Oh, my God. What the hell is this?
　Naotsugu let out an emotional voice.
　The fire crackles in front of the five of them.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's a good idea to be able to have a good time. How should I put it, this is bliss.
　Even the earnest Akatsuki, who usually seems to be lacking in emotional ups and downs, screams with joy as her flushed cheeks are colored with orange flames.

　This is the hilly area along the sea, just across the "Leiport Strait". As a result of forcing the gryphon to hurry in order to leave the Ezzo Empire's version of the map as soon as possible, the day's encampment was somewhat late.

　The five of them found a suitable hilly area and landed the Gryphon when darkness was already approaching. As they searched for a few more places to camp, darkness covered the sky to the point where the gryphon could no longer fly.
　As a flying creature, the gryphon is extremely powerful, but its head is an eagle, so it is strongly affected by the nighttime darkness. It's commonly known as a bird's eye.

　The five of us arrived at the hillside and began to prepare for the camp.
　The sun had set, but there was no sign of powerful enemy creatures in this area of the zone.
　Naotsugu and Serara begin to put up a small tent. At this time of year, spending the night under the stars is not a problem as long as you have a sleeping bag, but in case it starts raining in the middle of the night, it's a hassle.
　Akatsuki and Nyanta didn't talk to each other, but headed into the forest in silent communication. They probably went to collect the dead branches.

　Shiroe opened a menu on a hilltop overlooking the surroundings to report to Marielle via telekinesis. Marielle, who must have been waiting to hear from you for a long time, received the report from Shiroe and the others with an obviously relieved voice. Although Marielle always had a cheerful smile on her face, she was still worried about them.
　It was obvious that she was also pleased to hear the report from Serara, who raised her voice from behind Shiroe.

　It's not efficient to start the camp at such a late hour.
　Even with the magical lights, setting up a tent and gathering firewood would take time in the darkness. It wasn't until nearly two hours after the gryphon landed that they dug up the undergrowth of the hillside, lined up a few stones for wind protection and built a bonfire.

　At this rate, they might not be able to get enough rest before morning, but the faces of the five of them were still bright. After all, the rescue mission had crossed the mountain range.
　Since we've crossed several zones with our Griffons, there's no reason to worry that we'll be pursued. The remaining mission is to return to Akiva safely, but since we've already met up with Serara, it's not a journey that requires more speed than when we came for you.
　Depending on their physical condition, it's fine to spend one more night in these hills.
　That kind of leeway was evident on everyone's faces.

　And the most exciting thing happened after that.

　Nyanta and Akatsuki, who went to collect firewood, came back with a deer.
　In this other world, wild animals are not rare. In fact, in this world, where the population is only one hundredth of what it is in the real world of Japan, wild animals have access to a breeding environment that could be called a paradise.
　Therefore, in the forests and hills and other areas of natural abundance, it is relatively common to see deer, wild birds, wild boars, goats and other livestock, both natural and wild, in these areas. Of course, some of these wild animals are as dangerous as wild dogs, wolves and bears, and they are more capable of fighting than goblins.

　But as long as you avoid those dangerous wild animals, deer and wild birds are relatively easy to deal with, and they are very useful for low-level adventurers to practice with and as a source of food.

　It seems that Akatsuki and Nyanta had killed the deer in the forest when they went to pick up firewood.

　And somehow, in front of Shiroe and the others who stared at them in disbelief, Nyanta had managed to roast the deer on a spit of meat that was surprisingly delicious.

　It was completely different from anything I've ever seen before, as the meat exploded all over the open fire.

　The sweet smell of burning fat, the
　They were astonished that real food had such a complex and rich aroma. The three of them suddenly felt hungry, as if they hadn't eaten for days, and they couldn't hold back any longer.

　As soon as they took a bite of the fillet Nyanta offered them, the melt-in-your-mouth taste of the salt and rosemary-flavored gravy spread through the air. It's not a "food item", it's a dish. The difference is overwhelming when you see it in front of you.

　It's not even remotely similar to fireflies and lightning.

''It's delicious........but.... --Why?
　Shiroe and the others were surprised by this.
　Both Naotsugu and Akatsuki were taken aback. Only Serara and Nyanta are smiling and proud of their expressions.

　It was the most delicious meal they've had in the past month.
　As a dish, it wasn't elaborate or pretentious. It was simply a venison that had been shucked, seasoned with spices, herbs, and rock salt, then sautéed in a pan or seared directly over the fire.
　It wasn't the highest quality, but it was heavenly compared to the salty, bland crackers that had become part of our daily lives.

Delicious!　This is awesome! This is awesome, Captain Nyanta!　I love you about as much as I love you next to my panties!
You're exaggerating.
　Nyanta said, and began to grill more and more venison on the iron skewers he took out of his bag. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

"Hey, group leader! Hey!　Nyanta-sensei! Why does it taste like this?　I mean, why doesn't it taste like crackers!　We want the defendant to testify.
　Naotsugu asks as he grabs a skewer in each hand. Naotsugu was not convinced by Nyanta's words, "There are plenty of refills, so don't be so pushy," but he didn't feel comfortable if he didn't keep his portions like this.

　Normally, Akatsuki would call Naotugu a "despicable idiot" and run into him, but he said, "It's delicious. It's delicious," he said, eating the roasted venison like a small animal.

"When you cook, you have to prepare all the ingredients and choose the dish you want to make from the menu to complete the food item.
　Nyanta continues to speak as he carves up the entrails with a careful hand.

He continued, "When you cook it that way, you'll end up with a food item that tastes like that no matter how you cook it. All you have to do is gather the ingredients and cut, bake or boil them directly without opening the menu. It's exactly the same as in the real world.
　Nyanta explained casually.

'But that's not--'
　Shiroe takes back the second half of the dialogue while handing the water bottle to Akatsuki, who is swallowing meat.
'I've tried that, but wouldn't doing it that way just end up creating a mystery item?　When I tried to cook the fish, all I could do was make some weird extinguishing charcoal that had nothing to do with the fish, or a slime like paste.
　That's what Shiroe and the others knew as the norm in this world.

That's because you're not a chef, or you're not a good cook. Cooking skills are still necessary, even if the cooking is done in the same way as in reality.
　...In other words, the cooks don't have to use a cooking menu, they just cook as they normally would, and that way they can make use of the flavors of the ingredients. That way, you can bring out the flavors of the ingredients.
　Shiroe was stunned by Nyanta's words and eventually agreed.
　Thinking about it, it was already strange that she was eating food items with salt on them. If food could only be made on the food menu, wouldn't it have been possible to even pour salt on it without selecting it from the menu?

　A production worker such as a cook has a minimum value of about five experience levels, even if he or she has not learned to cook. The minimum level of cooking, called "salting," was the highest level of "realistic cooking" that could be done by a non-cook with other sub-vocational skills.

So, do you think the squad leader is...
That's right. That's right. I'm a chef. Now, how about another one?

　Shiroe and his friends took a bite of the meat on Nyanta's recommendation.
　It was still a medium-sized deer, which was more than enough for five people, and we could eat enough for tomorrow's meal. Nyanta served us some apple brandy that he had made in Susukino, and the lively evening party continued.

　Nyanta introduces Serara to the three of them.
　She is the Forest Curse Master (Druid) of the Crescent Moon League, a guild. In the real world, she is a high school girl.

How do you do? I'm late in saying hello. I'm Celara, thank you for saving me this time. I'm at the 19th level of the forest spell-caster, and I'm a sub in the housekeeper's class, and I'm only a chick.
　Serara was in the middle of sitting in a wheelchair around the bonfire, but she politely stood up and bowed her head in a pile.

(She's a spirited girl.)
　She has a gentle, girlish face and slender, small, round shoulders. It's a good idea to have the hair pulled back in a bun.

It's the third prettiest girl in our class, but she gets the most love letters, or something like that.
Huh?
　Serara is at a loss for words at Naotsugu's supposedly unreplied assessment of her first meeting. Akatsuki noiselessly slaps Naotsugu in the face with a knee strike.

'Don't kneel!　Knees!
'My husband, I gave the rude man a knee strike.
And what do you mean by "after the fact"?
　If you look at what Naotsugu is doing without defending his face, he is desperately holding on to the venison skewer held in his hands so as not to drop it. Seeing this, even Serara smiles.

"Hmmm.
'Ah. This is Naotsugu. This is Naotsugu, the guardian warrior. I trust his skills.
But it's vile and stupid.
　Serara nodded at Shiroe and Akatsuki's commentary, still smiling.
''I saw how well you did on the front lines. I'm sorry my poor heels couldn't fully recover.''
　Naotsugu replies to his words, "Don't worry about it, that was enough to help me. Serara repeatedly apologizes for her low level, but Shiroe agrees with Naotsugu. After making up his mind, Serara's concentration and his decisiveness in throwing everything he has into the game without thinking about the consequences are worthy of recognition, Shiroe thinks.

"Naotsugu's always been like this. "Naotsugu has always been like this," he says, "and I hope you'll give him a break. Besides, that was a compliment to Serara-san.
What?
　Serara looks up at Nyanta, who sits next to her, her narrow eyes narrowing further as she smiles.

'You're the most popular in class. It's a good idea. Naotsugu is shy, you know.

Hey, wait a minute, team leader. I'm not saying that. I don't want to be a pretty girl.
　As if to interrupt Naotsugu's dialogue, Akatsuki's knee kick is decided on again.

'Ouch! You're getting more and more merciless, chimichu.
"My lord, I caved in the pervert's face. I also confiscated the flesh.
'What?　Ah. Ahhh!
　Akatsuki is munching on a skewer of grilled deer meat that he took from Naotsugu at the moment of the knee kick.

'There ain't no such thing...'
　Nyanta gave the dejected Naotsugu a new grilled meat, and what about you, young lady?　He talks to Akatsuki. Shiroe notices this and begins to introduce Akatsuki to Nyanta.

　A girl who has traveled with Naotsugu and himself. She is an assassin and a tracker. She is a skilled craftsman and a dependable presence.
　Akatsuki stares at Nyanta with a sincere stare, then bows his head and greets her, "I'm Akatsuki, young master," he says.

　Akatsuki thrusts the still-raw meat into the mouth of Naotsugu, who is upset that his attitude is so different from mine. d*mn you, stupid Naotugu!　The other three laugh at the endless skirmish between the two of them as they do it with each other.

''But what was that move that knocked that muscle-damaged man down in an instant?
　Akatsuki asks with a sincere expression. It's not enough to kill a 90 level Martial Artist (Monk) with a single blow, even if you are an assassin, who is supposed to have the greatest offensive power of any weapon attacker, to deliver the best blow.
　Of course, at that point Akatsuki had overpowered the restorers who were supporting Demikus. The HP of Demiquas would not be perfect. However, even so, dropping the warrior position in an instant was unusual.

''Oh..... Is that it? That's a technique that works in conjunction with Shiroechi.
That's the Thornabyte Hostage.

　It is a trap spell of the Grantor's placement type. It's a spell to set five thorns that deal about 1000 damage in conjunction with a friendly attack. However, even if you activate all of them, the total damage is 5000.
　This is only less than half the HP of the warrior position that serves as a shield in the vanguard.

　When Akatsuki pointed this out to him, Shiroe said.
In other words, Thornbaid Hostage is restricted to be reused for 15 seconds!
　Akatsuki is a little confused by that explanation, so he adds to it.
You see, that's what I'm talking about. Shiroechi applies the Thornbide Hostage to Demikus. We do not attack.
　I will not attack, and will endure for 14 seconds. And when I've endured that time, I launch my tenth consecutive attack. --Of course, five of the ten attacks in a row will trigger the Thornbaid Hostage.
　And at that moment, Shiroechi casts his second Thornbide Hostage, which is now off-limits. That way, my sixth to tenth attack will deal extra damage: two 5,000 damage and 10 of my high-speed attacks. That's the answer.

'Surely that can be sunk by a warrior position........ But.
That's.... Is it possible to do that?
　I'm sure Serara, who was listening to the story, can only think it was a joke.

　I'm sure that if you were able to carry out your plan as I told you, you wouldn't be able to help me with my recovery spell, and I would have sunk Demikus in an instant, and Demikus would have actually fallen.
　But in the midst of the battle, Celara couldn't even follow the series of attacks, even though she said she would adjust to the sixth in a row. I'm sure that's what she's talking about because she just heard about ten consecutive attacks, but I don't even know how many attacks she really had.


Will it?
　Nyanta responded to Akatsuki's earnest question in a conciliatory manner.
　The dark-haired beauty seemed to be pondering something, but after nodding one nod, she muttered, "I'll practice, too," and returned to her meal.

　With Akatsuki's conviction, the meal turned back into a lively feast. The watered-down apple brandy was like juice, but it still kept everyone merry and talking, along with the grilled venison.

　About the guild, each other, the good food and the starry skies of this world. We talked without getting bored, and the night went on.
　A flavorful meal they hadn't had in a long time and the orange flames of the five adventurers' laughter coincided with the orange flames. It was no longer as the eastern sky was beginning to turn white when Nyanta finally declared bedtime resolutely.

''Ah. I ate, I ate!　It's been a long time since I've had such a good meal. It's not just the food that makes me feel like I'm here, it's the festival. This is what a trip should be like, after all.
　Full and sleepy, their feet were getting faint, but still Naotsugu's words were the truth of the matter.

　They wrapped themselves in their respective sleeping bags and went to sleep in the warmth of the fire.


　◆


　From then on, the journey was smooth.
　It was a journey that even the three of us were able to make it through on the outward journey. The addition of Nyantas, who had survived the tea party of the Prodigal, had strengthened the battlefield, and on top of that, even though their level was still low, they had the added benefit of Serara, who was a healer.
　If the wound is only an abrasion from a slightly aggressive attack, Celara can heal it, which expands the range of tactics. There was no fear of losing to the monsters and wildlife in the field zone.

　But that didn't mean the five of them were forced to march.
　Shiroe and the others were rather trying to move at a slower pace than the first half of the journey. After the big sleepover of the first encampment, they chose a good time in the morning to drive the griffon. Because of the time restrictions on the use of the gryphon, they would descend to the land after noon and begin looking for an encampment in the early afternoon, moving slowly on horseback or on foot.

　They pitched their tents before dusk and took plenty of time to prepare their dinner. The food was prepared in the open air, of course, but it was a dreamy feast compared to the poor diet they had been living on.

　Nyanta, of course, was making an effort to add to his repertoire of dishes. The stew, slow-cooked over a small open fire, was well received and greatly comforted the camp under the stars.

　The five of them talked about many things.
　They didn't go into depth about the harassment that Serara had suffered in the streets of Susskino, but it was a relief to Shiroe and the others that Serara seemed to have gotten over it now, despite her fear of it.

　Surprisingly, Serara had feelings for Nyanta, and the only one who didn't seem to notice was Nyanta himself. However, the fact that Serara herself seems to think she can hide her feelings from Shiroe and the others, including Nyanta, is both amusing and amusing.

　When she's away from Nyanta, Serara's eyes are suddenly searching for him. Whenever they gather around the bonfire at suppertime, she is always sitting next to Nyanta, looking happy and small.
　Apparently the happiest news in recent years for Serara was Nyanta's decision to accompany her to Akiba, and then to move to Akiba. Serara hugged Nyanta unintentionally and almost knocked over the pot, much to her dismay.

　Seeing her, Naotsugu and Shiroe smile like a young boy who has just thought of a prank. In fact, there was never a rumor about Nyanta at the Tea Party of the Prodigal that he was not the only one who had the temerity to call himself an old man. This was big news and a bit of an event for both of them, knowing about Nyanta's past.

But why are they so middle-aged?
Serara has good taste.
　Akatsuki replies to Naotsugu's blurbs.

'Is Akatsuki OK with Nyanta too?'
"Master is a first-rate swordsman.
　When Shiroe asked out of curiosity, Akatsuki nodded politely. That would be an evaluation axis, but Shiroe was convinced that there was a respect for technology that passed between melee attackers.

　It is true that Nyanta is dependable in the sense of adult composure.
　He calls himself old, old, etc., but objectively speaking, he's probably in his early forties or late thirties. His slender body is slender and tall, and although he doesn't like his eyes to be a little too narrow, he's quite good looking.

(..............................is there?

　As Shiroe was thinking about this while holding her finger to the tip of her chin in her habit of thinking, Akatsuki came up to her and tugged on her sleeve, wondering what she had in mind.

"My lord. 'My lord.'
What's going on?
Your master may not be a swordsman, but I'm sure he's quite adept at it.
　Shiroe, realizing that she was apparently comforted, gently touched Akatsuki's smooth bangs and thanked her. The slightly annoyed Akatsuki tickled him as he turned away, saying, "I didn't say anything significant.

　As they flew over the 'Irb Highlands', an ominous dark cloud that looked as if it had been stirred up with ink from the far southwest direction was moving at a fast pace.
　Naotsugu spotted the cloud that was hanging in front of him and stared at it. It was far away, but inside the cloud, a white light that seemed to crack at times, seemed to twinkle.

''Oi. Shiroe~. Nyanta Squad Leader~
　Without even bothering to activate the telephonic function, Naotsugu shouted to Shiroe and the others flying ten meters below him.

"Looks like a rain cloud is coming!
　Shiroe looked closely at the voice, and indeed the sun seemed to be blocked out in the west as well. The air is getting heavier and the gryphon is also struggling to gain altitude.

"Shiroechi. You'd better find a place to shelter from the rain earlier today.
　This one is suggested by Nyanta, who calmly connected with the reminder. After reaffirming the rainclouds, Shiroe raised his right hand and began his descent, largely off the path of the wind as it was.

　Shiroe and the others rushed into the small settlements scattered throughout the vast "Irb Highlands". They must have been located in what had been an old-time farming village. About twenty wooden buildings clustered together at the intersection of several unpaved roads, shoulder to shoulder.
　It could be said that this was a dangerous place.
　As the griffon landed on the outskirts of the village, it was immediately followed by a gut-wrenching thunderstorm. It's a sudden change in the sky that can be seen at the beginning of summer.

　Shiroe and the others hurried to the center of the village.
　This village looked like a typical farming village. This kind of farming village could now be found anywhere in the five areas of the Japanese server's administrative area. In this other world, where it seems that most of the old world's scientific civilization has collapsed and the environment has regressed by millennia (the setting), the rich soil has been restored along with the proliferation of wild animals. In rural areas where there are few monsters, agriculture has come back to life.

　Of course, the people who live in these rural areas are not the players.
　They are non-player characters who call themselves the Elder Tail. Back in the days when Elder Tail was still a game, a large percentage of your quests involved traveling to the remaining villages to solve the various problems and incidents in these areas.

　Perhaps noticing a sudden change in the weather, the streets of the villages were filled with housewives wearing white blouses and skirts with thick, fluffy fabric, and a young boy with a dog running around in a cattle drive.
　Peasants of all ages and appearances, struggling to put away their farming tools or to get their sheep into their pens.

　As we had expected, the large house in the center of the village was like a community center with a shared warehouse and community center. It's a common occurrence in such a frontier village.

Hello!
　Naotsugu, who had led the way into the larger wooden structure, called out to the fresh smell of dry grass indoors.

''Yes, yes. You're a traveler, aren't you?''
　The old man who appeared was a non-player character who claimed to be the village's caretaker. He looks about 60 years old with short white hair and strong glasses. He is a caretaker of the pioneers living in the wilderness, and he still looks strong and robust, with a straight spine in spite of his age.

　He listened to what they had to say and offered to lend them a roof for the night at a reasonable price.
　Shiroe and the others thanked him and went inside the warehouse.
　There were still piles of leftover straw in the warehouse for storing grass for the winter. The rain clouds had completely covered the area. The early summer rain was not cold, but it was strong and pounded the village like a large lead ball.

　As Shiroe looked back through the doorway at the village streets and the dark sky, he heard a bright voice from the room behind him.

'This is nice. I love a pile of straw and all that, man.'
　Naotsugu shouts with joy.
　In this other world, which has inherited the convenience of the game world, the performance of sleeping bags and tents is quite good. But even if they are a little more comfortable to sleep in, a sleeping bag is still a sleeping bag. It's not uncommon for the body heat to be taken away and the muscles to become fatigued after a night's sleep on the ground.
　Compared to that, sleeping on a pile of straw is like sleeping in a bed in a lodge.

'Yes, it is. This is a very comfortable place.
　Akatsuki nodded as he examined the inside of the large warehouse, checking the location of the windows and back door. It's a wooden building, but the walls are coated with plaster-like clay and there's no drafts. The interior is cool and dry and smells clean.
　We were lucky to be in this village when the heavy rains were threatening to cut a hole in the roof.

Isn't there somewhere we can start a fire?
Nyanta-san. There was a furnace over there.
　Nyanta started worrying about dinner as soon as possible, but Serara pulled him down. Naotsugu and Akatsuki began to break down a pile of straw, leaving that part to them. They probably intend to make a bed for five people.

"Hey, what's that tiny little bunk? Is it for a hamster?
"Shut up, you fool, Naotsugu. Make your bed at that end.
　The old man from earlier speaks to Shiroe, who is laughing as he listens to the two men arguing with each other.

'Are you travelers from the city of Tukuba?　You are the Adventurers, aren't you?
Yes, yes. Yes, yes. I'm an adventurer. I'm on my way to Akiba, though.
　Shiroe replied to the pleasant old man.
　'Adventurer' is a term used by a non-player character to refer to a player.

''How do you like it?''
Thank God for this. Oh, this is delicious!
　Shiroe poured some of Nyanta's special sweet tea out of her bag into a tin cup and handed it to the old man. He poured it into the lid of his canteen and sat down on the wood-grinding table that was close at hand.
　The old man dragged the logwork chair over to him and sat down in a spot near Shiroe.

'Oh?'
　The old man rolls his eyes.
'What do you think?　Not very good?
　Shiroe smiled at the old man as he drank that sweet and bittersweet tea as if he had tasted it for the first time and was surprised. The old man broke off his chemistry, saying that this was wonderful.

''What? You're making it with great care.''
It's my lord's. Of course it is.
Hmm. Really? It must be hard to make a human-sized bed, huh?
"Don't be an idiot. You dirty dog.
　Akatsuki and Naotsugu prepare a place to sleep while continuing to skirmish with each other. Shiroe and the old man are drinking tea slowly, with their skirmish-like voices as background music. The street outside of the sunshade was beginning to get muddy, but seeing the old man was unfazed, this level of rainfall was not so unusual.

The old man is a very energetic fellow.
'Yes. I'm embarrassed.
No, no, no, no, no. Life in travel requires that kind of courage. It's what all adventurers do, of course.

　Non-player characters are said to be among the most affected by the disaster.
　As a game, the NPCs in Elder Tail were not personalities, like in all other games. They were much more powerful as characters than in bad home RPGs, and they could answer simple questions, but only at the level of responding to predetermined keywords and being programmed to be automatons.
　But in an alternate world after the Catastrophe, non-player characters seem almost completely human. Maybe the members of Brigantia didn't see it that way, but at least Shiroe saw it that way.

　They think, they breathe, they eat, they live.
　This way they could drink tea together and talk about all sorts of things. Each one of them has a name and a memory. Of course, the possibility that they were "created" at the moment of the catastrophe with their memories, that is to say, the child was created as a child and the old man as an old man, just as we see them now, could not be denied, but that does not mean that such a hypothesis would be of any use.

　The three of us, Shiroe, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, have not spent any long periods of time in the city of Akiba since the Great Disaster. This is because they focused on coordinated training in the suburbs. And to tell the truth, the city of Akiba, for a city of its size, has relatively few non-player characters.
　That's why Shiroe has never had the opportunity to have close contact with non-player characters. The more I talk to them, the more I feel like they are the same person.

We Daichijin don't travel much, you know.
　The old man squinted at Akatsuki and said this with his good-naturedly narrowed eyes.
　The word "earthling" does not refer to humans, elves or dwarves, for example. The word "earthling" is not a term for humans, elves or dwarves, but for non-player characters to refer to themselves as "adventurers".
　These terms have existed since the days of the Elder Tail game, but at the time, players didn't use the term "earthlings" to refer to themselves. They were players. The mechanical characters were non-player characters. That was all there was to it.

　But now, it was different.
Are you Daichijin?

Yes, the village is a good place, and we don't have much to worry about.
　When they call the players "adventurers," they express great awe. To them, players are beings of a different culture and with fundamentally different abilities.

　Through repeated combat, the Adventurer grows and matures, becoming tens or hundreds of times more capable of fighting than he or she was at the beginning. Even if mortally wounded, the Adventurer does not disappear completely, but returns to the Temple of the Great Shrine with an infinite number of souls that can be resurrected, and can travel to the ruins of ruins around the world to fight and win battles against monsters such as giants, undead, and even dragons, which pose a terrifying threat.
　This kind of transcendent being is what they call an adventurer.

　The Earthlings have no such capabilities; they fall down if they are wounded, and if they die, they cannot be resurrected. The term "earthling" refers to such "ordinary people of this world".
　Of course, there are some non-player characters that have been given the same, sometimes even greater abilities than the player due to the game's specifications. Such beings are referred to as "ancient species" by the Daichijin as being different from the adventurers.

　The Earthmen are the weakest of all, according to their distinction.
　They don't need to know what happened to Brigantia, but if the Adventurers are so inclined, they can unilaterally take your life and property.
　In the wake of the catastrophe, the Earthmen's numbers have increased five to tenfold, but in terms of fighting ability, there is still a gap between them and the rest of the population.

　But as far as Shiroe is concerned, they don't seem to have any resentment or grief about this. It's natural to them, and it's probably because this world they were born and raised in has been like that from the beginning.

(The name "Earthlings" suggests that this is so........ We're living with the ground, you know. We're living with the ground, you know...)

　As I talked to the old man in a few words, I felt this keenly. He wondered how many 'earthlings' there were in this world.　There are probably more than 100 such villages in the Irb Highlands alone.

(Come to think of it, I don't know much about the "earthlings", do I?　I don't even know what the earthlings usually eat or do.... (That sounds very...)

　Shiroe is about to ask the old man, as if hurried by an unspoken sense of danger. A cheerful voice calls out to Shiroe from behind him, "Shiroe.

"Shiroe. I have good news!
　Nyantas are approaching with a light step. From the smile on Serara's face as she flirted with him, it seems she already knew what was in the good news.

'What's the matter?'
I went around to the neighbors. When I talked to them, they sold me some food.
'It's amazing!　It's milk. It's cheese, right?　There's sausage, bacon, and eggs!　We have eggs too!　I have the sugar from Susquehanna so I can make cookies!
I got cabbages and potatoes too.
　The two of them show me their loot with a look of credit. With that much foodstuff, it seemed like they could make it to the city of Akiba in plenty of time without having to hunt.

'Are you sure?'
　Shiroe asked the old man, and he nodded of course.

The weather has been good this spring and the number of livestock has increased. The villagers will be grateful for some gold coins. I'm sure the villagers will be very grateful for some gold. I have some sherry.　Would you like to buy that one too, if you'd like?
　The old man adds, as if the idea came to him. He must be happy to get "some gold" too.

'With pleasure,'
　Shiroe started to follow the old man, the Daichijin, who was guiding him.