Chapter 9

This is the first of two simultaneous posts.

Leaving the scene, I slipped into the side of a large rock with a hollow, entangled the thread with dead branches and leaves to cover myself so that I couldn't be seen. I didn't forget to extend the remaining thread around to detect if anyone approached. There were no nearby points to search, so I probed with my 'Qi' but found no response. However, the detection ability of 'Qi' is not very precise, so it's better not to trust it too much.

I had covered myself with the thread to camouflage, but now I couldn't see anything. Maybe I should open up a bit at the top.

However, I found a good spot. The side of the large rock was indented, and my body fit snugly inside, with room to stretch my limbs. It felt about three meters deep and two meters high. I might use this as my bed for a while.

The ceiling and floor were solid rock, but I had laid out sewing cloth, which made it much better. With this space and lighting, I could investigate without any problems.

I took out the student handbook I had recovered and looked over the status and skills.

"Age is 16. The status is only at level 1. This means she wasn't a suicide but was killed by someone."

Did she only take level 1 in her status because she noticed the trap in the skill table, or was she just the type to develop her abilities evenly? This can be determined by whether she had the 'Explanation' skill.

"There it is."

'Explanation' 1 is listed. If she only has level 1, she lacks detailed information.

Even if she teamed up with other transferees and saw their 'Seizure' skill, with 'Explanation' at level 1, she would only know that the skill can only seize one skill and wouldn't understand the danger.

This means the person who killed her had a good grasp of the conditions for the 'Seizure' skill and had 'Explanation' at level 2.

"That's odd."

A contradiction arises here.

Taking 'Explanation' 2 and 'Seizure' 1 consumes a total of 800 skill points. To maintain her body, she needed to take at least level 1 in her status, which costs an additional 90 points.

This leaves 110 points, but without 'Thievery' 3, the success rate of the 'Seizure' skill is almost 0. If the other person had 'Explanation' 2, they would understand this.

'Thievery' costs 50 points at level 1 and 100 more to reach level 2. No matter how hard she tried, she could only get level 1.

"Maybe it was a mistake on my part... Perhaps she wasn't killed by the 'Seizure' skill but by something piercing her heart."

If that's the case, it would be better. While the existence of such monsters is a threat, it's better than having someone who kills transferees to steal their skills. I find humans who can think and plot more terrifying than physically strong monsters.

"Hmm, let's do some calculations."

I started calculating the remaining skill points and the consumed skill points of the female student.

It seems she chose the 'Cooking', 'Sewing', 'Negotiation', 'Common Language (Conversation)', and 'Common Language (Reading and Writing)' skills. She might have dreamed of running a shop in this world.

She had the now familiar 'Item Box'. I've seen the skills of three transferees, and all of them had it. I thought I was lucky to find it on the first try, but with such a high probability, it's easy to get.

In other fantasy novels, it's rare for an item box not to appear, so it's natural for everyone to choose it.

The other items were 'Complete Cooking Set', '100 kg of Flour', and 'One Week's Supply of Food and Water', but these were marked with a red X.

Since the item box and other items were not found around the body, it's likely that the killer took them.

The killer doesn't seem to need a week's supply of food. That's what I wanted.

Ah, I need to focus on the calculations now. Her total skill points are 610, and she has 40 remaining. 350 points are unaccounted for.

Did the female student's skills, which cost 350 points, get seized?

When the ownership of an item is transferred, it gets a red X. I thought the same would apply to seized skills, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

"But how?"

The prerequisites for the 'Seizure' skill are 'Thievery' 3, 'Dexterity' 30, and 'Mental Power' 30.

While it's possible that she had high dexterity and mental power from birth, her 'Thievery' level is clearly insufficient.

Did she bet on a near-zero probability and win?

While it's possible, would someone really take such a risky bet to the point of killing someone? Or was there a loophole in the skill that I didn't notice?

There's another big problem. The description said (from someone of the same level or higher). Even if she met the conditions by leveling up, she couldn't seize from a level 1 opponent.

Thinking about it now is pointless. I might encounter someone with the 'Seizure' skill eventually. I might figure out the mystery by then.

For now, I need to keep in mind the possibility that there's a murderer among the transferees.

A tremor from the extended thread woke me from my deep thoughts.

"An enemy... no, it's rain."

The intermittent sound of rain hitting the ground and the trembling of several threads.

Peeking through a gap, I saw that it was raining heavily. Since the rain wasn't blowing in, this resting spot was quite good.

Rain, water. Wait, I can't just sit and watch the rain! Water, water!

I took out unused thread and used 'Thread Manipulation' to form a conical shape as a simple filtration device. I hope this can remove some of the dirt.

I extended the thread outside and used it to transport the water to the filtration device, placing a shopping bag below to collect the water.

"I shouldn't move today."

With the collected water and raisins as an early dinner, I felt more tired than I thought and couldn't resist the sudden drowsiness, closing my eyes.

Thus, the intense first day of my transfer to this world came to an end.

"The rain has stopped."

The rain had stopped, and I confirmed with 'Search' that there were no points nearby. I removed the thread covering my bed and stepped outside.

It was early morning, and the surroundings were still dim, with a cold chill in the air. It was quite cold, but I was protected from the rain and wind with warm clothing and thread.

I imagined that some transferees, dressed lightly or in unsuitable outdoor attire, had a tough night.

"Maybe I was lucky. My luck status is low, but..."

I briefly considered allocating the acquired status points to luck, but decided to focus on more reliable abilities.

My plan for the second day of my transfer is basically the same as yesterday, but today I want to actively hunt monsters. If possible, I want to defeat all the types of monsters in this area.

In addition to leveling up and acquiring skills, I have another goal.

That is—

"Hmm? I feel something. Probably from this direction."

I faintly sensed something from the left front, two of them.

I activated 'Search' to check the student handbook, but there were only four points far away, none nearby.

"Are they goblins or the larvae from yesterday?"

I took out a club from the item box and gripped it in my right hand, activating 'Search' again.

With the upgraded 'Search', I could now search for up to three points simultaneously, and I could feel the points reacting to the student handbook and the club.

The points approaching me reacted to the club but not the student handbook, so they must be goblins. Let's hunt them.

Once I searched, the points appeared on the list, so I don't need the club anymore. I'll put it back in the item box.

I manipulated the thread to extend from the branch above a large tree in front of me, wrapping it around and pulling myself up. This was possible thanks to my triple strength, 'Qi', 'Thread Manipulation', and the ability to use fishing line.

Looking down from a high vantage point, I saw a small spring in the forest with two goblins.

The fishing line is over 500 meters long, but my 'Thread Manipulation' skills aren't sufficient. I need to get a bit closer or wait for them to come closer.

The goblins had removed their clubs and were drinking directly from the spring. This is a good opportunity. A thicker branch extends from a nearby large tree, higher than the one I'm on. From there, I can target the goblins more easily.

I extended two fishing lines from my branch to the other, intertwining them and creating a makeshift bridge.

It worked better than I expected, but... this is quite high. It's probably about the height of the fourth floor of an apartment building. I have to cross this thread bridge.

I have confidence in its strength, but that doesn't eliminate my fear.

"This is just a matter of getting used to it. I have to get used to it."

I wrapped a third thread around my abdomen as a safety line, focused on the destination without looking down, and started crossing carefully.

The bridge swayed a few times, making my spine freeze, but I managed to reach the other side safely.

The goblins below were playing in the water, completely unaware.

This is a perfect opportunity. In the dim light, they won't see the thread.

I tied the thread like a cowboy's lasso, and the two loops caught the goblins' necks.

"Now!"

As the goblins tried to understand what was happening, I jumped from the branch.

The goblins' bodies were pulled up by my falling speed and weight, leaving them hanging.

I followed the same procedure as when I defeated the first goblin, stopping their breathing.

The important part comes next.

I quickly approached the hanging goblin and touched it, then activated 'Search'.

"It should work, 'Search'."

The search list in my mind showed the word 'Goblin'. The skill revealed the points of goblins within a 5-kilometer radius.

"Great, great, great!"

It worked as planned. Now I can pinpoint the locations of all goblins. I can ambush them without being ambushed.

I want to add the larvae from yesterday and other monsters to the search list. Once that's done, the threat from known monsters will be greatly reduced.

Today, I'll hunt goblins that are moving in small groups while searching for student handbooks. If I encounter other monsters, I'll try to defeat them if possible. Let's do this.

Satisfied with the smooth start, I tried to move to the nearest point, displaying the student handbook and goblins with 'Search'—

"Wait. If it works with goblin corpses... what about human corpses?"

Theoretically, it should work. If I can add transferees to the search list, I can detect those without a student handbook.

I used 'Search' to look for the student handbook, but unfortunately, there were no points nearby. I had already taken the handbook from the corpse I found yesterday, so I couldn't detect it.

In this new land with no paths, I had no confidence in finding my way back to where I had been yesterday.

"Being overly cautious is a good thing."

I took out a red thread from the item box, gripped it, and activated it.

I used 'Search' to find the red thread I had left as a marker and returned to the point where I found the businessman's corpse.

The temperature was a bit cold, but the corpse hadn't decomposed, and the smell of blood was much weaker, allowing me to observe it more calmly.

The blood that had gushed from the body had coagulated and stuck to the clothes. I checked for any useful items. Searching the pockets again and turning the corpse over, I found a wallet in the back pocket.

"I don't think this will be useful in this world."

The wallet contained two 10,000 yen bills, three 1,000 yen bills, and some coins. There were also a driver's license, rental shop membership cards, and a few cash cards.

I put them in my pocket just in case.

"Anything else? Then, 'Search'."

I touched the corpse and activated the skill. I felt the skill activate, and the search list in my mind showed the words 'Transferee's Corpse'.

"Only corpses... still, it's better than nothing."

While it's better than nothing, I can't use this to find the killer with the 'Seizure' skill. If the killer doesn't have a student handbook, I won't detect them.

"Maybe this wasn't necessary. There's no reason to stay here any longer—"

I don't have the dangerous hobby of repeatedly looking at corpses. I was about to leave, but something felt off about this corpse.

What can I say... is there something different from the last time I saw it?

He's wearing a suit, the same as before, but the jacket seems a bit disheveled. The tie is loose.

I thought it was like that before, but the small difference is bothering me.

"Checking can't hurt. It will drain my mental energy, but—"

I unbuttoned the shirt like I did with the female student and looked at the chest.

"Bad feelings always come true..."

There was a hole, as if something had been gouged out.