The party decided to take a break from dungeon conquest for the New Year holidays. It wasn't because they were too drunk to move. They simply felt that after having a Christmas party and feeling "well done for the year," rushing into the dungeon afterward would be a letdown.
Many other parties seemed to be doing the same. Instead, they spent time doing deep cleaning, diligently mending clothes, and re-examining the dungeon guides.
On New Year's Eve, they ate soup pasta instead of toshikoshi soba (year-end buckwheat noodles), which was unavailable. The group obsessed with the sunrise reportedly gathered volunteers for a moon-viewing party by the river, followed by a sunrise viewing event. (Ren's party didn't feel strongly enough about the aesthetic to go, and they figured they'd end up having to pour drinks for everyone, so they skipped it.) Since they didn't have a clock, they figured there was no point staying up, so they just went to sleep.
The next morning, Ren woke up feeling cold.
"Whoa, it snowed…!"
The outside world had turned completely silver. Several centimeters of snow had fallen during the night. Opening the window was a struggle. He used his Fire magic to warm the glass from a distance before opening it.
"Good morning, Master. It's snow, it's snow."
"Why are you building a snowman, May?"
"I thought it would be a waste not to."
The Golem girl was playing in the yard of the house. She was only wearing one layer of clothing. Since it was long-sleeved, it was acceptable, but she still looked cold.
May stood next to a snowman about half her size, her face completely expressionless.
"Doesn't the dog rejoice and run around in the yard?"
"Dog, huh."
"Woof woof."
Ren wished she would at least try to show some expression. Still, the silver-haired girl looked striking against the white snow.
"What's all the fuss? You're making a lot of noise… Wait, why are you building a snowman, May-chan!?"
"That's a fair reaction…"
Iris soon woke up as well. He expected her to be excited about the snow, but she frowned, saying, "When it snows, the animals become less active, don't they…"
After starting the fire and preparing the water, he asked Fuuri and Iris to make breakfast.
"I'm going to go outside for a bit."
"To build a snowman?"
"To melt the snow!"
He put on a little more clothing, although he probably wouldn't catch a cold even in the same outfit as May. It was a very intense cold for the start of the New Year.
"Oh, I forgot to say Happy New Year."
"Can't you do that during breakfast?"
"That's true."
After ensuring May had enough snow to play with, he cast Fire spells at the snow accumulated around the house. A few blasts had enough firepower to boil water, and the snow gradually melted and turned into water.
"Oh, this is great! No need to shovel."
"It uses MP, and the ground gets soaked…"
"Please use me for MP replenishment."
"Don't touch my cheek with your freezing cold hand!"
The inhumanly cold hand was a weapon in itself. Nevertheless, he managed to perform some Energy Drain. He then used his ability to float to clear the snow from the roof. The trick was to melt it in sections to avoid a huge "thump!" when it fell.
"Wow, that looks so useful. Hey, would you mind helping us too?"
"I don't mind."
A neighbor called out to him, and he cast flames at their snow as well. A significant amount of his MP was used up, but it resulted in a gain of experience points. Moving around also warmed his body temperature.
May, meanwhile, gathered the remaining snow in one spot and mass-produced snowmen siblings.
"My father's hometown snow has more moisture and is easier to mold into a snowman. I envy that."
"Ah. I only liked snow when I was a kid. Once I entered middle school, it just became annoying."
When it melted, it made the roads slippery, and when it accumulated, it was hard to walk, delaying his commute. There was even an urban legend that it always snowed on the day of the university entrance exams.
"…University, huh. It'll be a pain to take the exams when I get back. Wait, will I have to start over from high school first year?"
"Ren, May-chan. Time for breakfast."
"Alright."
"Understood."
When they returned inside, breakfast was ready. Osechi ryōri (traditional Japanese New Year's food) was difficult to reproduce accurately since seafood made up a large portion of it. Still, they had kurikinton (sweet chestnut paste) and simmered vegetables, and they used the mochi (rice cakes) pounded by a neighbor at year-end to make ozōni (New Year's soup).
Furthermore, there was a small bottle of clear liquid.
"Oh, sake."
"Yeah. Rice is precious, so this is expensive."
Mariabel, who had woken up, smiled, saying, "The living room is warm."
Once everyone was seated at the table, they said, "Happy New Year." It was debatable whether this was necessary in an Isekai, but they felt restless if they didn't do it. Iris and her sisters did it every year because their parents did.
"Only two mochi per person, no seconds."
"Seriously? I miss the days when we were sick of eating it…"
"I know. Back home, we could buy big bags of cut mochi cheaply."
Rice cultivation required vast land. Since they couldn't harvest much right now, it was a luxury item. Sticky rice for mochi was even more so.
"Right. Before we talk about making a mountain, shouldn't we increase the number of rice paddies?"
"Maybe. We already made a river, so we could put that to good use."
"But I wish you would extend the river a little more so it doesn't interfere with the forest expansion."
"Also, I wonder if we can find gold dust in the river. It's a valuable material that we'd love to acquire."
"May-san, please refrain from eating coins. It could disrupt the economy."
Since Ren had used up calories by working in the morning, he ate more than usual. The sake warmed his body thoroughly. While he had the energy, he heated the bath and cleaned himself. He took a bath during the day to maintain his body temperature, but more importantly, he had plans to go out.
He wore the underwear and dress he received for Christmas.
"Well, this is the most formal wear I have."
He didn't care about the color now. It wasn't that strict in this Isekai. Fuuri and Iris also chose their most festive clothes from their personal belongings, and Ren's outfit didn't stand out much. Relieved, he climbed the stairs.
"Oh, you've come too. Happy New Year."
"Ah, Sage-san. Happy New Year."
"Let's get along this year… Well, let's keep it moderate."
"Wait. Why did you stammer just now?"
It was because of his daily actions. The dungeon entrance inside the Temple was sealed for the day, and several women from the Cleric-type classes were selling fortunes and handing out hot wine. Several elders, including the Sage, were making the rounds to greet acquaintances. He was slightly flushed, perhaps from the wine.
"Right. You didn't give Shou and the others any weird ideas, did you? Don't pressure them; they're still young."
"I'm offended. I didn't introduce you to them as promised, and I chose the introduction carefully, considering their safety. …Although, I did say, 'If you really want Ren's party, negotiate with them directly.'"
"Wasn't that unnecessary?"
"There's no problem if they refused and backed off. Anyway, how about a drink?"
Ren declined the offered wine. "I already had a drink at home. Any more and I'll get sleepy."
"I see. That makes sense."
"Sage-sama. Did you meet my parents?"
"No. Since their daughters are here, won't they come alone later in the afternoon?"
"True. Then let's go visit the forest ourselves."
"Sounds good."
"Well, I'll go pay a visit to the brothel."
After parting ways with Mariabel, Ren's party went to Iris's house to offer their New Year's greetings, where they were warmly welcomed, mainly by the women.
"Since you're here, why don't you have some ozōni (New Year's soup)?"
"Is that alright?"
"Yes. We prepared extra."
As expected, the meals at the forest caretaker's house were of a different quality. They were treated to New Year's dishes that were much more luxurious than their own, and unexpectedly, they were full again.
As for May's house,
"You don't need to visit my home."
"Why not?"
"They're probably just flirting as usual. We might stumble upon an awkward situation."
"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't."
They decided to visit after the first three days of the New Year, handing out otoshidama (New Year's money) to Iris's sisters and spending a relaxing time.
--------------------
The twelfth-floor boss was an Orc Elite.
It was an enhanced version of the Warrior, with higher attack power and HP. Its attack method was simple: "approach and swing the axe," but having only one option made it relentless and terrifying.
The boss, accompanied by two regular Orcs and one Warrior, was met with Iris's new magic right at the start of the battle.
"Stone Bind!"
The Earth Spirit, following the Half-Elf girl's request, moved the floor stones of the boss room, wrapping them around the Elite's feet. Once sufficiently entangled, they instantly solidified, anchoring its feet.
The plan was a success.
It was a spell with a higher difficulty than Firebolt, and its usefulness was questionable because disrupting the floor could cause problems later, but it was fine to use in the boss room. And Orc-type enemies didn't have ranged attacks.
"Everyone, now's the time!" Iris shouted, firing arrows at the Elite as it struggled to free its feet.
Of course, they couldn't miss this chance.
"Stone Rain!"
If Iris was going to use earth magic, Ren would too. He changed the attribute of Arrow Rain to the earth element and rained it down. It became a physical attack that delivered physical impact, slightly slowing the Orcs' movement. He cast it twice and then a third time, utilizing his MP advantage to buy time and accumulate damage.
Thud!!
May, who had rushed one of the Orcs, brought down her "weapon" with a jump. It was a large wooden club, a drop item from an Orc. It transferred the Golem's full strength, shattering mid-swing and dealing massive damage.
"Wooden weapons have a structural weakness."
But the result was sufficient. The Orc that had taken the club hit was finished off by May's continuous kicks to the 'vitals' and dissolved into light particles.
"Fuuri-san, why don't you aim for that vital point too?"
"No way. If I did that, I'd have to buy a new knife."
"You prefer blood and guts over that? …I guess I do too."
Since it couldn't be helped, Ren aimed a shot of the earth-attribute Manabolt, Stone Spear. Although he missed the vitals slightly, May's second club found its mark, and the Orc was defeated.
"Earth attribute is quite useful."
"Don't get carried away and break the stone tablet, okay?"
With the enemy numbers reduced, Fuuri's backstab connected, and their first dungeon exploration of the New Year was a success.
"But the difficulty increase is steep."
"I bet the current enemies could beat the Goblin army."
Even led by the King, Goblins were still Goblins. Orcs could likely mow down two or three Goblins at once. Although they were managing because the targets were large and slow, their total fighting strength was already reaching a dangerous level.
"The guys who went up to the sixteenth floor are amazing, really."
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