When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the dazzling rays of the sun.
I sat up groggily and looked around.
「Whoa—」
An endless grassland stretched in every direction.
The air was crisp and clean—nothing like the exhaust-choked cities I knew. No doubt about it, I was really in another world.
But there was one problem.
「This isn't a town!」
Yep. Just an ocean of grass as far as the eye could see. No signs of civilization whatsoever.
Hey, Goddess-sama.
Why'd you have to mess up at the very last second?
「What do I do…? I don't even know which way to go.」
This might actually be game over.
At least there aren't any monsters or wild beasts nearby, but once night falls…
I don't know for sure, but I've got a feeling monsters are way more active after dark.
I didn't take any combat skills.
No special stats either.
「Wait… am I screwed?」
Ahahaha.
Oh crap, I'm actually screwed.
AHAHAHAHAHA.
「…This isn't funny. What the hell do I do?」
Seriously, Goddess-sama!
You asked if I was sure about my skill choices!
And this is what you do?!
This is a straight-up death flag!
While I was busy ranting to myself, the worst-case scenario arrived.
My smile froze. Oh, come on.
A chill ran down my spine. Fear gripped me. This wasn't just bad—it was catastrophic.
Did you listen to anything I just said?!
「SKREEEEEEEEEEE!」
「I said no bugs, dammit—AAAAAAAAH!」
A giant caterpillar, now right in front of me, let out a roar and opened its maw wide.
The second I feel danger, I spun around and bolted like a rabbit.
Do not zoom in on a bug's mouth.
Disgusting. Terrifying. Why is it making noise?!
Do bugs even have vocal cords?!
That's the sound it makes?!
Wait—is it chasing me? IT'S CHASING ME, ISN'T IT?!
The sheer pressure bearing down from behind made my legs wobble, but I forced myself to focus through sheer willpower.
Wait, wait, wait—I haven't even checked my skills yet!
Oh, right! Spatial Magic! I have Spatial Magic! Even at Lv. 1, it's gotta be useful somehow.
"Better safe than sorry"—looks like dumping most of my points into this skill wasn't a waste after all!
[Spatial Magic Lv1: Creates a pseudo-space for storing and retrieving items]
「Uselessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!」
Just as I expected.
An item storage skill—yay, how wonderful.
If I can't use it now, I'll never be able to use it in my life!!
「No no no no way. This kind of sudden development can't be real!」
This is impossible. This is just no good.
If it were some beast-type monster, maybe I could've resigned myself to defeat, but insects? No way.
Whether I fight or lose, there's nothing good about this.
And seriously, why is this caterpillar so fast?
It moves like a looper caterpillar, but its speed just makes it even more disgusting!
「Shooo」
What's that? I've got a bad feeling about this.
What kind of attack does a caterpillar even have? Oh right, it's gotta be that.
As I was thinking that, sure enough—the giant caterpillar spewed out a thick, white thread.
「UWAAAAAAAAH!!」
It's shooting silk! It's coming right at me! Isn't there anything I can do?!
Crap crap crap, it's fast! It's getting closer!
Mister Caterpillar, you're way too biggggggggg, uwaaaaaaaaaaah!
~Skill Acquired: Madness~
「I went insane!? Did I get this skill because I lost my mind for a second?! No, wait, AAAAAAAAAH!!!」
The slimy, sticky sensation of the silk made my skin crawl even harder.
Wrapped up in layers of thread, my legs tangled, I collapsed—and the caterpillar loomed over me.
UWAAAAAAAAH! It's gonna eat me, it's gonna eat me alive!
Oh, gods, goddesses, Buddha. I resent you all from the bottom of my heart.
Was there really no better way for me to die?
Ah, my precious otherworldly life…
My dreams, my aspirations—ending like this, all because some goddess messed up my reincarnation spot.
If there's a next time, please let me be born into a wealthy family where I lack nothing.
And please, let me lose consciousness before being devoured.
And then, the moment finally arrived.
Right before me, the giant caterpillar drooled thick mucus, its maw gaping wide, revealing rows of thorn-like teeth as it prepared to engulf me.
「Ahh…」
At the very least, let me feel no pain. Let it be instant. I prayed as I shut my eyes.
「Ano, are you okay?」
A few seconds passed with my eyes closed. I wanted to react to the sudden voice, but what if it was the caterpillar speaking inside my head? The thought paralyzed me.
If the caterpillar said, 「Ano, are you okay?」 and the moment I opened my eyes, it went chomp—no, no no no, I don't want that. Absolutely not.
「Ano, excuse me! Are you okay!? Stay with me!」
My shoulders were shaken vigorously.
The hands gripping me were unmistakably human—two arms, not insect limbs.
Could it be… was I saved?
Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a knight clad in white armor standing before me.
「Ah, good, you're unharmed. Hold still—I'll cut these threads for you.」
With that, the knight drew a sword from their back and swung it in a smooth motion.
Honestly, I thought I might get sliced along with the silk, but their skill was precise—only the threads were cleanly severed.
「Hayato—? Everything alright—?」
「Yeah, just barely made it in time.」
From behind the knight came a light, graceful voice. A beautiful girl—slender, with lovely legs, though not particularly busty—approached.
「Ah… Ah! Th-thank you! You really saved me!」
「No need for thanks. Just glad we happened to pass by.」
「Still, what were you doing out here all alone?」
I stammered out an explanation, recounting everything that had happened so far.
「—And so, my spatial magic was useless… Really, thank you so much!」
Tears welled up as I spoke.
If they hadn't been nearby, I'd already be a chewed-up snack for that giant insect.
「Ah, yeah. Well… There's a lot I wanna ask, but… glad we could help.」
「Hey, Hayato… This guy…?」
「Yeah. Probably the same as me, I think.」
「I see… Then, why don't we escort him to town and explain things along the way?」
「Sounds good. Let's do that.」
The two exchanged a serious, knowing glance—something I couldn't decipher.
「Huh? W-wait, so you're taking me to town?」
「Yeah. We're actually headed to Einzheil ourselves. We can fill you in on this world during the trip.」
「Whoa! That's a lifesaver! I can't thank you enough!」
「In return, though, we've got some questions for you too—that alright?」
「Of course! I'll answer whatever I can!」
「Good. For now, let's get to the carriage.」
A hand was extended toward me. I took it, pulling myself up, and we started walking toward the carriage.
…Being led by a handsome knight, inside and out… Ugh! So cool, damn it!