I don't know how long I had been asleep when I heard a loud noise nearby. Just waking up, my eyes were still heavy, and in the dim light I could see it was still dark outside—probably still night.
I used Detection to scan the surroundings and detected two living beings near the hut. From the sounds, they seemed to be monsters, they must be fighting.
I opened my eyes and gently moved Lina off my shoulder, laying her down on the ground. She stirred slightly—it seemed the animal noises had woken her.
(I won't forgive this!)
I stood up and poked a small hole in the wall facing the monsters with my finger, curious to see what dared disturb our sleep at night.
Through the hole, I could barely make out two tigers. One had a long spike on its front paw. I remembered this one—it was a Sugrith Tiger that had appeared in our village when I was younger. The adults had all worked together to defeat it.
The other was smaller, with two long fangs. They were staring at each other. Were they fighting over territory? It didn't matter—they wouldn't need to fight, because I was going to take them out.
I dug a hand-sized hole in the wall, aimed at both of them, and began chanting.
"Hand of the Divine Tree, seize them. Tree Bind"
This was a derived earth element magic, a Plant Magic.
The surrounding tree branches elongated and wrapped toward them. The Sugrith Tiger didn't react in time and was bound tightly in layers. It struggled constantly, but without claws, it couldn't break the branches.
The smaller creature reacted quickly and leapt upward, but it was useless—my "Tree Bind" was too fast, and in midair, it was as if it had jumped into a trap.
As expected, just as it tried to descend, it was grabbed, gnawing at the branches with its fangs to try and break free.
(I won't let you escape.)
I opened the earthen wall so I could step out and finish the job. I raised my hand and aimed at their heads, preparing to cast "Stone Bullet" to kill them, when someone called my name.
"Wait, Karen."
I turned to see Lina standing up against the wall, walking over to me. I spoke to her.
"You were woken up?"
"…Mm."
As expected, the noise had disturbed her sleep, and she looked a little upset. Then she said,
"Can I handle this?"
Lina offered to kill them herself, which surprised me a little—but she could do it without leaving a mark.
"Alright. Use water ball to suffocate them. Monster without wounds might sell for a good price."
Perfect items were always worth more, like flawless gemstones—once flawed, their value dropped drastically.
"…Understood."
Lina formed two water spheres, using her fingers to guide them over the heads of the two monsters. The monsters struggled, gurgling in panic.
Once they stopped moving, Lina canceled the water ball. I also canceled the "Tree Bind". The monsters lay on the ground, completely still.
I threw their bodies into the storage hole, confirming they were dead—if still alive, they couldn't have fit inside.
Previously, I had experimented by throwing a chicken into the storage pocket. One leg remained at the entrance, as if some force prevented living beings from fully entering.
It seems living creatures can enter, but not their entire bodies.
Then sunlight streamed into my eyes, and I reflexively shielded them with my hand. Shadows of trees stretched across the ground, and the light was warm.
Looking up, it was the sun—the sky was turning toward daybreak. I glanced at Lina; she seemed still tired from being woken up, her eyes nearly closing.
"Lina, let's go back into the hut and sleep a little longer."
"…Mm."
We returned to the hut for a bit more rest, then had breakfast and set off on our bicycles again.
After riding a while, we emerged from the forest and saw a city wall ahead—it must be a town.
"Lina, look! A town."
"Is that a town? The walls are huge!"
"Those walls are to protect the citizens."
"Mm."
We pedaled toward the town, passing three people fully equipped: one with a sword at his waist, one with a staff, and one with a spear. Adventurers, no doubt.
"Karen, I feel like those people we just passed were staring at us curiously."
They kept looking back as we passed.
"Probably because it's their first time seeing a bicycle."
I wasn't sure if bicycles existed in this world yet, but judging by their curious looks, it seemed not.
Near the town entrance, we stored our bicycles. Two armored soldiers stood at the gate.
As we approached, one spoke to us.
"I don't recognize you. Is this your first time here?"
I hadn't talked to anyone besides Lina for a long time and felt a little nervous. I couldn't show it in front of her, so I answered calmly.
"Yes."
Good, I didn't stumble over my words.
"Non-residents must pay a city entrance fee: 10 copper coins per person."
I took 20 copper coins from my wallet.
"Here, 20 copper coins."
We had earned a little money selling cooking oil back in the village, all managed by the village chief. At home, we only found 26 copper coins.
I wasn't sure about local prices yet, and now only six copper coins remained—I was slightly worried.
"Enter. This is Bakiko Town."
After confirming the coins, the soldier let us in and announced the town's name: Bakiko.
I walked into the town with Lina. The streets were busy with people coming and going—not bustling, but peaceful enough.
"Lina, let's go."
"Mm!"
I scanned the streets, searching for the blacksmith.
"Karen, where do we go first?"
"The blacksmith. I plan to make a stronger bicycle."
I wanted a new bicycle with the same functions as the one in my previous life. Wood couldn't match iron in strength, and the tires would be made of rubber to reduce impact and increase durability.