Chapter 2

This time, I was properly on the ground. Looking around, it was an astonishingly vast grassland, giving off a sense of a different world.

I took a deep breath, savoring the air, then flopped down on the spot. That's when I noticed something.

If I'm in a different world, then anime, of course, doesn't exist.

In other words, I can't watch anime.

This is a serious situation.

Can't watch anime? Can I really endure a life like that?

Anime, which supported me in that world, the only good thing about that world, my reason for living.

"Damn... it's over..."

I tried to pull myself together, my heart already on the verge of breaking, and barely held back the tears that threatened to overflow.

I'll think about the anime thing later. It's not something to think about now. What I should do now is find a town. Nothing starts without meeting people, that's how stories go.

So I decided to run at full speed to check my physical abilities.

I recalled how just three months ago, I had been utterly embarrassed by my 50-meter dash at school, where I clocked in at 9 seconds.

I don't have to go through that again. I'm literally reborn. I've reincarnated.

I took a crouching start position, preparing to run.

Before I ran, I wanted to name this, my first run in this new world.

Hmm... how about "Vermilion, the name of my sprint"?

Hehe, that doesn't make any sense.

And then I started running.

From the very beginning, it was incredibly fast. I was so surprised by the speed I hadn't expected that I almost wet myself.

I kept accelerating, and before I knew it, I was going as fast as a bullet train.

I felt like a brother who had mastered speed.

And then, after running for a while, I saw a town. How speedy.

Overjoyed, I couldn't help but say that line.

"Isn't the principle of this world speed!?"

I hadn't even finished the line when I reached the town's outer wall.

"Ah... 20 seconds...! I've shortened the world by 2 seconds again...!"

No one in this world would get this reference. Thinking about it, it was rare to find someone who understood it even in that world. There wasn't much of a difference.

Well, I've reached the town, but where's the entrance? I could probably jump over the wall with my current abilities, but I'm the type who values formality.

From a distance, I could see a castle-like building, so this must be a castle town. If I find the gate, can I enter? I don't have any identification.

I'll try to find the entrance and jump over if I can't get in.

Thinking this, I started walking along the outer wall and soon found the gate. A few guards were standing in front of the gate.

When I got there, I greeted the guards cheerfully.

"Hey there!"

But then an unexpected situation arose.

The guards' response wasn't in Japanese.

Well, that's obvious, but can't we understand each other? Isn't there something where, in a different world, we can somehow understand each other?

I thought it would be somewhat understandable, but this is hopeless.

As I was flustered, the guards started gathering around me.

The guards tried to talk to me, but I couldn't understand them.

And the gods didn't consider my reincarnation at all. This is a dead end.

As I was thinking this, one of the guards suddenly shouted.

Looking over, I saw the guard had his hand on the sword at his waist, ready to draw it at any moment.

It was clear he was about to attack me.

I needed to calm him down, but we couldn't understand each other.

In this situation, the only option was gestures.

I tried to express myself with my hands, but it didn't work at all. I didn't even know what I should be trying to convey.

I remembered that people offer sacrifices to appease the gods.

Maybe I should do that too.

Unfortunately, I had nothing to offer.

What should I do? Ah, konnyaku. There's konnyaku.

I immediately created konnyaku and offered it to the guard.

Please eat this, I gestured.

The guard swatted my hand away, along with the konnyaku, and shouted again. The konnyaku fell to the ground.

Of course.

But what a waste.

I picked up the fallen konnyaku and brushed off the dirt.

The guard probably didn't realize it was food.

I took a bite of the konnyaku to show it was edible.

Then I offered a newly created piece of konnyaku to the guard again.

"It's probably poisoned! A monster disguised as a human!"

"What should we do? Should we capture him?"

"No, we should kill him!"

Huh? Why can I suddenly understand the guards?

I looked at the konnyaku in my hand, wondering what was going on.

"Is this a translation konnyaku?"

I threw the konnyaku to the ground.

---

Now that I could communicate, I started talking nonstop to try to defuse the situation.

It seemed to work, as no fight broke out.

It turned out the guards thought I was a monster disguised as a human because I was speaking an unknown language. That's why they were about to attack me.

From this, I could infer that the language in this world is unified. Even if it's not, with my translation konnyaku, it's a minor issue.

Of course, even after we could understand each other, I was still considered suspicious. My strange clothing made them suspect I was a heretic.

As I had expected, my uniform looked strange to the people of this world.

Because of this, I couldn't enter the town.

So now, I'm wandering around the outer wall.

If I can't get in through the gate, I'll jump over the wall, I thought. But jumping over the wall in broad daylight would draw attention.

That would be a bit embarrassing, so I'm trying to figure out what to do.

I could wait until night, but that's too much of a hassle. I want to enjoy the events of this different world as soon as possible.

I know, I'll dig.

It was a brilliant idea that came to me suddenly.

Instead of jumping over the wall, I could dig under it. What a great idea.

Deciding on this, I started digging.

But I didn't have any tools. I tried to create a shovel or a drill, but only konnyaku came out.

Why can't I create anything else? Now that I think about it, this is quite dangerous. If I can't create things, it will be inconvenient in the future.

Ah, if I had a drill, I could easily dig a hole. I guess I'll have to dig with my hands.

Just as I was about to start digging with my hands, I was shocked.

My hands had turned into drills.

"Huh?"

I tried to rub my eyes, thinking it was a mistake, but I couldn't because my hands were drills.

Well, it's not a mistake to see my hands as drills, so this must be real.

But why now? I understand that creation was successful, but why?

Even if it was successful, I didn't imagine my hands turning into drills, so it's questionable whether I can call it a success, but it's still progress.

Feeling encouraged, I tried to create a famous drill robot.

Konnyaku came out.

"Phew..."

It seems there are various issues with creation. Is it the success rate? Skill level? Whatever it is, I need to investigate it carefully.

"Alright, let's dig."

Putting the creation issue aside, I placed the drill on the ground. The drill started spinning with a whirring sound!

"This thing moves!"

I was a bit moved as I applied more force, and the drill started cutting through the soil, advancing rapidly.

"If I break through, I win!"

I shouted this as I kept digging. I don't know how long I dug, but I was about to emerge outside.

I hit something hard.

Damn, I hit a hard rock and couldn't dig any further.

But I'm not the type to give up easily.

I took a deep breath before unleashing my ultimate technique.

"Drill Break!"

The hard rock was as easy as konnyaku to break through.

I landed, and the sunlight... wasn't there.

That's strange, I thought, looking around. In front of me was a thick iron grate, and I was in a dim room.

Ah, this is a prison cell.

"Hey! Someone made a hole! What's going on? What's going on?"

Suddenly, a group of prisoners gathered, and I instinctively stepped back. They all had the kind of eyes that suggested they had killed before. If I got caught by them, even I, who can run as fast as a bullet train, would be scared.

...That's what my old self would think. I'm different now.

I've been reborn. If I can't handle these guys, I won't be able to defeat the Demon King.

I tried to control my trembling legs and spoke.

"Whoa, you're amazing! You broke through the floor made of magic steel!"

The guard's voice was so loud that I let out a ridiculous sound.

"Hey, your voice is too loud... It's bad for my heart."

The other prisoners also shouted, "Jack, be quiet! What if the guards come?"

"Sorry, sorry! Anyway, I'm Jack. I'm the boss here. Sorry for making you do this for us."

Jack extended his hand for a handshake, and I extended my right hand.

It was a drill.

"What's this?"

"Sorry, hold on a sec."

I had completely forgotten to turn my hand back to normal.

I tried to fix it easily...

Huh? It won't turn back.

"Sorry, I can't shake hands right now."

"Why? Oh, I see. Your hands are dirty from digging. You're a good guy for thinking about that."

"Huh? Yeah, I guess."

I was quite anxious inside. I didn't expect my hand to stay a drill. How do I turn it back?

"What's your name?"

"Ah, I'm Reia."

I might have given a random answer because I was too focused on my hand being a drill.

This is a lifelong issue.

"Reia, I'll remember that. I really appreciate it, buddy! See you later!"

"Hey, come back! Seriously, come back! Come back!"

My voice echoed through the hole, but no one responded.

Damn, this is bad. What should I do?

Come on, turn back, this...

"Ah, it's back to normal."

My hand suddenly turned back to normal when I was trying to fix it.

I was really worried. Phew, that's a relief.

But this ability is really inconvenient.

"Hey, it was Jack, right? Huh? He's gone?"

I realized the dozens of prisoners who were there a moment ago were all gone.

Of course, they escaped through the hole I made.

"Did I do something terrible...?"

Wait, wait, wait, hold on.

"Hey! Come back! Seriously, come back! Come back!"

My voice echoed through the hole, but no one responded.