. Clearing just the area around my tent should earn a decent number of points.
After about thirty minutes of quiet grass-cutting, no more grass was left within the barrier. The area looked tidy now. Satisfied, I surveyed my surroundings and converted the stored grass into points.
โHuh? 23,000 points? Did I have that much?โ
When I checked the breakdown, it turned out there had been a rare herb among the grass Iโd cut, worth 1,000 points each.
Mana Grass. Itโs used in potions for restoring magical energy. Got itโIโll remember its features and aim to collect it from now on.
As for the common Hime Shiba grass, when dried with basic life magic and used as firewood, it worked perfectly as an insect repellent, so I decided to keep about a hundred stalks.
โThe tentโs barrier keeps out monsters and magical beasts, but regular bugs still get inโฆโ
Hime Shiba as an insect repellent was essential.
Upon further inspection, I realized the barrier doesnโt repel people either. However, with the invisibility spell, it becomes completely invisible to anyone but me, so that was reassuring.
โIf I were ambushed by bandits the moment I left the forest, itโd be a real nightmare. This invisibility spell is a lifesaver.โ
Even when camping, I should stick to secluded places and keep my presence hidden inside the tent.
โFeeling a bit tired. Guess Iโll turn in for the night.โ
With the lantern in hand, I headed toward the tent.
Iโd thrown in some insect-repellent grass into the campfire, so I decided to leave it as it was.
Taking down the tarp poles, I returned to my โliving roomโ setup. Since it would likely get chilly in the morning, I made sure to close up tightly. Just sealing it up made the tent quite warm.
I hung the lantern from the center of the dome tentโs ceiling, and before changing, I cast Cleanse. It felt as refreshing as a bath, and I changed into my sweatpants.
โEverythingโs just the right size for this physiqueโฆโ
I felt grateful for the attention to these small details.
I turned off the lantern and slipped into the sleeping bag. Thanks to the life magic, Light, a gentle glow lit the inside of the tent for a while.
When I opened my status board and checked todayโs points, I found Iโd accumulated a whopping 40,000 points.
โWhoaโฆ! Thanks to the Mana Grass and Horn Rabbit, things are going well. I might as well buy something to send to those guys.โ
Eagerly, I tapped on the Summon Magic Shop screen.
โWaitโฆ? Why are there so few items available?โ
Searching by category, I found that I could only summon purchase a limited selection of items. Only items in black text could be added to the cart, while grayed-out ones were unresponsive.
Upon closer inspection, all the purchasable items were priced at 100 points.
โWhatโs going on? With so many points in my balance, I should be able to buy moreโฆ huh?โ
Checking the search screen, I found an option for the source shop. Currently, the only available store for summoning purchases was a certain 100-yen shop.
โSo, I can only buy items from a 100-yen shop until my level goes upโฆ!'โ