Chapter 4

### Day Two of the Adventure

In the end, I decided to force myself to sleep on a tree with densely packed branches.

There was no way I could muster the courage to lie down and sleep on the ground in the pitch-black darkness, illuminated only by the faint moonlight (if it was even the moon).

I was confident that if I did, I would be eaten by something by morning.

Still, my physical condition was absolutely terrible.

Sleeping high up to avoid predators meant that if I fell asleep and tumbled down, it would hurt a lot.

I tried to get as close to the ground as possible, but it was far from a comfortable sleep.

The uneven hardness and instability made it almost impossible to sleep.

Then, there were unfamiliar sounds like "Gugigi..." and the thudding of something hitting the ground.

There was no way a modern person could sleep soundly with such irregular and unsettling noises.

The only fortunate thing was that I didn't shiver from the cold.

By the way, while resting, I had already decided on my goal for the second day.

To reach what seemed to be a river.

Along the way, I would gather anything that looked edible.

I would measure the time of day by the passage of time on my watch.

And then, the first battle with something that could raise my level.

My last meal was a hamburger and fries from a certain fast-food place I ate yesterday at noon.

Considering that, it hadn't been a full day yet, so I could still manage the hunger.

However, in this situation, it was common sense to search for and secure food when I could find it, so I was determined to carry it in my pockets or bag.

Additionally, I wanted to estimate the time of day.

Mainly, how many hours of daylight there were.

If I knew this, I could avoid the terrifying scenario of being caught in the dark in an unexpected place.

And, of course, there would be battles with creatures trying to eat me.

Yesterday, I walked for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Although I didn't see anything directly, I felt suspicious sounds and presences at night, so there was no doubt that something was out there.

If there were no such things in such a vast forest, this world would be incredibly peaceful.

Ideally, I would want to catch some animals or small creatures...

But if this world is similar to the one I came from, they would likely run away at the sight of a human.

So, it was highly likely that I would end up fighting something more monstrous.

---

Sigh...

Could I really defeat them, given that I had never even been in a proper fight?

I had no special skills, no weapons, no armor, and my level was still 1.

I didn't even know what kind of enemies would appear.

"Whether a contract can be made or not isn't the issue. It's whether you choose to do it or not."

Kasahara-san had emphasized this.

At the time, I had laughed it off, thinking it was an exaggeration, but I believed that this kind of spirit was why he had achieved top-class results in the company.

If that's the case, I have no choice but to do it.

Kasahara-san, who had a bald head, had confidently called this a "world of weapons, magic, and skills."

There was no way he would use such things to hunt timid herbivores.

So, there must be something that requires these things.

In that case, it would be a matter of killing or being killed.

And even if Kasahara-san was an idiot, he could read minds and instantly send people flying.

If he could do that, he was probably a god.

It was unlikely that such a being would appear without a purpose and just kidnap me.

If there was a purpose, it was unlikely that he would throw me against a dragon or something equally hopeless in this situation... I just had to believe that.

Alright, the sun is up, so let's get going.

The watch pointed to 3 AM in Japan, so I adjusted it to 5 AM to match the sunrise.

This would make it easier to track the passage of time.

---

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

I used a stick of a suitable length as a makeshift walking stick and headed in the direction indicated by my watch.

It was slightly warmer than yesterday, but I couldn't afford to carry my jacket in my hands and block my movements.

I decided to wear it for minimal protection.

I tried to keep my field of vision as wide as possible and be sensitive to sounds and movements.

I was definitely sleep-deprived, but the awareness that a mistake could mean death made the lack of sleep less of an issue.

With this mindset, I walked for about two hours, checking suspicious mushrooms, flowers, and plants along the way.

Suddenly, a white something darted across my path.

I was already a bit tired, so my shoulders tensed, but I stopped and held my breath.

(First, I need to check where it went...)

I moved slowly behind the trees, peering in the direction it had gone.

About 10 meters ahead, a creature that looked like a 30-40 cm rabbit was facing me, only its head visible.

(This... is it a... monster? It must be a monster...)

The rabbit had a large horn on its forehead.

The atmosphere was familiar from multiple games, enough to confirm it was a monster.

Its eyes were more menacing than I expected, which made me a bit nervous, but if I couldn't defeat this rabbit-like creature, I wouldn't be able to defeat anything.

I put my bag down, loosened my tie, and stood in front of the horned rabbit.

The horned rabbit didn't move, staring at me intently.

(It's not running... I must be underestimated.)

But that was to be expected.

The horn on its forehead was sharp and at least 20-30 cm long, and if I were stabbed by it, I would certainly be fatally injured.

On the other hand, I had no armor, just a wooden stick.

So, I needed to observe carefully.

Predict the enemy's movements.

The rabbit was larger than a normal one, but at 30-40 cm, the easiest way to deal with it would be to kick it.

But that would likely result in the horn stabbing my foot.

That wouldn't work.

It would hurt, and I was confident that even a foot injury could stop my heart.

So, what should I do?

The horn was clearly its main weapon.

The fact that it was standing its ground suggested it intended to use the horn to stab.

So, what was its attack method?

It would likely charge at me with its powerful legs.

It would probably only use a straightforward attack, as it couldn't do anything else...

Given that, the only way I could defeat it without injury was...

I gently placed my only weapon on the ground.

Then, I took off my suit jacket and spread it in front of me.

Swinging the stick around wouldn't be effective against a small animal, and even if it hit, it was just a regular stick, not a cypress.

If I couldn't deal a fatal blow, I would be killed by a close-range horn attack.

So, this was the plan.

I would use the jacket to obscure my body, making it harder to target, and if possible, use it to blind and strangle the rabbit.

I spread the jacket in front of me and crept closer.

How about this?

A suit jacket that was originally 170 cm long should be quite large.

Ah, I haven't felt this kind of tension in a long time.

I don't even get this nervous during first-time client negotiations.

Even though I should have been cooler after taking off my jacket, I was sweating profusely.

Creep... Creep... Creep...

--- Here it comes!!

The horned rabbit suddenly charged, accelerating as it came.

(Whoa! It's really fast!!)

I barely managed to dodge, and the rabbit passed by, slipping through the middle of my jacket.

I immediately turned to face the rabbit and pushed the jacket forward again.

Phew... Phew...

This was like a bullfight... a small bullfight that would shock even Spaniards.

Even though my suit was black!!

The intensity of its charge was incredible.

However, I learned something from this.

It attacked from the air, aiming for my abdomen.

That was its target.

And...

It was fast, but not so fast that I couldn't see it.

Since there was a clear sign of it charging, I should be able to avoid it.

If it charged at the center of the jacket, I could shift my body slightly to avoid a fatal injury.

So, for the next attack, I would do this.

I changed the way I held the jacket.

From the bullfighter style of holding the shoulders and flapping it, I switched to holding the collar and hem to fix it in place.

If it charged, it would likely try to pierce the jacket with its horn.

If I could catch it in the jacket, I could achieve my goal of blinding and strangling it.

Even if it cost me a 60,000 yen suit!

But I had no choice.

I changed my grip and crept closer to the horned rabbit again.

Come on.

Just like before.

Charge at me!

A moment of tension.

Twitch.

There it is!!

This time, I shifted my body to the side while bracing my hands, waist, and legs with all my strength!

--- Thud!!

The horn barely pierced the jacket, and the rabbit was enveloped in it.

I followed the momentum, threw it to the ground, and pressed my full weight on top of it.

I yanked off my loosened tie and began to strangle the rabbit's neck with it.

"Hey! Don't underestimate the strength of modern fibers!! This tie cost 8,000 yen!!"

And then...

The horned rabbit, thrashing inside the jacket, gradually slowed down and eventually became still.

Later, Yū would learn that this was a low-level monster known as a "Horn Rabbit," often hunted by lower-ranked hunters of the "Hunter Guild" for pocket money to provide meat.

But Yū had no way of knowing this.

So, he let out a triumphant roar in his heart, celebrating his victory in his first battle.