Ch.2The Land of Grantis

My name is William J. Kim, though my Korean name is Kim Jung-hyun. I’m a 36-year-old Korean man who loves Western films.

I participated in a Gunslinger Championship in San Francisco on a colleague’s recommendation, won impressively, and earned a $3,000 prize along with a limited edition single-action revolver.

OK, so far no problems. I’m not sure if my memory of getting shot by a robber afterward is real or just my imagination, but that hardly matters now since I’ve got a much bigger problem on my hands.

“So, where exactly are we?”

“Near Maxwell Logging Camp, southeast of Mothertown. You know Mothertown, right?”

“Um… sorry, I don’t.”

Maxwell Logging Camp is one thing, but what the hell is Mothertown? I’ve certainly never heard of such a city in California.

At this point, I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. There are deer-like carnivorous monsters roaming around, and the wound on my left arm—which should have needed at least thirty stitches after being mauled by one of those monsters—was completely healed when this red-haired girl touched it with her glowing hands. If miracles like this happen so casually, where else could I be?

“Jesus… no, I guess Jesus isn’t here either…”

A fantasy world where magic exists. What they call an “isekai” (alternate world).

Of course, I’ve seen this in manga and web novels. You get hit by a truck while walking down the street, then get transported to a fantasy world where a busty goddess grants you incredible powers, and you travel with beautiful women to defeat the demon lord—that kind of story. I don’t particularly dislike them as a way to kill time. Though there are so many similar ones that I got bored of them quickly, I never imagined I’d become the protagonist of one.

Speaking of beautiful women, my lifesaver standing before me is truly a stunning beauty with fiery red hair and clear light blue eyes like an autumn sky. Is she around twenty? While her face still retains a somewhat youthful appearance, her waist cinched by a corset dress and her slender legs wrapped in garter belt stockings exude the aura of a mature woman.

Seeing me struggling with the confusing situation and the beauty before me, the red-haired girl must have thought something was wrong, as she peered at my face with a worried expression.

“Hey, are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere besides your arm?”

“I’m fine, thanks to you. I’m not in pain anywhere. It’s just… I don’t know how to explain this without sounding crazy…”

As I debated whether to honestly say “I’m actually from another world” or pretend to have amnesia, her expression slowly changed from bewilderment to surprise.

“…Wait, no way! Are you a ‘Drifter’!?”

“A Drifter? What’s that?”

“You were living in a distant country, and one day you suddenly found yourself here, right?”

“Huh? How did you know? Is that a common occurrence around here?”

“Not common at all. I heard the last one was discovered more than 10 years ago… I can’t believe it. Meeting a real Drifter.”

From the situation, it seems that occasionally outsiders cross over to this world. If that’s the case, I probably won’t be treated like a madman if I honestly say I’m from another world. Moreover, there might even be a way to return to my original world.

“…Well then, I guess this is what you’d call a fateful encounter.”

“Huh?”

“As the first person to discover a Drifter who’s come to Grantis, I’ll safely escort you to Mothertown! My name is Jessica Walter, a D-rank licensed mage of the Frontier!”

“Ah, yes… I’m William J. Kim. Nice to… meet you?”

I felt slightly uneasy as I looked at the sparkling eyes of the female mage Jessica, who seemed to have discovered a rare treasure. Is it really okay to follow her?

After walking for about 30 minutes to get out of the monster-infested forest, Jessica gave me a brief explanation about this world.

This place is called “Grantis,” a new continent discovered about 100 years ago. First-generation immigrants built a base city called “Mothertown” at the eastern edge of the continent and have been expanding their territory westward.

The humans living in Grantis are all immigrants from outside or their descendants, collectively called “Pioneers,” while races that lived in Grantis before human immigration—such as elves and dwarves—are collectively called “Natives.” Relations between Pioneers and Natives are generally good or neutral, though some Natives, like certain beast-folk, have become hostile after various conflicts…

“Sounds similar to the old frontier days in my country.”

The American Wild West. That was my first impression after hearing Jessica’s explanation.

“That’s quite a coincidence. But it’s better not to talk about such things in front of others.”

“Why?”

“People born in Grantis like me might not understand this well, but… there’s a strict rule in Grantis that ‘all past must be left outside.’ It’s even specified in law that bringing in outside relationships, social status, debts, rights, or even grudges into Grantis is a serious crime. Even marriage or blood relationships must be re-registered and recognized with a new identity.”

“Ah… so it’s like this: if I happened to meet my father’s killer from my previous life here in Grantis, and I caused trouble over it, I would be the one committing a crime?”

“Exactly. Simply talking about or asking about your previous life isn’t a crime, but it’s fair to say that nobody looks favorably upon such behavior.”

“Okay, I understand.”

So “Latte is Horse” or “Do you know Kimchi” are forbidden. Legally and socially out of bounds. I should remember that.

“Wait, is it also a problem if I use the same name I had outside?”

“Names are fine. Many people do choose new names when coming to the new continent, but even if you use your original name, who can tell if it’s really yours or if you’re using someone else’s?”

Apparently, in the early days of immigration, about one in ten men was named “John Smith” and one in ten women was named “Mary Jane.” Is this really an alternate world?

“By the way, what about that… magic?”

“We usually call it ‘magecraft.’ Why?”

“Is using magecraft common in Grantis? Or are mages like Jessica rare?”

“Hmm, that depends on what you consider ‘common’… The spells I used, like ‘Stone Bullet’ or ‘Cure,’ can only be used by trained mages who have properly studied magecraft.”

Jessica then pulled out a derringer pistol from the small holster strapped to her right thigh.

“But anyone can easily use guns like this or everyday magical tools without studying magecraft. Everyone has magical power to some degree, though it varies by race and individual.”

“Everyone? Even ‘Drifters’ like me?”

“I don’t see why not. You have a gun too, don’t you?”

“Ah… this one can’t be used right now because it has no bullets.”

I drew the revolver from my waist and opened the cylinder to show her. Jessica frowned with a troubled expression.

“What is that? It’s not even an unfinished product without magic bullets or engraving! No wonder you couldn’t do anything against the Scavenger Deer.”

“…Magic bullets? Engraving?”

“Huh?”

The single-action revolver I received as a prize should be ready to fire as soon as bullets are loaded. But judging from Jessica’s reaction, there seems to be some difference between my understanding of guns and the common knowledge about guns in Grantis.

“…Sorry. This seems like something I can’t explain without bringing up the outside world.”

“Oh, I see… You’re from a country without magic. That can’t be helped then.”

“So I can’t use this gun in Grantis?”

As I said this and handed the revolver to Jessica, she examined it thoroughly from barrel to grip, then shrugged.

“I’m not a gunsmith, so I can’t give you a definitive answer. But from what I can see, the structure and operating mechanism are exactly the same as the guns we use. When we get to Mothertown, let’s have a gunsmith take a look at it.”

“I hope it can be used. It took quite some effort to get it… How long will it take to walk to Mothertown?”

“Hmm, about two hours? Once we’re completely out of the forest, you’ll be able to see it from a distance.”

“Phew, that’s tough for a guy in his 30s…”

As I complained while putting the revolver back at my waist, Jessica stared at my face with wide eyes.

“…What?”

“How old did you say you were? I thought you were about my age. You look really young for your age!”

“Young? But my skin is rough and I have stubble…”

As I said this and touched my chin, what I felt wasn’t the rough stubble or the texture of skin damaged by smoking.

I hadn’t noticed earlier because I was too distracted, but weren’t my hands supposed to have more calluses? And the burn scar on the back of my hand from when I spilled boiling water is gone too?

“…Jessica, do you have a mirror or something?”

“Huh? Just a moment… here.”

I carefully took the hand mirror from Jessica and looked at my reflection.

In the mirror was not the face of the haggard 36-year-old man I had seen in the hotel this morning, but the face of a young man around 20 years old.

I could accept without discomfort that this was my face because it vaguely resembled how I looked when I entered college.

I took a deep breath and asked Jessica:

“Whew… Excuse me, Miss Jessica Walter. How old are you?”

“I’m 19.”

“Is 19 considered an adult or a minor under Grantis law?”

“For humans, you’re considered an adult from 16…”

“OK!”

Then there’s no problem! Think positive. Yes, positive thinking!

After returning the hand mirror to Jessica, I decided to accept the current situation positively.

“Forget what I said about age earlier. I’m 20 years old.”

“Eh? But…”

“I was confused due to the sudden situation. I am William J. Kim, 20-year-old male. OK?”

“O…okay.”

I don’t know exactly how many years younger I’ve become, but judging by my face, I appear to be around 20, so I’ll go with that setting. Come to think of it, I’m actually experiencing an isekai transfer that only happens in web novels and manga, so there’s no reason I can’t accept being 10 or 20 years younger as a bonus. With that thought, I could feel the vitality and stamina of my young body throughout my entire being.

I’ve accepted everything now. Kim Jung-hyun the man, no, William J. Kim the isekai gunman, can now shout:

“Status!”

Whoosh~

Contrary to my expectation that a game-like window would appear in the empty space before my eyes, only the hollow sound of wind shaking the branches could be heard. If this were a plain, tumbleweeds would be rolling by now. If I had to choose the most embarrassing moment in my 36 years of life, I would pick this moment without hesitation.

“…Status? What’s that?”

“…It’s nothing. Just me resolving to let go of past attachments and start a new life. Yeah.”

“Ah… you mean accepting your current status as it is. That’s a good mindset. Status!”

“*cough*… Please, I beg you to forget that word from this moment on…”

Jessica’s innocence pierces my heart like a double-barrel shotgun.

If I was going to be transported to another world anyway, I wish I’d gotten a power like time reversal!