Chapter 13 - Truth

[Narrator: Author]

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"They… all got killed," Kaori stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Fear widened her eyes, tears threatening to spill.

"Killed…?" Reiji's voice was low, his concern evident.

"Our classmates… three of them."

"...They are killed by what?"

"W-Wolves…"

Wolves.

In this otherworldly forest, such creatures were to be expected—ferocious, merciless predators, driven only by the hunger to devour their prey.

"How did you know that?" Reiji's eyes narrowed as the Ashenblood Rabbits halted, sensing the tension.

Kaori clutched her head, her fingers digging into her scalp as the trauma washed over her. "I… I w-was there too…"

"How did you manage to get away?"

"T-They… bought me some time," Kaori's voice faltered, and she doubled over, retching. "Bwee-eegh—!"

'Must've been hell for her…' Reiji turned away, exhaling heavily. "You're safe now. That's what matters. (And I'm not watching, so don't worry about it.)"

"But…" Kaori's voice broke, haunted by a so-called survivor's guilt.

"Whatever happened is done. There's no point dwelling on it. Don't blame yourself; they chose to save you."

Kaori was the type to remember debts and repay them with gratitude. Though they were gone, she vowed to honor their sacrifice by staying alive.. She knit her brows to stifle her cry, steeling herself to move forward.

Kaori stood up, and Reiji signaled the Ashenblood Rabbits in beast language to continue leading them to the others.

Upon their arrival, Sayuri's surprise was palpable as she greeted Reiji. "Welcome back, Shiroyami-kun! And Vice-president Kaori-san!"

Kaori exchanged pleasantries with Sayuri before the conversation turned to the current situation. "When Jiyoo wakes up, I'll explain what I've deduced and some information I know," Reiji stated, reaching to lightly pinch Jiyoo's nose, blocking his breathing — a customary method to rouse him.

"Hng—KAH! CAN'T BREATHE!" Jiyoo exclaimed, jolting awake.

"How carefree of you to sleep in the middle of the forest, man," Reiji remarked, rising to his feet. "Now that Jiyoo's awake, should I explain what's going on?"

The two girls nodded, and the just-roused Jiyoo kept switching glances between the three of them, nodding in response.

"First, we are not in our world anymore. We were transported to another world when that blinding light appeared in our classroom," Reiji began, his tone somber as they absorbed the reality of their situation.

"Second, the principle of 'survival of the fittest' applies here. Beasts and unknown creatures exist that pose threats we've never encountered before."

"Third, I need to confirm something. Can you all utter the phrase 〔 Status Window 〕?" Reiji instructed, and the three complied, revealing personal system panels akin to those in games.

"As you can see, game mechanics apply in this world," Reiji explained, prompting excitement from Jiyoo about potential skills.

"Similar to isekai manga, then!" Kaori and Sayuri chimed in together, sharing an amused expression.

"I didn't know the stoic vice-president liked manga too," Sayuri teased, eliciting a blush from Kaori.

Reiji pressed on, asking about their class listings. Sayuri was labeled as 'Priestess', Kaori as 'Wind Archer', and Jiyoo as 'Light Bearer'.

Meanwhile, Reiji's panel remained class-less, leaving him puzzled and feeling unfairly disadvantaged. 'So, the classes are given… not to be obtained, huh. This doesn't feel right.'

"I'll tell you guys one day," Reiji promised, deflecting their curiosity for the time being.

After that, Reiji went to asked for more and he confirmed the unanswered question that he kept within him:

They also have the Otherworlder title, and their Level starts with 0.

However, a particular section left him feeling disheartened.

'Why are theirs 9 points higher than mine? Their starting stats are 10, while mine is 1…?' Reiji couldn't shake off his sense of injustice, but he knew he had to maintain his composure. These individuals were just as clueless as he was, indicating the problem likely lay with the system itself.

'Is that individual related to this?' Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind of the entity he had encountered in that strange space.

'Forget it. In any case, is there a panel for skills?'

'How do I show it? List of skills? Skill list? Show skills?'

'Hmm… What are the synonyms of list… menu? Skill Menu? Not that either, huh…'

'How about catalog? 〔 Skill Catalog 〕?', when he uttered the system function, a transparent blue-hued system panel appeared before him.

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—|Skill Catalog|—

〈 Unique Active Skill/s: [???] [Polyglot (Lv. 1)] 〉

〈 Unique Passive Skill/s: - 〉

〈 Special Active Skill/s: - 〉

〈 Special Active Skill/s: - 〉

〈 Technique Skill/s: - 〉

〈 Active Skill/s: - 〉

〈 Passive Skill/s: [Pain Resistance (Lv. 1)] 〉

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'Oh, so it is. Let's see… Three skills, Polyglot, pain resistance, and… three question marks? What's that?'

The letter of the skills boldly glowed, so Reiji went to touch it - the [???]. However, when he did, this what showed up instead in red-hued system panel:

「 NOTICE | [???] Skill Information unavailable. 」

'Unavailable? Is it something that should be like… unlock or some conditions that needs to be met? There's no helping thinking about it, I should continue.'

He pressed the skill below the unique active skill section, which was the [Polyglot].

「 NOTICE | Showing [Polyglot (Lv. 1)] Skill Information. 」

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—|Skill Information|—

Skill Name: Polyglot

Skill Type: Unique Active Skill

Skill Level: 1/5

Sub-Skills: [Comprehend], [Communicate]

Cool-down: 60 minutes (decreases with level)

MP Usage: None

Duration: 5 minutes (per language / increases with level)

Learned Language(s): - [Beast Language - Ashenblood Rabbit: 37 seconds remaining] (Max Count: 1)

Description: An ability that allows the user to comprehend and communicate fluently in any spoken language encountered. The effect lasts for 5 minutes per language. The user can reactivate the language or switch between languages freely within the registered learned language's total duration.

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'Woah! This skill's too useful where foreign language is everywhere in this world.'

'Next,' he pressed the Pain Resistance word and a new system panel appeared before him.

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—|Skill Information|—

Skill Name: Pain Resistance

Skill Type: Passive Skill

Skill Level: 1/10

Cool-down: N/A

MP Usage: None

Duration: Permanent

Description: Pain Resistance allows the user to endure physical pain beyond the average person's capacity. As the skill level increases, the user's ability to withstand pain and keep functioning effectively grows.

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'This skill… did I achieved it because of the relentless assault I received from the demonized Ashenblood Rabbit back then? Passive skils… I'll keep that in mind.'

While lost in thought, Reiji noticed the Ashenblood Rabbits, led by Kareus, had completed their task and now carried dismantled parts of the hogzilla in cloth rucksacks.

Reiji activated the Polyglot ability to understand Kareus.

"Young man Reiji, it's done."

"Thanks, Kareus."

"We've taken our share," Kareus showed the side with fewer parts compared to the other side, which had more. Theirs was the smaller portion. "Is this alright?"

Reiji nodded with a faint smile, "Sure, thanks for that, Kareus."

Remembering his earlier request, Reiji then asked, "Oh, by the way, Kareus, is there perhaps a river or something nearby?"

"Oh! There is one nearby, however, it is connected to a lake!"

"Can I get directions?" As he asked, a panel suddenly appeared before him.

「 NOTICE | [Polyglot - Language: Ashenblood Rabbit] 10 seconds remaining. 」

"We will lead the way!" Kareus said proudly, familiar with the forest's geography.

Reiji, feeling a bit anxious now, spoke quickly, "Kareus, for the next hour, I won't be able to speak Ashenblood Rabbit's language. If you need to communicate with me, please use doodles."

"So, your ability to speak our language is a skill."

"It seems that way. I just realized it."

"I see. Now, we will depart!"

With that, they proceeded to their next destination, each one carrying cloth rucksacks filled with dissected hogzilla parts and edible fruits, while Reiji carried the poisonous ones.

Reiji and his classmates stumbled out of the dense woods, their eyes adjusting to the sudden burst of light that greeted them. The air felt different here—cleaner. Before them lay a small clearing, more like a path etched by nature than a purposeful road.

"Woah~", the four exclaimed.

But it was what lay beyond the clearing that truly captured their attention. Not too far ahead, the earth seemed to split open, revealing a deep and expansive canyon. Its edges disappeared into the distance, and as the four peered into its depths, they caught glimpses of swirling mists that rose like ethereal tendrils.

—plash!

Amid the quiet, the distant sounds of water splashing echoed through the air, hinting at a hidden river below.

[POV: Daichi Kimura]

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Daichi rubbed his forehead, blinking at the towering trees around him. Dappled sunlight broke through the dense canopy, casting shifting patterns on his tanned skin. He sat in the midst of the forest, the air thick with humidity, the earth cool and moist beneath him.

"Ugh... What on earth is going on?" he muttered, pushing himself to his feet.

He turned, taking in the branches reaching like gnarled fingers toward the sky. Confusion clouded his eyes. The last thing he remembered was a blinding flash of light, then suddenly, he was here.

"Seriously, am I in some kind of wonderland?" He kicked a pebble, frustration simmering. "Oh, it's a forest alright. But where the heck is 'where'?"

GRUNT.

A low grunt broke the stillness.

Daichi's head snapped around.

"Who's there?!"

But what he saw was something he did not expect.

A boar stood there, coarse fur bristling, tusks gleaming. It skidded its front leg against the forest floor, ready to charge.

"Oh, come on!"

"Seriously?"

"A boar?!"

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|TO BE CONTINUED|