Chapter 4

I am currently flying through the sky.

Of course, it's the magic that makes it possible.

I use my magic to lighten my body and manipulate the wind to flow through the air.

Surprisingly, it was quite easy.

I float high above the trees, checking the scenery in all directions.

Using my enhanced vision and senses from my level and magic, I pinpoint a direction where there might be people and start moving in that direction.

Being able to fly freely is the best.

Although I'm not good at heights, thanks to my powerful body and near-omnipotent magic, I don't feel scared no matter how high or fast I move.

I don't feel the cold or shortness of breath either, since I can adjust with magic.

It's really the best!

"Ah, I can fly!!"

High on the thrill, I shout and laugh loudly.

This is a unique departure in a different world with its own peculiarities.

I fly around aimlessly while heading towards my destination.

"Just trees, huh?"

It seems the car I was in had crashed deep in the forest.

There are no buildings in sight.

I continue to move forward, moved by the new scenery I've never seen before.

After about an hour of flying, the forest breaks, and a grassland comes into view.

Moving further, I spot small clusters of dense forests and what appear to be rudimentary roads.

It's clear now that this world has intelligent life forms.

"Maybe around here?"

There are no people on the road, but I can sense human presence from the dense forest along the road.

Compared to the monsters I've encountered, the presence is minimal, but it's easy to spot since there are about ten people gathered.

From above, I can confirm they look like humans from Earth.

Good.

It seems there are humans in this world.

It would be troublesome if everyone had bizarre appearances like animals or Martians.

Mainly for sexual reasons.

They seem to be resting while waiting for prey, sitting in the shade of trees and chatting.

Their crude laughter, messy hair, and unkempt beards, along with their dirty attire, suggest they are armed.

From my vantage point above, I can't get more information, but they don't seem to be ordinary people.

"Let's try to identify them first."

Hmm, everyone has similar stats.

The highest one is only this much.

Name: Banguru

Race: Human

Occupation: Thief (Leader)

Age: 42

Level: 24

HP: 2800/2900

MP: 2000/2200

Strength: 310

Speed: 200

Luck: 280

Skills: 'Martial Arts 2', 'Swordsmanship 2', 'Acting 1'

Magic: 'Body Enhancement 2', 'Fire Type 2', 'Wind Type 1'

"There's an occupation called 'thief'?"

Are they wanted or do they self-report?

Anyway, it's helpful that I can identify their true nature through identification.

The 'Rank' display for skills and magic is omitted.

Since this is the second identification, it shows in a way that the person can understand. Very useful.

Their combat abilities, starting with their level, are significantly inferior to mine.

It's unclear if this is the standard strength for humans, but since they are in a profession where physical strength is important, they are not weaker than ordinary people.

"Good. I can handle them at my current level."

Not only can I handle them, but I have to hold back to avoid crushing them.

Relieved that they are weaker, I decide to land and make contact with the thieves.

"Um, nice to meet you. Hello. The weather is nice today, isn't it?"

I start with a polite greeting and a standard weather topic.

"!? ******, *******!!"

Oops, I can't understand their words.

"Right, this isn't Earth. I forgot that the language might not be the same."

Well, even on Earth, I wouldn't understand anything other than Japanese.

So, I raise both hands to show I have no hostile intentions.

My current attire is a work uniform from after work, so I don't look threatening.

"Please calm down. Let's talk. Love and peace."

Despite being ready for a fight, I say this.

"******!! ******!!"

"*******!!"

"******!!"

My efforts for peace were in vain. They pull out their weapons and attack without hesitation. They must have been ready to attack anyone.

That's what thieves do.

But, the sight of middle-aged men attacking each other is pretty bad.

--- Ah, good.

If they were friendly, I'd hesitate to subdue them.

Now, I can claim it as self-defense.

Hmm, do I need to be hit first for it to count as self-defense?

While thinking about this, I casually prepare to face the enemies who are swinging swords and spears at me.

"Then, I'll attack without holding back!"

Result: I won. It was an easy win.

At first, I tried fighting with only body enhancement without using offensive magic, but it was too easy, so I released the enhancement and fought with pure physical ability.

Even with this much holding back, it was an easy win.

The level difference is indeed absolute.

I broke their limbs enough to prevent them from speaking and then identified their possessions.

One of them had a 'Translation Ring,' so I decided to take it.

Now that we can communicate, I asked them, and they said that this world has many races, so translation items are essential and can be obtained relatively easily from monsters.

The identification items I got from the forest and the magic items that benefit humans are numerous.

But, this is too convenient.

... Perhaps this is a virtual world like a dream or a game.

I should be careful.

Anyway, I'll ask the thieves about the rules of this world.

Since I'm asking for their knowledge, I should give them a proper thank you.

I'll go all out and give them my life. Of course, their life.

Getting their life just by talking is a great deal.

I might also ask them to help me experiment with items as a tip.

This is the basic rule of this world that I learned.

First, this world operates on a level system.

Many things, including stats, skills, magic, items, and monsters, have levels.

Your basic strength is counted as 'Level' without limit.

Other things are counted as 'Rank' in ten levels.

Levels increase with accumulated experience.

Skill and magic ranks increase with proficiency.

This rule is easy for me, a game-savvy person from the Famicom generation, to understand.

Notably, knowledge also counts as experience.

... I see, that's why my level as a foreigner is abnormally high.

I only have general knowledge, but Japanese education is advanced and diverse.

Also, the vast amount of trivia I've gained from daily reading and TV watching.

And the experiences of a middle-aged man accumulated over the years count as vast knowledge in this world, raising my level automatically.

The basic level for an average adult in the city is 10, for a soldier or monster-slaying adventurer is 20, for a squad leader or top-tier adventurer is 30, and for the strongest human warrior is 40.

... And I'm over 180.

Clearly, I'm in a different league. Thank you very much.

I'm strong, and this isn't a dream.

Another point to note is that the basic level of humans divided by 10 matches the rank of monsters.

In terms of individual ability, monsters up to Rank 10 = Level 100 can overwhelm humans, so adventurers must form parties.

By the way, I've only encountered monsters above Rank 5 so far.

... The place where I was stranded must have been a dangerous area where even the strongest locals could easily die.

That's why there were no people nearby.

Anyway, this level system works to my advantage.

Second, magic is a common power that everyone can use.

In this world, not only humans but also animals and plants have magic power.

The important point is that anyone can become strong with the right use of magic.

In other words, even someone with a low level can use powerful magic.

This means that my advantage based on my high level and magic power is lost.

To counter anything-goes magic, I need to develop crisis avoidance abilities like 'Luck' or 'Sense.'

This is an urgent task.

Third, there are enemy races called the Demon Clan.

Monsters are soldiers created by the Demon King to conquer the world and are enemies of humans.

By the way, in this fantasy world, there are many races besides humans, and they are collectively called 'humans.'

The Demon Clan is composed of three types: intelligent and powerful demon leaders, and low-intelligence monster soldiers.

Strangely, they didn't exist hundreds of years ago but suddenly appeared with powerful magic and started attacking humans.

The Demon Clan, a combat race that can overwhelm humans, also cleverly took advantage of human wars to attack.

Humans, who were previously engaged in inter-racial conflicts, had to cooperate to defend against the common threat.

It's a pathetic story, but since then, peace agreements have been signed, and large-scale wars have not occurred.

Races cooperate to fight the Demon Clan, deepening understanding and building a somewhat friendly relationship.

The Demon Clan attacks humans to achieve world domination.

However, the behavior of giving items to those who defeat monsters is unclear.

Currently, the theory that items are used as bait to lure humans is the most plausible.

Indeed, there are dungeon-like monster spots with valuable items in treasure chests, and many people take the risk to challenge them.

The Demon Clan is still a mysterious existence.

However, with dungeons, treasure chests, and items, it seems the Demon King might be playing a game.

This system feels game-like.

... Important information is as follows.

I also had the thieves help me experiment with items.

Especially, I experimented with healing items, which I hadn't used before because I hadn't been injured.

The results were impressive, as expected of magic items.

Even those with crushed limbs and internal organs were instantly healed.

Depending on the item's rank, it seems almost anything except instant death can be healed.

Unfortunately, very few people can learn healing magic.

Additionally, the medical level is low.

I was worried if this battle-prone world was okay, but items play a crucial role.

Healing items appear with a decent probability.

However, they are in high demand and expensive, making them difficult for commoners to obtain.

Especially, the higher-rank items that can cure serious illnesses are valuable and reserved for nobles.

Life is favored by money and power.

This is similar to Earth. Sigh.

By the way, I can't use healing magic.

I could easily use offensive magic, but support magic like healing, teleportation, and enhancement was a complete failure.

It's probably due to my nature or personality, as I can't form a clear image of helping