I Want to Live a Normal Life

Episode 6: First Real Battle

“For now, let’s give this a try.”

I generate several [Stone Bullet] and roll them around in my hand.

It’s been about half a year since the completion of the new [Stone Bullet]. Today, I begin exploring the forest. As a result of refining and adjusting its shape and rotation through training, I can now shoot the new type almost instantly. Honestly, I got so absorbed in modifications and training that I completely forgot about the exploration. After all, every idea I come up with seems to take shape before I know it.

“Isn’t Mine-kun amazing? He’s a genius. That Stubble guy who treats him as incompetent just because he can’t use a sword is seriously useless.”

Well, enough about the Stubble’s incompetence. Right now, let’s think about improving the quality of my meals. Despite living solely on bread and soup without any ingredients, my body hasn’t shown any signs of deterioration, but I can’t tell if that’s just luck or if it’s due to some mysterious power from this otherworld. As for taste, I’ve gotten quite used to it, but…

“But I still want to eat meat.”

Among the creatures in this forest that seem edible are rabbits and wolves. But as someone who loves dogs, eating wolves feels a bit wrong. So, rabbits it is… huh? Does Mine-kun like rabbits? They are cute after all. Well then, let’s look for other animals that might be edible. In a forest this big, there should be deer or boars, right?

Oh, and I found a botanical dictionary in the study, so I’d be happy to find fruits or wild plants that are edible.

“My visibility is terrible…”

Exiting the tunnel, I lean against a large tree and scan the surroundings. The forest is densely overgrown with tall underbrush, making it difficult to see far. If I move carelessly, I might get lost or even ambushed.

“[Bullet].”

I suspend about eight [Bullet] around me in standby mode. In moments of crisis, I might panic or fumble, so having them ready to fire with just a command should help. I’d like to increase the number I can shoot at once, but I don’t think I can control any more than this right now.

Man, Mine-kun is amazing for being able to casually do something like this on a whim.

…While I’m thinking about this, I suddenly sense creatures rapidly approaching from the front. I prepare myself to shoot the [Bullet] at the source of the presence and wait.

Just as the creature is about to reveal itself, I sense another presence from the left and right bushes.

“What?! [Bullet]!!”

I fire three [Bullet] each towards the presences on the left and right. Although I feel a sense of impact, I can’t afford to focus on those right now.

“Grraaaah!”

“[Bullet]!!”

A moment later, I shoot the remaining [Bullet] at the figure leaping at me from the front.

“Gyah!”

The figure in front of me explodes halfway, and the smell of blood fills the air.

“Ugh, B-[Bullet]…”

It took me longer than usual due to panic and the sight in front of me, but I quickly put the new [Bullet] in standby mode and remain vigilant of my surroundings.

“Haah… Haah…!! Monsters are seriously scary!”

Confirming that there are no signs of pursuit, I quickly retreat into the tunnel. After calming down a bit, I’m suddenly hit by intense nausea.

“Uuugh!!”

After vomiting everything in my stomach, I finally have the composure to reflect on the battle just now.

It was probably wolves that attacked. They were coordinating. The one in front was a decoy, and the ones from the left and right were the real threat. I didn’t sense them at all until the last moment. If I had been late to notice, if the [Bullet] hadn’t hit, if there were more enemies… Just thinking about it gives me chills.

“I underestimated this otherworld. I want to smack my past self.”

I got too carried away with the completion of the new magic. It’s Mine-kun’s talent that made it possible, yet I got carried away. At this rate, I’ll die soon. I need to think carefully and prepare before taking action.

First and foremost, I need to ensure safety. It was a mistake to venture out of the tunnel without any defense measures in place. I could have barricaded it with [Earth Wall] or something. Why didn’t I think of that?

“It would be convenient if I could sense the presence of monsters.”

In games, there were several scouting skills available. The classics were [Presence Detection], used by scout-type characters, and [Magic Detection], which expands magical power to perceive things within its range. For Mine-kun, who is a mage type, [Magic Detection] would probably be more suitable. I’d like to learn [Magic Sense] on top of that, but it seems difficult.

“Other than scouting… maybe I should try reinforcing my defense with [Magic Cloak]?”

[Magic Cloak] is also a magical skill. By enveloping oneself with high-density magic like armor, it increases defense. While [Body Enhancement] also increases defense, the concepts are fundamentally different between the all-around enhancement of physical abilities with [Body Enhancement] and the defense specialization of [Magic Cloak]. [Body Enhancement] felt more like a skill for physical classes. Besides, for a magic-based character like Mine-kun, [Magic Cloak] is more compatible.

Speaking of which, in the original story, there was a trend for the Saintess candidate heroine, who had a lot of magic, to learn [Magic Cloak] and defensive skills to become a wall tank. It was quite popular for a while. I was grateful for it. You can’t underestimate the importance of a reliable healer who won’t fall.

If there’s a problem with [Magic Cloak], it’s the extremely high difficulty level as a skill. To maintain the density of magic at a practical level, it requires a lot of magic and high-level magic manipulation skills. Frankly, it’s quicker to just put on armor.

However, I’m extremely vulnerable to ambushes since I can’t prepare enough equipment or frontline fighters. In that sense, the constantly activated [Magic Cloak] is convenient.

“Yeah, the more I think about it, the more reckless I realize I was.”

I won’t make the same mistake again. For now, I’ll try everything that comes to mind.