Securing food, shelter, and lodging.

Night fell. Me, Risha, and Madway gathered in the cleared space in front of the wooden house.

Dinner time.

Madway lit a fire and prepared soup in a pot.

Simple stew—root vegetables and a bit of meat. Taste aside, it was a blessing to weary bodies.

“Sorry it’s so meager. Supplies are running low.”

Madway said, looking apologetic.

“Three people all at once—can’t be helped. Still, we’ve gotta figure out food somehow.”

He glanced toward the warehouse.

Inside, various materials were packed tightly, but almost nothing edible.

“Menu open.”

--------------------------

Akitto

Type: Normal Card

Mana: 21,900

Items Created: 9

Slaves: 1

--------------------------

So far, I’ve crafted nine items.

Four wooden houses, three futons, one iron sword, one dress.

Clothing and shelter—those are covered. Now, food. Gotta figure out food somehow.

“Hey, how’ve you been getting food up till now?”

I glance at the list of possible creations, then ask Madway.

“Picked up acorns, hunted small beasts. There’s a stream a bit further that way—caught fish there too.”

“Huh. So the water’s from that stream?”

“No. Water’s separate. There’s a spring over there. I drank from the river before—ended up with a stomachache. Boiled it, same result. So I figure that river’s water’s no good.”

“Ah.”

I nod.

Kinda… tough, I guess.

Madway says it casually. But that’s a hell of a way to live.

In a world like this, crumbling and dying—hardship’s just part of it.

More than ever, I think: gotta get food sorted out somehow.

Staring at the menu like she might devour it.

Found it—the one labeled "Waki Water (Small)."

Had been on the list since early on, but only now caught her eye.

Hmm, maybe I’ll try making it—she reached out, and froze.

Turns out, the mana required was 20,000.

The highest demand yet. Eight times that of the wooden house, sixty-six times the universal remedy.

What kind of waki water is this, anyway?

Now she was even more curious. Gotta make it.

She drew a magic circle a short distance from the fire. The arrows emerging from the light array pointed four ways—three into the storage, one toward Madway’s house.

Risha stood up immediately, set down her soup bowl on the ground, and fetched ingredients from inside the warehouse.

I followed Madway into his house.

In the corner, a glowing water jug caught my eye.

"What’s that?"

"Water we just talked about."

"Can I take it?"

"Of course."

Madway carried the water jug outside and poured it into the magic circle.

All the materials gathered, the circle bubbled into a spring.

A small fountain formed—trickling water poured out.

It kept flowing, even after the container was full, swelling faster than the original amount.

"Is this supposed to keep going forever?"

"Can't say for sure—but I think so."

The clue was the magic power: twenty thousand.

I’d spent a massive amount of mana to create this small spring from nothing.

As long as it wasn’t destroyed, I guessed it’d keep flowing.

"Can we drink this?"

"I’ll try."

Risha said, scooping water with her hand and drinking.

She held it in her mouth, then swallowed it down.

"How is it?"

"...I think it’s fine. Just plain water—no smell, no taste."

"Huh."

I took a sip myself. Just as Risha said—completely tasteless, odorless water.

Not tap water—more like mineral water, really.

Yeah, this should be fine to drink.

Water secured. Now just need food.

No food in the menu, but there’s “fruit trees” and “fields” listed.

With 1,900 magic points left, I made a fruit tree magic circle for 500.

Two arrows: one points to the warehouse, the other to the spring water.

“I’ll get it!”

“I’ll pour it.”

Risha headed for the warehouse, while Madway scooped water from the spring and poured it into the circle.

“Master, could you come here for a moment?”

“What is it?”

I noticed Risha, inside the warehouse, looking troubled—she held two different kinds of fruit in her hands.

Both fruits glowed with magic.

I checked the menu. It just said “fruit ×1” under the relevant entry.

So… any fruit will do?

“Which one should we pick?”

“Then this one.”

I pointed to Risha’s right hand. No real reason—just picked at random.

With a look that said “my decision is flawless,” Risha took the fruit in her right hand and tossed it into the mana circle.

The circle collapsed inward, and a tree shot up—twice my height.

Dozens of identical fruits hung from its branches.

“Wow… so many grew.”

I plucked one at random, paid another 500 mana, and made a fruit tree.

It worked. Same result.

Not an endless flood like springwater, but once it’s made, it bears fruit immediately.

Spending 500 mana isn’t nothing—could be useful, depending on how you use it.

And most importantly—

Now I had everything I needed: clothes, food, shelter. All covered.