Chapter 113: Village Bonus★★

239th day in the other world

On the third day of visiting the city, we waited for the gates to open and began our journey back as soon as they did.

It seemed like the inspection when leaving the city was quite lax, and there weren’t any significant events. We were escorted to the entrance of the forest, and from there, we parted ways with Merinard and the others, returning to the village.

“Village Chief, Tsubaki-san, welcome back!”

“I’m home, Natsuki. Sorry for being away.”

“More importantly, you have to take me with you next time, okay?”

“Of course. We’ll gather everyone who wants to go.”

“Alright! It’s a promise!”

As soon as we entered the village, Natsuki warmly welcomed us.

“I’ll stop by my house, but what about you, Tsubaki?”

“Let’s go together. I want to check my status.”

Even though it had only been two days, there had been quite a few events, and there might be some positive changes. With such expectations in mind, we headed to my house.

Upon arriving in the living room, I immediately checked Tsubaki’s status, but there didn’t seem to be any changes. Well, this was normal, so there was no sign of her feeling down.

Now, when I touched the monitor, the usual list of attributes appeared.

“Ah, the color of the stars has changed… The village bonus has evolved!”

When I hurriedly looked at the village bonus section, the name of the “Universal Warehouse” was different from usual. The ★ mark was also blacked out, so there was no doubt that it had evolved.

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you. Now, let’s see… the details.”

==

Keisuke Level 90

Occupation: Village Chief, Nanashi Village, ★★☆

Unique Skill Village Level 9 (150/2000)

“Village Chief Authority,” “Range Designation+” “Expulsion Designation”

“Ability Imitation” “Examination,” “Collection”

“Material Transfer,” “Telepathy,” “Inheritance”

Village Bonus

★ Fertile Land

★★ Universal Storage <NEW>

Allows the installation of storage facilities within the village (no quality deterioration, multiple installations possible). However, the size and number of storage facilities are proportional to the village population. ※Unlock Conditions: First construction and stockpiling, installation of a shop.

☆☆☆ Goddess Faith

The ‘Universal Warehouse’ had evolved into ‘Universal Storage.’ The main difference from before was that now multiple installations were possible. The size and number of storage facilities seemed to be proportional to the village population.

The additional unlock condition was “installation of a shop,” which was likely triggered by turning the Merry Trading Company’s warehouse into part of the village. Since the village didn’t use currency, there was no need to set up a shop. If I hadn’t gone to the city, it might never have evolved.

“Hey, when you hear ‘storage,’ doesn’t it give the impression of something smaller than a warehouse?”

“That’s true… I also associate it with storing things like food. It might be a bias.”

“No, I feel the same way. It seems like the size has gotten smaller.”

“I’m curious about the size too. Shall we test it out?”

“Good idea. Since we’ve finished checking our statuses, let’s go test it right away!”

We headed to the location of the warehouse, and when we checked the Universal Storage, the appraisal displayed the name ‘Universal Storage.’ The size of the existing storage was 60m in length and width and 10m in height. Each villager could extend it by 1m. With a current population of 150, there was still plenty of room for expansion.

“Let’s start setting up the smallest size. Once you place a storage, you might not be able to remove it.”

“If that’s the case, we might be worried about where to place it…”

“Well, let’s try various things.”

Starting with adjusting the size, we verified whether it could be removed or moved, how many could be placed, and so on, all in order.

1. The smallest size was 1m in height and width, and it could be increased by 1m at a time.

2. It couldn’t be moved, but it could be deleted. In that case, the contents would be left behind, but the capacity wouldn’t disappear and would return to the original.

3. There didn’t seem to be a limit to the number of installations. At least 90 could be placed. This verification was the most tedious.

4. I put some hot soup inside, and even after an hour, it didn’t cool down. There were no temperature fluctuations, and it seemed like there was no deterioration.

During the verification process, Natsuki (just for fun) joined us, and after three hours of thorough checking, we confirmed everything.

“Village Chief, this could be used as a refrigerator!”

“It can also keep things warm, so it would be convenient to have one per household. I think everyone will be very pleased.”

“I want to place them in the mines and by the sea too. It can preserve freshly cooked dishes and caught fish. Oh, and it would be great if we could place them in the city too.”

“Unlike material transfer, it’s not your skill, Village Chief, so it might be a bit difficult.”

Well, it still seemed quite useful. It could be used for extended stays during expeditions, making it a fantastic bonus that had evolved.

Still, it was bright outside, so afterward, we went around to each household and the cafeteria to install the storage facilities.

In the evening, Sakura created ice, and everyone in the village rushed to their homes with it. Some were secretly carrying steamed sweet potatoes, and a line began to form, saying, “I want some too.” Perhaps they intended to have it as a late-night snack.

“Totally, Touya! With this, we can stay holed up in the Ruin Dungeon as much as we want!”

“Drago, did you also think about that? With the ability to transfer meals once, we can save Minotaur meat too!”

“I really want to meet the giant bull soon… Hey, Village Chief, you think the same, right?”

“No, not at all. Just so you know, I have no plans to leave the village for a while.”

“What!? You were wandering around the city, and you’re saying that now!”

“Yeah, and you were alone with Tsubaki-san, weren’t you?”

“Wait, that’s unrelated to this matter!”

“Well, well, this is quite a delicate situation. Normally, we would have stayed silent… but if the Village Chief takes that stance…”

(Hey, these guys are trying to intimidate me. But I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of. I just need to stand tall and not give in!)

“All right, I’m going to call Tsubaki-san and the others over for a moment. We need to hear more details about what happened in the city.”

“Hey, that’s sneaky! And what’s with the ‘moment’? You’re saying it out loud!”

“Touya, don’t blame him like that. Even the village chief is just a man, and he has his own issues… And how about you, my lord?” *wink*

“…Sigh. I get it, I get it. I can’t do it right away, but I’ll make sure I can go again… Is that okay?”

“Nice one, as expected of the Village Chief! So when are you going? Tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?”

“That’s impossible, obviously! At least wait until everyone else can defeat the Minotaur. Can you hold out until then?”

“Village Chief, we’ve got it on record. We’re all looking forward to it, hehehe.”

But seriously, why are these guys so fond of fighting? I get that it’s for the sake of the village and wanting to become stronger, but… there’s definitely something more to it.

Tsubaki and the others are in an alliance, so it can’t be helped that everything is transparent. Haruka is still beckoning them, and this is where today’s main event begins…

In a way, the boss battle for this middle-aged guy was about to begin.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter