Chapter 4

Stumbling along.

Walking on a path that seems to be a mix of asphalt and a sea of trees, my first destination is a lake about thirty kilometers away.

Since I’ll be surviving for a while, securing a water source is the top priority.

The lake area doesn’t overlap with the hunting grounds of Rai and the other hunters, so it’s convenient in many ways.

Ideally, I would have moved to a nearby village and prepared my equipment, but...

Being expelled from A University, the largest community in this area, means that other settlements won’t benefit from accepting me.

If my presence would be a nuisance, it’s better not to go there at all, I decided.

For the time being, I plan to live off the land by the lake and prepare everything I need on my own.

Once I have a decent set of equipment, I’ll set out on a journey.

First, I want to go to the sea.

Having been holed up in a rural university in the Kansai region, I haven’t seen the horizon for two years.

While thinking about my future plans, I leap over the exposed roots of a giant tree that have broken through a small house, heading for the lake.

Still, it’s an incredible sight. I wish I had a digital camera or a smartphone.

After the collapse of civilization, new species of plants, like the monsters, proliferated in large numbers.

Most of these are invasive plants that are huge, strong, and grow quickly, and the former commercial district in front of the station, once covered in asphalt, is now unrecognizable.

The scene of civilization swallowed by the forest is a sad one.

I can’t help but feel sad that I won’t be able to buy croquettes from the butcher in the commercial district anymore.

However, as someone who enjoys post-apocalyptic works, I find a certain romance in such scenery, which makes me feel a bit frivolous.

In any case, it seems that the entire country of Japan is now a similar landscape.

According to the information from the radio run by volunteers after the collapse of civilization, the plant invasion in large metropolitan areas like Tokyo and Osaka is less severe.

However, most places where many people used to live have turned into dungeons and are now the territories of dragons, making it impossible to even approach them, let alone live there.

Jumping over obstacles and walking on paths that no longer exist, the skill "Toughness Enhancement: C" I was able to replicate has been a huge help.

The C-rank physical and durability enhancements give me stamina on par with professional athletes.

Currently, I have four skills: "Replication: B," "Toughness Enhancement: C," "Power Enhancement: C," and "Speed Enhancement: C."

Human attributes are composed of three elements: Toughness (physical and durability), Power (strength and muscle), and Speed (explosive power and reaction time).

With all three at C-rank, I can perform actions like those in action movies.

Although I didn’t have many opportunities to use them inside the university, just moving around like this is quite enjoyable.

Since all the roads have collapsed, it’s not easy to move around, but I should be able to reach the lake in about three hours.

While moving, I mustn’t forget to gather edible wild plants and fruits.

I learned this from my senpai, Kaguya. I’m grateful to her.

I should also pick up sturdy vines and well-shaped wooden sticks.

The plants after the collapse of civilization are strong, so these vines can be used as ropes, and holding a wooden stick can boost my morale.

I prefer sticks that are straight but slightly twisted.

One of the good things about a free and easy solo journey is that I can swing around a stick that looks like a weapon without feeling embarrassed.

“Shh! Ha! Shareaa! (Upper B)”

I feel like I’m unnecessarily consuming stamina, but the temperature in the early spring forest in front of the station is just right, and it’s inevitable to want to move my body for no reason.

Ah, but I don’t like it when my clothes get soaked with sweat. I don’t have any spare clothes.

Maybe I should make some spares first.

I confirm that there’s no one around—of course, there’s no one, as only hunters venture outside the settlements—and take off my clothes in the shade of a tree.

I take off my sturdy black tracksuit top and bottom, T-shirt, underwear, and sneakers, and lay them out on a relatively clean piece of asphalt, becoming completely naked.

Even though there’s no one around, it’s embarrassing to be naked outside. I’ll do this quickly.

“‘Replication’ activation...!”

I touch the clothes and activate the skill.

A faint light envelops the clothes, and in an instant, the light fades, and a set of clothes has been added.

They look the same as the original sturdy tracksuit and sneakers, but upon closer inspection, you can see that the construction and stitching are rougher.

The rougher ones are the replicas, the copies I created.

Although they are not as sturdy as the original black tracksuit due to the lower rank, they are still fine to wear. I put on the replicated underwear and shirt and put on the shoes.

I store the original clothes in my backpack and resume moving, swinging the wooden stick around.

The fit is a bit worse, but clothes are consumables anyway.

If I don’t take care of the originals, I might regret it later.

Why do I assume the clothes will be damaged? Of course, because it’s survival.

I need to be careful about sweat, dirt, and blood stains.

“—There it is.”

Under a large tree that has broken through the asphalt, there is a large shadow.

The creature, about two meters long and quadrupedal, looks like a pig but isn’t one.

It has a large, sharp horn on its forehead.

Its name is Hornpig, a monster with a name that matches its appearance, which translates to "horned pig."

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