Chapter 3: Forest of Another World
Consciousness slowly rose up.
The scent of grass tickled the nose and the chirping of birds tickled the ears. When I raised my heavy eyelids, sunlight was shining through the gaps in the trees.
It seems that I had been lying on my back, spread-eagled. I sat up and checked to see if anything was abnormal. There didn't seem to be any problems.
Tears hadn't dried yet. I had probably lost consciousness for only a moment. I wiped away the tears and slapped my cheeks. I didn't have the luxury of indulging in sentimentality.
I quickly surveyed the surroundings. It was a forest, a completely ordinary forest without any sense of being in another world. Is it a cliche to always end up in a forest when you're sent to another world? If I had to be sent somewhere, I would have preferred to be near a town, but I couldn't complain to Mikoto-san. Let's think positively that I wasn't sent to the middle of the sea or desert.
First priority was to assess the current situation and ensure safety. I would think about the rest later.
The forest was not a dense jungle, but the type of forest that would appear in a European fairy tale. There was little undergrowth and the visibility wasn't bad. For now, it didn't feel particularly dangerous, but there was no guarantee that I wouldn't encounter monsters at any moment.
First of all, I took a dismantling knife from the backpack that Mikoto-san had given me and hung it from my waist. It was the only weapon I had at the moment.
By the way, what I was hiding was that this backpack was actually handmade by Mikoto-san. The clothes I was wearing now were also matching with Mikoto-san's reaper work clothes. This jet-black robe was a hand-me-down from Mikoto-san. It looked cool and had a nice scent, and I always felt happy being enveloped by Mikoto-san.
...Now then, next is... to confirm my abilities.
First, let's open the status!
Oh! I can really see my status. It's common, but it's like a game.
[Name]Kakeru Watanohara (Male)
[Race]Human
[Age]17
[Status]Freeman
[Occupation]Wanderer
[Condition]Good
[Level]0
[HP]50
[MP]500
[Attack Power]50
[Durability]50
[Agility]50
[Intelligence]500
[Luck]90
[Skills]Instant Memory, Sketchbook<1>, Deathscythe<1>
[Divine Protection]Reaper's Divine Protection
Hmm, I have no idea if I'm strong or weak. What's with these skills? "Instant Memory" is a natural ability I already have, and what's "Sketchbook"?
Anyway, let's take a closer look. Deathscythe seems to be powerful or something.
◆Skill: "Instant Memory"
A unique class skill. It allows the user to instantly memorize anything sensed by the five senses and make it their own. Always active.
◆Skill: "Sketchbook"
A unique class skill. It allows the user to draw and name defeated monsters in a sketchbook, and then summon and control them. Optional activation.
◆Skill: "Deathscythe"
A unique class skill. It allows the user to summon and control the scythe wielded by the Grim Reaper. Effective against physical, magical, and spiritual beings. By cutting and tearing apart the soul of a defeated creature, the user can absorb and nourish themselves. Optional activation.
Wow, it's a dream come true to have an attack skill for a weapon. Perhaps Mikoto's love became a skill. Sketchbook seems amazing, but it doesn't seem usable now. I'm not quite sure about Instant Memory. Is there a difference between memorizing and making it your own? Well, it seems to be always active, so I'll figure it out eventually.
Let's try it right away. "Deathscythe!"
A magic circle appears in the air, and a scythe about 2 meters long emerges from it. It looks exactly like the scythe Mikoto was using.
... Huh, it's not within reach.
Deathscythe is still floating in the air and not falling. Oh, that's right, it said "control" in the description. Do I have to give it a command?
"Come here, Deathscythe."
As soon as I command it, Deathscythe falls down. It's cool! I catch it with both hands, but... my body screams in agony due to its weight.
"Gugugug, it's... heavy, too heavy."
I manage to catch it, but it was close. If I had tried to catch it with one hand to show off, I would have broken my wrist.
Come to think of it, Deathscythe is ridiculously heavy. When Mikoto let me hold it before, I couldn't even hold it properly, and she looked at me with a lukewarm gaze. It's a 4-meter chunk of metal, including the 2-meter handle and 2-meter blade length, so of course it's heavy.
Can I handle something this heavy...? Huh? There's a memo-like thing attached.
"To Kakeru. Do you like the skill? When you come back, I'll have you work as a Grim Reaper for a while, so make sure you can handle it properly. P.S. If you infuse it with magic, its sharpness will improve."
"Mikoto-san... for your sake... Alright! I'll definitely master it and receive praise from Mikoto-san. I'll keep the notes carefully."
"However, even if I say I'm going to channel magic, I don't know how to do it. For the time being, should I just try cutting something randomly?"
I tried cutting a branch about 3 centimeters thick. The branch cleanly split into two pieces, more like tearing apart. I guess I still need to channel magic after all.
Anyway, I have to get used to using my body. I can't just swing it with brute force. I have to be conscious of utilizing the weight of the Deathscythe. My physical coordination is not bad to begin with. After practicing for about 30 minutes, I've got a good grasp of the technique.
As for magic, no matter how much I try, it doesn't seem to work. I'll put it on hold for now. I have to concentrate on what I can do at the moment.
I sit down on a fallen tree and wipe the sweat off. The weather is comfortable enough to camp out, but I don't want to camp out in the forest at night. At the very least, I have to find a place where I can avoid rain and dew before it becomes life-threatening. Of course, if I can get to a human settlement, that would be ideal.
I look around again, but the forest looks the same no matter where I look. Since I won't get anywhere by staying still, I'll move towards the direction with fewer trees. In case a fight breaks out, it's easier to use the Deathscythe where there are fewer trees.
After walking for a few kilometers, a chicken-like bird flew out from the bushes about 100 meters ahead, scattering its feathers. The leaves and branches of the bushes are still shaking―――― there's something up ahead.
I quickly hide in the bushes to observe the situation. At the same time, three shadows jump out of the bushes.
Are they humans? No, that's not it... They have deep green skin covered in dark brown fur. They're about the size of human children. They have no hair on their heads, and they have small horn-like protrusions on their foreheads. Their eyes are abnormally large, moving around restlessly as if searching for something. They're making a fuss while pointing to the feathers on the ground, so they must be looking for the bird that flew away earlier.
"Gya, gya, gya... Damn it, where did that delicious-looking bird go?"
"I have memorized Goblin language."
An announcement was heard in my head, and I was suddenly able to understand the previously incomprehensible sounds of the monster. These creatures were indeed Goblins.
This was probably due to the power of the Instant Memory skill. Maybe this skill was more impressive than I thought.
Speaking of Goblins, they were supposed to be the weakest monsters. Even with my current abilities, I might be able to defeat them, especially if there were only three of them. If I could take out one with the first strike, I might be able to manage the rest...
I firmly gripped my Deathscythe and waited for the right moment. I had to take down at least one of them. One of the Goblins was a little separated from the other two. It was the perfect chance. As I was about to attack...
"Darn it, a newbie's here."
Three more Goblins appeared. That was close. I let out a small sigh. Now there were six Goblins. I might be able to win, but I could also get hurt.
I had no medicine, and I couldn't use healing magic. I wanted to avoid the risk of even a minor injury.
"Hey, we caught a human! Help us carry it!"
"Really? Let's eat it here then!"
"No, we have to take it to the boss alive or we'll be killed."
"If we're quiet, they won't find out."
"They'll smell the human and know. Use your head a little!"
"Hmph, the boss loves to eat humans alive."
According to the Goblins, they had caught a human. If I could help them, I might be able to get out of this place and return to civilization.
I followed the Goblins at a distance as they retraced their steps. Wait, one was missing.
Upon closer inspection, I saw that one of the Goblins was hiding and eating a bird it had caught. I couldn't help but smile.
The Goblin's head was sliced off by my Deathscythe from behind. It was a clean hit.
Something like a soap bubble emerged from the Goblin's body. Was that its soul? When I struck it with my Deathscythe, the soul disappeared as if it was being sucked in.
"You have leveled up."
As I heard the announcement in my head, I continued to pursue the group of Goblins. Maybe it was because I had leveled up, but my Deathscythe felt lighter, and my steps were quicker.
The group of Goblins joined another group about a hundred meters away. There were now a total of seven of them. It was lucky that there weren't too many of them.
The person who was caught is probably just one person. They were slumped over and not moving, and I was worried whether they were still alive.
The goblins were getting excited over their human prey. This was the perfect chance while they were all focused!
I snuck up behind three goblins peering at their prey and slashed at them. It felt disgusting, like squishing a rotten persimmon, but all three goblins fell. I couldn't finish off one of them, but it was dealt a fatal blow.
"You have leveled up."
I turned around and forcefully cut down two surprised goblins with my returned blade, leaving two more.
"You have leveled up."
"You, call your friends!" The goblin leader ordered, and one of them retreated. Damn, I have to get out of here before more come.
I faced off against the remaining goblin leader. It was slightly larger than the other goblins and had a club.
The goblin leader swung its club and attacked.
"You've learned stick fighting."
While surprised that my instant memory skill could also remember my opponent's skills, I brought down my Deathscythe. The goblin leader's body, along with its club that was trying to defend it, split in two and died.
"You have leveled up."
I killed the remaining living goblin with my Deathscythe and absorbed its soul.
"You have leveled up."
It seems that there is a separate experience point system for defeating enemies and absorbing their souls. That means I can grow more efficiently than others. Thank you, Mikoto. I love you.
Now, before reinforcements come, I have to leave quickly.
I hope that person is alive and well... I took my first steps towards the first human I had ever met in this world.
***
[Name] Kakeru Watanohara (male)
[Race] Human
[Age] 17
[Status] Free citizen
[Occupation] Wanderer
[Condition] Good
[Level] 5
[Physical Strength] 89
[Magical Power] 805
[Attack Power] 89
[Endurance] 89
[Agility] 89
[Intelligence] 805
[Luck] 90
[Skills] Instant Memory, Sketchbook <1>, Deathscythe <1>, Stick Fighting <1>, Goblin Language
[Blessing] Blessing of the God of Death