Chapter 1: Transference and Becoming an Adventurer – 01
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the grass.
Before me stretched a clear blue sky, with sparse branches of trees visible in the distance.
“Ow… that hurts…”
As I propped myself up, a sharp pain shot through my entire body for just a moment.
The last thing I remembered was that I was on my way home from work.
Dragging my tired body down the stairs… I distinctly recalled a sudden, sharp pain in my chest, causing me to lose my footing and half-faint…
If I thought about it, I should have been lying in a hospital bed, so why was I outside?
I was still dressed in the same clothes I wore on my way home: a shirt, slacks, and a tie.
Ah, I noticed my shoulder bag was missing. There was nothing in my pockets either. Wait, not having my smartphone is a serious problem, isn’t it?
As I pondered this, I managed to stand up. Aside from the earlier pain, my body felt fine and moved easily.
It was strange that the pain in my shoulder had completely vanished—
“What is this place?”
I stood on a vast plain I had never seen in my life.
Grass grew up to my ankles, stretching far into the distance.
Sparse trees dotted the landscape, but deeper in, it seemed to turn into a dense forest.
On the opposite side of the forest, I could see a road that was simply bare earth.
Following the road with my eyes, I spotted what looked like a town? No, perhaps it was a village, a settlement of some sort. The buildings were of a style I had never seen in modern Japan, even from a distance.
“It doesn’t seem like a dream. I guess I should check it out.”
Staying here wouldn’t get me anywhere. I began walking toward the settlement.
As I walked, I realized my body felt unusually good.
My shoulders, knees, and back had been creaking for a long time, but now my steps felt surprisingly light on the dirt path.
Speaking of the path, I noticed there were other pedestrians besides me.
They clearly didn’t look Japanese, yet they didn’t seem to belong to any country I recognized either.
At first glance, they resembled Westerners, but their facial features were not as pronounced, making them somewhat familiar to a Japanese person.
However, their clothing was anything but familiar.
The garments looked distinctly old-fashioned, and even the average-looking individuals carried short daggers or other weapons at their waists.
Some of them stared at me curiously, and it was clear that, from their perspective, I must have looked out of place in my unarmed state and unfamiliar attire.
But really, where on earth am I?
As I listened to the conversations of the passersby, I caught snippets of a language I had never heard before.
“…In Mainen, the Knights Order… the Dungeon has been sealed…”
“Is that true? …Rumor has it that Dungeon over there… Adventurers are… targeting the neighboring country…”
Strangely enough, I understood their words without any resistance, as if they were my mother tongue.
But “Knights Order”? “Dungeon”? “Adventurers”?
Some of the terms they used felt surreal.
To be honest, they reminded me of the fantasy worlds I had escaped to through video games to avoid the stresses of life—like divorce, work, and office relationships.
Could it be that my exhausted mind was conjuring this illusion to escape reality?
…No, that couldn’t be it. No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, the sights, sounds of the wind, the smell of the earth, and the sensations under my feet felt far too real.
It seemed far more plausible that I had been transported to another world.
While I was lost in thought, I arrived at the entrance of the settlement… which was marked only by two wooden posts.
The settlement resembled a small town, with two-story houses lining both sides of a winding street that continued deeper inside.
In addition to the houses along the street, there were about fifty buildings visible, giving off a vibe similar to a residential complex in Japan.
However, the appearance of the place was distinctly antiquated, with uneven cobblestones forming the road, and the houses built from wood and plaster. Honestly, it felt just like a rural town from a fantasy game.
The people bustling about the street and those running stalls on the roadside looked similar to the ones I had seen outside.
“What’s that…?”
As I scanned my surroundings, I spotted a group of four individuals dressed in remarkably flamboyant attire.
Rather than “flamboyant,” it would be more accurate to say they were “armed.”
A man donned in armor wielded a large polearm (what I recognized as a halberd from my gaming knowledge), another man carried a shield nearly as tall as he was, a woman wore a wide-brimmed hat with a pointed tip, a cloak, and held a staff, while a nimble-looking woman carried a bow and arrows. They looked just like a party of adventurers from a role-playing game.
However, everything they wore appeared well-used, and they exuded an aura that set them apart from ordinary people. Even I could clearly tell they were “warriors.”
“…Have I really come to a fantasy world like in games or movies?”
I understood it was absurd, but given the scene before me, I couldn’t help but think that way.
I observed the town’s streets, walking back and forth.
The street resembled a shopping district, with shops selling food, clothing, and daily necessities nestled between the houses.
What caught my eye was a shop selling weapons and armor. The sight of gleaming weapons radiating a dangerous light was a stark reminder of the strangeness of my situation.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere among the townsfolk was relatively calm. It was only then that I noticed a significant number of people with horns or animal ears on their heads.
They were likely members of different races, familiar from games, but seeing them in person was quite shocking.
I also spotted a few adventurer parties like the one I had seen earlier. Their attire varied, but they all shared an intimidating presence.
After walking back and forth, I returned to the gate.
“It feels… real.”
I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts, but after witnessing the scenery, I had no choice but to shift my mindset.
It seemed I had fallen down the stairs at work and ended up in this world. Given that my heart had been acting up just before, perhaps I had died in my original world and was reborn here.
“If that’s the case… what should I do? I need to think of a way to survive…”
If I was to live in this world, that was the first issue I had to tackle.
Right now, I was broke, with no place to stay, and not even a morsel of food.
Even if I considered taking on odd jobs to get by, it was highly doubtful that such work existed in this small town. And even if there were jobs, would anyone be willing to hire me?
It was all well and good to be transported to a strange world, but to hit a dead end right from the start? That couldn’t be right—
“Could it be that you’re looking for the Adventurers’ Guild?”
Just as despair began to creep in, a voice called out from a short distance away. It belonged to an elderly man who looked like a resident of this town.
“Uh… no… What is this Adventurers’ Guild you speak of?”
“Oh? Might you be someone who has just undergone an ‘Awakening’?”
“‘Awakening’…?”
Seeing my confusion at the unfamiliar term, the old man continued.
“Hmmm, you don’t seem to understand much. You must have been chased out of some village without knowing anything, huh?”
“Ah, well, something like that…”
Honestly, I didn’t quite understand, but I wanted to know more, so I decided to play along.
“In that case, you absolutely must go to the Adventurers’ Guild. Follow me.”
“Uh, alright.”
I hesitated for a moment, but sensing no malice from the knowledgeable old man, I decided to follow him.
Well, I could somewhat imagine what an “Adventurers’ Guild” might be like, so I didn’t think I would be led to a strange place.
“However, it’s quite rare for someone your age to undergo an ‘Awakening.’ It will be tough ahead, but do your best.”
“Uh… thank you.”
As the old man offered me words of encouragement, we walked down the street. We arrived at a three-story building I had passed earlier.
“This is the Adventurers’ Guild of this town. If you speak to the young lady at the reception, she should be able to tell you what you need to do next. Now, take care not to overexert yourself.”
After I expressed my gratitude, the old man muttered, “Such a serious-looking young man, but what a troublesome situation…” as he walked away.
I didn’t quite understand what was going on, but it seemed that if I spoke to someone at the Adventurers’ Guild, I might find hints on how to survive in this world.
I stepped through the large, open entrance and entered the Adventurers’ Guild.