"You're right, dried meat and cheese taste much better when heated."

After borrowing some dried meat and cheese from Roya and the others, I toasted them over the fire we’d started, then made a sandwich with the bread I’d brought. In return, I offered them some leftover jam.

"This thing is handy, though! It’s much easier to start a fire with this than Flint, and it’s small and portable. It’s convenient for quickly heating up lunch. Tetsuya, could you sell me one of these later?"

After I got the fire going, I made sure everyone knew how to use the fire starter, and they all quickly got the hang of it. Since they’re stronger than me, I figure they’ll soon be able to light fires even faster than I can.

"Of course! Now, about the price…”

This fire starter is a camping tool that became available at Level 2 in the outdoor shop, and it cost me three silver coins. The hemp twine costs a silver coin for a decent length. The flint set they sell in town costs three gold coins, but if I sold this for the same price, it’d be ten times the cost I paid—a total rip-off.

But if I price it too low, the flint sets in other stores might not sell at all. I might sell it as a limited item for two gold coins, three pieces a day, to attract customers without putting too much pressure on other shops.

"Alright, from here on, we’ll explore the forest. We’ll move in formation as we discussed this morning."

After finishing our break and lunch, we’re finally entering the forest.

"The Al-Flares Forest is vast, and many monsters reside here. Stay alert at all times."

"Yes!"

"Roya and the others know this, but Tetsuya mentioned he got lost in this forest once. The forest is so expansive that if you wander deep enough, you might get lost for good. Every year, dozens of people end up missing.

If you do lose your way, you can look for red cloth markers tied around some of the trees. The direction of the knot points toward the forest exit."

It seems they’ve taken measures to prevent people from getting lost, but even so, people still go missing every year. The forest lacks distinct landmarks; if there were a large mountain or river nearby, we could use it as a reference point.

"That’s where this comes in! Dah-dah-da-dah!—‘The Compass!’"

"...A compass?"

By now, they no longer react to my catchphrase. A bit lonely…

"This is a compass, a tool that always points in the same direction. With it, we shouldn’t accidentally venture deeper into the forest."

"What?! Such a useful tool exists?!"

Within planets, molten metals, called the mantle, rotate rapidly, turning the planet into a giant magnet. The compass needle reacts to the magnetic field, pointing north and south.

Of course, this is another world, and it may differ from Earth. Still, the compass worked consistently in town and on the plains.

"However, there is one concern. While it worked in town and on the plains, there were rare places where it didn’t work. My main goal for this trip is to test whether the compass functions reliably in this forest."

On Earth, areas with magnetic rocks or volcanic material can interfere with a compass's accuracy.

And this is another world, after all. There could easily be strange substances emitting powerful magnetic fields. If it works in this forest, it’ll reduce the chance of getting lost. Since compasses aren’t sold in town, it could be a unique product that I could offer.

"It really does return to the same direction when I move it!"

"Interesting! Is this a magic tool?"

"Nope, it has nothing to do with magic."

Explaining science would probably be too difficult.

"The red end points north, so even in the forest, if you keep heading south, you’ll eventually find the exit. As we go further into the forest, we’ll check periodically to ensure it stays accurate."

I handed a compass to each person. Now, we’re about to enter the forest. This brings back memories of waking up and finding myself here suddenly. Even though Roya and Lilia are with me this time, I plan to stay vigilant.

"The main approach will be to follow the trail in the forest, occasionally stepping off to search for herbs. Visibility is low, and monsters are plentiful, so we’ll move as a group."

In the forest, there’s a path packed down by frequent travelers. Like in the plains, there are quite a few people near the entrance. As the starting town for adventurers, it seems to attract many rookies.

As Lilia explained, some trees have red cloth tied around them as markers. From time to time, we stepped off the path to search for herbs, checked the compass for direction, and returned to the trail to continue our exploration.