*Brrrring. Brrrring.*
"Hello?"
{"Yuji, are you really going through with this?"}
The voice on the other end of the line was laced with irritation. A voice I really didn't want to hear.
"Yeah, I am."
{"Haaah… Look, I was wrong. So please, just come back. Come on, at least help out for this week. Please?!"}
"No. I'm not falling for that again."
{"You know what state the company is in right now! If you do this, we'll really be…"}
"If you have nothing else to say, I'm hanging up."
{"Wait, Yuji! Yuji—!"}
*Beep.*
The moment I ended the call, it started ringing again. I didn't answer. I just turned my smartphone off.
For the past three years, I'd been pulling all-nighters, all under a "fixed overtime" system. I'd sleep for two or three hours at the office, then wake up and dive right back into work. It was a never-ending cycle. Utterly exhausted, I had finally walked away, leaving my resignation letter on my team leader's desk.
I should have done this much sooner. My mistake was listening to her desperate pleas time and time again. She seemed to think a simple apology was enough, repeatedly dumping impossible workloads on me and then just saying sorry afterward.
I looked in the mirror.
The corners of my mouth, once turned up, now drooped. Dark circles pooled under my eyes. My hair was a greasy, unwashed mess, and my once-white shirt was stained yellow from spilled food. I looked so old that even living as a shut-in would make me look better than this.
"Haaah…"
I stepped out of the bathroom, threw on some simple clothes, and slung a well-packed bag over my shoulder before heading out. I'd saved up a decent amount of money. I planned to take a long break. At least until these dark circles faded a bit.
The jingle of my keys echoed.
"Phew…"
A quiet mountain in the serene countryside. Not a soul in sight. I dropped my bag and set up my tent. I'd already gotten permission from the landowner, so I planned to live here for a while.
"Not bad for my first time pitching a tent, huh?"
My clumsy attempt didn't look pretty, but it was good enough for me. I set up a small burner that used solid fuel, with a small griddle on top. It would be enough to at least cook some instant ramen.
"Haaah…"
After laying out my futon inside the tent, I went back out, brewed some coffee, and sat down in my camping chair. The view from the cliff was of a peaceful, rustic landscape. Is this what it feels like to be a hermit?
"I wish I could live like this forever."
The fierce economic struggle of the city. I never wanted to go back, but in a capitalist society, you can't survive without money. It's not like I had a choice.
"Better not to think about it."
This was my first day camping. I couldn't ruin my mood with thoughts like that. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I stood up to gather some stones.
By the time night fell, I had a campfire going. I warmed up a can of food I'd brought and ate it.
"Ah, I'm stuffed."
They say atmosphere is the best spice. Even this not-so-great canned food tasted delicious.
After cleaning up, I sat back in my chair and stared into the fire. It was a novel experience now, on the first day. But if I lived here for months, would I still feel this way? Should I play some games? Or maybe travel abroad? It was probably impossible. I'd never feel this way back in Tokyo.
"I wish something new would happen in my boring, everyday life…"
I muttered to myself and took a sip of the warm soup in my cup.
"Haaawn."
My eyelids grew heavy. Even the scenery seemed to be telling me to sleep, as a deep fog rolled in and enveloped me.
"I didn't hear anything about fog rolling in…"
It was a bit of a shame I couldn't see the country nightscape, but I'd be living here for a while. There would be plenty of other chances. I downed the rest of my soup, slowly crawled into my tent, and lay down.
"Glad I brought the futon…"
Thanks to the plush futon, which felt like something from a real bed, I couldn't feel any rocks digging into my back despite the uneven ground. I slowly closed my eyes, succumbing to the waves of sleepiness, and soon fell into a deep slumber.
*Ping.*
*Ping.*
*Ping.*
The sound of some kind of notification woke me up. I didn't remember setting an alarm. I slowly opened my eyes and looked forward.
"Yaaawn~"
Stretching, I looked toward the tent's entrance, my eyes still half-closed with sleep. But for some reason, I couldn't see the entrance. Instead, a series of translucent windows floated in its place.
`{ [SYSTEM : STATUS] has been implemented. }`
`{ [SYSTEM : SKILL] has been implemented. }`
`{ [SYSTEM : INVENTORY] has been implemented. }`
`{ Would you like to view the help guide for the implemented SYSTEMS? }`
"What… is this?"
I squinted at the screen, something I'd never seen before in my life. Was I still half-asleep? I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up. The sting of pain told me this wasn't a dream.
On the window asking if I wanted to view the help guide, I pressed 'Confirm'. In that instant, a window filled with an overwhelming amount of information appeared.
As I read through it, one thought popped into my head.
"This is basically a video game…"
Not only were there stats, skills, and an inventory, but also a quick-slot bar. The help guide explained everything: how to register items to the quick-slots, how to use them, how to open the map…
The thought of a hidden camera prank crossed my mind, but a camera that could interfere directly with my vision was too terrifying to consider.
"Ugh…"
First things first, I needed to check if this was real. I muttered under my breath.
"Status."
A status window appeared as soon as I spoke.
`[ STATUS ]`
`[ Name: Yuji Sakamoto ]`
`[ Age: 28 ]`
That was all it showed for now. The large empty space below suggested that not everything was unlocked yet.
"Skill."
A new window popped up.
`[ SKILL ]`
`[ Passive: Outlander of this World ]`
`[ A passive skill granted to an outlander who has crossed into this world. Greatly increases basic stats. ]`
`[ Active: Conve∞ ]`
`[ A skill that allows access to the [Conve∞] created by the God of Creation. ]`
A familiar-sounding name was written as one of my skills. Conve∞, created by the God of Creation?
"Conve∞."
As I said the skill's name, a new window floated before my eyes.
"Web shopping?"
It looked just like Amazon or eBay. The list of items stretched on endlessly, covering countless categories.
"Can I really buy stuff?"
I tried tapping on a 500ml bottle of mineral water.
*Ping.*
`[ Insufficient Funds. ]`
The word 'funds' made me scan the window, where I found my balance under my profile. I didn't have 0 yen, but 0 *bron*.
"What the hell is a bron?"
Since I couldn't buy anything without money, I closed the window, stood up, and went outside the tent.
"Whoa…"
The cliff, which should have overlooked a peaceful countryside, now offered a different view.
A colossal castle.
City walls encircling countless houses.
Outside, sprawling fields of crops.
It was a perfect medieval city, something I had only ever seen in my imagination.
"Is this… really not a dream?"
Staring at the unbelievable scenery, I pinched my cheek again and again, only stopping when my face went completely numb.
"This inventory is handy."
Unlike when I first climbed the mountain, I was now descending with ease. It was all thanks to the inventory. My tent and all my camping gear were neatly packed away inside it, listed out for me to see. There was nothing more convenient.
"But… am I going the right way?"
I was heading down, trying to get to the medieval city I saw from the cliff, but I had no idea if this was the right path. Still, the direction from the cliff should be correct. I wiped the sweat from my brow with a towel I'd bought from Conve∞ after selling a few canned goods.
After wandering for a while, I finally found a large, man-made road.
"I guess I just have to follow this road…"
The city was visible in the distance, so the road likely led there, but it looked like a long walk. An electric scooter would have made this much easier…
"Wait, do they have electric scooters…?"
I immediately opened Conve∞ and searched for one.
"Hmm… way too expensive…"
There were tons of electric scooters listed, but they cost a staggering 20,000 bron. The money I'd made from selling some canned goods and ramen was only about 900 bron. With a heavy heart, I bought the cheapest bicycle for 800 bron.
"Come to think of it, this might be better."
Electric bikes and scooters need to be charged. Since I had no way to get electricity right now, a human-powered bicycle was the perfect choice.
"Alright, shall we go?"
I hopped on the bike, put my feet on the pedals, and started riding.
The sounds of people filled the air. Some laughing, some shouting. Even in another world, a crowd was no different from one in Tokyo.
"I can't believe I'm actually seeing this…"
Covered wagons, like something out of a western. Not just one, but dozens of them were lined up at the entrance. Guards in full armor were inspecting each one.
"I made it to the front of the wagons, but…"
Every time a wagon reached the gate, the driver would show the guards a small, iron emblem. It was probably some kind of ID, but I didn't have one. I checked Conve∞, but unfortunately, it didn't sell anything like an ID. It made sense when I thought about it. An ID is proof of identity. Not even a god would sell something that meddles with the rules of the human world.
"Alright, next."
When it was my turn, I walked my bike forward. A guard sighed as if he were looking at a nuisance.
"You don't even have a cart. What are you doing here?"
"My vehicle is right here."
A bicycle. It was small compared to a wagon, but it was still a vehicle, so I thought it belonged in the same line.
"What the hell is this?"
"It's a bicycle."
"A bi… what?"
The guard frowned, not understanding.
"Ah, whatever, I'm busy. Get out of the way. Next!"
"W-Wait a minute."
"If you're on foot, get in that line over there. Don't hold things up. Next!"
The guard irritably pointed somewhere and called for the next person. I looked where he was pointing and saw a long line of people.
"Looks like I have to wait again…"
With no other choice, I pushed my bike over to the long line of people and waited.