Chapter 7

After defeating the wolves in what was more like a labyrinth than a cave, we continued our exploration.

I thought about making a water bag from this wolf's stomach. However, that alone wouldn't be enough.

Not only do we need more water bags, but we also need things essential for living—firewood for fuel, paper, and water. We are completely lacking in these.

Of course, there shouldn't be anything as civilized as paper in such a labyrinth.

But in games, various paper products like scrolls appear. Since magic is possible, this place is probably not Earth.

It's likely some kind of different world.

Moreover, since we've been reincarnated as game characters, it wouldn't be strange for game-like items to appear.

"Hey, hey! Alyusha, was I helpful? Did I do a good job?"

"Yeah, the first Fireball was perfectly timed. Good job."

"Hehehe."

I ruffled Alyusha's hair, which she seemed to enjoy, as she rubbed her head against me like a dog.

While petting her fluffy, soft hair, I thought about the materials from the wolf we had just defeated.

"The skin can be used for fur or leather. The stomach can be a water bag. The meat... can we eat it? I've heard that dog meat is eaten in some cultures, but it can be quite gamey. Well, let's try cooking it. Oh, we don't have any spices."

"Spices? Do they make it taste better?"

"Yeah, a lot better."

"Wow! Let's find some, big sister!"

Alyusha, jumping up and down with excitement, is very expressive and emotionally rich. Her high sensitivity is evident.

She might be a bit of a favorite, but I can understand the feeling of being a doting parent now.

"Yeah, but we need wood first. We'll have trouble with the toilet, right?"

"Uh... that's a problem."

Alyusha, who had been excitedly waving her hands, lowered them and frowned.

I patted her head to encourage her.

"We can get spices from trees. We might even find them in bulk."

"Ah... I understand. I'll do my best."

Alyusha made a determined pose. This exaggerated gesture might be standard in this world.

If so, it's quite... a world I'm not used to. I'm a reserved and introverted Japanese person.

After defeating three more wolves, we finished exploring the first floor and discovered a staircase leading down.

We found meat and materials for bags on the first floor, so we might not need to push ourselves.

But Alyusha, captivated by the idea of a "delicious meal," was full of enthusiasm.

"Come on, big sister. Let's go faster!"

"Okay, but don't pull my hand... it's dangerous on the stairs!"

I'm not as weak as to be dragged by a small child, but this body is that of a young girl in her early teens.

Though not as light as Alyusha, I'm still relatively light. A slight misstep could throw me off balance.

While calming Alyusha's enthusiasm, I cautiously descended the stairs. What we saw at the bottom was—

"What is this?"

"Wow, so many trees!"

A large number of trees, about two meters tall, were packed in the corridor.

Moreover, they were moving without any wind, and some were even walking.

They stopped moving when Alyusha shouted loudly, clearly showing intelligence.

"They don't look friendly. If they were, they wouldn't have stopped moving."

"Should we burn them with Fireball?"

"Fireball, right. Well, they haven't attacked us, so I'll go check. If they do attack, please target the trees from a distance."

"Got it!"

Of course, stopping and camouflaging themselves suggests they might be hostile.

But if we attack from a distance, they might overwhelm us with their numbers, endangering Alyusha.

If I act as a decoy and draw their attacks, it's scary, but it's necessary.

Focusing on defense, I equipped a shield and a one-handed sword.

As expected, the mysterious tree creatures swung their branches at me as I approached.

"Figures... Burst Break!"

The speed of the swinging branches was—indeed slow.

This labyrinth is definitely of beginner difficulty.

After confirming the enemy's move, I timed my counter and activated the area attack skill.

Burst Break—a skill of the first-class swordsman, usable only with a weapon.

It has high attack power and a fire attribute, capable of clearing the surrounding area with a shockwave.

A heavy rumble shook the entire labyrinth, and the heat from the sword wind danced around.

The tree creatures were literally blown away like splinters.

"Big sister... you went overboard."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

Seeing the tree creatures blown to pieces, Alyusha complained.

But her face clearly showed disappointment at being left out.

Her expressiveness is good, but maybe I should teach her some subtlety.

I chuckled at her pouting face and started collecting the remains of the tree creatures into my inventory.

The structure of the second floor was different from the first, with more than just intersecting corridors.

I was so focused on the approaching enemies that I didn't notice my foot stepping on a trap.

A metallic sound echoed, and the sensation under my feet became uncertain.

Looking down, I saw a crack in the floor, and a pit was opening up.

Fortunately, the hinges were rusty, so it wasn't opening too quickly. I quickly grabbed Alyusha and jumped to the opposite side.

"Meow!?"

Alyusha made a cat-like sound as she was grabbed by the collar.

It might have been uncomfortable, but I couldn't pay attention to that now.

Using the momentum from kicking the opening floor, I reached the wall. This time, I kicked a solid foothold and jumped out of the pit's range.

"Phew, that was close... If it weren't for Ymir's physical abilities, we would have fallen."

"Meow!"

"Sorry, Alyusha. Are you okay?"

"My head is spinning."

"It was sudden. But if I hadn't, we would have fallen."

Looking into the open pit, there were no spikes or other traps at the bottom, but something slimy and ameboid was writhing.

"Wow, a slime pit..."

"What's that?"

Alyusha, following my lead, peered into the pit.

It was about five meters deep, with smooth walls.

The height wasn't too much, but the smooth sides would make climbing difficult.

"It's writhing."

"Slime... so if we fell, it would eat us?"

"Uh, you mean it would consume us?"

"Yeah, would it eat us?"

Alyusha, surprised, looked at me. She seemed to think "eating" meant it was edible.

Even I would hesitate to eat a slime. Even a gluttonous Japanese person would find it hard to imagine.

"Still, a pit with a predatory slime... the enemies are weak, but the traps are intense."

"Intense!"

"But wait... can we bring one back?"

"Really? To eat?"

"Not to eat."

Is this girl a glutton?

"Let's try putting some in this potion bottle."

I intended to fill the bottle with water, but since it might be useful, I decided to collect some slime.

Using a dagger as a foothold, I hung down and descended to the bottom of the pit.

I scooped up the slime from a reachable spot.

A slight pain spread from where my fingertips touched, suggesting it might be a strong acid.

Fortunately, the bottle didn't dissolve and the slime settled inside.

"Good. The question is whether it will fit in the inventory."

As usual—though it's only the third day—when I tried to manipulate the item, it went into the inventory.

It seems to be treated like potions.

After thoroughly exploring the second floor, we found only a few pits and no notable enemies.

There were six slimes and twelve tree creatures.

We decided to return when Alyusha showed signs of fatigue, having found another staircase leading down.

"Sorry, big sister."

"Don't worry. But if we fight, let's retreat quickly, okay?"

"Okay, I can carry you too."

Carrying the exhausted Alyusha on my back, we headed for the exit.

If her stamina is this low, crossing the plain will be difficult.

As we approached the exit, more challenges piled up, but we managed to return without encountering any enemies.

When we got outside, the sun was setting.

I decided to make a bed before it got dark.

To let the exhausted Alyusha rest, I spread out the leftover grass from yesterday and covered her with a mantle.

After laying her down and covering her, I placed a salted fish by her pillow in case she got hungry at night. I also needed to prepare a drink, but I lacked a container.

Next, I dug a deeper hole for a toilet. I dug a two-meter hole behind a rock, burned it to solidify, and placed the slime at the bottom.

The slime should absorb and dispose of the waste.

Since the hole had become too wide to step over, I placed a board over it, made from the tree creature's wood.

I also set up a fence around the toilet using tree branches and grass ropes. I wanted to add a roof, but there wasn't enough time, so I would do it gradually.

At least it wouldn't be visible from a distance.

Finally, I filled an empty bottle with water.

I dashed to the small room to get water while Alyusha was sleeping.

Ymir's enhanced agility was incredible, and I reached the room in just a few minutes, quickly cleaned the container, filled it with water, and returned.

The round trip took less than ten minutes.

I placed one bottle by Alyusha's pillow and decided to have a leisurely dinner.

"Phew, it was rushed, but I can finally take a break. Next, I just need to tan the skin and make a water bag."

This task needs to be done before the skin dries.

However, it was already dark, and using a blade to remove the fat layer would be difficult.

So I only bled the wolf and processed the internal organs, leaving the rest for tomorrow.

If the skin dries and becomes hard, it can be stored in the inventory without issues.

After all, food from over ten years ago is still edible.

"I'm tired... I'll stop here for today."

Thus, our third day of survival was successfully completed.

The pit opened slowly not because it was slow, but because Ymir was incredibly fast.

And she was unaware of this.

That's it for today. See you tomorrow.