The trees looked like regular old trees which I found a little strange. I always thought trees in another world would look different, like they’d be a bizarre color, be super huge and stuff. These trees around me right now seemed like any regular old trees you could find around on Earth in some forest somewhere. At least I think I do. Although, if I had to name something otherworldly about them it would have to be the following: the leaves were a rather deep shade of green that almost seemed to shine, like emeralds even in certain angles and at a certain light and they all seemed so healthy and strong, so full of life. They gave off that kind of feeling.

I don’t know why I even feel that way towards the trees, maybe there’s magic in the air or something? My goodness, look at me…

I’m so bored out of my mind from walking aimlessly in this forest that I’ve started to think about what makes the trees different and special compared to those back home!

I really need to find some shelter or something or I’m going to lose my mind to all the boredom! I have been sighing over and over again as well for the past few hours. Due to my current dilemma. I’m supposed to find the village of Ikuru because some Grand Elder or something can help me unlock my power supposedly. At least I assume that’s how he’d be helping me fulfill my destiny as it were. Because it’s seriously a problem that my power is still sealed!

How am I supposed to survive without any power and without access to the leveling system?! Am I not just going to die in one hit or something from the first monster that comes along?! No wait, that wouldn’t make any sense… As a hero, I’d be willing to bet that my base stats would be pretty decent compared to someone of the same level. Going with that logic, as long as a monster or whatever isn’t too much higher in level than me, I should be fine. But just to be safe I think I’ll just keep running away and hiding until my power is unlocked…

At any rate, I’m just trying to keep my mind busy here as I walk around in this forest. I make sure not to think about the wonderful things that Misty and I did because I’m pretty mad at her for just dumping me in some random ass forest without saying anything. Yeah. I don’t want to think about the bountiful swelling of her large breasts, the delightful curves of her matured body or the amazing size of her ass…

DAMN IT. I STARTED THINKING ABOUT MISTY ANYWAY. STUPID TREES.

“Haaaa,” I can’t help but sigh out loud for who knows how many times now. “I can’t believe I keep going back to thinking about that dark elf bitch! She may be amazing in bed but that doesn’t excuse abandoning me in some forest! If she did it to help me she could have explained as much!!”

I grumble some more about this and that when I come across something that stops me dead in my tracks.

It was what looked like an abandoned shrine of some sort. I think it is made out of some sort of cement mixture? With lots of stones mixed into it. It consists of a roof and 3 walls, and from the rather large entrance I can see what seems to be a statue of some sort of goddess I guess. The statue, unlike the shrine itself, was made out of some white marble and it wasn’t being maintained that well anymore. I can tell as much judging from the moss and vines that started growing in different spots on the statue and shrine.

There’s a rather large rock on the bottom of the statue’s feet but the words that were carved there are no longer readable, must have been scratched off on purpose or just faded away with time or maybe even both, I’m not exactly sure. Well, whichever goddess this shrine pays homage too, she sure is a real beauty. As expected of a goddess.

As I was admiring the statue in the middle of this apparently abandoned shrine there was some sort of rustling noise from somewhere above me.

There up on a rather thick branch of one of the trees was a koala. It must be some sort of monster and not an ordinary koala though, judging from the blue fur. He was currently fast asleep on the branch. Not wanting to disturb the cute little one I made sure not to make any noise, and so I just kept standing there. Watching the koala sleep.

He is a really cute little thing indeed, I observed. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the koala as he slept so peacefully up on that branch.

I don’t know why it happened next but it did, there was an audible cracking sound and I could see that the branch had dipped lower. The branch was breaking off from the tree and the koala is still asleep!

I was running towards the tree before I knew it and the branch was falling at a quick pace to the ground. The little guy had woken up once the branch had completely broken off from the tree and began to whimper and cry out loudly.

I made it in time though, catching the furry animal in my arms before he could hit the ground!

BONK.

“Ouch! That fucking hurts!” I caught the koala safely in my arms yes but, the branch had fallen on my face! Damn it!

“Lulu?” The little guy in my arms looks up at me questioningly and then I can clearly see the moment it realizes that I saved him from serious injury right before he proceeds to hug me tightly. “Lululululululululu, Lulu!”

Obviously I do not understand monster speech so I can’t say for sure what the koala is saying, but given the circumstances I am fairly sure he is thanking me over and over again for saving him from the fall.

“Hahahaha,” I couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction, it’s a really good feeling being able to save a wonderful creature such as this. As far as first encounters with a monster goes, this is rather pleasant. But of course this monster must be a special case, not attacking a human outright like this. “Alright, I’ll need something to call you to make things easier so, I name you Lulu!” It’s all the koala ever seems to say so going by Pokemon logic it’s the most fitting name for him!

Lulu’s eyes widen at being given a name and then with a happy sounding cry he begins hugging me even tighter than before and nuzzling his head against my chest. Huh, I didn’t expect giving him a name to make him so happy.

Within the next few moments Lulu seeks to get down and walks to the fallen branch, picks it up and then hands it to me.

I receive the branch wondering why he handed it to me and then got a good look at it. Mysteriously it had broken clean off the tree, almost being completely smooth on the side that cracked. It’s weight was on the heavier side I think but not so much that I would have difficulty carrying it around. With some work done on it through knife carving it would make for a rather decent club.

“For me huh? Are you giving this to me to use as a weapon, Lulu?” Lulu nodded in answer to my question.

“Awww, thanks!” I had the knife given to me before still but I don’t have much confidence in using such a thing as a weapon on a regular basis. This rather thick and sturdy branch will serve me better as a weapon in the long run I think. “Come sit with me, Lulu.” I know some people may think that I’m acting overly close with a monster I just met but I feel that I can trust Lulu, I saved his life and he’s thankful. So with that out of the way, I sit down and pull out my dagger and begin smoothing out the surfaces of the tree branch.

The sun is setting by the time I am done carving the club, I even found a sturdy enough vine that I used as a rope to tie a rock to the top of the club for added damage potential.

“Lulu, this shall one day be known throughout the land as my legendary club! Haha!” I hold the club up high while standing up and striking what I think is a cool pose. Lulu stands up as well and raises his arms up with a happy cry over and over again, instantly agreeing with me.

It was just as we were calming down from all of our excitement from my declaration that we heard the sounds of some great beast! It sounded like something big and terrible was nearby and wanting to eat us! Also, I was feeling incredibly weak and had a horrible pain in my stomach for some reason!

“Wait,” I narrow my eyes at my abdomen and then look towards Lulu. “We forgot to eat for several hours huh?” Lulu nods with a hum that sounds super cute. “Was it really that interesting to watch me carve out my club and stuff for hours?”

“Lulu! Lulu!” Judging from his tone and how he kept nodding his head I can safely say that Lulu was saying yes, it really was interesting to watch me do that for hours. For some reason.

“That’s nice to know. Anyway Lulu, we better find some food real quick! After that we’ll take a drink from wash up in a nearby stream of water (I hope there is one) and then take shelter in this shrine! Sound good?”

“Lulu!” He agreed of course.

I don’t know why I never came across any other monsters or wild animals before or after meeting Lulu but that’s just how it is. I was incredibly lucky because I really don’t think I could have forced myself to kill a living thing just yet. And certainly not with the dagger, I can’t bring myself to slice or pierce another living thing with the sharp object. The thought of killing something through blunt force trauma through the use of my club is slightly more appealing in a sense that it doesn’t make me feel sick to my stomach at the thought.

I suppose I’ll have to fight eventually, it’s a natural thing in order to survive in a world like this. It’s kill or be killed in most cases when coming across wild beasts and monsters, I imagine.

Anyway, my point is that Lulu and I were able to find food without incident due to our incredible luck. We found some ripe looking fruits that looked just like apples, oranges and even some berries. I made sure to pack a lot into my bag as extra in case we didn’t come across these later on when we eventually moved away from the shrine. After all, I still had an elf village to find.

It was when we actually started eating that the first problem since meeting Lulu showed itself.

“Lulu, no! Bad! That’s my share of the food!” I growl at Lulu as he steals some of my share of the food we gathered together. “I divided it equally, I’m sure of it! If you need more we can get more from the extra I put away!”

“Lulu! Lulu! Lu!” He is saying that in such a way that it sounds like he is angry about something and so is basically growling back at me. Although at this point I can’t really think clearly about what he could be saying. “Gah! I can’t figure out what you mean this time, Lulu! My point is though, if you want more I can get you more! Stop stealing from my share!”

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It has gotten to the point that Lulu and I started glaring at each other with our faces close to almost be touching and we just kept growling like wild beasts.

“If you won’t stop stealing my food then…” I slowly reach towards the blue koala with both hands and then grab him at the sides before he can escape. “I’ll just have to make you stop!”

“Lululululululululu!” And so he started laughing out loud because I started to tickle Lulu at the sides with great intensity!

Stopping with a laugh myself I then set my new companion back on the ground. “Seriously though, Lulu if you’re really that hungry I guess I’ll just have to give you more food to eat. But! That means we have to both work twice as hard at gathering food, okay?”

After eating our fair share of fruits we made sure to locate a clear water stream and there happened to be one just a few minutes behind the shrine itself. Lucky again. This seems to be becoming a trend with us, I think.

It must be because I’m awesome! Or something.

“Lulu, can I count on you?” We are currently in the stream of water washing ourselves off.

“Lulu?” He tilts his head at me and asks me, wondering what I was talking about.

“I’m going to need your help to get all the dirt and grime off of me. So, can I count on you?”

“Lulu!” He agrees, not knowing how he has sealed his fate for quite some time after this moment.

I had some soap and shampoo packed in my bag, and there was even toothpaste and toothbrushes and whatnot so I was good when it came to toiletries.

However, there was no sponge for getting the more difficult to remove grime and dirt on my body! And then I realized, I have Lulu!

As I used Lulu as a makeshift sponge to scrub my whole body, I ignored Lulu’s cries and shouts since I saved his life. And he did agree after all. So, it’s okay to use him as a sponge right? Right?

There were exactly two towels packed in my bag and so, both of us were able to dry ourselves off without incident. Lulu kept giving me dirty looks and glaring at me and stuff but I ignored his anger. He will get used to it.

“Lulu, it looks like it might rain.” There was a loud clap of thunder after a lightning strike came down off in the distance before I said this. “Let’s clean up the shrine as best as we can and then sleep within okay?”

Lulu used his hands to simply pull off as much of the vines covering the shrine and statue and I used my dagger to scrape off all the moss as best as I could.

By the time we were finished and ready to tuck in for bed, the rain had started to pour down in our area. We finished just in the nick of time, somehow.

Before lying down I had to address a certain issue regarding my sleeping arrangements though.

“Lulu, I’m going to need a pillow. Can I count on you?”

Seemingly learning his lesson after the first time I asked something like that, my blue furred companion begins shaking his head from side to side and crosses his arms in an X shape to make it clear that no, he cannot be counted on.

“Too bad! You have no choice! I was asking just to be nice about it!” I then force Lulu to lie down and then I swiftly rest my head on his stomach and use him as a pillow.

I hear the sound of someone crying and since it’s just the two of use it’s obvious to me who is making all the noise. But I ignore it. Lulu owes me his life, it’s only natural I ask for his help in small matters like being my sponge and pillow right? Yeah, no problems here whatsoever.

There are no blankets packed in my bag so I will be relying on the shared warmth of our bodies to keep us healthy and not catch a cold or something.

Oh yeah, I make sure to keep my newly made club near me as I sleep, just in case something decides to attack us while we sleep. Better safe than sorry.

I hope the rain stops soon though.

***

The rain did stop soon, like I had hoped. The next day in fact, as Lulu and I woke up after who knows how many hours exactly of sleeping.

I go through the basic routine of brushing my teeth, washing my face and then having a meal to start off the day with Lulu at my side every step of the way.

“Lulu, I have somewhere I need to go in order to fulfill my destiny. Will you come with me?”

I’m not sure why I’m asking this. Maybe a part of me thinks I shouldn’t go at it alone. That I need someone to come with me. That I need someone to keep the loneliness and boredom away.

I guess all of those sound like good enough reasons but more importantly, I need to make sure that I don’t lose my personal sponge and pillow.

Oh, Lulu seems to have thought it over and has come to a decision. “Lulu!” As expected, he wants to come with me. I suppose he’s grown attached to me in the short time that we’ve been together. Which is good.

Before leaving the shrine I decide that it would be proper to show gratitude to the goddess that watched over us basically, or at the very least because her shrine was right where I needed it to be at the right time and I would feel bad for some reason if I didn’t show a bit of thanks.

Lulu and I stand before the shrine and then we bow at the exact same time. “Thank you/Lulu.” I like to think Lulu said the exact same thing as me in translation, and with that I decided that the best course of action in finding the village of Ikuru is to follow the direction that the water flows. Because where the water goes is most definitely where people will be since they would need a steady water supply.

And so my little companion and I were off. Walking along the stream, hoping to find civilization at some point.

Whenever we came across a sort of fork in the path we left our decision to fate and just let a stick fall and followed the path the stick would land on.

And just like that around three weeks had passed without incident. At least I think it was around three weeks, it’s not easy keeping count.

That night while we were sleeping under the cover of a larger than average tree, even by this world’s standards, we both started having nightmares.

I know that we both had nightmares because Lulu and I woke up at the same time, scared out of our minds at what we had just dreamt. I don’t know what Lulu saw in his nightmare but in mine I had been eaten alive by monsters of various types!

This certainly does not seem natural. Having nightmare that vivid all of a sudden and at the exact same time…

And I swear I got the feeling that we were being watched right now…

For the first time in so long, Lulu and I were not alone in this vast forest. And I didn’t like the sort of company that was currently within reach of us.

I grabbed my club and began searching for the presence. “Lulu, watch out for any movement! Something is out here with us! I’m sure you can feel it too!”

“Lulululu!” And so he began searching in every possible corner of this part of the forest we were in. I was doing the same thing really. Taking in every detail as I possibly could. Looking for the slightest thing that could be out of place…

And then, I don’t know why, maybe it was bored or maybe it was just arrogant or something but a monster made itself known. There, only a few feet away from us came out from behind some trees something that looked like a super large moth or something. It was a little over a meter in overall height and even wider than that due to its wingspan.

“Fucking hell, that thing is ugly!” I couldn’t help but cry out in alarm. Because it was a disgusting looking thing and all the more freaky due to its size.

“That’s rude, you stupid human!” Dear gods, it speaks! This monster is definitely not normal! “Just shut up and let me feed on your fear like before! That’s all you and your familiar are good for anyway!” The moth monster said with a tone of finality, as if what it was saying was the command of a monarch.

Wait, it said something rather interesting just then at the end. I look towards Lulu in question. “Lulu, that monster just called you my familiar. Is that true?” My blue furred friend nods. “Ahh, it was ever since I saved you wasn’t it?” Another nod. “Ohhh, that means you’ve accepted me as your master huh! Luuuluuuu~” I then proceed to hug Lulu close to me and spin around and stuff to show how much I am thankful for Lulu choosing me as his master.

This appeared to greatly annoy the moth monster. If this were an anime I would most definitely see a tick mark on the side of its head to show that it is rather pissed off. “Hey! Don’t just ignore me! Grraaahhh, I’ll just kill you now!”

I immediately release Lulu and set down my club. I will first be trying something to weaken the monster first. “Lulu, gather as many stones about the size of my fist and bring them here! Quickly!”

My familiar follows my order without complaint and proceeds to gather nearby stones that are just the right size for what I want to do.

The moth monster seems to underestimate us and is choosing not to do anything yet, except for insult us. “You fools! Nothing you do will work, and besides what can you do with but mere stones anyway! You guys are so stupid!”

I know that the monster is just trying to make us lose out focus or something but, it’s really working! This monster is just too annoying!

“Take this, you nightmare moth bastard!” I start throwing as many of the stones as I can, as rapidly as I can right at the monster. Lulu even starts helping at one point. Altogether we end up throwing over several dozen stones at the monster, and quickly end up running out of stones to throw within moments.

“Hahahahaha! You missed! Every single time! You guys are hopeless!” The moth monster taunts.

This is true, we did miss every single time. Some stones went wide, some stones came dangerously close to hitting the moth monster but in the end all of them missed. Mysteriously, I feel that the stones were thrown rather far away for some reason, maybe I have more strength than I initially thought? Lulu is the surprising one though, being able to throw them so far as well.

“Grrrr,” I grit my teeth in frustration, I really want to beat this monster into the ground! But thinking about it clearly now, in order for it to be able to talk like that it must be pretty old. Following that logic it must be way higher than both of us in level. “Is there really no chance for us here?” I couldn’t help but ask myself out loud.

“Guuuuheeee!” A loud cry of some sort of animal breaks me out of my thoughts.

Following that cry about a dozen gorilla looking monsters appear, they have white fur, bulging muscles, stand at about 6 feet tall and are carrying some sharp looking wooden spears!

They also appear to have bumps on their heads. All of them seem to have been hit hard on the head quite a few times I think. The pack leader of the gorillas is carrying a bunch of stones in his hands and is gesturing to the moth monster and Lulu and I.

Ah, it wants to know who is responsible for throwing all of those stones. I look to Lulu. He looks back at me. We come to a silent agreement right then and there. “It was him!” Both of us point right at the moth monster.

“Huh?! What?!” The moth monster is surprised by this turn of events and can’t help but question what the hell is going on.

“Guhe! Guhe! Guhe!” All of the 12 gorilla monsters begin shouting and throw their spears at the moth monster with great force. Every single one of the spears pierces the moth monster in a vital area. The gorilla monsters are satisfied with their work and leave soon after, not even bothering to pull out their spears.

Looks like Lulu and I are still having some great luck! Who would have thought that we’d be aided by a pack of gorilla monsters like that in the end?

Lulu and I walk towards the moth monster slowly. I made sure to pick up my club along the way as well. The moth monster tries to get away but is unable to move from where it is stuck to the ground, the spears having pierced through its body and into the forest floor pinning it in place.

“You sure were confident in being able to beat us, you stupid moth monster! But now look at you!” I raise my club high above my head. “Die, die, die, die, die, die, die!” I start swinging wildly and with great ferocity, screaming out the word “die” what felt like a hundred times, hitting the moth monster on the head every time. Lulu cheering me on from beside me all the while.

“I-impossible…!” The moth monster lets out one last cry before it begins to dissolve into mana. Lulu and I have won.

“Phew.” I wipe off some sweat from my brow. “I don’t know about you, Lulu, but I sure worked up an appetite after dealing with that annoying monster! Let’s eat some well deserved food and then go back to sleep, sound good?”

“Lulu!” Of course he was saying yes.

And so we ate some more fruits, and did everything else that we needed to do before going back to sleep. We shall continue traveling to what I hope is the direction of the elf village tomorrow. This was a rather eventful night.