Even Ai broke character for a split second.
Her little face drooped as she muttered, “What kind of game is this?
The design isn’t realistic at all!
How could an average person possibly pull off something so absurd?”
“But only half a day, huh…
If we walk, stop, and rest, we should still be able to reach the Camp Office smoothly before nightfall, right?”
“Uh, besides the distance issue, there’s one other small problem.
On the big slope before reaching the railroad, and near the Camp Office, there’s a probability of encountering wolves in the game.” Sento added the final point.
However, compared to the sheer physical exertion required for traveling, Sento didn’t actually think a few wild wolves were that big of a deal.
Not to mention the wonder item he had drawn himself, just considering the combat prowess Ai displayed in the manga, she could probably stab a few wolves to death if she just picked up a sharp branch along the way.
Even Sento, if he were accidentally bitten and realized he couldn’t clear the level without taking damage, could probably take down one or two wolves with a wooden stick once his adrenaline kicked in.
Of course, this only refers to one-on-one situations.
If surrounded by multiple wolves, even Ai probably wouldn’t have much of an advantage.
“Wolves?
That’s a bit scary.” Ai put on a slightly frightened act, but if you stared at her closely, you could see that her eyes remained calm deep down.
Sento suddenly realized that this seemed like a good opportunity to break the ice.
Although he had chatted quite a bit with Ai and her tone and attitude were very good, the two of them didn’t seem to have discussed anything substantial, and neither knew what rewards the other had chosen during the beginner phase.
If this were a dangerous game involving both PvP and PvE, Sento probably wouldn’t consider these issues.
But since this was a purely PvE world, it would be better to keep information shared and cooperate to clear the game if possible.
Sento didn’t believe that someone with Ai’s intelligence wouldn’t have thought of this; perhaps she was just waiting to see what he would do.
Since she hadn’t brought it up first, he would take the initiative.
Of course, if this were an ordinary 3D Japanese gal, Sento certainly wouldn’t dare to casually show off his wonder item, but since she was a 2D character he was familiar with, he naturally let his guard down a little.
Sento reached into his collar, pulled out the whistle he had tucked inside his shirt, and waved it at Ai.
“Don’t worry, this is a wonder item I received as a beginner reward.
As long as I blow this whistle, I can summon two Alaskan dogs that exist for one hour.
Not to mention whether they can beat a wolf pack, with two hunting dogs plus two people, an average pack of wolves wouldn’t rashly attack.”
“Eh, what?
You can summon doggies?
That’s a really amazing item!” Ai exclaimed in surprise.
Afterward, she very cooperatively took a wooden box out of her backpack.
The surface of the box was coated in a jujube-red lacquer and looked quite pretty.
On the top side, there were faint, intricate patterns of intertwined clovers and cherry blossoms, which appeared very blurry in the firelight.
“I don’t have as much luck as Sento-kun.
I also chose a wonder item as my beginner reward, but the thing I got can only help brew black tea.”
While speaking, she had already slid open the lid of the wooden box.
Inside, on the soft, deep blue velvet lining, lay a few items: a mini silver teapot with a Celtic triskelion pattern, two small silver teacups, two small silver spoons, and two folded linen tea towels with delicate lace edges.
“Ta-da~” Ai spread her hands and introduced it to Sento like Doraemon: “An emergency teapot set.
Every day, it can generate black tea that slightly boosts your spirits, relieves fatigue, and tastes quite good.”
“Well, although it can only generate one 300ml pot a day, that’s just one cup for each of us.”
By the end, Ai turned her face away, looking a bit embarrassed.
But Sento didn’t mind at all; he stared at the teapot and nodded with satisfaction.
This was a hot drink!
Consuming 150ml of hot tea that could provide a certain amount of heat would not only boost his spirits but also briefly raise his core temperature, increase blood flow, and even combat fatigue.
Indeed, the daily amount was a bit low, only 300ml, but the point was that it could be generated infinitely.
If you round it up, it’s basically equivalent to infinite water.
Although this rounding might have been a bit excessive, it was definitely a good item.
As expected of a wonder item; even a bronze-tier one truly had miraculous effects.
However…
Sento cast a subtle glance at Ai’s backpack.
When they had obtained this beginner backpack in the cave earlier, Sento had checked the contents, and there definitely hadn’t been any wonder items in it.
In other words, Ai must have been quick-witted enough to stuff the wooden box she had already obtained and hidden into the backpack while she was changing clothes earlier.
Her movements were really quite agile.
“This isn’t a useless item at all; it’s quite useful.” Sento complimented her.
Ai took the teapot out and placed it on the table to the side: “Hehe, then Sento-kun, just look forward to enjoying some black tea later.”
“But after knowing that Sento-kun can summon doggies, I’m truly much more relieved.
With the help of the doggies, the wolf pack doesn’t seem quite as dangerous anymore.”
While talking, Ai didn’t delay in preparing the meal.
She held the canned pork and gestured with it, seemingly considering how to open it, but Sento took the can from her and began prying the edge with his hunting knife.
He was more proficient in this area than Ai.
As a maid to the young lady Kaguya Shinomiya, Ai hadn’t really eaten things like canned food before.
Conversely, Sento, who was very interested in wilderness survival, although he hadn’t actually survived in the wilderness in real life, had learned about various military MREs and canned foods.
Using a hunting knife to open a can was just a beginner-level operation for him.
“By the way, there’s another question.
Sento-kun, if we arrive at that Camp Office tomorrow, will we be able to find enough food?
Before we do any foraging or fishing?”
“Yes.” Sento said very decisively: “The food at the Camp Office is quite plentiful, at least one or two times more than in this cabin, definitely enough for us to eat for a few days.
By the way, why are you asking this?”
“Of course, it’s to calculate what we should eat.
If we can’t find food tomorrow, won’t we have to save some?
But if we can find enough food, we can eat a little bit more today.”
At this point, Ai deliberately made a gesture of adjusting imaginary glasses and said earnestly in her little pinched voice: “Don’t underestimate me.
In order to maintain the balance of my figure, my level in nutrition might even be comparable to some professionals.”