"Now, what should I do in this other world today?"
Since I'm here, I want to explore and see everything this world has to offer. The great mage left me plenty of information about magic, weapons, and armor, but nothing about the world itself.
I’ll have to leave this forest on my own and find a village or town. Fortunately, among the spells I inherited from the great mage, there’s a teleportation spell. With it, I can instantly return to any place I've visited before.
In other words, even if I go far, I can quickly teleport back to this house. It takes a bit of time to activate and uses up some mana, so I can’t use it infinitely, but it’s more than enough.
"Alright, I’m ready to go!"
Wearing the great mage’s strongest-looking full-plate armor, wielding a Western-style sword, and carrying the staff I used last time to defeat the orc. Thanks to the strength I inherited, the heavy armor and sword feel light to me.
Since this Friday’s a holiday, I’ll have a three-day weekend. Starting Thursday night, I'll set out on a multi-day adventure in this other world. Today, I’ll take a test run by venturing into the forest.
"…Even so, this is kind of scary."
Leaving the great mage’s house, I’m now outside, beyond the protective barriers around the house. When I fought orcs and slimes before, it was from the safety of this place. Even though I’m stronger now, the thought of encountering those kinds of creatures out here is unnerving.
But it’d be a waste to stay holed up in the house when I’ve finally accessed another world. I want to explore, even if there’s some danger.
Just in case anything happens to me, I’ve left a letter for my mother back home and some valuable jewels from the great mage’s collection that could fetch a high price in our world. I closed the ceiling hatch, so hopefully, no one will follow me here.
"Alright, let’s go!"
I take a big step forward out of the fence. Thanks to my detection and danger-sensing skills, I can escape if anything comes near.
"Ah!"
The detection skill just picked up something. Up ahead, I sense a presence the size of a human. There shouldn’t be any people in a forest like this, so it must be an animal or a monster. What should I do? Alright, whether I fight or flee, I’ll start by checking it out.
Using my stealth skill, I move slowly in the direction of the presence. Even with my presence hidden, sounds like stepping on leaves or snapping branches might still give me away, so I have to be careful.
"Geghyagh!"
It’s a goblin: squat, with green skin, a flat nose, pointed ears, and an ugly face. Just like the goblins I’d imagined from my own world. But instead of a club, it’s wielding a large double-edged sword and wearing armor made of metal rather than rags. It must be a goblin general or goblin knight.
Are there only such strong monsters in this forest? If monsters like this are standard in this world, and even stronger creatures are lurking around, I might have to retreat and stay safe in the great mage’s house.
"Gegh?"
The goblin looks around, as if it sensed something off, even though I made no noise and masked my presence. I should avoid unnecessary combat. Not that I’m scared or anything. Peace and love, right?
While I’m making excuses to myself, the goblin starts moving away. It seems that, as I thought, there are no people in this forest. The goblin was only slightly taller than a regular human, though.
"Phew."
The goblin is far enough away now. I can relax.
"Whoa!"
The tree was weak and broke under my weight, almost causing me to fall backward.
"Gegh! Gyah!"
Crap! That loud sound made the goblin come back, sword raised, ready for a fight. This thing’s way too aggressive.
I draw my sword and prepare to defend myself. At this distance, I probably won’t be able to use magic in time. I have to trust in the great mage’s power.
"Gyagyagyagh!"
The goblin swings its sword down, but thanks to my foresight skill, it looks like it’s moving in slow motion. It tries to swing horizontally next, but I decide to meet its blade with my own instead of dodging.
Clang
"Geghya!?"
My sword stops the goblin’s attack without budging. It tries to press harder, but my sword holds firm.
With a surge of strength, I deflect the goblin’s sword, causing it to lose its balance. Now’s my chance.
"Hya!"
"Gya!?"
As it stumbles, I swing my sword at its neck. With my swordsmanship skill, I can wield my blade like a seasoned swordsman.
Slash
With barely any resistance, the goblin’s head flies off. Blue blood spurts from its body. So goblin blood is blue… I guess some creatures in my world have blue blood, too.
I don’t feel much guilt, surprisingly. This goblin came at me with clear intent to kill, so it can’t complain about getting killed in return.
Rather than guilt, I feel more fear realizing how close I came to being killed. This forest leaves no room for "peace and love."
I store the goblin’s sword with my storage magic. It’s not as good as the great mage’s, but it’ll work as a weapon. I bury the goblin’s body using earth magic; I don’t want it causing diseases later.
After that battle, I’m confident I can hold my own in a fight. But for a great mage, the combination of foresight and swordsmanship skills is overpowered. I’m grateful to have inherited this strength.
Speaking of which, I’ve defeated three monsters now, but my level doesn’t seem to have increased. I wonder if there’s some way to know when I level up. Like in certain games, it’d be nice if there was a sound effect or something. Or maybe the great mage had already maxed out his level? I’ll have to ask someone if I find a town.
I refocus and continue deeper into the forest. Although it’s my first time walking in a forest, I start moving faster after getting the hang of using my detection skill to avoid monsters.
After about two hours of running with my enhanced strength, I finally reach a grassy plain beyond the forest. I can’t believe the great mage’s house was that deep in the woods…
The sun is setting here too, so I’ll stop here for today and return to my world.
I use teleportation magic to go back to the great mage’s house, step through the door, and return to my world. Tomorrow night, my three-day adventure begins. I hope I finally meet someone from this other world.