A New Frontier

 

As I was teaching Shouko, who had formed a master-disciple relationship with me, how to fish, the time finally came.

The eastern sea, the reddened sky flashing before eventually returned to a blue sky.

And then the system window forcibly appeared.

 

――Second Dimension Wave Eliminated!

 

This time I’m not participating, so I don’t have much expectation, but I’ll check the overall rankings for contribution points and such.

Let’s see…

 

――Provisional Overall Ranking #100 – Kizuna†Exceed. Second Wave Exempted.

――Provisional Overall Ranking #100 – Hakoniwa Shouko. Second Wave Exempted.

 

「What does provisional even mean?」

 

When I checked the details, it said exempted, and the battle results bonus said exempted by Limited Dimension Wave elimination.

It seems this island meets some kind of condition after all.

Now then, what about my companions?

 

――Spirit Ranking #1 – Yamikage

 

As always, her energy is the highest.

Well, she is a drain maniac, even though her character was a bit off last time.

Just like last time, Alto and Romina are ranked in material support.

Looking closely, there are similar names lined up as before, so the merchant types have settled in.

Next, I shift my gaze to the combat types.

This time, Tsumugi’s name wasn’t in the top five.

Assuming she participated, she’d be in the higher ranks, so I search for her total damage dealt.

 

――Total Damage Dealt #27 – Tsumugi†Exceed

 

Tsumugi’s ranking has dropped compared to last time.

Since she’s been hanging out with us and fighting at sea, her level might be lower than the frontliners.

Or, unlike the first Dimension Wave, there might have been enemies that were a bad match for her.

In the first wave, there were so many enemies spawning that her huge scythe was extremely effective.

 

――Monthly Life Ranking #1 – Kizuna†Exceed

 

「That’s me!」

 

Well, I suppose… life on Kalmira Island is more like survival…

Peckles, demolition, drilling, fishing, fishing, fishing.

I don’t know what the criteria is, but I did do quite a diverse range of activities on this island.

Simply fishing, demolishing buildings, cooking, lumbering, mining, tilling fields, harvesting vegetables.

The list goes on and on. While I don’t know the conditions, being number one is understandable.

After all, even when I was wandering the sea areas without returning, I was living off fishing.

Come to think of it, I’ve really just been playing an everyday life game for the past month.

Well, whatever. I’m glad to be number one.

Now then, next things are the skills and additional equipment.

 

――Additional Skills and Items Implemented.

 

This time there was a lot of life-oriented equipment, and the drill was included too.

It feels like there’s an increase in mechanical things similar to the drill.

Logging axe and chainsaw… is that okay from a worldview perspective?

There is something written about great inventions due to the advancement of civilization, but I wonder what it means.

In any case, since the drill has been added as an item, I’ll be able to acquire the skill from now on.

I’ll get it later. At the very least, it’ll be usable on this island.

More importantly, it might even be usable in combat.

Next time we manage to escape Kalmira Island, I might ask Romina to make one for me.

 

As for the other items, I’ll check them out later. For now, the final reward.

Just like last time, when『Would you like to receive the reward?』option appears, I press『Yes』.

The familiar roulette spun, though the pictures displayed were slightly different.

Oh! For a moment, I saw the image of a fishing rod.

Come on, come on, come on!

 

「Ah…」

 

Right after the scroll stopped on three fishing rod images, like a pachinko or slot machine probability shift, all three pictures slid off to show a different image that looked like the hilt of a sword.

No, that’s not what I wanted!

Just as I was thinking that, the obtained item was displayed.

 

――Energy Blade Attachment Obtained.

 

…Meh.

A feeling where I’m neither happy to get it nor disappointed to miss it, an intense and strange feeling.

Attachment… that means accessory, doesn’t it?

Still, this item has some connection to me. Does having the Energy Blade meet the condition?

In any case, I’ll check if I can synthesize it.

The attachment is a small crystalline sphere.

It’s the perfect size to fit into the output port on the hilt of the Energy Blade.

As an experiment, I insert it and it makes a satisfying click sound.

 

――Energy Blade II Obtained.

 

II…

I wonder how the performance is.

Unlike last time, no description was shown.

Well, it’s not likely to be weaker than the previous one.

I’ll have it continue to be useful when the time comes as before.

 

「Ahh… I wish I could have participated…」

 

I wonder what kind of enemies appeared and what boss they fought.

Since my skill build isn’t combat-oriented, participating would have been reckless for me, but the first one was so exciting and fun that not participating is regrettable.

Alright, I’ll definitely participate in the third wave. Yeah.

Shouko is training me, so I can test those results.

Well, the next Dimension Wave will probably be next month.

Based on the pattern so far.

 

「That’s great, Kizuna-san.」

「Hm?」

 

Rather than being relieved, I had just sighed because I couldn’t participate.

I wait for her to continue, thinking there must be some implication behind Shouko’s words.

 

「Well, since Kizuna-san’s life ranking is first, everyone will effectively be informed that you’re safe. And if they look at my entry, they can guess that I’m with you.」

「I see.」

 

Indeed, if I, who had gone missing, and ranked first in life ranking, it’s an indication that I’m safe.

Since there’s no way to contact the outside from this island, I suppose that’s the best they can do.

 

「Kizuna-san. Now that I think about it, is the person named Kanade-san the older sister you mentioned before?」

「Ah, that’s right. Come to think of it, it’s been nearly two months since I last saw her…」

 

The last time I saw her was when we regrouped a week after the game started.

Tsumugi joined the party later, so I had forgotten about her.

Now that I recall, I don’t actually know what my sister has been up to.

I vaguely remember her saying she would take combat skills at the beginning. Her name wasn’t in the rankings I noticed from the previous Dimension Wave.

I search for my sister’s name in the rankings out of curiosity.

And then…

 

――Overall Ranking #64 – Kanade†Exceed

 

She’s in a surprisingly high rank.

Since I didn’t hear her name mentioned at all in the previous Dimension Wave, I’m surprised.

If I had been able to participate in the second wave, would I have been able to witness my sister’s exploits?

Considering she’s a gamer, with this ranking, I might have been able to see her in action.

Rather, I would have expected her to become stronger after reaching the maximum level and thoroughly researching equipment and skills. So these results are quite unexpected.

Well, I’ll praise her when I see her next time.

 

「Now then… the question is, how long must we continue living like this…」

 

Previously, I had speculated that we would be able to leave once the Dimension Wave occurred, but it seems my prediction was off. I’ve been working hard with the Peckles in the belief that we can escape once the frontier has progressed to a certain point, but the end isn’t in sight.

Looking at the Peckle Counter, there’s no change… One Peckle seems to be heading this way.

Watching the direction it’s coming from, for some reason a Peckle with its head illuminated by the sun can be seen.

It’s the usual Peckle with the distinctive red triangular cloth and white pom-pom at the tip.

I always wonder why the one that come to report are always wearing Santa hat.

And it came waddling over and said

 

「I’ve discovered a new frontier area-pen.」

「At this timing, huh…」

「Shall we go check it out?」

「Yeah, let’s go.」

 

We head towards the supposed new frontier area indicated on the Peckle Counter.

The location is a cliff partway up the mountain that had been blocking the path upwards.

If we had rock climbing skills, it would be a different story, but unfortunately, I don’t have any such skills. So I had been putting it off.

 

「A cliff?」

 

The so-called new frontier area they discovered was a cliff that we couldn’t proceed past.

Looking, there were several Peckles doing some kind of work on the other side.

But how did those guys get over there?

 

「Kizuna-san, look at that.」

「Hm?」

 

In the direction Shouko was pointing, there was a single Peckle on the slightly higher part of the cliff.

For some reason, the Peckle just dove straight towards the cliff.

Haa… It’s dead.

Well, the Peckles don’t actually die no matter how harsh the labor.

But still, needlessly filling up their stress gauge is troublesome…

 

「Huh!?」

 

The Peckle that had jumped used some kind of rope to hook onto something above and elegantly arced over to land on the other side.

As I stood there dumbfounded, another Peckle did the same thing to cross over.

 

「Eh? Is that the official route?」

「Kizuna-san, we had discussed rope as one of the Pioneer’s Seven Tools before, didn’t we?」

「Ah, that’s right.」

 

But… they’re actually doing that?

It’s a common gimmick in action games, but honestly, doing a Tarzan swing with a rope seems a bit much.

It’s a long drop down to the fast-flowing river below, so we wouldn’t die, but it must be terrifying.

Seeing my apprehensive expression, Shouko offered

 

「Kizuna-san, if it’s alright with you, I can borrow the Pioneer’s Seven Tools and go check it out.」

「Are you sure?」

「Yes, I’ve been doing this kind of physical activity since I was little, so it’s no problem.」

 

Are you a ninja or something?

Well, I suppose Yamikage is a ninja, or rather more of the japanimation shinobi type. Yamikage probably couldn’t pull off acrobatics like this.

If Shouko can do it, I’ll have her give it a try.

 

「Can I ask you to do it then?」

「Yes, leave it to me.」

 

I hand over the Pioneer’s Seven Tools, which take the form of a small box, to her through the exchange window.

It must be an important item, since I couldn’t hand it over directly.

 

「Alright, I’m counting on you. Just give me a report afterwards.」

「Understood.」

 

Shouko then skillfully used the rope just like the Peckles and crossed over to the other side.

No way, are you really a ninja?

Come to think of it, I can’t imagine at all what Shouko’s real-life is like.

…Asking about her real life would be bad manners though.

I wave back to Shouko waving from the other side, and she heads off to explore.

She’ll be fine even if there are monsters or something.

A few hours later, Shouko reported some good news.

 

――I’ve found a pond with clear water.

 

Shouko discovered a new pond in the frontier area.

Upon hearing this information, the first thing I did was… this!

 

「I’m going to do the Tarzan swing!」

 

When it comes to fishing, I lose my mind, and as usual, I acted single-mindedly.

I borrowed the Pioneer’s Seven Tools from Shouko and tried using the rope, but…

 

――Ah…

 

I managed to hook the rope successfully, but the next challenge of having enough distance was a failure.

In other words, I fell off the cliff.

Below the cliff was a river, and during the fall to the water’s surface, I was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling of floating.

Eventually, I hit the water’s surface with a loud smack, and the cold sensation of the water enveloped me as I was carried away by the river’s current.

It wasn’t a matter of swimming skills or anything, the current was just too strong, and I started to lose consciousness.

Before I knew it, I had washed up near the river mouth between the island’s river and the sea.

At times like this, I lament not having player skills.

Oh, and as a trivial side note, I took 1000 damage.

It’s not enough to actually kill me in terms of energy, but it exceeds the shield energy.

 

「One more time!」

 

I tried about 10 times, but ultimately couldn’t make it across to the other side.

Unfortunately, my rope skill level isn’t very high.

I didn’t raise it since I didn’t know when I would need it, but now it’s suddenly become necessary.

 

「Kizuna-san, shall I help get you across?」

「Really!?」

「Kizuna-san really loves fishing huh. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.」

 

Shouko handed me the Pioneer’s Seven Tools again, and we returned to the cliff.

As Shouko said, it’s quite doubtful whether we can both make it across together.

But I was hoping that at least Shouko might be able to.

 

「Alright, here I go. Please hold on tight.」

「Okay!」

 

I clung tightly to Shouko’s body. Since my body is small, my arms were wrapped around her waist area. Despite being a system recreation, I can feel the texture of the kimono Shouko is wearing and her body.

Honestly, I wish I wasn’t in this small body, but rather a bit bigger so that I could be the one being embraced. Well, I understand that’s not the point, but still.

Anyway, this is a game, so I don’t know about things like weight, but in this loli character form, so I might be light.

Here we go, let’s do it.

 

「Here I go!」

 

And so we dived towards the cliff, but…

Unlike me, Shouko managed to perfectly position herself and hook the rope.

Then the two of us were drawn by the centrifugal force from the rope towards the other side.

We made it across! Or so I thought, but only momentarily, as the rope made a crunching sound like it couldn’t support our weight, and the centrifugal force started working in an unintended direction.

Eventually, what came into view wasn’t the other side of the cliff, but a wall.

Just as we were about to needlessly take damage by crashing into it, Shouko took out her fan in mid-air, stabbed it into the wall to catch us, and bent her legs like a spring to absorb the impact.

We managed to avoid crashing into the wall, but the rebound sent us falling into the river instead.

As a result, the two of us ended up lying face down vertically, like pencils, washed up at the river mouth.

 

「Guaaaah!」

「I’m sorry.」

「No, no… it’s not Shouko’s fault. That was just impossible for normal people…」

「I suppose so.」

 

Despite this kind of reckless behavior, Peckles frontier development progressed steadily.
I couldn’t go to the site myself, so I didn’t know, but according to Shouko, the development on the other side of the cliff was steadily advancing.

Oh, and since my rope skill level was too low for me to make it across, I’ve been leveling it up.

Apparently, the Pioneer’s Seven Tools have separate skill levels set for each person using them.

In any case, when my rope level reached 3 and I thought I might be able to cross the cliff soon…

One day, the dungeon squad brought back the blueprints for the『Bridge』. Up until then, most of the facilities had been things that affected the Peckles motivation and stress levels, but this was a facility to be built on the island itself.

I immediately ordered the Peckles to construct a bridge to the new frontier area, and a bridge was built over to that area sooner than I’d have been able to cross using the rope.

Of course, being someone who couldn’t wait to start fishing in the pond, the Peckles finished building the bridge before I could have made it across with the rope.

 

「The bridge is complete-pen.」

 

Upon hearing the report from the Santa Hat Peckle, I immediately went to the other side with Shouko.

Beyond the cliff was a deep forest that we had only been able to see from a distance before.

The warm temperature, the smell of decaying vegetation, and the humid atmosphere gave an impression of being in a jungle. The ambient sounds of birds and insects chirping nonstop made it feel unsettling.

This area hasn’t been deforested yet, it seems.

Now that the bridge is complete, it will reduce the time lost in the Peckles movements.

…Looking at it, the types of trees here seem different from the areas developed so far.

Come to think of it, there have been more facilities we couldn’t build due to lack of materials lately. Is it because of the different types of wood?

Even if it’s simply called logging, the materials obtained vary depending on the trees being cut down.

Well, since the logging axe has a skill, there shouldn’t be a situation where you can only get the same thing every time, right?

 

「Kizuna-san, this way.」

 

Shouko, who had explored the area several times already, showed me the way.

Since I had said I wanted to go to the pond, she walked in a straight line.

Eventually, we came upon a large pond.

If it were a bit bigger, it could be called a lake, but it wasn’t that wide.

At most, it was about the size of a large pond you’d find in a modern-day memorial park.

The water was clear, but…it was deep down below.

Having hardly ever gone fishing in real life, I had no idea what kind of fish might be caught here.

Maybe a carp?

 

「Alright, my disciple. From now on, we’ll be fishing here.」

「Yes, I understand. Master.」

 

I feel like I’m a little inferior to my disciple in many ways, but when it comes to fishing, I’m the master.

In combat, Shouko is the master, so I can’t be too arrogant.

Well, we’re just roleplaying as master and disciple. I’ll try calling her master too while I train with Shouko.

Anyway, fishing.

Having endured only fishing at sea until now, I’m excited.

I’ll let Shouko use the Pioneer’s Seven Tools, while I use my trusty rod.

I don’t have any bait, so I’m using a lure, but if I keep at it, I’ll catch something eventually.

I swing my fishing rod and cast the Shining Lure into the pond.

Thanks to my Fishing Mastery, the release is perfect without making any sound.

The Shining Lure gently disturbs the water surface as if caressing it and starts swimming.

All I need to do now is reel it in skillfully to hook a fish.

 

「Oh?」

 

Right after the Shining Lure started swimming, a huge fish started chasing after it.

At this rate, it would be difficult to hook it cleanly into its stomach.

I control the Shining Lure to hook into the fish’s lips right before it tries to eat it.

It’s probably a huge herring or something of the Nushi-class.

To hook something like this on the first cast is just bad luck.

 

――Putsun!

 

「Huh?」

 

Right after the Shining Lure got hooked onto the huge fish, the line snapped.

And that was just from a little bit of a strong tug.

All that’s left of my fishing rod is the excess line and the rod itself.

 

「My Shining Lureeeeeeee!」

 

My meaningless, emotional scream echoed across the pond.