Chapter 7

After experiencing his first magic in the battle against the mole.

Confirming that the mole was dead, Yūto, exhausted both physically and mentally, leaned against a tree root and sat down.

It hadn't even been 30 minutes since the goblin battle.

His cheek was swelling more and more, his nose wouldn't stop bleeding, and the wounds on his nails felt like they were piercing his skin.

And his waist, which had been hit directly, was heavy and deeply painful.

Moreover, he had been walking non-stop, unable to sleep properly or eat, and the only thing he had consumed was fruit.

For a normal person, this would have been an environment where their spirit would have already broken.

And Yūto was no exception.

(Man, moles are really dangerous... really dangerous...)

Goblins, though small, were still of a considerable size.

Whether Yūto was sleeping or in battle, he would notice their approach unless he was completely distracted by something else.

Even the horned rabbits, though small, were still white, and he would notice a white object moving in the forest.

In fact, Yūto had never been caught off guard before.

But this mole...

It wasn't exactly camouflaged, but it was brown overall, with blackened spots from dirt, blending into the ground.

It was only about 30 cm long and had appeared to come out of a hole.

In other words, it had been hiding.

And there was the magic that could throw a rock, potentially dealing a one-hit kill.

"Haha... It's impossible... How am I supposed to get through the forest while avoiding the surprise attacks from those things?"

Thus, he muttered weakly as he gazed at the mole.

Then, his gaze fell on the hole where the mole had been hiding.

(Hmm... I should check, just in case...)

With a heavy heart, he stood up, picked up a random stick, and stood in front of the hole, peering inside.

It was dark, but it didn't seem very wide.

He poked the stick in, but it reached what he assumed was the bottom of the hole without much effort.

(Huh? Is it connected to something else, or is it a long tunnel?)

In Japan, moles were known to dig long tunnels connecting their holes, moving around inside them.

Curious, he decided to check and shone his flashlight inside, then nodded in understanding.

The hole was a narrow cavity, less than a meter long, with grass laid inside.

He could also see seeds and small bones, which he assumed the mole had been eating.

Then, Yūto realized that this was a nest for a single mole.

(If I stepped on the nest or the vibrations from my steps were transmitted, I might notice something unusual if I keep an eye on the ground.)

He couldn't know what the nest looked like before he passed by, but the dirt around it suggested that the mole had pushed it aside to come out of the hole.

If that was the case, he might be able to take some precautions, and it seemed unlikely that the mole would reappear from another hole to attack again.

(Whether I can notice the hole or not... In other words, if I can figure that out, I can launch a preemptive attack on the nest.)

Thinking about this, his spirits lifted a bit.

"Alright!"

He spoke aloud to confirm it to himself.

Walking while lost in thought was suicidal, so he decided to stop doing that.

He wasn't being careless, but it would be counterproductive to die because he was thinking about more efficient ways to defeat enemies.

When walking, he would focus on being vigilant against enemies and gathering food.

He would think about everything else at night when he couldn't move.

He scolded himself and, after checking the content of his level-up on the status screen for a few seconds, he proceeded towards the river with maximum alertness.

---

About three hours later, at dusk.

On a rock, a naked man stood with his arms spread wide, shouting.

Yes, this was Yūto, a 13-year-old living a life that would shock even a homeless person.

Hearing the faint sound of water, he forgot to be vigilant and sprinted towards it.

Seeing a river about 5 to 10 meters wide with a relatively shallow, gentle current, he jumped in without even taking off his clothes.

His previous reflections were completely forgotten.

Parasites? Water monsters?

Yūto had no time to worry about such things.

His thirst, his craving for fresh water, and the smell of his own body odor were unbearable.

He had reached his limit as a former modern human.

All his pent-up frustration burst forth, leading to this bizarre act of standing naked on a rock.

Being suddenly kidnapped into such an environment could drive anyone to the brink of madness.

However, Yūto wasn't just a fool.

While standing with his arms spread wide, he had a clear purpose in mind.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the river.

Of course, his goal was to find any living creatures, specifically food.

He could drink the water.

He had already drunk enough to make his stomach slosh.

But his hunger wasn't satisfied.

He would eat anything that could fill his stomach, whether it was fish or crustaceans.

"Give me something to eat, pleaseee!"

This was why he was standing and shouting.

And then...

"I found one!!! There's a fish!!!"

He couldn't possibly catch it with his hands.

Such a wild method of catching fish was beyond the capabilities of Yūto, who proudly called himself an extreme indoor person.

But he could see the fish.

So...

He assessed the water's flow, picked up some stones, and began to act.

Using his amateur knowledge, he created a trap in the river where fish could enter but not easily escape.

He filled the gaps with small stones, leaving only one entrance along the current, and placed a wall of stones near the exit to prevent the fish from escaping.

Unable to resist, he also caught and ate some creatures that looked like shrimp or crabs, which had been hiding when he moved the stones.

Shaking with excitement at the prospect of eating something other than fruit, he smiled in satisfaction at the trap he had created.

Additionally, he had brought the horned rabbit he had killed on the way to the river.

Even without a knife, he had considered the possibility of roasting it.

After the mole battle, he had confirmed that his skill points had increased to 2 due to leveling up.

On the way, he had planned to allocate these points to water magic if the river didn't exist, but since it did, he decided to allocate them to fire magic.

He desperately wanted to eat meat.

The sun was setting, and he had already spotted a tree that could serve as a bed.

"Hehehe! Let's see if it works!!"

---

Climbing the tree he had chosen as his bed, Yūto opened his status screen.

He checked the magic skills in the skill slots.

The magic skills were at the top of the skill slots, making them easy to find.

Then...

With a mix of hope and anxiety, he muttered to the screen, "Allocate points to [Fire Magic]."

(Please... I hope the skill point increase is more than 50%...)

Yūto didn't expect to be able to acquire a skill with just one skill point.

The harshness of this world had already been ingrained in his mind.

The status screen provided by the acorn-headed being might just be making it seem that way.

Regardless, whether the increase was above or below 50% was extremely important.

If it was above 50%, he could acquire a skill with his current 2 points.

If it was below 50%, the points would carry over to the next level-up.

If the points carried over, he would have to wait for meat.

For Yūto, who was starving, this was a matter of life and death.

As he stared intently, one point was allocated, and Yūto's eyes widened.

"It's hereeeeee!!! 50% with one point!!! Then the other one too!!! Full allocation, full allocation!!!"

Then...

"[Fire Magic] Level 1 acquired."

"Yeeeeeessssss!!!"

He immediately made a triumphant pose.

Like during a level-up, text flowed across the screen from the side.

But Yūto had no time to pay attention to such things.

He immediately started checking what spells he could use.

Focusing his gaze on the newly acquired [Fire Magic], he read the detailed explanation.

"[Fire Magic] Level 1: Can cast fire spells with a magic cost of less than 10."

(What does this mean...?)

"Fireball: Magic cost 5. Launches a small fireball forward."

For Yūto, who had expected a more straightforward explanation, this was unexpectedly vague.

A magic cost of less than 10?

That's it?

What about the spell names?

Various question marks filled Yūto's mind.

(I don't understand at all... But I definitely acquired the skill. I have to try it out!)

Unable to understand the explanation, Yūto started trying to cast spells.

Worried that a spell might go off unexpectedly, he aimed at the river and formed his hand into a gun shape with his index finger extended.

Then, he extended his hand and...

"Fireball, launch!"

But nothing happened.

(Did I do it wrong? Maybe "launch" wasn't necessary?)

"Fireball!"

Still nothing.

(Hmm... Is it the hand shape?)

He turned his palm forward.

"Go! Fireball!"

Still nothing.

(......Huh?)

"What's going on?! I just acquired the skill!"

Yūto shouted in frustration.

If there had been a table in front of him, it would have been flipped over.

(I need to calm down...)

Then, Yūto's habit of analyzing information kicked in.

(First, the only magic I've actually seen is from the mole. The mole was creating a black mist and growing stones. So, the black mist is likely magic power. Since there's no mist now, it makes sense that the spell isn't working. Also, the existence of "shortened incantation" implies that a longer incantation is normally required. But I don't have that skill. So, maybe...)

He finally realized.

He would have to use the full, cringeworthy incantation.

(Actually, there might not be a fixed incantation... And I'm 32... Oh well... No one is around, right?)

Despite wandering the forest and only encountering a single arm, Yūto was now worrying about this.

But with no one around, he felt ready to cast the cringeworthy spell.

(...Let's do it.)

"Ugh! Spirits of fire! Lend me your power! ...Please, I beg you! Fireball!"

Still nothing.

He was the only one humiliated.

(I want to cry... It's embarrassing, and it's not working... Please give me a hint, Mr. Acorn!)

He shouted in his mind, but of course, there was no response from the acorn-headed being.

The acorn wasn't that kind.

Reluctantly, he opened the status screen again, hoping to find a hint in the skill list.

He stared at the unacquired skills, but no explanations appeared.

It seemed that only acquired skills had detailed explanations.

With only [Fire Magic] acquired, Yūto had almost no information to work with.

Then, he noticed something.

(The skill names are all in Japanese... The acorn-headed being said it was considerate for me, so maybe it's in Japanese because I'm Japanese? But "Level" and "Skill" are in katakana... But the elements are in Japanese: fire, water, wind, earth... So, maybe... The katakana "Fireball" is the problem? Haha... Maybe I've figured it out...)

Smirking, he started the incantation without hesitation.

"Spirits of fire! Lend me your power! I beg you! Fireball!"

(......)

"Is it not going to work? Is this not the right flow?!"

If there had been a table in front of him, it would have flown away after a triple somersault.

Yūto was on the verge of going insane.

The frustration of not being able to use the skill he had just acquired was overwhelming.

"Fire! Activate! Fireball! Launch!"

"Divine spirits of fire! If you're there, lend me your power! Please! Fire!"

"Please! I'll do anything! Give me fire! Fire! Fire!"

"Fire! Fire! Fireeeeee!"

"Mooquee!"

---

After the sun had completely set.

Trying various patterns, but still unable to cast the spell...

The 32-year-old single salesman (now unemployed) cried and cursed, then sulked to sleep.