Chapter 6

A bit longer.

As the grand sunset sank, the surroundings were swallowed by darkness.

"It's colder than I thought?!"

The temperature dropped sharply as the sun set. It was bearable to wear a suit jacket, but it would be too uncomfortable to sleep in it. Reluctantly, I decided to buy a blanket.

My money had decreased to 18,806 yen, but I had no choice if I wanted to reach civilization.

I took out my handmade symbol for my daily routine. It looked like a god made from elementary school craft projects...

"I'm still alive and kicking today, thank you."

Leaning against a rock and wrapping myself in the blanket, I lay down. The stars were incredibly vivid, scattered across the sky like a planetarium, as if they were about to fall.

"Oh... this isn't Earth, is it?"

Two moons floated in the sky, one large and one small.

The fear of the darkness faded, and I slowly drifted off to sleep, guided by the lullaby of the stars.

---

Being a black company employee with an average of four hours of sleep isn't for nothing.

I woke up before dawn, stuffed an onigiri into my stomach, brushed my teeth, and was about to put on my carry bag when I suddenly realized something.

Could this also be stored in the "container"?

When I tried, it was easily stored as if it were normal.

...What was the point of carrying it around yesterday?

I wanted to cry at my own stupidity. I collapsed in an orz position but then pulled myself together and started walking. Feeling much lighter, my steps were lighter too.

I think I moved at twice the pace of yesterday, but it was still just leather shoes. The fatigue from my feet gradually began to hurt my body.

"Damn, my shoes are about to break."

The synthetic leather shoes were not suitable for walking in a savanna or wilderness, or it was just too much of a challenge. However, I didn't feel like buying new shoes immediately, so I had no choice but to slow down.

Most of all, my feet hurt.

"Can I really survive and reach somewhere?"

In the scorching heat, my thoughts turned negative.

"I could really use a cigarette."

I had no idea why the cigarettes weren't on the initial list of items, but I decided to try anyway.

"I want a cigarette."

[Under consideration... Rejected]

Why not?

---

And then night came again.

I love the stars.

I've never seen such a starry sky in my life, and I think it's wonderful.

But, to be honest, I feel like giving up.

I want to go to a place where there are people.

Wrapped in a blanket, I feel like crying a little.

In such times, this is what I do!

The hand-carved god!

It's a symbol that looks like a circle on top of the kanji for "earth." It also looks like the kanji for "picture."

"I survived another lousy day, thank you."

As I tried to shake off my anxiety by looking towards the horizon, something seemed to shine.

I jumped up like a jack-in-the-box and climbed up a rock. Squinting, I saw the light again!

"No doubt! It's artificial light!"

I shouted, jumped, slipped, and fell off the rock, hitting my stomach hard.

"Oof!"

Ah, that was close!

You can't move in this darkness!

You'll die if you get too excited!

I took three deep breaths and decided to wrap myself in the blanket and go to sleep again.

Don't panic.

It's better to go when it's light tomorrow.

I need to conserve my energy now!

I wasn't very sleepy, but I forced myself to fall asleep.

Until recently, I was desperately hungry for sleep.

Life is mysterious.

---

Maybe because of the four hours of sleep ingrained in my body, I woke up much earlier than dawn.

Since there was nothing else to do, I decided to carefully examine the screen that appeared when I closed my eyes. I noticed something I hadn't noticed before: "Divinity = 1" was displayed in the upper left corner.

What is "divinity"?

Clicking or rubbing it didn't produce any particular reaction. What is it?

Deciding to leave the unknown things alone, I checked the container.

I should replenish my tea now.

By the way, I'm getting tired of onigiri. Can't I get a new menu item?

"I want a noriben!"

[Under consideration... Not enough divinity]

The usual emotionless mysterious voice left another mysterious message. I decided not to care, but "divinity" reappeared.

"So, what is divinity?"

...

It seems this mysterious voice won't answer my questions.

Well, that's how it is, I guess.

This SHOP seems to be a god of business, so I have no complaints, but I want to know this.

"Then, how do I increase divinity?"

...

No good.

If I consider the initial items as a service, with divinity = 1, I can only buy water and onigiri.

Then...

"Sandwich! Ham sandwich, tomato sandwich, and katsu sandwich!"

[Under consideration... Partially approved. Ham sandwich and tomato sandwich have been added to the SHOP list]

Wow!

I immediately checked the SHOP list.

There were three new items.

Huh? Three?

Two of them were, of course, the ham sandwich and tomato sandwich.

The third was not a katsu sandwich but "Set 1."

The icon was a carry bag.

The price was 184,015 yen.

My current balance was 17,723 yen after buying onigiri and water.

It would be a disaster if I bought it by mistake.

Wait, did the bag I stored in the container turn into a product?

I hurriedly checked the container, and my carry bag was still stored in it.

I took it out and checked the contents, and everything seemed to be there.

After taking it out and putting it back in twice, my balance didn't change, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, what is this "Set 1" on the SHOP list?

When I pointed at "Set 1," I could see the contents.

The contents were as follows:

[Symbol][Toothbrush][Toothpaste][Razor][Boxer Briefs][Running Inner Shirt][Y- Shirt][Notebook PC][Mechanical Pencil][Ballpoint Pen][Pencil][Utility Knife][Notebook][Eraser][Smartphone][Mobile Battery][Weekly Manga Magazine][Stomach Medicine][Stomachache Relief][Cold Medicine][1-Day Contact Lenses (1 week)][Hard Backpack][Business Cards (32)][Business Card Holder][Pocket Tissue (Manga Cafe Ad)][Candy][Candy][Blanket][Suit]

Hmm, this is... I immediately took out my bag and checked the contents, and they were the same.

In other words, if you pack things in a bag, it becomes a set and is added to the SHOP list as a product.

This is a good discovery.

...Well, it doesn't really matter since I can't get Japanese yen.

I won't know if I can get Japanese yen until I reach civilization.

While thinking about this, I bit into the sandwich, and the sky began to brighten slightly.

It was still a while until sunrise, but I could see my feet, so I decided to set off.

I took only the tea bottle and started walking in the direction where the light was seen last night, which seemed to be along the cliff.

There were no signs of artificial objects in my field of vision, but just having a destination made me feel much better mentally.

It was still scorching, but I could endure it by drinking tea and pouring water over my head.

My shoes were at their limit, and my feet felt like sticks, but my spirit hadn't given out.

So, when I saw a path after making a wide detour around a large rock, I couldn't help but shout.

The path was just a trail of wheel tracks that curved around the rocks, not even a proper path in the Japanese countryside, but it meant that people and vehicles were definitely passing through.

"I'll try to get a ride if a car comes by."

I took a deep breath but didn't stop walking.

The direction the path was heading seemed to be the same as the direction I was heading, so it was probably the artificial light I saw last night, which likely meant a town. I didn't want to wait for a car that might or might not come.

The path was wide enough for a truck to pass, with wheel tracks.

Vehicles couldn't pass each other on the path, but there was plenty of space to avoid rocks, so it wasn't a problem.

I walked steadily, occasionally refilling my tea.

It seemed I had been walking parallel to the path all along.

If I had moved a little more towards the wilderness, I might have been able to walk on the path earlier.

As usual, my luck was terrible.

About an hour after I got on the path, two men slowly appeared from behind a rock, blocking my way.

People!

"Ah! Thank goodness! I was lost! Do you know the direction of a town?!"

I moved to the two men, flashing a sales smile.

Both men had deep-set faces and were dressed in dirty clothes.

The ragged fabric looked like Middle Eastern ethnic clothing.

Their faces were a mix of Middle Eastern and Western features.

They were definitely not Japanese.

I suddenly wondered if they understood Japanese, but it turned out to be a baseless worry.

"Wow... lost, huh... That's a problem."

The tall, blonde man spoke first.

"Yeah, that's a problem. You'd die if you got lost in a place like this."

The shorter man with dull green hair followed. Was it dyed?

"Yes, I really thought I was going to die."

I tried to speak as politely as possible, maintaining a sales smile, but... something was off.

The danger alarm I had developed in my life was ringing loudly.

"Ah, and you're a well-dressed guy all alone. Are you a noble or a big merchant?"

"There's no way a naive person could survive alone in a place like this."

On closer inspection, the blonde man had a large scar on his face.

It looked like a sword wound, not a car accident.

The green-haired man's eyes were also not normal.

His glare was like that of a criminal.

Furthermore.

The two men slowly pulled out knives from their waists.

They were battered and chipped, about the length of an extended arm, but they were definitely weapons.

I instinctively took a step back.

"Whoa, this is a dead end, isn't it?"

Another voice came from behind me, and I turned to see a bald man with a short spear on his shoulder, grinning.

I was surrounded.

Of course, I could try to run in a direction away from the path, but the wilderness was full of rocks and dry shrubs, and I would be caught in an instant.

If I went to the cliff side, the only thing I could do was jump to my death.

"Um, well, I, actually, I got stranded and have nothing... "

"Huh, you must have hidden an item bag somewhere, right? Merchants and nobles are always cautious."

My impromptu lie was denied with unfamiliar words.

"Item bag?"

"Whatever you call it, it doesn't matter. A money bag that can hold dozens of times more money, or a bag that can hold several wands, but in the end, it's all about the money."

"If you hand over everything quietly, we might let you live."

The three of them laughed in unison, their voices low and sinister.

Even if I gave them all my money, I could only see a future where they would kill me.

I don't know if robbery and murder are profitable, but it's a crime that happens even in the back alleys of New York. If I'm not in Japan, anything could happen.

The mystery of why Japanese is understood is less concerning than suddenly being in a life-or-death situation... My life is too much of a game! Damn it!