Vol 1: Chapter 3
There were trees all around which bore the mysterious green fruit. It seems that right now was the season for the fruit to grow, and I saw some fruits which have already been half eaten.
My possessions were things necessary for excavation of skill orbs in the mine. An empty backpack, a waist tool bag with a chisel and a stone of reasonable size, which I used in place of a hammer. And the glowing phosphorus stone from old man Hinga.
My clothes were tattered and shabby, but my shoes were made of sturdy leather, and the soles were made of wood. I was quite used to these shoes by now and I don’t even get blisters anymore. However, it is not very suitable for walking long distances, and I often slip when walking on muddy surfaces.
「Hmm? This leaf is…」
I saw a leaf that looked like mugwort, but it seems to be “slightly toxic“ as per 【World Ruler】. But I also learned that it could be used to erase my tattoo, so I picked a few of those leaves and rubbed it on my wrist.
A refreshing scent rose together with green sap.
「It’s… fading?」
Although the effectiveness wasn’t quite apparent, the tattoo seemed slightly fainter… Well, it’s harmless on the skin, so I just applied it without worrying much. The smell was not bad either.
I pulled out a lot of mugwort, stuffed it between my waist strap and started walking.
I didn’t manage to arrive in the next town on that day.
At the border between the forest and the grasslands, I encamped on a tree branch and greeted the night. After that, I ate acorns and mulberries that I picked earlier, while watching the moon.
When I was in Japan, although it was a provincial city, I grew up in a place where there were only rice fields around my house. Because it was not too urban, the starry sky must have surely been much more beautiful than in Tokyo.
…But how about this place I wonder
「Wow…」
There were several streams of stardust just like the Milky Way in the sky. A crescent moon which seemed like it was sewn into the night sky was the same as Earth.
If you think carefully, although the constellations are different, there is a moon, there is air, and the shape of human beings is the same. In short, the evolution process is the same. You can even call it a copy of Earth. Well, there are also impossible elements such as magic and skills, though.
I would probably never learn the origin of this world. Even back on Earth, not everything was understood about our universe. There were many people who didn’t believe in evolution theory from the Big Bang, right?
The leaves in the grassland swayed as wind blew. It was a quiet night with no howling dogs nor buzzing insects.
「…Hmm?」
Beyond the grasslands, the mountain ridge looked dark. A shadow cast over them.
I saw a silhouette resembling a bird.
Wait, wait, wait. Wait a minute! Why can I see a bird from this distance?!
The silhouette opened its mouth wide toward the sky.
–ROAR!
It shot a white sphere of light which illuminated even the surroundings of where I was. The sphere scattered in the sky like shooting stars and pierced the ground in a parabola.
–ROAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!
After a while, a roar reached where I was. Followed by an explosion sound.
「W-W-W-W-What the hell is that?!!!」
Few seconds later, the ground started shaking, as did the tree I was on.
And I finally realized the reason why there were no signs of wild dogs and animals tonight and why insects did not buzz. Because that giant creature appeared.
Animals which were more used to the wild than me were already in hiding.
【World Ruler】 was silent regarding the black silhouette. Was it because it could not be identified by the silhouette alone? However, it did provide information regarding the light saying, 「Harmless since it won’t reach here.」
The silhouette disappeared as it blended into the ridge of the mountain.
Isn’t that the direction of the mine?
【World Ruler】 answered「Yes」, as I thought to myself.
The next town came into view.
Just as I – tired of sleeping outdoors and walking unsteadily overwhelmed by a lack of sleep – was about to celebrate…
I saw the area around the gate connected to the highway buzzing with guards.
「–Slaves?」
「–From the mine…」
As the wind carried such words to my ear, I quietly moved away from them.
…This place is a no, too.
I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks after being careful so far.
…I feel tired, though! And sleepy! And lonely!
Be that as it may, I had no choice but to adapt to my survival life.
Wake up on a tree in the morning. If there is a stream nearby, wash my face and rinse my mouth. Walk while rubbing mugwort on my wrist. It does feel as though the tattoo has faded slightly. Maybe I’m just imagining it.
Then, I pick and eat edible fruits and seeds. I was lucky that the forest was blessed with lots of edible plants.
I was craving to eat bread, pasta, rice, meat, and fish, but I think I can continue this survival lifestyle for another week. By that time, I might become a great country bumpkin.
Two days have passed since then. I haven’t arrived in the next town yet.
I first noticed a strange odor.
「Hmm? Food…?」
The odor of burning spices struck my nose. At first I thought it was just my hallucination, but when I confirmed it with 【World Ruler】, it seemed that my nose was correct.
There was a trio of people sitting around a bonfire in a small open area in the forest, about 100 meters away from me. One was a large man. Another was a woman who looked like a nun. And the other was a person with a small frame wearing a hood over their face.
It was almost dusk, and they were roasting skewered meat over the bonfire.
–GULP
I thought I heard something loud, but it just turned out to be me gulping unconsciously. I estimated earlier that I could continue my survival lifestyle for the next five days, but that is impossible. I will die if I don’t eat meat right now. 【World Ruler】 answered,「It will be okay for another 10 days.」Shut up!
「…Ooohh」
But I can’t do something as stupid as showing myself to them. For now, my reasoning still holds the upper hand. Even though I fled from the mine through the forest with all this effort, it is beyond stupid and dangerous to reveal myself to unknown people.
-Gigigigi
Again, I thought I heard something, but it was just my teeth chattering.
Dude, do you want to eat meat that much? Yes! I want to eat! ……Won’t those people just go to the toilet at the same time by some miracle? Won’t those meat please just fly like a rocket and fall into my hands? Wait a minute, do you really want to eat such spooky meat? Yes! I want meat no matter what!
「My mind is going crazy.」
I leaned on a tree, as I feared my reasoning deteriorating.
…This smell drives a man crazy. I can smell the gravy boiling. Aaah!
「Let’s leave…」
Just when I was about to turn my back on the bonfire adventurers,
「!」
A branch was extending over the petite adventurer wearing a hood. It was a serpent which resembled a branch.
Poisonous. Extremely strong. If it bit your arm, you have no choice but to cut it off, and if it’s the torso, you can’t escape death – information flowed in from 【World Ruler】. Run away. Run away. Run away.
Startled, I looked at it again. The snake was flicking its tongue right above the petite adventurer.
…Is it going to bite that person?!
「A-Above!」
At that moment, I cast aside my current situation, the risks, their identities, and all such things, and gave a shout. I broke into a run towards them. The large man looked back, startled, pulled out a dagger that was right next to him. The light from the bonfire was reflected on the blade.
「Up! Look up!」
「Wait, Dante. That kid is saying something!」
「But…」
「Look Upppppp…. Snaaaaaaake!!!」
「Eh? Snake?」
When the petite adventurer looked up, the serpent was just about to fall on her. Everything played in slow motion to me. It was painfully obvious that I was out of reach. The large man gripping the dagger only cared about me and didn’t even look at it. The nun was just looking flustered. As for the petite adventurer, the hood fell off as they looked up. What appeared was a long, amber-colored hair. It was intricately braided and was tied together by colorful beads – probably gems. The petite adventurer was a woman wearing shaman-like attire.
The snake was reflected in her large, clear blue eyes.
