Kays Translations

Chapter 2

The moment it caught my eye, I felt a sudden "Ah..." without any specific emotion.

Before I could recognize anything, my body reacted on its own, and a severe pain surged in my stomach.

I was immediately struck by intense nausea, unable to stand, and ended up on all fours, vomiting on the spot.

My body reacted before my mind could comprehend —

It was a human corpse.

Ugh... Uweeaargh... Gub... ehh... Gahh... Ahh... Oe... Aah...

Damn it... way too unexpected...

After walking through the forest for a while following my departure, a massive boulder, around 10 meters high, came into view.

Surprised by its size, as I approached and circled around it, that's when I saw it at the base of the massive stone.

If it had just been a regular corpse, I might have avoided vomiting.

But it was something else; the face was entirely missing, leaving only the silhouette of the head.

Having had the bento as my last meal last night and only drinking water this morning, there was nothing left to vomit.

Even when I did vomit, only stomach acid came out, causing a painful coughing-like retching.

In return, tears and nasal discharge flowed incessantly, wetting my face and making the ground damp.

And at last, I let out a sob, my voice hoarse.

"Ugh... nooooooo!"

At that moment, I could keenly understand the feelings of people who occasionally hear in the news, "Found a corpse while taking a walk."

Cough... cough... spit... Aaahhh... Haaah...

Finally, the nausea subsided, and I could breathe again.

I washed my face with the water from a PET bottle and took a deep breath.

Holding my hand over my eyes, avoiding looking directly, I glanced again at the corpse.

"No... how should I put it... is this like... cosplay with leather armor?"

He's dressed in what you might call an RPG-style warrior costume.

And I can see something like a name tag around his neck.

It's similar to the ID tags military personnel wear.

I really don't want to get close to a lifeless body with such a face.

But I felt a slight urge to at least confirm the name.

Turning my face away, I cautiously approached, grabbed the name tag, and stepping on his chest with my right foot, I pulled it off in one motion.

I felt a disturbing sensation as the neck went limp in my hands, and I stumbled back in fright. But I got the name tag.

And as I looked at the writing—

"Garam."

That's the name, I guess... I thought as I turned it over, and on the back, there was a word often seen in games.

"Tiara Adventurer's Guild."

In an instant, my gamer brain kicks in.

Adventurers are the ones who defeat monsters to earn money, and a guild signifies affiliation.

It's all familiar from the online games I play every day.

"Huh!?"

I involuntarily glance around.

Is this a drama or a movie shoot?

Something about dungeons and quests flashes in my mind

words familiar from the games I know.

And unfortunately, I notice another corpse further away.

"All four of them..."

It seems I've stumbled upon a mass murder scene, whatever it is.

Looking around, I see four sets of belongings placed a bit away.

They remain undisturbed, untouched.

Initially, my recognition was akin to seeing forgotten items, but I quickly realize that this situation is abnormal—

The fact that the belongings are neatly arranged means they weren't ambushed unexpectedly.

The lack of disturbance suggests it wasn't a human attacker.

They faced a challenge... and were easily killed. It must be some formidable monster.

And that creature might still be around here.

The most crucial piece of information, that "the culprit might still be nearby," slips out of my thoughts.

Suddenly, my knees start trembling uncontrollably.

I realize this isn't a metaphorical expression.

I must leave this place immediately, and the realization sends my mind into a frenzy.

I don't know which way to go, but I need to run. All I can do is pray not to encounter whatever is responsible.

As a precaution, I use my phone to take pictures of the corpses and the scene. It's evidence to prove that I'm not the perpetrator.

Why the hell am I taking photos of corpses... damn it.

Before fleeing, my attention is drawn to their belongings.

"I can take these, right? I'm stranded too—"

I decide to carry their belongings with me as I run away.

　◆ ◆ ◆

On the second day in the forest, still unable to encounter people or reach a town, the day came to an end.

"Ah... food!"

I find provisions in their belongings. I hadn't eaten for a whole day, so I breathe a sigh of relief.

Moreover, there's enough for four people, so even if I consume it alone, it should last for a few days.

I gather some dried wood from the surroundings and start a fire. Thanks to having a lighter, it's a breeze.

Struggling to start a fire is usually a cliche in survival situations, but not this time.

I roast the dried meat and bread from their provisions over the fire.

"Ugh... it's... not great."

As expected, it's dry and not very tasty. I involuntarily purse my lips at the iron-like, metallic taste of the dried meat.

The image of the corpses I saw during the day doesn't leave my mind, making it difficult to shake off the fear of being attacked by wild animals. 

Unable to sleep, I decided to examine some of the belongings.

I nibble on a portable biscuit while rummaging through the contents of the backpack.

Then I found documents... and surprisingly, a map.

"Darn it, I should have checked this earlier."

Also, there was something with pictures and words on it, so I tried reading it.

No, before that, I immediately noticed something strange――

"This is all in Japanese!?"

The names on the map, these documents, and come to think of it, the names on the nametags are all in Japanese.

I glance around once again.

Maybe this is just some movie props left behind. 

The thought crosses my mind that this is more plausible.

The idea of being in some manga-like or game world did cross my mind momentarily.

But I didn't want to accept it.

When I search through another shoulder bag, I find several books and decide to take a look.

One of them has an unbelievable title...

"Beginner's Guide to Magic"

My thoughts come to a halt.

The enchanting word "magic" releases a narcotic-like allure, especially for someone like me who's immersed in online games.

Well, desperately convincing myself that it could be a movie prop, I hold it in my hands and gaze at it for a while.

Flipping through the pages, I find detailed descriptions of what appears to be a plausible setting.

"It's quite elaborate for a prop. There might be a chance that it's real..."

Considering the supernatural events happening to me now, the possibility of being in another world—a world of swords and magic—isn't entirely out of the question.

But the fact that everything is written in Japanese denies that possibility.

"I guess it's not likely..."

While killing time reading, I come across descriptions of magic.

"Oh!?"

I can't help but feel excited. This kind of thing is irresistible to gamers.

"Hmm... Wind... Water... Earth... Thunder... Huh?"

I quickly notice something missing.

"What about fire? Is there no fire magic?"

A staple magic in manga, the fire-based magic, is nowhere to be found.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! The most important one is missing!"

I'm getting frustrated with this book.

"Hmm~ What's going on..."

I begin to question the setting, and then it hits me.

"Oh, it must be in the intermediate section..."

The title of the book was "Beginner's Magic." 

Presumably, fire magic is considered more advanced.

"Indeed," understanding, as I read on, I discovered the wording of something called a wind incantation.

And upon seeing the incantation there, I became transfixed.

《Now, let the swift wind be unleashed by the words of my command, under the name of the Wind God Windle, a brisk breeze.》

"Uha!"

Unable to contain a grin at the embarrassingly dramatic lines, my face lights up as if on fire.

"Well, well, you seem to have graduated from your 'chuunibyou' phase, haven't you?"

Thanks to the laughter, the fear is momentarily forgotten.

And here I am, feeling tempted to join in on the fun.

Standing up straight, I perform two knee bends, holding a book in my left hand, and with my palm facing forward, I prepare for the incantation—

Before proceeding, I confirm that there's no one around.

"Hmm... Yeah, now... by my words... wind god wind... Swift breeze!"

I end up speaking in a hushed voice, feeling embarrassed.

––––– Nothing happens.

Hmm... The volume of my voice might be important too. Perhaps I didn't say it properly...

Reflecting on the fact that embarrassment made me shrink back, I decide to give it a serious try again.

After doing a knee bend once, I spread my legs shoulder-width apart.

Placing the book in front of my face, I extend my right hand straight and chant loudly—

"Now, let the swift wind be unleashed by the words of my command, under the name of the wind god windle, a brisk breeze!"

Sh―––––n.

As expected, nothing happened.

"Well... well, it's just how it is, hahaha."

Without making excuses to anyone, I quickly glance around and cover it up with a self-conscious laugh.

Afterward, I try other incantations, but nothing seems to work...

In the end, it turned out to be nothing more than a bout of adolescent delusions.

The time has passed by 2 o'clock.

Although the magic didn't work, the content of this book was well done, so I lie on my back and get absorbed in reading. 

However, the unnaturalness of the incantation descriptions bothers me.

First, the incantation is written, and below it, there's an explanatory text.

Both texts are in Japanese, and—

The explanatory text is a "terribly clumsy direct translation."

The awkwardness, akin to the feeling of using Google Translate for a foreign language, unintentionally makes me scoff at it.

"Is this even necessary? Like... 'I will now recite it. Stone magic. god of stones, Nutos. Thank you very much. Stone launch' or something—"

Shupan!

Suddenly, a sound resembling an explosion occurs near my head.

"Hmm?"

––––– Thud!

Several seconds later, there's a sound of something falling a bit away.

For a moment, I don't understand what happened... I feel like something happened around my head.

I put my hand on my forehead and rub, but there's no change.

I slowly raise my body and look toward the direction of the sound – but it's dark, and I can't see anything.

Remaining seated, I read the clumsily translated text once again.

"......recite......now. Stone launch."

Shupan!

Then, I hear a gunshot-like sound around my forehead.

Immediately, something hits the ground in front of me, causing a commotion as I hastily pull back.

"Whoa! What the heck!?"

After a brief moment of thought, I straighten my posture, hold the book in front of me, and chant:

《I will now recite it. Stone magic, god of stones, Nutos. Thank you very much. Stone launch.》

This time, a clear sound of air being cut near my forehead, followed by something flying forward and disappearing into the darkness, is unmistakably heard.

"O...ho...hooOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

My joyous exclamation becomes embarrassingly pathetic.

But, indeed, some sort of supernatural phenomenon just occurred.

I am ecstatic.

And at the same time, this is not a movie shoot or anything like that; it's another world—

"I've ended up in a different world."

The fact that "I've ended up in a different world" is now confirmed.

"Seriouslyyyyy..."

The unbearable reality leaves my mind blank.

　◆ ◆ ◆

When I woke up, the sun had already passed directly overhead.

In the end, I had been chanting magic spells until the sky began to lighten.

"I can use magic!"

Initially, it was hard to accept the fact that I had come to another world, but soon my gamer mindset kicked in— I was joyously firing off real magic spells.

And immediately, like a typical science student, I became curious about the principles of magic. I recorded scenes of casting spells with my smartphone to analyze them.

However, since it was nighttime and the magic itself was too fast, the recording didn't go well.

Now, I need to get ready in a hurry. It's time for magic.

First, I strip off all my clothes. Even my underwear comes off, leaving me completely exposed. Being naked outdoors feels incredibly taboo.

Then, I move a little distance away and look up, maintaining silence for a while.

Then, with a shupan sound and water bullets shooting into the sky from my forehead—a 'water magic.'

I move directly underneath to catch the falling water, letting it shower over me. 

It's an idea I came up with last night, and it worked well.

Well, I can only do the water shower once every three tries...

But somehow... I can't use magic exactly as written in the magic book. 

I can do things not written in the book, and I can't do things that are written.

Strange Behavior of Magic #1 — 'Magic comes out from the forehead.'

I tried many times to make it come out from my palm, as the book says, "Circulate mana within your body and concentrate it on your palm." However, I can't feel anything like mana to begin with.

Mana is that thing, right? Like the source of magic in games...

In the end, for now, it's a state of 'I don't really understand, but it's working, so it's fine!'

Strange Behavior of Magic #2 — 'Can be cast without chanting.'

This one was easy—I just thought of the incantation in my head, and it fired right away. Surprisingly smooth.

It might be something ordinary, but the book doesn't mention anything about casting without chanting.

And this... there are times when I can do it, and times when I can't. I don't understand that either.

Now, feeling refreshed after the water shower, I prepare to depart—

But suddenly, the color of the scenery disappeared!

The surroundings turned gray, sounds vanished, and my ears buzzed.

I look around, and everything is frozen.

Shocked by this abnormal situation, I stand still, completely naked and drenched.

Oh, has another event flag been triggered... I've gotten quite used to supernatural phenomena by now.

It seems my gamer brain has adapted to the events that keep happening one after another.

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