The Ability to Shift Anything is Convenient, Even in Another World!

That afternoon, the Great Forest of Drys—one of the largest forests on the continent—was alive with movement. Countless species of monsters and insects roamed, locked in the struggle for survival. Rare trees, shrubs, and plants thrived in abundance, adding to the forest’s untamed beauty.

Yet, amidst this uncharted wilderness, a newly formed settlement had taken root. It lay just two hundred and fifty meters from Fiur Mountain, a towering peak standing at three hundred and ten meters. On the mountain’s far side, a massive cavern entrance yawned into the stone, shrouded in shadow.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the villagefolk, the settlement had finally taken shape. Seventeen houses now stood, each sheltering a family that had barely escaped the tragedy of their previous home. Though the scars of their loss remained, the villagers pressed forward, forging a new beginning in the depths of the forest.

After their discussion, Soru, Reika, Alguis, and Veylir went about their own tasks. Reika and Alguis accompanied the old man, Silas, as he roamed the settlement, identifying and assessing the problems the villagers faced.

Meanwhile, Soru began his training session with Aeden, focusing on mastering the Phantom Combat Technique.

"There are two core steps to executing this technique: movement and timing," Aeden explained. "First, when approaching your target, you must remain undetected. If they sense your presence, your attack will be wasted."

"You must avoid their perception entirely. Once you’re within range, you immobilize them—either by kicking their legs to disrupt their balance or by pinning them to the ground with a direct tackle."

Soru listened in silence, absorbing every word. Beside Aeden, Völun stood with his arms crossed, observing the lesson unfold.

"Now, I’ll demonstrate how it’s done. Völun, stand over there," Aeden instructed.

"Why am I involved in this?" Völun grumbled.

"Enough with the complaints. Just do as I say."

"Alright, alright! Geez..." he muttered, walking to the designated spot.

The moment he turned back toward Aeden, she took a single step—and vanished before his eyes.

"What the...?!"

Völun immediately scanned the area, searching for any trace of her. As he frantically looked around, a single footstep echoed from his right. Instinctively, he turned—only to find nothing.

"This is the first step of the Phantom Combat Technique: moving without your target detecting your presence," Aeden’s voice came from behind him.

Völun spun, attempting a counterattack, but Aeden was faster. In a swift motion, she kicked his lower leg, forcing him to his knees. Before he could react, she locked his arms behind his back and immobilized his legs with her own.

"This technique isn’t complex, but executing it properly is difficult. You’ll need to train repeatedly to master its speed and precision," Aeden said, addressing Soru.

"Ow… Would you please unhand me now?" Völun groaned.

Aeden stood and released him. Dusting himself off, Völun scowled.

"The sun is still up. Are you ready to apply what you’ve learned?" Aeden asked Soru.

Soru nodded silently and stepped closer. Seeing his determination, Aeden smiled and continued his training, guiding him through the intricacies of the Phantom Combat Technique.

Hours passed, and evening fell. Alguis, Reika, and Silas had completed their assessment of the settlement. Meanwhile, Soru, Aeden, and an utterly exhausted Völun wrapped up their training.

"Kid," Völun groaned, rubbing his temples. "Why the hell did you use your ability to transfer your fatigue onto me? I was sitting the whole time, but now I feel like I was the one training!"

"Manners, Völun! Remember what His Majesty instructed us when speaking to him!" Aeden scolded.

Völun fell silent, though his grumbling didn't stop.

"And besides," Aeden added, "only the fatigue is transferred. His muscle gains remain. It’s just that his stamina is inexhaustible."

As Völun muttered complaints under his breath, Aeden’s thoughts drifted back to their training session with Soru.

At first, I couldn’t believe it when he told us. But after watching him train for hours without breaking a sweat... it makes sense. Given that he possesses abilities beyond our comprehension, it’s possible he has something as absurd as fatigue transfer.

With this power, he could fight for days… no, even weeks or months without rest!

"Hey! There you are, Aeden, Völun, and Sir Soru!" a familiar voice called out to them.

"Your Ma—Sir Alguis!" Aeden corrected herself mid-sentence.

"You two go ahead... I need to rest," Völun muttered before trudging away.

Aeden and Soru walked toward Alguis.

"Where’s Völun?" Alguis asked.

"He’s just a little tired. He went to rest," Aeden replied.

"Is that so? If that's the case, we’ll have dinner first, then head to the meeting room without him. I want both of you to join the discussion."

"Discussion?" Aeden asked, puzzled.

As the three of them made their way to the dining table outside the large house, they spotted Reika eating while conversing with Sylva. She had changed out of her uniform and was now dressed in casual clothes lent to her by Sylva.

Reika glanced at them briefly, her eyes lingering on Soru for a moment, but she paid no further attention and continued her conversation.

Once they had finished their meal, the house door creaked open, and Silas stepped outside.

"Sir Alguis, the meeting room is ready."

Alguis stood, placing his dishes on the table. "Let's go."

Reika and Sylva, having overheard, also got up.

"We'll talk later, Sylva. We have a discussion with Mister Silas," Reika said.

"Mhm, I need to check on my siblings and make sure they’re asleep," Sylva replied before heading off.

The four entered the house and proceeded to the meeting room. Inside, a simple long table sat at the center, surrounded by chairs. Aeden remained standing behind Alguis as the others took their seats.

"Aeden, sit beside me," Alguis said.

Without hesitation, she pulled out the chair and sat next to him.

"Now," Silas began, "I’d like to address the problems the settlement currently faces—or will face in the near future. The first issue is our food supply. While clean water isn't a concern thanks to the well and the nearby river, food remains our most pressing problem."

"Hunting is the most efficient solution for now, given how recently you relocated here," Alguis replied. "I, Aeden, and Völun will handle that."

"It may be possible to solve our food problem for now, but hunting isn't a sustainable long-term solution. We need to become self-sufficient rather than relying on you indefinitely," Silas stated firmly.

Alguis rested his chin on his hand while Reika watched him closely.

"Now that we have a potential solution for food, a second issue arises—the safety of the hunters," Silas continued. "The Great Forest of Drys is home to countless monsters. Now that we’ve settled deep within it, the risk of attacks is much higher."

Alguis raised his hand, signaling for a turn to speak. Silas nodded, and Alguis lowered his hand before responding.

"I have a proposal. We will train your men in basic combat techniques so they can defend themselves the next time they go hunting."

"That’s a great idea!" Silas exclaimed. "We have only a handful of guards left, and our manpower isn’t enough to fend off those pesky monsters!"

"But hunting alone won’t be efficient at this rate," Reika interjected.

Silas and Alguis turned to her.

"Do you have an explanation for that, Miss Reika?" Alguis asked.

"According to the book Silas' son wrote, only four monster species in this forest are edible, right? The rest absorb aeon into their bodies, which causes their meat to taste awful," Reika explained.

Silas pondered for a moment before nodding.

"You’re right. If we rely solely on hunting, we’ll have limited food options. Plus, we haven’t considered the possibility of hunting scarcity."

"Hunting scarcity?" Alguis repeated.

"It’s a phenomenon where predator monsters become highly active, forcing prey monsters—the edible ones—to hide. When that happens, hunting them becomes incredibly difficult," Silas explained.

"So we need to find an alternative solution, huh…" Alguis murmured.

"What if we grow our own crops for consumption?" Reika suggested.

"Oh… That might be a good idea!" Silas exclaimed.

"We attempted it in the past, but due to poor soil quality, only wheat could grow. Fruits and vegetables couldn’t flourish, so we relied on wandering merchants to obtain them. Now, with everything that happened, our stock is completely depleted…"

"But this is a forest," Reika pointed out. "The soil here should be rich. I’m certain that any crops we plant will thrive."

Silas nodded but then hesitated. "But… where would we even get seeds?"

"You don’t have to worry about that," Reika said.

Silas watched in confusion as she reached into her pocket and pulled out three small pouches, carefully placing them on the table.

"Luckily, Sylva had some seeds stored away and gave these to me this afternoon. She said they're lettuce, carrot, and tomato seeds she bought from a wandering merchant. When she heard about our food problem, she decided to help by sharing them with us."

Silas’ expression brightened at first, relieved to see a viable solution—until, moments later, a new concern clouded his face.

"Uhm, that’s good, Miss Reika. But the problem is… we have no experience planting these crops. We only know how to grow wheat, and that’s it," Silas admitted.

"Don’t worry about that! I have some knowledge of how to plant these vegetables," Reika assured him.

"As expected from Miss Reika!" Alguis chuckled. "Since we dwarves live in mountain ranges, we’ve never had the opportunity to farm. Knowledge about agriculture is something we severely lack."

"Now that we have the seeds and someone who knows how to plant them, our food problem is as good as solved!" Silas exclaimed.

"With that issue settled, are there any other concerns?" Alguis asked.

"Besides housing and clothing, which are still manageable, there’s nothing urgent for now," Silas replied.

"Then this meeting is concluded," Alguis declared, rising from his seat.

The others followed suit, nodding in agreement.

As Alguis and Silas continued their discussion with Aeden beside them, Reika and Soru stepped outside to get some fresh air.

"Hahh… Finally, it’s over. Sitting there for too long is exhausting," Reika sighed.

She turned to Soru and found him gazing silently at the night sky.

"Hey, I noticed you’ve been with Aeden all afternoon. Did you two do something?" Reika asked.

"I watched them train," Soru answered bluntly.

"That’s kind of lame…"

"Not really. Their technique piqued my interest, so I decided to learn it."

Reika was surprised. Soru rarely showed interest in things that didn’t directly concern him.

"Really? Why’s that?"

"It could help me minimize casualties against my opponents."

Hearing such an unexpected response, Reika chuckled.

"Pff… Yeah, considering all you ever do is leave them with serious injuries!"

Soru didn’t reply, his gaze still fixed on the night sky.

"How do you feel after learning something new?" Reika asked.

"It’s nothing much."

"Nothing much?"

"It’s the same as physical education exercises—using our bodies for grades—or studying textbooks to pass exams," Soru said. "In the end, it’s all just a monotonous cycle. People do things to reach a goal, repeating the process over and over. It’s kind of pointless."

Reika stared at him as he spoke, then looked up at the sky, feeling the cold breeze brush past her.

"If you see it that way, then you’re mistaken," she said.

"You’re only looking at the start and the end, like judging a book by its cover. But if you truly want to understand, you have to open it—turn and observe its pages—and see what lies within," Reika said.

"The process holds countless opportunities: experiences, interactions with others, and sensations you've never known before. Those are just a few examples."

"There may only be two doors—an entrance and an exit—but along the way, there are windows, openings to possibilities you can’t afford to ignore."

Soru met her gaze, a thought forming in his mind.

"By that logic… if I focus on the process instead of just the goal, I might gain something I desire without even realizing it?"

"Hmm… Maybe," Reika said with a thoughtful smile. "You might come across something your inner self truly longs for—like passion or emotions."

Soru turned his eyes back to the sky.

"It seems… thinking two-dimensionally is inefficient," he murmured before falling silent.

Then, after a pause, he asked, "Do you think… if I continue training, my emotions will surface on their own, without me noticing?"

Reika smiled at Soru’s conclusion, patting his shoulder before giving him a thumbs-up.

"It’s possible! Since you started out of a desire to master it, maybe it’ll help you overcome your struggle with emotions too!"

Soru glanced at her briefly before turning his gaze back to the sky.

"Is that so..."

The two stood in silence, watching the stars flicker majestically above. But their quiet moment was soon interrupted by a familiar voice from behind.

"Miss Reika, Mister Soru. I apologize for the interruption, but I must inform you that Mister Alguis has finished preparing your room for the time being."

Reika turned around and saw Silas calling for them. She recalled Alguis mentioning earlier that he had prepared a room for her.

Following the old man inside the large house, Reika and Soru soon spotted Alguis standing by a door, which she assumed led to her assigned room.

"Miss Reika, Mister Soru, I’ve prepared a room for both of you," Alguis announced.

Reika blinked in surprise.

"W-With him? Don’t tell me…!"

Her expression shifted when she glanced inside. Alguis noticed her reaction and asked with concern.

"Is something wrong, Miss Reika? Is the room not to your liking? You seem disappointed—"

"N-No… It’s totally fine!"

"I-Is that so?"

The room was simple but well-arranged. Two beds were placed on opposite sides, separated by a wooden table. Above it, a torch cast a dim glow, its low combustion rate preventing any risk of igniting the wooden structure.

"I apologize for my poor craftsmanship," Alguis said. "The beds are simple in design, but they’re sturdy."

"No, it’s okay! As long as we can sleep soundly, there’s no greater gratitude than that, Mister Alguis!"

"I’m glad you appreciate it."

"We’ll be heading to our own rooms now. Call us if you need anything," Silas added before leaving.

With a nod, Alguis stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Soru and Reika moved to their respective beds.

"I’ll take the bed near the window. You sleep there," Reika instructed.

Soru didn’t say a word. He simply walked to the other side of the room and sat on the bed.

Reika’s eyes lingered on him for a moment. His clothes looked surprisingly clean. After everything they’d been through since arriving in this world, she couldn’t recall a single time when he had changed them.

"H-Hey… I noticed your clothes are always in perfect condition. Did you…?"

"I transferred all the stains onto someone else’s to keep my uniform clean," Soru answered bluntly.

Reika sighed. She had already anticipated his absurd reasoning, yet hearing it still left her in mild dismay.

Without another word, Soru lay down, shut his eyes, and instantly drifted off to sleep.

Reika settled into her own bed, glancing over at him. His breathing was steady, completely at ease.

"That was too fast…" Reika murmured while shaking her head.

"Even though he’s a powerful individual, he sure is a carefree one."