Having finished breakfast, we immediately set off toward the river.

Since there was a stream nearby, it allowed us to maintain the barrier surrounding our base in the Dream World.

"Oh right, the scale of the barrier and the distance I can sustain it for have expanded a little."

Dream World said this once we stepped outside.

"Oh? I see. Well, since it's been guarding the grounds of this base, your ability has been constantly activated, huh."

Abilities grow depending on how their owner conceptualizes them, and in some patterns, experience points accumulate with each use.

"Yeah. Even when I was alone, I maintained it at maximum capacity the whole time, so I expect it to keep expanding from here on."

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but it felt like Dream World was responding to my conversation more naturally than before.

"So, can we use the barrier to protect Suuka's place too?"

In response to Shou's question, Dream World answered, "Not yet."

Phantom Beasts that had sensed us noticed our intention to leave and drifted closer.

Fenrir's Mashiro approached Mochiko, while Black Dragon's Mikoron came to me.

"I think I'm about ready to summon a third fluffball, but I've been hesitating."

Shobune's [Fluffball Summoning Ability] has two major advantages.

The first is that as long as she can form the image in her mind, she can summon and command everything from fantasy creatures to original lifeforms.

The second is that, aside from flesh, she can harvest any other material from the summoned creatures.

From sheep, she gets not just wool but milk and lanolin oil as well; recently, she even managed to summon a Cashmere Goat.

While limited to fluffy creatures, this means she has unlimited access to animal fibers.

Combined with my crafting ability, it allows us to produce massive quantities of clothing right here on this desert island.

Covering mobility, combat, and the 'clothing' aspect of basic survival, it’s a highly useful capability that carries a heavy load.

"I want to learn some new spells too, soon."

"...Yeah. I guess I need to push myself harder, too."

Both Chiyu's [Healing Magic] and Shinfu's [Attribute Magic] are naturally developing new incantations as expected.

It speaks to their character that they don't forget their drive for self-improvement despite all that progress.

We divided up into groups of five or so and split the rides between Mashiro and Mikron.

I had them head toward the river.

"They say abilities grow over time, but what does that mean for mine..."

Shion's face fell, clouded by anxiety.

"Ability that lets you detect lies." Speaking of its evolution was indeed a tricky concept.

By the way, even though my companions knew about Shion's ability, they didn't change how they treated her at all.

It wasn't like she could expose every lie; it mostly just meant her jokes and pranks were seen through, so there was no real harm done. That probably helped a lot.

"Mightn't the number of targets increase, allowing you to keep track of them all simultaneously?"

Lora, the maid, offered up a hypothesis.

"I see, that would be amazing if it happened. But being able to detect lies from so many people sounds like it would be tough for Shion too. Hopefully, she'll gain an on/off switch or some way to adjust sensitivity first."

"Fufu, sure. I think I can still be of use here on this island. Besides, I imagine this ability would be much more useful back on Earth, with so many people involved. So even after we return to Japan, I'll keep supporting you, Sōsuke-kun, to make sure no one ever tricks you."

Shion said that with a bright, warm smile. "Ah, uh, right. You got it."

At the sight of that smile, my heart skipped a beat without warning.

"If the number of people increases, does that mean me and Lora-chan will get similar upgrades? Like, 'Instantly finish makeup for everyone!' or 'Instantly figure out what everyone wants!' kind of thing?"

"That sounds wonderful indeed."

Lora smiled at Shōbu's chain of associations.

Admittedly, if both of their abilities allowed them to adapt to a large number of people at once, the efficiency would certainly improve.

"If I... would it mean the number of creatures I can transform into increases?"

"Or is it that? Mm, Sousuke, what was it, the thing where various animals combine together?"

"A chimera?"

"Yes! So Miya will be able to transform into a form mixed with all sorts of animals?"

"Ah, I see... that might be so."

"...By the way, what will happen to Sensei?"

"Mm. He'll obliterate mountains with laser attacks."

Chiyu has read too many battle manga due to my influence.

"I-I wouldn't do such a thing... but... will I become that strong?..." It's more than what Sensei can handle, though."

"Regardless of whether we'll reach a point where mountains get obliterated or not, for now, once the battle-capable members reach the river, let's deal with Aurbank first."

Since I reorganized the party before breakfast, the bonus for Sensei Tanka's participation has also been restored.

Apparently, the points gained from defeating monsters double.

I think it's unfair that the base values are kept secret, but since that's how the system works, there's nothing to be done about it.

This isn't all; the daily survival bonus has doubled as well.

For every day of survival, my lifespan in Japan used to extend by one day. Now, it extends by two.

Think about it: if we stayed here for a year, while the others gained just one extra year, we'd get two full years added to our lives.

Lost in these thoughts, we arrived at the river.

I expected the Arvanks to swarm out and attack all at once, just like last time, but something felt off.

Sure enough, a pack of giant beavers crawled out from the river, but their aggression was noticeably weaker than before.

There seemed to be many more lurking in the water, yet they paid us no mind, merely making splashing sounds... and that’s when we realized it.

"I see! River fish were added to the ecosystem, so they're just feeding on them!"

"Eh? What do we do? If they keep devouring them like that, aren't we going to run out of fish entirely?"

"On this island, the fish should respawn. But if they get wiped out every time they regenerate, we'll never be able to go fishing again."

"We need to hurry and take them down before the fish population disappears..."

"I'm afraid that taking down the Arvanks might end up sweeping in the river fish along with them."

The words I spoke elicited reactions from Shouko, Chiyu, Shiin, and Fuumi.

I had anticipated a battle, but my plan was to wipe them out as they rushed at us all at once.

I hadn't expected some of them to ignore us entirely.

But we had no choice but to adapt.

"Let's split into ground and air teams. The ground team will use the Dream Realm's barrier for defense while taking down the monsters. Fuumi, you're our heavy hitter. We'll handle the ones in the river as the air team. Genchuu, transform into your Black Dragon form. Mr. Luminous, ride Genchuu and focus all your fire on the Arvankus alone. I'll mount Mikoron and drop rocks onto their heads."

My companions nodded instantly at my instructions.

Dream Realm focused on maintaining the barrier.

Even the non-combatants—Shouko, Shiin, Chiyu, Roa, and Shoubu—held spears, piercing enemies from within the protective sphere.

Mashiro stepped outside the barrier and trampled the ground-level Aervank.

Deep Magic kicked the enemies to the curb.

Mr. Luminous, riding the Black Dragon Genchuu, picked off enemies one after another with light beams, while I dropped rocks onto the Arvankus above me.

Before long, the herd of Arvankus was completely eradicated from the area, but...

"Ugh... could it be that those red things are..."

Shouko said, her face pale.

After the battle, the water surface was tinged with vermillion, and fish carcasses and chunks of flesh floated listlessly on top.

"If we move, we might run into another herd, so let's stay put and wait for this stream to clear."

The fish that fled from combat or the impact of the [Arvanq] might return eventually.

If they don't come back, we'll have no choice but to give up and move to a different location.

Thinking about it this way, one could argue that adding ocean fish would have been easier, though...

Considering the high number of players who haven't discovered how to find the sea, I can understand why river fish were chosen.

"Let's look at the bright side. If acquiring them is this much of a hassle, they might actually hold significant value as trading materials."

"What a positive outlook, Mr. Kuno. Th-That was quite admirable... C-Can I take a break for a moment, teacher?"

The teacher seemed to be squeamish about blood, so he averted his gaze from the water's surface.

"Yume-kai, could you make the barrier a bit larger? I'll pull some chairs out of my [Inventory]. Let's try to enjoy a bit of that camping vibe... but please, try not to look at the river."

So, with that, we decided to wait for a while together.

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We headed straight for the river after finishing breakfast.

Since the river is nearby, we can maintain the barrier protecting our base.

"By the way, the size of the barrier and the distance I can maintain it have increased a bit."

As we stepped outside, the Dream World said.

"Oh. So you're keeping this base's grounds safe, so your ability is always in use."

The ability can grow depending on the owner's mindset, and it can also accumulate experience points the more it's used.

"That's right. Even when I was alone, I maintained it at its maximum size, so I think it will continue to grow."

It feels like she's responding to my questions more naturally than before, perhaps because of my mindset.

"So, can I protect Yukiha's place with the barrier too?"

The Dream World replied, "Not yet," to Shoubu's question.

The phantoms that noticed us approached as we prepared to leave.

Masiro, the Fenrir, came to me as a familiar, and Mikuron, the black dragon, came to me as well.

「I think I can start summoning my third fluffy creature soon, but I'm kind of worried.」

Miko's 'Fluffy Summoning Ability' has two major advantages.

One is that she can summon and control fantasy creatures and even original life forms as long as she can imagine them.

The other is that she can gather materials from the creatures she summons, as long as it's not meat.

She can get not only wool but also sheep's milk and lanolin from sheep, and recently she even summoned cashmere goats.

Limited to fluffy creatures, she can obtain animal fibers and other materials freely.

Combining this with my crafting ability, we can produce a large number of outfits on this desert island.

This ability covers 'clothing' for movement, combat, and daily life, making it a very useful skill.

「I want to learn a new magic too.」

「...You're right. I need to work hard too.」

Thousand Heal's 'Healing Magic' and Profound Law's 'Elemental Magic' are both developing as expected.

It's impressive that she hasn't lost her ambition despite that.

They split into groups of five and get into Mashiro and Mikuron. We ask them to head towards the river.

"Abilities are supposed to grow, but what will happen with mine..." Shiomi's face looks worried.

When it comes to the growth of the ability to detect lies, it's indeed difficult to imagine.

By the way, the others didn't change how they interacted with Shiomi even after they knew about her ability.

Even though she could detect lies, it was only to the extent that she could see through jokes and pranks, and there was no real harm in that.

"Perhaps the number of targets will increase, and she'll be able to grasp them all simultaneously?" The maid, Roa, proposes a hypothesis.

"That makes sense. That would be amazing. But it would be tough for Shiomi to deal with so many people's lies. I hope she gets an on/off switch or some kind of adjustment function first."

"Haha, yeah. I think it'll still be useful on this island, and it'll be even more useful on Earth, where there are more people to interact with. I'll support you, Kousuke-kun, so that no one can fool you when we return to Japan."

Shiomi smiles and says, "Oh, okay, take care."

Her smile made my heart skip a beat.

"If the number of targets increases, will Roa-chan and I also be able to handle more people? Like, everyone's makeup is done all at once! Everyone's desires are known all at once!" "That would be wonderful."

Roan smiles at the thought.

Indeed, if their abilities could adapt to a large number of people at once, it would be more efficient.

"If I were to do it… would I be able to transform into more creatures?"

"Or maybe that thing? Hmm, Kousuke, what was it, the one where different animals merge?" "…A chimera?"

"That's right! Won't Mhya be able to transform into a mixed form of various animals?" "Ah, I see… that might be it."

"…By the way, what about the teacher?"

"Hmm. She'll be able to attack with laser beams that can vaporize mountains."

Thousand Heal's obsession with battle manga is due to my influence.

"I wouldn't do something like that… but, she might become that strong… it would be too much for her."

"Whether or not a situation where a mountain gets vaporized will come up is another matter. For now, the battle team will start with exterminating Arvanc once we get to the river."

Since we reorganized the party before breakfast, the special bonus for having Teacher join us is back.

It seems that the points we get from defeating monsters will be doubled.

I think it's unfair that the original numbers are kept secret, but that's how it is, so there's nothing to be done about it.

In addition to that, the daily survival bonus has doubled.

Instead of just adding a day to your lifespan for every day you survive, it now adds two days.

If you think about it over the course of a year, while everyone else gains a year, we gain two years.

Thinking about that, we arrive at the river.

Unlike last time, the Arvancs aren’t attacking us all at once... something seems off.

Sure enough, a group of giant beavers emerges from the river, but they seem weak.

There are still more of them in the river, but they’re ignoring us and making a lot of noise... and then we realize.

"So that's it! They must be eating the fish that were added to the river!"

"Oh no, what do we do? If they keep eating like this, won’t the fish disappear?"

"On this island, the fish should be reconfigured every time. But if they keep eating them all, we’ll never be able to fish again."

"We need to take them down before the fish disappear..."

"It’s scary to think that we might end up killing the fish in the river when we defeat the Arvancs."

My words got a response from Shouko, Chiyu, Shi-on, and Shinpo.

I knew it would turn into a fight, but I had planned to wipe them out as they attacked us all at once.

I didn't expect some of them to ignore us completely. But we have no choice but to adapt.

"Let's split into the ground team and the air team. The ground team will defend with the barrier of the dream world and take down the monsters. Shinpo, you'll be in charge of firepower. The air team will handle the river. Genju, transform into the Black Dragon. Professor Lumina, can you ride on Genju and target only Arvanc? I'll ride on Micron and drop rocks on the monsters."

My teammates immediately nodded to my instructions. The dream world focused on maintaining the barrier.

Non-combatants Shouko, Shi-on, Chiyu, Roa, and Zoubu also took up spears and pierced the enemies from within the barrier.

Mashiro left the barrier and trampled on the Arvancs on the ground. Shinpo's magic scattered the enemies.

Professor Lumina, riding on the Black Dragon Genju, shot down the enemies one after another with her beam, while I dropped rocks on the heads of the Arvancs.

Before long, the swarm of Arvancs was wiped out from the area...but...

"Ugh...could that red one be..." Shouko said with a pale face.

After the battle, the water surface was stained with red, and fish carcasses and pieces of flesh floated on it.

"We might encounter another group if we move, so let's wait for the current to carry us away for now."

Some of the fish that fled due to the battle or Arvanc might return eventually.

If they don't, we may have to give up and move to a different location.

Thinking about it this way, maybe it would have been easier to add sea fish after all...

Considering that many of the transferers haven't discovered the sea yet, I can understand why river fish were chosen.

"Let's think about it the other way. If it's this difficult to get, it might be worth a lot as a trading material."

"That's a very positive way of thinking, Koji-kun. ...C, could I take a short break, sir?"

The teacher seemed to be squeamish about blood and looked away from the water's surface.

"Can you expand the dream world and the barrier a bit? I'll take out some chairs from my 'Inventory,' and we can enjoy a bit of a camping feel... try not to look at the river side, though."

So, we decided to wait a bit.

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