Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 252

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Chapter 252 – Pioneer

There was definitely something that looked like a house, but I couldn’t tell for sure what it was.

It was probably about a kilometer inland from the cliff.

Alicia was building a makeshift hut surrounded by a tremendous amount of wood near the river, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

Next to her, Feeril and Riste were peeling bark off trees.

Wait, is that bark…

A large number of trees, still attached to their roots, were flying through the air. Their bark and roots were being shaved off at an incredible speed by something.

However, the amount did not decrease, and large pieces of wood continued to fall from the sky one after another.

When I looked closely, I could see Ria in the distance with her hands in the air, doing something. Large stones were being thrown with incredible force to another location.

(That’s probably Gravity Magic, and the peeling is Wind Magic.)

I can guess which magic they’re using, but I don’t understand what they’re doing.

Wasn’t this area covered in forest just two hours ago?

Now, there’s a flat plateau of bare earth stretching for kilometers in every direction with not a single stump in sight.

The results are so different from our careful logging that I can’t help but feel regretful, as if we’ve been defeated by these goddesses.

(Who’s responsible for this!?)

If I search frantically… Hmm, that’s it; no doubt about it.

Even from a distance, I could see the ground undulating and rising repeatedly over a wide area in an incomprehensible phenomenon.

When I flew closer, I saw Felin kneeling on one knee with both palms pressed against the ground and staring ahead.

Her pose was so dramatic that it looked like she was about to summon a hero from another world. However, her expression was as serious as ever.

I found it difficult to talk to her, even though she was Felin, but given the situation, I had no choice but to ask her.

“H-hello!”

“Oh, it’s Loki-kun! Hello!”

“I was cutting down trees on the lower plateau, too. It’s amazing that you didn’t leave any stumps. Did you use Earth Magic?”

If I could use it well, it would make working on the lower plateau easier.

When I asked her about it, Felin gave me an unexpected answer.

“I think you could do it if you tried hard. But I think it would be limited to a small area.”

“What? Then how did Felin manage to clear the ground so neatly? Could it be Spirit Magic?”

“Nope! It’s a skill called Terrain Manipulation. Isn’t it amazing?”

…What is that?

I looked at the skill tree and thought there was no way it was available. But sure enough, I hadn’t even unlocked it yet.

How could I possibly get it?

I was wondering whether to ask when Felin gave me a satisfactory answer.

“It’s a skill that comes with my unique, highest-level blessing: Pioneer. It’s useful in situations like this, right?”

“Haha… This is exactly where it comes in handy. I couldn’t possibly imitate that. Does Terrain Manipulation mean you can create mountains and rivers?”

“Exactly! But it doesn’t create water; it only creates the terrain itself. Think of it as something that changes the terrain on a large scale. It consumes a lot of magic power, though!”

“Wow…”

That’s amazing.

Felin doesn’t seem very godlike, but her unique, highest-level blessing is second only to Ria’s in terms of otherworldliness.

I couldn’t help but think so.

Even if it’s not quite terrain creation, she can do something very similar over a wide area.

It’s truly the work of a god.

Once you see it, you’ll want it too.

“Is Ril really coming here even though she’s not feeling well?”

“Yeah, she said she’d hunt monsters slowly since there’s nothing else to do!”

“I-I see. Ril is always the same.”

Still, I can’t bring myself to say it.

With the journey she had been looking forward to finally about to begin, there was no way I could make a request that would dampen Felin’s spirits.

But someday, I’d like to have one.

With that thought in mind, I told her, “The ground is shaking, so don’t go too far,” and I entered the forest that was being cleared to check on Ril.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

I found the mysterious container hanging over the flickering fire in the capital city the other day while I was buying a book.

Apparently, it came to Lagreath with some coffee beans. When I asked the shopkeeper about it, he said it was a special coffee-making tool.

Hearing that, I remembered seeing something similar in the old lady’s room, and I knew I had to have it.

I boiled it several times, stirring repeatedly, following the instructions. When I thought it was ready, I poured it into a wooden cup.

“Do you want some, Zeo and Carla?”

“It smells good. I’d like some, too.”

“I’m fine. I have blood,”

Carla said. He ran toward the forest with his cup.

Several parts of the monsters were hung on the few remaining trees. To collect the blood and provide Carla with a drink, I had created a large stone container using Earth Magic. Now, she wouldn’t have to worry about drinks.

At first, he complained that all the monsters in this area were big, but now he was all smiles because there was so much blood.

“Ugh, the wind is blowing the smoke from the bonfire. But being able to drink my favorite coffee while warming myself by the fire in the cold is such a luxury.”

“It’s raw wood, so it can’t be helped. Still, it’s strange that something similar to what I used before I fell asleep is still being used.”

“It seems like civilization in this world isn’t developing at all, but rather slowly declining. Is there anything else you need for daily life? Even if you tell me, it might not exist in this era. But if there is anything, I’ll buy it and bring it back.”

“Hmm. Then could you get me a saw? I’m trying to conserve my magic power, so I’m not using Wind Magic. It’s embarrassing, but I can’t even properly cut wood.”

“Okay, a saw. But don’t worry about it. Everyone is benefiting from Zeo’s knowledge. If you weren’t here, we’d be in big trouble.”

With that said, I couldn’t help but look up at the upper plateau. Carla, who was walking while sipping his cup, agreed.

“Yeah, I didn’t dislike it, but if it weren’t for my master, we’d still be living in a cave!”

“Huh… When you think about it, this place, where no one can blame us for anything, is very livable. Loki, are the people above okay?”

“Yeah, they were saying something about practice, and there were a lot of huts, but I think they’re fine. Those people are much stronger and tougher than I am. The girl named Asia that you met today might ask you something. If she does, please help her if you can. If anything happens, I’m sure she’ll help you, too.”

“I understand. They’ve come all this way, after all. The people on the upper plateau are also your allies, aren’t they, Loki?”

“Yeah, allies, but they’re important people—’understanders,’ I guess?”

“I see. Then you must cherish them.”

“Important people. You know, when they’re gone, nothing matters anymore,” said Carla.

“That’s true. Once the area is safer, I’ll go back and forth between the upper and lower areas. Don’t worry about it. Oh, and I might build a hideout halfway up the cliff.”

“Ah, I want to build one too!”

After that, the three of us sat around the fire and made plans for the future.

Zeo will build the first log house, followed by a woodshed, and then another log house.

Carla wants to live in the same log house as Zeo, which is fine with me since I can sleep in the cliff hideout. However, he said he’ll build the other one for me.

When that’s done, he’s going to build a small boat for fishing on the lake.

Zeo is amazing! He can build a boat! Needless to say, I’m excited.

We’ll basically be operating within the range of the ancient magic tool. If we continue to expand the safe zone, Zeo won’t suddenly get attacked by monsters in this area.

Carla has no intention of leaving Zeo’s side, so my immediate plans are to expand the safe zone and exterminate the monsters near our base.

In the meantime, we’ll collect magic stones to raise funds and consider how to use the materials from the corpses, such as their skin.

The manticore’s fur seemed particularly high-quality, and everyone was excited to use it for floor coverings.

Neither of us is particularly good at cooking, but there are three of us, so it’ll be fine.

As long as everyone can eat meat and we don’t run out of salt, everything should be fine.

I have stored away some food, so we shouldn’t have any problems.

Once I build a large bath between the house and the lake, I’ll stop mapping Waltz Kingdom temporarily and use this place as a base to start hunting in earnest in Palmera.

There are three reasons for this. First, I think I can level up by about one level in this A-rank hunting ground.

I need skill points right now because I used them all up when I got carried away, so I want to have some in reserve for emergencies.

Just as there were slimes in “Lushe” in the Kingdom of Waltz, it is likely that the composition of monsters will change within the same sixth layer depending on the location. If so, I will collect information on monsters in B-to-A-rank hunting grounds while exploring.

While doing so, I can earn experience points by visiting B to A-rank hunting grounds, killing two birds with one stone.

Even if it’s inefficient, as long as their skill level is high, it’s easy to raise my skill level to a certain point.

My goal is to pick up new skills and increase my magic power.

The rest is just a matter of investigating the seventh layer and beyond.

First, I need to find out if S-rank monsters exist and, if so, if I can defeat them.

…If I do, it’ll probably be a serious fight.

Objectively speaking, given my current position, I should be able to defeat S-rank monsters. However, depending on the situation, I could die.

That’s how I feel about fighting A-rank hunters like Fidel.

So, it depends on the situation.

Without a special skill like the gargoyle’s Final Scream or Call to Assembly, which can gather monsters, they’ll be too scattered, and it won’t be efficient.

On top of that, there aren’t any places nearby to exchange money, so even though I’m short on funds, it isn’t very financially efficient.

This is certain, so I’ll focus on picking up the good parts without wasting time.

All right, now that the plan is set, let’s get to work.

First, I’ll make a nice bath.

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