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If this isn’t a dream, then what is it?

Is it a game? Am I inside the game? No, that doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s a VRMMO, you know, like the ones you often see in anime and light novels. I doubt it, though. If I were playing an immersive virtual game, then maybe, but the game I was playing was your run-of-the-mill PC MMO. The fact that I was suddenly teleported to a virtual game world from the real world is just absurd. I’d rather go back to believing this is a dream than trust that scenario. I just can’t believe that I’m in a world inside of the game.

Besides, this is just way too half-assed to be a game’s world. I can indeed use skills and my inventory, but there’s no window menu, and I can’t even see my stats. I can also manipulate the power of my skills based on how much Chi or force I decide to use. There are absolutely no set values for any of my skills.

Was I just summoned to another world like that skeleton guild master or that programmer who fell asleep on his desk¹?

Maybe I just fell asleep… I can see that happening. Wasn’t there also a story where the players and their characters were transported to another world?

Well, whatever, all that matters is that I’m in an unknown world, without any friends or acquaintances, and that I was brought here in the form of my main character. A truly novel-like setting. I guess that’s the final answer to this riddle.

Given that I’m going to be living in such a foreign world from now on, there are some things I must think about.

The thing of the highest importance is how am I going to live. Or rather, how’s my everyday life going to look?

Although I have money, it’s all in-game currency. I doubt I’ll be able to use it. The currency looks like gold coins, but I don’t even know the value of gold here. And besides, I don’t even know if this currency is made from real gold. I won’t be able to show my face if they say it’s fake.

I can also sell my items for money, but selling my equipment or weapons could in turn lead to some nasty situations, so I’d rather hold on to those for now. I have furs and pots, so I guess I can sell those.

But I don’t even know where I should begin selling those. I guess that’s the first problem I should tackle…

From the outside, I’m nothing more than a foreign kid who can’t speak the language and knows nothing of the world. The only choice for a child like me, who’s suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar world without a single acquaintance, is to rely on trusty adults! That is the only way.

If I were in Japan, I’d be able to go to the police, but I don’t know if there’s such a thing in this world.

I learned that there is an organization known as the Knight Order, which sounds similar to the police, but they aren’t deployed in this village.

Luckily, judging by what happened at the temple, I can safely say that Sir Cloud has some influence in this village and that he’s trusted. I’m glad I accepted Sir Cloud’s invite back then. But it’s not like I can stay here forever. If I play my cards right, I might even get him to help me find a job and a place to live.

I believe that’s a good plan to go by. I’ll bring it up with him today when I get the chance! With that out of the way, I guess I should think more about what else to do.

After all, there are a ton of things I don’t know. First on that list are the so-called heroes, and whether they’re from another world like me.

All I know about them is what Henry told me back at the temple.

They’re people from another world that appeared here two hundred years ago. They apparently took care of some problems for the country back then and managed to bring the whole country together to create the foundation of the modern world.

Or so I was told. This can only mean one thing. These heroes must be modern people. I know that my evidence is weak, but the progress of civilization in this world is just… weird.

From what I’ve seen, their main mode of transportation is horse-drawn carriages. And as far as I know, there’s no such thing as an internal combustion engine.

As far as lifestyle is concerned, it’s around the 18th-19th century. Compared to this, the Industrial Revolution would’ve already happened in our world during that period; steam engines would’ve been developed, and trains would’ve been filling the tracks. Yet there’s none of that here.

There are no essential utilities. Forget running water; they’re still using wells. They use a rowing pump in the kitchen to get water. There’s no point even bringing up electricity or gas. Their ovens are wood-based, and for light, they use lamps or candles. Yet, despite all this, they have showers and warm baths². They even have wireless hair dryers³.

What surprises me the most is that there’s even a washlet! Like, why is this here?!

It took me by surprise! Like I’d never expected to have warm water pushed up there! This is really bad from a woman’s point of view, you know?! I even ended up letting out a strange sound, and Elrose even laughed at me… God, I don’t even want to remember how embarrassing it was.

It’s bonkers! It’s crazy to think that the standard of living is on par with modern times, but the infrastructure is this far behind! It feels like somebody picked up random technology and knowledge from somewhere else and forced it in. Just what did you do, you heroes?!

There might have been other people besides the heroes and their followers, but I don’t know for sure at this point.

But if there were others, then it might be worth looking for them.

Find out where the heroes came from, what they did, and where they went. Maybe I’ll start searching from there. If they were able to return to their original worlds, if there is such a way, then I may be able to find a way back home as well… How? From where… Who… to where?

No, I should stop here. I’m going down a bad road. For now, the best path to take is to chase after the heroes.

With that out of the way, there’s one more high-priority question. And that is if these heroes were players. If so, were the followers players as well? Are there others besides them? Are there any right now? Or will they be appearing in the future?

In this world, I’m quite overpowered, but in the game it’s different. There, I’m nothing more than a small fry player. If a high-level player appears, I’ll be slaughtered in a heartbeat. If a PKer comes here, I’m a goner.

If the players who came before me, or those who may come in the future, end up being high-leveled players, then I’ll be nothing more than a small fry commoner compared to them. It’s entirely possible that the heroes were high-level players.

When it comes to me, I don’t think I can become a hero. Ultimately, my mindset is that of a commoner.

There are likely those who’ll fool themselves into thinking they’re the strongest, but I’m not that kind of person. I’m the type of person to wish for others to do their thing somewhere that has nothing to do with me.

I can’t possibly take care of other people! My hands are full just looking out for my family, friends, and relatives. At most, I’m only capable of leading a really small team.

While I try to anticipate mistakes and avoid them, sometimes they happen. When that happens, I try to follow up, listen to frustrations, and comfort or scold. When my boss tells me the schedule can’t be changed, I want to shout out, ‘That’s b̲u̲l̲l̲s̲h̲i̲t̲!’ But I don’t. My team helps me push through it, and when I get it done on time, I don’t even get a word of praise but am looked down on as if something like this is to be expected. That gets on my nerves, and I want to curse, but I don’t. Despite this, the alcohol during the gatherings afterward is tasty, and I can’t help but think that I love being with this team.

That’s the kind of person I am!

Directors, you must have it tough. You’re responsible for a lot of people’s livelihoods, so please do a good job, would you?! It’s not for me. Just thinking about it gets my stomach turning. Dream big, they say? Be the best? Like I give a damn! Don’t drag me into that! I don’t care about hanging around the top floors of the buildings in Roppongi Hills. Nor do I want to sip expensive brandy while looking at the night view. I like the ground! I like to eat yakitori and sip on Hoppy⁴ at a standing table in one of Nogecho’s bars!

God, I want to eat some intestines!

Oops, I went a bit off the rails here. It’s safe to say that my built-up frustration from work has been seeping out ever since I came here… In short, I said all that because I want to make a strong statement that I’m a commoner through and through⁵!

I guess I’ll need to prepare myself mentally for a lot of things.

For starters, can an irregular being such as myself be allowed in this world? I find myself thinking of that often. So that’s why I try not to stand out as much as possible. I even think that it might be better if I just go and hide somewhere. If I’m not able to do that, then the very least I can do is try to live as a commoner.

That’s it! I’ll try to live my life as a commoner!

If there are high-level players here, then I only need to get on their bad side once, and I’m done. That is why I won’t stand out, won’t speak out, and will try to blend in as a cheerful commoner. That’s my aim⁶.

Know thyself, and live within thy means while laying low!

*****◇*****◇*****

“Know thyself.” Susie murmured as she lay on her back, gazing up at her raised right hand. “The mind and body are one…”

She thought, keeping her hand lifted before clenching it into a fist.

“My body is a young girl! My mind is an old man!” She let her hands fall, flopping them over her forehead. “Then what about my heart? What is my heart?”

The room fell silent. There was no one to answer that question.

1. Robinxen: TL/N: The author is referencing the shows Overlord and Death March to a Parallel World Rhapsody specifically.
2. Robinxen: The otherworlders really did a number on this worlds technology tree… what on Earth have they done to its progression?
3. Robinxen: ?!
4. TL/N: Hoppy (ホッピー, Hoppii) is a beer-flavored, almost non-alcoholic drink (0.8% alcohol) that Kokuka Beverage Company began producing and selling in Japan in 1948.
5. Silva: hmm to me, it feels more like the author is complaining about his own life through Susie
6. Robinxen: I am sure this will last a few chapters at least! Probably. If you do well…

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