Chapter 6

First, I'll try to calm down.

1. My current location is not in Japan.

2. I have enough food for a maximum of three days and enough water for half a day.

3. In such a large forest, it's possible that there are large wild animals.

4. I don't have any weapons or armor (maybe just a large cutter?).

5. I can't see any signs of habitation nearby.

"Phew. This is bad..."

I get down on all fours and start to feel pessimistic.

"Come on. It's impossible for an IT grunt to debut as a forest boy. Grandpa could probably survive, though."

Anyway, there's no point in just being pessimistic, so I decide on a plan.

"First, I need to secure water and food. If the vegetation is similar to Japan's, the edible plants should be similar too."

I gradually start to think about how to survive.

"I'll look for a spring instead of river water, which is scary. For food, I'll set traps for small animals and birds, and maybe fish too."

Thanks to my grandfather's guidance, I know how to make small traps and how to prepare the catch.

"Lastly, if I can secure a place to sleep tonight, that would be a good start. It's... 10:30 now. First, I need to secure a water source. In the worst case, I can boil river water."

As I'm thinking this, I hear a faint noise from behind me. Judging from the low position of the sound, it seems to be a small animal. I ready my Y-shaped stick and gently part the bushes where the noise is coming from.

"Is it a Japanese rat snake?"

The snake writhing at the end of the stick is about 150 cm long, but its color is reddish-brown, so I can't be sure it's a Japanese rat snake.

"Hmm? The pupils aren't round. But the head shape is right, isn't it?"

As I'm puzzled by the familiar yet unfamiliar snake, it opens its mouth wide and sprays a liquid from around its fangs.

"Whoa. Is it venomous? Wait, Japanese rat snakes aren't venomous, right?"

I don't want to be attacked unnecessarily, so I take a wire from my tool kit and stab it into the snake's head. It convulses and wraps itself around the stick, gradually losing strength and hanging limply.

Just as I think it's dead, a familiar electronic voice echoes in my head.

<Skill 'Acquisition' notification. The conditions for Skill 'Acquisition' have been met. The target's Skill 'Stealth' 0.03 has been transferred to you.>

"Huh?"

My mind goes blank at this completely unexpected situation.

"What is this? 'Acquisition'? Skill transfer?"

I mutter my questions, still in a daze.

<Skill 'Sage' notification. Hello, Unset. I am 'Sage.' I am speaking to you because you wished to communicate.>

The electronic voice sounds again. This time, it feels like I can have a conversation.

"Are you 'Sage'? Are you a skill granted by the Interface?"

Because I don't know what it is, I use a polite tone.

<That is correct. Skill 'Sage' is a knowledgeable entity. Skill 'Sage' was granted to you by the Interface.>

I see, so it's 'Sage.' But what does 'Unset' mean?

"What does 'Unset' mean?"

<Skill 'Sage' does not have a way to identify Unset individuals. Therefore, I am calling you 'Unset' as a temporary name.>

Ah, so it's 'Unset' because you don't know my name.

"My name is Masahiro Maekawa. Please call me Masahiro."

<Understood. From now on, I will call you Masahiro. Nice to meet you.>

I can communicate. That's a big difference from the Interface.

Now, back to my first question.

<Skill 'Acquisition' notified me that a skill was transferred. What exactly is this?>

<Understood. You have been granted three skills by the Interface. One of them is 'Acquisition.'>

<You wished to gain all information and experiences, so the corresponding skill was granted to you.>

<The ability of this skill is to digest experienced events into skills and acquire them.>

I didn't wish for anything so grand, yet I've ended up with a powerful ability.

Actually, what exactly is a skill?

"What exactly is a skill? And what is the 'Stealth' skill that was transferred to me?"

<Understood. There are two types of skills. The first type is an ability tied to the soul. The three skills granted by the Interface fall into this category.>

<The second type is an ability tied to the body. This is a skill that can be developed through training.>

<'Stealth' is a skill that, when trained, can hinder others' visual perception of you.>

The thought that such a significant ability has been granted to me makes me want to hold my head.

But, considering that I need to survive, it's a blessing. However, I feel a vague sense of unease about what will happen when I return to Japan.

Also, 'Stealth' sounds convenient, but it's useless if I don't know how to use it.

<Sage, how do I use 'Stealth'?>

<Understood. Generally, a skill must be at level 1 or higher to have a noticeable effect. Your current level is 0.03, so the effect is minimal.>

Oh, it's going to be a long road. I think I can ignore it for now. Indeed, the snake didn't become invisible either.

Well, with my immediate questions resolved, I should focus on survival... I need to try my best...