Chapter 2

July 12, 2015 - Typo corrections

In front of me, a vast grassland spread out.

Grass, about waist-high, grew densely over the entire area, like a lawn that had been magnified.

A wind that was a bit stronger than a gentle breeze hit my face, causing the grass in the vast grassland to ripple.

The rippling grass reflected the sunlight, and the shadows moved in sync with the wind rippling the grass. It looked like a green ocean.

There was no sound of human conversation, no murmur or commotion. All that could be heard was the sound of the wind and the rustling of the grass swaying in the wind.

There were no people who had shared the strange experience I had just had. Of course, Hiraagi-chan was not there either.

I was left in the grassland in my suit.

The suit was tight. It was hard to move.

Looking down at my feet, I saw my shins were exposed.

Did the suit shrink? No, that doesn't seem to be the case. Did I grow?

That seems to be the most reasonable explanation.

My line of sight was higher. Had I grown taller? The tightness around my chest and shoulders suggested that my shoulders had broadened and my chest muscles, among other things, had become more muscular.

I looked at my hands. They were clearly different from my usual hands. They were strong, large hands.

My appearance had changed!

I frantically searched the breast pocket of my suit. There it was. My smartphone, which I had just replaced last month, was still there.

This must be another world, as the goddess said. I'm out of range, so I can't make calls or send messages, but I can use other functions.

I took several photos of my face and body from various angles.

The person in the photos was a stranger.

No... that's a lie. It was the appearance I had envisioned for myself during character creation.

I had brown hair and brown eyes, with a face that was based on a Westerner but with a slight touch of an Easterner.

Wow! I'm handsome.

There was no trace of a silly grin. A thoughtful aura emanated from me.

I had grown taller.

From the feel of the suit, I seemed to have grown about ten centimeters. So, I must be around 189 or 190 centimeters tall.

Right, skills! The goddess mentioned that she gave everyone skills like appraisal and concealment.

But how do I check them?

No, first, I need to check my equipment and items. I looked down at the weapons and armor scattered around my feet and the head bag.

They were quite scattered. I would have to gather them.

The head bag was small compared to the number of weapons and tools scattered around. They wouldn't all fit.

I was already being forced to make choices.

Save the other world.

Conquer the dungeons.

That's what she said. She was imposing a hard mode on us despite asking for our help.

Are the others nearby?

If possible, I want to meet up with the other Earthlings—those people from before—and discuss and cooperate.

I recalled the girl in her underwear, protected by a group of girls, and the girl wearing only a man's T-shirt.

Were they left here in those outfits? If they were in a city, it would be... well, very concerning.

No, I shouldn't worry about others right now. I need to focus on myself.

Is this really another world?

According to the goddess's explanation, we were transferred to another world.

Thinking about it, that VRMMO was probably a selection process for candidates to be transferred.

We were lured in and transferred without knowing what was happening, and we were scattered.

I looked around again.

The sun was high, probably around noon. So, the forest spreading beyond the grassland must be to the south, right? Let's go with south.

To the east, the grassland stretched endlessly, with a mountain range faintly visible in the distance. The west was similar.

To the north, the grassland spread out, but a road, or rather a street, could be seen stretching east to west a few kilometers away.

If this is another world, it does feel that way. But it could also be a foreign countryside. At least, there's no place like this in Japan that I know of.

There's no other choice. I have to go to the street and find someone.

The other option, spending a few months in the forest and strengthening myself with skills like theft—no, that's not an option.

◇

◆

◇

After preparing and equipping myself, I decided to head north.

Yeah, wearing light armor and a sword, and carrying a head bag, really makes me feel like I'm in another world.

The first thing that surprised me was this head bag.

It's what's commonly called a magic bag, with a storage capacity much greater than its appearance. I stored about five times its visible capacity and still had room left.

Next, the equipment.

I equipped a light armor made of gray leather with black edging and designs, along with gauntlets, leg guards, and boots. There was no helmet.

For weapons, I equipped a longsword and five throwing knives. The spare longsword, short sword, and remaining throwing knives were stored in the head bag along with a leather shield—buckler.

I also put the clothes and items I had when I was thrown here—my smartphone, watch, and ballpoint pen—into the head bag.

Well, is everything ready? With my preparations for movement complete, I reread the letter in the head bag.

This letter—why didn't I notice it earlier? A strong sense of regret washed over me.

Oh, I want to die. Recalling my earlier actions makes my face burn.

The fortunate part is that there were no witnesses.

The image of my earlier self and the lines I said flashed through my mind—lines and poses that were pure chuuni disease...

I couldn't help it. I didn't know how to use appraisal or concealment skills.

I'll forget the dark past and aim for a bright future.

I could confirm the skills I owned and their effects or summaries using appraisal.

I couldn't check the parameters, if they even exist.

I walked through the grassland towards the street.

It was past midnight when we were sent to this world, right? Maybe it's because I'm tense, but I'm not sleepy at all.

Even though it's light armor, the equipment and head bag are quite heavy. But I don't feel the weight or fatigue.

Hmm?

Something moved at the corner of my eye?

When I was about a kilometer from the street, I saw a carriage moving west on the street. People. Good, this distance should be manageable if I hurry.

Rustle

What!?

Just as I was about to speed up, I sensed something moving behind me.

I quickly turned around and drew my sword. The letter didn't say this place was safe. In a world like a game, it wouldn't be strange to encounter monsters.

Cold sweat poured out. Fear rose within me. My throat was dry.

Fear and tension tried to dominate my thoughts and body. I gripped my sword tightly and forced the fear down.

I held the sword in my right hand and the head bag in my left, using it as a shield, and looked around.

But there was nothing unusual. Was it just my imagination? I slowly backed away, remaining vigilant.

Giggle

—?

Just as I was about to run towards the street, I heard a young girl's laugh.

A girl's voice? And a laugh? Was it an auditory hallucination?

Giggle

Again. A young, almost childlike voice. It wasn't an auditory hallucination. I definitely heard it.

No, there are even demons that make sounds like a baby's cry. It wouldn't be strange for a monster to laugh like a young girl.

A kilometer to the street. I measured the distance while remaining vigilant.

In the next moment, I started running towards the street.

◇

I don't remember much of what happened on the way.

I must have fallen and rolled a few times. When I reached the carriage, I had scrapes and bruises all over my body.

"Please help me!"

I tearfully pleaded for help from the people in the carriage, only to be met with swords and spears.

◇

"Sorry, kid."

He laughed heartily and patted my back. The force made me cough.

"Man, I was scared. I thought a crazy young guy with a drawn sword was attacking our caravan."

The guards didn't seem remorseful and were making fun of me.

Since it was lunchtime, I was treated to lunch after the commotion of my capture.

"But, mistaking a fairy for a monster and running away in a panic, huh?"

Laughter echoed from the surrounding people.

"But, being favored by a wild fairy is a rare stroke of luck."

"Yeah, you've got the fairy's blessing. I'm jealous."

It seems I was blessed with good luck from the start, like a light novel protagonist.

Being favored by a wild fairy, especially on first meeting, is apparently a very lucky thing.

And the fairy's blessing? What is it? It sounds like something really good. I'll check it later with appraisal.

But the greatest luck is that the people from the caravan who I asked for help were good people.

"I'm Mariel. Nice to meet you."

While enduring the laughter, I thanked my luck as the fairy who had chased after me whispered in my ear.

"Huh? Nice to meet you?"

Reacting to the soft voice, I turned around to see the fairy floating innocently with a smile.

"You, I like you. I'll follow you. I'll give you the blessing, hehehe."

She looked up at me with her face close to mine, peering up with her eyes.

Follow me? What is this girl saying?

Yes, she's a girl. Looking at her closely, she has short, shoulder-length blonde hair. She's a small but beautiful girl. And she has bee-like wings.

She's beautiful, but this size is impossible.

She's only thirty centimeters tall. Well, maybe this is a normal size for a fairy.

"No, that's a bit much. I told everyone before, I just came from the countryside and don't know anything. Following such a guy will only bring you unhappiness."

I turned to face the fairy, speaking slowly and gently as if to a small child.

The fairy girl smiled at my words.

"Status, open."

She struck a pose in the air and shouted. That's it...

"Answer my call and strike the enemy!"

She extended her hand forward, holding it diagonally and saying something. I remember, I remember...

"Banish the pitch-black darkness."

"Alright, I'll take you. Let's go together. No, please come with me."

I gently enveloped Mariel with both hands and softly covered her mouth as if performing a scene from a play.

I didn't want to recall my earlier chuuni disease behavior, so I decided to accept Mariel's request.

Well, it's fine. She's a beautiful girl.

"But, seeing a fairy for the first time must mean you're from a pretty rural area, huh?"

A stern-faced guard, who looked to be in his forties, with a large battle axe leaning against his foot, watched our interaction with a look of curiosity.

"Yes, I'm from Earth. Have you heard of it?"

I smiled and told the truth. I thought it would be better to tell a slightly vague version of the truth rather than make up a strange story to avoid inconsistencies later.

"Earth? I don't know it."

He seemed to be searching his memory, thinking for a moment.

"Well, it's fine. So, where are you headed, kid?"

Another guard, with a friendly expression and tone, asked from the side.

He looked young, probably in his mid-twenties. Not much older than me.

"I don't have a specific destination, but I'm looking for work."

I felt a bit odd being called "kid," but I had set my age to eighteen during character creation.

"What are you good at, Michinaga?"

Dawn, the leader of the caravan, asked in a polite tone, as befitting a merchant.

"What am I good at?"

I answered while healing the scrapes and bruises on my body with a light magic spell.

"I can use a little bit of magic."

The surrounding people exclaimed in surprise, and a sense of admiration spread through the area.

Hmm? There were fewer exclamations of surprise than I expected. Is light magic not that impressive? It was supposed to be a rare spell in the game, right?

"Kid, that's awesome. If you can use light magic, you can make a living with it."

"Yeah, with that level of light magic, you could probably work as a street healer in the city or near the dungeons."

One of the guards and Dawn hinted at the high demand for healers.

"Is that so? Thank you for the information. And... well, I'm sorry, but could I go with you to the city?"

I felt a bit presumptuous but decided to ask anyway.

"Sure, no problem. In return, could you help with odd jobs for the two days until we reach the town of Tor?"

He nodded with a friendly smile, showing me his index and middle fingers.

"Of course, I'd be happy to. Thank you."

I stood up and bowed to Dawn, who had kindly accepted my request.

◇

On the way to the town of Tor, we chatted and I gathered information.

I was being charming, so I ended up talking a lot. As a result, the people around me seemed to think of me as a "friendly and polite kid."

The town of Tor is one of the larger towns in the area, with a population of about 40,000, of which about 10,000 are adventurers.

The guards are also adventurers, registered in the neighboring town of Galon.

So, there are adventurers. This place is just like the game.

Hmm? The carriage has slowed down? No, it's stopping. We weren't supposed to stop here. Did something happen?

"The carriage has stopped?"

"Yeah, I'll go check."

I pulled Mariel, who had been playing with my hair, and moved to the front of the carriage.

"Is something wrong? What happened?"

I asked the driver while checking the situation of the two carriages ahead.

It didn't look like there was a problem, but... there's a fallen tree in front of the carriages. Is that the issue?

"Be careful, and keep your sword ready. It could be bandits or intelligent monsters."

As soon as I got off the carriage to help move the fallen tree, a warning came from the guard at the rear.

"Understood. Thank you. Mariel, stay in the carriage."

I stopped Mariel from following and equipped my sword and shield, heading towards the lead carriage.

One of the guards warned me to be cautious of arrows.

I immediately acknowledged the warning.

But how do I watch out for arrows?

As I approached, I could clearly see the tense faces of the guards.

The guards were prioritizing vigilance around the fallen tree.

"I'll help move the fallen tree."

I offered to help the guards near the lead carriage.

"Thanks. Ivan, Helmut, Miran, help the kid with light magic move the fallen tree. Everyone else, continue to keep watch."

Instructions came from the guard captain, Einos.

Bandits or intelligent monsters. Goblins or orcs, maybe? If it's the usual suspects, that's probably it.

Can we win with this group? The guards and merchants seem tense but also calm. I feel like we can win. At least, it's better than facing them alone.

I hope they show up, the monsters. I want to use the [Skill Theft Type A] I appraised. It seemed the most useful. If I can get stronger before reaching the town, that would be great.

"They're here! Goblins. There's an archer. Be careful! Keep the fallen tree as it is and get ready to counterattack!"

Einos gave another set of instructions.

Everyone moved in unison, clearly experienced.

It's a counterattack. Goblins, just what I wanted. I prepared my useless sword and shield and appraised the goblins in front of me.

Among the five goblins in front, two stood out.

"The one in front is probably a decoy. Don't neglect vigilance on the sides and rear."

A third set of instructions came.

I see, goblins are smarter than I thought. We need to be cautious.

The goblins were approaching, but thanks to the calm response of the guards, I remained calm despite it being my first battle.

No, I was even excited about using [Skill Theft Type A] to steal the goblins' skills.