Chapter 10

It's the second day in the different world.

I wondered if I could wake up properly, but without an alarm, I woke up right at 7 o'clock.

I thought I might oversleep because I had been tending the fire, but habits are truly terrifying.

Well, I heard that you start waking up early as you get older, so I was a bit apprehensive about that.

Anyway, I didn't have a lack of sleep and had been sleeping since around 8 PM, so it was a natural result.

First, I'll go wash my face to wake up.

By the way, I noticed a toothbrush at the edge of my belongings and thanked the gods.

"Breakfast will be yam, I guess."

I cut about 20 cm of the yam I dug up yesterday and rolled it on a stone placed over the embers.

I took it off the fire when the beard was burned off, the skin had lost its moisture, and it started to char slightly.

Then I surrounded it with hot stones and let the residual heat cook it through to the core.

"Wow. It's sweet and fluffy, and the texture is so good."

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, I returned to reality.

Ah, I wonder how things are at the office. Am I considered missing or something? Can I return to work when I get back to Japan?

"Well, there's no point in worrying. Things will happen as they will. First, I need to focus on surviving."

I tried to lift my spirits and turned my attention to the ongoing chaos from last night.

"I'm still energetic after a night of rampaging..."

A rough breathing sound echoed as if from the depths of hell.

The trapped leg was torn to shreds, and the surroundings were a disaster.

"Well, I set the trap the day before yesterday, so I thought I'd check it today. Until then, I'll just pass the time."

For food, I have yams, and I confirmed that there are edible wild vegetables around the pond yesterday.

I thought it might be a bit much to stay here with just a cutter, so today I'll focus on making weapons.

"Without materials, it's impossible to make weapons, so I'll just make some stone tools."

There's no obsidian lying around, so I decided to make stone tools with regular stones.

I picked up a large stone of a suitable size from the river and tied it to a wooden handle to make a stone axe.

"This is almost 10 kg, so it might work as a hammer too?"

Next, I found a sharp stone, chipped it to a sharp edge with another stone, and tied it to a wooden handle to make a stone spear.

"Completely. They used to hunt mammoths with things like this, so maybe I can do it too. I'll roast some meat eventually."

While doing this, it was already past noon, and I was about to start preparing lunch when I heard a pained cry from the direction where the boar was trapped.

"Is it a sentient being? I'll go check it out."

Just in case, I took the stone axe and stone spear and headed to the scene.

As expected, I saw a human figure near the boar.

"Huh? It's a girl, isn't it?"

She had ash-gold hair and blue eyes. She wore a tunic-like top and pants, a vest-like leather armor, and a belt.

Behind the belt, she had a hatchet-like object in a sheath and several knives in a pocket on her left chest.

On the ground were a small bow and a quiver, and she was facing the boar with a one-handed axe.

"She's a girl, isn't she? Why isn't she using the bow... Oh, a small bow can't penetrate that hide."

From a distance, she looked like a girl around 15 or 16 years old.

She was actively targeting the head and neck, but she was being pushed back by the boar's powerful thrusts and tusks.

"Hey, even with leather armor, those tusks can penetrate."

Her face was pale from tension and fear, and her movements were stiff.

"I can't just stand by and let a girl get hurt in front of me."

No matter how out of shape and lacking in physical strength I am, I couldn't just watch a girl about two sizes smaller than me fight.

"I hope the 'Invisibility' effect works a little... Please, God."

With my hands sweating from tension, I used the two weapons as my lifeline and approached the scene, hiding in the grass.

When I was about 5 meters away, the girl's axe got caught on the tusks and was thrown up.

"Ah!?"

With a look of despair and confusion, the girl froze.

The boar braced its front legs and lowered its head to strike with its tusks.

"Watch your footing!"

Using the 5 meters as a run-up, I slammed the stone axe into the joint of the boar's right front leg with all my strength.

The sensation of the stone and the boar's joint breaking was transmitted to my hands.

The girl continued to look at me with a stunned expression.

"Back off! It's fine if it falls, just retreat!"

While shouting at the girl, I drew back the stone spear.

The boar, with one front leg broken, rubbed its head on the ground but still tried to stab with its tusks when it saw an opening.

"Don't underestimate my out-of-shape weight!"

From the boar's towering position, I aimed for the right eye and thrust the stone spear upward with all my might.

I felt it pierce the soft eyeball and penetrate the hard skull.

I pulled out the spear, took a step back, and drew it back again.

This time, I thrust it into the remaining left eye and twisted the spear, feeling the tip break just before it reached the skull, and the handle was blocked by the skull.

The boar let out a dying scream, which gradually weakened.

"I did it..."

Endorphins surged from the achievement of taking down a boar with just stone tools, and adrenaline kicked in a bit later as I imagined the subsequent danger.

<Skill 'Acquisition' notification. The conditions for Skill 'Acquisition' have been met. The target's Skill 'Bravery' 0.20 has been transferred to you.>

The calm voice of 'Acquisition' reported what I had just gained.

I wanted to revel in the achievement, but I suddenly realized the girl was behind me and calmed down.

"Um... Are you okay?"

I threw away the broken weapons and raised both hands in front of the girl.

I only had broken weapons, and she still had enough weapons to subdue me.

She looked at me with a stunned and red face.

"Do you understand the language?"

I realized belatedly that it was naive to think Japanese would be understood.

The current situation was that a barbarian speaking incomprehensible words had attacked with old-fashioned weapons.

"Yes, I understand."

"Huh? You can speak Japanese?"

"Japanese? What is Japanese?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

<Notification from 'Scholar'. To facilitate communication, I am complementing Chouko's pronunciation and recognition.>

Mr. 'Scholar' is amazing. So cool.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're safe. I was worried for a moment."

"Yes, thank you. You saved me, sir."

Huh? I heard a word that didn't sound right.

"Sir?"

"Yes. When a warrior throws away all their weapons and raises both hands defenselessly, it is the highest form of respect in my village. When performed between men and women, it is a proposal. I have also been saved by you, and I accept it."

"Huh?"

Wait a minute. I thought I was just helping a girl, but now I'm being proposed to by a girl 20 years younger than me.

That's just impossible, right?

"Please, come to our village. We will welcome you."

Is my retreat cut off?

Wait, isn't this strange?