Chapter 17 Securing Ingredients!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
With a house rented and some breathing room at last, we hit the streets in high spirits to get some serious shopping done. I’d been twitchy about flashing my Storage skill in public, but apparently, even ordinary merchants can haul loot that way-provided they’re high-level and successful enough to pull it off.
It turns out you can pick up skills just by working a job that fits your class or by grinding levels. But even if you “learn” one, you can’t actually use it until you figure out the how. It’s the same hurdle we faced as fresh summons. How do you trigger it? How do you handle the visualization? Every skill seems to have its own quirk.
Take the “Item Box” skill merchants use. It’s a nightmare to acquire, and unless you max out your proficiency, the capacity is a joke. It’s hardly the flashy power people dream of.
I’d heard mages learn spells as they level, but this was the first I’d heard of other classes picking up skills the same way. When I brought it up to Lisha, she told me that for the Production Class, that kind of progression is unheard of unless you’re at the absolute top of your game.
I turned my gaze toward Charlotte.
”Charlotte, have you unlocked anything new? I figured you’d have leveled up a ton after the other day.”
”Um, nothing yet. Do peasants even get skills?”
”I wonder… I’ve never heard of it either,” Lisha added. “Peasants usually just have their innate abilities from the start.”
”Wait, what do you mean?” I asked, tilting my head. She explained that it was more of a passive buff to agriculture-crops just grow sturdier and faster for them.
”Even then, with high proficiency, you’re only looking at a twenty-percent boost over a normal harvest,” Lisha noted.
”Are you kidding? That’s still huge!”
”B-But, with Ibuki-sama’s skills, it feels like you could do all that in a heartbeat…”
”Well, I haven’t tried yet, but I can’t argue with that. Still, from an outside perspective, having that kind of value is a win.”
Just then, Lisha let out a soft “Ah!” and we both looked over.
”I just remembered! I heard a rumor that even in the Production Class, food-related jobs have a chance to learn a ‘Cooking’ skill,” she said. Charlotte’s eyes instantly sparkled. “Is that true!?”
”Whoa… that’d be a game-changer. By the way, Lisha, what’s your actual job class?”
”I’m a merchant, Ibuki-sama. But I don’t have a lick of talent for it…” She gave us a troubled smile, admitting that even the guild staff wouldn’t give her the time of day.
”I see. Well, I was thinking of opening a shop once we’re settled. Maybe I’ll have you run the books for me then.”
”Eh!? M-Me? Could I really handle that?”
”It’d just be a standard retail spot. You’d just be selling the gear I make.”
”Oh, if that’s the case…!” She beamed.
Chatting like that, we moved through the town, buying up everything in sight. We started with groceries, moved on to restocking cloth and wool, and finally grabbed a variety of seeds and saplings.
The food here is almost identical to Earth. I couldn’t tell if they just didn’t understand selective breeding, but the shapes and flavors were slightly off. When it came to fruits and veggies, Earth’s definitely tasted better. The meat here wins, though. Or rather, the variety is just wider. High-grade meat is heavenly, while the low-grade stuff is barely fit for a dog.
For my cultivation experiments, I picked up the basics: soybeans, wheat, rice, sugar beets, potatoes, and various onions. I was like a kid in a candy store, grabbing anything I thought I could use. As long as I can multiply them, I only need a small sample. Even if I mess up, I figured I could just have Charlotte grow them once we find a permanent spot, so I bought small, cheap amounts of everything.
But there was one thing so damn expensive I almost choked: a black pepper sapling. It looked half-dead, probably because the climate didn’t suit it, but I needed it. I went back to the guild, sold off some Orc parts under Lisha’s name to raise the cash, and bought it anyway. Since I’d used Synthesis to clean up the skewered Orc carcasses, they’d sold for a premium.
Since the pepper sapling was practically wilting, I managed to haggle the price down enough to barely afford some soap-the absolute cheapest kind they had.
”Phew, we really went all out. I’m flat broke.”
”Are you sure about this, Ibuki-sama? Buying such expensive things one after another…”
”I-I don’t have any experience with farming… what if I fail…?”
I looked at the two anxious girls. “It’s fine, really. Charlotte, you know how many monsters we have in stock, right?” I leaned in and told Lisha exactly how many Orcs and Lizard-mimic s we had in the bank.
”F-Five thou-!?” Lisha had the exact same reaction Charlotte did. I couldn’t help but laugh.
”Exactly. Compared to our total assets, this is pocket change. Considering how useful these will be if we succeed, it’s a bigger loss not to buy them.”
We headed home, and I immediately tested the cultivation aspect of my skill. I placed a single potato into the slot, channeled Mana, and visualized it growing. The icon changed to a sprout. The Mana drain was so small I barely felt it. Encouraged, I pumped in more Mana until the icon changed to a flower and the slot began to glow.
I tapped it, and 50 Potatoes were added to my Inventory.
”””Whoa…”””
We all spoke at once. “So… this really works in real life, doesn’t it?” Lisha asked, her face dead serious.
”Yep. See?” I pulled them all out, including the ones I’d bought. She gulped. “This… this is truly the power of a Hero’s class.”
Since cultivation worked exactly as I’d imagined, it was time for the main event. I tossed in the pepper sapling. I poured in a steady stream of Mana until the icon turned into a tree and started glowing. I clicked it, and 1,000 Peppercorns appeared. They were green, though. I probably needed to dry them… but first, I needed volume. I didn’t want to risk failing and having to buy another sapling. We’re going to need pepper forever, after all.
I shoved all 1,000 peppercorns back into the cultivation slot and flooded it with Mana. This time, I could feel it greedily sucking my energy away. But the sprout icon appeared. I kept going until it flashed.
When I moved the result to my Inventory, the display read: 1,000,000.
”Ohhh…” The sound leaked out of me involuntarily.
At this point, I could afford to waste a few. I put 1,000 back in, visualized the dried black pepper I knew from home, and sent the Mana in. It switched instantly. Then, I used Processing to give them a coarse grind. I tipped a bit out and licked it. It was definitely pepper.
”I did it!”
”That much pepper… it would cost a fortune!”
”But now it’s all-you-can-eat, right?” I teased.
She looked weirdly tense. “We… we really can’t afford to fail now, can we?”
”No, no, I can increase it whenever I want. I already have a million of them, remember?” I said firmly. She calmed down a bit, but she still looked like she’d seen a ghost.
”Am I going to be eating a mountain of gold coins from now on?” she muttered.
I decided to ignore that. Next up was the sugar beet. I grew it, multiplied it until I had a ridiculous number, and then used Processing to turn it into sugar. Alright, next is- But the moment I touched the soybeans, my Mana bottomed out and I collapsed.
”Oof. Got too excited. Can’t… move…”
””Ibuki-sama!?””
The two of them freaked out and lugged me over to the bed. They declared that I was done for the day. They monitored me constantly, hand-feeding me every bite of dinner with an “aa-hn,” scrubbing every inch of me in the bath, and then ending the day with a strict “no s*x” policy.
It was the first time I’d ever been slapped on the hand for trying to mess with a p**sy… the back-and-forth of that struggle was actually kind of fun.
The next day, my Mana had recovered, so I bulk-produced soybeans, wheat, and rice. I figured I didn’t need quite as much of the other vegetables, so I finished everything off without any more issues. I’d noticed it yesterday, too, but my total Mana pool seems to have spiked massively after subjugating all those Orcs and Lizard-mimics.
Feeling relieved, I realized it was lunchtime. I decided I wanted something I hadn’t had in ages. I made some rice oil, used Processing to cut potatoes into sticks, and deep-fried a mountain of them. I tossed them in salt and pepper and pulled out a serving of fresh French fries.
Yep. All done with skills. Turns out I can even “cook” with these things.
”Real junk food… it’s been so long.” I popped one into my mouth. It had a perfect crunch, but the inside was slightly fluffy, and the salt and pepper exploded across my tongue.
”Oh man, this is the stuff,” I groaned.
I wanted the girls to try it, so I gave them each a bite. Charlotte, in particular, lost her mind.
”Whoa, Charlotte! You get it, don’t you!?”
”Yes! This is the best thing ever!”
”Ho ho ho, I thought so, I thought so,” I nodded like some satisfied old geezer.
”I think it’s absolutely delicious too, you know?” Lisha said, officially joining the French Fry Appreciation Society.
We sat there, munching on the crispy, salty treats as I pulled them out of the inventory bit by bit. But honestly? I got tired of them pretty fast. That’s just the nature of fries-they’re a “heat of the moment” food. They’re best when they’re piping hot.
Still, if they’re the kind of food that makes you stop naturally, I guess that’s for the best. I’ll probably be craving them again in a few days anyway. Fortunately, I have a terrifying amount of fries left in my Inventory. It would take months to eat them all, even if I had them every day. Alright, no need to make any more of those.
I thought about what to do next, but since my Mana was starting to look low again, I called it a day for skill usage.
We headed back into town. I wanted to keep some liquid cash on hand, so I sold off a reasonable number of Orcs at the guild. We spent the day window-shopping, but honestly, there was nothing worth buying. Or rather, everything was so crude I felt like I’d be better off making it myself.
The metalwork was low-precision garbage. They hadn’t even filed down the burrs. The shapes were warped. I couldn’t find a single thing that was actually, perfectly flat. Seeing that made me realize just how much care went into the construction and weapon-smithing in this world. Though, looking at the houses, they seem built to last for a ridiculous number of years, even if they are a bit rough…
”What should we do now…?”
”Are you planning on staying in this town for a while?” Charlotte asked.
”I haven’t really thought that far ahead,” I admitted. “My main goal was just to restock on Materials…”
”Are there no more materials you want, Ibuki-sama?” she asked, catching me off guard.
”Wait, actually, there is! There’s something I really want to find.”
”What is it?”
”I don’t care what it is-I want to find a monster that breathes fire.”
When I told Charlotte that, Lisha spoke up as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
”Oh, those? We have plenty of those, Ibuki-sama.”
”Alright, that’s our next goal. We’re going to build a real stove¹ for the kitchen!”
Exactly. I’m not here for some grand, sweeping adventure; I just want a comfortable life. My Skills have made things pretty cozy so far, but the list of ‘wants’ is still a mile long. Now that the food situation is under control, it’s time to shift gears.
”I mean, I’m not 100% sure I can pull it off,” I added, managing expectations in case I swung and missed.
But deep down, I had a feeling. With this cheat Skill² of mine, I should be able to turn a monster’s natural ability into a Magic Tool³. If even those pathetic Bat Mimics could generate a breeze, then a stove should be a piece of cake.
”So, where do we find it?” I asked.
”Um, it’s a high-ranking subspecies of the Marna⁴-those lizards you hunted the other day, Ibuki-sama,” Lisha said. “They live deeper in the wastes and breathe fire. They’re said to be incredibly difficult to subjugate without the right gear. They’re fast, and the moment you close in, they blanket the area in flames.”
Hearing Lisha’s explanation, it finally clicked. “Ah…”
She was talking about Greater Marna-Lizards. I’d slaughtered five thousand of the base species, yet I hadn’t seen a single high-ranker. Even with the Orcs, I’d run into the elites and the lords. When I mentioned this to Lisha, she looked troubled.
”You’re right. Some species breed faster than others, but with those numbers, it’s bizarre that no high-ranking individuals appeared,” Lisha said, after a pause. “Perhaps they migrated to a different nesting ground? If that’s the case, that area might be reaching a breaking point.”
”Then let’s get an eye in the sky. Oh, but first, I need to do something about the landing impact. That last one nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Since my Mana⁵ was running low, we decided to call it a day and head back to rest. The dinner they prepared, however, was pure bliss. High-rank Orc meat seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper-it was incredible. It’s amazing how much a little pepper changes the game. Plus, they’d cooked the rice I’d been selectively breeding exactly the way I taught them.
I’d always wondered how you could have meat this good and no rice to go with it. Lisha was floored by the combination.
”This rice… it’s so plump and has such a delicate sweetness!” Lisha exclaimed.
Apparently, the local grains are usually dry and tasteless, making them a bottom-tier ingredient. But this? This was a revolution.
After enjoying the feast, we were all still feeling pretty high-energy. Once we stripped down in the bath, one thing led to another, and things got steamy. I worked hard, pounding away until we were both spent, then tucked them in and drifted off to sleep right beside them.
The next morning, I woke up the usual way: with my daily wake-up call from Charlotte.
Lisha is surprisingly slow in the mornings, so this is usually Charlotte’s job. It’s not just about the pleasure; it’s the comfort of it. Without this, I think I’d feel a profound sense of loneliness every time I opened my eyes. That slow crawl from sleep to wakefulness, melting into pure bliss… it’s the best.
Breakfast was grilled fish and white rice. Classic. Just having rice makes it feel like my culinary options have exploded.
Once we were prepped, I got to work on the plane’s upgrades. I’d thought about using floats, but since water is scarce, I went with a pneumatic cylinder-cushion system. It uses compressed air to absorb the shock and springs to reset the position. I installed a three-stage system and upsized the tires significantly. I also added actual brakes to the wheels.
”I’m still a little twitchy about it, but if we pick our landing spot carefully, this should be a hundred times more stable,” I muttered.
Heading toward the village, I decided to test the gear on a patch of grassland. The plane groaned and rattled, but it wasn’t enough to make us lose our lunch.
”I think this is the limit for now. You guys holding up?” I asked.
”Yes,” Lisha said, though she’d been the most terrified. “If it’s like this, even I can manage.”
Charlotte just gave a confident nod.
We took to the skies, Lisha finally helping us pedal. At full tilt, we were probably hitting eighty kilometers an hour. The wind noise reminded me of being in a car on the highway. We kept flying until the greenery gave way to a desolate wasteland. Once we spotted a few fire-breathing variants, I knew we were in the right place.
”Alright, let’s set up,” I said.
We touched down in a clear zone. I used my Skill to instantly dig a staircase and sealed the entrance behind us.
”An underground tunnel in minutes… and this deep?” Lisha gasped.
”Pretty wild, right? I laughed when I first realized I could do this,” I replied.
”It is a staggering power, Ibuki-sama,” Lisha whispered.
We chatted as we tunneled forward. Once we were directly beneath the nest, I set up the same pitfall traps I’d used for the Orcs and tossed my Lure Cocoons⁶ onto the surface. A few minutes later, the pitfalls triggered. I could see the lizards falling, some spewing fire on the way down like literal flamethrowers.
I started Storing the carcasses as they hit the spikes. They died pretty easily-way less durable than Orcs. Suddenly, Lisha let out a soft gasp. She was leveling up.
”Umm… Ibuki-sama, is this really okay? Me being here?” Lisha asked.
Apparently, in this world, ‘leeching’ XP is a huge taboo.
”Hey, don’t sweat it,” I said, patting Charlotte’s head. “We’re a team now. If my girls get stronger, that’s a win for me.”
I threw out more Cocoons. The lizards swarmed. I built a stone chute leading directly into the pitfalls so the sheer momentum of the swarm would push them in. It was so automated I actually built a chair and sat down.
”Ibuki-sama… it’s getting so hot,” Lisha said, her face flushed.
”Whoa, hold on. We can’t do it here,” I said.
”N-no! It’s the… the leveling up…”
”Oh, right. Yeah, you’ll get used to it.”
I kept Storing lizards until the immediate area was cleared. Total count: three thousand. I packed up the traps and sealed the tunnels.
”So this is how a Hero fights?” Lisha asked.
”Feels more like a construction job, doesn’t it? Sorry it’s not more glamorous,” I said.
”Not at all! This would terrify the entire world if they knew!” Lisha cried out.
She’s a bit dramatic, but I get it. No Hero could do this in a fair fight. But whatever. I wanted to see if I could make that stove. If it worked, I could make lighters, water heaters, and maybe even soap.
”Alright, let’s head home!”
I wanted to get these projects finished ASAP.
”Yes!” the girls cheered, matching my energy perfectly.
We made it back to town, and I successfully crafted a fire-starting Magic Tool. The only problem? The firepower was so insane that I’d basically built a blowtorch instead of a stove. Back to the drawing board.
—
Summary:
Ibuki and his companions explore the town to gather seeds and ingredients. Using his unique crafting skills, Ibuki successfully multiplies potatoes and pepper to an astronomical degree, proving his class’s broken potential. The scene ends with Ibuki seeking a fire-breathing monster to further his crafting ambitions.
Ibuki decides to improve his quality of life by creating a kitchen stove using monster abilities. After upgrading his airplane’s landing gear, he and his companions hunt Greater Marna-Lizards using his efficient underground pitfall traps. The chapter ends with a successful but overly powerful magic tool creation and a resolve to develop more domestic products like soap.
—
Trivia:
- Ordinary merchants can have Storage, but only at high levels.
- Ibuki’s total Mana pool increased after killing 5,000+ monsters.
- He cleaned up monster corpses using Synthesis to sell them at a higher price.
- Peasants like Charlotte have passive growth buffs, but Ibuki’s skill is significantly more powerful.
- The world’s general metalworking quality is very low compared to modern standards
- Ibuki is selectively breeding rice to improve its quality.
- The airplane is human-powered (pedaling) but assisted by Magic Tools.
- Lisha is a high-level source of monster ecology knowledge.
- Leeching experience points is a social taboo in this world.
- The traps involve both spikes and a ‘Press’ function from his Skill
—
Character Insight:
Ibuki is becoming more comfortable with his ‘broken’ status, moving from survival anxiety to logistical planning. Lisha and Charlotte are starting to realize the true scale of Ibuki’s wealth and power, leading to a mix of awe and worry.
Ibuki shows a lack of interest in traditional glory, viewing subjugation as ‘construction work.’ Lisha’s loyalty deepens as she witnesses the sheer scale of his ‘cheat’ powers.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Leopard Gecko’ (Marna) pun in Japanese suggests a weak creature, making the protagonist’s massive cull of them ironic given their supposed danger to normal adventurers.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Lisha – Mature‑looking native woman with a soft “big‑sister” vibe, a big, bon‑kyu‑bon chest, and an hourglass figure. Polite, domestic, and secretly shy, she treats being with Ibuki as a blessing and quietly fixes the bedding after they’re done. A skilled cook, hot‑spring lover, and “doer” who melts when others take control. She’s the Guildmaster and receptionist/butcher for the Hasshi Subjugator Guild, good friends with Collet, and lets Ibuki and Charlotte stay at her place, worrying about his safety while torn between duty and her feelings for him. Has a younger sister and family in a nearby town.
• Charlotte – Short, skinny late‑teen slave girl with messy brown hair, feline eyes, and a soft, slender body. Was an Ex‑Level 8 farmer, now Level 10 and bound to Ibuki, who she calls “Master” and calls herself his wife. Wears rags at first, then pretty clothes he makes, plus his bat‑wing hairband. Blushy, clingy, protective, and easily emotional, she follows him on runs, fights, and flights while always worrying if she’s useful enough.
• Ibuki – Broke high‑schooler from Earth who got tossed into another world with the “Crafter” class he first thought was useless—turns out it’s totally busted. Black‑haired, germaphobic, and low‑key bitter but sharp as hell. Uses Synthesis, Processing, and Inventory skills to survive, craft gear, and haul loot while exploring. Currently a Level 10 otherworlder, wielding a stone axe, traveling the frontier forest with Charlotte, and just trying to stay alive long enough to find a bit of peace.
• Hero – Ibuki’s upperclassman from Earth—summoned as the naive Hero with emotional, mentally fragile personality. Empathetic yet reluctant and inadequate-feeling, lacking survival instincts and political skills. Currently in despair and terrified by his situation.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply