Tough Another World Reincarnation (manga title: Starvation and Reincarnation) - Episode 5

It was a ten-minute walk east from the Laval abandoned town. After walking for about a kilometre, as Reurus felt, he found a place that looked like a good place to pick up firewood.

 

　There were few trees to call it a forest, and there were traces of logging in some places. Unlike the forest where he had spent the night the other day, the sun’s rays had reached the ground, giving the whole forest a bright atmosphere.

 

　The footing was not too bad, with only a few short grasses growing in places. There were not many fallen leaves on the ground, and if there were, we would not get our feet caught in them. There were fist-sized stones sticking out of the ground in some places, but as long as you watch your step, you wouldn’t trip over them.

 

 

“Are there any monsters around ……?”

 

　He could see some of the forest, but it didn’t look like there was any living thing in there. He did not hear any footsteps or cries, nor did his intuition, which he had felt many times before, pick up on. Relieved by this, Reurus stepped into the woods, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.

 

 

　Our goal this time was to collect firewood. If possible, we would like to find something to eat, but even though he is a former farmer, he is not a hunter. He knew how to grow vegetables in the fields to a certain extent, but he was not much of an expert when it came to wild plants and mushrooms.

 

 

(I mean, mushrooms are bad. …… If they’re bad, you die.)

 

　Even in his previous life, accidents involving deaths from mushrooms picked in the mountains had been in the news many times. No matter how different the world is, it would be dangerous to think that even the ecology of mushrooms has changed.

 

　He has never had a stomach ache from anything he’s eaten since he’s been in his current body, and he might be okay with a small amount of poisonous mushrooms, but if he’s not careful, there might even be mushroom monsters.

 

 

(What kind of mushroom monster, if any, would be a more dangerous version of cordyceps?　What is that thing that parasitizes moth larvae?　For more dangerous, it could be a human parasite. ……)

 

 

　Reurus shook his head as he imagined himself as a mushroom seedbed. Although he didn’t think it would happen, his feet almost went backwards as he stepped into the forest.

 

 

(Am I a kid for being freaked out by my own imaginings? …… No, I’m a kid physically.)

 

 

　It’s like the fear you have after watching a horror movie, wondering what’s lurking in the dark. Reures chuckles at his imagination and stops when he spots his “first prey”.

 

 

(This is a vine. …… Okay, I’ll take it.)

 

 

　He had come to pick up some firewood, but he wanted some rope to hold it together. Therefore, Reurus tore off the vines that were tangled in the wood with his bare hands, and nodded after checking their flexibility and strength.

 

 

“Yeah, I think it’ll work well enough to put together some firewood.”

 

 

　It would probably tear if someone were to hang from it, but it looked like it would be enough to tie up a bunch of firewood. After tearing off five vines of varying lengths that were nearby, he turned his attention to the ground.

 

　If he had an axe or something, he could have cut down the trees, but with his bare hands, it was impossible for Reurus. Therefore, he collected branches and dead trees that had fallen on the ground.

 

 

(…… Does this burn properly?)

 

 

　Reurus decided to gather firewood, but the branches he had picked up still seemed to have some moisture left in them. The weather had been fine for the past few days, so it was dry to some extent, and it would be possible to burn it if he wanted to, but there was still the question of whether it could be used as firewood.

 

 

(I’ll let Dominic know about it when I give it to him.)

 

 

　As long as you are cooking, you will use fire. If you leave it near the fire, the water will dissipate and it will become usable as firewood – that’s what Reurus would like to think.

 

　It shouldn’t be useless. Deciding that, he walked around here and there, picking up branches and dead trees that had fallen to the ground.

 

　The ones he picked up were mostly small, but there were some branches lying around that were as thick as Reurus’ arms. But because they were so thick, they had a lot of moisture in them and would not be suitable for use as firewood. Therefore, Reurus decided to use it as a stick for weeding.

 

　The shape was a little distorted, but it was about a meter long, so it could be used as a walking stick. Although it was not strong enough to be used as a weapon, just the fact that he was holding a wooden stick seemed to ease his tension.

 

 

(……No, if I fought a guy like the lion from the day before yesterday with a wooden stick like this, I’d die right away. ……)

 

 

　Reurus had never seen many monsters in his life. However, when he was living in the village of Shena, he had seen monsters that came to destroy the fields, and he shook his head in comparison with his memory of that time.

 

 

　He didn’t think he could defeat not only the lion monster, but even the monster that was raiding the fields. As far as Reurus knew, even the smallest monster was about the size of a medium-sized dog, and if he were asked if he could defeat it with a wooden stick, he could only reply, “Don’t be absurd.”

 

　However, even if he wanted to acquire weapons and armor, he would not have enough money to pay for them or even to eat that day. Reurus took a swing at the wooden stick and nodded, checking its weight.

 

“Well, it’s better than nothing. …… No, wait, what?”

 

　Putting aside the goal of collecting firewood, Reurus looked around and started looking for a stone of a reasonable size. He also looked for a thick vine and collected three of them, then tied the stones he found to wooden sticks to secure them.

 

　What he is making is a very simple stone axe. A wooden stick alone is not enough, but he thought he could increase its power by attaching a stone to the tip.

 

 

(Hmmm …… raggedy clothes and stone axes. I feel like I’ve regressed back to B.C. instead of the Middle Ages.)

 

　It is a stone axe, but it is not very sharp. It looks more like a stone with a handle than an axe. He tried to shake it lightly, but the stone shook every time he shook it, as if there was a gap between the vines that bound it.

 

 

“That’s what you get for amateur craftsmanship…….”

 

 

　When he shook it a little harder, the stone tied to the vine came loose and flew away. Reurus looked away as if he was stunned, but then he felt an irresistible sense of embarrassment.

 

　He felt a sense of shame, wondering what he was doing when he was a good age on the inside, despite his appearance. He felt as if he wanted to hang himself on the spot, as if his parents had caught him shadow boxing with a string of electric lights.

 

 

“…… Well, let’s pick up some firewood.”

 

　He pretended that he hadn’t made any ugly mistakes and resumed picking up firewood. He made a stone axe to use as a weapon, but it would do no good for an amateur to have a weapon. We should run before we fight.

 

　He told himself that, and picked up the firewood. It was not a place where he wanted to stay for long, so he would have to take as little time as possible.

 

 

(Then why the heck did I make a stone axe? ……)

 

 

　He hadn’t had a decent meal or sleep in a long time, so he must have been relaxed. While reflecting on his own actions, Reurus picked up some firewood and tied it up with vines. It took him about thirty minutes to finish gathering a handful of firewood, and then he started to move out of the forest.

 

 

　If he collected too much firewood, it would be too heavy to carry around and would become a burden if he encountered a monster. Therefore, he decided to stop at a certain amount and carry all the firewood he had collected only when he returned to the Laval abandoned town.

 

 

(In early spring, it would be nice to have wild plants and stuff. …… No mushrooms, no edible wild plants. …… It helps to have a good amount of dead wood, though.)

 

　The main goal of procuring firewood was going well so far, but he could not find anything that could be used as food. Reurus was disappointed by this, but consoled himself with the fact that the firewood had been gathered.

 

　Even if they took a little tax out of it, he could at least pay back for the food he had been served at Dominic’s last night.

 

(It’s too heavy to call it a debt of gratitude ……, and I don’t think I could ever repay it with this much, but I’d at least like a loaf of bread.)

 

　While returning the favor, He would like to have at least some bread for dinner tonight. He wondered if he could negotiate with Dominic about that.

 

　With this thought in mind, Reurus returned to the entrance of the forest, but tilted his head as he felt a strange sense of unease. It was not so strong that he could call it a bad premonition. It’s just a minor uneasiness, like when he thought he might have forgotten to lock the door of his house when he went out to work in a previous life.

 

　However, now that Reurus had no home, he was probably just imagining things. Reurus thought to himself – he came across a huge rabbit, about 80 centimeters long.

 

 

“… What?”

 

　He stood there and a stunned voice escaped him.

 

 

　It has brown fur and a lovely shape, similar to the rabbit Reurus knew in his previous life. However, it had the physique of a large dog and two horns on its head like a fighting bull. The tips of the horns were so sharp that they could easily penetrate the human body.

 

　The opponent must have been aware of Reurus’ approach. It was lying on the ground with its body and the horns of its head pointing at Reurus with all the strength in its limbs. It was like a bow that had been squeezed, and it perfectly caught Reurus, who was stupidly in “range”.

 

 

“–Ooooooooooo !?”

 

　The rabbit monster kicked the ground with all four limbs and turned into a bullet. It was only by chance that Reurus was able to avoid the assault. He was so startled that he slipped on a fallen leaf and lost his stance.

 

　This is the reason why he was able to avoid the two horns flying at his heart – but he was unable to avoid the body of the rabbit with horns itself, which sent a shock to his left shoulder.

 

 

(What a sign like that!)

 

　Normally, He had a bad feeling whenever a monster approached. This time, however, there was no “it”. There was a strange feeling of discomfort, but it was trivial and could be dismissed as just a misunderstanding.

 

 

　Was my bad feeling so far just a coincidence, or did my intuition not work this time for some reason?

 

 

　Such a question came to mind, but only for a moment. If he didn’t focus on the threat in front of him now, he would lose his life instantly.

 

　The rabbit must have anticipated that Reurus would evade. He twisted his body in the air to kill the momentum of his leap, landed on a tree trunk, and set his sights on Reurus again.

 

 

　He slipped on a fallen leaf and lost his balance when he came into contact with the horned rabbit’s body, and there were too few actions he could take. Even if he wanted to escape, he would have to regain his position, and the rabbit would not give him time to do so.

 

 

　In the first place, there is the question of whether he can escape. Reurus wasn’t sure about this, but from what he had heard in his previous life, the speed of a wild rabbit can reach up to 80 kilometers per hour. If you take into account the fact that the opponent is a monster, it would not be surprising if they hit twice that speed.

 

 

　In other words – you can’t escape. The moment you turn your back on them, they will skewer you and kill you. The best thing to do was not to encounter them.

 

 

　Compared to the lion monster, it was smaller in size, and there would be no point in running into the woods. Before that, he would only die if he could not avoid the next attack.

 

 

“Hmm!”

 

　The horned rabbit kicked the tree trunk. At that moment, Reurus abandoned his attempt to regain his stance and avoided the assault of the rabbit by rolling on the ground. He then threw away the bundle of firewood and wooden sticks in his hands and crawled along the ground to escape into the woods.

 

　The choice between an empty plain and a more or less sheltered forest was obvious. If he had to choose between the two, the latter would be the obvious choice. If he was lucky, he might be able to get his opponent to give up by climbing a tree. Considering the time it would take to climb the tree, the horned rabbit would probably catch up with him, and he would be skewered.

 

 

　Lighter now that he had discarded his luggage, Reurus ran in a zigzag pattern to use the trees as a shield while keeping an eye on his footing. That way, the horned rabbit would not charge in carelessly. He thought about it, but his face twitched when he realized that light footsteps were following him.

 

　When he looked back just a little bit, he saw a horned rabbit chasing after Reurus with an agility that did not match its huge body. It followed Reurus, who was running in a zigzag pattern, and its four-legged beast-like speed and precise positioning in pursuit of its prey was worthy of praise.

 

 

(I mean, why is this thing attacking me!?　Aren’t rabbits supposed to be herbivores!?)

 

　As far as Reurus knew, rabbits were supposed to be herbivores. It may be that the rabbit is attacking Reurus because he has stepped into its territory, but aside from its size and sharp horns, it is terrifying to think that a cute looking rabbit that he knew in his previous life is trying to kill him.

 

 

“”Aah!”

 

 

　There was a sense of fear coming from behind him, and the sound of a particularly strong kick on the ground. Sensing this, Reurus reflexively jumped forward diagonally and rolled on the ground in the manner of a diving forward roll. The pebbles and unevenness of the ground hurt his back, but it was far better than being pierced from behind by a horn like the tip of a spear.

 

　Out of the corner of his eye, Reurus saw the horned rabbit pushing through the air like a bullet, and he immediately got up and ran.

 

 

(My opponent is a quadruped. …… How can I escape!?)

 

　As he ran around, he desperately tried to find a way out of the situation, but he had never dealt with a wild animal in his previous life. He had heard that bears were not good at going downhill, but the place he was now was flat, albeit in a forest. In addition to that, it was unlikely that he would be able to disperse the horned rabbit on a slight downhill, and a sense of despair began to form in Reurus’ mind.

 

“What!?”

 

　He managed to avoid another assault – the pain in his left shoulder made him scream out. He had avoided the horns, but it seemed that the claws had cut him. They were short compared to the horns and didn’t seem to be a threat, but they seemed to be sharp enough to tear a person’s skin.

 

　It wasn’t a serious injury, but it was inevitable that the bleeding and pain would slow down his movements.

 

 

“Damn ……!”

 

　Physical strength, speed, weapons. He was outmatched in all of them. Reurus continues to run, holding his wounds, but if he continues like this, he will lose his life in the not too distant future.

 

　If it was impossible to escape, there was no choice but to fight. It didn’t take long to make that decision, but the question was how to fight.

 

 

　–Watch out for the horns and claws, and catch the horned rabbit’s thrust?

 

 

　Although he has the advantage in size, he doesn’t think he can stop the horned rabbit from charging at him with his entire body. In the first place, he would have to stand in front of it to catch it, and the momentum would probably push him over the edge and he would be pierced by the horns and die.

 

 

　–pick up rock, throw it at him, and fight from a distance?

 

 

　It was unlikely that the stone would hit it, and even if it did, it would likely be bounced off the rabbit’s fur and muscles. He had to decide that the risk of exposing himself to an opening when picking up the stone was greater.

 

 

　–Hit it with a handy tree branch?

 

 

　He was not confident that he could hit the agile rabbit, and he was not sure if it would be as effective as throwing stones. In addition, he felt that it would be too dangerous to challenge it in close combat.

 

 

(There’s nothing I can do. ……)

 

 

　He felt like punching himself for being so carefree in gathering firewood just a moment ago. If he didn’t waste time making a stone axe, he should have gathered firewood quickly and returned to Laval abandoned town.

 

　It was too late to regret, but it was probably because he was not aware of monsters. At this point, he would be killed by a monster just like his parents in this world.

 

 

(-Not a joke)

 

　He had escaped from the village of Shena and was finally free. He no longer had to keep plowing the fields as if he were doing a set routine work, although he had no social status and his life was like trying to scavenge leftovers and falling down.

 

　It is no joke to die here. You must survive by any means necessary and enjoy this life.

 

 

“Whoa!?”

 

　Reurus was determined to do so, but he stumbled over “something” and his body swam in the air. He reflexively turned his gaze to the source of the problem and found the stone that he had just used to make the stone axe, which had flown away after just one swing, on the ground.

 

 

(Oh, man, I can’t believe I stumbled upon that …… thing of all places!)

 

　Feeling as if he had unexpectedly discovered his own black history. And this was in a situation where life and death were at stake. It was as if an unexploded bomb that he had not paid attention to had suddenly exploded.

 

　Reurus almost fell to the ground with his running momentum, but he quickly put his hands on the ground to prevent himself from landing on his face. Even so, he was not completely unscathed and had to roll over the fallen leaves with great force.

 

 

“I, tsu …”

 

　The shock of the fall and the pain almost made him stop breathing. But with the rabbit chasing him, he didn’t have time to moan in pain, so he bit his teeth to hold in the pain and used a nearby tree as support to try and sit up.

 

 

“–Ah”

 

　Then he witnessed the moment when the rabbit’s body was “launched”. The horned rabbit’s body was already in the air, as if mocking Reurus, who was barely able to raise his body. It had caught Leurus in its sights and was closing in to skewer him with its sharp horns.

 

　Reurus had barely avoided the assault of the horned rabbit until now, but this time he would not make it in time. He can understand that.

 

　His position, the pain in his body, the aim and momentum of the rabbit. All of them lead him to conclude that evasion is impossible.

 

 

　–The second death is imminent.

 

 

　The moment he became aware of this, Reurus felt as if the scene he was seeing was in slow motion. It was a feeling similar to the one he had in his previous life, when he had fallen to his death and the ground had slowly approached him.

 

 

　The flow of time seemed to slow down, and he could even see the strands of hair on the approaching horned rabbit.

 

 

　In such a slow world, he struggled to move his body, but the horned rabbit’s assault was clearly faster than Reurus could avoid it. No matter how hard he tries, the sharp horns will smash through his torso and stitch him to the tree behind him.

 

　The only thing left for him to do was to bleed to death, letting his internal organs fall out and writhing around in extreme pain. Unfortunately, his body is not strong enough to move even with a flashy wind hole in his abdomen, and no matter how much he remembers from his previous life, he doesn’t think he can handle it.

 

 

(I’ve heard that in times like this, there’s a flashback. ……)

 

 

　As was the case with the “first time”, there were no flashback in the face of death. Dare to say, the current slow-motion scene may be a flashback, but he just doesn’t want to see the horned rabbit that is slowly but surely approaching.

 

　Reurus’s body was also moving slightly, but no matter how many times he checked, it was impossible to avoid it. It is faster to be pierced through the torso than to avoid it. Aside from his poor stance and the pain in his body, he simply doesn’t have the speed to avoid the horned rabbit.

 

 

　The only way to overturn this situation is if you are faster than the horned rabbit – He thought he heard the sound of gears meshing in his head.