Chapter 448 - Fumbling Toward Tranquility
Alright. Now that we have a foothold for our base, there's something important to address.
I'm talking about the identity of those monkeys. Thanks to the mysterious stones they dropped—by the name of [Stardust Relic (Lapis)]—we've figured out a few things.
First, those creatures are beings known as [Stardust Beast (Lim)].
Second, collecting these [Stardust Relics (Lapis)] is the objective of this event… or at least one of them.
And third—this is pure speculation based on the relic's flavor text, but…
It seems these [Stardust Beasts (Lim)] are part of an ‘expansion system’ that could become a new source of power for players, offering the possibility of taming or something similar.
The hinted-at potential was called ‘Subjugation.’ The details are completely unknown, but it seems that by meeting certain conditions, we might be able to get them to obey us.
Honestly, being told about a brand new system right after being thrown into the middle of an event is a lot to process. I shared the information with everyone gathered at the base right away, but they all had similar reactions, like, “Huh, okay…”
It wasn't so much that their excitement couldn't keep up, but more that there was no concrete proof yet, and we were all too busy setting up the base to really care. That was the main reason.
There was another piece of information brought by the relics, too. As far as surviving goes, this was a much more important factor.
And that was…
"""…"""
It had to do with what was in the bowls currently sitting in front of us as we surrounded the “dinner table.”
The [Stardust Relic (Lapis)] wasn’t just for collecting for some yet-to-be-revealed purpose; it had another use.
That use was ‘Conversion.’ By crushing a relic, you could obtain various materials corresponding to the [Stardust Beast (Lim)] it dropped from… for example, food ingredients.
In other words—
"…I understand the hesitation, believe me."
"N-No, I'll eat it. It's just… I need a little courage and resolve…"
The main ingredient in the stew served in these charming wooden bowls was none other than the meat from the ‘monkeys’ I had slaughtered en masse—which explains a lot.
I won't say what, but it's just… there’s a level of aversion that’s a little more than slight. I mean, come on… even if our evolutionary paths diverged, you know?
After we'd made some progress on the base, we all started feeling hunger, just like in the real world. So, we decided to have our first meal together, but…
Who would have thought I'd need to muster up courage just to lift my spoon?
"It… it's edible, right?"
"…Apparently, there was a culture of eating it in Japan, too."
One of the players nearby answered Nia, who was trembling beside me. But from the look on his face, it was clear he was scared too.
However, however—
"Alright… let's do this."
"Y-You're going to…?"
Yeah, I'm going to. If I keep hesitating, it'll be rude to the chef.
I've already eaten monster moray eels that swim through the desert. It’s a bit late to be getting squeamish over a monkey. Besides, it's just a game, so there's no need to overthink it…!
Alright then, on three—!
"Thanks for the food…!"
And so, I forced the meat into my mouth, powered only by hype and guts. The taste was…
"…"
"…Hey, come on, a review. How is it…!?"
To be perfectly honest—
Unfortunately, I couldn't say it was very tasty.
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"—Sorry about that. After telling you to look forward to it and everything."
"Not at all. I could still tell you've got serious skills. The stew itself was delicious… seriously, thank you for the meal. I'm not being sarcastic, either."
The ingredients were the problem, pure and simple.
Once I'd steeled myself and popped a piece in my mouth, the rest was easy. Boys will be boys, no matter their age. Out of curiosity, a bunch of us rowdy guys tried grilling the meat on its own, and it tasted absolutely awful. The smell was overpowering in the worst way.
It was edible, but you could tell it wasn't proper food. Which means our chef—Tetsu-san—who managed to transform it into something merely ‘not very tasty,’ is definitely trustworthy.
"It helps to hear you say that. It’s a shame I couldn't score a perfect ten on the first try."
"If you ask me, it was a perfect ten. I got to experience a truly unconventional (survival) meal, and it was an invaluable experience."
"…You're a good guy. Just like they say."
"What are they saying? Tell me more."
While we talked, I made sure to memorize the appearance of the wild plants Tetsu-san was picking. The most important factor in this event, considering its effect on morale and motivation, is undoubtedly food.
And gathering ingredients is one of the few valuable jobs that I, without any production skills, can definitely contribute to. I can't wait around for an appraisal-type skill to pop up, so I'll make full use of my other talents to be useful.
As for water, which would be a life-or-death issue in a real survival situation, there's no problem at all since there are several of us, including me, with water magic aptitude who can create pure water in exchange for MP. So, for the time being, securing enough food for the entire group is the top priority.
Even Nia, who's completely out of her element when it comes to construction, is working hard on the base. She'll surely want a delicious meal after all that labor.
"That's about all the useful stuff around here. I'm sure there's more nearby if you look. Could you gather some if you spot any?"
"Okay, got it."
In addition to wild herbs for flavoring, there were various mysterious plants resembling edible wild vegetables from the real world. There were also poisonous-looking mushrooms that made me tilt my head in endless suspicion—‘Can you really eat that? Really?’—but I managed to cram a fair amount of data into my head.
I'll have to judge by appearance, but I'm confident I won't make a mistake. Just to be safe, I can have them all appraised later… which brings me to my next move.
Food is important, but there's just so much to do right now.
"As for a protein source… I'll leave that to our reliable gentlemen."
"They shot out of here with blood in their eyes, swearing they were done with monkey meat. We can expect great things from them."
To be honest, as the one cooking it, I'm done with it too—Tetsu-san revealed a surprising sense of humor with a faint smile as we exchanged light conversation.
Having volunteered for permanent guard duty, I couldn't really wander too far from the base… though, to be fair, I could rush back in seconds from a few hundred meters away, so a short stroll wouldn't be a problem.
Still, acting on my own too much would go against our agreement—
So, I guess I'll stick to the original plan. Together as much as possible, and all that.
"I'm going to go gather some wild vegetables in a bit."
"Yeah, I'll be counting on you."
He must have guessed where I was headed. He gave me another faint—and somewhat amused—smile, and feeling an indescribable awkwardness, I quickly walked away.
And the place I headed to, well…
"…She’s so easy to read."
As I approached, Nia spotted me and her face instantly lit up, only for her friend beside her to immediately start teasing her with a grin.
Her proximity… or rather, the blatant way she looks at me, has probably made it one hundred percent obvious to everyone in the group that this young maiden is in love.
And I, the one on the receiving end of all this scorching emotion…
"Yo, anything I can help with?"
"We've been waiting for you, boyfriend!"
"A-Aaahhh…! Stop clinging to him!"
"Well, well, aren't we full of energy…"
Now that I've gotten over a lot of things, I don't exactly mind it. I feel like I'm finally facing things properly, much more so than before, when I was just pathetically pretending to.
"Why are you just letting her do that?! You should resist a little!"
"She’s just so casually goofy about it, my defense instincts don't even kick in."
"Make them kick in! Make them work properly! I'm going to tell Sora-chan on you!"
"Okay, wait, hold on, I was wrong, let's talk about this."
Because this noisy, indigo-haired girl is just too cute for words.
And the fact that I'm inwardly more than just a little flustered by it all… that'll be our little secret for a while longer.
So peaceful.
[Stardust Relic (Lapis)]—The will, the ambition, the mirror of death left behind by a scattered [Stardust Beast (Lim)]. To those who seek, to those who are worthy, the beast shall give, obey, and serve with all its being.
Subjugate the forgotten starlight. Then the beast shall bow its head to its long-awaited master.