"First things first... inventory check!"
This wasn't Shaka's first time transmigrating. Compared to his first experience—being thrown into another world as a nameless four-year-old without a penny to his name—this time was far better.
"Let's see... phone, a pack of instant noodles, sausages, a bento box, a bottle of purified water…"
These were all emergency rations. Considering the wilderness and forested environment around him, it was vital to secure energy until he could confirm where—or what kind of world—he'd landed in.
"As for weapons… I've got a tennis racket, three tennis balls, and the weighted sandbags strapped to my limbs."
To keep up with the monsters that were his so-called "peers," Shaka had trained his body relentlessly.
That's how he ended up getting along with [Shadow] in the chat group.
As [Shadow] once said:
"You've already escaped background character status. You've earned the right to be remembered."
Tch, Shaka had grumbled back then, I'm the main character, dammit!
"Too bad I'm not like that guy—I don't have a crowbar or anything useful like that..."
After checking himself over, Shaka found nothing else but a backpack filled with clean gym clothes. Not even a book.
Of course, he hadn't exactly made time to study. He'd been too busy chasing the mystical and recruiting members for his chat group.
After all, he'd already achieved financial freedom early on by becoming a light novel author in his second life. From that point on, he focused entirely on what interested him—like searching for the Invisible Boundary Line.
Besides, doesn't every normal student just leave their books in their school desk drawers?
"Alright. That's everything I've got to work with."
He reorganized the gear and neatly packed it back.
The phone was placed in a convenient spot—at the very least, he could use it as a makeshift bomb in an emergency. Even if not a weapon, it might be valuable enough to earn him some starter gold in this new world.
"For now, let's get out of this forest. I've got a bad feeling about it."
Looking around at the rustling trees, Shaka tightened his grip on the racket.
At nearly 80 cm in length, it could cover both his chest and head, making it a solid balance between offense and defense.
He took a deep breath, calming the residual mix of excitement and anxiety from the sudden transmigration. Then he looked up at the sun and started walking in a single direction.
Thanks to his athletic training, he quickly adapted to the uneven terrain, picking up speed as he navigated through the woods.
But even after two hours of hiking, with the sun beginning to set, he still hadn't found the edge of the forest.
"This place is way bigger than I thought…"
Before nightfall completely blanketed the world, Shaka located a hollow tree near a riverbank and decided to call it a day.
"Forests are dangerous at night. Even with some survival training, I can't let my guard down. I have no clue what kind of enemies this world holds…"
"Better prepare for the long haul."
He sat inside the hollow and unpacked the dry grass and wild berries he'd collected along the way. Glancing at the convenience store ramen, his heart settled a little.
"Temperature drops at night. I'll need a fire."
Fortunately, Shaka had anticipated that. He gathered dry twigs and kindling, forming a pile a short distance away.
Then, gripping his racket, he stepped back several meters.
From his bag, he pulled out a tennis ball and tossed it into the air.
"HAAH!"
With a swift motion, he swung his racket, sending the ball spinning at high speed toward the dry grass. The friction generated by the high-velocity spin caused wisps of white smoke to rise.
As the ball hit, Shaka rushed forward and blew on the smoking spot where he'd earlier placed flammable seed fluff.
In moments, a small flame came to life.
"Still not at the level of killer tennis… but at least I can start a fire.
…Yeah, no. Normal people can't do that!"
Regardless, fire, water, and instant noodles meant tonight's survival was more or less secured.
Before long, the strong aroma of beef stew seasoning began wafting from the bento box. Shaka frowned.
"Ugh. Too strong. Shouldn't have bought braised beef flavor…"
In the stillness of this forest, that scent might as well have been a beacon.
Cursing himself for being careless, he quickly shut the lid and splashed in cold water to neutralize the smell.
But as he slurped his noodles—barely two bites in—there was a rustling in the grass nearby.
His hand froze mid-air.
From the shadows, red eyes slowly blinked open, glowing in the dark. A chill ran down his spine.
"Oh hell no. Not already…"
He dropped his food and gripped the racket with both hands, holding it up in front of him as his eyes locked onto the approaching creatures.
As they came into the firelight, Shaka finally saw what they were.
"…Goblins."
Classic monsters in any Western fantasy setting. Barely a meter tall, weak and frail—physically inferior to even human children.
But…
"Plenty of goblins in other worlds have committed war crimes. Better not underestimate them."
"Gaaabu!"
The goblins didn't give him time to think. Drawn by the rich aroma, their eyes gleamed with greed as they jostled and shoved toward his half-eaten meal.
More than ten of them.
Shaka exhaled slowly. Their intelligence is low. I can handle this.
BAM!
With a solid kick, he sent the first lunging goblin flying three meters back, then followed up with several more swift strikes, knocking down the rest.
But the sheer number of them made it hard to fend them all off—one swatted his racket out of his grip in the chaos.
In the end, he defeated them all, but not without cost—his arm's weighted sandbag had been torn off during the scuffle.
"Whew… thankfully just standard goblins. Maybe even weaker than average…"
He noticed something strange: goblins that were fatally wounded didn't just fall over—they exploded into black smoke.
He crouched to inspect one more closely—but then—
THWACK.
"—Tch!"
A stone slammed into his temple, blood beginning to trickle down his cheek.
"There's more of them!"
Clutching the wound, he turned his head—another group of goblins had appeared.
These ones were different.
Each carried a woven vine basket, and in their hands, they casually tossed stones up and down.
The stone that hit him had come from them.
Before he could react, five goblin slingers grinned maliciously and launched their rocks all at once.
"Oh come ON!"
Shaka threw up his arms to block and dodged the best he could, but still took two hits.
Gritting his teeth, he scrambled behind a thick tree and spotted his fallen racket nearby…
With a roll, he reached it and leapt to his feet.
His gaze locked on the slingers. Five stones were already mid-air—headed straight at him.
With a roar, Shaka swung his racket—
"Bursting Impact Shot!"
BOOM!
The moment the racket struck the stones, crimson light flared in Shaka's eyes.
"take this shot from DAILY LIFE !!"
The spinning shockwave scattered the stones like fireworks.
Don't underestimate a daily life protagonist.
Not when daily life anime is anything but ordinary.