The three of us – me, Iris, and Relic – went outside the house.
Well then, let's start building the city.
In order to use [Creation] to construct buildings, I need building materials, which will be created using my surplus magic power.
Since I've been in the underground city for more than thirty minutes, I already had a stock of more than eight hundred. And they are still increasing.
This way, I won't run out of building materials on the way.
Building houses one by one is a good idea, but there's one recipe I'm curious about.
Building materials x 200 → Housing area x 1
If I do this, won't it be possible to build multiple houses at once?
When I activated [Creation] as a test, the stock of materials decreased, and a light ball appeared above my head.
The size was quite large, about a meter in diameter.
When Relic saw it, he shouted in surprise.
"Whoaaaa! What is that, Kou-san?"
"It's a kind of architectural egg. Well, watch this."
I raise my right hand and point to a place a little farther away. The ball of light began to move fluently, and when it reached the target point, it released a huge flash of light.
…After the glow faded, there were houses of all sizes standing in a row.
There were roads between the houses and even some magic lamps.
It was a splendid residential area with nothing to complain about.
Iris let out a sigh of admiration in front of the scene.
"It's amazing, Kou. You are like a god."
"You're exaggerating. It's just a skill, you know."
"I know it's a so-called extraordinary skill, but there's no other skill that's this effective. As expected of a [Trans… I mean, the weather is good."
The fact about me being a [Transmigrator] is supposed to be a secret between Iris and me, but isn't that a bit too much of a cover-up?
But fortunately, Relic didn't get suspicious.
He seemed to be more interested in the residential area than in us and stared at the houses intently.
"Ko-Kou-san, do you mind if I take a closer look?"
"Of course. Suit yourself."
"Thank you so much!"
Relic ran off into the residential area, frolicking like a puppy.
He's young and energetic.
As I was watching his back, I heard a voice call out to me from behind.
"Master-san! You've built a lot of houses!"
When I turned around, there were dozens of Helper Slimes gathered there.
"Do you think it would be a good idea to put some furniture in these houses?"
"Yes, please."
"All right! Leave it to us! …Let's go, everyone!"
When the first one shouted, the other Slimes replied cheerfully, shouting, "Yes!"
"Master-san, we'll do our best!"
There's still a lot of furniture in the [Item Box], so keep building!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The Helper Slimes flew, jumped, and rolled as they headed toward the residential area.
Now, what shall I make next?
There are a lot of recipes available, but that makes me feel lost.
I asked Iris for her opinion.
"Why don't you model it after the city of Aunen? There are residential areas, a shopping district nearby, and an entertainment district as well. If we need to live here for a long time, we should have a farm or a ranch so that we can be self-sufficient."
As expected of Iris, it was a good idea.
Let's build food production facilities, following Aunen as an example.
Over the next two hours, I completed a small but large enough city.
The city can be divided into three main districts.
The first is the residential district, where the people who have evacuated to the underground city would live.
The second is the food production district, where farms and ranches are located and where the Helper Slimes work.
They were wearing straw hats on their heads and plowing the ground with farming tools.
…Is that a farmer's costume? It's kind of cute.
The third is the commercial district, which can be further divided into two areas.
The first is the shopping district. This is where I plan to sell food from the food production district.
The shopkeepers are Helper Slimes, each wearing glasses, aprons, and other outfits that match the store's atmosphere.
The other is a restaurant district, where the Helper Slimes will serve you with their cooking skills.
So after building the town…
Iris and I walked down the street and took a leisurely look at the cityscape.
"It's really quite divine, isn't it?"
Iris says with a sigh.
"I can't believe that two hours ago, this was a grassland."
"I can't believe it either. I'm a little confused, to be honest."
What the hell is [Creation]?
Just creating cheat items is an amazing enough effect, but converting excess magic power into building materials or building dozens of houses at once… surely there are even more possibilities.
It's no wonder the Helper Slimes call it "God's Skill," but where will this skill eventually lead?
Perhaps I can create a whole new world.
As I was thinking about this, Relic came running up to me from the other direction.
His expression is very satisfied, and his face is bright.
"Well, I enjoyed it! Today's discovery alone is a great, great, great development in archaeology! Thank you very much, Kou-san and Iris-san, for finding the underground city! I'll be sure to report the two of you to His Majesty the King!"
Hmm?
I felt a little uneasy about what he had just said.
I heard that Relic is the third son of a duke's family, but is he in a position to casually meet with the country's leader?
"Oh, excuse me, excuse me. I actually have this title…"
What Relic held out to me was a small silver metal plate. It resembled an adventurer's registration card, but the contents were completely different.
"Professor Relic Di Hubert, Archaeology Laboratory, Royal Academy of Sciences."
Hey, hey, that sounds like an amazing description.
Relic seems to be a fledgling researcher of about 20 years old, but considering his position as a professor, I wonder if he has already made any significant achievements.
"For example, there are magic lamps here and there in the city of Aunen, right? I was the one who put them to practical use. I also developed the magic stove in the kitchen and the shower in the bathroom. Well, I'm developing a lot of things."
"…They're all familiar to me."
"Next month, a new magic tool will be announced, so please look forward to it. …Oh, and regardless of my title or anything like that, I want you to feel free to interact with me as you always did. I'm a lonely person, you see."
Relic smiled good-naturedly and brushed his bangs with his right hand.
"I understand. I look forward to working with you."
"Thank you."
When Iris and I called out to Relic, he nodded happily.
It was right after that.
Suddenly, the ground shook unsteadily.
It was a vibration that seemed to come from below.
"Oops!"
"Kyaaa!?"
"Whoaaaa!"
I held on to my position, but Iris and Relic lost their positions and fell towards me.
Watch out!
I catch Iris with my right hand and Relic with my left.
It's not as if I have a flower in each hand… Relic is a man, you know.
"I-I'm sorry, Kou."
"Thank you, Kou-san."
"It's no big deal. What the hell was that?"
"Earthquake, I think…?"
"It's too short for that, and it's kind of weird."
The three of us looked at each other.
That's when it happened.
"It's a disaster! It's a disaster!"
A Helper Slime came running in at high speed from across the street.
"Something terrible has happened, Master-san! I want you to come with me!"
* * *
The Helper Slime led us to a tunnel that was the entrance to the underground city.
This place was about a hundred meters away from the city I had built, and there was a grassy plain spreading around.
Something strange was happening in one corner.
The ground had cracked, and a black stone monument-like structure was rising from it.
It was about two meters wide and about five meters high. A magic circle was drawn on its surface, emitting golden light.
"This is it! This is it! It appeared along with the earthquake!"
The Helper Slime bounced around the monument and explained to us.
"Hey, Kou."
Iris folded her arms and muttered with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Isn't this pattern just like the magic circle when the Orichalcum Golem came out?"
"…Indeed, it sure is."
I don't think it is possible, but we won't get into a battle with the second or third golem, will we?
I've gone to a lot of trouble to build the city. I don't want it to be destroyed.
I'd rather destroy it before anything bad happens.
While I was thinking about this, Relic was looking at the stone monument with great interest.
"I see, I see. This is probably a magic tool for teleportation."
As he said that, he reached out his right hand and touched the stone monument.
…The next moment, Relic's body was enveloped in blue light, and then he disappeared from the spot like an instantaneous movement.
What?
It was so sudden that I was taken aback.
When I looked at Iris, she also seemed surprised and blinked repeatedly.
"Kou, what do you think…?"
"…We can't just abandon him, can we?"
Relic's actions were careless, but he had probably achieved a lot as an archaeologist because of his curiosity, and I didn't blame him too strongly. Besides, it is the duty of the older generation to follow up on the mistakes of the younger generation. It would be too bad if something happened to Relic if I left him like this.
Iris and I nodded to each other and touched the stone monument almost simultaneously.
Our vision turned blue. My body felt as if it was floating, and I found myself warping to another place.
It was a narrow corridor made of stone.
Relic was standing a short distance away. He was scurrying around, but as soon as he noticed our presence, he rushed over to us.
"Oh, Kou-san! Iris-san! You've come too!"
"It's only natural. What if something happens to you when you move to another place?"
"You were worried about me? Whoaaa, I'm so happy, I'm so happy."
Relic gave a warm and friendly smile.
Next to me, Iris sighed in exasperation.
"I was worried when you suddenly disappeared. I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just curious about the stone monument…"
"Well, I don't know how to feel about that."
As I said this, I activated [Auto Mapping]. A small window appeared in my hand, showing a map of the surrounding area. It seems that this is a single pathway.
…Hmm?
There was a bouncing sound coming from the back of the room.
"Relic, stand back. It might be a monster."
"Y-yes! I can use some offensive magic, so let me know if you need it!"
"Alright."
I nodded and took out the Hikino wooden sword from my [Item Box]. Iris also held up her spear and lined up right next to me.
The air was suddenly tense, and then…
"Whoaaaaaa! Wrong, you've got it wrong! I'm not a monster!"
A translucent, chubby, mysterious creature… called the Helper Slime jumped out of the darkness with a panicked voice. However, unlike the other Slimes, it was wearing large glasses.
"Nice to meet you, Master-san. I'm a Glasses Slime, and I'm a somewhat special kind of Helper Slime."
The Glasses Slime bent its body dexterously and bowed.
Perhaps it's because it has a calmer demeanor than the other Helper Slimes, but it has an air of wisdom about it.
"This is the deep realm, the deepest part of the underground city."
"What is this place for?"
"Well, it's a long story, but what do you know about the calamity, Master-san?"
"It's a monster that destroyed the ancient civilization, right?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much right. This deep realm is monitoring one of the calamities, the… Black Dragon."
"…Wait a minute."
I thought about it for a while before continuing.
"Could there be two or three of these calamities?"
"I don't know how many there are, but there must be many!"
"──Eeeeehhhhh! A-are you sure?"
The one who shouted in surprise was Relic.
"There was more than one calamity? That's a shocking new fact!"
"…I never knew that either."
Iris muttered in surprise.
Well, after four thousand years, it's no wonder that a lot of information has been lost. It's a miracle that it's still in the lore of the dragon-folk.
"Master-san, Onii-san, Onee-san, I can understand that you are surprised, but the important thing is about to start here…!"
The Glasses Slime moved its face closer to us, and a serious expression appeared on its face.
"This deep realm is usually sealed off, but it is only unlocked when certain conditions are met."
"Is the Black Dragon about to be resurrected?"
"You are correct, Master-san. There's a big mountain to the north of here where the Black Dragon resides. …It will probably wake up within ten days."
Stop it; you gotta be kidding me.
It's like an existence that destroyed an ancient civilization or something like the last boss in a game. It's a too-hard mode for such a thing to appear suddenly.
"I'll explain about the Black Dragon to Master-san now, but I'd like to change the location a bit."
After saying that, the Glasses Slime turned his back on us and walked deeper into the passage.
I guess it wants us to follow it.
Iris, Relic, and I followed behind the Glasses Slime.
We eventually arrived at a space about the size of a school classroom.
In the center of the room, there was a pedestal that looked like a teacher's desk, and on it was a crystal ball the size of a bowling ball.
"This is a magic tool for recreating images. Master-san, try to touch it."
I walked over to the pedestal and touched the crystal ball.
It was faintly warm.
A few seconds later, I hear a mechanical voice with a buzzing sound.
"Unlocked. Playback will now begin."
Light was emitted from the crystal ball, and an image floated in the air.
If I were to describe it by comparing it to modern technology, it would be like a projector without a screen.
The image was a shot of the ground from the sky, showing a sophisticated city spread out at the foot of a mountain. The scale of the city is quite large, more than twice the size of Aunen in terms of area.
"This is a record from four thousand years ago. The image you see here is one of the most common cities of that time."
The Glasses Slime made some additional comments.
"It looks very peaceful. But the Black Dragon had destroyed everything."
The image switched.
In the sky above the city, a huge jet-black dragon was spreading its wings. Its entire body was covered with thick scales like armor, giving off an air of misery and oppressive intimidation.
When I looked closely, I saw the remains of an Orichalcum Golem caught in its mouth. The size of the Orichalcum Golem was about three meters, so based on that, the total length of the Black Dragon was probably more than twenty meters. It's a ridiculously huge body.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
The Black Dragon opened its jaws wide.
The back of the throat is red-hot, and the surrounding area is filled with shimmering flames.
The remains of the Orichalcum Golem that was still trapped in the Black Dragon's fangs melted and evaporated.
A moment of silence.
And then…
"Guooooooooooo!"
A fireball was released. It crashed into the ground with a red tail like a meteor, causing an explosion like a nuclear missile. The intense heat and shock waves blew everything away, annihilating people, buildings, and everything in between. The screen went wild, and then it was cut off.
"This is the end of the video."
The Glasses Slime had a painful expression on his face.
"There were over a million casualties – that many lives were lost in just a few seconds. …I hope this gives you an idea of what the Black Dragon is like."
"…Ah."
I could only nod my head. I can't think of anything else to say.
I have defeated strong enemies such as the Armored Bear and the Black Spider.
But the Black Dragon was an existence on another level. Its size and power are off the charts, and the scale is too different.
"It should be considered as one of the natural disasters like earthquakes and floods…"
Iris muttered with a serious expression.
I agree with that opinion.
I guess that's why it's called the calamity because it's an existence that human beings can't control with their little power.
"…Kou-san."
When I turned around at the sound of a voice from behind me, Relic was leaning against the wall with a pale face like a ghost.
He must have been very shocked by the image he had just seen.
"Let's go back to Aunen right away."
Relic said with an expression that could not hide his shock.
"I think we should at least evacuate the people of Aunen to the underground city."
"…You're right."
We've been working on building a city in case something goes wrong, but I didn't expect it to be useful this soon. The living conditions are already in place, and it would be an ideal place to take refuge.
"Will the Black Dragon come back first, or will the evacuation be completed first? …It's a race against time."
"Master-san, Master-san."
The Glasses Slime reached out a tentacle and pulled my sleeve with a swoosh.
"I can't say for sure, but we should have three days before the Black Dragon wakes up. I'm going to teleport you to the entrance on the surface now, so don't move."
"Hmm? Yes, I understand."
I nodded, and the Glasses Slime pulled out a wand-like object from its mouth. A blue gem was attached to the top, giving it the appearance of a wizard's wand.
"I'll use teleportation magic! …Eyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The blue jewel shone with a shout.
A magic circle appeared at our feet, and a… white flash of light burst forth.
When our vision returned, Iris, Relic, and I were standing at the bottom of the cliff.
It seemed we were back on the surface.
The sky was tinged with sunset, and a slightly chilly breeze was blowing.
"…Kou."
"Kou-san."
I nodded at the voices of Iris and Relic.
There was no need for further words. We exchanged glances with each other and decided to head back to Aunen as fast as we could.