We immediately set off for a nearby water source.
There’s a lake near our previous base, so we head there.
On Fenrir’s Mashiro’s back are Shouko, Yumika, Shinpo, and Fuko.
On the fluffy black dragon Miroku’s back are me, Senyuu, Shion, and Roa.
We start moving together, even though we’re riding separately.
“Seirin, do the barriers ever break?”
“As far as I know, they’re close enough. So it should be fine.”
The distance isn’t set in stone, but the barriers and dream worlds are connected by an invisible thread. If you get too far away, the connection breaks.
That’s when the barrier would break.
With the improvement of our abilities, the distance we can be apart has increased, so it should hold up until we reach the lake.
――That means, if we get sent to another place during an event, the barrier might break…
We can store the facilities, but there’s a chance that monsters could enter the grassland where we’re based.
Next time, I’ll have to be more careful.
“Still, what’s the Mystery Blackboard thinking? Sending everyone to an desert island, making us survive, and now even monsters are starting to show up.” Shouji sounds disgruntled.
“Based on its previous actions, it seems like it’s conducting some kind of observational experiment,” Profundity responds.
“So what does it gain by observing us?”
“To know how humans behave and make choices under certain conditions… maybe?”
Profundity doesn’t seem very confident, since there’s no way to know for sure.
If Profundity’s hypothesis is correct, we might have been randomly selected as representatives of “mid-teens” or “high school students” or “students.”
So for example, all the employees of a certain company, or a specific department, might be sent to another desert island as “working adults.”
“I wonder what the Mystery Blackboard gains from knowing that,” Shion also looks thoughtful.
“If the Mystery Blackboard is a god-like entity in another world, it might be an experiment to see what kind of people are best suited for world transfers,” Senyuu says.
“Who knows, it might be true. In fiction, the characters are all different in gender, age, and personality, but if there was a reason to send Earth people to another world, it would be better to choose the most suitable candidates than to choose completely randomly.”
We can’t deny the possibility of world transfers anymore.
That’s because I actually got sent to a desert island in another world.
So it wouldn’t be strange if there were other incidents where gods sent humans to other worlds.
In stories, there are cases where the gods lament or apologize for accidents, cases where they call someone to save the world, cases where there’s no explanation at all, and even cases where it’s not a transfer but a reincarnation genre.
“Like the manga you recommended, Souzou? Is it not just an accident, but a test to see what kind of people are suited for another world?”
”…If that’s the case, it’s a nuisance,” Shouko and Yumika reacted.
“True, it was an accident for us, but… I personally have had a lot of good things happen since coming to this island, so I can’t completely deny it.”
「Hmm. If I had stayed in Japan, I might have had to wait until college to be with the indecisive Soukun. But since it was shortened significantly, I guess I’m lucky.」 Chiyu is in her usual mode.
「Hehe, I’m glad I got to fly to this island because I got to become friends with you and everyone.」
「Y-Yeah. I also made important friends on this island… and, um, I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I… ~~~~」
Shion said with a smile, and Shinpo blushed and stopped talking in the middle.
「Yes, I also found the family and master I should serve, so in the end, it was a good experience.」
「I’m the same way~. I got to meet Mashiro and Mikuron, and I became close friends with everyone.」 「Oh? Who are your close friends?」
「Seri, we’re best friends, right?」 「…………」 「Don’t ignore me!?」
「Huh… I get it, you guys are suited for the extraordinary. And you, Kino, are the center of it.」
「Seri, you’ll understand soon.」
「Miyama, you suddenly got closer.」
「Haha, that’s just how Chien is, so please accept her, Seri.」
「Huh… Well, you can call me whatever you want.」 「Then, Yumepon.」 「The first one’s fine, the first one’s fine.」
By the time we finished talking, we had gotten close enough to see the lake.
I asked Mashiro and Mikuron to stop so I could take a look at the lake.
At first glance, it looked like a peaceful lake….
I asked the phantoms to move closer little by little, and as we gradually got closer to the lake—there it came…!
Ripples spread across the lake’s surface, and something leapt out.
Something? No, it’s Arvanc. And not just one or two of them.
Before I knew it, a dozen or so creatures, each about the size of a medium-sized dog, were charging towards us.
Their fur was a dark blue, and each of their five front paws had sharp claws. Their mouths revealed the teeth of a rodent.
”…I believe beaver teeth are very hard and can even fell trees.”
A few people paled at the knowledge.
“Arvank uses his claws to tear apart fish and people, and then he bites with his hard teeth. Ahaha…”
Shouzi laughed in a distracted manner. “Dream World, please.” “Sure, I understand.”
The beavers leaped at us, intent on tearing us apart—but they crashed into an invisible barrier.
They let out indistinct growls and thrashed about.
“Good…! As I thought, Dream World’s barrier can be used as an invincible shield in combat.”
Unlike the permanent barriers used to protect the base, I had considered this one as a temporary shield because it could be deployed and removed instantly.
”…I see. If I were alone, I’d have to wait for the enemy to disappear, but with combat personnel around, I can use it as an effective shield. In situations like this, I’m sure you’d say… ‘As expected of you, Koji.’” “You don’t have to force it.” “I’m serious.”
Indeed, if I were alone, deploying a barrier might be as good as running into a dead end.
The enemy will quickly realize that there’s a barrier too, so it’ll turn into a contest of endurance.
But if you have a fighting partner, it’s a different story. “Deep…!”
“Sure thing! ‘Storm Blade’!”
Her magic has evolved as well.
With the advanced magic of ‘Wind Blade’, a more powerful and sharper invisible blade cuts through the enemy one-sidedly.
The Arvancs were instantly killed, their forms turning into light and vanishing.
“Wow… The barrier not only repels enemies but also allows for one-sided attacks through the barrier…” Shion lets out a sigh of admiration.
“Minori and Seri’s combination is too strong. The game would have to adjust immediately.”
“It doesn’t have to be as strong as Deep’s. For example, if monsters gather around the base’s barrier, we can all spear them to death. The point gain is unknown, but it will definitely be useful when we return to Japan.”
Points are awarded for defeating monsters, and those points can be exchanged for various things upon return.
“I see, in that case, even someone like me who doesn’t have combat experience can contribute to the party. Truly, you are a master.”
”…Meeting Mashiro and Mikron made me think I could be friends with them, but I guess that’s not the case. They were the first to attack us. It’s good I saw it firsthand as Kousuke said. From now on, I’ll be more careful.”
That makes sense, Shouzi was comparing the monsters to the summoned phantoms.
If she felt resistance to having to kill a potential ally, I can understand that.
But after seeing Arvank’s no-nonsense attitude earlier, she seemed to understand that the summoned phantoms and the monsters that appear are different entities.
“Kouya, since we’re here, let’s take down all the Arvanks in this lake. Everyone can earn points, we’ll get water, and I can pay back a little more of my debt.”
Seeing this as an opportunity to pay back her debt, the Dream World is enthusiastic.
“Yeah, let’s do it. Dream World, will the timing of the barrier’s activation be okay?”
“It depends on the range, but if everyone sticks together, it won’t take more than two seconds, so we can get a little closer and still make it.”
“Alright, then let’s take them all down. Of course, it’s voluntary, but I want everyone to get used to monster hunting. If you’re up for it, I’ll give you one of the weapons I generated; choose whichever you like.”
“Mm. I’ll do it too. And if we wipe them out here, no other survivors will be able to use this lake for a while. If you consider it helping others indirectly, it’s even more worthwhile.” Thousand Heal is right.
Since reconfiguration takes ten days, wiping them out ensures safety for ten days.
After that, we used the barrier tactics and went through several battles.
The battle ended when Mashiro, who had smelled Arvank, assured us that there were none left in this lake.
We got a lot of drinking water by the usual method of dropping the barrel and recovering it with the water.
In the end, everyone was able to defeat Arvank at least once.
However, it seems the mental fatigue was greater than expected.
It was good that we had the afternoon off. “Let’s call it a day for now.”
Since no one objected, we started heading back.
Anyway, we confirmed that we could easily handle monsters at this stage.
Ah, we’ve entered the eighth day on the desert island!
Please continue to look forward to the second part!
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