021-040 · 028-ch24
Chapter 24: Camp Setup
After arriving at the base of the World Tree, I first needed to prepare a base for sleeping and resting. The World Tree blocks out so much overhead that it stays shaded even during daytime, so rain probably wouldn't be an issue, but it gets cold when the wind blows at night. It's not enough to give me a cold, but I've decided to be careful about it anyway.
That means first, building a small shelter to block the wind. Normally, I'd use leather or cloth to pitch a tent, but this time, since I've got a massive block of timber right nearby, I decided to make use of it.
"So yeah, I'm gonna make a sleeping area out of wood in a short time. Since I'm not gathering wood but just carving it out of the World Tree, I don't think it'll take much time."
>>Wait a minute—
>>Classic leaving us behind
>>You're seriously taking apart the World Tree?
>>Not a tent?
The comment section was getting excited, but I ignored it and first looked for a good spot. I wondered what kind of sleeping area to make, but since I have viewers this time, I decided to make something simple that just blocks the wind using available materials, rather than an elaborate shelter.
That being the case, the perfect spot was where the World Tree's roots created a step about 1.5 meters high. Having a wall on one side makes construction easier.
"Alright then, first I'll cut some wood and build a shelter."
I drew my sword from the bracelet, turned to face a thick part of the World Tree's root, and put my hands together. I figured I should since I'd be carving from a living tree. Then I raised my sword and swung it down sharply!
Normally, with regular trees, I'd fell them with an axe and process them with an axe too, but an axe isn't suited for cutting out wooden poles from a massive World Tree. Well, it's not that I couldn't do it, but I'm not that particular about it. That wouldn't be proper axe usage anyway.
Then I gathered the cut poles, which had a consistent width and thickness, and carried them all to one spot.
"When you cut them out like this... they end up looking blocky and lose their charm. Yeah, thin logs really are the best."
>>You get it?
>>No, I don't
>>They're straight and blocky, so they really look like lumber. Gives off that machine-processed vibe
>>There were people who got it
Muttering to myself, I leaned the cut wood against the World Tree's roots at about a 45-degree angle. I'd dug out the soil beneath the wood with a shovel where dirt had accumulated, so they gripped the ground firmly and wouldn't slide.
I built this over a span of about 2.5 meters, leaving some extra space.
"There, the most basic windbreak is complete."
>>Huh, already?
>>It hasn't even been 30 minutes
>>Seriously simple! It looks like you just leaned boards against a wall and are crawling into the gaps
"Well, I'll add some more details, but this shows that even this works when you're really in a bind."
After that, I worked on the details. First, the moss and soil I'd stripped from near the World Tree's roots. I carefully arranged these on the sloped surface made of wood. Since there were still gaps where I'd just laid the wood, I filled them with moss. While doing this, I made sure to carefully brush away the dirt so it wouldn't fall inside.
When that was done, I made just one of the two openings an entrance by sharpening the tips of wooden poles to the right length and driving them into the other opening, arranging them to form a wall. I made this two layers thick to block the wind.
Finally, I arranged wood where I'd make my sleeping area, and when I spread leather and cloth on top, it became a perfectly fine sleeping spot for spending several days. As for the entrance... well, it's not that cold, so I guess I can leave it open. If this were a cold place, I'd make a door too, but that would be too much work.
"Alright, sleeping area complete."
>>Yessss
>>It actually looks like a proper sleeping spot...
>>Is that what they call bush craft?
>>First time I've seen camping without using a tent
"If you search in English for 'Bush Craft,' I think you'll find videos like this. Man, this brings back memories. Before I started living in the dungeon, I used to love watching these."
That's probably why my way of thinking—living in nature with minimal equipment—was born. Honestly, I prefer making simple shelters with just cloth or logs lying around rather than a formed tent; it has more atmosphere and I quite like it.
After that, I tossed all the saddles and food ingredients I'd unloaded from Robo into my sleeping area. While I was doing that, Robo, who had gone hunting, returned with prey in his mouth. Even though I'd made a temporary base near the World Tree's base, close to the trunk, the World Tree's size was so incredible that it felt like I'd made a base on the slope of an ordinary hill. The fact that soil and trees normally grow around the World Tree's roots probably reinforced that impression.
"But still, it's pretty dark even though it's daytime."
>>Well, yeah, that's gonna happen
>>The World Tree is completely blocking the sun
>>More like, I don't get why trees are growing there
"Yeah, really. If I had to guess, maybe the World Tree's roots and stuff are full of nutrients, like that huge wandering dinosaur from before. The magic power is pretty thick too. I think it makes sense that plants would grow vigorously because of that."
Honestly, the World Tree doesn't look like a single tree to me either; it seems like the result of numerous trees merging together. Maybe there's some core, and a massive number of trees piled onto it, making it this gigantic. Just my guess.
As I answered comments while thinking such things, I prepared meals for both Robo and myself. Just as we finished eating what I'd made, I heard a loud cry from overhead: 'Gyaaaaaaaaa!'
Looking up, I saw a wyvern and a giant monstrous bird engaged in an aerial battle.
"They're really energetic, aren't they?"
The distance was about 100 meters. When I came here before, they and griffins were having aerial battles too, but they're basically monsters that live in the upper parts of trees and don't come down. They don't seem to come down for water either, so there must be water accumulated inside the tree or in tree hollows somewhere. The World Tree is a massive plant, so its grooves, gaps, and hole sizes are incredible due to its enormous size. Many monsters live in those spots—that's the ecosystem of this World Tree.
"Wyverns and monstrous birds really are cool, aren't they..."
>>Fear comes first
>>Seriously fearless
>>Your confidence is scary
>>Is it okay not to run away?
As I was watching the two fight with binoculars, I got comments like that.
"It's okay, it's okay. They don't come down here, and I could defeat monsters at their level anyway."
I also had the confidence that comes from strength. It's because I've become strong enough that I can travel this world without worries like this.
After finishing a late lunch, it was finally time to explore the World Tree.
"I think some of you are wondering what I'll be doing for the World Tree exploration, but mainly I'll be exploring the inside of the World Tree."
>>Inside?
>>Inside the tree?
>>Huh, so the World Tree is like some kind of dungeon?
>>Like the holes inside are connected?
"Yeah, pretty much. Since the World Tree isn't just a single giant tree, there are quite a few gaps, and also some pretty impressive holes dug by monsters. It's less like holes and more like a complex network of caves, really."
The World Tree, which looked like a giant tree from a distance, turned out to be made of multiple trees and giant vines intertwined when you got closer, with gaps and huge holes in places. Furthermore, though it was incredibly tall, the higher you went, the more the trees that were firmly intertwined below separated in different directions, creating large amounts of space. That area is what I'll be exploring this time. Well, first I have to enter from below to find a path up to the top.
"Robo, let's go—"
『Buf!』
Since the gaps in the World Tree were quite large this time, I decided to first look for a path that Robo could take too. If we hit a hole that only one person could pass through, I'd have him wait.
And so, Robo and I entered inside the World Tree through its gaps.