Chapter 25
I decided to leave the problem of not being able to find anyone alone.
Thinking about it seemed like it would lead me down a rabbit hole, and I still had things to do.
...
From the outside, it was just a rocky mountain.
It didn't look like a house at all, but the inside had turned out better than I'd imagined.
I was especially pleased with how the ceiling turned out.
I tried shaping it to resemble exposed concrete.
Since the rock was a somewhat dark gray, it gave the interior a cool look.
As the rooms took shape, the rock's own glow became more noticeable.
The ceiling alone wouldn't have been a problem, but the entire room was glowing.
Since the light was faint, I put it off, deciding it wouldn't be much of a nuisance even at night, but
One night, when I got up to use the toilet, I saw Shion illuminated by the faint light... and screamed.
...Who would have thought faint light could make things twice as scary?
The next day, I considered various ways to turn off the glow.
The image of turning off an electric light bulb on Earth proved useful.
Despite all my thinking, the solution was incredibly simple.
First, I turned off all the glow in the floor.
I did the same to the walls, leaving only the ceiling.
I could adjust the brightness of the glow, but fine-tuning it was difficult, so I gave up for now.
...
A grand mansion with two basement levels and four above-ground floors (still under construction).
But I couldn't help grinning.
I reshaped the crack on the second basement level into an arch so Koa and the others could pass through.
I combined the two spaces and turned them into an ore-storage area and a huge space for processing ore.
The gold-colored ore was removed by teleportation as well.
But magic didn't work well on this ore, so I couldn't teleport it.
I had no choice but to cut it into smaller pieces before moving it.
But I discovered that this ore was extremely hard as well.
My rock-cutting magic could only scratch it.
While thinking about how to cut it, I remembered a diamond cutter I'd seen on TV.
I was nervous, but I gave it a try, and it cut cleanly.
It really sliced right through; its sharpness actually frightened me a little...
That aside, once it was small enough, the gold-colored ore could be teleported too.
I discovered that the gold-colored ore was difficult to affect with magic and was the strongest rock or ore I knew of.
The first basement level is for storing food.
Koa and the others bring back plenty of game.
My butchering skills have naturally improved.
I still can't look directly at the internal organs... but it's not a problem.
I've learned to skin them with a stone knife.
For a little while, butchering them lets me revel in the feeling of being an adventurer.
But the stone knife was far sharper than I'd expected.
Handling the knife was surprisingly difficult, and I had to rely on Heal many times.
I'm glad I didn't cut off a finger.
I still haven't figured out how to process the hides, though.
I've failed every time and ended up burning them all.
It's a waste, so I want to find a way to use them.
...
The first basement level originally had four spaces.
I joined all the walls together, turning it into one huge space.
I experimented with magic to make a storage room.
That's where I discovered a new way to reshape things.
I infused every inch of the rock with magic power,
and succeeded in changing its shape freely, like clay.
However, at that moment, Koa and the others briefly acted as if they were going to attack the rock.
They haven't reacted since then, but I have no idea what they were trying to do.
...Maybe they were frightened because the rock suddenly bulged up from the floor without warning?
If so, I'm sorry.
Working on the rooms let me get an intuitive feel for the power of magic.
For a magic novice like me, that's incredible progress.
However, it takes a lot of concentration and leaves me exhausted, so I can't work for long.
Even so, I did my best!
Five rooms are complete.
The entrance is arched and large enough for Koa and the others to pass in and out.
It's a shame I can't make doors.
No matter what I tried, I couldn't do it.
On the first through fourth floors, I've only finished processing the ceilings, walls, and floors.
I worked on them in between using Drone Clairvoyance.
Even if this is a world with no people at all, I can still survive!
I wonder if there are any animals that can talk?