kscans

Chapter 40 - Acorn Rolling, Rolling. The Soil Emerges...

Although there was an unexpected turn of events and it took a bit of effort, he was able to hunt the Monocorn Bear without any major incidents. ...He was able to do it.

"...But I need to broaden my range of attacks. If I'm struggling with a bear of this level, stepping into the forest is a suicide mission. There must be some incredibly powerful monsters in there..."

The Monocorn Bear is a C-class monster, and it is recommended to deal with it with multiple personnel if possible. ...It is by no means something that a seven-year-old child should subjugate alone.

"Hah... I need to increase the power of my magic and broaden my tactical range. As soon as I get back, I'll review my training regimen..."

As mentioned before, Yuri misunderstood the description in the letter from God and firmly believed that his abilities were at the "bare minimum" for survival in this area. For that reason, Yuri had decided on two policies for living in this land.

First, to enhance his self-defense capabilities, including magic, and prepare for any eventuality. Second, to avoid approaching dangerous places such as the forest as much as possible.

Although he had the major objective of gathering food, Yuri avoided venturing into the deep parts of the forest. However, despite this, Yuri had encountered monsters with an inexplicably high probability, so he had continued to train as a matter of urgency to raise his combat abilities. As a result, even though he had reached the point where he could easily slaughter a C-class monster on his own, Yuri would never know that fact. ...Well, even if he did know, the pathologically cautious Yuri would probably just strengthen his preparations, assuming there must be even more ferocious monsters out there.

"...I don't want to get too close to the forest until I can fight properly..."

Apparently, he was still not good enough.

"I guess I'll take this one back and cultivate it too. ...Are there any seedlings?"

After easily stowing the Monocorn Bear in his [Storage], as if that matter was already over, he shifted his interest back to the mock-matebashii acorns and their seedlings. Normally, he would dig up the seedlings with magic, cut a few branches for cuttings, and then head straight back to the village. But today, Yuri was a little different. Perhaps because he had dug a pitfall for the bear hunt, which he had since filled back in, he decided to observe the cross-section of the soil after digging up the seedling.

"...Huh... the layer of fallen leaves is thicker than I thought..."

Usually, a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulates on the forest floor. The lower part of this layer is broken down and decomposed by soil animals, becoming like a fine powder, and tree roots and mycelia grow densely, holding the soil together. The mineral soil layer seen on unpaved roads and other bare ground exists even further below that.

"Hmm... looking at it this way, the current state of my field is quite different from the forest soil..."

At the very least, for the fruit trees he had brought back from the forest and planted, maybe it would be better to cover the surface of the ground with fallen leaves or something... As Yuri was thinking this, he was reminded of the farming methods called organic farming or natural farming that he had read about in his previous life in Japan. He seemed to recall something about a field that was left untilled and allowed to accumulate dead grass on the surface...

"Come to think of it... there was also a method called mulching, where you cover the surface of the field with straw or plastic."

From observing the cross-section of the forest soil, Yuri had unexpectedly gotten an idea for managing his farmland, but at the same time, he was reminded of something else.

"Ah... the time I transplanted seedlings before, I couldn't dig them up properly with just earth magic, so this is why..."

At that time, he had thought that since he was digging up seedlings, he must also need wood magic, so he used both together and managed to get by... but it seemed that the presence of the roots densely spread throughout the soil was hindering the movement of the earth. By using wood magic in conjunction, he was able to smoothly avoid them and dig up only the plants he was transplanting.

"There are some things you just don't understand until you see them for yourself..."