Published: July 4, 2025
Thirteenth day in "Fai".
Finally, the day of the decisive battle.
I start a fire with practiced ease and eat the meat.
Slowly, I ruminate over everything I have prepared so far in my mind...
After finishing my meal, I confirm what I will take with me.
The Wound Healing Herb is already crushed and packed in ice using water magic. It can be applied to wounds immediately after defrosting.
A bamboo spear with a knife attached to its tip. I reinforce the joint between the knife and the bamboo spear with created ice.
That's all.
In reality, there wasn't much to take outside the barrier.
The goal is to obtain flint and detoxifying herbs.
And to engage in combat with weak monsters... preferably a slime!
I don’t intend to go too far.
If something happens, I need to be able to escape back into the barrier immediately.
I close my eyes briefly and steady my breathing.
"Alright, let's go."
The direction I aim for is southwest. Michael (alias) informed me that the coastline is about five hundred meters ahead in that direction.
There are several stones that can be used as flint, but I don’t know them very well.
Even I can distinguish certain stones, and one with a proven track record of being used as flint is quartz.
Among quartz, the colorless and transparent ones are called crystal, but those that are opaque white quartz are also quite common.
A good place to find such stones is the riverbed.
If there is a river, it should be connected to the sea.
So, I wonder if I might encounter a river somewhere along the way to the sea from home...
"Well, if I don't find one, I can always try going to the opposite side next time. In a sense, it's an adventure. Not knowing what will happen is what makes it adventurous, right?"
As I leave the barrier, I felt a slight resistance.
"Is this feeling the outer edge of the barrier?"
Given that I am in a forest, visibility is not very good.
I listen closely, relying on auditory cues as I walk slowly.
I can hear the distant sound of birds flapping their wings.
I haven't even walked a hundred meters after leaving the barrier when suddenly the forest ends.
Before me lies a river that stretches several hundred meters to the opposite bank.
"Bingo!"
However, I emerged on a cliff. It looks like it will be difficult to descend to the riverbed to search for flint.
(I'll just walk upstream from here.)
The river flows from east to west, and I carefully walked upstream along the edge of the cliff.
"I can't believe there's such a large river less than a hundred meters from home... This scenery is somewhat moving..."
That said, I don't have the luxury to leisurely admire the view right now.
After walking a bit, I managed to descend to the riverbed.
I quickly found quartz.
I decided to try striking it for flint.
I struck the quartz I picked up against the back of the knife attached to the tip of my bamboo spear.
Click, click.
"Oh, sparks flew. Now I can start a fire even if the sun isn't out."
Knowing that, there's no time to linger.
The river is a drinking spot for beasts. I don't know what might come.
I hurriedly returned to the cliff I came from and headed northeast.
(If I continue north, I should reach the southern edge of the barrier around home. By heading northeast, I can keep the house in mind on my left while moving...)
If something happens, I can escape back into the barrier of my home.
I can't stress how important this is for me right now.
After all, I have no idea how strong the monsters in this "Fai" are.
I think I can defeat a slime, but that doesn't guarantee that a slime will show up.
Of course, I have only read about slimes in the "Monsters Encyclopedia: Beginner Edition".
I quickly found flint, but the detoxifying herbs were not so easy to come by.
I moved while constantly keeping my home's position in mind, so I haven't strayed far from the barrier.
"This is... quite challenging... Now, what should I do?"
Perhaps because I was thinking of hints from the plant encyclopedia, especially the page on detoxifying herbs... at least my consciousness had strayed from paying attention to my surroundings.