Chapter 2

"Phew... At least finding the river was lucky."

And then, after a few minutes. Yu found the river and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

There was no other way to explain it but that he had been lucky. No matter what, water was essential for survival. Whether the place he had been stranded in was an uninhabited island or a desert, the first thing he needed to secure when he was stranded was water.

Finding the most necessary thing first was really lucky. Despite having just experienced the misfortune of being run over and dying, Yu was grateful for his luck.

In the end, it wasn't just a wash... Despite being in an extremely negative state of having died in an accident and then being transported to another world and immediately stranded, Yu didn't realize his misfortune and rejoiced in his luck for a while before moving on to his next action.

After a brief moment of muttering to himself in excitement, the silent Yu approached the water's surface.

He was checking what this river was. Specifically, whether it contained drinkable water.

"...As expected, the water is clean in nature."

The river Yu found was, to put it simply, beautiful. So much so that it was almost fantastical. However, the transparency of the water, which could even evoke a sense of awe, paled in comparison to the fantastical nature of being in another world.

What was more important now was whether the water was drinkable.

The water was clear and clean, without a single speck of murkiness. Perhaps he had passed the first hurdle.

But that was something he could see just by looking. What Yu was looking for was something else.

"...! There it is!"

What Yu was looking for was a certain creature.

Looking for a specific creature from Earth in another world could be considered foolish, but the key was whether he could find something similar.

"Quite unusual, a cylindrical shape... It's not a shrimp, and it's not a crayfish... I don't really know what it is... But it's probably okay!"

The creature Yu was looking for was a crustacean, like a crayfish or a shrimp.

When checking if the water was drinkable, it was common to use the creatures living in the water as a benchmark.

For example, if snails or leeches were found in the river, it would be safe to say that the water was not usable in a survival situation. Snails, leeches, dragonfly larvae, and mosquito larvae. To drink water from such a habitat, scientific treatment would be necessary.

Conversely, finding insect larvae was a good sign. If they were present, the water could be made drinkable with relatively simple methods like filtration or boiling.

And if crayfish or shrimp were found, it was said that the water was safe to drink as is.

"At least I can relax for now. If this doesn't work, I'll deal with it then. After all, I've already died once."

Of course, these were things from Earth. In the world Yu was in now, the opposite could be true.

But he knew that these were excellent indicators. If they didn't apply at all, his knowledge would be almost useless.

In a sense, it was a gamble. But if this water was safe, Yu would find a foothold in his knowledge for surviving in this world.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Yu took out a used PET bottle from his bag. He rinsed it a few times, wiped the mouth, and filled it with water.

Holding the PET bottle up to the sunlight, the light passed through without any impurities.

Yu swallowed hard before putting his mouth to the PET bottle.

...Of course, there was fear that his knowledge might be completely useless. Like a famous general testing his courage with poison or alcohol, Yu gulped it down in one go.

His face widened in surprise.

Then, his throat began to pulse rhythmically, making a dull sound of water.

"(It... it's good!)"

It had no odor and no taste. But there was a faint aroma of the 'mountain.' Yu felt that this water was incredibly delicious. Even though the temperature wasn't particularly high, walking on rough terrain naturally made his body warm. Moreover, this was somewhere he didn't even know the name of, not even on Earth. In such a situation, the only thing a person with a heated body and mind would seek, regardless of the circumstances, was one thing. The first thing he tasted in this situation was water with a pleasant coolness, polished to perfection in an environment that was no longer found on Earth.

The 'taste' and the gentle coolness gently cooled Yu's body and mind.

"Phew... Ha! What is this, the water is so...!"

Yu, who had been holding his breath while drinking the water, finally exhaled in astonishment.

The water was of such high quality that it could be called 'famous water' on Earth.

Yu was momentarily entranced. Shaking his head, he looked down at the river.

"Water can change so much... Or is it because this is another world?"

Yu, who enjoyed outdoor activities, had also tasted 'famous water' that people would climb mountains to find. But the emotion he felt then seemed murky compared to what he had just tasted.

He couldn't help but scoop up another cup and drink it. The shock wasn't as intense as the first time, but the water made his mind even calmer.

"...But, I can't just keep doing this."

After rinsing the PET bottle again and putting it back in his bag, Yu took out other items.

It was another PET bottle and a cutter from his pencil case.

Sitting on a nearby rock, Yu began cutting the second PET bottle. First, he cut off the white mouth of the bottle, then the upper part above the middle, and finally made a hole a little above the bottom. ...Surprisingly, many people might know this. Yes, it was a simple trap used to catch small fish or crayfish in rivers.

By fitting the cut top part of the bottle upside down into the bottom part, it was complete.

All that was left was to put some leftover food from his lunch box inside, and it was ready.

"I hope it works... I think it will if they're not used to people."

With that, Yu submerged the simple trap he had made into the river with a weight. He could collect them by hand, but this was another world, and he didn't know what might happen. He also had other tasks to do.

After remembering the location where he had submerged the trap, Yu left the river, hoping for a good catch.

◆

After a while, Yu was in a place a short distance from the river.

"Phew... Is this good enough?"

Yu, who was now visibly dirtier than before, clapped his hands to brush off the dirt.

In front of Yu was a pile of grass and branches that didn't look like much at first glance. Some people might intuitively know what it was, but for most, an explanation would be necessary.

"The bed is good with this. Next is... food, of course."

What Yu prioritized over food collection was securing a place to sleep.

The weather in the mountains can change quickly, and the climate can be unpredictable. Preparing a place to protect oneself from these changes is a high priority.

With limited materials, Yu built a simple lean-to. It was a rudimentary structure made by inserting branches into the ground and covering them with leaves. Normally, a tarp would be used, but he didn't have one.

While it took some effort to build, the inside of the lean-to, with its thick layers of leaves, was much warmer than it looked. It would also protect against rain. There were still many issues, like insects, but in the current situation, where there was a mountain of things to do, it was a sufficient shelter.

"Then... I'll go check the trap. I hope it worked."

With the minimum shelter in place, food was now a priority over improving the environment.

It wasn't just for survival. The curiosity about the unknown flavors that no one on Earth had probably ever tasted filled Yu's mind.

He walked to the river, which was a short distance away. While a water source closer by would be more convenient, being too close to the river could be dangerous if there was a sudden rise in water levels due to rain.

After a short walk, Yu arrived at the river and retrieved the trap. There, he found—

"There they are! ...The way to catch river creatures doesn't change even in another world."

The crustaceans he had seen in the river earlier were wriggling inside.

They had a shape he had never seen before, but they had shells and colors similar to crustaceans on Earth.

Judging by their appearance, they seemed 'edible.'

"Alright, let's get back to the base quickly to cook them while they're fresh."

Thus, Yu, who had obtained the first 'ingredients' in this new world, hurried back to his base.