Having dealt with the mercenaries by knocking Dande out and throwing him to the village entrance, Shoot thought the matter was settled. The villagers, however, felt differently.

“That boy defeated those two mercenaries…?” “Along with the Blood Wolves, what is he?” “Our bodyguards are useless now!” “What happens if monsters attack again?” “W-what do we do…?”

As the villagers voiced their concerns, Sunny approached Shoot.

“Shoot-kun, you can use magic? Were you a mage? But your swordsmanship is near-master level… What’s going on?”

“Um, about the magic… I saw that robed man cast fire and lightning from his staff, and I kept imagining myself doing the same… and then I could.”

“Y-you can do it just by imagining what you saw? I’ve never met anyone like that…”

Witnessing Shoot’s extraordinary abilities, Sunny was so astonished that she just laughed weakly. Before she could say anything else, the village head approached.

“Shoot-kun… no, Shoot-dono, is it? I’m Temuji, the village head of Todd Village. We appreciate you taking care of the monsters, but honestly… what you did to our bodyguards…”

Temuji, the village head, looked troubled, expressing both gratitude and regret. Even Shoot felt awkward and struggled to respond.

“Um, it might be a loss for the village, but I’m honestly happy that those two got what they deserved! I think some others share my feelings…”

“Hohoho. Personally, I feel relieved. Even though they charged us a low fee, their excessive selfishness had been a huge problem.”

Temuji stroked his goatee, still looking troubled.

“The mercenaries who were supposed to be our bodyguards are incapacitated. We can’t be sure that another monster attack won’t happen. What should we do… (glance)”

After his theatrical musing, Temuji openly eyed Shoot, whose intent was apparent.

(He’s trying to make me replace those mercenaries…)

“If Shoot-dono would take over as our bodyguard, we’ll contact the mercenary guild, telling them that you’ve completed the assignment. The reward will be yours. What do you say?”

“Um… I’m not a mercenary. I’m just a lone adventurer…”

“What!? You’re not a mercenary!?”

Temuji was surprised and troubled. He then asked Shoot to be their temporary bodyguard.

“Just for a week. The pay won’t be high, but we’ll give you a reward, and you can keep the monster materials. Please, would you take on this task? With someone as skilled as Shoot-dono, we’ll be safe from any monster!”

“Eh? Um, well…”

Shoot hesitated. He wanted to explore more of the other world. Staying in one place for several days, even temporarily, was unappealing.

“Even though they were terrible mercenaries, they were still our bodyguards, right? You made them unable to fight, so you should take responsibility. But I know you have things to do, so if you can’t, I understand…”

Sunny pressed Shoot to take responsibility, hoping to keep him in the village. She still had questions for him.

“…Alright. I’ll be Todd Village’s bodyguard for a while.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

“Oh, you’ll do it!”

Sunny and Temuji beamed. Shoot inwardly groaned at the prospect of foregoing further exploration.

Half a day later, the two mercenaries, who had been left outside the village, woke up and, with Dande repeatedly vowing revenge, returned to the guild. Meanwhile, Shoot was going around the village, trying to sell or have his loot crafted into items.

The village blacksmith was the only one capable of making equipment, and they couldn’t afford to buy the materials.

Using the materials he’d gathered, he had a more durable and sharper knife, a warm wolfskin coat that offered some protection, and a helmet to shield his head from falling objects made.

By participating in the crafting process, Shoot acquired the “Crafting” skill, allowing him to create clothes, armor, and weapons himself.

As night fell, Shoot decided to return home. He wanted to play some games to unwind before being restricted from entertainment for a while in the other world. Using “Spatial Transfer,” he warped to the black vortex in the grassland and returned to his basement.

“I feel like I gained a lot this time. I hope there’ll be more interesting things next time…”

Although it was night in the other world, it was still morning in the real world. Shoot, still not quite used to the time difference, played games until night. It was a school holiday (Foundation Day).

———

That night, Shoot had a dream.

Recently, his dreams had been horrible, reflecting the school bullying. He hadn't been able to sleep properly.

But this dream was different. In the dream, he was lying in bed.

(My body… is hot. Or rather, something is wrong. My whole body feels… uneasy.)

Something was happening to his body. He felt as if everything was being remade. Since it was a dream, he didn't feel pain, even though his bones and muscles seemed to be shifting and making strange noises. It was still unnerving.

The strange phenomenon continued for a while, and Shoot’s consciousness faded into darkness.

The next morning, Shoot immediately noticed something unusual.

(My pajamas… are these this tight?)

His pajamas felt tighter than usual. Being in the midst of a growth spurt, he initially assumed he’d grown taller, but the degree of change was significant.

He shed his pajamas and went to the bathroom in his underwear. Looking in the mirror, he was dumbfounded.

“Um… who is this…? Me???”

It took him over a minute to recognize that the youth staring back at him was himself.

“…”

He’d always disliked his appearance: his dull, stressed-out eyes, his messy hair, his average height. That’s what he expected to see in the mirror this morning.

But the face and body in the mirror were vastly different. His height had increased by at least ten centimeters, and his body was lean but well-muscled.

His face had also changed. His messy hair was now a stylish men's short haircut, and his eyes were sharp and intense. His acne was gone, replaced with smooth, clear skin.

He had undergone a transformation, into someone any passerby would consider handsome.

Shoot’s appearance had rapidly changed along with his strength in the other world.

“Who are you…? Or am I?”

Having asked himself this, Shoot realized that it was another side effect of his travels to another world, smiling in a mix of joy and astonishment.