Fake Survivor 4

Chapter 4

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 I’ve set up a small tent on top of a rocky mountain that juts out from the forest.

 I’ve tried to make it as inconspicuous as possible, using a gray color that blends in with the rock.

 Even with Magic Armor, setting up the poles is a hassle, so I went with an inflatable type… and was able to create it in its standing state, which was a big help.

 Well, food is also created in a ready-to-eat state, so that’s convenient too.

 I’ve set up a bird-repellent system around the perimeter, with a rough, sword-like object that’s quite intimidating… but so far, there aren’t any birds coming close.

 In fact, there aren’t any living things approaching this rocky mountain at all.

 It’s a bit unsettling, but… oh well.

 I have a bit of spare magical power, so even if the setup isn’t functioning, I won’t recover it and will just leave it as is.

 Gulp.

 ”Ah, this soup is delicious. Now, how about this cold lunchbox?”

 I muttered to myself, taking a bite of the nutritious frozen food I’d created in a warm state, carefully considering my breakfast.

 ”Ah, this is delicious too.”

 For growth, I need to pay attention to my nutrition.

 If I were to create something using magical power and cook it myself, I could reduce consumption, but… cooking is still difficult, and using Magic Armor wouldn’t help with magical power conservation either.

* * *

 After finishing my meal and cleaning up, I prepare to head out, making sure to turn off the power sources for the electrical appliances like the heater.

 My portable power source’s battery is running low, so I’ll need to recharge it soon.

 Alright, time to go out!

 For the past month, I’ve been living a relatively comfortable life with all my basic needs met.

 It seems that the creation cost of objects using the “Imitation” power varies depending on how well I understand the target, and I couldn’t create things I didn’t know well because they required a lot of magical power.

 So, at first, creating something requires a lot of magical power, but the more I know about the item, the lower the creation cost becomes and the easier it is to make.

 If I research the materials too, the creation cost might decrease even more, but books that contain such knowledge have a high creation cost, and I need to remember things like taste, smell, appearance, and texture accurately, so it’s not like that.

 For me, studying something that’s not interesting is painful, and since I can earn enough magical power from magic stones, I’ve decided not to go that far.

 The reason I can earn those magic stones is… because I’ve been targeting only goblins and can hunt them safely in large numbers.

 It seems that my intuition about monsters is pretty sharp, and I can sense the location and amount of magical power of the magic stones they possess within a certain range. I’ve been targeting ones with similar strength to the goblins I’ve defeated before, and as few as possible.

 It’s not like I have a 6th sense or anything, but… since I can sense the location of the items I’ve created, I might be able to detect the magical power I can recover.

 So, I’ve been thoroughly avoiding monsters other than goblins, but recently, I haven’t been able to find any goblins.

 Maybe I’ve hunted too many, or maybe they’re hibernating or something…

 Yeah, I performed the “Ceremony of Blessings” around the time of the autumn harvest, and now that winter is approaching, it’s getting a bit chilly.

 I want to prepare my tent and clothes for winter, and I’m using a heating spell, so I’d like to stock up on magic stones… but if other monsters start hibernating too, it’ll be a problem.

 Should I start targeting other monsters while I still can?

 But those guys are a bit stronger than goblins and act in groups, and even though they’re mostly solo, I haven’t sensed anyone stronger than about 10 times a goblin….

 Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…

 ”WHOOO!”

 Splat! Thwack!

 ”Oink?!”

 A pig-like creature, about 3 meters (� 9.8 feet) tall, with a humanoid body, got caught in the oil trap.

 I’ve never seen one up close before, but I’ve heard of it–an Orc, a type of monster.

 In my past life, I’ve seen a lot of creations with similar appearances.

 Maybe it’s to blend in with the forest, but just like goblins, it has green skin.

 I chose this one as my prey because… of course, I didn’t want to fight a group of monsters surrounding me.

 The parts not covered by my Magic Armor are vulnerable, and even a small attack could take me down.

 Thanks to the magic stones I’ve earned so far, I have enough magic power to cover my entire body with Magic Armor… but I’d still take a small amount of damage, and in a group fight, the magic power return would be low.

 So, by process of elimination, I chose the Orc, which has power but slow legs.

 It slipped on the trap just like a goblin, and I swung down my long-handled axe at the spot where it fell.

 Splat!

 ”Oi–“

 I made this axe with a longer handle than usual to counter the Orc’s long arms, but with the added centrifugal force, its power exceeded my expectations, and the Orc’s head got smashed like a watermelon.

 The scene was as gruesome as when I first fought a goblin.

 But… this is the world I was reincarnated into, and I can’t afford to be squeamish in this situation.

 I absorbed the Orc’s magic stone and set out to find my next prey.

 As I was hunting while avoiding groups of monsters, having confirmed that the Lotion Trap was effective against 2-legged opponents and setting the Orc as a target, I was about to return to my tent as the day grew dark… when I sensed a group of monsters heading straight for me.

 Did they detect me from beyond my sensing range?

 Let me check from up in the tree.

 Rustle rustle rustle… BAM!

 ”Woof!”

 ””Woof!””

 A pack of wolf-like monsters emerged from the thicket a short distance away.

 In other words, they were 4-legged and looked exactly like wolves.

 But since I detected a magical reaction, it’s clear they’re not ordinary wolves.

 Are they tracking me by smell?

 Did they catch a whiff of me even from downwind?

 What should I do?

 I could try to escape from this spot, but if they find the scent I left behind and track it to my tent, that’d be a real pain.

 If I wait, they’ll probably follow me to my next hunt… I’ll just have to do something about it.

 Considering that they might be able to climb up to where I am, I covered my abdomen with Magic Armor and moved to a more open area.

 I’m worried about the magic consumption, but I’ve got to try every method I can think of, and having no cover is better than nothing.

 ””Grrrr… grrrr…””

 The wolves below me snarled and glared up at me.

 I created a certain liquid above their heads.

 Splash!

 ”Gr…Grrr, Grrr!!”

 ”Rrrraaah!”

 ”Yelp!”

 The wolves let out their respective cries, desperately trying to shake off the liquid that had stuck to them.

 That liquid is… vinegar.

 It’s a pungent smell that’s unbearable even for humans, and I’m sure it’s a intense stimulus for these wolves, whose sense of smell is sharp enough to detect me from beyond my sensing range.

 There are those who try to escape, but… I’ve got extra magic power to spare, so I won’t let them get away.

 I quickly create a crossbow with my right hand, which is covered in Magic Armor, and shoot the wolves that try to flee from mid-air.

 Bang, Thud.

 ”Awooo!”

 I used this trick to lure the orcs into a trap, so it’s no problem if I just hit them.

 I couldn’t take them down with one shot from behind, but that’s okay.

 The bolts I fired were created in a state where they’re set to my crossbow, so I can track their location since I made them with my “Imitation”.

 It’s like a homing device, so I can detect them even if they move around.

 Well, I also made the vinegar, so I can test it, but it might get washed away or scattered somewhere.

 Similarly, I’ll keep creating crossbows and shooting the fleeing wolves.

 ”Well, I’ll chase the ones who escaped later, but first, I’ll take care of the ones that are left.”

 I muttered to myself, aiming my crossbow at the wolves at my feet.

* * *

 After I finished taking down the wolves and collecting the magic stones, it had gotten dark around me.

 Looking back, I think it would’ve been easier to create a cage and trap them instead…

 It would’ve saved me time and magic power, but at least I confirmed that I can track them in real-time even if they move around.

 Well, time to head back.

 The tent and other things I made with magic power are naturally detectable with magic, so I don’t get lost and return to my base without a hitch.

 Now, let’s take a bath and have a meal.

 It’s already dark, so I need some light.

 I’ll set up an outdoor bath and take a dip, but if I turn on the lights right away, it’ll be too conspicuous.

 So I set up a bath tent and installed a lighting system inside, filling the tub with hot water and adding bubble bath powder.

 Time to take a bath.

 I luxuriated in the fluffy bubble bath, and after finishing my bath, I used a vertical pipe prepared at the drainage outlet to drain the water outside the mountain, and then returned the remaining tub and tent to their magical state.

 After my bath, I headed back to the main tent and started preparing dinner.

 Since I’m hiding out, I’d rather avoid making smoke, so I only make ready-to-eat meals using “Imitation”.

 I have a portable power source for lighting and air conditioning, and I can even cook with a range, but… using electricity speeds up the pace of creating power, and that consumes magic too.

 Tonight, I think I’ll make a hamburger steak and warm vegetable lunchbox.

 Mmm, delicious.

 After finishing dinner, I brushed my teeth and did my business before going to bed.

 Hmm… today’s mattress is just right, neither too hard nor too soft. 90 points.

 I’ve been spending my days like this, and soon I’ll need to get serious about winter preparations…

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.