Volume 2 Chapter 1 Departure and the First Kill
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Has it been half a day since I was dumped into this world? I’m thrilled to have unlocked the Item Box¹ and fire magic, but I haven’t made a single step of actual progress. It’s about time I start moving in search of food and water.
The scenery is a monotonous blur in every direction. If I leave this spot, I doubt I’ll ever find my way back. I woke up at the base of this massive tree—maybe this is where Earth and this place intersect, or maybe someone dropped me here on purpose.
Either way, this tree is my only clue. I’ve already used the Item Box to carve a makeshift ladder into the trunk. If I can get back within sight of it, I won’t miss it. The problem is surviving long enough to make it back.
(I’d better leave some markers.)
As I walk, I’ll use the Item Box to notch the trees. Bears mark their territory like that, right? I’ll put the cuts high up—about seven feet, just at the limit of my reach. If they’re that high, any locals passing through probably won’t notice them.
I want to keep this spot a secret as long as I can. This is the closest thing I have to home. Before I leave, I’ll say a prayer. Who knows? Maybe it’ll actually reach someone.
I press my hands together toward the great tree and close my eyes.
(Sachiko. Yuki. I’m sorry for making you worry. I don’t think I’m coming home for a while.)
I wonder if the life insurance will pay off the mortgage. We had a decent chunk of savings, so they should be okay for money. But Sachiko was always terrible at managing the small stuff. I worry if she’ll be alright.
(Will I ever see them again?)
(Sachiko, raise her well. Yuki, marry someone kind. Just… be happy. Mom, I’m sorry for being such a disappointment.)
(Thank you for everything.)
Alright. Time to go.
I start walking in the direction I picked. Massive roots are buried under the soil, making the ground uneven and a nightmare to navigate. Damp leaves cover everything, but at least they provide some cushion.
I keep my footsteps quiet; for all I know, something dangerous is stalking me. Low branches and leaves brush against my skin, and vines hang down like snares from the canopy above.
I manifest the Item Box in front of me like a manhole cover, keeping Storage² active at all times. I use it as a plow, clearing away branches and debris before they can hit me. I have to stay focused on the markers, too.
(That branch looks solid.)
I pick it up—about three feet long. It’ll work as a makeshift wooden sword. I store it in the Item Box and practice pulling it out a few times. If I focus, I can grab it the moment my hand breaks the surface.
That’ll do for an emergency. I keep my eyes on the trees, watching above and behind me. My pace is slow, maybe three miles an hour. I’ve heard you walk in circles when you’re lost in the woods; I just hope I’m heading straight.
There’s no wildlife. Is this forest just empty, or am I just not seeing them? Or maybe they’re the ones watching me. To a big predator, a lone human is just a slow-moving snack.
I’ve been trekking for two hours now. For all that walking, I’m not actually that tired. But I’ve reached my limit in another way.
I need to piss. In this situation, urine is a resource—precious moisture. I’ll store it in the Item Box for now. The thought makes me want to gag, but I’m not drinking it unless I’m on death’s door.
I stand by a tree, position the Item Box, and unzip.
”Whew…”
I’d been holding it in so long it felt like it would never end. Then—
Snap!
I flinch. What was that!?
I force myself to stop mid-stream and scan the brush while I zip up. (Ouch.) I’m sure the sound came from over there.
Something moved. I peek through the shadows, but I see nothing. I deploy the Item Box as a shield³ in front of me, Storage active, and creep forward.
”Sssshhh!”
”Holy—!”
A massive snake erupts from the brush fifteen feet away. It rears up, standing taller than me, looking down with cold eyes. Two massive fangs are bared in its open mouth. I’ve never seen anything like it. If that thing bites me, I’m a dead man.
It’s fast. I can’t wait to see it move; I have to act now. I stretch the Item Box thin, widening it into a barrier from my shins to my chest. It’s like pulling taffy in my mind, but I’m desperate. The snake lunges, a blur of muscle. I jump back on instinct.
Thud.
The snake’s body slams into the dirt, twitching. Its head is gone—it lunged straight into the Item Box’s opening. A self-destruct.
I stand there, dazed, staring at the five-meter length of scales. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. My pulse is a drumbeat in my ears.
”Too close,” I mutter. “Way too close.”
It’s huge—eight inches thick if it’s an inch. But it proved one thing: the Item Box is a hell of a weapon. I can do this. I’m going to survive. This isn’t Japan. I’ll kill anything that tries to take this life from me.
I watch the blood soak into the soil. My heart feels cold.
* * *
The light is failing. It’s almost night. Sleeping on the ground is suicide, so I’ll head into the trees. Even if there are leopards or something up there, it’s safer than the floor.
I butcher the snake, stowing the meat in the Item Box. The idea of eating it is repulsive, but I know the SDF guys do it. I’m just not hungry enough yet.
I climb a nearby giant, carving steps with the Item Box. Once I find a sturdy branch, I lash myself to the trunk with vine-rope. I don’t want to wake up mid-fall. For extra security, I deploy a shield a few feet below me. It’ll act as a physical barrier and a blindfold for anything looking up.
My throat is parched. I need water.
(Can I conjure it?)
I imagine a kitchen sink. The purifier clicking on. The lever lifting.
(Splash)
Water flows out of thin air.
”Yes!”
I cup my hands and drink. It’s clean. Pure. I don’t know if magic water has parasites, but I don’t have a choice. I drink until I’m full. At least I won’t die of thirst. Now I just have to hope my modern stomach can handle the giant snake meat.
”What a day,” I whisper, closing my eyes.
I survived my first night in another world.
* * *
I wake up feeling like I’ve been in a wreck. Sleeping sitting up has turned my back into a knot of pain. The Heal⁴ magic took the edge off the fatigue, but the quality of sleep was garbage. It’s still dark, so I’ll wait for dawn.
(The snake was a wake-up call,) I think. (The Item Box has no range. I need a way to strike from a distance.)
If I can make fire and water, I can make ice. I close my eyes and reach out for that feeling—the way the air “thins” when I use magic. Mana⁵. Fire is too dangerous in the woods, and water has no kick. But ice… ice is a bullet.
I focus on the moisture in the air, imagining it freezing. When I open my eyes, a tiny shard is hovering in front of me. It’s easier this time. I expand it until it’s the size of a baseball.
(Now… fly!)
The ice ball shoots forward, slamming into a cluster of leaves. It’s accurate, but slow. I need velocity. I manifest a new one by my shoulder and imagine a pro-pitcher’s fastball.
(Go!)
Whack!
It tears through the foliage. I spend the next hour refining it—a four-inch cone, sharp as a needle. It buries itself deep in a trunk.
”Ice Bullet⁶,” I name it.
I practice until it’s muscle memory. By dawn, I can fire a shot every two seconds. At sixty feet, I could hit a coin.
Dawn breaks. I climb down and start walking. I’m starving—it’s been over twenty-four hours since I ate. If I don’t find something soon, it’s snake-kabob time.
An hour later, I see him.
A figure is standing a hundred feet ahead, facing away. A local? I’m about to feel relieved when the “wrongness” hits me. He’s in rags. He’s swaying, twitching. When he turns, my stomach drops.
His face is a ruin. No skin. One eye socket is empty. He’s shredded.
(A zombie?)
The thing sees me and sprints. It’s fast. But my Ice Bullet is already waiting.
”Ice Bullet!”
Snap-crack!
The ice cone catches him in the face. His head doesn’t just bruise; it disintegrates. The impact flips him backward.
I don’t move. I keep a second shot ready. The “zombie” is thrashing, trying to stand even without a head.
”You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I’m not getting close. Who knows if it’s infectious? I methodically take it apart. I shatter its right thigh. Then its left knee. It still tries to crawl with one arm. I take that, too. Finally, I approach.
The smell hits me—the sweet stench of rot. It was a man once. A human. I nearly lose my lunch. The torso is still twitching, so I put a bullet through its heart. It finally goes quiet.
My head is spinning. I just killed something that used to be a person.
(Murder? No… it was already dead.)
But I know the truth. In this world, you kill or you die.
”I’ll do what I have to,” I whisper, breathing through my mouth to block the smell. “I’ll kill whoever I have to.”
I stood over the corpse for a long time.
—
Summary:
Moving through a dense forest, the protagonist discovers the combat potential of his Item Box. He successfully decapitates a giant snake and refines a new long-range magic attack. Nightfall brings a successful attempt at water conjuration while perched safely in a tree. The next day begins with a lethal confrontation against a fast-moving undead human
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Trivia:
- The protagonist specifically notes his urine is ‘precious moisture’ for survival.
- The ladder carved into the tree is his only landmark for a return to the ‘Earth-connected’ point.
- Magic water doesn’t disappear once summoned, implying real matter generation
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Character Insight:
The protagonist experiences a rapid descent into survivalist pragmatism, explicitly abandoning his civilian morality after the snake and zombie encounters.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Yuki – The four-year-old daughter of Okabe and Shoko. She has a face that was described as monkey-like at birth but has grown to be very cute, and she loves birthday cake.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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