After having lunch as usual, I practiced my transmutation again today.
This time, I’m planning to try something new. The materials I’ve prepared are medicinal herbs for ointment, oats, and some common stones.
Oats are a type of grain that humans don’t typically eat, described as so unpalatable that only large animals like horses would consume them. I tried a few grains, and they had a strong bitterness, almost numbing my tongue.
First, I’ll try the medicinal herbs—transmute!
A slightly yellowish-white powder appeared on the plate. It seems like a success, but I’ll check just to be sure. I dip my finger into the powder and taste it.
“Mmm, it’s salty. This is definitely salt.”
I measure its weight with a scale and record it.
When I tried transmuting oats and stones, I managed to turn them into salt as well. However, the results varied greatly.
- Transmuted medicinal herbs (1 kg) into salt (100 g): Mana used: 100 points
- Transmuted oats (1 kg) into salt (20 g): Mana used: 200 points
- Transmuted stones (10 kg) into salt (5 g): Mana used: 300 points
It seems that items with higher value require less mana to transmute and yield better results. With my current mana, I can only transmute about 70 kg of stones into 35 grams of salt. Transmutation consumes a lot of mana.
I snuck into the kitchen of the mansion and placed the transmuted salt into the salt jar.
Today is colder than usual. It’s not snowing, but I’m worried about Father, who is camping outside. I hope he doesn’t catch a cold.
Even though it’s cold, my daily routine doesn’t change. In the morning, I practice swordsmanship. When I swing the sword, I start to sweat, even in the cold.
While I’m practicing, I hear commotion near the gate.
“Father!”
“Ah, Toma. I just got back.”
Behind Father’s wide grin is a large cart piled high with monsters.
“Welcome home.”
“You’ve been practicing swordsmanship, huh? Good job.”
Father praises me even for normal things, saying that if I don’t slack off on my training, I won’t improve.
“I’ll go get Mother.”
“This time, we had a big hunt.”
“Okay!”
I run to the front door to call Mother, but she steps out before I open it.
“Mother, Father’s back.”
“Was he safe?”
“Yes, he seemed fine.”
“I’m glad.”
Mother and I welcome Father, and we also express our gratitude to the soldiers. Soon, the villagers gather and begin hauling away the monsters Father and the others have hunted.
Curious children follow the procession, so I join them.
“Oh, this is a fine Metal Bear!”
The elder-looking man, who seems to be one of the village leaders, exclaims as he gazes at a giant bear-like magical beast. Among the creatures they’ve caught, this one stands out with its massive size.
The dissection begins on the riverbank beside the mansion.
“I’ll take care of this Metal Bear!”
A muscular middle-aged man strikes a pose. Why he’s posing is unclear.
“Oh, it’s Bowman the blacksmith. I leave this big one to you.”
“Yeah!”
The villagers skillfully begin the dissection.
I checked through my information, and it turns out that this Metal Bear had a level of 270. If I encountered it now, I’d be helpless—truly a monster.
Generally, internal organs are discarded on-site, and the blood is drained as well. It’s easier to transport lighter bodies, and since the organs can spoil quickly even in winter, they are discarded. Draining the blood also helps reduce the smell of the meat.
I helped with the dissection, but not by using a knife. My job was to transport the cut meat. Other children are also helping by carrying meat.
“You’re a new face.”
A large boy with short, dark brown hair and a mischievous demeanor spoke to me.
“I just moved here recently. I’m Toma. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Ben, Bowman the blacksmith’s son.”
I could tell from his purple eyes and similar mouth that he was indeed Bowman’s son.
Ben, although rough-mannered at ten years old, wasn’t a child prone to violence. He had the personality of a leader, organizing the other children to help carry meat and assist the adults.
“What are you going to do with all this meat?”
“Most of it will be turned into jerky. It lasts longer that way.”
From spring to autumn, monsters rarely come near the village. While they aren’t entirely absent, the bigger ones, like the Metal Bear, tend to stay deeper in the mountains or the Ikstan Forest, only approaching the village in winter. This is why the meat is preserved by smoking during the hunting off-season.
“But tomorrow’s the meat festival. Every year, the lord shares the first hunt of winter with us.”
“A meat festival!? That sounds exciting!”
“Yeah, we’ll feast on all the meat we can eat!”
I’ve never been to a festival, not even in my past life. I wasn’t in an environment where that was allowed. Now, knowing I’ll be able to join one for the first time, I can hardly wait.
