NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4.1
Chapter 4.1. Skinhead In The Wilderness
The majestic evening sun sank, and darkness swallowed the surroundings.
“Colder than I thought?!”
As the sun set, the temperature plummeted suddenly.
Wearing a suit jacket might suffice, but it would be too harsh to sleep in a suit jacket.
I reluctantly decided to buy a blanket.
My funds dwindled to 18,806 yen, but there was no choice; reaching civilization would be difficult.
For my usual routine, I took out a homemade symbol. A god crafted from elementary school handicrafts.
“Today, too, I’m living energetically. Thanks a bunch.”
I’m leaning against a rock and wrapping myself in the blanket. As I lay down, unbelievably vivid stars scattered across the sky.
It was a starry sky that spread across the celestial sphere more clearly than a planetarium as if it could start raining stars at any moment.
“Ah… this isn’t Earth, huh?”
There were two moons, a large one and a small one.
The fear of the darkness diminished, guided by the lullaby of the stars, and my consciousness slowly melted into the earth.
――――
A black company employee with an average sleep time of 4 hours is no joke.
Awakening before dawn, I stuffed onigiri into my stomach, brushed my teeth, and when I tried to put on my carry bag, I suddenly noticed something.
Could this also be stored in that container thing?
Upon trying, it effortlessly fits into the container as if it were the most natural thing.
What was the point of the struggles I had carrying it on my back yesterday?
I feel like crying at my foolishness.
Although I slumped into the orz position once, I gathered myself and continued walking. I felt light on my feet since I had become so unburdened.
I probably moved at twice the pace from yesterday, but leather shoes are leather shoes.
The fatigue from my feet gradually took its toll on my body.
“Uh-oh, the shoes are about to break.”
Synthetic leather shoes weren’t suitable for walking in terrains like savannas or wilderness, or rather, they were just too challenging.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to buy new shoes right away, so I had no choice but to slow down my pace.
Above all, my feet hurt.
“Can I really make it somewhere alive with this?”
Under the scorching sun, my thoughts turned overwhelmingly negative.
“At least I want a smoke.”
I don’t know why the cigarettes that were among my initial possessions aren’t on the list, but I’ll give it a try, just in case.
“I want a cigarette.”
-Negotiation in progress… Denied.-
Why the heck not?
――――
And again, night arrives.
I love the starry sky.
I’ve never had the opportunity to see such a starry sky in my entire life, and I think it’s wonderful.
But honestly, it’s depressing.
I want to go where there are people.
Wrapped in a blanket, I feel like crying subtly.
At times like this, this comes in handy!
A hand-carved god!
Its shape is like a symbol combining a circle with the soil of a kanji character. It also looks like the kanji character “画.”
“Thanks for living through another not-so-great day today.”
As I turned my gaze towards the horizon, as if shaking off my anxiety, I felt something shining.
I jumped up like a spring puppet and climbed up onto a rock.
Squinting and staring, I definitely saw a light again!
“No mistake! It’s artificial light!”
I shouted, jumped up, slipped, and fell from the rock, hitting my stomach hard.
“Gefu!”
Oh, that was close!
I shouldn’t move in this darkness!
If I get too excited, I’ll die!
I took three deep breaths and decided to wrap myself in the blanket and sleep again.
Don’t panic.
I can go there when it gets bright tomorrow.
Now, conserve energy!
Although I wasn’t particularly sleepy, I made an effort and fell asleep.
I was starving for sleep not too long ago.
Life is a mysterious thing.
――――
Due to the ingrained effect of the 4-hour sleep on my body, I woke up much earlier than before dawn.
Unable to help it, I closed my eyes and decided to examine the screen that appeared.
I hadn’t noticed until yesterday. But I noticed that ‘Divinity=1’ is displayed in the upper left.
What the heck is “Divinity”?
No response, whether I click or rub it. What could it be?
Leaving the unknown aside, I checked the container.
I’ll replenish the tea while I can.
Now, I’m getting tired of onigiri, but are there any new menu options?
“I want a seaweed bento!”
-Negotiation in progress… Insufficient divinity.-
The usual emotionless mysterious voice left another mysterious remark. Just as I decided not to worry about it, this so-called divinity reappeared.
“So, what exactly is divinity?”
…..
It seems that this mysterious voice isn’t providing direct answers to my questions.
Well, I guess that’s just the way it is.
“SHOP” does seem like a god of power and business, so I have no complaints. However, I would like to know this.
“So, how do you increase divinity?”
…..
Is this still not working?
If we consider that the items I initially had were part of a service, then with Divinity=1, I can buy water and onigiri.
In that case…
“Sandwiches! Ham sandwich, tomato sandwich, and pork cutlet sandwich!”
-Negotiation in progress… Partial approval granted. Ham sandwich and tomato sandwich have been added to the SHOP inventory.-
Oh! Let’s quickly check the SHOP list.
There were about three new items.
Huh? Three?
Two, of course, are the ham sandwich and tomato sandwich.
The other one is not a pork cutlet sandwich… it’s Set 1.
The icon is a carry bag.
The price is 184,015 yen.
My current funds are 17,723 yen after buying onigiri, water, and such.
It would be a disaster if I bought it by mistake.
Wait, could it be that the entire set of bags stored in the container has become a sellable item?!