I shattered the barrier stone I had prepared.

Just now, a huge amount of points came in, so I can afford to use it freely, but it's also morning now, and the situation.

I might finally be at my wit's end.

The Earth Great Spirit seems unable to break through the barrier like the Water Great Spirit (Small) did, just grunting, "What's this, huh～?"

Unlike the Fire Great Spirit I encountered earlier, it doesn't recklessly charge in and get pushed back by the barrier's repulsion. Judging by its appearance, among all the Great Spirits I've seen, it's exceptionally large, and seems to be the solid, grounded type fitting the image of earth.

(It doesn't seem to have the dexterity to break through barriers, but the summoned Water Great Spirit managed it, so there's still a chance this one could too.)

Unlike the small water great spirit, this one's spiritual energy is dramatically denser.

Furthermore, it possesses the earth attribute—physically potent and highly formidable. There's no way I could fight it head-on.

I'd love nothing more than to flee immediately, but it's standing directly in my path—blocking my escape route with its massive body. If only I didn't have the ability to warp like the water great spirit, maybe there'd be a chance to escape—

I pull out a stamina potion and drink it at the critical moment.

I haven't slept since early yesterday morning. Even if my physical strength can be restored with the potion, there's no way to shake off the mental exhaustion.

Yet I couldn't afford to sleep.

If the barrier were breached while I was asleep, that would be it—game over.

(Fortunately… or rather, the priests can't see me at all.)

Around the earth's great spirit, several priests are gathered, desperately trying to persuade it to return. Normally, the great spirit of the labyrinth city is bound with special chains and resides in a temple (though I've never actually seen it), but if something happens, it can break free like this.

If the priest's words can convince it to return to the temple, that would be the best outcome I could hope for—but that seems unlikely as well.

"I can see you, but I can't get near... What a strange spell."

The earth's great spirit barely acknowledges the priests, utterly focused on me.

The "beloved one" is the great spirit's favorite.

I knew this from information, but honestly, I may have underestimated it.

I never thought they'd be this obsessed.

My options are dwindling.

Waiting is a slow demise. Fighting is not brave—it's outright reckless.

All that remains is to try and escape beyond the territory of the Great Earth Spirit, using magic and spirit magic as a last resort. Heading north seems unlikely.

Logically, the Great Earth Spirit could follow me anywhere. The reason I managed to escape the Great Water Spirit was because I fled into the Great Earth Spirit's territory.

Then, perhaps the safest option would be to flee into the territory of either the Great Fire or Great Wind Spirit. The Great Earth Spirit's territory is mostly farmland with no obstacles.

(But… I’ll still have to run a considerable distance.)

The road cuts straight through the center of the territory, meaning I’d have to cover the same distance whether heading toward the Great Fire or Great Wind Spirit. Honestly, I don’t think I can pull off escaping without being caught.

Still, in the worst case, there’s no other choice.

I sat on the ground, steadying my breath.

In truth, I should have been dead long ago.

Since arriving in this world, I've nearly died countless times.

At any moment, losing my life would have been no surprise.

Yet here I am, still alive. There are countless reasons, but ultimately, it's because I kept moving forward.

Even now, that's true.

If I want to live, I have no choice but to keep moving forward.

Staying here like this won't last forever—eventually, my reserves will run out.

Whether some miraculous turn of events will save me before then? No one knows.

Only a god could.

A god. That's right—I'd completely forgotten about that in all the chaos.

"Status"

I opened my status screen, the first time in a while, and clicked on the section once more.

Consume one crystal to hear a "hint on living"? YES or NO.

Touching YES immediately displays the hint.

<'Prepare and wait'>

I had an out-of-place thought: it's like drawing a fortune slip at a shrine.

Maybe because it's only one crystal, it's unnaturally abstract.

Still, it says "wait."

And "prepare and wait."

Preparation to fight.

Preparation to flee.

Either way, it's preparation for action.

Not just passive waiting. The gods themselves say it's pointless to wait without doing anything.

(Then I'll prepare.)

The six points I just acquired, plus the one point I already had.

I decided to use them all.

First, increase stamina.

It originally had already obtained Level 1.

The required points to upgrade to Level 2 are 2.

First, let's raise it.

<Achieved Level 2 for Vitality Up>

"Good."

Successfully upgraded to Level 2 without issues.

Although it's displayed as 5/7/10/15/20/, that doesn't mean you need those points each time. To go from Level 1 to Level 2, you need 2 points. To advance from Level 2 to Level 3, you need 3 points; then 5 points to reach Level 4... it seems the intention is to progress step by step.

Next, I decided to take Spirit Power Up.

Even now, thanks to the effect of "Spirit's Favor," my Spirit Power is already quite high and more than sufficient. Still, using a spell can drain a significant amount of Spirit Power in one go.

"Spirit Power Up Level 1 costs 5 points... here goes, win or lose."

Five points are quite significant, but that's precisely why such a substantial effect is expected.

There was an enormous difference between not having increased vitality and having it even at level one.

The same goes for spirit power increase—it must be worth that much.

From the status board, select it and press YES.

＜Spirit Power Up Level 1 acquired＞

"Oh... incredible..."

It felt as though my own capacity had greatly expanded.

It was as if it had doubled, at least in sensation. Though I don’t think it actually doubled that much, this should allow me to cast magic with considerable ease.

Preparation is complete.

Now I just have to wait... but what exactly am I waiting for?

Probably for Reflair to return.

"Hmm~? What's this... kinda gross..."

I was focused on the movements of the earth spirit, when suddenly it blurted out,

"Smell?

I sniffed around, but there was nothing unusual about the scent.

Could the barrier be blocking even odors? After all, if it can block poison, it's not surprising it might have such a function—

"It stinks, it really stinks, it's unbearable. Even rotten vegetables smell better than this. Even the demon king's breath is less offensive!"

The earth spirit waved a hand as if shooing away the smell, pinching its nose.

The priests looked utterly confused, so was it only the spirit who could sense it?

I scanned the surroundings searching for the source of this mysterious odor, and there it was.

"Ah…"

"Ugh…"

Our eyes met, and we both made sounds at the same time.

She hadn’t even noticed how close she’d gotten—Jeanne was hiding in the shadow of a nearby tree.

"Ah… um… well… what a coincidence, right? Cro. Running into you here."

"Ah… ah. Jeanne, too… it’s been a while. Glad to see you’re doing well."

"Yeah. Cro, you… look like you’ve been through a lot."

"I have, but I’m managing."

What is this conversation?

Jeanne must have been thinking the same thing. Both of them stood there, mouths slightly open, frozen, searching for the next words.

Because of the awkward way they’d parted, neither knew how to talk now—how much distance to keep, how to act. Jeanne probably felt the same.

Hiding behind the tree, fidgeting slightly, acting unlike her usual composed self.

"Jeanne… I’ve been looking for you, because I felt I needed to apologize. I don’t know why things turned out like this, but…"

"S-so, I see. I got angry too... I'm really sorry. I didn't think at all about how Cro felt."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't listen to what Jeanne had thought about everything, and I just stayed stubborn. Can you forgive me?"

"I'm the one who was wrong. I acted like a child throwing a tantrum. ...Can you forgive me?"

"Of course. Then we're friends again."

"Yeah. Friends again. Hehehe."

"Ahaha."

"Ugh～～～ I can't stand it, it's so stinky～～～!"

Jeanne smiled, and I felt my heart lighten a little.

People can't survive alone.

Through this experience, I truly came to understand that.

As long as we can survive, I think we'll be fine—especially with Jeanne and Refrea by my side.

By the way, even as we're talking, the earth spirit is yelling, "Smelly, smelly!" Its voice is loud too, probably because of its large size.

"So, why is Cro here? Wait—before that, I heard someone guided the Great Spirit."

"Ah... He's Ferdinand, the blond Second-Phase Transmigrator. He's the one who led it. Just as Jeanne said, he was an enemy."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I explained the situation.

Ferdinand brought the water spirit with him. He clearly harbored murderous intent toward me. Grapefloo was targeted. He's now being protected by Refreia. The masked man is still out there somewhere. Right now, we're being targeted by the earth spirit...

"I never thought he'd go that far. I considered it possible, but..."

"Yeah. Just like Serika's boyfriend. He claims his sister asked him to kill me."

"Serika's? You really believe that?"

"……Honestly, I don't know. I have no idea about the other world. I don't know what happened after I was transferred, or what became of me."

"Well, I don't know your sister either, so I can't say for sure... But logically, it sounds like a lie. Still, there's something that doesn't add up. Either way, there's no way to confirm it. As I've said many times before, it's better to forget about that world."

"Yeah... I really feel that this time."

Even as they spoke, the earth spirit continued to complain about the stench.

Yet it didn't move away from here, and the priests looked thoroughly perplexed.

If it's that stinky, just go somewhere else.

One of the priests approaches us.

"You there, outsider. The Great Spirit is in agony. Leave this town at once!"

She stands with a dignified presence, a nun of the goddess.

I've never heard the word "outsider" before, but it was clearly directed at Jeanne.

Jeanne snorts disdainfully.

"I was going to leave anyway. Right, Clo?"

"Yeah. …Wait, I can't see him—he's using a barrier."

"You should've said that sooner. Now I'm just talking to myself like a madwoman."

"Sorry."

Now that Jeanne has arrived, escaping should be much easier, but I don't see how we can expect the stinking earth spirit to analyze the barrier. Still, buying time here might actually be a viable option.

Should I try opening the hint for living once more?

"By the way, is the earth spirit actually complaining about Jeanne?"

"Now you're bringing that up? Didn't I already say it? I'm the 'outcast.'"

Jeanne chuckles bitterly.

I'd heard it before, but I never thought the earth spirit would reject her so clearly.

Loved one versus outcast. So that's what it means—completely opposite.

"……Could it be that, if Jeanne is here, the earth spirit won't attack us and we can escape?"

"What do you think? I don't know... but if it comes to that, we'll just fight, right?"

Jeanne said it without showing any tension, seeming to truly mean it.

Just to be safe, I decided to ask once more for the 'Hint for Living'.

Of course, this hint isn't guaranteed to be absolute. After all, it's just a hint—there's no guarantee it'll work perfectly if followed exactly.

But right now, I'd grasp at even a single straw.

A single crystal's worth of straw is cheap enough.

＜'Head toward the Labyrinth.'＞

An unexpected answer came back.

"Go to the Labyrinth, you say. What do you think?"

"Hmm. Not a bad idea. That place is the one spot where even the Great Spirit can't interfere. We could spend time there for one layer, just until things cool down. There's no danger there, after all."

"Indeed... I wonder if the Great Spirit will give up."

"The Water Great Spirit ran back to the temple in a hurry just from me getting close—said it lost its appetite."

"No way."

To think it would retreat just from a smell, despite how obsessed it had been—it's incredible power.

In fact, the Earth Great Spirit is nearly in tears, clearly struggling intensely, as if I look awfully delicious.

"Jeanne. Then I'll be leaving the barrier and heading toward the labyrinth. In the meantime, can I count on you to buy some time?"

"Of course. I doubt the Great Spirit would even bother fighting me seriously."

"Then that's better for me."

I checked my spare barrier stone and stepped outside.

The Great Spirit immediately reacted.

"Hey, you came out! Uwaaah, sooo delicious! Smells great... but still, it's gross! It's like a rotten feast, a real tragedy!"

"What a rude creature. The Great Spirit, truly."

"Yeah... that's right."

The Great Spirit slowly approached, inch by inch.

Yet, it moved with such sluggishness—so much so it hardly seemed like the Great Spirit at all.

If this continues, I might actually be able to escape.

"Kuro. Once I've caught Léya, I'll meet up with you. Go!"

"Sorry. Please!"

Once we're inside the labyrinth, the Great Spirit won't be able to follow.

As Jeanne said, it'll eventually give up and return to the shrine on its own.

"Well then, if you want to chase after him, you'll have to defeat me first, Great Spirit. Though, I suppose your spirit magic won't work on me!"

Jeanne stood ready, sword and shield raised against the earth spirit.

I dashed past her without a glance.

The effect of Vitality Up Level 2 was immense—speed unlike anything I'd known before.

With this pace, I'd reach the labyrinth in mere minutes.

　

"Ah, ah, ah, the feast is escaping! It's running away! Uwaaah!"

Only the distant, thunderous voice of the massive spirit echoed through the air.

I pushed myself to the limit, flashing the golden tag to the gatekeeper, then leapt into the labyrinth.