CH 8.1

Acquiring New Skills

Yuto’s Adventure Day 4

“Forget the existence of fire magic. There was no such thing.”

Early in the morning, in a daze, I somehow picked up a twig and threw it into the river.

I had survived to the death and finally leveled up and obtained the skill points.

Losing them was a big deal.

In reality, I have acquired the skills, so I have not lost it, but still, not being able to use it to help my current environment is the same as losing it.

“What’s that anyway? Is there some fixed word or magic name in this world that I have to know to activate it? How am I supposed to know that? I’m not from this world, right?”

Yuto, who has been feeling tormented since last night, has been in this state of mind.

Fortunately, the climate in this other world where he was is currently close to summer, so he does not have to keep warm at night to sleep.

On the other hand, if he is wearing his suit, which is his work clothes, he feels a little hot.

Without fire, however, it is impossible to eat, or rather eat meat properly, and Yuto is troubled by the fact that he cannot get over the existence of [fire], even though he tries to forget about [fire magic].

(I found something to eat in the river. The fish that got caught in the trap earlier was also edible, though raw. As long as I don’t worry about parasites, I can manage for now. But how many days will I have to continue going down the river? When will I see people? If this goes on, I will really need to find a way to make fire.)

Yuto knows how to make a primitive fire.

The wooden stick has to be rotated while rubbing it with the hand to create a spark by frictional heat on wood chips, which are easily ignited, and then elevated to a fire by sending wind through by blowing on it without a moment’s pause.

However, it was simply a memory that I tried this method when I was in elementary school on a field trip and regretted the blisters that formed on my hands.

If I try it again now, I can only see a future in which I waste time and energy, and cause scars on my hands in vain.

(There is also a method of tying a string to a tree, moving it, and igniting it with the string…it’s the bow cutting method, I remember. String, string…there are laces for my leather shoes? I only have a vague idea of how to do it, though…)

As long as I have a string, I have all the materials I need to make a fire, so I can either take the cautious approach of trying to make a fire and not damage my body.

Or I could also take a hard-line approach, relying on the food I could get from the river to find a human settlement as soon as possible.

These are the two choices that are troubling, but it is not so difficult to find the answer to them, given Yuto’s thoughts and objectives.

(I don’t want to be a survivalist. What I want to do is role-playing, where I enjoy growth and mastery.)

In the end, this is all that matters.

For Yuto, who has no experience in making fire and only understands the mechanism through images, the task of making a fire by himself is a hurdle.

Since he has the materials, he might succeed someday if he tries, but when is that going to be?

So Yuto planned to travel down the river every day.

This is not surprising since his goal is not hunting, but to reach a human settlement first.

If he is searching for a specific base, he can make efficient use of the fire once he has started one, but if he continues to move every day, he will have to start a fire every day.

Nope, I don’t have to be awakened by maintaining it, but if I want to eat meat at every meal, if I want to safely eat fish and other river creatures, I will need a fire.

In addition, each time I will have to untie my shoelaces, which will make even my shoes that are already small for me and baggy, be in an even worse state.

This is not a realistic solution for Yuto, even if he becomes an experienced fire starter.

Then….

(I’ve made up my mind. If fire magic doesn’t work, then let’s abandon fire and get out of the forest as quickly as possible, mainly focus on river meals. I’ve had enough of living like a caveman.)

Yuto then starts going down the river.

Some parts of the riverside are normal with only pebbles to walk on, while other parts have large boulders and are somewhat cliff-like.

So, if possible, I walk along the riverside as much as possible.

Only if it is difficult to do so, walk along the mountain path close to the river.

Since I am not fully prepared for moles, I take the safest possible walking route, as I am certain that moles will not come out from underneath the rocks.