I kept trying. I sat cross-legged and focused. I tried to sense my magic power. Take it, control it. But nothing felt different. Damn it, I don’t know how to use magic! Did I need to use a specific spell or chant? I didn’t want to give up yet. I wasn’t crazy. This was definitely a magical world.
“Just turn on, you piece of crap!” I shouted.
The lantern flicked on.
“Turn off,” I commanded, and it turned off. “Turn on” turned it on. That’s all?
If that was all it took, why didn’t the description just say so? Instead of all that ostentatious “When activated with magic” twaddle they could’ve just written “Pick it up and tell it to turn on.” I had been on the verge of inventing ritual dances for nothing. Though I guess acting like a mighty wizard is kind of fun.
So all I had to do to use magic was to touch whatever I was commanding and tell it what to do. There was no need for “Undying light of the firmament, I summon and bind thee!” or “By the ancient blood of my ancestors, bring forth your gross incandescence!” or any fancy incantations at all. Honestly, it would be way cooler if I had to say that stuff.
I took the tent out of the bag and said “Open.” It sprang right up, even though I had thought up all sorts of fanciful spells to try. I’m glad it opened, but I want to say something like “Against ravenous beast and creeping vermin, offer me your solace!” Magic was almost dull without that kind of thing.
It was getting dark outside. I’d traveled as far as I could today. It’s not like I had a destination in mind, so this was as good a place to stop as any.
Not knowing what to do with myself, I stared at my hands for a while and noticed that ring. That was an item, right? If it was Villager A’s engagement ring, I wanted to give it back. Villager A was really saving my butt.
“Appraisal,” I said.
“The Ring of the Destitute: For the soul of the abandoned life. Lifesaving. ? ? ?”
Huh? Is this ring cursed or something? That sounded terrible! Other than “lifesaving,” it had question marks where the actual effects should be. And what did “lifesaving” mean?
“Lifesaving: Immediately before HP reaches zero, restores MP and HP to full.”
Wow, I can even use Appraisal on descriptions. In any case, lifesaving was an amazing skill to have. It would protect me against even mortal wounds. But did that description mean it saved your life at the cost of your soul? I didn’t get it.
I gathered some firewood from the nearby forest. There wasn’t a lot of dry wood, but I found enough to start a fire. I wanted to repel monsters, and the cave was damp, so I definitely needed to get one going.
I started by using my Heat Magic to raise the temperature of the wood, a method I’d figured out to bake the mushrooms earlier. Eventually, something sparked. I nearly cheered before I realized it was just the kindling.
I pushed the temperature even higher, and finally the wood started to smolder and burn. I felt like my Heat Magic level must’ve gone up? When I checked my status, I saw “Fire Magic Lv1” and “Heat Magic Lv2.” Not only did my skill level improve, but I learned basic Fire Magic, too! So starting one fire was enough to give me that ability? I had no idea how skill acquisition worked in this world. Maybe Fire Magic was part of a skill tree connected to Heat Magic?
Until now, my only plan for fights was to swing a stick at the enemy, so Fire Magic sounded good to me. I wanted to practice more, but I could barely keep my eyes open. Before I drifted off to sleep, I checked my status one more time.
NAME: Haruka
RACE: Human
LV: 01
JOB: —
HP: 10
MP: 10
VIT: 10
POW: 10
SPE: 10
DEX: 10
RES: 10
INT: 10
LUK: MAX (Above Limit)
SP: 0
COMBAT: Cane Mastery Lv1
MAGIC: Heat Lv1 Movement Lv1, Packing Lv1, Weight Lv1
SKILLS: General Health Lv1, Sensitivity Lv1, Calisthenics Lv1, Walking Lv1, Consultant Lv1 Servitude Lv1, Clairvoyance Lv1, Presence Detection Lv1, Enemy Tracking Lv1
TITLES: Shut-In Lv1, NEET Lv1, Loner Lv1
ABILITIES: Corporate Proactiveness Lv1, Master of None Lv1, Blockhead Lv1
EQUIPMENT: Tree Branch, Clothes Set, Leather Glove, Leather Boots, Cloak, Contact Lenses, Ring of the Destitute, Cloth Bag
I figured I must’ve gotten Clairvoyance because while I was wandering around, I kept focusing on faraway objects. Thank god for my contacts. Good eyesight really was a blessing. Who knew how badly I would’ve done without Appraisal and Clairvoyance.
Is it just me, or is this more like a survival game? Normally you’d get summoned by some princess or a beautiful sorceress, right? I just got dropped in the middle of a forest. Divine providence brought us all here, so it must have done so for a reason. Were we destined to start new lives in this world, no strings attached? No, there had to be monster-slaying or some ridiculous quest involved. I wouldn’t mind just living here, I thought. However…if this is a survival game then I’ll be stuck in these woods for the rest of my life. Oh no!
“Presence Detection” and “Enemy Tracking” were also new skills. I guessed that I got them because I was so paranoid about monsters ambushing me. Was it really that easy to get new skills? Maybe all the skills offered in that white room were overrated after all. Just what did that old geezer do to himself, anyway? No, I shouldn’t think about it. He said that skills came from beings greater than the gods. That sounded dangerous.
My first day in this new world came to an end. Now to dream of online book delivery…