6 - the first battle of the fourth episode

I wake up in ...... pitch black. Where am I?　As I sit up, pain emanates from every part of my body.

"Oh, it wasn't a dream. This really is another world."

I cast the light ball spell I learned last night, and a ball of light floats in the cave. My body aches, probably from yesterday's physical exertion and from lying on the hard ground.

I need a soft place to sleep, but not even grass grows in this dead land. The future looks bleak. With a slight wobble, I stow the rock at the entrance into my magic bag.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning."

The wind blows softly, and poof! Sylphy and the young genie appear. What a genie!

Good morning. Sylphie, the young genie. My muscles are sore and my body aches, but I was tired so I was able to sleep well.

"I'm glad you were able to sleep."

You were worried about me. Thank you. Hmm?　I'm kind of hungry. Come to think of it, I didn't eat anything last night. I'd like to eat, but I don't have a microwave or cooking utensils. I guess I'll just have to settle for the sweet bread I bought as a snack today.

"I'm thinking of having breakfast.　I mean, what do genies do with their food?"

We don't really need to eat. We can eat, but it's more of a luxury item.

"I see. Then why don't you try some bread from another world?"

It's valuable food, but it would be awkward to eat it alone, and I'd like to see how people react to it.

"We don't need to eat, so you eat. I don't know if we will be able to get food easily from now on."

Hmmm...that's a good point. I wanted them to eat the sweet bread because they seem to enjoy it. ...... Well, they will eat it when they can get food. I think I'll just settle for a loaf of bread today. The sweetbreads are for later.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to make a meal of it.

He takes out two slices of bread from his magic bag and tastes them. Even bread is a precious commodity in another world. I have to chew it.

"Wow, white bread is such a luxury. It's the food of royalty and aristocracy."

Luxury!

It's a little genie. Why do you look like a troubled little girl?

"Yes, I know. But how does Sylphy know what the royal families eat?　Do you know any of them?"

"No, I don't. The spirits of the wind are everywhere where the wind passes. I know because I've seen them everywhere.

He's so good at it. She's cute, but I think what she's doing is voyeuristic. ...... It's wise not to touch her.　

"Oh, yeah. Well, it's a big help to me, because Sylphy knows a lot of things. Thank you."

"Hmm, don't worry about it. Go ahead, eat your food. The sea is waiting for you."

Sylphie, it's pretty simple. Oops... it's not good to keep them waiting. Let's eat quickly. But it's a precious Japanese food now. Let's taste it! Bread alone may not taste good, but it tastes good when you bite into it.

Thank you. Sylphie, little spirit! Shall we go?

"Yes. Oh, Yuta. Yuta. There might be monsters out there. I don't think you'll miss the approaching demons but be careful. And if demons appear, Yuta must defeat them. You need to level up and we can't help you until the battle because we don't have a contract.

"Oh, okay. I'll do my best. I'll just get out my magic hammer, which should be easy to fight with."

I'm not sure about fighting, but the magic hammer is very powerful. I'll try my best to level up. It's not too heavy, so it can be used as a wand, killing two birds with one stone.

I walk in the direction Sylphy is pointing and ask her questions.

"Hey Sylphy. How long does it take to get to the ocean?

"Hmmm...well... It's not that far, so at this pace we should be there by midday.

It's still early in the morning, but noon will pass. My muscles are sore, but I'll just have to hang in there.

"Okay. By the way, you said that there are only wind spirits in the land of the dead, but since there is ground, are there any earth spirits?

The ground is there, but it is hard and dry and there is no grass. A dead land where nature is out of balance is a harsh place for the spirits of the earth.

"Oh, so it's not enough just to have ground. What about spirits of light and spirits of darkness?　Maybe there are no spirits of light or darkness?"

"Yes, there are. But the spirits of light chase the sun above the clouds, and the spirits of darkness prefer to stay underground. They will not come to the land of the dead by choice.

Why bother coming to a barren land when there are better places elsewhere? In my mind, spirits are supposed to do their best to restore nature somehow, but I guess not.

Or maybe the land of the dead is too bad to recover. I walk through the reddish brown and cracked earth where no plants grow. But it's hot. The towel on my head is soaked with sweat.

Sylphy is flying next to me, and a young spirit is flying around freely in the sky. I envy her, as she seems to be really enjoying herself, giggling and laughing.

"If I could make a contract with Sylphy, would I be able to fly like that?

"It's hard to fly around as freely as she does, but you will be able to fly to some extent.

I see. If I can get a contract, I'll be able to fly. I wonder what that feels like. It's exciting. I'll have to get my magic up to "B". I'll cry if it stops growing.

I'll do my best to get a contract as soon as possible.

**

I'm sorry. I was getting carried away, trying to level up. What you see in front of you is a real monster. I want to punch myself in the face.

Yuta! There's a demon behind that rocky hill. What should we do?

"Do you know what kind of demon it is?　If I can beat him, I'll fight him."

If you level up, you can make a contract. If you can make a contract, you can fly. We have to do it.

So there's the Death Lizard. You can kill it by making the magic hammer bigger and hitting it. But at first it's better to start with the weaker ones that come out at night, like zombies and skeletons."

Death Lizard...... death lizard?　That's a scary name. And something else I can't hear: ...... are there zombies and skeletons?　I'm more scared of that one.

"Hey, are there zombies or skeletons?"

Yes, the land of the dead is where the great war took place, so there are a lot of them. Most of the ruins above ground have faded away, but there are many underground facilities and caves where you can find them wandering around at night.

I like fantasy, but I hate horror. What do you think?　I don't like zombies, especially when they look creepy.

How big is the death lizard?

"The one behind the boulder is small, about as tall as Yuta's waist and as long as he is tall?"

Better than zombies and skeletons. A magic hammer doesn't weigh much, so if you can hit it and take it down, there's plenty of time.

"Then I'll try to fight the Death Lizard."

"Yeah?　I think you'll be fine, but be careful."

Sylphy calls out to me with concern. The young genie has flown away and is now gone.

I carry a magic hammer on my shoulder. As I approach the rocky hillside, the death lizard seems to have noticed me, and comes out quietly.

Its scales are reddish-black, perhaps as a protective color. Its large, menacing mouth is lined with sharp fangs. When it accidentally slams its tail on the ground, it makes a dull thudding sound. This is no lizard. This is a dragon.

It stares at you with reptilian eyes, its legs trembling. I'd like to start with a zombie or a skeleton. No, slimes and goblins are usually my first choice.

While I was lightly escaping from reality, a Death Lizard, perhaps out of frustration, came rushing in screaming. I swing my magic hammer around selflessly.

"Oh, ......"

The moment the magic hammer hits the death lizard. The death lizard flew away without any response.

"Good work. That was a little awkward, but it's your first win. But next time you'd better learn to aim and hit properly instead of swinging around.

Sylphy smiles and talks to me.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, did you beat it?"

"Yes, you did. What happened?"

I just swung the magic hammer without any response, and the death lizard went flying off. I didn't feel like I had defeated it at all. When I tell him this, Sylphy explains to me with a look of dismay on her face.

"You might not understand it because you don't feel the weight of the hammer, but most of the demons are like that when you hit them with such a huge hammer. If you don't feel it, try hitting the ground with that hammer as hard as you can.

As you are told, you slam the magic hammer into the ground as hard as you can. A roar echoes through the air, and your body is hit by the blast and the sand that is blown away. It hurts a lot. You feel the hammer stop, but there is no impact or response from the hammer hitting the ground.

I put the hammer on my shoulder and look at the ground, which is deeply gouged out as if it had been hit by a meteorite. What is this? It's not a very powerful hammer. If you think about it, a huge piece of iron like this?　A mass moving at breakneck speed. That's what happens.

"Yeah. Sylphy, I understand.

"That's good to hear. That's what I've been trying to tell you, so next time you're going to be calm and cool about it.

"Yeah, next time I'll be fine. What about that death lizard?　Can you eat them?"

"Death Lizard's staple diet is zombies and skeletons. Do you eat them?　Normally the skins are cash for cash, but they're worthless when they're all mangled up like that. If the magic stone in the heart is intact, you can exchange it for cash when you go to town."

I'd rather not eat the lizards that are the staple diet of zombies. I'm going to throw up ...... when I approach the death lizard to secure at least the magic stone. I can't believe how messed up it is.

I search for the heart with a magic crowbar, as Sylphy had taught me, and find a sparkling shard.

"If you want to get magic stones and materials, you'd better learn to go easy on me next time."

"...... Yeah."