“Ah, I’m looking forward to it. I want to get home quickly and play the game.”
I, Kubinashi Sousuke, a 24-year-old, bought a new game on my way home from work, and was looking forward to playing it.
Although, it wasn't yet night-time; it was still a bit before the sun sets.
As I walk along the road, I could hear the voices of children playing in the park.
Today, I had finished work early in order to get home and play.
For the sake of games, even mundane work is a breeze. The more quickly I complete my work, the sooner I'm able to play.
Tomorrow is Saturday, so even if I were to stay up all night there isn't a problem.
I’ll immerse myself completely in it.
I’m a guy who earns money from work and spends it on otaku hobbies like anime, games, and light novels.
Moments like this are my happiness.
“Losing myself in games!”
While walking with excitement, I come to a stop at a red traffic light.
I can’t afford to be reckless and end up getting hit by a truck here.
I’m not the kind of guy who’d get run over by a truck for such a silly reason.
I watched a large truck coming from a distance and unconsciously snort.
The gazes of the parent and child who were also stopped next to me hurt. Especially the mother, don’t look at me like you’re looking at a pervert.
The little girl next to her mother was playing with a ball on the sidewalk.
Isn’t that dangerous? This isn’t a park, you know?
As I glance at the girl, I couldn’t help but think that modern parents aren't very responsible.
I looked at the approaching truck, making a heavy sound from afar.
I was simply waiting for the light to turn green.
“...Ah...”
As I hear a faint voice, a small shadow crossed my field of vision.
And surprisingly, the girl chased the ball onto the road.
See? I knew it! It’s because she was playing with the ball in a place like this!
Even though I was screaming that in my heart, my body still moved for some reason.
The blaring of the horn and the high-pitched screeching of the brakes were clearly audible. There’s no time.
I jumped onto the road and picked up the girl, tossing her towards her mother. Together with my game.
Though the mother had fallen to the ground, she somehow managed to catch the girl.
Unfortunately, my game was not accepted.
Just as I let out a sigh of relief, an enormous shock hit my body.
The shock ran through me, tearing me apart and breaking me.
Something important was torn, shattered, and sent flying.
Before I realized it, my vision was upside down.
“Huh?”
The mother’s shocked expression was reflected upside down.
Then, my vision shifted to my thrown-away body.
There, my head was missing. My bloodied body flew like a rag.
...Ah, so my head got blown off.
In this slow-motion world, my brain, holding onto a faint trace of thought, understood.
My head was blown off.
Afterward, my vision spins around, and I couldn’t make out anything before my head smashed against the concrete.
◆
The first thing I saw when I woke up was the light.
Distinct shadows were formed on the ground by the sunlight filtering through the surrounding trees.
The shaded path continued all the way through underneath.
Trees spread out, as far as the eye can see.
Tall trees, dozens of meters high, create a forest reminiscent of a jungle or sea.
"I don't understand."
Why am I in the middle of a forest?
I saved a girl who jumped onto the road and got hit by a truck.
Due to the impact, my head flew off, and I ended up dying, covered in blood.
If this is a dream I'm having while lying in a hospital bed, it would be quite surprising. The sensations like air and smell are too real.
But well, that's impossible, of course.
Since my head got blown off, there's no way I survived. It's instant death.
If I consider other possibilities, maybe I've died and come to another world?
It's a common development in internet novels, games, and anime.
A person who died in modern Japan receives cheat-like abilities from a god and gets reincarnated or transferred to another world.
And then, they become overpowered or lead a leisurely life, or get caught up in various events.
I'm a bit of an otaku too, so things like this make my heart race.
If I were to fit my current situation into that narrative, it might be a transfer to another world.
After all, I'm not a baby... right?
I suddenly turn my gaze to my own body and realize that my lower half is inexplicably covered in something black, or rather, gray.
"What!?"
For a moment, I thought my lower half had been mechanized and turned into a cyborg... but that's not it.
What's enveloping my lower half is armor.
Thick armor that knights would wear, with no exposed skin whatsoever.
Looking at my feet, I see a red cloth hanging down behind me. It appears to be a mantle.
Similarly, when I look at my chest, arms, and shoulders, I find them enveloped in a dull gray armor that emits a faint light.
"Why am I wearing armor!?"
I twist my body and tap the armor to check.
A metallic sound echoes through the forest.
"...It seems quite authentic."
It looks like I'm in the appearance of a full body of armor. And it's one with extremely high defensive capabilities.
I have no idea why I'm in this form in the middle of the woods.
Could this be some kind of perk from being transported to a different world?
If that's the case, I might have some incredible abilities.
No, hold on, Kubinashi Sousuke, don't jump to conclusions.
It's not confirmed that this is a different world.
Once I get out of this forest, there might be a modern Japanese town. Who knows what could happen?
Right now, I don't have enough information. Anyway, let's try walking towards civilization.
Then I'll make a judgement.
◆
The chirping of birds echoes through the forest.
In order to obtain information, I aim for a human village and continue walking along the path.
The surroundings remain mostly unchanged, with endless trees flowing through my vision.
Despite wearing full-body armor, my steps are light. In fact, I don’t feel any weight at all; it’s as if it’s a part of my own body.
The clanging noise was annoying at first, but I’ve gotten used to it.
Now, I walk feeling like I’m cosplaying in full-body armor.
No matter how much I walk, the path is surrounded by trees. Occasionally, I see plants, all of them having oddly unique shapes.
There’s something like a red Rafflesia that seems to be parasitic on the trees, and purple mushrooms with poisonous hue.
The parasitic Rafflesia even has appendage-like things growing on it, wriggling like living creatures.
Just touching them might lead to being enveloped by those appendages and being consumed or dissolved.
Indeed, they don’t seem like anything from Japan.
If that’s the case, did I get transported to some foreign jungle? Or perhaps a different world?
While observing the bizarre plants, I continue walking.
After a while, I reach an open lake.
The transparent water's surface reveals shadows of fish and creatures here and there.
On fallen logs, colorful birds perch aiming for those underwater creatures.
Animals I’ve never seen before put their mouths to the surface to drink the water here.
It’s the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen.
However, all I could feel was a sense of disgust. Sensationally speaking, it’s like standing on the edge of a cliff that’s about to collapse.
I don’t understand the reason. It’s not like I have a fear of water or a trauma from drowning in a lake before.
Yet, my body reacts with a warning against going there.
With a feeling of fear and discomfort towards what should be just a normal lake.
I’m not particularly thirsty, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to find water in the future.
This forest might be vast beyond imagination.
Who knows when I’ll be able to reach civilization.
In that case, even without thirst, it’s necessary to hydrate myself before it’s too late.
The water in this lake doesn’t seem muddy, so it should be fine to drink as it is.
Ideally, I’d want to boil and sterilize it properly before drinking, but there’s nothing to collect water with, so I have no choice.
Suppressing the unexplainable fear of the lake, I step on the grass and approach the water’s edge.
With each step, I feel the impulse to flee.
An inexplicable impulse.
It’s as if my body is refusing to move forward.
It’s not like there’s a ferocious beast like a crocodile lurking nearby.
After carefully checking my surroundings, I suppress my fear and peer into the water’s surface.
Reflected there is my figure, clad in full-body armor.
However, there’s no head.
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Oh I've had this story on my reading list for years atp. Was very shocked seeing someone pick it up. Kinda like a blast from the past.
ReplyDeleteSame here, came up on NU, I was like never seen this in my life but I had apparently read it in 2017 lol
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