It's been many days since then, and he slowly got used to his new life.
His makeshift raft has expanded, and he has also found a way to find food.
That is, using his pajama pants as fish traps every day, bait using a little piece of roasted kin on his side.
"Oh to~, I caught another one again today. Pajama fish trap! Hundred percent success!"
Just as he pulled it out of the water, he suddenly noticed something different.
"Aha? The weight feels more different from usual. It's more...heavy? Ah!"
He opened it, and inside, he saw three fat fish for the day.
"Oh, oh, I caught three! Lucky!"
He immediately left the river and returned to the bank happily.
The fire has already started, and the smell of roasted fish lingers in the air.
It's been so many days, and Juan has already gotten used to his days of drifting.
An occasional barbecue party every few days or so.
But just to be honest, all he had was fish in hand.
It's not really something that can be called a party.
After living with this kind of experience every day, he naturally started to adapt to this new lifestyle.
"And so, I've changed! My personality changed! My heart changed! And my mentality changed!"
He shouted that out without care.
By now, he wasn't afraid of anything unknown anymore.
Being alone in this land, and then no changes or any abnormalities in this new environment.
From what he can see, There should be no danger in the place he was for the time being.
That's why he was so reckless as to shout and let his personality evolve into what it is right now.
"But still for me to become like this. Ugh... I've really changed, hasn't I? Teh! Who am I even talking to?"
A while later, he cleaned up his pants, which he made into a trap, and the fish he caught were put into the flat stones to be dried under the sun.
"Unfortunate for salt though, this fishes won't last long."
Although it feels chilly with his legs and feet open to the air.
For survival, he can only do this and live on.
"This would have been embarrassing if I'd been seen by another living being."
He wrapped all the goods before loading them into his raft before he put out the fire.
"So...should I be thankful I haven't seen one or not?"
He shook his head and resumed his drifting voyage.
The wind blows, and he has a feeling the horizon seems to be a bit different today.
"Something is coming," he muttered while looking dazed.
A while later, he made sure everything was safe before he paddled using a group of twigs.
For some reason, he has had this unsettling feeling coming from another direction for a while now.
"I need to leave before I come upon something dangerous."
With that, he speeds up. There's no need to worry about wasting unnecessary energy.
Since he had food prepared and ready.
He can go all out and immediately escape this unsettling place.
"There's no change in the weather. It's a clear, sunny day like always."
Although there was light rain two days ago, it wasn't dangerous or deadly.
"The river flow hasn't changed, nor has it become deeper or anything."
He glances around him from time to time, cautious and serious.
As time passed, the gripping feeling around him didn't disappear.
"What's going on?"
A while ago, he had been keeping his vigilance around his surroundings.
The front, back, left, and right. He made sure to keep his guard around him.
However, he forgot about one more thing.
"I forgot the river below." His body stiffened.
It took him a few seconds just to lower his head, just like a rusted marionette.
It was dark and different from the usual clear, shallow river water from before.
This made him feel like breathing seemed a little harder than before.
'Has it arrived?!'
Like an invisible weight has been put on top of him.
Unseen chains shackling him making him immovable.
He can't move.
It was more like his body wouldn't listen to what he thought.
His instincts were overriding his authority, not for anything but for survival.
It means what can be seen. If you want to live, don't do anything.
Fear, nervousness, despair, hopelessness, and panic.
The emotions he always experienced at the thought of the end of the road.
Now has once again engulfed him, cold and powerless.
...
Sunset.
"I...survived. Ugh—! Ha~!"
Juan laid down as his chest heaved up and down in relief.
Sweat slid down from the surface of his skin, soaking his whole clothes wet.
With a face so haggard as though he had just undergone a hundred kilometers of wild running without rest.
"Just what the heck was that?"
He didn't expect to encounter something horrifying in a place he thought was safe.
"As expected, this place is dangerous. Without human settlement, I won't be at ease no matter what."
Looking at the fading light of the sunset.
Juan finally breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Once again, I've survived..."
After calming down considerably, he once again thought of what that thing was passing in the river back then.
"I haven't taken a closer look back then because of panic and fear, but I'm sure of it."
"It looks like a long-bodied creature of that of a snake but also has some differences."
An idea bloomed out of his mind as he made a guess.
"Serpent or a dragon. No matter who between the two I've met back then, it's all the same."
"Both carry dangers that can wipe my existence white and clean."
Just thinking of being killed in a cruel way made his heart send shivers down his spine.
It's just too chilling.
"I just don't know if it knew of my presence back then and just wasn't interested in my meager flesh."
Things have already come around, no matter what they were.
He had no way of knowing.
"I better be careful these days."
He glanced around him and under, checking his surroundings with caution.
"And here I thought no monsters or any uncanny creatures existed in this place."
Juan really wanted to hit his face back then.
He was too careless.
Those loud noises he made after living in this place for several days have made him let down his guard.
Those noises must have attracted that thing underneath him back then.
This kind of thing must not happen again, or he'll really die without knowing who killed him.
"I haven't noticed it, but...which direction did that monster go?"
If it happens to be to the south, There's a high chance he might encounter it again.
Sweat slid down from his forehead as he thought of that.
...
Night.
Juan ate a piece of the fish he dried during the day.
"Ugh— disgusting."
Having always roasted meat in every meal has already made him develop quite a resistance.
Although he really wanted to puke at the sight of them.
For survival, he can only grit his teeth and consume them to live.
"...ha~...just how long am I going to drift forever?"
Juan muttered, listlessly staring at the twinkling stars above.
"Isekai..."
Juan closed his eyes after some time and fell asleep.
He can't stand it anymore, no matter what.
His body and mind have been too exhausted after that crazy afternoon rush.
No matter how on guard he was, he can't defeat his body and mind, which were under too much pressure these past few days.
...
Morning.
There's a village situation not far away from the border of two natures.
A wild forest and vast grassland.
A shallow, yet wide river connected the two different terrain.
Nourishing both lives and greenery to its best ability.
At this time, people were all running towards the river, where a few had already gathered.
"Pull him up! Quick, before the current can take him away!"
"Pull! Pull! Pull!"
"Hey, what's going on here? I'm sorry, I've just arrived."
...
Juan opened his eyes after feeling someone shake him up.
"...ugh..."
The feeling of suddenly being woken up in the middle of his comfortable sleep is really unbearable.
"Hey..wake up..young man, wake up."
However, that irritating feeling in his heart somehow stopped after hearing another voice vastly different from his own.
'A man's voice? Ugh, in this place? '
Juan opened his eyes in confusion.
A sudden surge of hope and expectation became apparent in his heart for some reason.
'...could it be?'
What greeted him was bright sunlight and new faces of people gathered around him.
They wore clothes made of wool, and their designs look very iron age.
"...h-hello.."
It's been a long time since he got into conversation with unfamiliar people.
So it wouldn't surprise him if he stuttered in initiating the talk.
Juan, with the help of the man beside him, sat up and then stood.
"...thank you."
The man looked at him for a while, seemingly observing him.
And Juan, who was still dazed and lost in thought about what to do, remained quiet.
The pressure he was having upon being the focus of everyone.
Even someone who has experienced a lifetime just can't remain calm, no matter what.