**Day 1: Classroom**
Here I am Haruka. I am reading a book.
It was another typical lunch break. Do not call me a loner. Fine, I will not argue that point.
The people around me kept talking nonstop. I was honestly impressed they had so much to say. Even though we were second-year high school students, all I heard was pointless nonsense. Some of them were still glued to their phones, not satisfied with the chatter. Sitting right in the middle of the classroom meant surround-sound noise coming at me from every direction, and there were way too many people crammed in here. Why did everyone gather in this room anyway? Was I bait or something?
I kept reading. I had been doing this since I was a kid, really. From picture books onward it had been nonstop. Reading this much should have wrecked my eyesight, but I did not need glasses yet. Instead, my glare had just gotten a lot sharper. Leave me alone.
It was too noisy. I could not concentrate on the book at all. Why did a normal student like me have to end up in this problematic class? So noisy. So damn noisy.
Hm? Something… was coming? What was this feeling? Wait, what?!
The classroom floor started glowing. A circle combined with letters and geometric patterns lit up. A magic circle? Yep, a magic circle. Ah, so this was it.
There was no doubt about it. If this turned out to be a surprise pop quiz on geometry instead, that would shock me more than anything. Sorry, math teacher, but you're not really teaching us.
By the time I realized what was happening, my body had already moved. The back door would not open. I kicked it, but it did not break. I grabbed a nearby chair and threw it at the window, but it did not shatter either.
Yeah, this was standard procedure. I jumped onto the lockers at the back of the room, used the momentum to climb the tall cleaning-supply cabinet, and there was an inconspicuous inspection hatch right above it. I slammed my body into the hatch with the same momentum. Got it. I dove straight into the ceiling space. Safe!
The glow from the magic circle grew stronger until the entire classroom turned pure white.
I crawled farther into the ceiling, trying to put as much distance as possible between me and whatever was happening. Wait, seriously? An isekai transfer at this point? Light novels, anime, and manga were already flooded with isekai stories. There was no way real life would join in too. They should just transfer the entire country of Japan at once. That would actually make a funny book. I would buy it.
With that thought, I kept moving through the ceiling space. This distance should be enough… Ugh.
Whoa, I messed up. Total cliché!
I found myself in a pure white room.
Given how cliché this already was, there was probably no sword-and-magic world coming. Maybe they would twist it into a space war or near-future sci-fi instead? I really did not want anything mental-realm or horror-like.
But pulling out a magic circle for sci-fi felt off too. It was probably still connected to magic after all. Nah, that did not make sense.
This kind of overused trope had become so common that getting isekai'd in real life would be straight-up embarrassing dark history. In the middle of all this cliché, no one could seriously say "I am a god. Please go to a sword-and-magic world (lol)" without dying of shame.
Was the magic circle actually a trap and this was some geometric something? What kind of world would that even be? Math world? I did not want to transfer there at all!
Would the first strong enemy be prime factorization? Yeah, I did not feel like I could win that.
More importantly, why was no one here?
Was the place empty? I was summoned alone with no greeting? Then do not summon anyone in the first place!
Normally there should be some kind of greeting… (and so on).
I considered myself someone who read books quite carefully, but I read fast. People often accused me of skimming, so yeah, I was fast.
With light books, I could probably finish around twenty in a single day if conditions were right. But this was already my fourth one. My stock of books would run out eventually, so bringing my bag had been a good call. Quiet environment, plenty of light, comfortable temperature, and lying down while reading—this was perfect for books, yet no one showed up at all.
Could I click somewhere in this dense forest and get books delivered? Please put it on the god's tab.
Huh, there was an old man. He was staring at me. Was he wandering around lost? Grandpa, you cannot just wander into another world because you forgot the way home. Was this seriously a wandering dementia old man isekai story?!
"Why are you in a place like this?"
Grandpa, Were you eating earlier? "I have not eaten!!" He read my thoughts?!
This was the classic: summoned to a white room and the one who appears is a self-proclaimed god… who happened to be a senile old man.
"Why?! You do not need to think the last part, right?"
He was an irritable old guy. His blood vessels looked ready to burst any second. "Do not just kill me off!" Apparently demented people yell a lot. "I am not demented! Listen to me seriously!" No, everyone who is demented claims they are not. Even sane people say that sometimes.
"Enough! I will not nitpick anymore! Why are you here?"
Wow, you summoned me yourself and now you are asking why I am here? Senile old man confirmed.
On top of that, he peeked into my head without permission, yelled nonstop, and then said "I will not nitpick anymore!" Was that reverse anger? Or maybe hypocrisy?
This might be the wandering harmful old man dementia isekai story. Chapter one: "Demon Lord, is dinner ready yet?" Yeah, that would definitely get banned.
"Sigh. Listen seriously. All the others have already transferred to the other world. Why were you not in the room you were supposed to be called to?"
You called us yourself but the rooms were different so you did not notice? "I did not call you one by one. I called the group as a whole. When I met everyone, something felt missing, and it turned out you were in a completely different place from where you were supposed to be." So it was my fault for being dragged here against my will? I did have an idea why, though.
"You do?! What were you… Did this guy escape from the isolation space?! Why is there even a hatch in that room?!"
Pfft. Mr. Omniscient and Almighty missed the maintenance hatch. Classic.
"I could not possibly know! I never thought that there would be anything like it, and it would be weirder if I knew there was such a hard-to-spot door on the ceiling of the other world room!"
Besides, if I managed to escape that far, it should have been safe. You lost track of me, so that is cheating, right?
"I told you. You were all summoned because the total mass and wavelength matched. If even one person escapes, it no longer matches. In the end, you barely clung to the edge of the barrier, ended up in some ridiculous place all alone, ignored the calls, and casually kept reading a book. And you are now paying for it!!"
Ah, so he even read my memories? Dense forest delivery was a no-go. Only Kinokuniya summon left?
"Do not casually summon something that big. For example, if you summon one store every time a new book comes out, bookstores will disappear from your country. Think about the trouble it causes the staff!!"
He was scolding me. He had even read my subconscious? Think about my trouble instead!! He was giving special treatment only to bookstore staff. Did he get some perk from them? I wanted one too!
"I am sorry, but sending groups or individuals from your world who match a certain total mass and wavelength to another world is simply the providence of the world. I did not choose you, and I am not the one sending you."
Damn. I did not know what the total mass meant, but if those guys from another class had not crowded in, I would not have been summoned, right?!
Those people were not satisfied with just disturbing my reading. Now I might not be able to read books at all. That was the worst. So, guess I had been summoned to another world to defeat them!!
"That is wrong!! Do not casually turn your classmates into the final boss and try to defeat them. That is purely personal grudge."
I would not let the grudge go. "Listen to me!!" Ah, just hurry up already. Old people ramble on forever. He was probably going to say the cliché line anyway: "I am a god (self-proclaimed). Please go to a sword-and-magic world (lol)."
"…I will not say (lol), and I am not self-proclaimed! Anyway, the others have already finished preparing and left. If you do not hurry, you will end up going to the other world alone. You will not be able to catch up with those who went ahead before they move on. If you do not prepare quickly, you will be left behind."
Ah, so the rest was on point. Total cliché (lol). That meant it was medieval times. No books. No Kinokuniya either. Dense forest delivery boy summon was the only option left.
"A delivery boy cannot go back until he/she fully delivers! The other world will be full of delivery boys! What were you planning to do solo in the room, anyways?"
What was I planning? I just wanted to read books. Was that not enough with only staff and delivery boys?! Gather all the authors in one place and do a group summon— "Stop that!! In fact, do not do it at all!"
The old man's explanation was long, so I tuned most of it out. It was the usual stuff: kingdom this, other world language that, monsters here. If he was going to talk so much, he should just write it down. I wanted something to read, and the old man did not seem to have any literary talent. "Now it is time to prepare."
Prepare for what? Was there a snack limit? Would a banana crisis break out? That'd be pretty funnym
"Choose your skills… First come, first served."
"Old maaaan!!"
"I told you I am a god!! Who are you calling old man?! I thought you'd finally speak properly, and the first word out of your mouth is old man?!"
There were forty-three people ahead of me, so first come first served meant no good cheat skills were left. The decent ones were already taken. This was the worst. Old man confirmed. Let's say there was 100 skills. Even if we're only allowed one skill each. That allows me
Still, I had to look anyway.
"Choose your skills. Hurry. I never thought the day would come when being a god would tire me out…"
He finally gave up on waiting for my comebacks and started moving the conversation forward on his own. How selfish. Whoa, there were so many… Huh?
A black board-like object floated in front of me with a massive amount of text. Could not this just be a tablet? The old man clearly disliked modern gadgets. He was muttering something like "You will not nitpick, you will not nitpick." Was he starting a poetry chant?
I ignored the old man's senility and read the huge list in one go. There was a ridiculous amount of text, but almost everything was grayed out. Did that mean I could not take those?
At the very top was "Status: Assign points to status, one point each. Dice (10P for two dice)." I had 50P. The standard advice was to raise luck first, but every stat started at only 10. Even dumping everything into one stat only got me to 60, which seemed mediocre. I did not know the upper limit or whether it increased with levels.
Only the "Assign points to status, one point each" part was grayed out? Dice… wae still available. It required 10P for two dice. If they were six-sided, the odds were terrible. Landing two perfect 6 on 10 stat luck would get me 22 points of luck.
The second category was "Items: Weapons, armor, items 5P~50P." Single-use consumables like healing medicine or antidotes were 5P. Weapons and armor ranged from 5P to 30P, and sets were 50P.
I wanted medicine to avoid dying, but spending points on it seemed inefficient. I should aim for recovery magic instead.
Starting with no weapon was scary, but no single weapons or armor remained. Everyone else must have taken them. Was it totally unfair that I was last?
Out of over a hundred items, the only thing left was "Item Assortment (Villager A) 50P." The nice sets like Holy Knight, Great Sage, or Heavy Warrior were also 50P and looked like good value. The only one I could take was Villager A for 50P. That was way too much of a price crash!! The contents were a wooden stick, cloth clothes, and even came with a villager's diary.
Nothing else looked good. The remaining scraps included "Contacts: Improves eyesight 30P." I wanted contacts because bad eyes would be a disadvantage. If they were 5P I would take them easily!! Improving eyesight might even fix my glare. But 30P was way too expensive!! Well, if my eyes were really bad it might be necessary. Glasses probably did not exist in this world. 30P was impossible though, I would only have 20P left.
The third category was "Martial Arts 10P." That was reasonable and considerate. So considerate they might even cover installment fees.
There were "Sword Arts," "Blade Arts," "Spear Arts," "Shield Arts," "Bow Arts," and even "Whip Arts." Or rather, there had been. All sold out.
The only one left was "Staff Arts: Allows skillful handling of sticks and staves 10P." Combat skills were necessary and 10P was affordable. Staff Arts… hitting things with a stick. Could I even fight in another world with that? I was not some kid tormenting turtles at the beach. Not that I could beat the turtles anyway. Well, beating them would have been bad.
Finally, the fourth category was "Skills 10P~30P." This was expensive, but this was THE isekai. This was where the cheats were!! The big favorites like "EXP Gain Up," the standard "Magic Arts," whoa "Steal," or "Clairvoyance" if cheap… There were so many wonderful isekai skills that made my eyes wander… Wait, nothing was left!
The remaining ones were… Hey!
"Health: Makes it harder to get sick 30P." Yeah, this was useful. I actually wanted it! There were probably no hospitals. But 30P. It felt like I would just live a healthy life and that would be the end in a peaceful world. But this was probably not peaceful. With so many combat skills available, health alone would not let me survive. That was why it was left.
"Walking: Makes walking better 30P." Maybe it was useful, but who would want this for 30P? It was priced the same as "EXP Gain Up." How important was walking exactly? Did they summon a toddler? Kindergartener summoning? Would the heroes crawl toward the Demon Lord on all fours? The Demon Lord would be terrified. 'Oh no, changing diapers is a NO!"
But that was still one of the better ones…
"Gymnastics: Makes gymnastics better 30P." Debut as the gymnastics guy in another world? Everyone~ you don't need me to explain, right? This was over.
And the last terrifying skill was…
"Sensitive: Body becomes more sensitive 30P." Are you kidding me!! Who wants that?! A sensitive high school boy who feels everything easily. Was this BL? Was the god who selected this skill rotten?
I did not want it. Absolutely not. But half the people summoned were probably female high school students, JKs. In that case it might have been okay. Well, no one would choose it themselves. If someone did, please tell me. I am begging you.
The fifth category, now if this one was not here I would have been fine with a simple medieval time-slip, right? "Magic 10P~30P." Here it was!! The targets were "Four Great Magics, Lightning, Teleport, Healing…" Yeah, I knew it. Nothing was left, right? Huh? Wasn't skill selection in isekai supposed to be a more exciting event? Why did I feel like crying? Why was the old god looking away?
Four remained. "Magic: Temperature—Raise or lower temperature 30P." Ah, convenient. Aiming to become a vending machine in another world~ Jackpot! Want another one~? There was no such job!! I would get scolded!
Three left. "Magic: Packing—Can wrap things with mana 30P." Wrap them for what? To call a delivery boy? Summon one? Become one?
Two left. "Magic: Weight—Raise or lower weight 30P." Lighten the load to lower shipping costs!! Maybe good if you hoard items! Only a delivery boy summon left.
Last one. "Magic: Movement—Assists with movement 30P." A little more normal? How was this different from Walking? If I took both I would probably get the delivery boy job. Was I the one doing deliveries?!
The sixth category was "Special 20P~50P." Special abilities, special skills, talent for swords, talent for magic, reduced required experience… Ah, this was where it would combo with "EXP Gain Up"… but neither was available… nothing good was.
First one: "Report-Contact-Consult: Become better at reporting, contacting, and consulting." With who?! Waiting for a boss in another world? Was this a salaryman other world? Would leveling up make me president of a huge company?
Second: "Jack of All Trades: Level gains become slower." Bad status incoming! No one would take this! Was it a trap? Like clicking the wrong thing by mistake?
Last one: "Wooden Puppet: Level gains become worse." Bad status again! Seriously? Slow or worse—why summon people to another world just to do this?
If I thought about it, "Jack of All Trades" made levels harder to raise but since it was "jack of all trades" there might be assistance for acquiring or upgrading skills.
But "Wooden Puppet" made levels harder and was useless? Or did it mean I would become someone's puppet? The worst was definitely this one.
Finally, "Titles 10P." Cheap, but no immediate effect. Titles probably worked like jobs with their own bonuses.
Even if they could not be used right away, if they affected growth or skills, they might be better long-term. Above all: "Sword Saint, Guardian, Archmage…" Uwaaaaaah!! These could not possibly be sold out! These middle-school-heart-stirring titles… I was still in second year of high school, but it was another world, so it was fine, right? Sword Saint sounded good. Naming myself that might be impossible though. Well, good luck to whoever took them.
There was a time when I thought that way. Even if it was embarrassing or painful or middle-school-like, it was fine! Better than these next ones.
One was "Shut-in: Become a shut-in, home is protected." Home security NEET incoming. But I was dragged from my home to another world? My home was gone? Was I supposed to shut myself in after going to another world? There were no books either. Well, if a delivery boy came I might manage? No, I would not. Unless he was a book delivery boy.
The other was "NEET: Unemployed, job is nullified." I would lose to monsters due to not having a job or anything.
Was that the end? The skill list was finished, or rather I was finished reading? Should I end this old man's remaining life?
What exactly did he want me to do in the other world? Sell flowers in the slums?
"Hey, old man who has been avoiding eye contact this whole time. Do you have something to say to me~? Look me in the eyes and say it properly?"
He had been so talkative earlier, but the moment he saw the text on the black board, he had been avoiding my eyes the entire time.
I wondered how much time had passed. In front of me was the old man sitting formally on his knees.
He had been earnestly lecturing me the whole time. What exactly did he want?
I was a normal high school student living an ordinary life. I did not know what reason there was, but he had forcibly taken me here. Whether it was the will of god or the providence of the world did not matter.
There had to be some reason for going this far. It must be necessary. It might be unavoidable.
Even so, a person who was suddenly abducted could not just accept it. On top of that, being thrown into another world with nothing would leave me unable to do anything.
That was exactly why he was giving me special skills, right?
If there was no need to do anything, there was no point in transferring me to another world.
If it was something like an accident, then at least giving me the power to survive there was god's duty, and that power was skills.
And if it was not an accident but there was some reason and I was summoned for that purpose, then the power to survive, the power to accomplish it, and the possibility itself was the skill.
So, what exactly did he want?
I showed the old man the skill list clearly. Was this the power to survive? Was this the power to accomplish something? Was this god's duty? Look closely and answer. What do you want?
Whenever the old man tried to make excuses I glared at him. When he tried to shift his legs I glared. I poured anger and soul into my eyes and glared.
The old man's eyes teared up. He trembled as he made excuses.
"Up until now the summons were at most around thirty people, and there were plenty of skills to choose from.
Many people yielded their picks because taking one would trouble everyone else.
But with forty-three people, even when I told them the later ones would be in trouble, they still rushed to take what they wanted.
There was never a case where one person was in a different realm and could not be found.
Also, all the skills here are remnants left behind by those who accomplished something that even gods recognized.
Skills are the remnants of souls—of those recognized by gods, those who became gods, those who surpassed gods.
Skills are souls themselves, ways of living, and thoughts.
And those who surpassed gods left behind things that even gods cannot fully understand.
Obtaining those skills, feeling the soul, knowing the way of life, and receiving the thoughts is what makes the power manifest. Moreover, the skills existing here now are ones that have already manifested and accomplished something.
Truly understanding those memories, thoughts, and using them is what makes a real skill. If you cannot do that, no matter how powerful the skill is, it will be useless or even a hindrance.
The things here are indeed things I do not understand. They are all things I have never seen before.
But the very fact that they are here gives them meaning, significance, and necessity.
That is why they exist here now."
He appealed to me with tears, his legs still trembling.
He tried to stand and speak passionately, but he was like a newborn fawn.
This was bad. Grandpa, his eyes were gone.
It was like the soul, thoughts, and will of some passionate, hot-blooded, iron-blooded tennis player had turned into a skill and possessed the old man. That was how bad it was. His eyes were so intense that even people who say "this is bad" would find it bad.
That skill was too dangerous. It was a soul that had surpassed not just gods but all kinds of things it should not have!! It was more like soul nature. Old man, run away~
"As a god, I must surpass truth, providence, and reason itself."
This was bad. The old man was broken!! You are not supposed to surpass that.
"My lord, thank you for the cliff's edge!! This is the best!!"
Nooo! It really was that person. Not remnants of a soul but currently ongoing guts, soul nature, anger soul nature.
Even gods should not touch that!
"Become even hotter!!"
Ah, no doubt about it now. It was over.
"It exists here. That itself is the answer!!"
Had the old man broken? Could he not withstand that heat?
"Then it is all yours!!"
Huh? What was he talking about?
"I will give everything to you!!"
Everything? Like bookstore staff? Delivery boys? Taking them all to the other world with me? What was that?
"You will receive all the skills!!"
"Wait a second!! Are you an idiot, old man!! I do not want them!! If I take all those skills it is definitely hell mode!!"
"Does it hurt? My lord! Laugh!!"
Idiot!! That was not something you say to people!! It was becoming a famous saying!!
"Farewell~~"
"Farewell my ass!!"
・
・
・
I now appeared inside a forest. Was it a safe zone?
Wait, whoaaaaa, that old man really transferred me just like that.
I was in a forest. No one was around.
I did not want to, but there was no avoiding this situation. "Status check."
(Roll the dice.)
A voice echoed in my head. Huh? Ah, those fake dice. That meant he really pushed all the skills onto me! Clearance sale!
"Sigh."
Two dice appeared in my hand. I tossed them carelessly. I was not throwing a spear—I only had a wooden stick.
The dice stopped on "M." The other one also stopped on "M." What the hell?! Please don't tell me it stands for Masochism. Or minus!
(Which status will you add it to?) Oh phew, not minus.
Add "M"? Add it? All my stats were 10. What was 10 + M?
I could only assume it would increase. Even if I considered that M might be a bad status for minus, I would not know without adding it.
"…Luck."
That was what I needed most right now. The situation was already beyond what raw ability could handle. Luck already felt like it was in the minus, but that was probably just my imagination. It had been like this in the original world too… right?
(Added to LuK. Which status will you add it to?)
This was all-in at this point. If it was minus by some chance, LuK might drop to 0 or even negative in the worst case.
But if HP became 0 it would be irreversible. The others were too dangerous too.
Luck was something I could need any amount of. Even if I lost it entirely the damage would be small. The future was uncertain, but right now was critical.
"LuK?"
(Added to LuK. Displaying status.)
Status
NAME Haruka Human
AGE 16
Lv 01
Job --
HP 10
MP 10
ViT 10
PoW 10
SpE 10
DeX 10
MiN 10
InT 10
LuK Max (Limit Break)
SP 0
Martial Arts Staff Technique Lv1
Magic Temperature Lv1, Movement Lv1, Weight Lv1, Packing Lv1
Skills Health Lv1, Sensitive Lv1, Gymnastics Lv1, Walking Lv1, Servitude Lv1 (New)
Titles Shut-in Lv1, NEET Lv1, Loner Lv1 (New)
Unknown Report-Communicate-Consult Lv1, Jack of All Trades Lv1, Wooden Puppet Lv1
Equipment Cloth Bag
LuK became Max (Limit Break)… So that M meant Max!
Whoa, "M" was Max… Just write it out! It is only three letters. I should have split it between strength and speed or something. I messed up!
I had assumed it was either a trap or something lame. I never considered Max.
Aaaaaah!!
Calm down. It was certainly a waste, but it was not completely useless, and luck was definitely necessary.
Since I did not know, that was the best choice. I should not gamble when my life was on the line.
But after Max it even did Limit Break.
Would something good come from it? I had never had anything good before?
No, it was good. I had thought it was 1~6, but M came out. Since it was the maximum, it was a jackpot. Maybe the other eyes were dangerous?
At least the dice roll was a hit. A big win.
Usually even when you level up, luck does not rise. All-in on luck was standard even in light novels. It should be a big win in the future. Okay.
All the skills after all? They were full of bad skills… Wait, there were two extra.
Did I learn something? Just from coming here and rolling the dice? Ah, this was it.
"Loner: Live alone without companions. Cannot form a party. Acquired skill Servitude. EXP share."
Well? It was the same as before, right? Yeah. But do not write it in the status!
The moment I arrived in another world I was confirmed as a loner with no companions. The tiny, tiny part of me that had hoped for an isekai harem was crying.
The other Servitude seemed to be the effect of Loner. Since I was alone, did it mean I should tame monsters? Kindness, sadness, and loneliness made my whole being cry. Someday I would heal my heart with fluffies.
Ah! The cloth bag. It was Villager A's equipment.
Whether it was a wooden stick or whatever, I needed a weapon right now. I did not know if this place was safe or a danger zone.
Changing into cloth clothes would be annoying, but leather boots were welcome. Walking through the forest in indoor shoes was unacceptable.
A cape was better than nothing. It counted as armor at least. It was dark-colored so it might be hard for monsters to spot. At least Villager A had survived with it.
I put on the leather gloves too… Huh, something was inside. A ring? Well, it was something Villager A had been wearing, so it was probably equipment. I would put it on.
Better to carry the bag too. There was still stuff inside, and I only had my school bag otherwise. It was light and convenient.
I looked around but no one was there. I did not sense anyone nearby either.
My classmates should have been summoned here too, right? I did not know which direction they went, and I was not sure if joining up was even a good idea.
There was no doubt that numbers were an advantage. My classmates had probably all grouped up.
And unlike me, they all had cheat skills. For combat safety, joining up would be better.
The problem was not fighting strength but personality.
Besides, with Loner I probably could not form a party anyway.
Even if they were strong, I would not be useful as fighting strength. Personality-wise they were not trustworthy either. Too many problematic people.
Solo action it was. Well, there was no way to join up anyway, so I had to explore.
But forests had terrible visibility. Light, darkness, and varying shades of green made boundaries surprisingly hard to see. Even if monsters were there, I might miss them.
This was disadvantageous for someone with bad eyes. Should I have bought glasses? Ah! Since I got everything, the contacts I gave up on because they were too expensive should be here!
Where were they? In the cloth bag? I rummaged through it and found several small boxes. Was it in one of these? Glass bottles? Were they medicine or liquid?
This one? Inside the cloth wrapping were two small round glass-like things. This must be it. But was it okay for someone trying contacts for the first time to put them in inside an unhygienic forest? I had doubts.
Still, if I could not see well I would not be able to leave the forest, so I had to put them in. It was pretty scary putting something in my eyes, but if I dropped them here it would be terrible.
I placed them on the cloth so I would not drop them and put them in my eyes. There was some discomfort.
"Guuh…"
I felt the discomfort of something in my eyes, but then I suddenly got a headache. Was this normal?
I did not have friends who wore contacts, so I did not know. I also did not have friends who did not wear them… wait.
Well, I just had to get used to it. I looked around and everything was unnaturally clear. All kinds of things stood out sharply. It felt like visual information was pouring straight into my head.
I could even see insects on leaves far away. Good eyesight was actually gross. Since I could see into dark areas now, movement would not be a problem. I also had Walking.
I put things away for now… (Healing medicine) (Antidote). Whoa!
When I tried to put away the box I had taken out earlier, I wondered what this was and looked at the glass bottle. Text suddenly floated up. Healing medicine and antidote? For this bottle?
It occurred to me to check my status, and there it was: Appraisal Lv1. So this was Appraisal. Text suddenly appearing was surprising.
It was probably the effect of the contacts. Since contacts were in my eyes, I probably could not appraise them. If I took them out, Appraisal itself might stop working. That was bad.
Getting Appraisal in the other world was helpful. It was one of the first things I wanted.
The old man had said before he broke that I would understand the other world language upon transfer. Now I had Appraisal too. Life had suddenly become much easier.
Without it I would be stuck.
I walked while appraising the trees and grass around me. It was kind of fun. Like a virtual plant encyclopedia. Oh! This mushroom was edible! Appraisal really was essential. Without it I would get stuck on food.
"Poten-shroom: Edible, Potential UP." It seemed to raise potential. Potential? What was hidden inside me? I hoped the loner, NEET, and shut-in traits stayed latent forever.
I kept appraising while heading toward wherever there were more mushrooms. There had only been one group of Poten-shrooms, but there were plenty of edible ones. The most common were Stamina Mushrooms and Mana Mushrooms. Having HP recovery and MP recovery effects was great. I probably would not find potions in the forest, so food as medicine was perfect.
With no particular destination, I kept heading toward wherever there were mushrooms. I had already thrown a huge amount into the cloth bag. I had been having so much fun with Appraisal and mushroom hunting that I had not been thinking. A cloth bag only 35 to 40 centimeters square should not hold that much, and it had not even gotten heavy.
Villager A-san, sorry for thinking your equipment was lame.
It was an item bag. Other world language, Appraisal, and item bag—the three things I wanted most at the start were all here.
The item bag belonged to Villager A. I thought 50P was expensive, but if it was a valuable item in this world, the price made sense.
I should have escaped with the Villager A set before all those weird skills got forced on me. If I had, the old man would not have turned into a hot-blooded tennis player either. Was he probably doing "Don't give up!!" to other gods right now?
There were medicines and all sorts of other things still inside. It felt like I had drawn the jackpot in a lucky bag.
Thinking about it now, when I pulled out a wooden stick over a meter long and leather boots that reached my knees, I should have noticed. The bag had definitely gotten bigger. I thought I was staying calm, but I must have been shaken. Too many things had happened and there was too much I did not understand. For now I did not even know where this place was.
While appraising, staying alert to my surroundings, and gripping the wooden stick tightly, I moved stealthily. Because if a monster appeared it would be trouble, right? Because it was a wooden stick. A weapon, supposedly. I had Staff Technique, but it was just hitting with a stick.
Was it brighter ahead? I had finally reached the edge of the forest. Good eyesight really let me see far. It felt like I had a zoom function. Thank you, contacts.
When I finally left the forest, it was a riverside. A river. Water. It was untreated, but I thought I had walked for several hours without any fluids.
While wondering if there was anything to scoop water with, I reached into the cloth bag and words floated in my head: "Cup," "Water bottle," "Water skin." Whoa! A water bottle came out. Ah, the water was delicious!! It was mineral water too. I drank greedily. This would cost quite a bit if bought from a vending machine. If I could summon a delivery boy, I could sell mineral water and have him deliver books.
I still remembered the summoning circle I had just seen. If I put a delivery boy mark in the center, would one come? There was a forest but no dense forest service.
Fish were swimming normally in the river. Steamed fish and mushrooms were decided. I entered the river holding my weapon.
It ended up being roasted mushrooms. Thank you for the meal. Impossible. I could not catch fish. How was I supposed to catch them with a wooden stick? I could not hit them without catching them, and I could not catch them without hitting them.
After walking a while I found a cave? Or cavern? I did not know the difference. If the King of the Cavern lived inside, it would be a cavern? Stealing his home would get me serious revenge.
I peeked inside… Good, no one there. No monsters or King of the Cavern.
"Excuse me~?"
I greeted like a visitor while fully intending to settle in.
It was quite spacious. Maybe over twenty tatami mats? I had lived in a six-tatami room, so it was hard to compare.
The back was pitch dark, so I spread out my things near the entrance.
The cloth bag was definitely bigger. No doubt. A tent even came out?
The problem was other world rules.
" Mana Tent: When mana is poured in, it automatically sets up or stores itself. Comes with comfortable temperature, insect, and monster repellent."
Wow, monsters were treated the same as insects.
" Mana Lantern: When mana is poured in, it lights, flashes, or turns off. Comes with insect and monster repellent."
Whoa, do not lose heart, monsters. It even had a flashing function. In a world without streetlights it would be reassuring for night driving. Not that there were cars.
But if there was technology for lanterns to flash, maybe magic culture was advanced. There might even be mana cars. With a delivery boy mark.
I had found convenient things. I could not thank Villager-san enough. The old man was whatever—I would thank the tennis player instead.
But how did I pour in mana? I had never done it before. I guess I just had to try.
" Mana dwelling in my right hand, release!! …Nothing."
It was not that some middle-school syndrome had activated. I wanted to believe it was not.
It said "pour in mana," but it should explain how to pour it.
I held the lantern and tried various things.
" Mana! Answer my life and dwell in the lantern!" …Wrong? It was wrong, right? I wanted to believe it was wrong.
I sat in meditation, concentrated to sense my mana, and tried to manipulate it. That was the normal flow in light novels. Conclusion: I could not sense mana.
Then came chanting or incantation, which led to the earlier experiment. Yes, that was an experiment! I was not having an episode.
"Ah, just light up already."
Oh, it lit. …"Turn off." …"Light." …That was all it took?
Could not they have written that in the explanation? "Pour in mana" could just mean "hold it and say light." What if I had an episode? I even struck a pose. Yeah, it was a little fun.
The result seemed to be that I just had to touch it and will it. I should not add extra words like "Show me light~" or "Light the mana flame~" or "I command in my name." It was fine though. I had wanted to say them.
For now I spread the tent and lay down. "Open" and it opened. I had thought of all kinds of chants… It opened. Well, it was good that it opened… right?
It had gotten quite dark outside. I probably could not move anymore today. I had nowhere to go and no idea what was where.
My life did not become easy, so I stared at my hands. Come to think of it, was this ring an item? If it was Villager A's wedding ring I should return it. I had been helped after all. Ring appraisal.
"Ring of Struggling Soul: Life and soul struggle. PoW ? ViT ? InT ? MiN ?
Life-saving ? ? ?"
Huh?! Was it cursed? Life and soul struggling sounded bad? The skill was only life-saving? …Life-saving?
"Life-saving: Recovers HP with MP before HP reaches 0."
Oh, so Appraisal could appraise the Appraisal content? That was good. "Life-saving: Recovers HP with MP before HP reaches 0." It was a good skill. It could prevent fatal blows and save lives. But it said life and soul struggle? What was I supposed to do about that?
I had also gathered firewood in the forest. There had not been much dry wood, but it was enough for a campfire. It would keep beasts away, and the cave was damp so fire was necessary.
I raised the temperature of the firewood with Temperature magic. It had worked for roasting mushrooms… It lit. The firewood itself did not, but the dry leaves caught fire.
It was not spreading well, so I helped by raising the temperature with magic, and this time the firewood caught? Had Temperature magic leveled up? When I checked the status under magic, it showed "Fire Magic Lv1" and "Temperature Lv2." The level had risen, and I seemed to have acquired Fire Magic Lv1. Could I get it just by lighting a fire? I did not know the acquisition conditions. Since Temperature magic had suddenly risen too, there might be a connection.
For now my only attack method was hitting with a stick. Fire magic would be useful. I wanted to practice, but I was already tired today.
Before sleeping I checked my status again because I still had not memorized it all.
NAME Haruka Human
AGE 16
Lv 01
Job --
HP 10
MP 10
ViT 10
PoW 10
SpE 10
DeX 10
MiN 10
InT 10
LuK Max (Limit Break)
SP 0
Martial Arts Staff Technique Lv1
Magic Temperature Lv2 (Up), Movement Lv1, Weight Lv1, Packing Lv1, Fire Magic Lv1 (New)
Skills Health Lv1, Sensitive Lv1, Gymnastics Lv1, Walking Lv1, Servitude Lv1, Appraisal Lv1 (New), Clairvoyance Lv1 (New), Presence Detection Lv1 (New), Enemy Search Lv1 (New)
Titles Shut-in Lv1, NEET Lv1, Loner Lv1
Unknown Report-Communicate-Consult Lv1, Jack of All Trades Lv1, Wooden Puppet Lv1
Equipment: Wooden Stick, Cloth Clothes, Leather Gloves, Leather Boots, Cape, Contacts, Ring of Struggling Soul, Item Bag
Because I had been wandering while looking far away, I had gained "Clairvoyance Lv1." The contacts really were a jackpot.
"Improves eyesight" was convenient. Appraisal and Clairvoyance would help with survival. I had probably been able to leave the forest thanks to Clairvoyance.
Was it just my imagination that this had turned into isekai survival? Wasn't it usually a princess, beautiful girl mage, or something like that who got summoned? Being left in the middle of a forest—what was I supposed to do? If it was the providence of the world and other world people had nothing to do with it? Wait, so there was no mission or anything and I just had to live in the other world? Well, living a relaxed isekai life was probably better than being ordered to defeat the Demon Lord. But if I did not survive isekai survival, my whole life might end inside this forest.
I had also gained "Presence Detection Lv1" and "Enemy Search Lv1." Was that the effect of carefully looking around to make sure there were no monsters? Or from peeking into the cave to check for the King of the Cavern? Could skills be gained this easily? Was there any point in choosing skills in the white room? That skill that possessed the old man… I should not think about that! That was more dangerous than the Demon Lord!
And so my first day in the other world ended.
Would the isekai-transferred male high school boy dream of being a delivery boy?