Standing in the vast open plains spreading far beyond the horizon, Subaru and Aoba stared at the barrenness of the place they had landed at after their attention was no longer on the Goddess.
Sparse looking shriveled up trees poked out of the ground every now and then. Medium-sized stones and pebbles were scattered everywhere in sight. It practically painted an image of what an amatuer landscape painter would paint…
「What do we do now?」Aoba nervously questioned as her eyes glittered in hope in face of her childhood friend and the only person she knows in this god-forsaken place.
Mistaking Aoba’s upturn glittering eyes of hope for pitiful eyes in despair, Subaru pulled Aoba into his embrace and gently patted her head while replying, 「We can only wait until the quest the damn goddess told us about appears.」
Noticing Aoba’s unusually quiet reaction, Subaru couldn’t help take a peek at Aoba’s face, only to find her face blushing furiously like a cherry. Feeling a strong gaze on her, Aoba couldn’t help blush further and wished there was a place she go and hide at.
If other people were here right now, they would be able to see a hazy pink atmosphere around the both of them, but this very atmosphere bursted like a bubble when a monotonous voice was heard from within their minds.
《 Welcome ! 》
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Start Up Sequence Initiating…
System Booting…
Calibrating Software… All Green Light
Verifying ID 【KAGUYA】…
Start Up Sequence Complete.
Loading… Exos RPG Systems…
...Target Found
Scanning For Target…
Target Found:
[ Subject 000: Kaguya le Rochelle ]
[ Subject 001: Subaru Umehara ]
[ Subject 002: Aoba Izuhara ].
Initializing Host Interface Menu!
0%...5%...20%....50%.....70%......100%!
Initializing Host Interface Menu Complete !
Implementing Skills…
Host’s Previous Skills Found!
Merging… Deleting… Complete!
Ending Skill Implementation!
Creating New Task Tab…
Main Task Tab Creating…
Main Task Tab Complete!
Sub Task Tab Creating…
Sub Task Tab Complete!
Ending New Task Tab Creation!
Creating New Task…
Main Task: Adam & Eve!
Task Creation Complete
Proliferating Sub Task Tab…
Proliferating Complete!
Organizing Tasks by Ranks…
Organization Complete!
Ending New Task Creation!
Disengaging Start Up Sequence!
Disengage Complete!
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
《 GOODBYE ! 》
As the voice echoed within their minds, Subaru and Aoba couldn’t help grip their head with both hands in hope it would help subside the nauseating sensation which grew over time. Towards the end, their head felt like it would explode at any time. Large amounts of information was being forced into their brain in the form of memories.
Even though Subaru wanted to scream out loud, he couldn’t let out a single sound as he fell down to his knees. He could only curse in his conscious, (You Damn Goddess!!!).
Aoba, on the other hand, had long passed out on the ground with blood appearing from her nose and ears.
(Damn it… all!) Unable to avoid the feeling of his eyelids getting heavier, Subaru conscious fled away from his grasp and passed out as well.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Awakening from his unconscious state as though he woke from deep slumber, Subaru glanced around to figure out what was going on.
But no matter where he looked, he was surrounded by trees and plants which were not there before. A strangely satisfying sensation welled up in his hand caught his attention immediately. Round, soft, and elastic feeling that made Subaru feel like he was in bliss right now.
「Hmm, hmm, hmm… hmm?」Letting out soft moans, Aoba’s body reacted to Subaru’s caressing causing her to awaken. Pulling his hand back from fear, he sat down properly next to her like a goody two-shoe.
「Did you awake Aoba, how are you feeling?」Subaru asked in a questioning tone, wondering if Aoba knew what he just did to her.
「M-mhmm, Subaru… ?」
Sighing lightly under his breath, Subaru lifted up Aoba in a princess carry and placed her down gently against the trunk of a tree under the shade of the sun.
「What happened? Where is this place?」Aoba asked confusedly
「I can’t say, we might be in a different place from where we once were. The bracelet is still here, we should be fine. You can rest up a bit if you are feeling unwell.」
Subaru sat down right beside Aoba and gave her a look of concern. He can see that even though she awoke, he face was still pale and her hands were shaking.
「Okay, let me borrow this.」
Twining her arm around Subaru’s arm, Aoba rested her head on his shoulder comfortably. Subaru was shocked at first but then left it as is.
Looking around the area once again, Subaru noticed something peculiar that he didn’t notice when all that happen just now.
(This thing in my vision, it is definitely that right? A HP, MP, and Stamina meter on my top left while a minimap was on my top right. What a typical game interface this is. Since it follows my vision, it is not something right in front of me, but something that I can only see.)
Using his open hands, Subaru tried to click on buttons in his vision but soon noticed his finger going through the buttons.
(Seems like I can’t click the buttons. I can use my mind to navigate this interface… interface? Oooh, this must be the interface thing that the odd monotone voice was talking about before.)
Navigating through the menu, he found the status, inventory, skill, quest, and world map button. Opening the inventory menu, Subaru couldn’t believe all the items inside. A system message prompt appear right as he was browsing the items stating, [ You have reached the inventory limit ( 9519 / 30 ), please destroy or drop items until you reach the max limit. ]
(...)
Without saying a word and accepting it as normal, Subaru began his first conquest of cleaning his inventory. All his average weapons, unusable weapons, irrelevant equipment like armor and accessories, monster corpses, weapons of mass destruction, and many other useless items he felt that it would not be useful here. Based on the information he obtained so far and the current surroundings, he felt this place must be a fantasy-like world and cleaned his inventory based on this hypothesis.
「Let’s get started with the cleaning… 」
The only items remaining was:
* 【 IMI Desert Eagle .50AE Silenced Edition 】x2
* 【 Modified Five - SeveN 】x1
* 【 Modified SCAR - 20 】x1
* 【 Holy Sword Killamir 】x1
* 【 Demon Blade Hisame 】x1
* 【 Hero Sword Elenora 】x1
* 【 Composite Bow Laminel 】x1
* 【 .44 Magnum Ammo Case 】x50
* 【 .44 Magnum Magazine (Loaded) 】x10
* 【 FN 5.7 x28mm Ammo Case 】x25
* 【 FN 5.7 x28mm Magazine (Loaded) 】x10
* 【 7.62mm Ammo Case 】x100
* 【 7.62mm Magazine (Loaded) 】x10
* 【 Magically Reinforced Orichalcum Arrow 】x 10k
* 【 Griffin Leather Quiver (000 / 250) 】x1
* 【 Enhanced Nano-Polymer Military Uniform 】
* 【 Flexible Skin-Tight Nano-Silk Mecha Leotard Suit 】
* 【 Military Tek Goggle 】x2
* 【 Optic Camo Hooded Cloak 】x2
* 【 Portable Assorted Military Ration 】x1000
* 【 PET Bottle (Mineral) 】x1000
* 【 First Aid Kit 】x15
* 【 Assort Pill Case 】x200
* 【 Vaccine Syringe 】x500
* 【 High-Graded Health Potion 】x750
* 【 Casual Wear Set 】x20
* 【 Male Underwear 】x10
* 【 Female Undergarment Set 】x10
* 【 Menstrual Care Pack 】x250
* 【 500 Black Gold Coin 】x50
* 【 100 White Gold Coin 】x25
* 【 1 White Gold Coin 】x8
* 【 1 Gold Coin 】x34
* 【 1 Silver Coin 】x83
* 【 1 Copper Coin 】x67
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
「Well then, this should be enough…」
Selling, dropping, organizing all of the items in his inventory, he still have quite a few items. Equipment wise, Subaru kept all the top quality goods he had in his inventory as well as important medicine and potions. Clothes and undergarments were a must-keep because he didn’t know if the clothes in this world were comfortable and if they even have undergarments. Sanitary products were also important since Aoba was with him and who knows they might be needed later on for one reason or another.
There were many daily necessities in which they would need to limit their usage to the minimum because they would not be able to procure any more of those items. And of course, money was necessary. All the currency was collected together from the many games he played before and converted by the system to this world’s currency, so Subaru knew they wouldn’t have any problems on being poor.
「Guess I will put these to the side for now.」Subaru whispered to himself while pushing a pile of items that he couldn’t fit into his inventory, to the side.
( Oh right, the system might have changed my status and skills. I definitely got to check that.) Clicking the ‘Status’ button, a semi-transparent window appeared in Subaru’s view.
―――――――
Name: Subaru Umehara
Age: 17
Level: 1
Exp: 0 / 10
Race: Human
Status: Normal
Class: None
Profession: None
Title: 《Goddess Kaguya’s Blessing》《Goddess’ Slave》《Goddess’ Love》《Adam》 《Summoned Person》《Otherworldly Person》《Aoba’s Childhood Friend》
HP: 300/300 (200)
MP: 100/100 (100)
Strength: 10 (+30)
Intelligence: 10 (+10)
Agility: 10 (+10)
Vitality: 10 (+50)
Spirit: 10 (+10)
Equipment:
Head: None
Chest: Long-Sleeve Shirt
Inner Wear: None
Leggings: Cotton Pants
Inner Wear: Cotton Boxers
Gloves: None
Boots: None
Accessories:
Necklace: None
Bracelet L: None
Bracelet R: None
Ring L: None
Ring R: None
Misc: None
―――――――
(Hmm… a few more titles had been added already. It also seems a little more information was added too. Now then… Hmm? HmmmmM!?! Why the heck am I only 17 years old when I should be 29… ) Looking at a mirror he picked up from his dropped item pile, he saw how much more younger he looked compared to before he came to this world.
Struggling with his inner self, Subaru hesitantly appraised Aoba and was rendered speechless upon seeing the number ‘15’ by her age. Her body aside, her face did seem much younger than it was before now that Subaru was examining it with a closer look. Throwing his stray thoughts away, he focused more on the menus. Clicking on ‘Skills’, he waited for the skills window to appear.
―――――――
『 Appraisal EX : Grants the ability for the user to be able to examine the thing being appraised for its status or information. 』
『 Concentration Rate UP : Increases concentration of the holder by one fold, allowing the holder’s mind to have 2x processing speed. 』
『 Knowledge Acquisition Rate UP : Grants the ability to increase the chance for the user to acquire wished knowledge from seeing, listening, and reading. 』
『 Perception Rate UP : Increases perception of the holder by one fold, allowing the holder to sense things in a larger radius. 』
『 Skill Rate Up : Grants the ability for the user to acquire and grow new or current skills at an increased pace. 』
『 (Passive) Alpha Male : Increases the ability for the user to subdue females. Increases the semen’s vitality and amount released. Increase penis size. Grants Strength + 15. 』
『 (Passive) Link : Creates a link between holder and target making it possible for feelings, senses, and thoughts to be shared. 』
『 Telepathy : Allows for mind conversations with the target. 』
―――――――
( A balanced skill set which is better than the previous one at least. Appraisal… I can probably use appraisal to find of more information on some of these damn titles of mine… )
―――――――
『 Goddess Kaguya’s Blessing : A title given by the Goddess of Love and Fertility, Kaguya le Rochelle. Grants All Stat +10. 』
『 Goddess’ Slave : A title given by the Goddess, Kaguya to her cute pet. Grants Vitality +15 and increased endurance when doing any physical task. 』
『 Goddess’ Love : A title given by the Goddess of Love, Kaguya. The holder will have an increased affection rate for all females. 』
『 Adam : A title given to only males who are considered ‘Alpha’. Grants Vitality +25 / Strength +5, increases endurance greatly, and grants the skill ‘ (Passive) Alpha Male’. 』
『 Summoned Person : A title given to one who is summoned to another world. Grants the ability to comprehend, speak, and write the language of the world. 』
『 Otherworldly Person : A title given to one who current resides in a world beside their home world. The natural growth rate of the holder is increased one fold. 』
『 Aoba’s Childhood Friend : A title given to the childhood friend of Aoba Izuhara. Grants the skill ‘ (Passive) Link’ and ‘Telepathy’. 』
―――――――
「That should be it. Hmm?」
Looking up into the sky, Subaru noticed that it was already sunset. They barely had time to settle down their emotions after coming here and it was soon to be night. Glancing over to his shoulder, he could hear Aoba’s soft rhythmic breathing going, 「Suu… Suu… Suu… 」. Thanks to the skill ‘Link’, he knew that Aoba wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon unless he woke her up.
「Maybe we should set up camp here for now and set off early tomorrow morning. I didn’t expect the day would end so quick and for Aoba to be this exhausted.」
Lightly supporting Aoba’s head, Subaru moved out of her embrace and gently resting her head against the trunk of the tree she was resting on.
「Alright, guess I need to find and setup the tent, spread the futon, and cook dinner for tonight. 」
Getting hyped for the task ahead, Subaru pushed his sleeves up and dived right into the dropped item pile in search for the required items.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
A few hours later…
「Let’s see, I just need to add a little spices here and there and it’s done!」
Stirring the pot that sat over the campfire, Subaru had subparly made rabbit meat stew and roasted rabbit thighs on a stick. After he had set up the tent and bedding, he moved Aoba inside, so she could sleep more comfortably.
Gathering a few materials, Subaru made a newbie bow and arrows, equipped some of the newbie gear he had from the pile, and a leather pouch for his little scavenger hunt. While collecting some medium-sized rocks and branches, he sensed something small with his perception skill and soon spotted a rabbit in the distance hopping around.
―――――――
Long Eared Rabbit ＬＶ2
Status: Normal
HP: 50/50 (50)
MP: 0/0 (0)
―――――――
A simple rabbit that could be found in any generic rpg game as a weak beginners monster in which players could hunt with ease. Nocking an arrow into the bows arrow rest, the bow was aimed at the rabbit from a distance and then the bow string was pulled back along with the arrow resting against the string.
When Subaru felt he was ready, he then released the arrow, letting it glide across the air in a slightly curving line. The arrow arrived before the rabbit and suddenly pierced into the rabbit’s body.
Long Eared Rabbit ＬＶ2 has been defeated!
3 Experience Gained!
Gained Small Animal Hide x1
Gained Rabbit Meat x1
Gained Rabbit Thigh x2
Learned “Archery”!
Learned “Aim”!
A bunch of text appeared in Subaru’s view as soon as the rabbit was killed. He couldn’t help but feel excited on his first success in killing a monster. He believed that main reason he had such an easy time doing it was because of his boosted strength stat which allowed for an easier time pulling the bow string and steady posture.
Subaru walked up to the dead rabbit and rummaged for his knife in the leather pouch. Doing like he had seen in movies before, he drained the rabbit of its blood by slitting its throat and hanging it faced down. He also took this chance to pull out the arrow from the body as it was still reusable.
After some time has passed, Subaru tied the rabbit’s limbs to his waistband and proceeded to head on back to camp. Along the way, he made sure to scavenge anything that might be of use later. Reaching the camp, he processed the rabbit and made the rabbit meat stew and roasted rabbit thighs on a stick that he has now.
「... Subaru?」
A voice sudden came from behind him. Subaru thought Aoba awoken probably because of the enticing smell of the rabbit meat.
「Hmm? Did you wake up Aoba? Come over here, I just finished making dinner.」
Putting on the slippers left right at the entrance of the tent, Aoba came up and sat down on the ground right next to Subaru. Blushing slightly, Aoba opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to say something but couldn’t.
「Hahaha, do you have something? There is no need to be nervous about it.」
「Umu, I-im sorry I slept so long and made you do all the work.」replied Aoba in a mosquito-like voice.
「Don’t worry about it. Here, eat this rabbit thigh. You are probably hungry after so long.」
*guuurgle*
Covering her own stomach, Aoba felt even more embarrassed as a sense of shame welled up in her heart as though a girl stomach growling was an extremely shameful thing. Subaru decided to ignore the fact her stomach growl to spare her some embarrassment and stuff the roasted rabbit thigh on a stick into her hand.
―――――――
Roasted Rabbit Thigh on a Stick
A piece of rabbit thigh meat that had been pierced by a stick and roasted over a campfire. Spices has been sprinkled over it, creating a small delicacy.
Effect: Restores slight amount of hunger
Cooked by Subaru Umehara.
―――――――
It took her awhile to begin eating the rabbit thigh in small nibbling bites like a small animal.
「Delicious~ !」Aoba exclaimed in happiness. Her facial expression melted into bliss.
Her small nibbling combined with her blushing face, Subaru couldn’t help but think how cute she looked right now. Grabbing a bowl from the side, he scooped a ladle full of rabbit meat stew and poured it into the bowl.
「Here, try this rabbit meat stew as well.」
Giving a satisfied smile, Aoba placed down the stick of the rabbit thigh on the ground and took the bowl and spoon from Subaru’s hands.
―――――――
Bowl of Rabbit Meat Stew
A stew created from rabbit meat, wild grass, and other things. Cooked over a campfire, the stew has been sprinkled in spices and seasoning to bring about a new level of taste.
Effect: Restores mild amount of hunger and slightly replenish health
Cooked by Subaru Umehara.
―――――――
「Kuu~ this is also so good as well. Subaru, you are the best~」
After handing the bowl of stew to Aoba, Subaru also began to dig in to his own cooking.
Finishing up the food, Subaru began to fill in Aoba about all his findings he found out while cleaning up cooking and dining utensils with her. There were a few concepts that she did not understand but Subaru felt she would eventually figure it all out.
When everything was cleaned, Subaru had Aoba collect all the items from the dropped pile into her inventory before pulling her into the tent. Pulling Aoba into his embrace, he slid into the futon hugging her tightly and went to sleep. Thanks to the perception skill, he didn’t need to worry much about night watch.