Chapter 2

Abducted by the mysterious acorn, I leaned against the rocky outcrop, lost in thought.

Trying to calm down, I took out my e-cigarette from my chest pocket and started to puff on it.

“Ugh!? Cough! Cough! Cough...!”

Right, I had forgotten that I had ordered myself to be younger.

I was sure there was a mirror in my bag, but...

Ah, well.

I’m so young.

Indeed, I look like I’m around 13 years old, just as I remember.

I really have gone back.

Sigh...

Why is this happening?

There are too many things that are going wrong, but the first and foremost is that I’ve been turned into a 13-year-old.

When I stretched out my arm, the cuffs of the oversized dress shirt were too long.

Clearly, I’m smaller than I was a little while ago.

I remember that during my early middle school years, I had a growth spurt of about 25 cm...

So, I was still growing at 13.

That means I’m probably around 140 cm tall now?

In that negotiation, the idea of character growth and development flashed through my mind.

I completely forgot about the clothes I was wearing.

Of course, humans have a lifespan, a peak in growth, and a period when their bodies function at their best.

By the time I was 32, my body wasn’t as agile as it used to be.

I could feel my physical strength declining.

So, I ended up being greedy and wished to be at least a year younger...

And this is the result.

The overly loose clothes are fine for now. I can fold the cuffs of the pants and make do.

However, these leather shoes... This is bad.

When I checked, there was a gap large enough to easily insert two fingers.

They probably won’t fall off, but if I run at full speed, my speed will definitely decrease.

The risk of running away in an emergency has significantly increased.

And the current situation.

This is also bad.

I was disheartened when I checked my surroundings immediately after the transfer.

Clearly, I’m in a dense forest.

If that boy was kind, he would have placed me near a town, or at least along a road...

The transfer location could have been more flexible, but why am I in such a dire situation right from the start?

I don’t even know which direction to go, and there’s no sign of a water source nearby. It’s turned into a survival game right from the start.

That acorn head...!

I’m only into RPGs and have never played a survival game, damn it!

And the final blow is the skills.

I didn’t get any weapons or armor that would directly increase my strength, any protective blessings that would make me harder to kill, any devastating attack skills, any defensive magic or healing magic that could help me avoid danger, or any special skills that could be applied with wisdom and quick thinking.

I didn’t get a single one of them!!

The only thing I have is a small, round, semi-transparent mark at the edge of my vision, which is probably the button to activate the status screen that the acorn head mentioned.

I continued to smoke, thinking that it would be a waste to stop.

There’s no point in complaining, so I decided to open the status screen.

I tried touching it with my finger, but there was no response, so I focused my gaze on the round mark without moving my head.

And then—

“Whoa!”

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

Why was I surprised?

It’s not because it was impressive.

My vision was suddenly filled with the status screen.

The screen took up my entire field of view, displaying a black background with white text, just like the game screens I used to see when I was a student.

Even when I shook my head or stood up, the screen remained in my vision without any blurring.

It even continued to display when I closed my eyes.

The biggest problem is this:

It’s not semi-transparent.

In other words, while it’s open, my view of the outside world is completely blocked.

In a place where anything could happen, this is a dangerous object to look at.

That acorn head must be a complete idiot. He definitely is.

But still, information is important at this stage.

I stood up and checked my surroundings.

There were no signs of any animals or other creatures that might attack me within my field of view.

I took a deep breath.

I decided to take a quick look at the status screen and focused my consciousness on the round button.

I see...

My name is in the top left corner.

Below that is my level and an experience bar.

Further down are my current and maximum magic points, and numerical values for attributes like strength and intelligence.

There doesn’t seem to be anything like HP, but since this is the real world and not a game, I guess that makes sense.

It’s safe as long as I don’t die, and it’s game over if I do.

And what’s this? Occupation?

Next to my name, it says “Salesman.” Why am I a salesman in this world?

I have no idea.

I would expect to see combat-related jobs or something like that.

Well, there’s no point in thinking too deeply about it. I’ll just chalk it up to the acorn head being an idiot.

The section for blessings and titles in the bottom left is, as expected, empty.

Of course, since I didn’t get anything, it’s only natural.

The right side, or rather, the two-thirds of the screen, seems to be the skill slots.

Since I don’t have much time, I quickly scrolled through them.

The fact that the skills can scroll up and down when I focus on them is a bit impressive.

Hmm... combat skills like [Swordsmanship] and [Spear Mastery], and elemental magic skills like [Fire Magic] and [Water Magic] are as expected. There are also passive skills like [Increased Magic Auto-Regeneration], and combat support skills like [Taunt] and [Feint]. Skills like [Logging] and [Mining] are probably for making money. There’s even a flavor skill like [Singing], and [Appraisal] would be nice to have. [Wind Resistance] is quite detailed! Ah! This must be [Casting Without Incantation]!!

...I’m getting excited, so I’ll stop and return to my normal vision.

First, I noticed that there are a lot of skills.

I checked the surroundings one more time and quickly summarized the content of the skill slots.

Broadly speaking, there are physical combat skills, magic skills, combat support skills, always-active passive skills, non-combat skills like jobs and creation, and an additional empty slot. There are over 100 skills currently displayed.

Moreover, some skills have restrictions, and are shown as “???”.

I suspect that the restrictions can be lifted by obtaining lower-tier or foundational skills.

For example, the “???” next to [Abbreviated Incantation] is probably the higher-tier skill [Casting Without Incantation].

Additionally, the restrictions might be related to my own level and the levels of individual skills.

At least, the skills currently displayed have an experience bar and a level cap of 10, so it’s best to assume that each skill can reach level 10.

A very important part is the number ‘0’ displayed at the top of the skill section.

This is probably the ‘Skill Points’.

The way to obtain them is likely through leveling up, which in this case means my own level.

Other possibilities include quest rewards, special items, or donating a large amount of money...

There are various possibilities, but for now, I have 0.

A perfect 0.

This is a harsh reality, confirming that I can’t immediately obtain any skills.

It would be nice to have at least 5 or 10 points to start with, but that’s not the case.

It would be great if the status screen had a map to show my current location or automatically detected and displayed things, but it’s no use to wish for what isn’t there.

I was foolish to expect too much from the acorn’s words.

In the end, it’s just a typical status screen and a skill tree-like interface.

Sigh...

Just in case, I’ll write down my initial stats in my notebook.

Name: Masami Yuto <Salesman>

Level: 1

Magic Points: 10/10

Strength: 8

Intelligence: 9

Defense: 7

Magic Defense: 7

Agility: 7

Technical Skill: 6

Luck: 12

Blessings: None

Titles: None

Alright!

Standing still won’t do any good.

First, I should:

Head to a high point to check the surroundings and determine the direction to go, and secure water, fire, and a place to sleep, which are essential for survival.

And so, the adventure of the inexplicably forced occupation <Salesman> began.

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