Chapter 4

In the darkness, Yū woke up in his bed.

This was his first experience of sleeping outdoors without a tent, but he had slept well and felt full of energy.

Since he couldn't sit up, he wriggled out of his bed like an inchworm.

"What time is it? But that doesn't matter."

The sky was beginning to lighten, but the light was blocked by the trees. In the darkness, Yū confirmed the arrival of dawn by the color of the sky and stretched his body.

"Well... let's get going from today!"

He didn't know how many hours a day in this different world lasted, but judging by the color of the sky, it was still early. However, Yū, who had decided to live in this different world, still had a lot to do. To solve the mountain of problems, Yū immediately began to take action.

◆

After the sun had risen for a while, Yū started walking towards the top of the mountain, using the river as a guide. Since he was in a situation where he had no danger of getting lost, his steps were light. Yū aimed for the top to find a place where he could see the landscape at a glance. By confirming the terrain from a high position, he might be able to find a village. Even if not, knowing the surrounding terrain would be a great help in living in this world in the future. For this reason, Yū decided to spend the second day in this different world exploring. He searched for edible fruits and nuts along the way and observed the nature of this different world.

"This... can't be eaten, even though it looks delicious."

Yū muttered to himself, feeling a "bad premonition" about the red fruit that had ripened on a vine wrapped around a tree, and then bit into a small fruit he had picked earlier. It had a crunchy texture like nuts and a strong aroma similar to mango, a strange combination. Despite the lack of sweetness, it was almost confusing for his brain.

"Yeah, it's good."

However, Yū's tongue seemed to feel it was delicious.

──To Yū, this different world was like a dream. Unseen fruits, mountain vegetables, mushrooms, and even small animals could be seen here and there.

"Whoa, yellow... squirrel? ...Apparently, it's edible."

Among them were some that were as cute as mascots from comics or anime. Nevertheless, what Yū felt for them was nothing but hunger. Yū, who had the ability to distinguish poisons, was hungry for every scene that passed by. In a sense, everything he saw was "unknown flavor." Moreover, he could distinguish the safe ones among them. Even unfamiliar mushrooms were safe food for Yū now. Although he didn't have infinite status or communication with his original world, Yū recognized his ability as a unique cheat. Getting information while ignoring the evolution of flora and fauna and the accumulated culture was like being able to see through walls in a shooting game.

...However, this was a different world. The reality of Japan didn't apply here, and it wasn't an easy place.

As he walked towards the slope, Yū suddenly stopped.

A sweet sensation, as if he was being called by something. Although there was no voice or smell, Yū was drawn to an unusual presence and turned to the right.

There, a cliff face stood. But that was irrelevant.

A tree growing on the slope of the cliff, with yellow fruit hanging down, strongly attracted Yū's eyes.

"What is that fruit..."

Since he had been snacking on ingredients along the way, his stomach wasn't empty.

There was no smell, yet Yū couldn't take his eyes off the fruit.

He had to eat it. A strong impulse, almost like a mission, ran through his body – and before he knew it, Yū had started walking towards the cliff.

Like bubbles floating in a water balloon, a faint sense of calm in his brain was telling him to stop.

But his body wouldn't stop. Even when he stopped in front of the cliff, Yū was completely captivated.

He swallowed hard, whether out of fear of the height of the cliff or the overwhelming presence of the fruit.

The yellow fruit was hanging in a position that he could almost reach by extending his hand. If he grabbed the tree, it wouldn't be difficult to pick the fruit.

"Never risk your life for food," that was the rule Yū had set for himself when enjoying wild ingredients. Still, he reached for the fruit. Although it was dangerous to fall, he had a feeling that he wouldn't. However, a little bit of his calmness was shouting that he was breaking the rule.

He grabbed the tree that extended from the slope and leaned his weight on it, reaching for the fruit – and in that moment, it happened.

"Huh?"

The moment Yū's left hand grabbed the tree.

Despite his best efforts to hold on, his hand slipped and caressed the air.

"...! ...!"

He realized his hand had "slipped" – after his feet had left the edge of the cliff.

An abnormally low friction. The surface of the tree was as smooth as if it had been oiled, designed to make the person reaching for the fruit slip and fall.

("This can't be...! Is this the end...!")

He had died once and come to this different world. He had grabbed hope and started walking again, determined not to die a slow death.

But now, Yū's life was about to fall with his body.

Magnetized by the fruit, he had done something he would never do normally, and was about to die.

The height of the cliff wasn't that great. It was probably less than ten meters. If he fell in the right position, he might survive unharmed. But Yū was in an extremely unstable position.

In that case, it was possible to die. He would certainly break a bone. In this mountain, with no medical equipment, the outcome was easy to imagine. Even in a panic, Yū immediately understood his fate.

– No. A part of his mind was shouting.

"I don't want to die...!"

His throat echoed the regret in a painful voice.

The shock hit Yū's body – in the next moment.

Falling on his back, he couldn't take a defensive position. The way he fell was, without a doubt, the worst possible.

"...Ow, ow, ow... Ah..."

That's why, lying on his back, Yū let out a confused voice.

He was alive. And – without a single injury.

Not knowing what had happened, he looked at his palm in confusion – and saw it enveloped in a faint light.

No, not just his palm. Yū's entire body was completely wrapped in a red light.

"What the...?"

It was understandable that he would be even more confused by this phenomenon.

It was strange enough that his once-dead body was unharmed in this world, but this time he hadn't died. If so, this phenomenon could only be explained one way.

He fell from a height but was unharmed, thanks to the mysterious light.

Connecting the result and the mystery, the unharmed state and the light, was a natural conclusion.

But why was he unharmed by being wrapped in light?

"Can't touch it?"

When Yū tried to grab his slightly injured right wrist with his left hand, he realized he couldn't touch it, as if something was blocking him.

That something was the light that enveloped him, which he soon realized.

When he tried to tap his leg with his left hand, a hard sound echoed. The impact didn't pass through.

Yes, this red light was protecting his body from impact like a solid shell.

"A solid... shell?"

As he organized the reason for being unharmed after falling from a height, a metaphor came to mind, which he repeated.

He immediately found a fitting expression because he was a food lover.

◆

After finally climbing back up the cliff, Yū returned to the original path and continued searching for a good vantage point.

In his hand was the yellow fruit he had grabbed just before he slipped and fell.

After walking for a while – when the color of the sky had changed slightly, the view suddenly opened up.

"Wow... this is truly nature..."

What he saw was – a small strip of land stretching from the foot of the mountain and the sea.

The sea, untouched, reflected the sunlight, shining more beautifully than any gem. It felt like he hadn't seen the horizon in a long time.

The grand view captivated Yū – but what he was looking for was not there.

There were no signs of human... or cultural presence. He didn't know what the other side of the mountain looked like, but at least in the current view, there were no ruins.

"Well, it's not something to be discouraged about yet."

Yū sat on an exposed rock. But there was no trace of despair on his face.

The scene, which he hadn't seen in Japan, was beautiful, even if it made him feel lonely.

Moreover, he had a new "hope" in his hand.

Yū spread his right hand and stared at his palm. ...When he concentrated, his entire body was enveloped in red light.

"Hardening... or something like that?"

By activating it with his will, it showed that this was a power he could control.

When he punched the rock he was sitting on, a dull sound echoed, as if he had swung a hammer. Despite the considerable force, Yū's hand was unharmed.

After confirming there was no pain, he calmed his mind, and the red light disappeared. In that state, when he lightly punched the rock, there was no significant sound, but pain shot through his hand.

"Ouch... definitely. Some kind of super hard aura is coming out."

His vocabulary wasn't extensive, but this simple expression hit the core.

By being enveloped in red light, he could use it as a solid protective barrier.

Like the shell of a crustacean.

"The shrimp from yesterday... did it become soft after cooking because of this power?"

Recalling the "first meal" that was abnormally hard despite its thin shell, Yū muttered.

The tube shrimp, which had withstood a considerable force from a stone, became soft after cooking, unlike Earth shrimp. Yesterday, he hadn't had the time to think about it, but it wasn't because it was cooked, but because it died.

Yes, just like – when Yū had tested the rock just now.

The tube shrimp was protected by some kind of power, but it became soft when that protection was cut off. Now, with a clear head, Yū thought this.

"If so, this power is –"

At least, the phenomenon that happened to Yū earlier was the opposite.

He should have died from the position he fell in, but he was unharmed.

Obviously, some kind of power had been added.

That added power – was it the "protection" that had disappeared from the tube shrimp? If so –

"Can I steal the abilities of living things I eat...?"

As he said it out loud, Yū felt like laughing.

It was absurd for someone who had lived in a scientific civilization to say such a thing.

However, if it was true – it was the ultimate motivation for Yū.

The rising feeling made Yū's body tremble.

The ability to distinguish poisons and the power that grew stronger the more he ate. Truly, the power of "food."

Yū no longer had any doubts about living in this world. In fact, he thought it was the perfect environment for him.

"– Yeah! I'm getting motivated!"

So, there was no despair. Even if there were no people in this world, he could continue to live to the fullest. What kind of flavors this world had, and what kind of powers he could gain by eating them. It would continue as long as he lived.

Feeling a slight hunger, Yū was filled with hope.

"Then... let's have this as a pick-me-up!"

But he was still hungry. Perhaps that's why.

Yū, calling it a pick-me-up, held up the fruit that had almost killed him earlier.

What kind of taste would this fruit, which had an irresistible charm, have?

He lightly bit into the fruit, and the skin peeled off easily. Under the skin, it was a bright yellow. Because it contained a lot of juice, it shone in the sunlight, almost golden. The flesh, shaped like a rugby ball, was appetizing – he bit into it from the top.

"...Sour"

The taste was sour. It had no particular smell and no sweetness. It wasn't as intensely sour as a lemon, but it was a strange taste.

True to the different world, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Feeling as if he had been tricked, Yū vowed not to let his guard down with the taste of defeat.