Chapter 3

In a world with a vague setting for a dating simulation game.

There is something called a Lost Item, which is a relic of an ancient civilization—a vague and fluffy setting. It seems they wanted to introduce an incredibly powerful item in the game.

There are also ancient civilization equipment that only the protagonist can use, items that emphasize the protagonist's special status.

These items, made with lost technology, cannot be produced, and are called Lost Items.

The floating island I arrived at is precisely the island where these Lost Items are sleeping.

I, wiping the sweat from my brow, advanced through the forest, which has no paths, and pulled out the sword I had prepared on my back to cut through the grass and branches.

I wiped the sweat again.

The fresh scent was still pleasant, but the ground was muddy in parts, and I nearly fell several times.

"I should have brought a machete."

I regretted not bringing a machete, which would have been more convenient for moving through such a place than just a sword.

I looked around.

I was definitely heading towards the center of the island, but unlike in the game, the actual distance was much greater. In reality, you can't just breeze through forests and mountains.

I struggled to move through the unprepared paths, and despite not making much progress, a lot of time had passed.

There were snakes, insects, and other creatures living around, and I couldn't let my guard down, but the most dangerous thing was—

"Again!"

I crouched down and whispered a complaint.

I lay on the ground to hide from the enemy passing by.

The enemy was not a monster.

It was a round, full-body armor without legs, floating in the air.

Its long arms and the pointed hat on its head were distinctive features of the machine.

The security robot was about two meters tall.

Because it floated, the machines could move without any problems through the forest that had not been maintained.

I held my breath, remained still, and hoped not to be discovered.

After confirming that the machine had passed, I got up and quickly left the area.

The machines, which are still operational to guard a base that no longer has any people, is a rather lonely setting, but if I were discovered, my life would be in danger.

I could deal with them, but I couldn't afford to be noticed here.

"I want to somehow reach the base."

The base on the floating island.

It is the base where the Lost Items are sleeping, and therefore guarded by defense machines.

I wasn't interested in the detailed setting.

I just needed to find the Lost Item I was looking for.

While being cautious, I walked a few kilometers through the forest and discovered a building.

Vines entangled the building, and trees growing from inside had pierced through the roof.

It had clearly been abandoned for a long time.

It felt strangely fresh, similar to what I had seen in the game.

"…Just the fact that this exists makes me realize that I wasn't just dreaming."

Until now, I had sometimes thought that maybe I was just dreaming that I had been reincarnated. But today's events have made me certain.

Is my past life just a delusion? I have often doubted it. It was also possible that I was perceiving reality as a game. That's a scary thought.

I felt relieved that I wasn't just deluding myself about having a past life, and I cautiously entered the building.

Most of the defense systems inside the base had stopped working due to roots and vines.

A concrete building.

Electronic equipment embedded in the walls.

All of these were similar to things from the world I knew, and I felt a sense of familiarity.

"Old buildings like this are sometimes treated as dungeons."

There are such ancient buildings on the floating island, and adventurers obtain treasures from them to build their wealth.

Nobles are praised when they discover new islands and conquer dungeons, as they take pride in being descendants of great adventurers.

"…It feels like I'm plundering a ruin."

Adventurers who take treasures from these valuable ruins.

From a different perspective, they could also be seen as destroyers or looters.

"Well, I'm doing the same thing to avoid being sold to those perverted old women, so I can't really talk."

As I continued down the corridor, I found an open door.

However, at the end of the corridor, a machine—security robot—was floating towards me, swaying gently.

They were all broken, and it was a miracle that it was still moving. The sight of it, worn out but still guarding the base, was touching.

I raised my rifle.

"Sorry."

I apologized to the machine that had been guarding the facility and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the robot and released a lightning strike.

A moment of light burst forth, and the robot fell to the ground. The light in its eyes, which had been blinking, went out.

I remained in position with my rifle, but no other enemies came. If the base's functions were working properly, I wouldn't have been able to intrude in the first place.

"It's working, it's working. …Right, I'm sure it's this way."

The bullets I used had a special effect, releasing lightning. This kind of magical element exists in this world.

As I moved forward, the open door was entangled with roots and vines, leaving it half-open.

When I entered the room, I found a skeleton lying on the floor.

There was also a dirty piece of cloth.

Before touching the cloth, which was once clothing, I clasped my hands in prayer.

I then took a card from the pocket.

This card would allow me to enter some rooms in the facility.

The card, which also served as an ID, was worn out, but I could read part of the name.

"It's in the Roman alphabet. It feels strange."

I never thought I would see the Roman alphabet in another world.

I put the card in my pocket and continued moving.

In the game, this was a place I visited multiple times to obtain paid items. Even after clearing the game, I would come back to collect items for the next challenge.

However, my memories from ten years ago were often vague. I thought it was impressive that I remembered the coordinates to this floating island, but I was afraid if I had made a mistake.

The anxiety and fear of going out alone into the sky… I never wanted to experience it again.

I searched for rooms that could be opened with the card and used it on a device to open the door. It turned out to be a break room.

A rusty, worn-out vending machine.

One was overturned, and the contents were scattered outside.

When I picked them up with my hands, they crumbled into sand.

There were two skeletons on the sofa.

"…I never thought about it in the game, but what happened here?"

One of the skeletons held a key I needed to proceed.

After praying, I collected the key and moved forward, but a defense robot was still active, blocking the corridor.

"Right, there were these things too."

I aimed my rifle and pulled the trigger, but although I confirmed a hit, the enemy was tough. It aimed a Gatling gun at me with one hand, but the other hand didn't move.

Even with just one hand, it was a significant threat, but it seemed to be malfunctioning and couldn't aim properly.

"Close call!"

I crouched to hide in the corridor, reloaded the next bullet with a bolt action, and attacked with the rifle while hiding.

The fact that the enemy was malfunctioning and couldn't move or aim properly helped me.

Each time I fired, I thought—

"Damn! It's not hitting as much as I thought."

As I mentally calculated the cost of the bullets being used, the amount became astronomical.

I fired many shots, and it took nearly twenty bullets to confirm that it had stopped moving.

In the game, it only took about ten bullets.

I continued to move forward, dealing with guards and defense robots along the way.

Before I knew it, the bullets I had brought were almost gone.

I advanced through the dark corridor and finally reached my destination.

Using the key, I opened the door.

A staircase leading underground.

It was dark, and I couldn't see anything, so I took a lantern from my bag and lit it.

"If there's electricity, I wish I had a flashlight."

I muttered complaints as I descended the stairs.

Occasionally, human bones scattered around added to the fear.

I didn't know what had happened in this place, but I wanted to collect my belongings and return.

"Still… it's exactly as I remember."

The place where the paid item I bought was sleeping—following my memory, I arrived at a large room entangled with roots and vines.

I walked through what seemed to be a dock for airships.

Holding my rifle in both hands, I walked while looking around. The place where airships were stored had open spaces and areas where broken airships were entangled with vines.

"I wonder how long it has been abandoned—this is it."

I finally reached the back of the large dock.

Among the lined-up airships, only one retained its original form.

It was covered in green, but parts of the gray armor were visible.

Finding this airship was fortunate.

"Is it really here?"

I slowly climbed the ramp.

The entrance was entangled with vines and wouldn't open, so I cut the vines with the sword I brought. Then, I used the card to open the entrance, and the inside of the ship—no, the inside of the vessel—was clean.

The airship, classified as a flying battleship, had a very futuristic interior. It felt like a different game or world.

It was roughly 700 meters long, which was enormous.

However, this was a world where islands and continents floated.

There were also small floating islands that had been converted into airships, and many airships over 1,000 meters long existed.

This size, while indeed large, was not unusual.

The shape was more like a space battleship than an airship. There were no decks or such features.

It was generally a long, rectangular ship with engines at the rear and large, wing-like plates attached at an angle.

The rear was somewhat cluttered, but the front was simple.

In this world, airships come in various shapes.

There were ship-shaped ones and rugby ball-shaped ones, and it seemed there was no particular preference for shape.

As I moved through the vessel, the lights automatically turned on, so I put away the lantern.

With only one more major challenge left, I aimed for the center of the airship.

My footsteps echoed through the corridor as I reached the center.

I checked the state of my rifle and confirmed that there were bullets in the magazine.

I took a deep breath.

"…Let's go."

I tightened my resolve, opened the door, and entered. In the room called the center, there was a robot with its upper body protruding from the floor.

I raised my rifle.

"…Intruder detected. Eliminate… Eliminate…"

The large robot, about six meters tall, slowly activated and tried to capture me with its large hands, so I aimed my rifle and pulled the trigger.

I quickly reloaded the next bullet, but the enemy seemed unaffected by my attacks and reached out its hands.

"Would it back off if I showed it the card?"

The robot responded to my mutter.

"The card you have is someone else's. Your physical characteristics are too different. Furthermore, the owner is presumed to be in a hopeless situation. Therefore, you are identified as an intruder."

"Thanks for the honest answer!"

I didn't expect it to be able to converse