Approaching the Demon Mountain
It has already been about twenty days since I reincarnated. Initially, I thought it would take about a month to reach my destination, but at this rate, I should reach the base of the mountain in about a week.
“I’ve been pushing hard this morning, so maybe that’s why I’m making such good progress. It’s a good thing things are going smoothly.”
Honestly, I wanted to enjoy some leisurely gathering and hunting, but I wanted to avoid experiencing the rainy season during my travels, so I’m rushing through it.
After checking the magic book, I learned that the rainy season in the Great Forest lasts anywhere from two weeks to a month. In the case of a long rain, it falls gently like in Japan, while in a short period, it’s more like a heavy downpour. I’m not sure which one is better, but for the Great Forest, it’s a blessing. It seems there are also some days with clear weather, so I plan to gather materials during those times.
After finishing breakfast with pre-made rice balls, instant miso soup, and skewered boa meat, I sprinted through the forest, heading toward the Demon Mountain.
The number of large magical beasts and violent monsters seemed to be increasing, and there were many fallen trees. It looked like a giant bear might have attacked, as there were large claw marks on a big tree. There were also large rocks that had been destroyed, and charred trees scattered all over—likely the practice targets for magic-using monsters.
I jumped over these obstacles with ease, using my knees, ankles, and hips like springs in parkour, leaping, landing, and then running again.
(The physical ability and dynamic vision of a high elf are amazing. It feels like I’m not even using my own body.)
When I learned parkour, I was repeatedly told, “It’s more important to learn how to land properly than to focus on jumping.”
If you can’t land safely and correctly, the damage to your body accumulates, and you could end up seriously injured.
Fortunately, I was small and slender, so I was good at landing smoothly.
My eyesight is also pretty good, so with repeated practice, I quickly learned the correct form.
I leapt from a height taller than my own and kicked off a wall to leap upward at a diagonal angle.
Using all my muscles to move lightly and freely, as if I were freed from the pull of gravity, felt exhilarating.
Now, with the body of a high elf, I could enjoy these movements even more with greater skill.
Thanks to the double benefit of my “Sense Presence” and “Body Enhancement” skills, my senses were even sharper. I passed through the Great Forest lightly, unnoticed by wild boars, goblins, or orcs. I only stopped when I spotted an interesting plant.
“Is this… a peach? It’s a white peach. Looks delicious.”
Even though canned peaches are sold at 100-yen shops, nothing compares to fresh, ripe peaches.
I appraised the fruit, harvested only the ripest ones, and then cut down surrounding large trees as a thank-you. I also found mushrooms at the base of one of the trees and harvested those as well.
“It’s already noon. This seems like a good spot to set up camp for today.”
I felled the trees around my tent with skill.
Thanks to my daily practice, I had gotten quite good with Water Cutter and Wind Cutter magic.
I had been practicing magic alternately between water and wind spells as part of my training. At first, I struggled to chop trees neatly, and it took a long time, but now I could fell a large tree in about a minute.
“I’ll collect the branches for kindling. Later, it might be fun to make shelves and such.”
First, though, I planned to buy a house through the summoning magic online store.
Though there are plenty of baskets and storage boxes at the 100-yen shops, unfortunately, there are no large furniture items, so I’ll have to DIY them.
“I wish the home center would be added to the shop…”
In addition to furniture, you could even buy large appliances. Comfortable bedding, work clothes, and tools would be a blessing.
And speaking of home centers, there are weapons, too.
In zombie movies, people often run to the home center.
They use shovels, axes, and chainsaws to try to survive.
“Well, I can use magic, and thanks to the protection of the god of creation, I don’t have to worry about being harmed, so I probably don’t need weapons from a home center.”
It’s not exactly cheating, but it does feel a bit like I’m taking shortcuts. Still, I’m not a hero—I’m just the “food” for a hero.
“—Guess it’s time for lunch.”
I decided to make pizza with the mushrooms and asparagus I had just gathered.
I’ll be using magic pancake mix for the dough. It’s really amazing that you can make pizza dough with it.
Back in my previous life in Japan, I had made pizza late at night a few times, so I could do it without a recipe.
To make the dough, just mix pancake mix with salt, water, and olive oil in a bowl and knead it.
Making the dough is ridiculously easy, right?
Since I don’t have an oven, I’ll be baking it in a frying pan again this time, but after rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, I just need to add the toppings and bake it.
I spread tomato sauce on the dough, then added chopped mushrooms and thinly sliced wild boar meat for easy eating.
I also chopped the asparagus into bite-sized pieces and scattered them on top, along with some canned corn. Yeah, it looks colorful.
Next, I sprinkled cheese on top and added some coarsely ground black pepper before baking it.
I spread cooking oil on the frying pan and laid down a sheet of parchment paper before gently placing the pizza dough on it.
“The dough is made thin, so it should cook through, right…?”
I usually bake it in an oven, so I was a little worried about how it would cook in a frying pan.
But I succeeded in cooking it with the lid on, almost like steaming it. However, it was hard to get both sides crispy, so only one side turned out nice and crispy, like a thin crust.
“Well, it’s still tasty. Next time, I’ll bake just one side of the dough first, flip it over, add the toppings, and then bake the other side.”
There are a few things to reflect on, but the pizza is delicious.
This time I used wild boar meat, but if I wanted to make a teriyaki-style pizza, chicken or horned rabbit meat would be a good choice.
It would be great to add plenty of onions and garlic, and a potato pizza could be interesting too. If I can get seafood, I’d like to try making a seafood pizza.
Tuna mayo corn pizza is simple but tasty, and I could also make a pizza with canned yakitori chicken.
“Come to think of it, they have salami sausages at the 100-yen shop, so I could make a salami pizza too.”
If I use plenty of toppings, it will fill me up, and besides, pizza is delicious.
“I think I’ll try making different kinds of pizza for lunch for a while.”
It sounds fun to try curry sauce or even put some mochi on it, I thought, as I happily brainstormed recipes while finishing off a fairly large pizza.
It seemed that all three of my cousins were really hungry after seeing the pizza photos, so I’ll teach them how to make pizza with pancake mix.
I’ve heard that the royal palace has professional chefs and a nice oven, so their pizzas will definitely be more luxurious than mine.
‘Starting Tohma rrow, it’s time for some real dungeon attacks! I’m looking forward to it!’
I received a carefree message from Haruto. It’s like a child the day before a field trip. On the other hand, his younger sister Natsuki seemed a bit gloomy.
‘For now, we plan to stay in the dungeon for about a week. I really don’t want to.’
Even with a comfortable tent, it will be tough, especially for the girls. Things like the bathroom.
I hope the life magic comes in handy.
Akimi seemed worried about the meals too.
‘The camping gear Tohma sent me will probably be useful. The main camping meals will be canned food, cup noodles, and ready-made meals, and we’ll gather other things locally. If you have any easy camping recipes, please send them.’
At the 100-yen shop, they had high-end items like frying pans, pots, skillets, and even clay pots, so I’ve sent over a full set of cooking equipment for now.
I also sent a set of seasonings, packed into container boxes that are easy to use.
“Camping meals are basically just roasting or boiling, right?”
That said, food is a life-or-death issue.
I’ll send a few easy and foolproof camping recipes.
By the way, as a thank-you for the camping supplies, I received processed meats like ham and bacon.
I spammed a bunch of “Good Job!” stamps, and it was a little annoying, so they got exasperated. That’s a secret, though.
