The morning sun filtered lazily through the dense treetops, scattering silver-green beams across the clearing. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, and somewhere in the background, a squirrel screamed in pure terror as something ate it. Nature was peaceful as always.
Yuto stretched with a yawn .. one that cracked the ground lightly beneath him because, well, upgrades had consequences.
[Advisor: Early morning stretch detected. Minor seismic event registered.]
He glared at the air.
"Advisor… go bother a tree."
[Advisor: Trees do not require sarcasm-monitoring. You do.]
"…Fair."
Elira emerged from the tent, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her silver hair was messy, and she looked half-asleep, half-ready to burn something if spoken to wrong a charming combination, honestly.
Yuto blinked. She'd somehow tied her sleeping robe too loosely and...
Nope. Eyes up. Eyes UP, Yuto.
He cleared his throat. "Morning."
She noticed his gaze, cheeks turning pink. "W-why are you staring?"
"I wasn't... I mean, I was... I mean, uh... sun! Sun is bright. Your hair is shiny. Everything is shiny."
Great. Smooth. Totally not suspicious.
Elira gave a small flustered smile and fixed her robe. "...Thanks."
From nearby, Zarek now with his shiny new strength-blessing aura cracked his knuckles arrogantly. "Another beautiful day, huh? Think we'll fight something strong?"
Mimi adjusted her wolf-ear hood, proudly patting the pair of wind-whispering daggers she got last chapter. "I hope not… My legs still hurt from last week."
Beside her, Seraphina spun a mysterious glowing orb she'd recently gained, clearly still figuring out how to not drop it.
Yuto looked at the motley squad ... stronger than ever, confidence rising, personalities intact… and teetering somewhere between heroic party and chaotic siblings with intrusive thoughts.
It was time to start laying foundations.
"Operation: City-Like-Thing" Begins
"So," Yuto clapped his hands, "today we start… construction!"
Zarek froze mid-stretch. "Construction of what?"
Mimi gasped. "Please don't say a grave"
"A city."
Everyone stared.
Elira's eye twitched. "We can't just… randomly build a city."
"Why not? Rimuru did it. I reincarnated. I have a spirit core. I am getting OP. We have momentum. We have wood. We have optimism ."
[Advisor: Optimism is not a construction material.]
"Shut up."
[Advisor: Logging 'shut up' attempt #214.]
Mimi tilted her head. "But where do we start? We don't even have a land"
" Don't you remember the land the king gave me last week for clearing the currropted forest, that is what we use "
" Let's head there first "
----
After some minutes of walking out of Eridale, they reached a huge piece of land near the city. The king was clearly overjoyed to have gifted yuto this.
" This is huge"
Mimi gasped.
Yuto rubbed his chin dramatically. "First we need..."
He flicked his hand. Mana surged. The air trembled. In seconds, thick roots burst from the ground like nature on steroids, weaving themselves into a curved wooden wall, reinforced by stone pillars he shaped using mana and spirit force.
Everyone's jaws dropped.
Elira whispered, "You just… built a defensive barrier in five seconds…"
Yuto brushed imaginary dust off himself. "I am the founder. I must be efficient. Also cool."
[Advisor: Ego level rising. Recalibrating sarcasm output.]
Ka-BOOM.
A shockwave of mana dispersed like mist — Yuto's spirit energy rippling through the clearing.
Mimi clapped. "Yuto is like… a divine carpenter!"
" He is using pure mana to build a settlement "
Zarek sniffed the air. "…I smelled arrogance."
Yuto flicked a pebble into his head.
Spirit Core Reminder
As the group inspected the barrier, Yuto's chest briefly shimmered .. blue-white spirit particles swirling. A soft chime echoed.
[Warning: Host vitality low from excessive mana-structure generation.]
[Spirit Mode Transition recommended.]
Yuto blinked. "Wait, already...?"
Too late.
His body dissolved into swirling azure essence, a glowing small spirit-wisp ball form floating in the air like a smug magical jelly-bean.
Mimi screamed. "Yuto died!"
Elira caught him gently in her palms like he was fragile… or precious. "He's fine. This is his spirit form."
Riku poked him with a stick. "He looks edible."
Yuto floated there indignantly. "I SWEAR IF ANYONE TRIES TO ROAST ME..."
Elira lifted him protectively to her chest.
Instant silence.
Yuto.exe crashed temporarily.
"…warm," he squeaked in a tiny spirit voice before mentally punching himself.
Elira realized what she did, blushed violently, and nearly dropped him. "I-I just didn't want him to get stepped on!"
[Advisor: Detecting flustered romantic anomaly.]
"DELETE THAT LOG!"
As Yuto recovered enough to rematerialize, he drew up the system interface.
[You influenced your party's evolution.]
New awakened passive traits detected:
Zarek – Titan Backbone (Strength boost + resistance to fear)
Elira– Phantom Reflexes (Extreme agility + stealth enhancement)
Serphina– Arcane Instinct (Mana sensitivity + natural spell aptitude)
Mimi-- Mage intensity ( spells improved rapidly)
Zarek grinned. "So I'm basically more punch-proof?"
"Try punching a corrupted ogre later. We'll test."
Elira flexed proudly. "Fast and unseen. Like wind."
Serphina raised a hand. "What do I get?"
A stray mana spark ignited a bush behind him.
She blinked. "…Control issues?"
"Yes. Yes you do."
....
Yuto turned toward the forest, a spark in his eyes.
"We're not just surviving anymore. We're building a nation. A sanctuary. A place spirits and mortals can live together."
Elira stepped beside him, smiling softly. "And I'll be by your side."
Yuto's heart skipped. Just a little.
Zarek coughed dramatically. "So cheesy."
Mimi wiped a fake tear. "Bless the couple."
Yuto sputtered. "WE ARE NOT A COUP—"
Elira just looked away, tomato-red.
[Advisor: Romance probability rising. Continue?]
"SHUT UP!"
The winds shifted. Mana trembled. Something deep within the forest roared massive, threatening. A corrupted beast… far stronger than anything encountered so far.
The group tensed.
Mimi grinned. Serphina steadied her orb. Zarek cracked his daggers.
Yuto? He smiled , slow and confident.
"Let it come. We need land expansion anyway."
And beside him, Elira's fingers brushed his ..soft, accidental, but not really.
-----