Chapter 10: "I Need a Weapon"

The morning after his first trip to the other world and his vow for revenge, Shoot ate breakfast alone in his parents' company apartment (they were away at work again) and decided to return to the other world. There was still so much he didn't know about this place. He was determined to explore further.

“Also, I want to get stronger. Strong enough to overcome any obstacle with brute force…”

While curious about the other world, his primary goal was revenge. Shoot wanted to be like a game protagonist in the real world, like the strongest fictional human in a manga, someone who could do anything with their power. He intended to achieve the dream every boy had at least once.

“This is going to be fun…!”

With renewed purpose and high expectations, Shoot grabbed his backpack (with the same contents as before) and headed to the basement. The black vortex was there, just as it had been last night. He could hear the faint humming sound.

He wondered how he would explain his actions if his parents returned and found out about it; it was going to be a hassle.

He steeled himself, stepped into the vortex and passed through. Seconds later, he expected to be back in the same alley as the previous day, but…

“…What? This isn’t an alley?”

The vortex’s exit wasn't an alley or any part of a city; it was the middle of a vast grassland. And no matter which way he looked, he couldn't see the city he'd visited before.

“Eh… Does this mean that the starting location is random when I travel from my house to this other world…?”

If so, he imagined the terrifying possibility of warping into a lair of powerful monsters, and he pleaded that it wouldn’t happen.

“I need to plan for that. I should avoid frequent trips to the other world and get much stronger.

And it’s night again.”

The grassland was illuminated not by sunlight but moonlight. The sky was filled with stars, and the night air was chilly.

“I wonder how much time passes in this other world for every day that passes in the real world? I should check that next time.”

With his plans for the other world set, he began exploring. After a while, he encountered some monsters. Unlike the goblins from yesterday, three quadrupedal, red, dog-like monsters surrounded him.

“Since they're red dogs… Red Dogs, I guess? Are they stronger than goblins?”

He arbitrarily named them (the actual name of the monster is indeed Red Dog) and began the fight.

———

“They were just as weak as the goblins, if not weaker.”

Shoot wiped the blood (he’d killed them all with his bare hands since he didn’t have any weapons) off his hands and began to loot them. With the skill “Dismemberment,” the monsters instantly transformed into materials and magic stones.

“Oh. A new skill… ‘Identify’. I can now learn the name of monsters.”

Another skill! Shoot was in high spirits.

Continuing his exploration, he encountered another monster. This time, it wasn't an animal; it was a spherical, light blue object.

“Um… a slime. It looks almost exactly like in games—”

As he was casually observing it, the slime suddenly spat a clear liquid at Shoot. Shoot leaped away, avoiding the attack. The liquid hit the ground where he had been standing, sizzling and producing smoke.

“Ugh!? I shouldn’t touch that! What a dangerous slime!”

Shoot was right. If he hadn't dodged, the liquid would have melted his clothes and possibly his flesh. The slime’s liquid was corrosive; careless contact could be fatal.

The slime approached Shoot, opening its body like Pac-Man to swallow him. Shoot leaped back, avoiding it. He raised his fist to attack but hesitated, remembering the corrosive liquid.

“If I punch it, I might lose my hand…”

The thought chilled him, and he chose to flee. The slime was slow, and he easily evaded it.

“I need a weapon. For monsters like that slime, I need a sword or a spear to fight safely.”

Shoot still had no weapons; only a looting knife. As he was a middle schooler experiencing the full throes of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), Shoot strongly desired swords and magic, the quintessential weapons for fighting monsters in another world.

Leaving the vast grassland, he found a hill and at the bottom, a village. Although he saw a sign, he couldn't read it since it was written in an alien language. He decided to visit the village, taking a break from exploring.

Dozens of wooden houses lined the village; there was also a stable. Further in, there was a field, some water channels, and wells. It looked like a remote village somewhere overseas.

“Excuse me, aren't you a villager? Are you a travelling merchant?”

As Shoot entered the village and ventured a little further in, a girl, around ten years old, called to him. He turned towards the voice, and a red-haired woman approached. She was wearing a light top and a brown long skirt, roughly his height.

“…” (I don’t understand what she’s saying)

Shoot had no idea what the woman was saying; he hadn’t yet encountered the language of this world. An unexpected crisis struck. But it was short-lived. After hearing the woman speak several times, he gained a new skill.

(“Universal Language Comprehension”… Oh, so I can understand what people are saying now?)

As expected, he could instantly understand everything the woman said as if it was Japanese.

“…What? You’re about my height. Are you a minor?”

Shoot answered respectfully, as he usually did with older people he considered harmless.

“Um… yes, I am.”

“Let me ask again, you’re not from this village… Todd Village, right? Where did you come from?”

“Um… (What do I say? Will they understand if I say I’m from [Japanese city name]?)”

As Shoot faltered, the woman seemed to understand and spoke more gently.

“Maybe… you got lost? Are you alright? Didn’t any monsters attack you?”

“Ah, well… I’m fine, no injuries.”

Shoot gave a noncommittal reply, feeling slightly nervous around the woman. She was quite pretty, and he could see the outline of her large breasts beneath her thin clothing. For Shoot, who had never had a girlfriend, it was stimulating.

However, he also remained wary. Remembering Itakura, he assumed that such seemingly friendly women were often hiding something.

“I’ll show you around the village. Then, after you tell me where you came from, we can get the villagers to help you get home.”

“Then… please.”

“Okay! Oh, my name is Sunny. What’s yours?”

“…Shoot.”

Sunny nodded contentedly at Shoot’s use of a nickname instead of his real name and began to show him around Todd Village.