One-way traffic

"Excuse me, I'm sorry for asking so abruptly! But could you please tell me if you've seen a girl in your village who was with me?!"

"That woman is still sleeping and won't wake up anytime soon. If you try to see her, it will only disturb her rest."

"Huh? Is that so...?"

"That's exactly what happened, and..."

"Pounce!"—The other person grabbed his collar directly, expressing their intentions very directly.

"Come here, I have something to ask you."

"Huh? Wait, wait a minute—"

Without even a chance to resist, the young man was dragged along by the white-haired man.

————————————————————————————————————————

And just like that, he was dragged into a room on the side.

Although he felt that everything was suspicious, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't resist and could only let the other party pull him into the room.

There was another person sitting in the room.

A pretty girl with bright blue twin ponytails.

"Wait, what, what is this outfit—?"

He couldn't help but blink, looking at the girl's clothes with some surprise.

Regardless of the other person's identity, this outfit is undoubtedly something a modern girl would wear.

Could it be that these two people are...?

"You...aren't people from this era either?"

This is undoubtedly a magical era like the Middle Ages, so there shouldn't be anything that only exists in modern times here.

So the two people in front of me are probably just like me.

Are you feeling any better?

"Oh? Well, um, it does feel much better now."

"Hehe, that's good."

The girl in front of him smiled; she was very cute, which made the young man feel a little shy.

However, he never forgot the presence of the white-haired man behind him.

"Sit down, or are you not planning to eat?"

"Um, excuse me, is it really okay for me to come with you...?"

So you want an answer that says no?

This person is terrifying!!

The young man couldn't help but think to himself in astonishment, then quickly shook his head and said nothing more.

He and the other person sat down on a chair together, and the three of them sat around in the room, which was neither too big nor too small.

There was plenty of food on the table: bread, eggs, some simple meat dishes, three cups of tea, and brewed tea.

Gulu.

The young man swallowed hard; he hadn't had a proper meal with seasonings for several days.

"No problem at all. These are some vegetables and meat I borrowed from everyone in the village. Feel free to eat them if you want!"

Compared to the white-haired person on the side, the girl with the light blue twin tails still smiled gently and spoke.

Ah, that's quite a noticeable difference.

He couldn't help but smile gratefully at the girl before picking up a piece of bread and eating it.

…a warm feeling, the taste of seasoning.

This is what it feels like to be alive.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention my name..."

He swallowed a piece of bread in two bites, rinsed it with a sip of tea, and then looked at the two people in front of him.

"My name is Fuyukawa Ryo, and I'm from Asakusa, Tokyo."

"This person is Hatsune Miku, and this one over here is Accelerator. Nice to meet you, Fuyukawa-kun~!"

So gentle, but...

Ryo Fuyukawa shook his head, shaking off the other thoughts in his head.

"You're the ones who saved us when we collapsed on the roadside, right? Thank you so much."

“Until now, my companion Hiyori Ruri and I have been living in the wilderness. Even if we want to eat, we have to hunt for food ourselves to survive. But we can’t keep up with this for long. Our bodies and minds are already stretched to the limit.”

"So, if you hadn't saved us, we would probably be passed out on the roadside by now. Thank you so much, both of you..."

"Don't say anything that's useless; it's just a waste of time."

Accelerator swiftly and decisively got to the point.

"Tell me, are you the holder of the Soul System?"

"Huh? Huh?!?!"

Fuyukawa Ryo's eyes widened in surprise.

Accelerator didn't care about his actions. He simply opened his system menu and displayed its contents to the other person.

Current World: Team Battle World

Teams are divided into: White Team and Black Team

The current team is the White Team, and the confirmed members are: Accelerator, Hatsune Miku, Ryo Fuyukawa, and Ruri Hiyori.

The objective of team battles is to completely defeat all members of the opposing team.

The system content is structured as described above. We hope you have a pleasant experience using it.

"Team...battle...?"

"I won't say anything more. Since your name is on it, it proves that you are also one of the system's holders."

Accelerator closed the system interface and looked directly at Fuyukawa Ryo in front of him.

Let me explain briefly.

"Why did you end up in such a miserable state, and what exactly is the situation between you and the woman beside you?"

"You guys are supposed to be members of the same team that we'll be taking with us from now on, so at the very least, we should be given some information about you, right?"

Fuyukawa Ryo couldn't help but fall silent.

Everything was confirmed: the other person was like himself, an existence that did not belong to this world.

However, this time the situation is even worse.

They intervened in what was called a team battle, which was a large-scale, mixed battle involving multiple players.

If you win, you will receive incredibly rich rewards.

Of course, if it fails, all of its power will be sealed away.

Ryo Fuyukawa didn't care much about power, because he himself didn't have much that could be called power.

But his main concern is something else.

"...Why?"

The young man couldn't help but speak up.

It was a tone filled with sorrow, helplessness, and anger.

"Why do we have to participate in such large-scale battles?"

This was clearly not the development he wanted.

He clearly doesn't want to do anything.

Fuyukawa Ryo took a deep breath, shook his head, and looked at the two people in front of him again.

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure a little."

“If you don’t mind, I’ll probably start from the beginning.”

The young man, who was saying this, couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Start from the beginning and explain everything in the most comprehensive way possible."

Chapter 142 An Ordinary and Mundane Tale

Winter River is cool.

An ordinary Japanese name, an ordinary high school student, with no dramatic ups and downs in his life.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, this is the typical path I've taken through: kindergarten, elementary school, junior high, and high school.

The only thing I like to do every day is play video games at home, and occasionally play soccer with my classmates. It's probably because of this physical ability that I'm not quite a homebody.

Naturally, he wasn't handsome or ugly; he was just the type of person who worked as a real estate agent. So far, he hadn't received any confessions of love or love letters, and he had never even fantasized about such things.

Unlike typical high school students who love to daydream, he knew very well that his life was just that ordinary and uneventful.

I'll go to school like an ordinary person, play like an ordinary person, make friends like an ordinary person, and probably get into an average university, then work, get married, have children, and finally live a life no different from that of an ordinary person.

They're just high school students, the kind you see everywhere.

…Yes.

It should be so.

Until that day comes.

"Where...am I?"

The young man, who appeared alone on the unknown grassland, witnessed all of this.

An alternate world, a world filled with a magical system.

Although the combat system involved wasn't particularly large, it was still a world-shaking experience for an ordinary high school student like him who had never seen anything like it.

He obtained that thing called the Soul System.

Then, just like those online light novels explain, he transmigrated and arrived in this strange world full of swords and magic.

At first, the young man was reluctant to believe it, thinking he had been taken to some strange place for virtual reality training. However, after several days, he completely believed it.

Can not go back.

At least for now, I have no abilities whatsoever, and in this world full of crises, there is only one way out: death.

The young man wandered in the wilderness for several days, then a week, during which he ate nothing but wild fruit in the forest and water from the stream.

Hunting? You're kidding. What skills do modern high school students have to defeat those wild beasts?

Finally, Fuyukawa Ryo couldn't take it anymore.

He had been living in this apocalyptic state for a whole week, and he had long since lost all hope of survival.

The students in the class were always fantasizing about one thing.

He acquires the systems from novels and travels to anime or other worlds to embark on his own unique adventure, constantly encountering adorable girls.

it's so funny.

After experiencing all of this firsthand, Fuyukawa Ryo couldn't help but laugh.

A week has passed, and he has experienced everything his classmates fantasized about. He has arrived in another world, obtained a system, and entered a world of swords and magic. There will probably be all sorts of royal princesses or other beautiful girls waiting for him.

But he couldn't even survive the most basic survival challenges.

Ordinary humans are no match for the ferocious beasts of the jungle, let alone the more powerful mages and warriors.

Therefore, Fuyukawa Ryo finally understood one thing.

There's no hope. I wouldn't be surprised if I died like this.

I've already pushed myself to the limit.