Now, being able to use a building that shelter us from the rain and wind, even if it's a stable, is a big deal.

  "Though, it's really just a room to sleep in."

  In this world, horses are a valuable means of transportation.

  Leaving them tied up outside would make them easy targets for thieves, so this stable, aside from having ahen floor and a rge entrance, offers a surprisingly spacious personal area.

  Of course, there's ricity or plumbing, so life here is inve in that regard.

  However, thanks to the kindness of the shopkeeper, I was lent straw, sheets, an old b, and even a rge tub for washing myself and doing undry.

  With just me, a child, and these tools, the stable isn't filled up, leaving a fairly spacious er.

  Sitting on a makeshift straw bed, feeling the slightly rough texture of the sheets, I ponder my steps.

  "Though, all I really do is go out and do that."

  I don't know the reason or cause, but this is a world I'm familiar with.

  So, my course of a is pretty straightforward.

  "In that case, the first thing I o know is the y of the nd around here."

  Pig up a small wooden stick from the stable, I gently draw lines on the earthen floor.

  "Let's see, this is the royal capital of Rendl, and the further north you go, the strohe enemies should be. If you head south for a while, you should reach the rgest port town in this try..."

  The world of FBO is made up of five tis: four ruled by different races and a tral ti filled with monsters.

  The north is inhabited by beastmen, the west by spirits, the south by humans, and the east by dragons.

  Each ti is governed by an NPC leader.

  The beastmen are, as the name suggests, a mix of humans as, including mammalian and avian races.

  The spirit race sists of elves and dwarves who excel i magical attributes: earth, water, fire, wind, light, dark, thunder, and ice.

  Humans include normals like me, who look like ordinary Japanese people, the small child-like race called Childe, and the giant race, wher than Ameri basketball pyers.

  Lastly, the dragon race is a bit misleading. It's nons themselves that rule, but rather people who have interbred with dragons in the past, resulting in a race with draic features—essentially reptilian humanoids.

  "Well, adventurers from various races be found on any ti. It's just a matter of proportion."

  Even though each race governs its own ti, you enter any of them in this world, except fh-ranking individuals like royalty or nobility.

  In fact, the shopkeeper's wife who lehis stable is a fox beastman, and her daughter Nel is too.

  As the weakest child right now, racial abilities don't matter to me.

  But I'll have to sider them ter.

  "Gathering panions is something I'll do after I've gotten stronger."

  This game is desigo be soloable.

  In offline mode, you focus on the main story, and while there are quests that require cooperation with other pyers o's possible to solo them if you ighe difficulty.

  However, having panions or not will make a huge differen how hard life will be moving forward.

  And that will undoubtedly affect my own future.

  "In that case, the best course of a is to follow the cssic path, right?"

  Given my current age, I 't be more than single digits, even if I overestimate.

  There's only so much a small, young body like this do.

  But sg off now will only lead to more hardship ter.

  "With that decided, I should get going... huh?"

  sidering the money I have left, time is precious. I thought I'd go out a bit to prepare for tomorrow.

  That's why I only just noticed the gaze that's been on me.

  "Uh..."

  "Staring..."

  "I've never heard someone say that out loud before."

  The door is slightly ajar, and a small shadow peeks through.

  A fox-eared girl with ly tied red hair.

  The shopkeeper's daughter, Nel, has been me.

  Even though I'm in a child's body, it's uandable that she'd be curious about a stranger suddenly living iable near her home. But being watched so openly leaves me unsure how to respond.

  "Uh, is something wrong?"

  "Strange."

  "Huh?"

  "You've been muttering to yourself for a while now. You're strange."

  "Ugh..."

  I was muttering to myself to sort out my current situation, thinking no one was around. Being overheard is a bit embarrassing.

  Meanwhile, Nel slips through the gap in the door and es inside.

  "What's this?"

  Is she just a curious child? To enter a space aloh a man she just met...

  "Uh, a map?"

  I answer, referring to the crude circles and squares I drew on the ground, which barely resemble a world map.

  "Map?"

  But perhaps maps aren't widely known in this world? Or maybe it's rare for someone her age to know about them?

  "Uh, it's a rough drawing of the world we live in?"

  "...Hmm."

  She stares ily at my makeshift map.

  "Is it iing?"

  "Not at all."

  "O-oh, I see."

  Even though I look like a child, I'm an adult inside, so I don't really uand children's is.

  "Hey."

  "Yeah?"

  After staring at the map for about ten seds, she points at it and speaks up.

  "Do you know where I live?"

  "Roughly, yeah."

  "Where?"

  "Uh..."

  I remember the world map from the game clearly, so I roughly pinpoint the location.

  "Around here."

  The royal capital of the southern ti is located further south than the ter of the ti.

  This is because the closer you get to the tral ti, the strohe monsters bee.

  The northernmost fortress of the southern ti is home to the stro monsters in this region, so the royal capital is positioned a safe distance away.

  "Hmm."

  Even after learning this, Nel just stares at where I pointed with the stick, seemingly finding something amusing.

  "What's over here?"

  "To the south, there are a few vilges and oown. Beyond that, you'll pass through several more vilges before reag a rge port town."

  I answer while recalling my memories, following her small finger as it points further south.

  "...Hmm. What about over here?"

  "Uh, to the west, there's a vilge..."

  From there, she starts pointing all over the pce, b me with questions.

  I don't have much time, but she's the shopkeeper's daughter.

  If I upset her, I might get kicked out.

  I diligently answer her questions, losing track of time.

  "Then..."

  Before I k, she was smiling and eagerly asking more questions.

  Learnihings must be fun for her.

  "here you are."

  "Mom!"

  Her fun interrupted, she looks a bit sulky.

  Hearing our versation, the shopkeeper's wife sighs, hands on her hips.

  Nel runs over to her mother on small feet.

  "Mom, mom, Liberta taught me so much! He said if you go south, there are these big things called ships!"

  "My, you know so much!"

  "When I grow up, I want to be a great mert like Dad! So I o learn a lot about the outside world!"

  "Nel loves studying, doesn't she?"

  She happily reports what I taught her.

  The casual mother-daughter iion is heartwarming, though the mother seems a bit surprised and suspicious that I know so much. But she seems relieved that I haven't taught her anything strange.

  "A mert o be smart!"

  "That man, really, what is he teag my daughter?"

  The mother smiles at her daughter's promising future.

  "Oh dear."

  "Mom, I'm hungry."

  "Of course, it's diime. That's why I came to get you."

  The girl's stomach growls adorably, bringing us back to reality.

  Pg a hand oomael's appetite wins over her intellectual curiosity, making me chuckle.

  "Thank you for keeping my daughter pany. Here, this is for you."

  She hands me a basket.

  "Thank you."

  "It's fi's what he decided."

  Ihere's bread and something like stew.

  "Leave the basket and dishes by the back door when you're done."

  "Yes, thank you."

  "Liberta."

  "Yeah?"

  "See you ter."

  "Yeah, see you."

  I'm happy to have secured dinner for tonight, and I'm sure I'm smiling.

  So, I wave back at Nel's i wave with an equally i wave of my own.

  "Now, let's eat before it gets cold."

  It's still warm, so she must have brought it fresh.

  "Thank you for the meal."

  Grateful, I csp my hands together and say the words before taking a bite of the bread.

  "...Hard."

  I don't think I've ever entered bread this hard ba Japan.

  No, definitely not.

  Even baguettes are softer than this.

  I almost thought my teeth would break.

  "If I had levels, could this body chew through it?"

  The foundation of strength in this world.

  Levels, said to be a divine blessing obtained by defeating monsters, are a power all races in this world acquire.

  And the core of this world's strength-based system.

  "No, no, it'd be a waste to level up just for that."

  Though the thought crosses my mind that with levels, I could fortably eat this hard bread, certain circumstances make it impossible to level up easily.

  In that case, I'll just have to power through this tough enemy with sheer will.

  "Maybe if I dip it iew, I mao eat it..."

  The watery, lightly fvored stew with few ingredients makes the hard, bck objeewhat edible when dipped.

  Chewing the mushy texture, I realize that while I've made it to this world I dreamed of, I didn't expeiss Japan's rice culture so soon.

  "Sniff, Japan was really blessed, huh?"

  Eati skewers back then, hunger was the best spice, so I didn't mind. But with a bit of leeway now, the deyed impact of those hardships is hitting me.

  "I o get stronger and ge my life as soon as possible."

  Taking damage and wallowing in it won't improve anything.

  In fact, if I let myself get disced, I might as well call it game over.

  "Thank you for the meal."

  Surprisingly, a full stomach lift your spirits.

  In this stable, where sunlight is the only light, darkness falls quickly after su.

  By the time I finish eating, it's almost night.

  I put the dishes in the basket and leave them by the back door as instructed, theurn to the stable before it gets pletely dark.

  "Tomorrow, I o start moving early."

  I climb into the slightly lumpy bed.

  It's ly cold, but it's not warm either.

  I cover myself with a rough bhat wouldn't sell in Japan.

  It gets this cold after su.

  A sensation I never knew in the game.

  This feeling drives home that this world isn't a game, but a real other world.

  A spsh of cold water on my excitement.

  This must be what ay feels like.

  No one, nothing, no on seo rely on.

  I made it to this world, and my knowledge is applicable here.

  These two facts must have givehe excitement that masked my ay.

  "Now, the real challenge begins."

  Just one day, but this was the tutorial.

  Starting tomorrow, it will be real deal . .

  If I do what I'm thinking, what I'm imagining, it'll undoubtedly work out.

  It should work out.

  The more I think, the more I realize that ay isn't so easily dispelled.

  Until results are in, it's all just specution.

  Without any achievements, it's easy to feel anxious.

  "Ah, living is really tough, huh?"

  My excitement only sted a day.

  But reality pushes me tle if I want to survive.

  Ba Japan, I lived aimlessly.

  If I had a job, I could survive.

  There were neighbors I could rely on.

  I was blessed, yes, truly blessed.

  "But..."

  That blessis in this world too.

  The quests I remember, the shopkeeper who reached out to me, Nel who smiled and warmed up to me.

  "Let's try a little harder."

  With that warmth as my fuel, I y eyes ahis day, where all I do now is sleep.