Chapter 38

 Verification Work

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The debate with the Zombie general started without any real reason.
As a living being with intelligence, I cannot afford to lose to a zombie with a rotten brain.
I am determined to win.

 

“You said that this land is dead, and that’s true for now.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t revive.
The earth is immortal.
You zombies are hindering the revival by polluting the earth, while I am working to restore it.
You have no right to argue with me.
Come back after you are reborn.”

 

Perfect.
Moreover, I came up with an excellent retort, asking the zombie to come back after being reborn.
I can’t imagine the zombie having a counterargument.

 

“You said you came here to level up, right? When did that turn into trying to restore this land?”

 

…I think I did say that.
I can’t afford to be passive.
I need to be strong and not let the zombie corner me.

 

“I have to level up to restore this land.
There are various tough enemies such as the Skeleton King, Lich, and King Zombie.
Leveling up is a necessary action.
Besides, didn’t you say you want to snuff out the possibility of intelligence in me?”

 

“Yes, you destroyed the companions who had lived with me for a long time and were waiting for their evolution.
You crushed them mercilessly.
Even though I said they might develop intelligence.”

 

“Hahaha.
In the end, you are just a monster.
You used your companions as a meat shield to protect yourself, and you didn’t care about them at all.
You were just thinking about yourself, right?”

 

“No, they sacrificed themselves to protect me.
They were brave people.”

 

“They were enemies.
You told me to defend myself when I invaded, and you just watched until the meat shield was about to disappear.
You only panicked and shouted when you were in danger.
Isn’t that right?”

 

“That’s not true.
I believed I could win.
I believed in my companions.”

 

I feel like I am gaining the upper hand.
Let’s keep pressing forward with force rather than getting into detailed arguments.

 

“Isn’t your judgement too slow? Your companions were easily blown away.
You should have realized it was hopeless and stopped it sooner.
You should have sacrificed yourself to save them, even if it meant risking your own life.
Did you really not care about your companions? You’re lucky you’re still alive.
No, you’re already dead.”

 

“No, I’m not wrong.
If I’m defeated, who will lead them?”

 

Maybe he was considering his companions and leading them properly? …No, I can’t be swayed.
The opponent is a zombie.
I cannot afford to lose.

 

“You’re wrong.
You’re wrong.
You’re wrong.
You’re hiding behind your companions and not even showing yourself.
How can you claim to be leading them? Who will you lead when you’re all alone? Haha, is it just your imagination?”

 

“No, you’re wrong.
Kill him for me!”

 

Ah, he snapped.
This is my victory.
Following the Zombie general’s orders, the zombies rushed at me, but I cut them down and quickly closed in on the Zombie Mage and Zombie Archer, crushing them.

 

Finally, the Zombie general snapped and charged at me with his sword raised, but I crushed him too.
This is my complete victory.
I defeated the remaining zombies and endured the stench to take the magic stone from the Zombie general.

 

I repeatedly wash myself to rid the disgusting feeling.
Hmm, the magic stone is quite big compared to the others.
Is it because he awakened his intelligence? Well, it’s not something pleasant to look at, so I’ll store it quickly and leave.

 

As I step outside, I frantically wash my body.
I’ll never get used to this smell.

 

“What are you doing, Yuta? You look like the villain here.”

 

“Kyuu.”

 

“That’s mean.”

 

Bell scolds me, and I feel truly ashamed.
I need to explain myself.

 

“Listen up, Bell, Rain, and Turu.
That battle was about the dignity of humanity.
There was nothing cruel about it,” I said.

 

“Dignity?” Bell asked.

 

“Kyu?” Rain added.

 

“Not cruel?” Turu asked.

 

They tilted their head in confusion.
They looked cute.

 

“Yes, dignity.
You understand that humans can’t lose a battle of words with zombies.
So I fought with all my might.
The enemy fought with all their might too.
It was an equal match, and there was nothing cruel about it.
Do you understand?” I explained.

 

The three of them nodded and thought it over, arms crossed.
Rain’s arms were particularly interesting since she had fins.

 

“We understand,” they replied.

 

“Good,” he sighed in relief.
He had to make sure they remembered they were watching a battle.
He didn’t want to be disliked later.
He watched them silently, wiping off his cold sweat.
Then Sylphy approached him with a disgusted look on her face.

 

“Yuta, from now on, just fight without talking to undead.
You almost got talked into something, didn’t you?” she scolded him.

 

“Ugh, you saw through me.
If the opponent wasn’t a zombie, I would have understood and come back.
But are there no good monsters out there?” I said, feeling guilty.

 

“Some people can control monsters, and there are skills to do it.
So, we can’t fight every monster without question.
But, like this time, if you talk too much, you’ll eventually lose your live.
Monsters must be destroyed, that’s the basic rule,” she explained.

 

“I got it.
From now on, I’ll fight monsters without hesitation,” he said.

 

“That’s good.
We still have some time to move, but do you want to rest here for today?” Sylphy asked.

 

“Hmm, yeah.
I’m a little tired, so let’s rest here for today.
After Turu fills the hole, we’ll have dinner.
Turu, can you do it even though it’s a larger space than usual?” I asked.

 

“…It’s fine.
I can do it,” Turu replied.

 

“Okay, then please do it,” I said.

 

Turu approached the hole and used magic, causing the soil to move and flow into the hole.
Magic is really convenient.
When I first decided to bury the monster’s nest, I just hit it with a hammer and caused it to collapse without thinking.
However, since Turu started doing it, he could cleanly dispose of it.

 

“Turu, thank you,” I said as I patted his head.
Turu narrowed his eyes and looked happy.
The usually taciturn boy seemed to have become more expressive from being around everyone.
That’s a good thing.

 

Well, the real hero here is Tamamo, who isn’t here.
Turu seems to be captivated by Tamamo’s fascinating fur and can’t let go of her.
When I see Turu holding and gently stroking Tamamo, it makes me feel warm inside.

 

After crushing the monster’s nest, I removed the mobile base and had an early dinner.
The dinner was the usual seafood, but the addition of oil leaves since yesterday was appreciated.

 

It didn’t seem to suit Bell and the others’ taste, so I was the only one eating it.
The advice to eat vegetables for health doesn’t seem to work on spirits.

 

“Yuta, is the vegetable delicious?” Bell asked as she saw me picking the oil leaves with a smile.
She seemed to be questioning whether I really thought it was delicious.
I used to hate bitter foods.

 

“It’s delicious.
I didn’t like vegetables that much either, but I somehow ended up liking them.
You might like them too when you grow up, Bell,” I replied.

 

Bell twisted her neck with a fish in her hand, looking really skeptical.
It seems she is truly doubtful if she will like it.
Rain and Turu didn’t even look at the vegetables.
Maybe their tongues are still childlike since they look young.

 

After dinner, I talked with Sylphy about our future plans while watching Bell and the others playing tag in the night sky.
In the darkness, a young girl, a dolphin, and a boy illuminated by moonlight are playing tag in the air, having fun.
It’s like a fantasy.

 

“Sylphy, what kind of opponent is a Lich?” I asked.

 

After defeating the Zombie general, my attention finally turned to the Lich.
Is it just a typical existence?

 

“Well, there are cases where a powerful magician who has a strong attachment to magic becomes a Lich when they turn undead.
They have intelligence and a strong attachment to magic, so I think they will use various types of magic,” said Sylphy.

 

As a physical-focused fighter, I wasn’t too thrilled with the prospect.

 

“Can I just charge in and win?” I asked.

 

“If you can land a hit, it’ll be a one-hit kill, but if you miss, it’ll be tough,” she replied.

 

This was bad.
I realized from today’s battle that simply swinging my hammer wouldn’t work against an intelligent opponent, especially one who was proficient in magic.

 

“My current fighting style won’t work.
Can you give me some advice?” I asked.

 

“Yuta has formed a contract with a spirit.
It’s important not to rely too much on them, but you should definitely use their power.
If you do, you’ll have more than enough leeway to win,” Sylphy suggested.

 

So, I should borrow the power of Bell and the others.
But using their power only at critical moments…will it work?

 

“Hmm…what should I do?” I pondered.

 

“Talk to Bell and the others more.
They’re capable of more than you think,” she advised.

 

Hmm.
I thought I had communicated enough with them, but when it came to battle, they only showed me some basic magic.
It’s important to talk to Bell and the others and expand our tactics in battle.

 

“Thank you, Sylphy.
I’ll talk to them and figure things out,” I said.

First, let’s assess how my status has changed in this battle and confirm what I am capable of.
Then we can hold a strategy meeting.

 

Name: Yuta Morizono

Level: 36

Health: B

Magic: C

Strength: C

Intelligence: B

Dexterity: A

Luck: B

 

Unique Skills:

Language Comprehension

Pioneering Tool

 

Skills:

Life Magic

Hammer Technique

Night Vision

 

Oh, my level has gone up to 36.
I’ve been diligently crushing monster nests, and I leveled up three times since I was at level 33.
I defeated a Zombie general and a large number of Zombie Knights and Zombie Soldiers.

 

There are hardly any Zombie Knights or Zombie Soldiers in small nests.
As Sylphy said, large nests are more efficient.
However, my Magic rank hasn’t increased.
It would have been easier if it had increased here… My skills haven’t increased either.
I still have a long way to go.

 

I called Bell and the others over to confirm what we can do.
They don’t seem to understand the details well, so I gave them a rough idea and confirmed what they can or cannot do.

 

 

It’s quite difficult.
It takes a lot of time to convey even one magic or technique that I’ve seen in manga or anime.
Honestly, it’s tough.