It was one month and four days after I had first arrived in this world. Waking up well past noon in the inn, I stretched with a huge, lingering yawn before finally descending the stairs.
"Good morning to you. Lunch is ready, but will you be having it?"
"Yes, I will. Thank you."
Following the proprietress's suggestion, I sat at a table in the dining hall and waited for my meal to be served. My work cycle was four days of fishing and hunting, followed by three days of rest. Typically, the first day of my break was spent sleeping until lunchtime, which meant that lunch became my breakfast.
Even though I lodged here with meals included, that only covered breakfast and dinner; lunch was an extra charge. Still, it was only about six copper coins, so I couldn't complain.
"Honestly, I could set aside your share of the birds and fish, you know—" she had told me before, but I had refused that offer. The real problem was that any bird or fish caught was generally sold out on the very same day it was caught. People actually came to the inn specifically to eat the food here, it was that popular.
Given that situation, the thought of securing a private stash of fish and birds just for myself and eating it in front of other hungry patrons... well, I simply didn't have the nerve for that kind of audacity.
I instead poured the usual bowl of grain and vegetable soup into my stomach.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Finished already? The bath is ready, too, if you'd like."
"Oh, in that case, I will take it."
I'd heard that there were inns in this town¹ that charged only three silver coins per night. Considering that, this inn, 'Cran', which charged seven silver coins per night with meals, could be seen as slightly overpriced.
The reason for that higher cost was precisely the bath. The proprietress here, a woman named Claire, could use magic to freely raise the temperature of a liquid.
She could also use body enhancement magic for a short time. She would haul water from the massive cistern behind the inn and fill a bath tub—a large, drum-sized tub big enough for one person—before heating it up. Because she turned the water into hot water directly, there was no fire and thus no worry about accidental conflagrations, plus it emitted no carbon dioxide. It looked old-fashioned, but it was incredibly eco-friendly and clean. This service, being able to request a bath whenever you liked, was the single greatest selling point of 'Cran.' I just had to be careful, as it was limited to once per day, with extra charges for anything beyond that.
Incidentally, the job of refilling that enormous water cistern was handled by Mel, whom I'd met through the proprietress. Then there was Lieven, who used wind magic to ventilate the inn's rooms... and little by little, I was starting to build connections in this new world.
"I feel completely refreshed. Thank you very much."
I stepped out of the bath, dried myself off, and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
"A man who loves the bath so much is unusual, you know? Were you some kind of noble back where you came from?
Because you did mention you wished the tub was bigger."
It had been a given in my old world, but the tubs here were a bit cramped. The barrel-like shape made it impossible to stretch out my legs, which was a subtle kind of torture. Maybe I can try to make a bigger tub out of waterproofed animal hides sometime... With those sorts of things swirling in my mind, I headed toward the Guild.
* * *
"Oh! Shin, hello. What brings you in today?"
I had become quite familiar with Milia², it felt like.
She was, in fact, the Guild's receptionist, yet she had the combat equivalent of a Gold-class adventurer. Her strength wasn't in brute force or attack power, but in her memory magic, called Record. She could memorize any document or information just by reading it once. This Guild had about fifty registered adventurers, but she had the memory capacity for the town's entire population of about five hundred people. She was essentially a living database and server—an indispensable resource for internal management. Furthermore, she possessed an ability that allowed her to see through any disguise worn by someone she had seen even once.
"Are you here for work?" she asked.
"No, today's the start of my holiday, so I just wanted to consult with the Guild Master for a bit. Is Jean in?"
"Ah... that's right, I suppose this week's 'Shin's period' is over now. No fish or birds until next week, huh?"
It was slightly awkward to have an entire period named after me, but regardless, I decided to go up to the Guild Master's room.
* * *
"Ooh, Shin. What's the matter?"
I entered the room to find Jean, the Guild Master, frowning with deep wrinkles on his forehead as he grappled with a pile of paperwork.
"Ah, I actually wanted to consult with you about something. Is now an acceptable time?"
"It's fine. I just received a notice to be cautious since a group of wanted bandits has been spotted nearby," Jean sighed.
I couldn't help but let out a cartoonish Buu! of shock.
"That's not fine! That is absolutely not fine!" I blurted out.
Jean scratched his head roughly, tossing the documents onto the table with a pat.
"Listen to me. I've explained my magic and abilities before, haven't I? Coming to this town would be an act of suicide for any ordinary foe."
—That was right. Jean's main magic was See-Through (Truth/Lie Detection), along with fire, wind, and water... but those weren't his focus. The magic the Guild Master truly specialized in was the enhancement of weapons and armor that came with Body Enhancement.
Not only was Jean's own fighting ability incredible, but anything he wore or carried was transformed into a weapon of tremendous power. I had once seen him during training: he took a simple wooden stick the size of a small branch and effortlessly cleaved a three-meter-tall tree in two. He could throw a pebble and puncture a small tree trunk, and his plain leather breastplate could deflect swords and arrows. It went without saying that he was also Gold-class.
"If anything, I welcome them coming here. It's a human opponent, and there's a bounty on their heads," Jean chuckled.
However, even for him, powerful monsters like the Giant Boar were a handful. Creatures like the Boar could harden their entire bodies with body enhancement magic and attack with a charge, making them a serious nuisance. The line between a mere animal and a monster, by the way, seemed to be drawn by the degree of threat they posed, which struck me as a rather vague criteria.
"So, with that in mind—what did you need?"
"Um, I want to create something... I'd prefer to use stone for the materials, but wood would also be acceptable."
Jean stroked his chin for a moment, deep in thought, and then said,
"...In that case, we'd need earth magic, or wind magic if we're cutting wood—What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Well, I suppose that's the fun part. It'll be a surprise once it's finished."
We talked for a while longer, and he eventually promised to introduce me to one person who could use each of the required magics, and he gave me the name of an acquaintance who worked as a processor.
* * *
—Two weeks later.
Standing before the finished product, I shared a moment of triumph with the craftsmen.
"Wow, I've never made anything like this before," one said.
"I want one of these myself!" another added.
As a modern person, there were two areas where I simply couldn't lower my standards of civilization. The first was food, which I'd solved by procuring fish and birds myself, primarily to address the nutritional concerns rather than the taste. The second—was the toilet problem.
Since I used to enjoy the occasional camping trip, I was confident that I could endure a pit latrine, no matter how dirty or smelly it might be, but why did it have to be a squat-style toilet? Even in ancient Rome, there were sit-down toilets. For a man nearing forty whose knees were starting to weaken, this was a life-or-death issue.
And so, the finished product was a Western-style toilet.
I used my memory to create the mold, first building the base out of wood. Then, I asked a person who could use earth magic to coat the surface with stone. Just to be safe, I had someone who could use fire magic bake it once, and the result was a finished product very close to modern ceramics.
As an afterthought, I also had them create a portable version of a washlet (bidets) based on my memory. It was shaped like a cylinder with a nozzle on the side, like a water gun. When the craftsmen tried it out, they were quite impressed.
I had tried to make the whole thing out of stone, but the weight became utterly impractical, so that was rejected.
"It would be great if we could create a proper sewage system as well..." I mused.
Needless to say, the toilets in this town were not flushable. Despite being situated between two rivers, the concept of drawing in water was apparently absent because so many people could simply create water with water magic. Because of that, the concept of drainage was also nonexistent.
Inns had toilets located outside, like old Japanese outhouses, isolated in a small separate building. It was nothing more than a simple hole dug deep into the ground with the toilet placed on top, surrounded by a tiny hut.
Also, there was no concept of pumping it out. When I asked what they did, I learned that once the hole was full or the smell became unbearable after about six months, they would simply bury it and set up a new toilet in a different spot. They had learned from experience that the waste would decompose when buried in the earth, so rather than pioneering new ground, they just rotated through established spots.
Household wastewater was simply dumped onto the dirt ground, or by the more considerate residents, directly onto trees. Inns at least tried to mitigate the smell. In the general residential areas, however, they struggled, such as by building public toilets on the outskirts of town. They relied on people like Lieven, who uses wind magic, to blow the foul odors up into the sky a few times a week.
I was told that in larger towns or the Royal Capital, there were specialists who used purification magic, but the general attitude seemed to be, 'Oh well, there's nobody here who can use that magic, so what can you do?' It's a frustrating atmosphere. However, given that using magic is sometimes considered a semi-taboo due to custom or religious beliefs, maybe it couldn't be helped.
For the time being, I decided to provide the inn 'Cran' and the Adventurer's Guild in town with the toilets for free. If the reputation was good, perhaps I could try selling them to the general residential area. I asked the craftsmen to deliver about three of the new toilets to the inn for a start.
* * *
—Two weeks later.
About two months had passed since I arrived in this world. I was called to the Guild by Jean, the Guild Master. My life had essentially returned to the cycle of fishing and hunting, and I'd left the toilet production entirely to the craftsmen. I wondered what the matter was.
As I entered the reception area, Milia, who had become a familiar face, greeted me.
"Oh! Shin. The Guild Master is waiting for you upstairs."
"Yes. But what is this about? I haven't gotten myself into any trouble again, have I? I don't recall doing anything out of the ordinary," I asked, perhaps a bit too anxiously.
Milia blinked, looking slightly confused.
"I didn't hear the details, but he mentioned something about the general residential area... I think it's probably about those toilets."
Ah, I see. I was surprised that things had progressed so quickly, considering it had only been about two weeks.
"That shape, the one where you can sit down comfortably... and the attached tool called a 'washlet'... that is truly a great thing..." she murmured softly. Her low voice gave me a slight shiver of fear, but I was relieved it was well-received. I quickly escaped the area and headed upstairs to the Guild Master's room.
* * *
"Ooh, you came, Shin."
"Y-yes. What can I do for you?"
I sat on the long bench, a seat I was all too familiar with now, and asked for the business. It was indeed about the toilets: apparently, there were requests from the general residential area to purchase and install them.
"I've left all those arrangements to the craftsmen, though."
"Well, you are the inventor of it—it's just a formality that we need to inform the 'Giant Boar Killer' about it," Jean remarked.
My energy instantly drained at the nickname, but Jean simply laughed heartily.
"Anyway, that's all the talk. I'll take that as your permission. Do you have anything you want to ask? I'll be gone for about a week starting tomorrow, so tell me now if there is anything."
"? Nothing in particular. Where are you heading, Jean?"
He picked up the wooden cup sitting on the table, took a deep swig, and set it down.
"To the Lord's domain. I don't like the stiff atmosphere, but I've been nominally requested to instruct and train his private soldiers. I guess it's fine since it only happens every two months or so. Being Gold-class means you can't refuse this sort of thing."
Ah, so with higher status comes greater responsibility—
"Well, this isn't a far-off problem for you, Shin, so think about it carefully. Once you reach Gold-class, you are guaranteed a certain degree of authority and income, but on the other hand—you lose the right to refuse orders from the Royal Capital or the local Lord. That's why Raid, for example, avoids becoming Gold-class, even though he has the ability, just to avoid this very thing."
Hmm. Was this a fantasy-world version of the modern 'youth who don't want to be promoted'? Wait, but Lon and Mile had mentioned that I would 'move up quickly'... I had always assumed Guild Master meant Gold-class, but why was Jean here in this town and not the Royal Capital?
When I asked him about it casually, his answer was simple.
"It's a simple story. This town is my hometown. As you've probably heard, in this world where everything is practically decided by magical ability, there are fools who think they can do whatever they want just because they are strong. I only became Gold-class because it was one of the requirements to be the Guild Branch Master."
...I see. I gathered from his words that while part of it was for law and order, there was also no guarantee that the local lord or power figures here would always rule justly.
Just like in my peaceful world—rights aren't something you're guaranteed; they're something that can be stolen if you let your guard down. For the people who live here, that lesson must be ingrained deeply. Their 'resolve' to survive day-to-day was simply on a different level.
"Well, it's only a week. Nothing will happen in that short a time. But in case of an emergency, I'm counting on you, 'Giant Boar Killer'!"
And so, with that massive flag set, my conversation with the Guild Master ended. Three days later, that flag exploded.
* * *
I was heading back to town after my usual fishing trip when I noticed a commotion near the gate. I had just reached the other side of the river when I saw the bridge gate closing, and a group of a dozen or so figures had gathered in front of it. Among that group, I could clearly see a gigantic axe, easily three meters long, being wielded by someone who was swaying with the weight of it.
"What on earth is that..."
It was clearly a bad group, but I had no details. As I tried to get closer to understand the situation, a hand suddenly clamped onto my shoulder.
"!?" I gasped.
"It's me, Shin Sir!"
I turned to see Raid. His eyes were wide with intense anxiety.
"Raid, what is that...!"
"It's the bandit group that's been rumored to be operating in this area! Of all the times, they just had to show up when the Guild Master is away, Sir!"
Raid was apparently on his way to report the situation to the Lord—meaning, to Jean. Raid's magics were wide-area scouting and stealth, along with a speed boost via body enhancement. He was rushing to call for help.
"B-but...! Even with my speed, it'll take a day and a half one way for the Guild Master to get back, Sir... I don't know if the town's defenses can hold until then."
Suddenly, the ground shook with a loud rumble. I looked over and saw the blade of that huge axe had been buried deep in the ground, in the space between the gate and the bridge. Then, the man who was likely the axe's owner, a muscular man in his thirties with a thick beard, began to bellow.
"Hey, I'm giving you one hour! Get your women, your booze, and your money ready! I'm not gonna take anyone's life. I'll let them go once I'm done having some fun with 'em! This stone wall is nothing against this axe! Think carefully about this!"
His unkempt hair whipped in the wind as he raised the colossal axe with one hand.
Hmm. This was an absolutely perfect 'Mad Max'-style villain and demand.
"Ugh... this is bad, Sir..." Raid groaned.
"? Can't the private soldiers or the rest of the Guild members handle them?" I asked.
"It's the wrong opponent, Sir. The one wielding that gigantic axe is Glantz, known as the 'Bloody Axe Ogre'. The Guild Master could beat him, Sir, but nobody else... If things go on like this, Milia...!"
...I see. If they couldn't fight back, there was a high chance the town would give in to his demands. That would put Mel in danger as well, among others. I wouldn't feel right letting something happen to people I knew.
"Raid. Could you head back into town for a moment? I want to try talking to them, so please tell everyone inside to stay calm."
Raid looked from me to the gate and back again, his eyes wide.
"S-Shin Sir? Even the 'Giant Boar Killer' can't...!"
"I'm not saying I'm going to fight. If we can resolve this with a conversation, I will."
He seemed to make up his mind and nodded, turning toward the gate. With a sudden burst of speed, he was gone, a mere whirl of wind.
"Heeey, everyone~"
I approached the group of bandits in front of the gate, holding my fish pail in one hand and waving the other high above my head. Noticing my voice, the group surrounded me as I crossed the bridge. Every one of them held a weapon and was in a state of battle readiness.
"Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here?!" one bandit barked.
"Oh, I was just fishing."
The entire bandit group fell silent. That's odd. Did I say something strange? I wondered.
Then, the man with the massive axe stepped forward. His height was about the same as mine, around 170cm. He rested the handle of the axe, the blade of which was easily three meters long, on his shoulder.
"You got guts, old man. I'm Glantz the Bloody Axe Ogre. Who are you?"
"Ah, I'm Shin. I make my living fishing, hunting birds, and lately, building toilets. I'm Bronze-class at the Guild. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I politely bowed, and again, the whole group fell into silence. I only stated facts, though. I noticed spectators perched on the stone wall of the town, all of them also wide-eyed and maintaining a strange silence.
"You're an interesting one. What do you want?" Glantz asked.
I set the fish pail down on the ground, raised my head, and then spoke.
"Well, I'm not fond of anything bloody, so I was hoping we could make a wager. If I win, you and your men will surrender quietly. If you win, you can do as you please."
"Hooh~ And what kind of bet is this?"
I had formulated a plan on the way here. It was a method to conceal my ability to enforce common sense while simultaneously solving the problem as the 'Giant Boar Killer'. My nickname was already famous, so I figured I might as well leverage it to the maximum.
"A bet involving that axe of yours," I said.
"Oh?"
I pointed down at the ground with my index finger.
"Could you bring it down to the ground for me?"
Before I could even finish my sentence, Glantz brought the axe down right onto the fish pail he had just set aside. The pail was split in two, utterly unrecognizable, the fish flying everywhere as the axe blade tore the earth, embedding itself deep into the ground. He released the axe, crossed his arms, and puffed out his chest, looking down at me.
"Yeah. So, what's next?"
In front of him, I pinched the opposite end of the blade—the part buried in the ground—with my index finger and thumb, pressing them together, then pulling them apart.
"I will hold the axe down with just this," I explained. "If you can lift it up, Glantz, you win. If you can't, I win."
A ripple of nervous murmuring spread through the bandit group, and even the spectators on the town wall were stirred.
"...Interesting. You are truly interesting, old man," Glantz grunted, gripping the handle with one hand again.
—Up to this point, he was convinced of his own victory.
However, his misfortune was that his opponent was me.
This colossal axe—it had to weigh at least 300 kilograms. It might even approach 400 kilograms. There is a sport called weightlifting, and the world record for the clean and jerk is around 250 kilograms—it was absolutely impossible for it to exceed 300 kilograms. And that record was with a barbell, which is designed to be easy to lift, and the requirement was only to lift it momentarily. Whether he used one hand or two, it was simply impossible to lift it.
Glantz smirked, turned his head toward the town, and crowed,
"Hey, you guys better watch this carefully!"
He tensed his grip on the axe handle, gathering his strength—
"Anyone who defies me is gonna end up li—!!"
The next instant, Glantz's face was pressed firmly against the dirt, as though kissing the ground. The handle of the axe was still above his head, but the blade remained buried in the earth. He had momentarily been lifted onto his tiptoes and then dove face-first to the ground.
I, meanwhile, was simply pinching the top edge of the axe blade.
"BU-GUH!? HAAAAH!?" Glantz gasped.
He released the handle and scrambled to his feet, confronting me. His dirt-stained face showed a look of sheer disbelief and rage. He couldn't believe it. His own weapon, which he had wielded so effortlessly, had suddenly become an immovable block of iron.
"You—! You bastard!"
He tried to lift it with both hands this time. But, of course, that effort was utterly futile. Even with his considerable muscle mass, his weight was likely well under 80 kilograms. How could he possibly lift something that was potentially five times his own body weight?
"WHOOOA! AARGH!"
Glantz assumed I was holding it down, but if he abandoned the axe and immediately launched into a fistfight, I would be in trouble. I needed to act while he was still confused.
"Glantz," I called out.
"W-what is it?!" he stammered.
"Have you ever heard the rumors in this area about the Giant Boar that appeared?"
His bandit followers immediately exchanged panicked glances.
"B-boss! I heard the story! About the guy who took down a Giant Boar with his bare hands, in a single blow...!"
"I-it couldn't be..."
"He's the rumored Giant Boar Killer...!!"
It seemed the rumor had taken on a life of its own, but in this situation, I was grateful for it. Glantz released the axe, collapsing backward onto the ground with a pathetic wheeze.
"I-impossible... T-that's..."
I went in for the final move. I walked up to the collapsed bandit, grabbed the handle of the axe, and pulled it up slightly—a motion that felt like no effort at all for me.
"Glantz, if you can't lift this—can I have it?"
He had clearly intended to kill me. The implication of me asking for his weapon was unmistakable. I heard a small, muffled gasp, and then he fell fully backward. His crotch area was wet and steaming—it seemed he had fainted and lost control of his bladder.
"B-Boss!"
"It's over! Run!"
Just as the bandits, witnessing the state of their leader, scattered to escape, Raid suddenly appeared as if by instantaneous travel.
"Hold it! Nobody moves, Sir! If you try to run, Shin Sir will throw this axe right into your back!"
I wouldn't and couldn't actually do that, but it was enough to completely break the bandits' will to fight. Raid then waved his hand toward the town, the gate opened, and Lon, Mile, and the other Guild members rushed out to apprehend the bandits. As for the axe Glantz left behind, the townspeople insisted I should keep it, leaving me scrambling for an excuse.
Summary:
Shin's quiet life of inventing the Western-style toilet (a big hit, by the way) is interrupted by the infamous bandit Glantz the Bloody Axe Ogre, who attacks the town while Guild Master Jean is away. Shin calmly confronts the bandit and bets him that Glantz cannot lift his own gigantic axe, which Shin is holding down with just two fingers. When Glantz fails and realizes he's up against the legendary Giant Boar Killer, he is so terrified he faints and loses control of himself. Raid and the Guild clean up the now-demoralized bandits.
Character Insight:
Shin is still obsessed with modern comforts like a decent toilet, showing his mental resistance to this fantasy world. His true power—the ability to enforce real-world physics—is casually deployed, creating an incredibly tense but low-effort victory. He is constantly anxious but relies on his common-sense logic and reputation to avoid direct conflict. Raid is loyal and panicky, proving he's still a Silver-class and not ready for the pressure of a Gold-class threat.
Behind the Scene:
The 'Giant Boar Killer' title is a magnificent accident for Shin, allowing him to use intimidation based on a misunderstanding rather than his true ability, which he prefers to keep hidden. The axe scene is a perfect example of his power: the axe is too heavy by real-world standards for Glantz to lift, no matter how much 'fantasy strength' he has.
T/L:
¹ The text uses 'town' in English, but the Japanese refers to it with the word 'machi'. Since it's a localized settlement in the fantasy world, 'town' or 'settlement' are both accurate. ↩
² Milia's name is rendered in English as the original text used Katakana. She is a non-combat Gold-class, specializing in information and memory, a key distinction in this world's power system. ↩
Notes:
• Claire - The sharp-witted owner of the inn 'Clan,' which was previously famous for its private bath. She is a powerful water-magic user.
• Mel - A young girl Shin hires for her Water Magic to clean his catch. She has semi-long hair, and slightly foxy, sharp eyes.
• Shin - An average, middle-aged Japanese salaryman who prides himself on his common sense and average abilities. He was forcibly sent to a fantasy world by a God and granted the 'ability' to prevent anything 'outside his common sense' from occurring in his presence.
• Milia - The young receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild. She has short hair, tanuki-face like (cute), wears round glasses, and business attire.
• Raid - A young, 'normie' adventurer who gets saddled with the job of escorting Shin. He is carefree and friendly but is instantly put on edge by Jandou's ominous warning. He has short black hair, sun-tanned skin, and wears casual adventure gear.
• Mile - One of the two gate guards. He's relatively open and friendly towards Shin after their initial encounter. Wears rough leather armor, has weather-beaten face, and strong build.
• Glantz - A notorious bandit known as 'Glantz the Bloody Axe Ogre' for his massive weapon and brute-force approach. He has muscular build, bushy beard and unkempt hair. He carries a massive, 3-meter axe, and Wears bandit gear.