A Second Life
"Is this… the other world?"
While gazing out over the vast, lush grassland, I mutter to myself.
If what the god said is true, this must be another world, but honestly, the scenery doesn't seem all that different from the world I was in before.
The grass and flowers at my feet look familiar, and cute flowers like clover and dandelions are blooming.
It's a bit strange that there are no birds or insects at all, but thanks to that, the place is so tranquil that lying down might make me fall asleep for a nap.
"…But, yeah, that's right. That wasn't in my previous world."
That refers to the crimson, glimmering full moon that came into view when I lay down.
Well, I don't know if it's actually a moon. It might just resemble one and could be another star entirely.
But even if that's the case, in the world I lived in before, there was no crimson star next to the sun.
And it's quite large. A normal moon could be covered with the tip of a finger, but this crimson full moon is so big that even spreading my hand wouldn't cover it, filling over a fifth of the blue sky.
"Come to think of it, the god gave me some kind of special skill, didn't they? Uh… how do I check it?"
Sitting up, I first touch my body.
The slight belly fat I had is gone, and my body is now toned and muscular. Not overly so—just enough for a faint six-pack to show.
Plus, my body feels light. It's like I've returned to the physical age of my high school years.
"Hmm… speaking of isekai reincarnation, there's that one. Alright… Appraisal!"
I try to activate [Appraisal], a near-universal ability said to be possessed by over eighty percent of isekai protagonists. (T/N: 鑑定, a very popular common isekai ability to analyze objects or people)
But nothing happens—no floating text, no information flooding into my mind.
"Huh…? Then maybe… Status Open?"
I try saying "Status Open," a phrase isekai protagonists often use, but there's no response.
Only the warm breeze brushes against my skin, leaving me feeling a bit foolish.
"Oh, that kind of thing? So I can't directly get any information about myself…?"
After some trial and error, the results are the same.
For now, I decide to explore the area to see if there's anything around.
"…Hmm. The horizon just keeps going forever. I don't see any villages or towns where people might live. They say following a river leads to settlements, but I don't even see a river. What is this place?"
I keep walking, and though it's just a rough estimate, I've been trudging through the grassland for about an hour, but the scenery doesn't change.
I don't encounter any animals or find anything man-made. I'm just walking through an endlessly vast grassland.
But thanks to that, I've noticed something.
"Even after walking this much, I'm not tired at all. My soles and ankles don't hurt, and I'm not thirsty. It's kind of a strange feeling."
This is probably due to the special skill—too long to keep calling it that, so I'll just call it a skill from now on—that the god gave me.
Thanks to some kind of skill, I can walk briskly for over an hour without getting tired, my feet don't ache from fatigue, and I don't get thirsty.
But as a human, I'll probably get tired eventually, my feet will hurt, and I'll get thirsty and hungry at some point.
I'd like to find something before that happens—while thinking this, I look up and see something dark green spreading out in the distance.
"Is that… a forest?"
It's so far away, but when I strain my eyes, I instantly realize it's a forest.
It's a small thing, but I think my eyesight has improved too. In my previous life, I couldn't drive without contact lenses.
But now, I can clearly see a place several kilometers away. My eyesight is probably 2.0 or better, though that's just a guess.
"For now, I'll head toward it."
I get into a running stance and kick off the ground.
My body feels as if it's floating, and I can feel the wind against my entire body. The sensation of cutting through the air. And this body that doesn't tire no matter how much I run.
With a full-on sprint like in a hundred-meter dash, I manage to reach the forest, which was several kilometers away, without stopping.
Of course, there's no physical fatigue or pain. I'm not thirsty, and I'm not hungry. At this point, it's starting to feel a little scary.
"Still… how far does this forest go?"
Peering into the forest, all I see is dense trees stretching on endlessly, with no glimpse of what lies beyond.
I thought there might be animals, but there are no large ones like deer or boars, nor small ones like rabbits or birds.
Even in a forest, there are no insects. It's starting to feel like I'm the only living thing in this world, and a sudden loneliness creeps in.
"For now, I'll keep going."
I step into the forest, untouched by human presence.
There are no animal trails, but strangely, it's not hard to walk. And thanks to my enhanced physical abilities, I can move forward easily even on rough terrain.
If there's a rock in the way, I jump over it. If there's a five-meter cliff, I climb the trees to get past it.
In my previous life, I'd have been exhausted just walking through a forest like this, but no matter how much I move, this body never tires. It's starting to feel fun.
As a test, I sprint through the forest and jump, managing to grab a branch nearly three meters high.
I can also climb a wall between cliffs by pressing my hands against it, and I can perform simple gymnastics moves like handsprings or backflips with ease.
Amazed by my body's evolution, I continue through the forest until I reach an open area.
It's not that I've left the forest. It's just a wide, gentle plateau where no trees grow, with a pond a short distance away.
And in the center of the plateau stands a slightly weathered cabin, sitting alone.
"Is someone… living here?"
A mix of hope and fear sprouts in my heart.
If there's a person, I'd feel relieved, but there's also the chance that people in this world aren't like the humans I know and might suddenly see me as an enemy and attack.
I don't have any weapons, so if that happens, I'd have to run.
But if they have physical abilities surpassing mine, my second life would hit game over right there.
Even so, the curiosity welling up inside me is impossible to suppress.
I walk carefully to avoid disturbing the open land, climb the gentle slope, and reach the door of the cabin on the small hill.
"Um… excuse me? Is anyone there?"
I knock on the door. No response.
On closer inspection, the doorknob is slightly rusted and dirty.
It's just a feeling, but this house seems like it's been abandoned for quite a long time. I have no proof. It's just a hunch.
Hesitating slightly, I turn the doorknob and open the door.
Inside, the cabin is empty but equipped with the bare minimum of furniture and household items, creating a space where normal living seems possible.
"A desk and chair… and a bed and kitchen. It's compact, but it's bigger than a typical apartment room, so it seems comfortable."
I thought the dirty doorknob meant the inside would be filthy, but it's not.
There's some dust, but the desk and chair are sturdy enough to use, and while the bed smells slightly musty, it'd be fine after airing out in the sun.
In a small closet, there's a knife, a bow, and arrows for the bow, as well as seeds for plants I've never seen—everything one could need.
"Whoa… it's really starting to feel like I've come to another world… Hm? What's this… a book?"
While handling the knife and bow, I notice a book tucked deep in the closet.
But I instantly realize it's not a book for entertainment—it's for recording diaries or notes.
"A diary from someone who lived here before…? For now, I'll take a look."
Sitting on the chair, I pick up the book, its cover text faded and unreadable, and open it to see what's inside.