Regarding the display and categorization of items, Chiyu seemed to have some doubts.
Sea water could generate both ‘Salt’ and ‘Drinking Water,’ but so-called brine was nowhere to be found.
“Is it based on the user’s perception? Or are there specific elements that get rejected? …Is it just a simplification for gameplay purposes?”
“I guess that’s a possibility.”
In games, it’s standard for weapons bought from shops to retain their original stats forever.
But in reality, weapons wear down and degrade. You’d need money to repair them, which should have its limits, yet the game doesn’t address that at all.
Still, players don’t usually lose it over such trivialities.
Unusual realism can actually lower immersion in a game.
Conversely, some games incorporate mechanics like dulling edges and turn those elements into part of the fun; players accept them because they contribute to the enjoyment.
It’s not that realism itself is prioritized.
This crafting ability is the same way. If items were displayed using chemical formulas, my head would explode, making it impossible to use the ability properly.
So, it must be correct to say this is a ‘Crafting Ability designed for Kouno Sousuke to use.’
For better or worse, it’s an ability made for me.
Chiyu’s ‘Healing Magic’ is the same, and I think my classmates’ abilities follow the same logic.
“Well, we can worry about that when it becomes necessary.”
“Tashika-ni” (Certainly)
Chiyu said, making an expressionless double peace sign.
It was probably a pun on “kani” (crab).
If a guy did it, people would just be baffled, but it’s relaxing when my cute childhood friend does it.
Cuteness is always justice.
“We can make water, but we’ll need a container like the time we used a shell.”
“For now, please tell us what you can make.”
“Right.”
Sousuke and Chiyu exchanged information about their abilities.
I’d be cautious with others, but my childhood friend wouldn’t betray me or set me up, so I trusted her completely.
As for Chiyu, she currently had two usable spells.
Basic Healing and Purification.
The former was a healing spell effective only on minor injuries and ailments.
It could heal cuts, bruises, and abrasions, but it couldn’t reattach a severed arm.
It could reduce a slight fever, but bringing down a high fever was difficult.
However, she said this would change depending on her proficiency.
Essentially, leveling up.
The latter was a spell that sterilized and cleansed the wound or a certain area. It was unclear if there were superior versions of this spell.
It was standard fare, but it was incredibly useful magic.
There was the question of whether Purification really counted as healing magic, but presumably this too was due to it being a ‘Healing Magic designed for Iyama Chiyu to use.’
Since Chiyu had been imagining herself as a white mage, perhaps that had influenced the outcome.
So far, she didn’t seem to know if there were usage limits.
“Our goal for now is to be able to heal fractures instantly.”
That was Chiyu’s statement.
She seemed like she’d become a reliable healer.
“Looks like this is about as much as I can figure out.”
I grabbed a fallen branch and started writing down the list of craftable items in the sandy beach.
“From what I can see, it seems like Sō-kun gains more recipes the more he explores.”
“Oh? You think so too, Chiyu?”
“Yeah. Based on the info we have now, that’s my best guess. But even if exploring doesn’t yield new recipes, it’s not a loss either way.”
“Exactly. In that case, we at least learn for sure that our theories were wrong. The exploration itself won’t be wasted.”
“What do we need right now? Water, a bed, food?”
“Strictly in order of priority. I want to know the purpose of that mysterious blackboard and how to get back to Japan, but first things first—we have to stay alive to worry about that.”
Humans can’t survive without water.
It’s hard to choose between a bed and food, but if it suddenly starts raining or the night gets cold, we need somewhere to shelter from the wind and weather.
Even with 『Healing Magic』, we can’t get complacent.
“Yeah. Thinking about it endlessly won’t solve anything.”
For now, we gathered stones, sticks, and driftwood to craft a『Stone Axe』,『Stone Knife』,『Wooden Spear』, and so on.
Also, on Chiyu’s suggestion, when I focused my mind on the thought “I want a backpack basket,” 『Wooden Basket』 was added to the recipe list.
It seems my perception and intent influence the system too.
After using『Craft』 and placing it down, a basket appeared, made of wood shaved thin and woven into a lattice pattern.
“Whoa. Amazing… ah.”
“What’s wrong, Chiyu?”
Chiyu looked up at me from below, her face expressionless but carrying a faint hint of a teasing smile.
“‘Well done, Sō-kun.’”
“Stop with that standard light novel trope of praising the protagonist. I’m not the main character.”
“But, I was just a little happy for you, Sō-kun.”
Mm, well… it did make me happy, actually.
“Next time Chiyu casts a spell on me, I’ll be the one making the comments, okay?”
If she can handle Sasuke receiving praise, she should understand how I feel about that.
“Looking forward to it.”
Saying that, Chiyu slung the basket over her shoulder and started walking along the beach to gather items.
During that time, I was trying to fell a tree near the shoreline with my stone axe.
I decided on the direction for it to fall, then swung the axe: diagonal, horizontal, diagonal, horizontal.
Once the cut reached halfway through, I moved to the opposite side and repeated the pattern from a higher position: diagonal, horizontal.
Eventually, the tree creaked, making a sickly kiki sound, before collapsing in the direction I had initially planned.
It crashed down with a loud thud, sending leaves flying into the air as broken branches snapped and scattered, while the trunk itself bounced once, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Pah… Pah… Sh-shit. That was not something an amateur should just try out of nowhere.”
Even while swinging the axe, wood chips were flying everywhere, making it dangerous; the axe broke a few times; the skin on my hands had peeled away to reveal raw redness; and honestly, it was incredibly exhausting.
I had wanted a massive amount of『Lumber』, but maybe I should have just harvested from branches and driftwood.
No, never mind, it’s over with anyway.
As a result, I managed to obtain『Common Lumber x53』.
Let’s gooo…!
Also, the good news is that an entire tree can be『Itemized』 as is.
The capacity of the『Inventory』 also seems quite spacious, so I’m relieved.
Anyway.
As for why so much lumber was needed……
“Good work, Sou-kun. That looked cool.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. At first your hips weren’t moving right, but you gradually got the hang of it. It had that trial-and-error vibe gamers have, which was really impressive.”
“I-I suppose so.”
It seems I wasn’t exactly flying under the radar.
Chiyu had also collected a large pile of seashells in her basket. That would be a help.
“Let me cast a spell.”
“Oh, wow. Please do. Not to mention, I only got away with those reckless moves because I was counting on your magic.”
“Hehe. I hope you develop a body that simply cannot survive without me.”
“Is that even the right time for that kind of line?”
In any case, this was Beginner’s Cure.
It seemed to draw away not just the pain in my hands, but the soreness and fatigue from my entire body.
“As expected, Lady Chiyu.”
“That’s from Sou-kun, the treatment fee is on the house.”
“Much obliged~”
Laughing, I bowed to Chiyu, and we turned back toward the sea.
Mass-produced a large number of “Wooden Barrels” and—placed them in the sea……!
Splashing sounds echoed as seawater flowed into the barrels being submerged.
Once they were full, I’d stash them away in my Inventory.
With this, I’d secured a massive amount of “Seawater.”
In other words, I had acquired large quantities of “Drinking Water” and “Salt.”
This meant we were safe for a while, even if we stayed away from the coast.
I crafted “Wooden Water Flasks” as well, placing them within reach.
Filled the flasks with water, then took a drink.
“Mmm. Tasty. It soothes this tired body after all that work……”
By the way, these flasks were cylindrical. The type where you fit a lid into a groove on the body to seal it.
It was incredibly convenient that the Craft skill handled such fine manual labor for me.
“The others might be struggling……”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
I tried not to think about it too much, but are those guys who were asking for “Smartphones” and “Potato Chips” okay?
If the mystery blackboard granted specific items like “Smartphones with Internet Access” or “Potato Chips (One Year’s Supply),” that would be one thing, but unless it was a special wish, it was probably best not to get hopes up.
Going by that logic, the girl who had brought up abilities during our conversation—Kansho Shouko—might just be a savior for several people.
Thanks to her, quite a few students ended up thinking about their abilities.
—Though, depending on how things play out from here, that might have a negative impact.
The staple of this kind of story is conflict between the people.
For this one thing, I could only pray for a deviation from the standard trope.
-------A Request to the Readers-------
If reading this work brings you
If you thought “That was interesting!” or “I’m curious to see what happens next!” or if you feel like shouting “Keep writing it!!!!”
・Adding a bookmark
・The ‘Add points to support the author’ section at the bottom of the page
Change the ☆☆☆☆☆ button to ★★★★★ to show your support
and it will give me the motivation to keep updating!!!!!
Please!!