Chapter 3: Staaaaart!

–Whoooooosh!

I fell freely, cutting through the air.

I moved my body this way and that, savoring the supreme ecstasy of flying through the sky.

“How is it? Isn’t it just beautiful?”

[For real, this is the first time I’m seeing something like this, it’s sick lol.]

“Really? Can’t you see this on other adventurers’ streams?”

[Nah, they all turn on their streams after hitting the ground. And who else would be crazy enough to fall without any gear lol.]

‘Is that so?’

Certainly, most adventurers used a shuttle when entering and leaving Pangea.

It was convenient and safe, after all.
And in truth, without a shuttle, there was no proper way to get back to the surface.

“Anyway, that’s surprising. I thought at least a few others would fall like this.”

[lol You’re a total nobody, did you not even do any market research?]

“I’m just going to do what I want to do.”

[That’s why you’re a nobody lol.]

His words hit me harder than a punch to the gut… but maybe that was a good thing.

I had captured a sight no one else had.
If I edited it nicely and uploaded it to MeTube later, I was sure it would attract some attention.

“It’s about time now.”

The ground, which had felt so far away, was now right in front of me.

The real adventure began the moment I set foot on the ground.

[Hurry up and open your parachute. Honestly, I think it’s already too late.]

“Huh? A parachute? I don’t have one of those.”

[?]

“???”

[?????]

A parachute.

Just from the name, doesn’t it sound like expensive equipment?
Of course I didn’t have the money for such gear.

And a female knight with a parachute?

A completely mismatched pairing that threw romance to the dogs.
Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t have bought it.

[Then what are you going to do?]

“What do you mean? I’m just going to fall.”

No new chats came up.
But the viewer count was still ‘1’.

It seemed he hadn’t left, and was mentally preparing himself in his own way.

It was the same for me.

Huuup!
I took a deep breath and prepared for the impact that would soon come.

And—

-KRAKAKA-BOOM!!!

An unseasonal roar echoed through Pangea.

Dust billowed up in clouds.
A rather deep crater was formed from the impact.

“Phew…! Wow… I thought I was going to die.”

Thanks to the soil having some degree of softness, there were no major problems.

[No way you survived that??? Honestly, I was debating whether to report you.]

“Come on. I’m a person too, I wouldn’t intentionally do something that could kill me.”

[Are you a physical enhancement type? I just assumed you fell mindlessly.]

“Hey, what do you mean mindless? I’m smart, you know?”

[(An emoticon expressing disbelief)]

In any case, it was a pretty impactful entrance.

Inwardly satisfied, I raised my head and looked at the sky.

“Wow…”

It was a sky not much different from the surface, but there was a hole punched right through it.

It was strange how the ridiculously large hole looked so small, and its very existence felt so alien that it gave me goosebumps.

It was a sight that couldn’t help but make one think that perhaps someone had intentionally created Pangea.

“Shall we start our adventure now? I’m a little nervous since it’s my first time.”

[Is it really your first time?]

“Of course.”

Well, it wasn’t, but… it was my first time in this new body.

Besides, when I came here in my past life, I was so out of it that I don’t remember much.

“Let’s see…”

I took a piece of parchment out of my pocket.

With a satisfyingly fluffy feeling in my hand, I unfolded the tightly folded parchment.
It then became almost the size of my torso.

[What’s that? Aren’t you supposed to be opening a map? There’s nothing drawn on it?]

“That’s right. A map.”

[???]

“The map that we will draw together from now on.”

Adventuring while looking at a pre-made map was good enough, but it lacked romance.

Since I was leaving my mark on a new world anyway, my goal was to create the map myself.

[Why bother? The area around R Point is already fully revealed.]

R Point was the term for the spot right below the hole, where I was standing now.

Very rarely, the bodies of deceased adventurers were transported through here, so people sometimes called it the Respawn (Impossible) Point.

“Still. I want to fill it in myself. Because that’s our adventure.”

[lol You’re really committed to the concept.]

It wasn’t a concept, it was genuine, but if he accepted it, then that’s okay.

I picked up a random tree branch that had fallen nearby.

“Where should we go?”

The traditional way of finding a path.
I stood the branch up straight and then let it fall.

–Clatter!

It pointed north.
Towards the mountain range in the distance, where a magnificent rainbow was painted beyond it.

[The direction of Mount Kalchiona, I see.]

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. No. Erase all your previous memories. No one knows if there’s a volcano over there or not.”

[lololol OK OK.]

I steadily walked north.

I was holding the map, or rather, the blank parchment, but I wasn’t going to start drawing on it right away.

It would take too long to move while drawing.
Instead, for later, I recorded everything that came into my sight into my brain.

I was also recording the stream, so I probably wouldn’t forget.

[Wait. What’s that?]

Still my only viewer, Lenalenalena.
Lena-nim for short, seemed to have spotted something.

“What is it?”

[Something’s coming from the far right.]

Following Lena’s words, I shifted my gaze and saw some four-legged beasts scurrying towards me.

They kept their eyes fixed on me as they steadily closed the distance.

I didn’t particularly run away or anything.
Showing my back is a knight’s disgrace.

Soon, the creatures and I were exchanging intense gazes.

Staring at me were three wolves with chains wrapped around their bodies.

[F*ck lol, of all things, it had to be them.]

“Are they tough?”

[Yeah. They usually live deeper in.]

“Okay. You can stop telling me now. No more spoilers.”

[lol]

‘So they’re pretty dangerous, huh?’

They were the perfect first sacrifice for my sword.
If they were too easy, it would have been a letdown.

–Shing!

I elegantly drew my sword from its sheath.

“Kuhhh…”

The smooth, satisfying grip made me let out an involuntary sound of admiration.
This must be why people use swords.

I got into a stance and pointed my sword at the wolves.
The blade, bathed in sunlight, sparkled brightly, as if proving my hefty payment was worth it.

Of course, my posture itself was incredibly stiff.
I was still a beginner, after all.

Elegant swordsmanship would naturally be acquired as I gained real combat experience.

“Grrrrowl!”

The wolf in the middle of the three, probably the leader, charged at me.

The chains swaying in the wind clashed against each other.
Yet for some reason, the sound of colliding bones, not metal, echoed in my ears.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

When I slightly turned my body to dodge the attack, the creature snapped at the empty air with a thwack!

I immediately swung my sword.
Somewhat awkwardly, but definitely aiming for the center of its body.

‘I’ll probably be able to slice it cleanly in half.’

–Thwack!

“Huh?”

But it was for naught.

Whether the beast’s hide was tough, or my blade was dull.

Even though I thought I had put enough strength into it, the sword bounced off.

The wolf smirked.

‘Is that all you’ve got?’
Its incredibly arrogant gaze was directed at me.

[Are you even a swordsman? You look so pathetic.]

Lena’s reaction was no different.

“Just wait. I’ll show you my true skills.”

–Whoosh!

Once again, my sword cut through the air.

–Thwack!

But this time too, I couldn’t feel the satisfaction of cutting through.

No matter how many times I repeated it, nothing changed.

Thanks to my reflexes, the wolves’ attacks couldn’t reach me, but even when my attacks hit them, they inflicted no damage.

A battle of spear and shield where a screw seemed to be loose somewhere.

“Argh… seriously!”

[lol Is this some kind of short comedy skit?]

To hear such words when I was giving it my all.
It was a truly shocking assessment.

But I had to accept it.
My current swordsmanship skills were like useless garbage.

In the end, for today at least, I had to resort to a trump card I didn’t want to use.

“Grrrraaaawl!”

The wolf charged, and I dodged it without much difficulty again.
And—

–Clang!

I hit it with the flat of my blade.

“Yelp!!!”

A rather cheerful sound was made, and the wolf let out a pained scream as it flew for a short while.

The creature that fell to the ground couldn’t get up.
The shock must have been considerable, as it only trembled on all fours.

“Phew…”

The other two were bewildered by the unexpected situation.

This was my chance.
A chance to correct my previous shame.

I raised my sword.
Its sharp tip was aimed at the wolf’s heart.

To end its life in one go, I stabbed with my sword.
No, I tried to stab.

–Thud.

“Ah… really!”

[lol]

But this time too, my sword failed to pierce its hide.

To be precise, it wasn’t a complete failure.

Right after the miss, I gritted my teeth and forced the sword’s hide with all my might.

–Screech.

Finally, a crack formed in the hide, and the tip of the sword pierced the creature’s heart.

“Kyi…”

Mortally wounded, the creature let out a final cry and went limp.

After much struggle, I was able to successfully complete the hunt.

“Grrrrowl!”

Instead of chasing them, I spread out another piece of parchment on the ground.

Then I calmly took in the wolf’s appearance.

“It’s not a chain… the leather has changed to look like this. And the body is…”

[What are you doing now?]

“Ah, this? I’m making a bestiary.”

[A bestiary?]

“Yes. A monster bestiary. Filling this bestiary, along with the map I mentioned earlier, is one of the final goals of our adventure.”

[Oh. That sounds pretty cool.]

I took out the quill pen I had brought and began to draw the wolf on the parchment.

“Now… this wolf will be honorably recorded as number 1 in the bestiary. Its name will be Chain Wolf.”

[Why not just use the existing name, Black Wolf?]

“Here, repeat after me. Chain. Wolf.”

[lol]

With a chain right there, what kind of Black Wolf was it?
Its fur wasn’t even black to begin with.

“Phew… done.”

I completed the sketch quickly but in detail, and made sure to record all its characteristics below.

I can fill in any missing parts when I get home later.

[Why are you good at drawing?]

“I have a bit of a knack for it.”

[Then why can’t you wield a sword?]

“…It’s because it’s my first time. Just wait a little. I’ll get the hang of it soon.”

[lol]

“Anyway, shall we go again?”

I gathered the parchment and stood up.

The adventure had only just begun.