Despite everything, Eren was glad that the system's panel continued to work. Moreover, the prospect of leveling up as he gained exp was also promising.
Although, what use was Strength for him?
His eyes kept wandering, occasionally landing on the words "High Breeding," and in his mind, some gears started turning with a different kind of excitement. Alongside the excitement, there was also a bit of fear.
"Is there 100% chance of returning home?"
Eren tried to listen to the system which was trying to respond him really hard. He focused on the faint, somewhat feminine voice of the system.
[System..until..-zz.?.ZZ.?.zzzzz-LOCKED levels stabil...as much...]
Before he could receive a complete answer, the sound cut off. He froze with his bed beside him, and an useless phone in his hand.
After a few seconds of deep thinking, Eren managed to calm down a bit. He suppressed his fears, took a deep breath, and started walking among the trees. Of course, before he began walking, he took a good look at where his bed was.
He tested walking just a few meters, and he lost the sigh of the bed. Finding this place among the trees would be challenging.
At that moment, an idea struck him, and he picked up a medium-sized stone from the ground.
"Leaving marks on the edges of the trees while walking", isn't this the oldest trick in the book for survival in forested areas? If my ancient ancestors could survive in forested areas of Earth with this way, so can I, right?
The honest answer would be a big and juicy "NO". But unfortunately, no one was there to make fun of him.
He started to do his genius idea of leaving trails on trees. And of course, due to what he was doing, his walking speed was significantly slower. Leaving marks on almost every tree he passed was more exhausting than he had thought.
Thankfully, only a minute or two later, he heard sounds from a distance.
"It's good to hear humanic voices instead of howls. At least I can learn from the natives what this planet is like. But..." Eren remembered one important thing he ignored until now.
Language!
Due to the fact that this planet was a different place, Eren became quite anxious about the idea of learning a new language. The nightmare of struggling to learn English during his high school years came vividly to his mind.
"System! Sound! Whatever you are, you must have given me the language of this planet automatically, right? You should have added some language-related skills to my brain...I couldn't see that in the list but you are a smart and beautiful system so.." He tried to speak, but apart from a faint buzzing sound in his ears, he received no response.
Since the sounds were getting closer, he eagerly started looking towards the area where the trees ended.
Oh, no!
As Eren watched two middle-aged women and a young man fighting two huge dogs with two enormous spears....oh shit. All his dreams about local fantasy civilizations and magical fox girls began to crumble.
Where are my furries?
All three were pure humans. They were wielding spears made of wood. Even the dogs, despite their two-meter sizes and glowing eyes, seemed about to attack like normal street breeds would do.
Eren refrained from making a sound before watching the situation further.
"Who am I kidding? If I go there and the dogs bite me, I'll probably get rabies. Plus, with those teeth, they'd likely leave me crippled."
Next to the tree he was hiding behind, there was a small but dense bush. Eren slowly entered it, trying to ignore the tiny bugs crawling on him from the ground. Despite the heavy scent in the air and his constant sweating under the sun, he didn't move a muscle.
In those seconds, the young man with a spear charged towards the dogs, but he was probably inexperienced. His attack resembled the move of someone who thought the dogs would stand still and let him hit them.
When the boy saw that the dogs dodged his spear and were about to attack him, he panicked, threw his spear to ground, and ran back.
Eren ".."
When the boy took cover behind the two women, he sat down as if he had just come out of a major battlefield.
Eren smiled with this scene. As someone who wasn't good at sports or fighting, seeing fellow men who were similar to him was comforting. But at that moment, the red-haired woman in her thirties began to speak in a soft tone.
"Jnasfjafçad dkngslkd hono?"
Eren remained silent.
"You are really a bad-secretary type system! Probably sexy like those por*o actresses but extra clumsy and stupid to stuck your head into a washing machine or something..."
Eren cursed the system in his mind with creative curses while he carefully listening to people's conversations in a totally new language.
At that moment, that red-haired woman who spoke to the young man as if giving a lesson raised her spear and advanced toward the dogs. Then, with a speed that defied Eren's logic and all the chapters of law of physics, she leaped forward like an anime character.
Before the dogs could start their biting movements, she thrust her spear into the air to first dog. As a result of a very quick and clean movement, the spear instantly entered the dog's eye.
Without removing the spear from the dog's skull, she delivered a lightning-fast kick towards the other one. The dog that received the kick in its abdomen was sent flying like it had been hit by a car, crashing into a tree with blood streaming from its mouth.
Where are the logics of science ha! If Albert Einstein saw this, he would curse everyone..probably.
As if everything were normal, the calm woman turned around and began to explain something to the young man, who nodded as if he was a student. Eren could swear that if the young man in his late teens had a notebook and pen, he would note down everything he heard.
With a quick analysis, it was clear that these three were entirely normal humans but stronger than those on Earth. Furthermore, their way of speaking was fast and fluid. Despite their disgusting animal-skin clothing, even their manner of speaking and nodding was more advanced.
Just then, Eren's eyes drifted towards their attire and the seemingly full figures of the women. Their bodies were smoother, with clean skin and ample flesh and muscles that one wouldn't expect from primitive humans. If they changed their clothes and applied a bit of makeup, these two women could easily pass as beautiful and ordinary women in Europe. Even the young boy was well built and handsome. He would be a common highschooler of Italy, France or any other western country.
Even on a different planet, a human was still human.
Should I come out?
Eren moved slightly as a small insect bit his arm, causing a small noise in the bushes. In the same moment, the other woman, blonde-haired one raised her spear in the direction where Eren was hiding.
"Hey, wait! I'm human too..." Eren spoke in a foreign (his own) language as he emerged from the bushes. The three primitives didn't look at him with fear but with curiosity. Then, they turned to each other and began speaking excitedly, ignoring Eren. They even dropped their spears to the ground and looked quite relaxed.
Hey! Do you encounter modern people like me every day? Why are you so nonchalant about this?
Despite Eren's confusion, the three of them discussed something fervently and then approached him. When they realized Eren was trying to convey that he was harmless by raising both hands, the red-haired woman laughed and gestured for him to follow her.
What's going on here?
As Eren walked behind the three primitives, he remembered a movie he had watched as a child. In the late 90s film, a woman deciphered messages from technologically advanced aliens by analyzing signals in a foreign language. They even built a teleportation machine towards the end of the movie.
Was the educational point in this story the importance of foreign languages, or had Eren simply been bothered by the three's lighthearted conversation among themselves? Either way, these three were definitely gossiping about him.
At one point, the red-haired woman noticed Eren's gaze, smiled, and told something funny to the others.
Hearing this, the other two burst into laughter.
Eren "..."
Finally, they arrived in an area with felled trees. Just ahead was a small village with houses built from young trees placed side by side and covered with thin grass heaps. Even the most primitive African tribes in the modern world had heat-resistant tents. Eren's facial muscles twitched, and he fought to hold back tears.
Why does my story have to start in a place like this? The system in my head must be mocking me. What am I going to eat here?
I wonder if they eat humans...
As they entered the village, an old woman approached them from inside a primitive shelter. When the woman saw Eren, a strange expression appeared on her face. She even looked behind her and sighed for a moment.
The people around also noticed Eren and began to gather around the shelter. None of them touched or mistreated Eren, but their eyes occasionally turned toward him with a strange expression.
"I must stay calm. But what's happening here? Do you encounter alien guests like me every day or month that you're so accustomed to this situation?"
Just as he was about to speak up, a beautiful girl emerged from the shelter.
Now things are getting interesting.
Despite looking Eren's age, the girl's clothing was different from the primitive attire. Eren saw her white pajama-like tiny cloths covered in rabbit patterns. He swallowed hard and tried to look elsewhere. Her thin crop top and matching purple shorts were captivating. He couldn't help but notice that the girl wasn't wearing underwear or bra. No- don't look that way! Have a little bit dignity.
Also that thin line of crop and smooth belly and visible breasts under tiny shirt...
Focus, Eren! This could be a primitive village full of people who eats human flesh.
But she was more beautiful than any girls he had ever seen personally. Even her makeup-free face was breathtaking. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked like a stunning fairy.
However, her first words shattered Eren's hopes.
"Huannna Du Diennnor?"
"HA?"
The girl spoke in a language that seemed similar to French, at least in terms of intonation. But Eren wasn't sure. He had failed his French class in school!
I should have studied more.
After uttering greetings in several world languages, all meaning "hello," and receiving only confused looks from the girl, Eren resorted to singing a chorus from a well-known song, "Oppa Gangnam Style." He even paid attention to the tone, but the girl just stared at him with a blank expression. It was as if she was mocking him.
This girl wasn't from Earth. Eren and the girl continued to stare at each other. At one point, the girl's eyes drifted to Eren's shorts, covered in polar bear patterns, and to the colorful bear cub tattoo on his cheek. She couldn't help but crack a tiny smile.
Hey! You're getting it all wrong. My mom picks out the clothes I wear, and these bears are my sister's fault. This is definitely not my style!
But staring blankly into the girl's eyes was embarrassing for Eren. He looked away and approached the primitive villagers. He pointed to the girl and then to himself. After several minutes of chaos, Eren finally understood the situation.
This girl had appeared in the village just before him. And like Eren, she was also helpless.
..