Chapter 3

Feeling a slight sense of lethargy.

After confirming the trail of light that had passed through, the remains of the monster with its upper body blown off were left behind.

There was no bleeding, and no internal organs were exposed.

Just as I was on guard, thinking it wouldn't revive, it made a sound like breaking glass and vanished like mist.

As expected, it fundamentally differed from a living being with blood.

Perhaps it was created by magic.

"Did I get it this time?"

While making an ominous victory declaration, I checked the area where the monster had disappeared and found a palm-sized lump of flesh-like material and a ring.

The piece of flesh was not grotesque like an organ; it was square and smooth, resembling a designed wax sculpture.

Regardless of the meat, I couldn't imagine Mr. Bear wearing a ring.

So...

I made up my mind and put the ring on my left pinky finger.

I chose the non-dominant pinky to minimize potential damage.

"Ow!"

I was surprised when the ring glowed the moment I put it on, but there was no pain.

The ring blinked once and automatically adjusted to fit perfectly.

The sensation was so minimal that I could forget I was wearing it unless I looked at it.

Then, a window with a light arrow pointing to the ring floated in front of me, and text was written inside it.

'Identification Ring / Rank 6'

...I had a hunch, but it turned out to be a convenient tool called a drop item in games.

The ring, which has the ability to identify objects, was identifying itself.

The explanation window couldn't be touched and seemed to be displayed directly in my mind.

"Wow, amazing."

As I marveled at the ring, more detailed explanations appeared.

'Displays a summary of the object seen. Rank is proportional to detail and distance.'

It seems that I can identify more details by focusing on the object.

The performance of the item is displayed in stages according to its rank, making it easy to understand.

"Well, let's see how the piece of flesh is."

With this wonderful new toy in hand, I immediately tried to identify it.

'Black Bear / 100 kg of Rank 6 meat. Touch the item and wish for restoration to return it to its original state. It degrades over time after restoration.'

Yeah, that's it.

There are many points to consider, so let's sort them out one by one.

First, monsters have ranks.

The higher the rank, the stronger they are likely to be.

The upper limit of ranks is unknown, so it's unclear how strong a Rank 6 monster is.

Next, the piece of flesh is also an item.

It seems to be a compressed and coated state of raw meat.

It doesn't degrade unless restored. It's small and easy to carry in its initial compressed state, which is very convenient.

The amount and quality of the meat may be proportional to the rank.

Finally, the creature I defeated was a created being.

The fact that the remains disappeared and were converted into items is evidence of this.

So, the piece of flesh was a regular drop item, and the ring was a rare item.

I placed the piece of flesh on the ground and touched it with my fingertips while wishing for restoration in my mind.

In the next moment, light appeared and it turned into a large amount of raw meat.

Indeed, there was about 100 kg of it.

I tried to wish for it to return to its original item form, but there was no reaction.

Once restored, it seems it can't be returned to its compressed state.

"...It's clear that this world has different rules from Earth."

I concluded from the mysterious phenomena I witnessed.

At the very least, acting based on Earth's common sense would be dangerous.

Still, it was fortunate that the first item I obtained had an identification ability.

Since my luck value is supposed to be low, it might be an item that appears easily.

Otherwise, I would have used up my limited luck right at the start.

For me, who considers luck to be a quantifiable and consumable resource, this is a harsh reality.

...Then I realized.

Could I identify myself?

In other words, check my status.

"Identify! Myself!"

I didn't need to say it out loud, but I did to recognize the target as myself.

Race: Human

Occupation: None

Age: 36

Level: 187

HP: 15,000 / 19,000

MP: 90,000 / 93,000

Strength: 1,500

Speed: 2,200

Luck: 900

Skill Ranks: 'Martial Arts 2', 'Swordsmanship 1', 'Mathematics 3', 'Science 3', 'Commerce 2', 'Cooking 1'

Magic Ranks: 'Body Enhancement 1', 'Emission 1'

Equipped Item Rank: 'Identification Ring 6'

"Wow, it worked!"

I was excited to see the information about myself.

I've always wanted to see my abilities quantified!

My race is human, so there's no problem.

The fact that I'm not specifically noted as a foreigner suggests that the human race in this world is the same as humans on Earth.

The race name is displayed to indicate the existence of different intelligent beings.

This world seems to be a fantasy setting where I can look forward to meeting elves and cat-eared girls.

My occupation is listed as none, probably because I just arrived in this world.

My age is correct; I'm just an ordinary middle-aged man.

It would have been best if I had rejuvenated, but that's probably too much to hope for.

The issue is the level system.

Considering it's a level-based system like in games, it seems fun to get stronger by training, but it's also scary to think about the overwhelming differences in strength.

Moreover, the existence of levels suggests that this world may require strength.

There might be intense conflicts not only between humans and monsters but also among humans.

My level is 187.

The rank 6 monster I defeated earlier is different in both name and scale, so the way strength is expressed may differ between humans and monsters.

If the same standard applied, it would be strange if level 187 me couldn't defeat a rank 6 opponent.

If the monster's rank is on a 100-point scale, rank 6 would be a minor monster.

...The future is worrying.

I might want to go home, but I can't.

The increase in physical abilities and the high magic value seem to be proportional to the level.

This means I had a higher level even before I defeated the monster.

I don't have any specific memories, but this is a bizarre and fantastical world.

It might be wrong to seek a logical explanation.

Maybe I should just accept it as a bonus for being summoned to a different world, like in manga.

...Right.

There's still a possibility that this world is a manifestation of my desires, a convenient fantasy.

I might just be dreaming.

Well, as long as I can enjoy it, whether it's a fantasy or a dream, it's fine.

It's a gentle world where things go as I imagine, but it's scary to think I could die easily if I let my guard down.

The problem is that I don't know the extent of my own strength. Even if it's high, I want to know the reason.

The best way to find out is to ask the locals.

The level system is a rule that doesn't exist on Earth.

Considering the proportionality with levels, the high magic value is a notable feature.

I wasn't a mage on Earth, so maybe the other values are just low.

After all, I have a middle-aged body prone to diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

It's natural for my physical abilities to be low.

How about my luck value, which is the most important to me?

It's the lowest among the attributes, but luck is generally hard to increase.

Since it's an innate talent, it might not increase with levels.

Considering this, it's not hopelessly low, but it's certainly not high.

I need to confirm and be cautious.

The skills are numerical representations of the abilities I have learned in various fields.

From the lineup, it seems I haven't learned anything new in this world.

If I can acquire them later, it will depend on my efforts.

Skills from club activities and classes = 'Martial Arts Skill'.

Swordsmanship classes in elementary school = 'Swordsmanship Skill'.

Knowledge gained from school and work = 'Mathematics, Science, Commerce Skills'.

The sorrow of being single = 'Cooking Skill'.

That's about it.

'Science Skill' is a general term that includes detailed fields.

For example, some knowledge of agronomy would be included in this.

And the magic I have learned...

There it is!

I finally confirmed that magic, a well-established technique, exists in this world.

Magic items are amazing, but being able to use magic myself is even more special.

Damn, I'm getting excited!

I have learned two types of magic.

'Emission' was probably learned when I defeated the monster.

'Body Enhancement' might be a general technique that comes with magic, as I wasn't aware of it.

The important thing is that I can use magic without much effort.

The fact that I, a beginner, can use it suggests that no medium like a wand or magic circle, or specific incantations, are needed, and it's a simple power to use.

I'm very excited to see what kind of magic I can use.

The equipped item is only the ring on my finger.

Magic items, which have magic bestowed upon them, seem to function when worn.

Incidentally, the values are displayed to one decimal place when I focus on them.

The identification results reflect my intentions, so I can omit known information like my name and gender.

The values can be rounded to any decimal place, and the skills are summarized.

Detailed information that doesn't affect the overall picture can be distracting, so this is a helpful feature for me.

...Well then.

Now that I have a rough understanding of the world's rules and my own status, I thought about what to do next—

I decided to stay in this place for a while.

This is the place where I ended up in this world, and it's the place with the highest possibility of returning to my original world.

I haven't decided whether to actually return, but I want to confirm if it's possible to go home.

As a social person, it feels wrong to disappear without informing my company and family.

I seem to have some combat ability.

If monsters of the same rank appear regularly and drop food items, I won't have to worry about starving.

Moreover, I'm not used to my enhanced body and magic, so I plan to practice while observing the situation.

The biggest concern for someone who has trouble sleeping is the bed, but I can probably manage with the car seats.

I often took naps in the car at work, so it should be fine.

Thus, an unexpected camping life began.

As a half-recluse who rarely goes out on holidays, I was anxious, but the expectation of the world I had dreamed of—whether it's a dream or not—was greater than the discomfort.

Strangely, no monsters appeared while I was sleeping in the car at night.

The reason is unknown, but it's a welcome fact, so I decided to treat it as an easy mode where I won't be attacked during sleep.

I spent 10 days in this peaceful place.

During the day, I explored the surroundings, defeated monsters I encountered, and collected items.

I also experimented with magic.

My magic power recovers to some extent after a few hours of rest, so I used it freely, leaving about a third of it as a precaution, to study its characteristics.

As a result, three features were identified.

The first is that 'magic power is the force to materialize images.'

Magic power can become fire if you imagine fire, and water if you imagine water.

You can direct and convert it with such simple images.

By gathering magic power in your palm, converting it to fire with your imagination, and pushing it out, you can cast a fire emission spell.

Because it can be converted into anything, you can't materialize what you don't know.

Visible and tangible substances are easy to imagine, but imaginary things are hard to convert.

This is the essence of the mysterious power called magic.

In modern material civilization, Japan has a deep-rooted unique spiritual civilization.

The strong secondary culture.

For me, who was