Two hours had passed since Jay began walking along the dirt path. The moonlight was his only guide, and the silence of the night made every step feel heavier.
Jay carried Nekotina asleep on his back. Sweat ran down his forehead, and his legs trembled from the effort, but he refused to stop. After seeing her cry herself to sleep, he didn't want to wake her. No child should suffer through what she had witnessed.
Jay clenched his teeth as he moved forward.
("She said it uses something called orb… is that like mana in this world?")
As he pondered that, he kept walking with no idea where to go. All he could do was follow the path, hoping he wouldn't pass out from hunger or thirst first.
Another hour went by.
"Jay… put me down," Nekotina said in a small voice, gently tugging at his shirt.
Jay crouched and carefully set her down.
"There you go, your highness," he said with a tired smile. "Lowered you with all the elegance you deserve."
Nekotina looked at him, confused, not understanding the joke— But her sad expression softened just a little.
They continued walking. Jay's stomach growled loudly, so much so that Nekotina heard it clearly.
"Jay… how many days can humans live without eating?" she asked, glancing at him.
"No idea. I heard three days… but I start suffering after four hours," he replied, shrugging.
"That's very little…" she whispered, surprised.
Jay let out a dry laugh as they kept moving.
Suddenly, he stopped. The sound of hooves striking the earth came from behind them. A flickering light approached along the path.
Jay turned quickly.
"A carriage… Nekotina, look!" he said, pointing with hope.
The girl looked up, surprised.
"A carriage?"
"Yes. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get something to eat today. This might be our last chance."
Nekotina's eyes lit up with a hint of hope— Something Jay hadn't seen since they escaped the village.
The carriage rolled along the dirt road, kicking up a light cloud of dust under the bluish moonlight. Jay, hearing the hooves approaching, quickly raised his hand.
"Heyyy, over here!" he shouted, waving his arm energetically—though he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
Nekotina jumped slightly from the sudden noise and looked at him with wide eyes.
The carriage stopped with a dry screech of old wheels. It was a simple vehicle: aged wood reinforced at the edges with slightly rusted metal strips. A lantern hung from one side, swaying with the movement, barely illuminating the interior.
The man driving it leaned out. He was an old bearded fellow, his gray beard messy and reaching his chest, eyes sunken but lively, and deep wrinkles like maps drawn by time. His clothes were as rustic as could be imagined: a thick shirt, a worn fabric vest, and pants stained with dry mud.
"Need something, kids?" he asked in a rough but not unfriendly voice.
"Yeah, uh… could you give us a ride to the next village?" Jay replied, flashing a tired smile.
"Sure I can…" the old man smiled. "But what'll you pay me?"
Jay froze.
("Pay? With what? A leaf? A rock? My life?")
Then he remembered what he'd saved for emergencies—the only thing he had from his previous world: his energy bars. He had two. But he had to take the risk.
Jay reached into one of the innermost pockets of his damaged vest and pulled out one of the bars. The silver wrapper shimmered faintly.
"This. It's food from… well, my homeland. Gives you instant energy. I don't have more…" he said, hiding the second bar behind his thigh.
The old man raised an eyebrow, sniffed it, turned it over, examined it like a rare mineral.
"Hmm… smells sweet. If it does what you say, it's worth more than a coin. Alright, hop in."
Jay sighed in relief.
He climbed into the carriage, helping Nekotina up, and that's when he noticed they weren't alone.
Three women, around twenty-four years old, sat together. All wore peasant clothing: long cotton dresses, hand-sewn aprons, wide sleeves, and headscarves. Two of them had cat ears and feline tails, twitching from the cold night air. The third, a human, had chestnut hair tied into two thick braids and stared at the floor, hugging an empty basket.
There were also two children: one blond with cat ears, wearing pants far too big for him, and another smaller one with dark hair, clutching a straw doll.
They all looked exhausted, tense… and afraid.
Jay settled next to Nekotina, who remained quiet and slightly curled up, hiding her tail between her hands.
The carriage began moving again, creaking as it rolled forward. For several minutes, no one spoke. Only the sound of the horse, the night wind, and a distant owl filled the silence.
Until the old driver said:
"You two… you're survivors from the other village, aren't you?"
Jay felt Nekotina tremble slightly.
He nodded slowly.
"Yeah… we came from there," he said in a muted tone.
"I figured," the man replied with a heavy sigh. "I had a feeling."
Jay frowned.
"Does this happen often? Is it normal for those… things to attack villages?"
The old man let out a bitter laugh.
"Normal? Not even close! Forest beasts don't come out like that. Especially not this close to the city. That's where the knights are… well, supposedly."
Jay forced a smile, thinking:
("Again? Another person commenting on how weird I dress? Come on, I'm modern, not weird!")
The old man continued:
"But lately there are rumors. Something's stirring the creatures. I don't know what it is… but it's not normal."
Jay swallowed hard, remembering the jaguar, the fire, the butterfly.
"I see…" he murmured.
Then he looked at Nekotina and said gently:
"I need to sleep a bit. If anything happens… wake me up, okay?"
Nekotina nodded, as if even the movement of air might hurt her.
"Yes… I'll wake you if something happens," she whispered.
Jay leaned back against the carriage's wooden wall, closing his eyes. Fatigue wrapped around him like a heavy blanket, and a moment later—
He was fast asleep.
The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, painting the small village houses in shades of orange and pink. Jay was still asleep, his back slightly hunched, head resting against the carriage's wooden frame. Beside him, Nekotina curled up like a lost puppy, her ears twitching softly and her tail wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't sleeping; her breathing was calm, almost inaudible, as she quietly watched the human who had saved her.
Three hours passed in silence. The sunlight now bathed the dirt road they traveled, and the first rays touched the carriage's wood, reflecting off tiny dust particles suspended in the air. Suddenly, a rough voice from the front broke the calm:
"All right, kids, we're here." The carriage driver tapped the reins lightly, showing a gesture of impatience—but not hostility.
Nekotina leaned toward Jay and whispered:
"Jay… wake up," gently shaking his shoulder with a small, cold hand.
Jay jolted awake, like someone who'd been startled out of bed by a sudden noise.
"WHAT HAPPENED? ENEMIES? WHERE?" he shouted, sitting up abruptly, heart pounding, eyes scanning the carriage interior.
Looking around, he realized there was no one else left—just Nekotina beside him and the bearded man waiting patiently up front.
"Come on, get down. I don't have all day," the man raised an eyebrow and flicked the reins again, showing mild impatience.
Jay sighed, climbed down from the carriage, and bowed slightly in apology.
"Thanks… sorry for the reaction, sir," he said, straightening his back.
"No worries, young man. But if you're looking for work or a place to stay, this village has options." The man pointed down the main road that opened up before them. "There's an inn, and places where you can sell rare items… even parts from forest beasts."
Jay frowned as he processed the information.
("So… an adventurer's guild, but it's not called a guild and there's no party system? They didn't want to be cliché, but this is heading straight into it…")
He nodded and thanked the man, guiding Nekotina toward the inn. When they arrived, the wooden facade was weathered, and the paint on the signs had peeled with age— But the air was filled with the scent of fresh bread and stew.
Jay stepped inside and asked for a room in a pleading voice:
"Please… we need a room for the night," his gaze locked onto the receptionist as he waited for a response.
The woman looked him up and down and shook her head, expressionless. Nekotina, wasting no time, pulled a few coins from her small leather pouch and held them out.
"How much would this get us per night?" she asked in a neutral, serious tone—almost like she was speaking to an adult.
The woman took the coins, counted them quickly, and said:
"Three nights. Includes three meals a day." Her voice was firm, confident, while Jay blinked in surprise.
Nekotina looked at him directly and said calmly:
"What? I didn't want to tell you I had no money. You seem bad at managing finances… you've got nothing."
Her eyes reflected serenity, as if she could read his thoughts.
Jay let out a forced, bittersweet laugh, his shoulder slumping slightly.
("It's because I arrived in this world without a tutorial…")
Jay climbed the stairs with Nekotina on his back, each step echoing softly against the worn wood. The girl clung to him, her tail gently wrapped around his waist, and Jay could feel the light weight that reminded him he couldn't stop. When they reached the room, they opened the door and stepped inside. It was simple, nothing spectacular—two separate beds with plain sheets, a small table in the corner, and a nearly empty wardrobe.
Jay sighed and dropped onto one of the beds with a soft thud, while Nekotina did the same on the other.
"Ugh… I'm dead tired," Jay muttered, lying back and letting his gaze drift toward the ceiling.
Suddenly, a growl from his stomach broke the silence. Jay placed a hand on his belly and frowned.
"Well, I guess I'll claim my breakfast first and then look for work," he said, sitting up and stretching his arms. "You rest, go get your breakfast calmly," he told Nekotina with a forced smile.
Nekotina nodded silently, adjusting herself more comfortably on the bed. Jay hurried down the stairs, the wood creaking beneath his steps as he reached the dining area. There, they offered him a simple plate: bread, a bit of dried meat, and water. Jay devoured the food like there was no tomorrow, chewing fast and swallowing eagerly. By the end, he felt physically satisfied—though his mind was still hungry for possibilities.
After eating, Jay decided it was time to look for work. It sounded simple enough, but it wasn't like submitting a résumé back in his old world; here, everything depended on strength and resources. He remembered the old man who had given them a ride: they could hunt beasts, but Jay knew that in his current state, that was nearly impossible. His vest was torn from the lion's attack, the sleeve slightly ripped, and he had only a few bullets left. His chances of surviving a fight were slim.
Jay closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He placed one fist into the palm of his other hand, focusing.
"Right… the cosmic cat," he murmured.
In his mind, the jaguar's voice roared with force, a growl that seemed to shake him from the inside:
"Who the hell are you calling a cosmic cat? I'm an ELEMENTAL ENTITY, learn your place, human."
Jay rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically:
"Yeah, yeah, fire elemental."
Then, with a mix of curiosity and admiration, he added:
"Hey, you've got a lot of power, right? I saw you incinerate the beasts in that village… would you say you're strong?"
The jaguar laughed mockingly in his head:
"Strong? What part of 'creators of the universe' don't you understand?"
"Yeah, figured… very cliché," Jay muttered with a crooked smile.
"Can you lend me your power?" Jay asked, a hint of hope in his voice.
"What? No. You were rude to me. Find strength on your own," the jaguar replied, his tone authoritative and annoyed.
Jay frowned, muttering to himself:
"Of course… nature's cosmic trap."
Driven by necessity and a plan forming in his mind, Jay ran toward the forest. His thoughts raced, imagining scenarios, strategies, and how he might harness the power he'd seen in the jaguar. The earth crunched beneath his boots, and branches brushed his face as he moved forward, never looking back— Determined to test whether his plan would work.