CH 171

Tonight I’m on the third shift keeping watch. I manage to rest pretty well, because nothing of note is happening.

I’m sure the other adventurers don’t want to start trouble right before moving on to the next floor. I’m glad they’re rational like that. They’re probably just a party that’s earnestly trying to explore the dungeon.

“You don’t look too tired, Sora.”

Chris is keeping watch with me tonight. I take some fruit water from my Item Box, and give it to her.

“That is really handy. I wish I could also learn it.”

“You said skills are gifts from god, right?”

“Who knows? They can be learned by training too after all. And there are also skill scrolls that the dungeon produces.”

That’s why there are magic academies. Not that it’s guaranteed that everyone will reach a level with magic where it’s actually useful.

Leila for example uses her sword more than magic, and says she rarely uses magic.

“Ahh… This is nice. Sweetness is great for a tired body.”

“Were you really that tired?”

“Well, we have been resting, but we have been fighting and walking all this time. I’m used to traveling, but it’s still tiring.”

“Makes sense… I wish it was simpler to leave the dungeon and go home.”

My Spatial Magic is almost leveling up, so it’d be nice if I could learn some sort of transportation magic too.

Return stones are among the things listed in my Creation skill, but the level and materials needed mean they’re hard to make. I’d have to take down a few bosses for the magic stones. Should I go back after the waiting time is over? That’s probably not a good idea, because I’d need multiple magic stones.

And even if I did get the magic stones, my level isn’t even close. It looks like it would go through my MP pretty fast, but could I get through it by gulping down mana potions? Hm… I don’t really want to try it… But thinking about it from a safety point of view…

“What about you Sora? Aren’t you tired?”

“Ah, I have my skill, and I didn’t fight a whole lot, so…”

I don’t know how I feel about my main activity being cooking when we camp, but…

“Skill?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you about it? My skill makes it so I don’t get tired when I walk.”

“…That’s just not fair…”

I think puffing your cheeks like that is a bit too much.

“But that’s all it does, and that’s why I was thrown out. It doesn’t help me fight or anything.”

“Really? I think you fight pretty well.”

“I do now, but the people that were summoned with me already had multiple strong skills when they got here.”

Chris remembers what I was like when she met me, and nods.

“And that’s why you accepted all those delivery quests?”

Exactly. It’s kind of nostalgic now.

“I would’ve liked it even more if I got some perks depending on the distance I walked…”

I mumble, and Chris tilts her head like she doesn’t really understand what I’m talking about.

“Back in my world, there was a game that incentivized walking and gave rewards depending on how much you walked. You could also get special in-game items if you walked a lot.”

She probably doesn’t understand what I mean by game.

But after listening silently, she suddenly asks something.

“Sora, do you want to go back to your world?”

“…I don’t know. I guess I could lead a safer life over there.”

And I could enjoy all the benefits of that civilization. At least in Japan, I had the privilege of living without a lot of inconvenience. Of course, that’s not counting the fact that I was being supported by other people.

But looking back, it kind of feels like I was just going through life, day after day.

I went to school, sometimes did part-time jobs, played games, watched TV… I didn’t really have my heart set on anything. At most I walked by the river on off days and trekked a little to see some sights.

It’s not like I did that regularly either. I did it mostly as a way to take a breather when I was feeling suffocated.

But in this world, I’m exposed to danger, but I have skills, and I’m having fun.

I was never really a people person back in my world either, but here I’ve been helped by a lot of people, and I spend time with them like this.

“I honestly don’t know. I’m not desperately looking for a way back or anything. Even if I just happened to discover some way to go back, I don’t really think I want to leave right now.”

That’s how I honestly feel.

“I see…”

“What are you going to do after you find Eris?”

“Once we find our big sister, we’re going back to our village and tell grandma.”

“And then?”

“Well…”

“Well?”

“…It’s a secret.”

Her cheeks are getting red like she’s embarrassed? Why?

Or is it that she hasn’t thought that far ahead?

Considering what it was like when she met Sera again, I can only imagine she’ll lose her composure even more when she is reunited with her big sister.

“What?”

I ask Chris as I notice her staring at me.

“Nothing. I was just wondering what you were thinking about.”

I can’t tell her I was thinking back to when she was crying with joy.

“I hope we can find Eris soon.”

We’re taking a detour right now, but I want them to meet again as soon as possible.

It’s not like we’re aiming to conquer the whole dungeon. We need to decide where we’re going to stop.

We should discuss that next time we go back to the city.