Before I realized it, I was in a lush and green forest.
Looking around, I had no idea why or, for that matter, how I got here.
No matter where I looked, I was surrounded by trees and plants Iād never seen before.
āWhere am I? Iām sure I was playing a game inā¦ā¦ā
ā¦ā¦Gagyat, Gaguaya!
āć»ć»ć»ć»ć»ć»ć»ć»ć»ć»ā
As I noticed the psychedelic colored birds flying overhead, my words trailed off.
My confusion only grew, as they were clearly not creatures from earth.
The possibility of this not being earth was high.
There werenāt any signs of the building youād find on earth, a majestic jungle sprawled in every direction, and the two moons hanging in the sky made my hypothesis all the more probable.
āWhere is this place? This doesnāt seem to be Japanā¦ and there are those weird plants growing everywhere. Iāve never seen such things beforeā¦ā¦ā
The plant, which looked like a combination between a pitcher plant and a rafflesia, let out a crunching sound as its vines dragged a wolf-like creature closer to its central flower.
Even if such a plant existed on earth, I doubt they stood well over two meters tall.
The small fangs growing in the center of the flower where biologically impossible, at the very least.
Suddenly, I felt that something was out of place on my waist.
Laying my eyes upon it, I was at a loss for words.
While there were a few decorations on my belt, it was the two weapons that interested me more. They were items from a game I was quite familiar with.
They were swords.
They were small, one-handed swords that were categorized as aćShort Swordć.
These two player-forged swords, crafted from an abundance of rare materials, were strapped to my waist.
At first I wanted to think that this was the game world, but common sense dictated that that was impossible.
Even as I was thinking that it was impossible, I noticed something else.
I was wearing the slightly dirtied, gray robe that my avatar had been equipped with.
āHah, hahahaā¦ā¦ thatās not supposed to be there, right? Was I teleported into the game? Thatās just a common Light Novel premiseā¦ā
I couldnāt help but laugh.
Because no matter how much I refused to believe it, I already knew the answer.
āStatusā¦ā¦ openā¦ā¦ā
When the words left my lips, I just wanted it to be nothing but a joke.
However, a familiar status screen appeared before my eyes.
My consciousness abandoned me for a brief moment.
āThisā¦ā¦ this isnāt a joke, huhā¦ā¦? This is too elaborateā¦ā¦ to be someoneās prank. Ā What happened to me?ā
āI have transcended the realm of man. These are the dangerous abilities of a superhuman. Seriouslyā¦ā¦ā
I was obvious inhuman.
Even without knowing the standards of this world, I was certain I had to be an abnormality.
In fact, my magic already rivaled that of the gameās Evil God.
Rather, considering that just the five of us had managed to beat it, we were already beyond normal.
I continued to stare at the screen with a blank expression.
āIs, Is thatā¦ā¦ a message? Hmm, senderā¦ā¦ unknownā¦ā
A red envelope was flashing at the bottom of the status screen.
I slowly moved my index finger towards the messageā¦ā¦
āā¦Letās seeā¦ā¦ Huh? God?!ā
The message was titled ćAbout Your Current Situationā”ć.
I had a bad feeling about this.
When I saw the heart, I was already beginning to doubt the god of this world.
ćYahooļ½ā” Goddess Freya-chan here, how are you? Donāt worry and keep your head highļ½ā”ć
āI should just delete this, shouldnāt I? A terrible stench has begun to blanket the areaā¦ā
Noā¦ I was only getting really annoyed for some reason.
This tension is starting to give me a headache.
ćSince thereās not much time, Iāll be quick. 2487 years ago, the hero managed to defeat the evil god and seal him away. However, they ended up being sealed within your game world. In this world, sealing that evil god away came at a great cost, as it was impossible to completely defeat it, you seeć? Ahahahā” ć
āHow annoyingā¦ā¦ why would you do such a thing?!!ā
ćDonāt they toss away non-recyclables in your society? Ā It was the same, back then I didnāt have a better hand to playć And thatās itć In the game that guy was beatable, and sure enough, you did a splendid job of doing that. That thing was so annoyingć I canāt believe such an ugly goddess existed!ā
āć»ć»ć»ć»ć»That was a Goddess? I only saw a lump of entrails.ā
It had reminded me of an esoteric UMA with pieces of other creatures attached to it.
It had looked like an unidentified creature had wrapped the internal organs of a hundred creatures around itself in a horrifying manner.
Even as I tried to remember, I could only recall a discomforting feeling that was unfitting for a goddess.
ćOf course, I didnāt count on her self-destructing. It was a bit hasty, yeahć? And because of thatć, I decided to bring those who died at that time hereć I reconstructed you based on the game dataā”ć
āNo wayā¦ does that mean that, apart from me, others were also dragged into this?ā
ćBecause you defeated the evil godć, you were reborn based on the game data, ya know? This worldās settings arenāt too different from the gameās, so the reincarnation was easy. It was the least I could do, ya knowā”ć
āI want to hit youā¦ā¦ you callously had us dispose of your hazardous waste, I want to beat you up until you cryā¦ā¦ā
No one with an ounce of common sense would have given their lives for such a one-sided plot.
Even I had a future I wanted to strive for.
Though I didnāt knew it at the time, I was tricked into taking part in another personās scams.
There hadnāt been a way to consent to anything.
ćFrom the items you owned to the equipment you had, I recreated everything with stuff from this world, good luckā” Youāre wondering how to make your own consumable items? Well, I placed all the recipes in your brain, take your time to check them outćā” Youāre the same age you were in your real world, and if you want to rejuvenate yourself you have to make some items? Sorry, Sorryć. Waaa, the complaints from the gods managing your old world were rushing in, rushing inā¦ā¦. Because of that I had no other choice but to reincarnate you, ya seeć? ā¦ā¦Resurrection goes against the natural order after allć Ā For all of those reasons, ćplease enjoy the remainder of your life in this worldā” Well thenć bye-byeā”ć
I understood the why, but that still didnāt improve my situation.
Even so, I have no idea where I actually am, just standing around in an unknown forest.
That goddessā attitude pissed me off more than anything.
āEach ā” only annoyed me more and more. ā¦ā¦ I understand the current situation, but I wonder if are there any people living around this placeā¦ā
It was dangerous to move without knowing where you were.
The fact that this world resembled the game meant that it was possible that monsters roamed this world.
I began to look for the high ground after that thought crossed my mind.
āThis should workā¦ā¦ ćWings of the Dark Crowćā
āWings of the Dark Crowā was a flight magic I had created.
After numerous experiments, I managed to create a spell that decreased the magic consumption of the inefficient basic flight spell.
According to the game settings, residents of the world were supposed to have a magic database in their brains.
By improving basic magic and storing the alterations away, it was possible to invoke various spells.
In addition, it was possible to take the spell from storage and alter it as you pleased.
As a result, I was able to craft as many spells as I could imagine.
The magic manifested in this world.
I was freed from the bounds of gravity and began to rise into the sky.
Despite being in my forties, I was as giddy as a child until I remembered my purpose and began scanning the area.
Howeverā¦ā¦
āThereās nothing but forestā¦ā¦ Where can I find a town?ā
I could see the lush forest and a mountain, yet I didnāt find a place where people lived.
I searched for a basic town or village, but found nothing.
āNo matter how you look at it, this is a punishment game, right? Thatā¦ā¦ā
Despite my griping, I continued to anxious fly about.
I was like a migrating bird without a flockā¦ā¦
āććāććāććā
When I noticed that my magic power was running low, I descended to the ground to rest for a few hours before resuming my search.
Even after all this time, I still hadnāt seen a town or a village.
At this point, it may be necessary to camp out tonight.
If I wanted to survive, I needed food because otherwise I would starve and die.
āEven if I say thatćā¦ā¦ā
The message had said that all my possessions had been recreated, but I didnāt see a speck of food in my inventory.
When I played the game, I would properly gather the food we needed for our adventures, but now it was a matter of survival.
Fortunately, the seasonings were there, but I didnāt have any cooking implements.
āI have no choice but to huntā¦ā¦ What animals are even eatable in this world?ā
Though I complained, I still pulled the bow out of my inventory and strapped a quiver to my back.
I was aiming for small animals, but I had a big problem.
āNow that I think about it, Iāve never hunted before. Yamada-san offered to take me butā¦ā¦ā
Since I lived in the country, neighborly relations had been deeply ingrained in me.
I remembered the time we brought down a wild boar that had been damaging crops, but that was only possible because a hunter had been nearby to give instructions.
This was my first time hunting alone, and if I failed to secure food I would die.
Since I couldnāt exchange my stomach for a full one, I erased my presence and began searching for pray.
My friends and I had made it for fun, but I didnāt think it had all that much practical use.
Dismantling the prey wasnāt an issue if they all exploded.
It was impossible to procure food with this.
āCalm downā¦ā¦ If I remember currently, I should have the ćDiscretionćskill. I can use that, somehowā¦ā
The prey was killed in a single blow before exploding.
If I lower the power using āDiscretionā, I could deliver the killing blow with a knife.
I resumed my search for prey with that thought.
āThis timeā¦ā¦ā
The next time I shot the arrow properly and critically wounded the prey.
Switching to a knife, I delivered the decisive blow to the rabbit.
I breathed a relieved sigh when another explosion didnāt go off.
No, the only problem was dismantling it.
āDoing it by a stream would be good.ā
As I was wandering around, I killed three more rabbits.
I was hungry, but not that much.
Other carnivores might smell the blood, but that doesnāt necessarily mean they will come to attack me.
āāāGya, Gigya, Gigyagya!
And just like thatā¦ā¦
āGo-Goblins!?ā
A constant fixture within fantasy worlds.
The king of small fries. If you saw one, there were hundreds of them.
The promised monster to which G was attached.
I whistled like a detective out of a period drama when I saw the goblin.
The forest began to rustle as the number of goblins increased.
āThis isnāt funny!!ā
I ran away as fast as my legs could take me.
While I could hunt rabbits, I couldnāt bring myself do the same to humanoids.
It wasnāt because I couldnāt win the fight, I ran because I had an aversion to murder, like anyone raised in modern society.
I was never prepared to live in a harsh environment prior to this.
It was a while before I noticed something.
Even though I fled with all my might, the goblins continued their pursuit.
Though I was fast, they had an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Whenever a goblin blocked my path I would pivot in another direction, but there was always another goblin waiting for me.
Their numbers gradually increased to well over a hundred.
āWhatās with this damn foreeeeeessssssttttttttttt!!?ā
I was at a loss.
Unbeknownst to me back then, this vast and unpopulated forest was known as the ćDark Forest of Fafuranćā¦ā¦
It was a wild kingdom inhabited by a number of demons, some of which hadnāt even been discovered yet.
There were many monster hordes that numbered in the thousands, and goblins were just a staple race.
I wanted to escape using my flight magic, but the myriad arrows flying around kept my feet on the ground.
This was the strength of numbers.
While I desperately ran, I noticed something like a light up ahead.
I approached it like a moth attracted to a flame.
A village suddenly appeared before his eyes.
No, given its size, it was more accurate to call it a town.
āAm, am I savedā¦ā¦ ugah?!ā
Even as I had that thought, I realized my mistake.
A large horde of goblins was waiting there for me.
I was heading straight for a goblin village.
I couldnāt stop laughing at myself for jumping headfirst into enemy territory.
āAhaā¦ā¦Ahahahahhaā¦ā¦ā
My mind was heading in a dangerous direction.
āāāGigiya! Gyogyagyagya!!
Goblins surrounded me with weapons in hand, ready to kill and devour their prey.
However, the goblins also failed to notice something.
The being reflected in their eyes had already reached its breaking pointā¦ā¦
āAll of youā¦ā¦ Just disappeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!ā
A magical storm suddenly began to rage.
The monsters trembled with fear.
But it was already too lateā¦ā¦ the forbidden magic had been unleashed.
āćDark Judgementćā
An enormous, jet-black sphere of magic suddenly appeared, creating smaller spheres of the same color that mercilessly swallowed the goblins.
Thunder and whirlwinds blanked the sky as the spheres obliterated the goblins and the ground they stood on.
Itād turned into a one-sided massacre.
It was a spell I had created in the game after repeatedly fighting the Evil God and scientifically analyzing its attacks.
The goblin village was utterly devastated, and a large crater had been left in its place.
However, that wasnāt the end, because a giant explosion was created around the caster.
The super gravity magic ćDark Judgmentćbasically created a black hole that was moments away from going critical and randomly releasing its energy.
The goblins were reduced to quantum units and used as fuel for this incredibly destructive attack.
The more enemies there were, the greater the spellās power, and it didnāt end until all of the enemies were wiped out.
It was an utterly terrifying spell.
By the time my brain began to function again, it looked as if an enormous meteor had struck the area.
It was as if a small lunar crater had been born.
āā¦ā¦Iāve committed an irreparable mistakeā¦ā
That was an understatement.
Although I survived, the strength of my magic was far beyond my imagination.
The fact that it only consumed a hundred mana was a cruel joke.
Iād just unleashed a natural disaster.
The goblins had left a massive amount of magic stones in their wake.
When a monster was slain, it left behind a magic stone that was harder than diamonds.
For that reason, the stones were left behind even after that spell of annihilation.
Of course, there were items capable of breaking the stones but they were few and far between. Still, Iād come across an excess of magic stones.
āć»ć»ć»ć»Letās look for a water source.ā
Though I said that, my mind was far from being calm.
Iād realized just how insanely far outside the norm I was.
I moved on with heavy steps, like a wandering ghost.
Hours later, I finally came across a spring.
The water was so transparent that I could even see the fish swimming through it.
I endured my hunger as I tried to dismantle the forest rabbit.
In the game, there was a knife you could make that guaranteed a successful dismantling.
āDismantlingā¦ā¦ how do you do that?ā
Despite hunger threatening to overwhelm me, my lack of experience doing this caused me to hesitate.
On top of that, I was in the middle of a monster-filled, unknown wilderness.
As I struggled to figure out what to do, something amazing happened in front of my eyes.
āā¦ā¦Iāmā¦ dismantling it?ā
My hands where cleanly separating the meat from one of the forest rabbits.
Not even a drop of blood landed on the fur.
This was yet another abnormal situation.
āThereās no helping it. On to the next oneā¦ Huh?ā
The moment the forest rabbit was relieved of its appetizing meat, my arms unconsciously reached for another one.
Such frightening speed.
I was amazed by what I was seeing.
āPerhapsā¦ā¦ this is the synergy of my class-skills?ā
I had the ćHuntingćandćDismantlingćskills after all.
The skill corrections must have greatly enhanced my hunting capabilities.
Skills were divided into five ranks: <Apprentice>, < Master>, <Demon>, <Emperor> and <God>, with the proficiency gap between each level being incredibly large.
Well, those basic names were subject to change depending on oneās class.
Combined with my physical skills, the processing speed must have been increased exponentially.
In order to advance an occupational skillā¦ fencing, for example, youād need to max out the ćFencingćskill before ascending to the next level.
Most of my occupational skills were at the rank of <God>, leaps and bounds above mastery.
The precise high-speed-dismantling was something observers wouldnāt be able to follow.
āThis is no longer within the realm of humansā¦ā¦ Wouldnāt it be better if I live in seclusion?
I need to gain experiences with an abundant number of skills
While I had been deeply invested in the game, things changed when everything was brought into reality.
If it came to it, Iād cause nothing trouble for any country I stepped foot in.
I wanted to avoid that if possible.
āBesides, Iād like to get married at some pointā¦ā¦ that would be impossible if Iām considered a monsterćā¦ā¦ā
It was a serious problem for a DT like me.
I had enough materials to make rejuvenation potions, but that was also out of the question.
Furthermore, I didnāt even have money in this world.
āHmm, it helps that this worldās standard currency mirrored the Japanese Yen, butā¦ā¦ā
The conversation should be 1 Gol to 1 Yen.
From there it went to five Gol, ten Gol, fifty Gol, a hundred Gol and five hundred Gol.
Everything was in gold coins, but their value was determined by size.
It was common sense in this world that alchemists were constantly crafting Gol, and that ten million Gol was a gold brick rather than a piece of currency.
Unlike on earth, gold was relatively cheap and easy to come by.
Sitting by myself as I roasted the rabbit meat was pretty lonely.
Still, there was something to distract myself from that loneliness.
āNow that I think about itā¦ā¦ the price of a life should be low in this world. A thief might try to kill me if they show upā¦ā¦Haaćā
According to the in-game settings, there shouldāve been multiple nations throughout the world.
A personās status depended on whatever country they belonged to.
In some countries, magicians were given the cold shoulder, some nations discriminated against a certain group of people and others had mandatory military service.
Those were the settings at least, but it was impossible to know if they still applied to this world.
Even if I was reluctant to participate in criminal activates, in the future I might end up in a situation where I needed to act decisively.
In order to survive, it was better to attract as little attention as possible.
āWell, thereās no point in thinking about it nowā¦ā¦ the food is done.ā
I brought the skewed meat to my lips.
āDeliciousā¦ā¦ā
In a nook of the Dark Forest of Fafuran, an ossan ate his meal alone.
I silently devoured the rabbit meat as if Iād returned to a primitive age.
But I continued to eat.
I was just so hungry.
After that, I tied myself to a tree branch and went to sleep.
I slept like that because it was safer than sleeping on the ground, but my sore backside the next morning stopped me from ever doing it again.
āTo be honest, that was the worst night of my life. Aaā¦ā¦ my butt hurtsā¦ā
The way that came out was a bit misleading.
āLetās get a better grasp of my skills as I hunt. How about swordsmanship?ā
The weapons I had now were perfect in terms of power.
Or rather, they were the definition of excessive force.
The plain looking swords attached to my waist were forged with the best methods I had had available, but their appearance was a bit of a joke.
Although all of my equipment was plain, that had been done to mislead others.
The same could be said for my stubble, unkempt hair and the simple bangs that hide my eyes.
The slightly rounded back completed the look of slightly messy ossan.
However, this ossan had been abnormally strong in the game.
If people actually possessed levels of insane power, it was obvious that other people would be frightened and avoided those people.
I wanted to deflect envy and jealousy, but I also wanted to avoid loneliness.
A lonely life must be prevented at all cost.
So I needed to overcome my opponents with as little strength as possible.
The safest option was to restrain myself to the common standard.
However, I didnāt know what that standard was.
āFor now, I just have to get used to my bodyā¦ā¦ so troublesomeā¦ā
Iād spent 10 years living a slow life in the countryside, so it was a bit difficult to motivate myself now.
Yet Iām not old enough to sayćOre, TUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!ć.
I would like to achieve my small dream to have a family.
With that said, I had no other choice but to keep my power under control.
āAre there any good opponentsā¦ā¦ā
When I said that, I detected some kind of biological reaction in the area.
These automatic skills were really useful.
*rustle*
I placed my hands on my swords as I listened to the plants and trees rustling.
The monster that appeared had a pigās head and an obese body.
It was a common orc.
āćOrc Meatćā¦ā¦ I can eat this. If I can kill itā¦ā¦ā
It was a commonly eaten monster.
Monster meat was really tasty if you could get a hold of it.
At the same time, it was famous as the erotic monster of fantasy worlds, and that doesnāt seem to have been changed in this world.
They were extremely fertile, had strong sex drives and there werenāt that many female orcs.
Mass breeding often resulted in major battle events in the game.
Their militant and omnivorous nature meant that orcs were a monster that constantly had to be subjugated.
I instinctively drew my swords and slew the orc.
It was an instant kill.
āā¦What can you call a situation like this one? How much of a monster am Ić?ā
The Orc had noticed me.
However, Iād been moving so fast that it hadnāt even had time to defend itself.
Iād been like a phantom.
After quickly dismantling the Orc, I moved on to my next target.
This pattern continued for a while.
In conclusion, the sayingćso powerful itās no longer funnyćwas appropriate.
āAcquiring food is guaranteedā¦ā¦ but its only meat, as expectedā¦ā¦ā
Only meat for three meals a day would grow tiring.
I did search for edible plants, but I could only find medicinal herbs for some reason.
The ćBloody Belladonnaćhad no other use besides making poison.
While the toxins had medicinal properties, it was a useless without the proper equipment.
Though I could practice making magical medicines, with no vessels to store them, it would just be a waste of time.
The number of wasteful things had increased at that moment.
āBreadā¦ā¦with a bowl of white rice.ā
On the second day of my wilderness survival, I was ready to give up.
Although I was originally a farmer used to inconveniences, survival in solitary exile was difficult.
When I came across other beings, they werenāt native people, they were monsters that took me for food.
I came across them at a rather high frequency.
My on-hand materials increased but my meal circumstances hadnāt changed.
I was disgusted by such a brutal situation.
It was impossible for a person from modern society to immediately adapt to such a primitive lifestyle.
The fact of the matter was that if I didnāt remain focused I could easily die.
āWhy isnāt there any wild grass in this mountain of greenery. Ā I canāt get enough nutrients from meat aloneā¦ā¦ā
Only complaints left my mouth.
āI donāt believe in godā¦ā¦ The gods are my enemies!ā