Episode 3
I can feel the cold, clear air.
I breathe it deep into my lungs and exhale with force. The otherworld transfer succeeded.
Just as I had set it, I dropped into the middle of a forest.
There had been all kinds of starting options, like a prisoner sentenced to death, being summoned as a hero to save a kingdom, or being summoned by a mysterious great sage, but I rejected them all.
Because when I transferred over, I wanted to have no story and no connections whatsoever.
What matters starts now.
I began in some random forest, but I got what I needed.
"Status Open."
Level: 1
Condition HP 50/50 MP 120/120
Veleira's Blessing (True) 「Fire immunity, increased fire magic power, all skill proficiency values ++」
Goddess's Agent 「Communicate in all languages and read all scripts. Qualification to cross worlds.」
Stats
Strength 5 Magic 7 Stamina 7 Agility 5
Skills
Fire Arrow (☆) - The most basic but practical fire magic. Unstable, so it disappears quickly.
I check the blessing and agent qualification I received from Leira.
According to Leira, there is already an agent of another god in this world, so it would be dangerous if I ran into them.
Apparently, a major conflict between gods could break out or something.
Leira took the risk—though I made her do it—and barged me into another god's world.
What are the odds that I would run into the hero who’s supposed to save the world anyway?
Let’s just avoid them well. Let’s enjoy my new life.
They say things called monsters appear in this world.
I heard the monsters that appear in this forest are at a level that can be defeated with basic magic, but...
I can’t let my guard down.
Since I went to the trouble of receiving a blessing, I want to build up enough strength that I won’t die meaninglessly after getting stabbed.
Find a village where people live, and defeat whatever monsters I can along the way.
That was my immediate goal.
"Inventory Open."
I did get a brief explanation before coming here, but since it was a function that didn’t exist in my original world, it felt unfamiliar.
A personal storage function and status guide granted to the Goddess's Agent.
After opening and closing it a few times, I realized I didn’t necessarily need to speak aloud.
First, I check a few items I received—stole—from Veleira.
［Starlight Shell］［Focusing Bracelet］［Eight-Colored Giant Clam］［Goddess's Flask］
I’m pretty sure I asked her to pack useful things for travel, but at a glance, two of them look completely useless.
What the hell am I supposed to do with clams?
She wouldn’t have given me useless stuff on purpose. It seems Leira didn’t have much among her possessions.
Let’s check them one by one.
"Goddess's Flask."
The flask moves from the personal storage into my hand.
It was a slender flask with a long spout, the kind you might see in a story about a fox and a crane, and when I shook it, there seemed to be some liquid inside.
Should I drink it right away?
"Mm."
(Fatigue has been recovered.)
It was just water.
The special feature was that the water in the bottle didn’t run out.
As a test, I poured it onto the ground, and it kept spilling out endlessly.
"Not bad."
Water is essential for human survival. It seemed Leira had understood what I meant quite well.
The Focusing Bracelet was equipment, so I put it on my wrist for now, then took out the Starlight Shell.
It was a small, pretty shell that fit in one hand.
Considering how Leira had teared up and said, 「Not this one...」 when she took it out, it seemed like a good item.
But I couldn’t tell what value it had. Should I get it appraised later? If it turns out to be a collectible, I’ll sell it off right away.
The giant clam, just as its name suggested, was far too big.
Even just seeing it in the inventory, I could tell it was large enough to spread on the ground and sit on like a mat, so I decided to examine it later.
Right now, I felt like moving as soon as possible.
Just then, I heard the bushes rustling noisily.
I immediately hid behind a large boulder nearby. Is that a monster?
It’s a creature I’ve never seen before in my life. Its appearance is neither human nor animal.
It had the height of a dwarf, bumpy green skin, and a long tongue with yellow eyes that seemed to mix in reptilian traits, making it incredibly hideous.
I also had the thought that, coincidentally, it looked like a goblin.
"Krrk. Krrrk."
There were two goblins. They were loitering while making groans I couldn’t understand.
Should I try a preemptive attack?
According to Leira, there shouldn’t be anything dangerous in this forest, but it still feels a bit much to pick a fight while I’m outnumbered.
Let’s safely subdue them with hypnosis and take the experience points.
When I stepped out from behind the boulder, the two goblins’ gazes locked onto me.
"Krrk! Krrk!"
"Hello?"
I held out my right hand and snapped my fingers.
Snap!
"Krrrk!"
What? The hypnosis isn’t working.
The goblin grabs its club and charges at me. Its movements were sluggish, so I could dodge, but I started feeling impatient.
The hypnosis doesn’t work? This has never happened before.
Don’t tell me it’s because they aren’t human?
"Kaaak! Kaaak!"
The goblin screams while making threatening movements.
I’ll think later. If it calls its companions, things could get troublesome.
How could I come all the way to a new world just to become a cold corpse again?
"Fire Arrow!"
I felt something being sucked out from inside my body. This must be what it feels like to consume MP.
A lump of fire about the size of a forearm formed in the direction I extended my hand.
I thought it would fly like an arrow, but the fireball leisurely squirmed as it took the shape of an arrow.
"It’s slow as hell!"
In the meantime, one of the goblins was already charging.
Screw it, my fists that I’ve used for twenty years are better! We’re in different weight classes anyway.
I just grabbed the goblin and beat the shit out of it.
"Huk! Huuuk!"
"Kkrk! Kkrrrk!"
Drive in the knee! Slam down with my hand! Slap it across the face!
Maybe because this was my first time experiencing combat, my breath quickly grew ragged. But it was effective.
"Even the neighborhood dogs fight better than you guys!"
One of them was completely knocked out.
Maybe because I confirmed that I was strong, my field of vision widened and I gained some composure.
I simply kicked the other one down, then launched the Fire Arrow that had finished preparing.
"Oh."
I hadn’t been expecting much, but the moment the Fire Arrow struck the goblin in the chest, it exploded with a bang!
It felt more modest than fireworks, but seeing the goblin’s chest scorched black, it was definitely more powerful than my fist.
(Your level has increased.)
(Stats will increase.)
(Fire Arrow proficiency has increased.)
After defeating two goblins, I grew once.
Now, let’s see how much changed.
Level: 2
Condition HP 63/63 MP 112/135
Veleira's Blessing (True) 「Fire immunity, increased fire magic power, all skill proficiency values ++」
Goddess's Agent 「Communicate in all languages and read all scripts. Qualification to cross worlds.」
Stats
Strength 9 Magic 11 Stamina 8 Agility 6
Skills
Fire Arrow (☆) - The most basic but practical fire magic. Unstable, so it disappears quickly.
Something had changed.
There still wasn’t a difference noticeable to the eye, but I felt like I had gotten the hang of things.
Let’s drink a sip of water before moving on.
(Fatigue has been recovered.)
(MP has been recovered.)
What, it restores MP too?
A delightful thought came to mind.
I roamed all over the forest, killing every goblin I came across.
"Fire Arrow!"
Holding the flask in one hand, I stretched out my left hand and cast magic immediately.
As my level and proficiency rose, the power and casting speed of Fire Arrow improved noticeably.
"Fire Arrow!"
As if proving that Korean blood flowed in my veins too, I ran around killing until I could no longer see anything resembling a monster.
As a result.
Level: 9
Condition
HP 221/221 MP 259/394
Veleira's Blessing (True) 「Fire immunity, increased fire magic power, all skill proficiency values ++」
Goddess's Agent 「Communicate in all languages and read all scripts. Qualification to cross worlds.」
Stats
Strength 36 Magic 55 Stamina 42 Agility 44
Skills
Fire Arrow (★) - The most basic but practical fire magic. Embers remain and may deal additional damage.
The preparation time to cast Fire Arrow was about three seconds.
As for power, as long as it hit squarely, it was enough to take down a goblin in one shot.
Goblins no longer frighten me.
But I’m worried about what comes next.
What if enemies stronger and more dangerous than goblins appear? I don’t have the skill or guts to wrestle monsters with my bare body.
My combat ability is extremely average for a Korean adult male.
The only skills I have are magic.
I need to look into it more, but the fact that 「hypnosis does not work on monsters」 is extremely threatening to me right now.
I need to reduce the risks. Let’s go to a village and think it over slowly.
(Fatigue has been recovered.)
(MP has been recovered.)
As I kept walking while sipping from the Goddess's Flask, I saw a maintained road.
I had hoped that, as if by promise, an event where I rescued a beautiful woman in danger might occur, but that was a pointless delusion.
No matter how frail someone is, would anyone really fall victim to those goblins in broad daylight?
Even though it’s a forest, I asked to be dropped near a village, so maybe it’s only natural that the monsters are weak.
Why? Because I rejected all worlds where the monsters crawling around near human settlements were absurdly strong.
I can see a village in the distance.
Compared to cities in my original world, it was small enough to make me snort, but it was a pretty village where houses were charmingly gathered together in an open space.
The village entrance was guarded by two guards wearing iron armor. Seeing them holding spears instead of guns was honestly kind of cute.
Of course, if I messed around and got stabbed, it would probably hurt as much as getting shot...
They are residents of another world. Let’s approach seriously.
I must not forget that this is a world where magic exists and monsters roam around.
"Halt. Show your identification."
"I don’t have any."
"Name? Are you registered with the Adventurers' Guild?"
"No."
After hearing my words, the guards looked at each other, then spoke in a stern manner.
"Suspicious. Come with us. We’ll check whether you have a criminal record."
"Yes."
I didn’t resist and quietly followed the guards.
I could hypnotize them and pass through, but I was curious how this situation would conclude, so I decided to watch.
I leisurely walked after the guards.
"Wait inside this room."
"Yes."
Is it some kind of interrogation room?
From the outside, it had looked like lodging where the guards stayed. Perhaps because the guards maintained public order, the room was entirely cold gray.
There were almost no personal items either. A hard table and two hard chairs. Ceremonial weapons hung on the wall, and a single vase that looked like it hadn’t been watered in a long time sat on a side table. That was all.
As I waited, unexpectedly, a young woman appeared accompanied by the guards.