I was enveloped by a brilliant, blinding light.
”A magic circle? A dungeon trap? I said I’d ask Yayoi-san on a date if I made it back alive… Did I curse myself?”
”Am I gonna die? Like, actually die? I haven’t even…!”
I screamed, but the light didn’t fade. My body spun with that weightless, sick feeling, and soon I couldn’t tell up from down, left from right. Consciousness slipped away.
.
..
…
My closed eyelids felt warm with light. I forced them open just a crack, and there was blue sky, stretched wide above me. I sat up and looked around. A vast green grassland spread in every direction. Low shrubs dotted the landscape in patches. A crisp breeze carried the scent of grass and earth, tickling my cheeks.
One moment I’d been in the cave-like Hachioji Dungeon, and the next, engulfed in that light, I was standing in the middle of a field. That glowing pattern must have been a magic circle. A dungeon trap designed to teleport me somewhere.
”Where the hell am I? Hokkaido? Some ranch?”
All I could do was stand there, stunned, staring at my surroundings. And then, suddenly, without warning, a mysterious voice flooded into my head.
[Confirmation: Individual α has teleported to Luna World. Executing optimization for Luna World compatibility.]
”Huh? What? What? WHAT?”
Luna World? And optimization? Like they’re gonna turn me into some kinda cyborg? I was panicking, but the situation wasn’t about to wait for me.
About thirty feet to my right, a goblin emerged from the brush. Around four feet tall, clutching a club. I’d never seen one in the flesh, but it matched the monster compendium from the Hachioji Branch. No question about it. It raised its club high and charged at me with a screech: “Gyoe! Gyoe!”
I don’t back down from anyone who comes at me… but honestly? I wanted to run. I’m a Level 1 G-Class Explorer who’s only ever fought slimes, okay!? But out here in this grassland, there was nowhere to hide. Which meant… I had no choice but to fight.
I snatched up the hammer at my feet and wrapped it in GP, Gaia Points.
[Individual α has entered combat stance. Halting optimization.]
The mysterious voice echoed in my head again. Great timing. I prayed it wouldn’t keep distracting me mid-swing and charged toward the goblin.
The goblin’s fighting style was simple. It just raised its club overhead and swung down in a big, heavy arc. If I could sidestep that first strike, left or right, the rest was easy. Dodge right, and I could bring the hammer across its head in a diagonal blow. Dodge left, and I could swing upward from below, aiming for its gut.
With GP-infused force behind my hammer, one clean hit was enough. One strike, and the goblin dissolved into mist.
After I’d taken down two, more came crawling out of the brush in small groups. Some carried rusty shortswords or crude bows, but they all attacked alone. Maybe if there’d been a higher-ranked species among them, they would’ve coordinated. But this time, they just came at me one by one, disorganized. Thank god.
I must have taken down thirty of them, give or take. When I finally looked around, the ground was scattered with magic stones, clubs, bows, rusty shortswords, and even loincloths.
I stared at the brush for a long while. No more goblins came. Everything was quiet. Nothing moved. The attack was probably over.
Then, whether it was the adrenaline finally fading or just exhaustion catching up, my legs gave out and I sank to the ground.
My first fight against humanoid monsters. I’d expected to feel disgust, but… I didn’t.
When my hammer connected with a goblin’s skull, I felt the crunch of bone caving in. If I took them down in one strike, they dissolved into mist, but until that moment, there was blood. And flesh.
I sat there, breathing, trying to take it all in.
To calm myself down, I reached into my pack for my water bottle, and as I pulled it out, the mysterious voice from before flooded back into my head:
[Combat concluded for Individual α. Resuming optimization for Luna World.]
Summary:
The protagonist is transported from Hachioji Dungeon to a grassland via a magic circle trap. A system voice identifies him as Individual α and begins optimizing him for Luna World compatibility. Goblins attack, he fights them off, and the system resumes optimization after combat ends.
Trivia:
- The protagonist is only Level 1 and has only fought slimes before this chapter.
- He feels no revulsion after killing humanoid goblins, which unsettles him.
- The optimization process halts automatically when he enters combat.
- Goblins dissolve into mist only if killed in one strike; otherwise blood and flesh remain.
- The mysterious voice refers to him as “Individual α,” implying there may be others.