Chapter 2 – Solitude, and a New Friend

I hit the ground hard.

The impact knocks the air out of my lungs, but it’s not pain that overwhelms me.

It’s shock.

Cold soil presses against my cheek. Damp. Alive. The scent of moss, wet leaves, and ancient wood fills my nose. For a moment, my vision spins—but slowly, it stabilizes.

“…Yeah… that just happened.”

I push myself up, blinking at the towering forest around me.

It’s quiet.

Too quiet.

But strangely…

Familiar.

Not the place—but the feeling.

Survival.

My uncle’s voice echoes clearly in my head, calm and firm like always:

“Listen Randy, when you’re in any situation—take a knee and assess your surroundings.”

“…Right.”

I drop to one knee immediately.

Breathe in.

Focus.

I check my sling bag—still here.

“…Lucky.”

I open it quickly, going through everything like muscle memory kicks in:

A small knife.
A lighter.
A compass.
A lifestraw—filters water.
Light snacks.
First-aid kit.
A torchlight.
…and a bunch of other stuff Uncle forced me to carry “just in case.”

“…Guess this is the ‘just in case,’ huh…”

At least this can keep me alive for the night.

I slowly scan the surroundings while standing up, eyes sharp, steps careful.

Dense forest.
Old trees.
And—

A path.

Faint, but clear enough.

Signs of people walking through here.

“…Civilisation.”

Good.

Curiosity creeps in—but I push it down.

First things first.

“Find food. Find water. Don’t die.”

Yeah. That sounds about right.

I move along the path, slow and cautious.

The sound of water reaches my ears.

A river.

Perfect.

I kneel by it and take a careful sip using the lifestraw.

Cold.

Fresh.

No weird side effects.

“Nice…”

Now food.

I grab some weed-like plants nearby, twisting them into a makeshift fishing line. A branch becomes a rod. A strange fruit becomes bait.

“…This is either genius or my last meal.”

I cast the line.

Wait.

The forest hums quietly around me.

Then—

—tug.

“Gotcha!”

I pull it up.

A fish.

…Sort of.

Silver-blue scales shimmer under the fading light. It looks like a weird mix between a salmon and a carp.

“…You look suspiciously edible.”

I stare at it.

It stares back.

“…Yeah, you’re dinner.”

The sky darkens fast.

Too fast.

“I’m camping here.”

No hesitation.

Survival mode kicks in.

Fire first.
Weapons second.
Shelter third.

I get to work.

Wood. Friction. Spark.

Flame.

The fire crackles alive.

“…Let’s go.”

I move fast but carefully.

I shape a bow from flexible wood and vines.
Carve arrows, hardening their tips in the fire.
Create a slingshot perfectly fitted to my hand.

Armor—

Crude, but effective.

Tree bark layered with vines.

Not stylish.

But it’ll stop scratches.

Uncle’s voice again:

“Prepare for anything.”

“…Yeah. I remember.”

Then—

Bamboo.

“…No way.”

Actual bamboo.

“Lucky me.”

I use it immediately:

Water bottles.
Better arrows.
And a bokken—a bamboo sword.

Not sharp.

But definitely painful.

I glance at my reflection in the river.

Messy hair.
Bark armor.
Bamboo sword.

“…Damn. I really look like a samurai.”

Low-budget one—but still.

But I can’t rely on just one metal knife.

I need backups.

Stone tools.

I grab river stones, striking and shaping them carefully.

One becomes a crude blade.
Another, tied to a branch—

A stone axe.

I even modify bamboo into a knife, embedding sharpened stone into it.

“…Okay… survival level just went up.”

Way better than going out here empty-handed.

Next—

Security.

I set traps.

Simple but effective.

Noise alarms using branches and tension lines.

Anything steps in—

I’ll know.

Only then do I sit by the fire.

The flames dance.

Warm.

Alive.

For a moment—

I relax.

“…Thanks, Uncle…”

I glance at my compass.

It spins.

Non-stop.

“…That’s… not good.”

It’s like the entire place is one giant magnet.

“…Well, that’s useless.”

I sigh.

“Guess I’ll use the sun as a sundial.”

Primitive problems require primitive solutions.

Fatigue starts to hit.

My eyes grow heavy—

Then—

“Randy! Randy!!”

I snap awake instantly, knife already in hand.

“…What the—”

The jewel Luna gave me glows softly.

“…Yeah?”

“You alright! Thank the gods!”

“Yeah… that old man’s got some loose screws in his head.”

“…Loose… screws?”

“Never mind.”

“Could you lay the jewel on the ground?”

“…Huh? Okay.”

I place it down.

The air distorts.

Light bends—

And then—

She appears.

“…A hologram.”

“You know, in my world we call this a hologram.”

“Interesting… but let me see your surroundings so I can find you.”

That’s when it hits me again—

She’s not human.

Cat ears.

A tail swaying gently behind her.

“…Right. Not human.”

“Got it, let me do this…”

The air warps again—

And suddenly—

She’s here.

In front of me.

Physically.

Under the dark sky, illuminated by firelight—

She looks…

“…kinda cute.”

Then she speaks.

“You know that your friends there don’t even know you existed. Even the teacher you saved has forgotten you.”

“…Uh huh… yeah, that part…”

It stings.

But I shrug it off.

“But it seems that you could manage this by yourself though…”

“Yeah… I guess I have to. I need to find a way back home… or my uncle’s house is going to be dusty.”

“I wonder what this place you call your world is like…”

“It’s Earth… but I don’t even know how this connects. Planet? Galaxy? Universe? Dimension?”

“That keeps me wondering as well…”

We exchange knowledge.

Two different worlds.

Same confusion.

She explains everything:

The summoning.
The prophecy.
The Demon Lord.
The champions.

My classmates—

Chosen.

“…Guess I wasn’t part of the plan.”

Then the races.

“Hume. Elves. Dwarves. Fairies…”

“And you?”

“…Beast-man.”

“…Low rank?”

“…Yes.”

I let out a small laugh.

“…Figures. Guess we’re both the ones who ‘don’t exist.’”

She pauses.

Then nods.

She tells me about her past.

Adopted by the Queen.

Last survivor of a destroyed clan.

No emotion in her voice.

But I can feel it.

Suddenly—

She grabs my arm and pulls me up.

“You are now a warrior… though mostly blunt weapons.”

“…Well, better than nothing. But I need practice. I’m good at surviving—not fighting.”

“Really?”

She pulls me away from the fire.

“How about we practice right now?”

“…Huh?!”

She moves.

Fast.

Elegant.

Deadly.

I swing awkwardly—but then I remember:

“Always fight where you’re good at.”

“…Alright then.”

In the dark—

I fire my slingshot.

Clack!

She parries it easily.

“…You’re good.”

“But how about a duel?”

That’s when I realize—

She can see perfectly in the dark.

“…Right. Cat.”

I am so dead.

Seconds later—

I’m on the ground.

Again.

“…Ow…”

“You are not taking this seriously.”

“I hate fighting…”

“And this world does not care.”

“…Fair.”

Then—

My curiosity kills me.

“Hey… I have a question.”

She points her rapier at me.

“What will that be?”

“I thought cat folk had a dialect…”

“…What dialect?”

“…Like ending sentences with ‘nya.’”

Silence.

“…Explain.”

“I read it somewhere—”

I even pose like a cat.

Yes.

I did that.

I regret everything.

Her expression?

Pure judgment.

“…Earthling imagination is strange.”

“I mean—”

Pain.

Immediate.

Devastating.

“…!”

I collapse.

“…You hit me…”

“Yes.”

“…Low blow…”

“Yes.”

“I think… I lost my future children…”

“You deserved that.”

“…Fair…”

No pain, no gain.

But this is more like—

No pain, no offspring.

Eventually—

We calm down.

She hands me a pouch.

Coins.

Bronze. Silver. Gold.

“This is the currency of this world.”

“…So barter—but upgraded.”

She also gives me a map.

And a strange compass.

“This one will point you toward the village.”

“…Why are you helping me?”

She looks up at the sky.

Quiet.

Soft.

“I don’t know… but you are the only one who looks at me normally.”

“…That’s a low bar.”

She steps closer.

Closer than before.

“…Uh, Luna?”

She smiles.

Small.

But real.

“There must be a reason for all this, Randy. Meeting like this… being thrown out… it is too much of a coincidence.”

“…Yeah… maybe…”

I don’t push it.

“…I should go.”

She nods.

Then disappears.

Silence returns.

The forest feels less empty now.

I pick up the map.

The compass glows faintly.

I start walking.

Alone—

But not the same.

“…Damn it…”

My stomach growls loudly.

“I forgot to eat…”

And just like that—

My journey continues.