021-040 · 038-ch33
Chapter 33: They Say a Journey Begins With Preparation
The day after ending the stream with a meaningful statement.
Then again, I'm not exactly restricting my activities or anything, so today I'm starting another stream and beginning today's activities.
"I should mention this first, but today isn't really about explaining anything particularly important, so feel free to just watch casually."
First, I get that one statement out of the way right after starting the stream.
I feel like comments and viewers have been increasing at an incredible pace, but I'll decide to ignore that for now.
When there are major events like going to see the World Tree like the other day, I'll explain properly, but if I keep talking on my daily streams, I'll run out of material, so I've decided to slack off a bit.
That's why today I've decided to just do whatever I feel like without any particular explanations.
Well, as I think I mentioned in the stream the other day, I basically live by traveling and exploring in the world beyond this dungeon.
I travel somewhere, come back, and then set out on another journey and return again.
I'm at this base built near the exit from this dungeon only for the brief periods between journeys.
And once I finish organizing my documents and luggage, setting out again is the daily routine.
The reason I特意 come back here despite loving travel so much isn't because I'm collecting my belongings here or because I want to preserve my compiled documents and notes.
It's because if I leave this base and wander around carelessly, I might not be able to return.
That's because in this world, I don't have means to pinpoint locations like a compass or maps.
Compasses from the surface work here, meaning there's proper magnetism, but without a map, having just one won't let me identify this base, and in some regions, there are places where the compass just dies and starts spinning around.
Therefore, when setting out on a journey, I'm forced to travel using inconvenient routes like heading straight in a certain direction and then coming back the same way each time.
"This one thing, though..."
If it were a narrow enough area that I could walk around alone and draw a map, that would be one thing, but having traveled in this world for over 5 years, I've pretty much gone to all places within distance where I could return with a hand-drawn map.
I'm thinking I'd like to freely travel to places so far away that it takes days just to get there, but the reality is that it's not going well.
"Maps too... Their reliability is questionable."
The maps I currently have are of two types: rough maps that record distant terrain with ambiguous directions and positional relationships, and relatively identifiable maps that record terrain found when walking within a day's journey or when heading straight in a certain direction from the base.
Since the former is only useful for recording what kind of places exist in this world, I'll set that aside, but if I use the latter, I can at least figure out the base's location from the terrain if I come within 2-3 days' walk from the base.
I can, but—
"...Well, since I have the chance, maybe I'll go."
Until now, I've restrained myself thinking it would be problematic if I lost sight of the base, but it's not like it's absolutely necessary to be able to return to the base, so I'll take along more supplies than usual and try setting out on a slightly longer journey.
While not exactly the stable option, I've been adventuring with consideration to not getting lost too much.
While that was fine when things were still fresh, I feel like I've basically gone to all places I can reach by heading straight in certain directions using that method.
That being the case, maybe it's time to take the next step.
I came down to the dungeon precisely because I wanted to do as I pleased, freely.
What's the point of binding my own heart with reason?
"In that case, first comes preparation."
Now, which direction should I try heading in?
There are many things I've overlooked because until now I've been acting while trying to avoid detours even when seeing them from afar.
I really love nature, so just seeing a giant peak in the distance gets me excited.
Or how far the great canyon I crossed continues.
Or what lies beyond the land I looked down upon from a high place.
From now on, I won't just pass those by—I think I'll try boldly heading toward them.
Even on Earth, I was someone who yearned for great nature.
In this place, overflowing with fantasy, that's even more the case.
That being the case, various preparations are necessary.
"First... how long should I travel for, I wonder."
I open a notebook and take notes while thinking.
If I just think carelessly with my brain alone, I'll either fall short or forget necessary supplies.
I want to see new things, but at the same time, I want to adventure while valuing my life.
That's why I need to properly check the supplies needed for the journey.
The storage magic item I use is convenient but has a small capacity (compared to the abyss), so I can't carry everything.
As for duration, thinking I won't spend too long exploring one area, several months... I'd like to plan for at least 3 months.
In other words, I'm thinking with the mindset of sightseeing at various places.
Basically, my travels are on foot, and I walk at a speed that's not much different—or perhaps slightly faster—than ordinary people who aren't explorers on the surface.
I think it takes 10 days to 2 weeks between Tokyo and Osaka on the surface, so wanting to walk much longer than that, I'm figuring on several months.
Well, if we're talking极端ly, even years would be fine, really.
But I think half a year at most is the limit if I want to be able to move around reasonably.
In that case, planning for about 3 to 4 months would be just right at the planning stage.
"First would be food, then I should splurge a bit on weapons, I always have potions... Ah, maybe I should prepare extra clothes too."
Especially if it's a hot area, that's one thing, but even I find it tough in extremely cold areas without dedicated equipment.
The magic using the magic circles I can use consumes magic power somewhat intensely for spells that continuously exert effects.
For a day or two, it's nothing, but when we're talking months, it gets a bit harsh.
Besides, most importantly, it lacks atmosphere.
This really comes down to that.
Who on earth would walk through mountains covered in extreme cold, ice, and snow in short sleeves and shorts?
That has absolutely no atmosphere at all.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to prepare winter equipment with very high defensive power, but since I'm just traveling, being warm is good enough, and in the worst case, I can just layer it over high-defense equipment.
Or rather, in extremely cold areas, equipment is limited, and it's not an environment where humans can fight to begin with.
Even metal weapons become nearly unusable.
In that case, this time I should bring a spear as well as a sword.
I'll also maintain the cold-weather equipment I used before.
While I'm at it, I'd also like to make armor from things like monster furs from warm places.
The cold-weather clothing I'm using now is a modern down jacket, but I hear that fur coats like those actually used in extreme cold zones are far warmer than down jackets.
"I guess I'll bring plenty of spices too."
Come to think of it, I seem to have obtained something like chili peppers in a snowy mountain before—
"Wait, I'm only thinking about cold places, aren't I?"
Dangerous, dangerous.
The moment I think of one thing, my thoughts focus entirely on that.
Extreme cold zones are just one possibility in the process of going to various places on the next adventure, not everything.
There's also the possibility of encountering deserts or tropical zones.
By the way, the climate zones in the world beyond this dungeon are honestly not well understood, or rather, it seems like some magic is probably causing mischief, so I think knowledge from the surface is completely unreliable.
Anyway, I'll prepare enough that I'll be fine no matter where I go.