Next Life - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

A Snowy mountain.
There are thrills and also romance, all in all a wonderful place.
At least, Yamada Takashi had thought so.
This time visiting with friends as a group of three boys, has turned this trip into a nanpa with a similar group of three girls, enjoying skiing together.
(Ojii-san Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanpa)

“I’m really bad at skiing, can you please teach me?”

With a spoiled voice the girls begged.
The skill of the girls was actually not the problem.
A situation in which Boy-and-Girl alone time has been achieved is the important thing.
Going by their instinct, the boys gladly offered instruction one-on-one.
This also happened to Takashi.
Secretly making sure that their target girls were not overlapping, they divide into three groups.
With a high-spirited Takashi, enjoying skiing with a girl named Misaki.
Then, he was caught in an avalanche.
In middle of his misfortune, he wondered if he had helped Misaki.
As his consciousness receded, while thinking such a thing, he heard a voice calling out to him from somewhere.

“Takashi! Takashi!”
“Takashi-kun!”

A friend, Kazuhiko’s voice, and another person that was with him a while ago, Misaki’s voice.
Although Takashi was unable to identify the party that was calling him. Nevertheless he knew that somebody was calling him.

(I suffocated to death? Or froze to death?)

While thinking that such a thing should not be thought of by a nearly-dead-person, before he was dug out from the snow, Takashi’s life had already been extinguished.
At least, that’s what was supposed to happen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(That’s what I remembered.)

Takashi was puzzled.
When he regained his consciousness he was not on a snowy mountain or hospital, but on the bank of lake.
Although it was vast enough that the other side couldn’t be seen, there are neither waves nor sandy beach, also no salty smell, he judged it to be a lake.
In the sky many clouds floated, a breeze occasionally stroking his cheek.
Left and right a forest spread, matching the sounds the wind made.
And, a yellow sun and red sun lighting up the earth.

(A red sun, like in Fantasy Adventure Online.)

He reminisced the bitter feeling of having been addicted to an MMO game in the past.
The Gods of the suns were twins, red sun and yellow sun, was such a setting that appeared.
There he was a magician called Marius Touban.
Having caring comrades and fellow Association members working together, clearing the grand quest, and after that continue playing the bonus extra-event.
As soon as he saw the red sun, that memory popped-out, probably because of how familiar the scene was to him, he had a feeling of deep fondness.
While deeply reminiscing about such a thing, Takashi noticed his appearance was exactly like Marius Touban in FAO (Fantasy Adventure Online).
Crimson robe was an extra-item [Garment of Purgatory], in his right-hand a golden cane was held, the unique-item [Staff of the Dragon-God], on the index-finger of his left-hand a ring was fitted, an extra-item [Ring of the God Inheritor].
If this was true, this equipment is the same as what he had on when he last logged out.

(Inside the game, or reincarnated into a similar world.)

For better or worse, several novels like that had been read.
Calmly accepting his situation, trying to analyse the current circumstances while being amazed with himself, his thoughts kept progressing.

(Why did this happen, that thought was useless. What can you do now, how to do it, is what’s important.)

With his current thoughts, if the equipment is the same, the same spells could be used too, right?
At least it’s worth a try.
Above all the problem is himself.
Equipment details and confirming his status is necessary.
The equipment and items can be confirmed by 10th-class magic, Appraisal.
Of course, that is if the chant can be used.

“Reveal the value of these things [Appraisal].”

Having tried to use it, the results of the appraisal came into my mind.
Staff of the Dragon-God – unique-item.
Garment of Purgatory – extra-item.
Ring of the God Inheritor – extra-item.
Necklace of the Archangels Leader – unique-item.
And in the status area, it shows my name as Marius Touban.
Currently level 228.
Life points at [33.000], Magic points at [86.000] have been shown. FAO’s upper-limit for levels was 200. More than that can’t be reached if a player has not advanced to extra-event.
Takashi recalls Marius as being an “I don’t take any responsibility if the game balance is broken” kind of player, declared by the operating management, he had been left reincarnated as an extra-player.
The worrisome thing was his tool-bag is empty, and the name of himself that was shown on the appraisal result.
The name that appeared when confirming his status meant that regardless, there is a partial possibly that there is something about all this that is the same as the game system.
The reason there are no items in the tool-bag is unknown, even the starting place that should be thought can’t be traced*. As long as his abilities as an extra-player still remain, staying alive should not be difficult he has determined.
The next thing that should be made sure of is that magic can actually be used.
All magic is classified into thirteen ranks and twelve systems, Marius can use all of the magic, being the owner of the “Wise man [Philosopher]” title, it shows that he is a magic user of the highest class.
First, let’s try offensive magic.
Having thought that, Marius raised his right-hand that was holding a cane.

“O’ fire burn thy enemy [Fire]”

Fire was the lowest of magic, belonging to the 12th-class.
That’s why it was selected with a light-hearted feeling, the fire that emitted from his right-hand was white, with a size comparable to that of adult man’s head flew toward the trees.

“Ha?”

Unconsciously with eyes becoming dots, the trees in front of him were devoured by the white fireball.

“Shi…”

He had forgotten that he was equipped with powerful items, and about how high his level is.
On top of having knocked-down tens of tree, the burned trees that had been knocked down caused the surrounding vegetation they touched to catch fire, setting the forest alight, if left alone undoubtedly a situation such as a massive forest fire could be confirmed to happen
It needs to be extinguished ASAP.
Magic in same class as Fire, Water.
If it was released right now only a repeat of before would occur.
However, if he released the magic with unequipped items there is no basis that is will be extinguished, making it unavoidable.

“O’ water crush thy enemy [Water]”

Sure enough as he had expected, a large amount of water is generated, it continued to flow, sinking the trees in front of him, such a plight can only be labelled as a massive flood.
However, the flames disappeared, no signs of any fire remaining can be seen.
Carelessly causing such a massive fire, having avoided such a blunder he pats his chest.
He had intended to change his mood, but apparently his heart had yet to recover. For the time being, he took a few deep-breaths, lightly hitting both cheeks twice to fire-himself-up.
A part of forest had been turned into a vacant lot, it can probably be solved with stimulate plant growth magic.
Next problem is how to get food.
Since there is nothing to be found in the tool-bag he possessed. It was necessary to procure food by himself.

(Or rather, because of that loud sound there is not going to even be one animal that wouldn’t have run away…)

Noticing the unnaturalness, he using magic to detect living creature.

“Sign of life, convey into us [Detection]”

11th-class magic, Detection.
Magic that only can determinate where there are living creatures or not, roughly, although it is unable to differentiate different living creatures from one another.
That magic, cruelly told him that there aren’t any living creatures within several hundred meters.

(Well, let try to find some fruits.)

Marius went into the forest.
Because magic can be used, whatever there is that poisonous can be identified, by chance should something bad be eaten, detoxification magic can be used.
If there are any problems, it would be where the current place is.
The stage for FAO was a fictional continent called Barnam, it also the same in extra-event.
And there shouldn’t have been a lake.

(Perhaps it’s the Tariant continent?)

What can be recalled, came out in name only, it’s another continent.
In order to impart on the users that the world is very broad, for players its presence is only a setting, but if they were to have a lake in there, it isn’t strange.

(Just to be sure, let take some precaution.)

Despite being conscious of the fact he had already died once, doesn’t mean wants to die again.
Moreover not knowing the level of this land’s monsters. Raising his precaution was not overreaction, was it?
Marius once again used detection at the entrance of the forest.
Nevertheless, the presence of living creature can’t be grasped.
Only his footsteps and the sound of wind between the trees could be heard.
Looking up at a tree were fruits that closely resemble grapes, dozens of tufted black fruit can be seen.
Under his robe there is look-alike underwear from his original world, since the brown shoes he wore were not something he had seen before, it might be better to stop trying to climb the tree.
Inside the tool-bag, Staff of the Dragon-god, Ring of the God Inheritor and Necklace of the Archangels Leader had been placed, so he raised his right-hand.
Even using magic normally won’t produce enough power to blow a tree and the fruits to smithereens.
Having omitted a part of the chant and only saying the magic name.
While in the game-era, this was called the omitted chant technique.

“[Wind]”

While imaging casting breeze from the 12th-class magic, a gust occurs from his right-hand, a large number of branches can be seen folding.
The folded branches looked like they were broken, however there weren’t broken and the scattered leaves all fall at once.
Seems like chant omitting dropped the power quite a lot.
This aspect also seems to be true to game’s mechanics.

“[Slow]”

Magic to slow down the target, all the velocity from the falling objects have slowed down.
Until near the limit everything slowed down falling at a distance slowly, gently.*
Compared to the many scattered leafs, fruits that had fallen were about half of them.
The myriad of woods must be from broken branches.
Some part of a different degree of acceleration must be corresponding from the power that had been released.*
He only chose fruits that were not crushed, putting them into his tool-bag.
After the work is done, when pick-up the bag, he noticed it weighed as much as it did before.
In FAO there is a weight limit, the tool-bag is the useful way around that system.
However, the amount that can be put in the bag was limited.

(This is not the bag from FAO?)

More than fact that he was blown to unknown land, the possibility can’t be denied.

(Well, for now food has been secured.)

Shaking his head to erase the thoughts.
He gathered water from the lake, however when push comes to shove it can just be created with magic.
In his previous world, by mistake when traveling he had experienced camping in the wilderness, regarding finding a place to sleep was also not much of a problem.
There is lush grass, also there are no insects, much more comfortable than sleeping on a gravel road in the middle of summer.
There are trees, and also fruits to be eaten, for now the problem of food has been solved.
After first confirming there was no poison by using magic, then trying it with mouthful bite.
In fact it tasted very similar to sweet grapes, fruit juice instantly spread out inside his mouth.
There were hard things that seem like seeds, though they’re discarded by spitting them out to the ground.
As they were more delicious than his expectations, Marius began to feel a bit happier.
Regardless, the prospect of being able to live in this world has been erected.
End of Episode 1