บท 5: Part 2

"Alright, Takagi, impress me, and you might earn my respect. We'll do this spar in private, so prepare yourself," declared Buluni.

"Um, could I get these off first?" Takagi said, raising his cuffs and chains.

Without hesitation, Buluni swung and destroyed the chains with Drut's sword. "There, now follow me," he finished.

Takagi could feel the sweat building up on his back. He was spooked but got up, placed his bowl on the log, and began following Buluni, who was walking deeper into the forest. "Good luck!" he heard someone say behind him, but he didn't bother to find out who it was. He wanted to focus on staying alive. They walked for several minutes until Buluni passed a tree and disappeared instantly. "Up here," he heard from above and behind him. He turned, startled, to see Buluni perched high on a branch. "Silent skill, silent magic, teleportation?" Takagi questioned himself, trying to figure out how Buluni had moved so quickly.

"Here's a sword," Buluni said, dropping Drut's sword, which pierced the ground in front of Takagi. The sword didn't look particularly special to him, but he picked it up and noticed its heft and weight.

"How am I supposed to swing this heavy-ass thing?" Takagi exclaimed.

"I'll give you a few practice swings," Buluni said loudly.

As Buluni instructed, Takagi gripped the sword and began swinging it three times. Yes, it was heavy, but Takagi managed to generate a decent amount of force. "Honestly, it's my first time swinging a sword," Takagi said to himself.

"I will throw this dagger up in the sky, and once it reaches the ground, we can begin," Buluni shouted, still perched on the tree.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Takagi thought, disbelievingly. Nonetheless, he readied his sword in a basic stance, trying to prepare himself.

Just as Buluni said, he launched the dagger high into the sky, and Takagi watched as it descended towards the ground. He then caught a glimpse of the spot where Buluni had been standing, but Buluni was no longer there. Takagi looked around, startled, and heard the dagger strike the ground. The sound of the dirt being parted by the piercing blade reached Takagi's ears in slow motion. He was surprised but confused, unsure if it meant he was going to die, as if it were a signal from the world that his end was near. He also heard faint footsteps behind him, the sound of shoes stepping on dirt and blades of grass separating. "Could it be these ears?" he thought. He caught a whiff of the delicious stew that the group had eaten. "Wait, why do I smell that?" he wondered. Takagi realized that he might possess a power to perceive things in a heightened manner. "Maybe this is my secret power granted for being transferred into this world. Perhaps I'm freakishly strong and powerful," he daydreamed, thinking highly of himself.

"What is that sound?" Takagi thought, startled by the noise of something slicing through the air. He still found himself hearing these noises from behind him.

"Why isn't my body moving? I hear something cutting through the wind. I'm sure it's Buluni, ready to strike from behind. Move!" Takagi screamed in his head, desperately urging his body to react.

Takagi struggled to move his body, even though he sensed a strike coming. He tried to shrug, twist, or squirm out of the way. Finally, he felt his body responding. Time seemed to return to normal, and Takagi successfully dodged the strike. At that moment, he knew what he had to do. He swiftly flipped the sword to strike Buluni with the non-sharp edge, raising it high in preparation. Buluni noticed the incoming strike. "Oh, you somehow dodged. That's very impressive, but don't get cocky with a counterattack," Buluni hissed at Takagi.

Buluni began to feel an immense pressure building up inside him, something that felt off but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Meanwhile, Takagi was already in mid-swing. Buluni could easily dodge, but something was preventing him from moving.

Everything happened in an instant, and Takagi had no idea what happened next. However, he found himself no longer holding the sword in his hand. The sword had slipped out of his grip and bumped his head.

"Ow! What the hell, that hurts!" he exclaimed as the sword made contact with his head.

Meanwhile, Buluni was visibly sweating and seemed almost shocked. "Come on, we should head back," Buluni said, composing himself.

"Do I pass?" asked Takagi, rubbing the bump on his head.

"I never said I'd give you a pass for anything. I just said you might earn my respect," replied Buluni.

"So, did I?" Takagi inquired.

"No, I just hate you less," Buluni quickly responded, annoyance evident in his tone.

"How did it go, you two?" Fregran exclaimed as soon as he saw Buluni and Takagi return to the small campfire.

"I'm not sure, but maybe I did something wrong to make Buluni upset. Nevertheless, it was pretty cool what happened back there. I managed to dodge his strike. It must have been one of his best moves!" Takagi thought to himself.

"It went alright, he's ready," Buluni replied lazily as he walked over to the camp.

"Oh, is that so? Well, if that's the case, we should take our leave. I'm not one to question Buluni's judgement," Estelar said, getting up from his spot near the fire pit.

Takagi appeared confused, and with good reason. The group had only just gotten to know him, and he wasn't sure what would happen to him if left alone in this unfamiliar world. As a contemporary Japanese shut-in, Takagi had absolutely no clue how to survive without a convenient store to buy his ramen or a bathhouse to relax in. Takagi wasn't an avid video game player, but he enjoyed them. He wasn't much of a writer either, but he found solace in activities that seemed easy to him.

The rest of the group stood up after Estelar. Fregran let out a big laugh and began packing up his equipment. Takagi, still in disbelief that this would be his last time with the group, rushed to the small fire pit. Buluni was already there, packing up his things and performing minor maintenance on his daggers.

"Hold on a second! Estelar, you said you wouldn't leave me unless you knew I was ready. Well, I'm not ready!" Takagi yelled, but Estelar responded with silence.

"Why don't you grow some balls, weirdo?" Mina chimed in, annoyed by Takagi's whining. To the group, it seemed quite pathetic for Takagi to complain. "It was too quick," Takagi thought. Of course, he wouldn't be happy to see the people who provided some sense of strength leave.

"We're really sorry for leaving, but we didn't plan on staying long. After all, we have a client waiting for us. Good luck, and if we happen to meet again, maybe I'll give you a chance to join our group, and that's a big maybe. Tell you what, in approximately one year's time, we'll be on a very important mission in the Kingdom of Leotus. Whether you manage to make it out alive from here or find that place is up to fate," Fregran said.

Everyone had already packed their equipment and tools and was walking away from the small fire pit.

"What? Um, wait... Where's the nearest city from here?" Takagi pleaded.

"You know, I'm not sure. I forgot," Fregran screamed, clearly being sarcastic. He was already putting distance between himself and Takagi.

"Wait, please!" Takagi yelled pathetically.

"Don't try to follow us. Good luck out there... you'll need it," Fregran joked back.

And just like that, Takagi was alone. It had all happened so quickly for him. In one moment, he died and was transferred to this new life; the next, he became a prisoner, and now he was left alone in this unknown world. Takagi knew this world in his mind, but due to the significant time gap, he didn't feel confident in his knowledge. He had some understanding of the mountains that bordered the two countries, but they were just mental images, incomparable to the actual scale of the real world. His frustration grew because he hadn't been provided with a map.

"I guess... they have a point. If I can't survive alone in this world, what use am I to a group of their caliber?" Takagi said to himself, contemplating his situation.

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