Chapter 18
Looks like I've secured water.
This makes me realize once again how convenient magic is.
I suppose that's good, but the way I figured it out was too questionable.
Putting that aside, now that we have water, food is next.
To avoid repeating the same thing, I'll try using magic for now.
"Gyudon."
No matter how appetizing an image I create, it seems it won't work.
Hmm... Maybe uncooked vegetables or meat, then.
"Cabbage."
...
"Chicken."
If cabbage doesn't work, chicken won't either.
Why did I even try that?!
The cores looked at me as if I were something strange.
I want a hole to open up so I can crawl into it.
I took a deep breath.
I've decided getting food with magic isn't possible.
Then what should I do?
For now, I'll try fruit!
Mushrooms are scary, so they're out.
We're in a forest, so there has to be something.
I'll search around the cave.
There isn't a single piece of fruit, even in the purified areas.
There's nothing but giant trees.
There are small trees, too, but no flowers or fruit.
This is a problem.
Hio headbutted me.
It was so sudden that I was startled. But why?
Hio gave me one nod as I stood there, startled.
Then Hio took off beyond the barrier with Shion and Crow.
Huh?!
The three of them ran off somewhere.
What happened?
I looked at Koa, but all I got in return was a stare and a nod.
Sorry, but nodding doesn't help.
Huh... Did they leave me behind?
I wanted to believe that wasn't the case, but...
When I made a troubled face, Koa did the same.
I've learned to tell when Koa looks troubled.
But this time, it was because we couldn't understand each other.
Now, what should I do?
I wanted to wait for Hio and the others, but I didn't even know if they'd come back.
I wanted to solve the food problem as soon as possible, too...
I took a moment to calm myself, then began exploring.
...I had to believe they'd come back.
I discovered the cave's secret.
That's what I wanted to say.
Whenever I'm exploring, I can't help getting excited—I'm a boy, after all.
...
What I found was an opening.
Apparently, we'd been in a space near the top of a rocky mountain.
It was a proper entrance to the surface.
I wasn't about to recklessly charge out.
Absolutely not.
Even if I was tempted, going out there would be far too reckless.
So I activate Spatial Perception with magic.
An image appears in my mind.
No matter how many times I do it, the sensation is still strange.
I use the image that appeared to examine the cave.
I knew the cave was quite large, but seeing it as an image, I realized it was truly enormous.
...And it seems there's a slope inside the cave.
When I traced the slope, I discovered a second floor.
The second floor is huge too... Oh, there's another slope.
Apparently... it's three stories tall.
Ah, no, it's four stories.
The place we were in was at the very top, after all.
And then... my heart starts pounding with excitement.
I actually discovered an underground level!
Just the thought of an underground level in a cave gets me excited.
...
My excitement plummeted all at once.
When I checked with Spatial Perception, I found that the underground portion had two levels.
And then... I found a black mass.
I hate curses.