Chapter 2: Encounter with people from the other world.

 

　It had been about an hour since he started walking through this unknown forest.
He keep following the same direction with the help of the compass he always carried around, and he was sure of the time, since he had measured it with his wrist watch.
This was obviously a different world, but the actions one needed to take in a forest were the same be it Earth or a different world. As he kept on moving forwards, he never forgot to be wary of his surroundings.

“For now, I should be thankful that there are no magnetic disturbances.”

Disturbances in the magnetic field would be really troublesome in his current situation.
In Earth, there are many places showing those kinds of disturbances. They were these so-called hidden places or mystery spots, and it was said that the reason why couldn’t leave once you stepped in was because of a disorder in the magnetic field.

“So far, it has been but a fairly ordinary forest… although a bit dark…”

That was the impression this forest gave as he walked while being a little cautious against any potential danger.
The atmosphere that these trees and the dense moss growing gave off was a little bit different from that of the ecosystems from Japan. Yet, he felt a sense of security by not seeing particular fantasy-like plants or weird-looking mushrooms.
It is an atmosphere similar to that of the forests of northern Europe, he thought as he remembered a time he had visited there when he was young.

So far, he hadn’t encountered any dangerous plants. While coping up with the trees and undulating topography, he proceeded forwards.
In actuality, it had been a rather smooth walk since he came to this forest. For some strange reason, his whole body felt lighter.

“The only problem would be living creatures…”

What worried him was the possible existence of wild beasts that would be living inside this forest.
After all, this was a foreign ecosystem, with the possibility of it being different from that of Earth.
A natural reaction was to think that 『There are always herbivorous creatures in rich forests, and therefore, also carnivorous creatures who feed on them』. A forest as lush as this would probably be also abundant in animal life.

“Carnivorous animals, huh?… Well, I wonder how much of that is true here…”

As one could assume, the type of carnivorous animal depended on the state of the forest. So, he could only make an empirical assumption.
Since he tended use all his vacation days and salary for his hobbies, he had already experienced the wilderness of many countries back on Earth.

His deceased (?) parents were daring, self-proclaimed explorers. They were the cause of his outdoor hobbies, since from a very young age he was made to accompany them in their excursions.

After his parents went missing a few years ago, he decided to leave college and got a job at an ordinary company. The times with consecutive holidays, were also the times when this lonely young man would go outdoors to practice mountain climbing at various places.

“Wolfs and bears, boars too probably. If I take into consideration the forest, those would be the ones, I guess… well then.”

He had a bit of confidence to be able to respond if it was one of those animals, since he actually had confronted them before. Trying to defeat them would be the last resort, and it was always better to avoid the danger if possible.
For that reason, it was always a good habit to try and find places where you could climb the trees to escape as you walked. Surprisingly, there were not many carnivorous animals that could climb trees.

“My tools are… …all good, everything’s here.”

After checking the contents of his large backpack, he put them back inside.
In order to be safe with an outdoor hobby like his, he was armed with goods for self-defense. A machete-like survival knife to slash the tall grass in the mountains, and tear spray as an anti-bear measure, among several other things.

He couldn’t say it out loud, but he also had a “self-defense weapon”. It was a tool made to protect himself as a hobby, but it was a “weapon” nonetheless so he didn’t want to use if possible.
But considering my situation, I guess I can’t have the luxury of saying that. Those were his thoughts as he remembered this was not Japan after all.

“Nn…  this sound is…? “

At that moment.
From the direction he was heading towards to, a “voice” could be heard. Not the cry of a beast, but the voice of an intelligent creature.

“Rather, isn’t it more like a “scream”? Looks like someone is calling for help…”

In the next instant, he started sprinting towards that direction. It was somewhat of a rule to stay away from screams if you were in an unfamiliar land.
Because hearing a scream could be linked to a “dangerous” existence nearby.

“It’s dangerous… but, people are nearby…”

As he approached closer, the contents of the voice could be clearly heard. It was certainly a person the one who raised that voice.
This was most likely a different world. But it was obvious that it was seeking help with words a Japanese person could understand.

In order to obtain information about this world, he choose to contact that intelligent being, even if it meant he had to take some risks.

◇

A girl, huh…?

As he tried to confirm the current situation, he decided to observe while hiding in some bushes nearby and being careful as to not make any noise. There stood a girl, the same person who was seeking for help a while ago.
At a glance, her outward appearance was like that of a foreigner. She was a beautiful young girl with blond hair and blue eyes.

But the words he heard were obviously spoken in Japanese. 『Help me！ 』No matter how one saw it, that was fluent, proper Japanese.

And what is that… animal attacking the girl? Is that not a…! ?

The foreign-looking girl was cornered by several beasts.

A rabbit… right?

There were several rabbit-looking animals attacking the girl.
However, they were more agile than the rabbits on Earth, and they had large, sharp fangs growing from their mouth, like those of a sabretooth. They used their rear feet to quickly jump at the girl and had already inflicted several wounds on the girl’s body.

Seems like a group of carnivorous rabbit-shaped beasts…

His assumptions were somewhat confirmed, this appeared to be a different world.
The dreadful sight of rabbits trying to predate on people, caused him to unexpectedly feel a bit overwhelmed.

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