“Where… is this place…?”

Hans Schmidt stands somewhere unknown.

“It’s so bright…”

He squinted his eyes to protect them from the unbearable light.

Everything in the place is surrounded in white. Wherever he looks at, he will find a blank white. There is no end in sight. Only a white space.

“Oh… Right… Maybe this is the heaven…”

Remembering the happenings right before he woke up in his place, it made sense to him that where he is right now is where the souls depart to and stay for the rest of their life.

“I did die… didn’t I?”

A heavy feeling weighed his heart as he recalled what happened.

Pola rushed in onto the enemies firing range in the spur of the moment. He was too late in stopping her. Even with her age, she was definitely strong and was obvious with how she could dashed fast enough for everyone to not be able to stop her. In just a second, Pola was already out of Schmidt’s reach.

“But…”

He was able to protect her. He was able to fulfil his promise to her. That alone is enough for him. Even if it cost him his life, he was able to let Pola return home in a single piece.

“Haha… I can’t tell her off now, can I? I just did what I told her she shouldn’t do.”

He remembered the time when he swore her his promise to protect her. When Pola declared that she will earn money for her sister even if it cost her her life, Schmidt rejected the idea and that was how he promised her to protect her.

“But really… Is there really nothing here?”

Schmidt moved his feet and tried to investigate the place. But no matter how much he walk, it seemed he never moved from his place. It was like he is walking in a treadmill.

He thought he would see other souls or other people who died but up until now he was all alone. If this is heaven, there should be at least a few other souls departing from the world towards some gate of some sort. But none of that is happening.

“Well of course, this is not heaven, [Hans Alius Schmidt].”

“Who’s there?”

Finally a voice was heard near him and spoke to him with a nonchalant voice. But his voice was not like those of a normal person. It sounded like a lot of static was interfering while he speaks. But all the while, he hears it clear.

“Whoa, wait. I’m not an enemy so stop with that pose.”

Schmidt was trained in the military and everything that was taught to him is engraved in his body. Whenever there is a possibility of an unknown enemy appearing before him, he would be on guard to respond whenever the need arises.

He tried to reach for a weapon from his clothes to no avail. The combat knife that should be in its scabbard is nowhere to be found. He gave up and just posed a combat stance while facing the unknown entity.

“Who are you?”

He is already in combat mode as he stared at the figure of the voice.

“Haha, it’s obvious you would be on guard though. Seeing ‘something’ inside this empty space.”

What Schmidt was seeing is a figure of a person. It is all white and based on the voice, ‘it’ was probably a male. He is as tall as him and his build is that of a young man.

“*sigh* Okay, okay. I know all too well that you’re a great soldier.”

“Are you… God?”

“God? Hmm… Well to you probably I am but no, I am not.”

Schmidt relaxes his body as he continued conversing with the entity before him.

After speaking a few words with him, his body did not alert him anymore. He judge the entity to be harmless.

[“But let’s still be cautious, just in case”]

“Can I ask some questions?”

“Right. You’re maybe confused to why you are here. Go ahead.”

“Where is this place?”

“This is not heaven like how you thought it is.”

“Then what is it?”

The white figure crossed its arms in attempt to strike a thinking gesture.

“Basically, it’s an empty space I created.”

“Created?”

Schmidt began rummaging around his brain to find an explanation to the words he just heard. Even in the modern times he lives in, there have been no human being or an organization that could create a huge space like it while it not being noticed by the general public. Even the appearance of the figure baffles him.

Moreover, his death. He was just dead before coming to the white space but now he is standing and no wounds could be found in his body. Even the holes that should be in his clothes are gone.

[“Am I dreaming? Or… was I just dreaming earlier? If so…”]

“This is not a dream, you know?”

“Wha?”

“How did I read what you were thinking? Simple. I just do.”

“What do you… mean?”

His body shivered and all the hair in his body stood up. It was like his body was warning him from a danger. Something that he should not mess up with. His mind is being read, his actions are seen, it is like everything is seen through by him.

[“I perhaps met someone I shouldn’t meet…”]

“Don’t worry! It was me who brought you here. I have my reasons but I can assure you that it’s not something that will cause you danger. It’s more like… I was asked? Or I just can’t help but do something about it with how they asked. I was moved you know…”

Schmidt’s tense shoulder relaxes as he heave an exasperated sigh.

“I see…”

“Chill. I told you. I’m not your enemy.”

“… Alright.”

“Okay, now to business.”

“You told me you created this space.”

“Yep.”

“For what reason?”

“To get you here.”

The surprise in Schmidt’s face cannot be hidden as he widens his eyes to the sudden revelation.

“So I haven’t died yet…?”

“Nope. You definitely died right there. With all the holes punched through your body. Even I would be surprised if you still survived that.”

“I… see.”

Once again, his heart felt heavy from the news he heard. He is dead. That is now a fact that cannot be changed.

“Do you still have more questions?”

“Ah… Yes. Who are you? And why do you know my name?”

“Oh you noticed I called you with your full name which to even your subordinates you haven’t told yet?”

“… Yeah.”

“I just told you earlier, but I definitely am not a god. Hmm… Let’s say… I’m just a normal guy who loves stories like you.”

“What… do you mean? How come you’re normal with that appearance? You read minds and you act like you’ve known me before.”

“Hmm… I know you since birth. I’ve watched you ever since you’ve arrived in your world. Your interactions, your family, your friends, your life as a soldier.”

“…”

“Hm? What’s with that disgusted look?”

“… Stalker?”

“Wha!? Don’t be ridiculous! Why will I stalk a dude?! Turn into a cute girl first and come back! Geez…”

Schmidt is dumbfounded by what he just heard.

[“This guy… He’s dangerous…”]

“… You’re being rude, you know?”

“Then what do you mean by knowing me since birth?”

“Never mind the small details. You won’t get popular if you pry too much. Well, you already have that one girl in your squad, huh… Tch.”

“You even know Pola?”

“Of course.”

Schmidt gave up trying to figure out the entity. He thought perhaps that there are just things that should be left unknown.

“Anymore question?”

The figure straightened his back and Schmidt followed.

“Right.”

“I presume this will be the last question?”

“Yeah. Why did you bring me here? You said you created this space for me. For what reason? I’m already dead. What do you need from a dead person?”

The figure, even with his eyes not visible, looked at Schmidt straightly and…

“Hahaha! You don’t have to mind it too much!”

… laughed.

“Wha-?”

“Anyways, that is it. You are dead right now.”

“… Yeah.”

“Yup. Right now.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

The figure showed a disappointed expression even with his lack of face.

“You’re kinda slow, huh… Well that makes things more interesting.”

“Huh?”

Schmidt almost released a huge question mark out of his head.

“I told you that you are dead right now. But I can change that.”

“…!!”

“Surprised, huh? Hahaha~”

His eyes widen more than before from the sudden news. No one would believe it if someone said that they could revive them but for some reason, but Schmidt did not doubt the figure even the slightest.

“I can be revived?”

“Uhhh… Not exactly.”

“Then how?!”

Schmidt felt rushed because of the news. He has found a way to return and be with his squad members but the anxiety of not being able to grasp the true intention of the white figure is making him irritated all the more.

“Whoa… Relax.”

“Ah… My bad.”

Hans released his tension and felt his fingers that are almost digging to his palm after clutching it more than he could.

“I didn’t know you had that side. Hm… Is that an addition to your traits?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nah. Don’t mind me. Talking to myself.”

“So about what you said?”

“Ah right. I can’t revive you as it is. That would be impossible even for me. It would destroy the balance in your world. Someone who died already can’t be revived anymore. That’s a fact in all worlds. Moreover, even if by some chance I revived you, you will still have the wounds you had before dying and die again. It will be an endless loop.”

“I see. Then what will you do?”

“Good for you to ask!! Now this is the interesting part. I can’t revive you as it is but there is one way for you. Ah, before that I’ll give you something you will like later, here~”

The figure pointed his fingers towards Schmidt and a blinding light came out from it. The ball of light entered Schmidt’s body and light covered his whole body after disappearing like nothing happened.

“What was that?”

“You’ll understand later. Fufu.”

The figure produced a mischievous laugh like he had just done something fun.

“… Okay.”

“Now I’ll explain to you what will happen to you from now on.

Schmidt braced himself for the words that will come out for the figure. It is a chance that may never come. But on the other hand, it may be something terrible that could cost him his sanity. Anyways, he will not know unless he hears it from the figure.

The tension in his body grew as he waited for the voice of the figure.

“I will transfer you to [another world].”

“Another world?”

Another question mark floated above his head as he was baffled by the words of the figure. First he was reminded of the world in the stories he was reading. A fantasy place where magic and monsters exist. But it was just based in an imagination, a fiction. So he put the idea at the back of his mind.

“It’s a different world from mine?”

“A fantasy world. I’m sure even you know about it.”

“Fantasy…”

The idea resurfaced from the back of his mind.

A fantasy world. A world that is usually depicted in the books he had read. A place that is not contained in common sense.

”Ahhh, forget it, too lazy. Showing you will be easier. Hup~”

“… Huh?”

Then all of a sudden, a huge gap in the floor opened and in an instant, Schmidt fell through it.

“Good luck there!!”

The figure waved at him with huge smile flashed by his invisible face while he is falling down.

“WHAAAT THE HEEEEEECK?!?!?!!??”

…

..

.

“And that happened… So I’m alive now?”

Schmidt while seated on the grass touched his body checking for wounds he got from the guns fired by the enemy soldiers. But no matter how much he searched his body, not even a slight wound can be found and he’s definitely breathing and alive. Even the moment he fell to the ground, the only thing he remembered was the falling itself. He didn’t feel the moment of the impact.

“There we go-! Hup!”

He stood up from place with vigor to test his body’s state. Except for the now hole-filled uniform he wears, nothing of worth mentioning can be felt. It is like the time he fought the enemy soldiers and died was all but just a dream.

“I’m really alive, huh…”

All sorts of emotion swirled inside him. From the relief he feels that the fact that he is still now standing and breathing to the feeling of loss that he left those important people back in the former world. A complicated emotion.

“That is if I really did get transferred to another world…”

What is happening right now is still unbelievable for him. The place or the world he just thought he would see in his comic books is now in front of him.

Ever since he was a child, those books are what accompanies him most of his time before he learned cooking. He did not play as much as the normal kids due to the starting war. That is also why most parents would not let their children go out to interact with other kids their age.

For other children it was troublesome but for Hans, it was the best thing he could ask for. He can indulge in his own fantasy world without getting interrupted except for the times he had to help his mother with the chores.

And now those fantasies are becoming reality. One would question it the whole time but it is different for Hans.

“Ufufu… Another world? Fantasy world? Bring it on! I’ll enjoy it to the fullest!!”

Of course, his heart was not only feeling the excitement alone. The fact the he probably would not be able to meet his members in his squad ever again is a huge blow to his stomach. Even a burly guy who spent his life in the battlefield will feel the loss if he knew that he will not be able to meet his trusted and bonded comrades.

“Pola… Everyone.”

He recalled the faces of the people who helped him reach the peak of his life and made him to what he is now.

“I don’t know if we will ever meet again. But I pray you guys will always be safe.”

Now determined, Schmidt looked up to the sky.

“I don’t know why you sent me to this world, but I’ll see to it that this experience won’t be wasted!”

For now, what is in front of him is what he should be focusing. Instead of regretting what is lost, he should move forward and think of what to from now on.

That is what Hans Schmidt have done all his life. Even if he was abandoned by the world, he will still push forward until he witness the end of it.

“Alright! But first…”

Yes. A fundamental question…

“Where am I?”

The place he was dropped to is a forest filled with trees all over that reaches up to approximately 15 meters in height. The trees protruded from the ground straight up with the branches only at the top like an umbrella. The leaves are almost covering the whole forest and only a few ray of sunlight could pass through them. The ground is covered in grass and bushes here and there.

“And ever since I came here I feel so warm and kind of cold at the same time…”

A chill ran through his body along with a tingling sensation.

“It’s not the wind… But it feels like it is… Ugh… Forget it.”

Hans set aside the matter and start looking around the place.

“But… Now that I’ve taken a good look, this is a great place.”

The air is crisp and the atmosphere is serene. While listening to the chirps of the birds and the cry of the cicadas, he walked around the forest for a while.

…

..

.

“Hmm… I see.”

For almost 2 hours, he went all around the forest and investigated the place. This is all he have gathered so far:

After walking aimlessly, he still have not found the exit to the forest. Which means it must be huge enough to fill a whole city. Or much larger, even. No one lives inside the forest as after he walked around for two hours, he has not yet ran across a single person or even just a house. The sun is now directly above his head. If the time here is the same as it is in his former world, it means that it is the noon right now and he arrived at around 10 in the morning. Different kinds of herbs and mushrooms grow with every tree. Which he never dared to try since it might be poisonous.

[“Better be careful or 9 lives won’t be enough.”]

Different types of insects ranging from small flying ones to large crawling ones up to the size of a cat. Imagine finding a rhinoceros beetle with the size of a cat. There are animals that roam the forest from time to time. Those which he has never seen before. A frog-like animal covered in fur. A flock of brown birds which at first glance look like an ostrich. Except the neck is covered with feathers with its tail almost as longer than its own body. A wild board that has three horns protruding from its head and is covered with a hard skin resembling a slab of stones. Small animals resembling a rabbit with spikes coming out from their back bones. And one dangerous looking one, a wolf-like animal. Except it has a two huge fangs like a sabretooth and its fur is pitch-black.

[“Good thing it was sleeping. Even I know it is dangerous to face it alone.”]

Most of the animals just leave him alone when he passed by them. That is why so far he just walked leisurely without meeting dangerous animals that could have attacked him except for the black wolf.

And lastly and most importantly, his body became so light that even after 2 hours of walking, he did not feel tired and could still continue for more hours.

All in all, the things he saw was more than enough to convince of the fact that the world he is in right now is different from the one he had lived in all his life.

“I guess that was all after the long walk… I was surprised at first from the animals but some of them can be quite cute. But really, I wonder why my body is so light?”

He tried punching a tree nearby with all his might to test his body.

*Bam!*

“… Eh?”

*creak* *creak*

A huge hole was formed in the trunk of the tree that should be as thick as 7 electrical poles. The tree creaked as it bended towards the opposite side and snapped.

“This is…”

Hans could not believe the spectacle that just happened in front of him, much more as it was done by him.

After he entered the military, he was trained by the instructor like there was no tomorrow. To be expected, he grew stronger than an average person. Moreover, because of his latent skills and techniques, he was deemed as a genius soldier by the officers and was praised by his comrades.

Later on, he became strong enough to take on a whole army all by himself.

“Did I just do that…?”

But not to the point where he can destroy a tree with his bare hands.

“Ah…”

[“Ah before that I’ll give you something you will like later, here~”]

Hans remembered the words of the white figure before he dropped him.

“Is this what he meant by that?”

His blood suddenly rushed as his excitement ran throughout his body. He never thought that he would be given a power from the get-go.

“But this is like cheating, isn’t it.”

Yes. The stories he read had the main character working his hardest to achieve a greater power to save the people he cherishes. But for him, he instantly acquired them.

“Hmm… I can’t honestly be happy, but… Oh well.”

It certainly is a cheat ability. But for him, it is something to use to make his experience in the new world a more fun one.

“Alright, I should get going, but…”

From time to time he hears a bouncing sound from somewhere like balloon filled with water that is usually played like a toy by children.

[“I wonder what that is…”]

Thinking that, he heard it once more. But this time, it is much closer than it was before.

“It’s near…”

*rustle*

He readied his combat knife from its scabbard that was safely attached in his pants. Before wandering around investigating, he first checked to see if he had any weapon to use in case of emergency and he only found the combat knife. That has to be expected since the only thing he had before he died was his clothes together with the knife.

He really was just transferred to another world as is without the wounds.

Forming a combat stance, he observed his surroundings while breathing as silently as possible.

*rustle* *boing!*

“Wha-!?”

All of a sudden a slime like creature(?) jumped out from the bushes and shoot out to Hans.

Using his combat knife, he sliced the incoming creature(?) and successfully evaded the attack.

“What the heck…?”

*boing* *boing*

But it was too early for Hans to relax as the creature(?) that was just sliced up regenerated and returned to its original form.

“It’s still alive, huh.”

Now Hans tried to scan for information in his head from the stories and books he have read. He realized that the books he read and games he played may help him understand the other world as many of the aspects in it matches with the books. All sorts of fantasy creatures are described and was actually either fought our caught by the main protagonists.

“A slime… Wow. I never thought I would see a slime in reality. So it’s like this? Gooey and creepy. It’s not cute like those in my comic books…”

The slime slithered in the ground. It looks like a slime toy that can be created with simple materials, except from the eerie glow it produces and nerve like strings that are spreading inside its body.

“It’s like a slime ball but it’s like all kinds of garbage are in it. Tch. It’s a little disappointing. Hmm… Looking at it again, in most stories I’ve read said that they don’t have nervous systems… then what is that, I wonder?”

Then once more, it slithered as it speeds up to attack Hans.

*boing!*

“The same move won’t work twice! Ha-!”

Hans sliced the spherical object inside the slime and after it dropped to the ground, it melted lifelessly like a liquid without a trace.

“I see. So that’s their weak point.”

Another point to take note.

“It didn’t drop anything… In my books, they drop items or even gold. Meh…”

Disappointed as he recalled the stories in his books, he proceeded to investigating the area once again.

…

..

.

After walking for some time, Hans has now faced by a huge hurdle that even he could not take lightly.

“This is a problem…”

*gurgle*

“I’m hungry.”

Hunger. One of the basic desires of the human body. On the other side of the note, it is one of the problems faced in his former world, much more because of the spreading war.

A lion hunting other animals for their meat. Street children rummaging around the trash bin. An old man begging for money. A baby crying for milk. All put an effort to satisfy that desire. Hunger.

An organism just cannot simply ignore the fact that they are hungry. The brain will send signals telling the body that it needs nourishments to replenish the energy that was lost and will make the person do anything just to satisfy its hunger.

A mother will cook for her children. A salary man will buy from the convenience store. A college student will go to the cafeteria. A baby will cry for milk.

Hans Schmidt now faces a dire situation.

“Ugh…”

He is hungry.

“I don’t have anything here but my combat knife. I can hunt… But I don’t know which is which here.”

The animals around him may serve as a source of meat for him. But there is a problem concerning if they are edible or not. Animals that survives in the wild usually have developed a defense mechanism that will make the predators choose to not mess with them.

One example of that is poison.

“I don’t want to die again right after I’m revived. There’s an option of eating herbs or plants but…”

He tried to recall the smell of the herbs from his former world and match it with the herbs with the ones in the forest.

“They may smell and taste the same but who know what kinds of substance they contain. I can’t risk it before I gain knowledge about the herbs here.”

It is an otherworld. Which means there should be at least something edible for the people who lived in it. But the lack of knowledge for him is a great hindrance to find which should be eaten and which should be not.

“But then again… Just thinking about the dish I can cook with them… Ehehehe… *slurp*”

Hans began drooling with his hands trembling as he imagined the possible recipes he can cook with the new ingredients that is not from his world.

“Oops… I almost went to another world right there. Oh right, I already did. Hahaha! Haha… Ha… *sigh* I’m hungry…”

…

..

.

Hans walked around again in attempt to find the exit but failed. The forest is not something to be entered by newcomers as they will definitely get lost in it.

“I guess it’s around 3pm… *sigh* I’ve already been here for 5 hours without eating at all. I don’t know if it had an effect but before the mission, I’ve only eaten a small meal to make my body lighter. And my throat is also parched… And I’m talking by myself like an idiot…”

It is definitely a dire situation.

*boing!*

“Another one, huh… *sigh* and here I am tormented by hunger…”

Hans have encountered a number of slime like creatures during his investigation around the forest. It was the only kind of creature that constantly attacked him from time to time.

“Hup-!”

He threw the combat knife and it stabbed through the weakness of the slime. It died instantly short after that.

“I’ve gotten used to dealing with these.”

It is not something worth celebrating for as his mind is only focused on what to do about his hunger.

“No choice… I’ll just hunt those rabbits with spikes… at least they’re the easiest to catch and most likely to be safe to eat. But the problem is… they’re cuteness…”

The moment Hans came across one of those animals, he instantly tried to reach for it to pet it. Hans is weak to cuteness.

Then just around the corner, a spiked rabbit is eating a grass.

“But then again, eating grass like that doesn’t suit it… It’s more like a goat that way. Eat a carrot, for goodness sake.”

Hans’ mind have started to be disrupted by his hunger and turned to vent his frustrations to the poor rabbit that have not done anything to him. He was even calling it cute earlier and now he wants to eat it. The poor little rabbit.

“Hm? I feel like I’m irritated all of a sudden…”

…

“Alright. Rabbit… I’m sorry, but be a replenishment for me. I’ll just pet one of your kind someday.”

He went to combat mode and cleared his minds of all unnecessary thoughts. He contracted every single strand of his muscle and gripped the combat knife.

*swoosh*

Without making a sound, he jumped above the unknowing rabbit and spins his body to bring the force to the knife. He then threw the knife downwards and it stabbed directly to the body of the animal.

“Kyuu-!”

Or it should have been. The knife missed the rabbit just a few centimeters from its position.

“I can’t…”

Hans could not carry on to killing the animal. He loved animals ever since he was a child. There was even a time where he cried for days after he read a book about a dog dying for his master. Even when he cooks meat, he always made sure to say his thanks to the animal.

“Kyu kyu!”

The rabbit ran at full speed after sensing the danger it was in.

“*sigh* Now what to do…”

*gurgle*

Hans placed his hands on his stomach trying to suppress his hunger.

“Ugh… Hm… *sniff* Hm?! A nice smell… Something being cooked…!”

A sweet and rich aroma of something being cooked wafted around the place. It reached Hans’ nose as he immediately tried to follow the trail of the smell.

“It’s right around here…”

*gurgle* *gurgle*

Every step he takes the more the smell gets stronger and the more his stomach protests from its predicament.

Then not long after, smoke that has risen to the top of the trees can been seen not far from his place.

“It’s right there!”

Hans who could not wait any longer, ran towards the direction of the smell and…

“Who goes there?!”

A young woman with smooth flowing black hair abruptly stood up from her place when he heard the footsteps of Hans.

“… Huh?”

Because of the sudden meeting with another person, Hans froze in his place as he tries to analyze the situation even with the lack of sugar in his brain.

“You are…”

The young woman, holding two dagger from both hands glared at him.

*gurgle*

“Huh?”

But he could not think enough about the situation and…

“… Can I have some of your food…?”

… were the only words he could utter.

…

..

.

Chapter 6 End