A monster in the woods

It was a windy and cloudy night. The animals in the area have started hunting, and Sato wakes up from his sleep.

Before I knew it, all I could see were trees. The smell of cooked meat filled my nostrils, and when I jumped up, the man from earlier was sitting in front of me. I quickly backed away from him and up the tree to see if he still had any limbs. Worst case, he was a cannibal and the smell of his flesh was from the limbs I once had. He picked up a wooden spoon and poured what he was cooking into a bowl. As I reached for it, he reached down to the ground, exposed the spear, and struck my hand. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react.

"Did I say you could have it?" He made a shallow cut on my hand and I pulled it back. When I examine the spear, he notices some strange writing on it, which turns out to mean "discipline."

"I have some questions. Answer honestly and I'll feed you. If you lie, I'll kill you, understand?" I nodded and he smiled at me.

"Okay. First question, how did you get so deep into the forest?"

``I don't know, I just woke up and came here.'' He seemed confused.

"Next problem. The Red Forest is full of predators, and you just happened to make it to the center unscathed. But when I attack you, it's like throwing a stone at your head." It's as simple as that.'' At least he was honest about his assault on me.

``That's because the God-'' The area became dark, and I faced the Goddess again. But this time it was different. I couldn't move my muscles, including breathing. ”

"It may be true that I led you here, but I don't appreciate you using my name to get out of a difficult situation. It ruins the fun of doing it yourself." All you have to do is do it.'' I gasped as my body was no longer restrained. Then, I was faced with the man again.

"I understand if you're nervous. Just answer honestly and it'll be over in no time."

"I think I understand your predicament and why you don't remember much now." He let go of the spear, and it turned to dirt.

``Please eat while I explain what's going on. I'm sure you're confused.'' He threw the wooden fork into the bowl, and I picked it up and started eating. When I took a bite of the meat, it tasted better than anything I've ever tasted. It had the flavor and richness of duck, yet was as tender as high-quality beef. It consisted of this miracle meat, a kind of mushroom, and something that tasted like potatoes.

"Then from what you have told me and the way your mana feels, I can confidently say that you are a learned man." When he said that, I realized something and started eating food. I threw it away completely.

"You may be surprised, but as a fellow polymath, I think I might be able to at least help you get to town."

"How did you make a spear out of nothing?"

"What?" His face turned stone, but I continued.

``I saw you pick up a cane from the ground, but I just assumed it was covered in dirt. The problem is, when you dropped it, it turned back to dirt. .”

"Yes, it was advanced earth magic." He seemed more confused than I was.

“Earth magic?”

"Simply put, I passed mana through the soil and made it into a spear shape."

"I can't believe it."

"Yes, but with enough practice... Wait! You're a polymath, but you don't even know earth magic. Now I want to know what your homeland is like. At least you can tell where you're from. Do you remember when you came?'' When he said that, I once again realized my predicament. The fact that I'm lying in the woods eating stew instead of checking tomorrow's weather in my comfy bed. As I talked about it with him, I suddenly felt depressed.

"Actually, that's true. My home was a place where most of us never had to wonder where our next meal would come from. And those who did were helped by those who didn't." A place where you can make a hundred mistakes and still live a normal life.'' He interrupted me.

"It's like paradise."

``I guess you could say that. But paradise was starting to get boring for me. Then I wondered how lucky I was.'' He threw some wood into the fire and cooked some more meat. started.

“Then why did you no longer want it?”

"It was a place where you didn't have to do anything. As long as you were content with a simple life, you had the option of doing the bare minimum."

"A life limited only to what you enjoy? Sounds like more than paradise. Do you know what gives you the status of a polymath?"

"Have no idea."

"First, you must be an outlier. You have the ability to exploit or actively rebel against the current social system. Then, to use that power you must act on instinct. Yes. Then you will attract the attention of a certain person whom you have already met. Then she will give you eternal life with endless possibilities of learning and growth.My question to you is, why did you want to go against the paradise you had? ”

"The fact that I didn't have to do anything great made life boring and unbearable."

"I see. Are you already starting to regret your decision?" I patted the hard ground.

``Just having to lie on this instead of a soft bed is enough to make me regret it.'' He smiled at me.

"Too bad. Is there a way to return to this paradise?"

"I was told there was only one way to come back, and that starts by getting to the top of the world."

"I see." He threw me the ax he used to chop wood.

``Run, and you'll never get food from me again. Besides, you won't be able to get far anyway.'' He took the meat off the fire and began to walk away. As I picked up my tools, I heard a rumbling sound behind me.

"I hope you noticed that the meat we ate was too soft for a predator's meat, which means something stole our meal tonight. That's where this silver guana comes in. ” It was a huge silver lizard with jagged teeth and as big as a tree.

"Please protect your base as well. This is where we will be spending our time from now on. Also, when you kill a Predator, I recommend that you cook it and eat it. It will taste bad, but you will absorb the remaining nutrients. If you're still here when I get back, I'll reward you by teaching you how to control your mana and how to use magic. My name is Paul. You'll know your name later." He took the food and left, so I had to deal with the monster.

I just woke up. My food is not yet digested. Even though I haven't even taken a bath yet, I come face to face with a giant lizard. All he has in his hand is an ax with the words ``Work to Eat'' written on the handle. At least I wasn't in a position to complain. The main reason is the fact that there is no time to complain. The lizard's tongue came out quickly, but not as quickly as Paul's spear. I moved to the right and noticed that its tongue was strong enough to break trees like twigs. After seeing what it did, I realized there was no time to be scared. My throat was weak so I ran as fast as I could. It stomped on the ground and lost my balance. Before I could get it back, I was hit with its tongue and slammed into a tree, causing it to fall on top of me. Trapped under a tree, I realized there was nothing left for me to do.

"What on earth am I doing? Even if I can move the tree, what will happen next? Fighting that monster? If I run away, I won't be able to survive on my own. So why? Does that matter? As I let go of the tool, I heard a voice above me.

" Wow, I just turned my back on you for 48 seconds and you're lying under a tree?" How did you get there? ”