I Was Reborn in Another World, but Hold On – No Parents? Was I Abandoned? - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: An Encounter and Something More…

After that, four years flew by in the blink of an eye…

Arus is now six years old.

He is running desperately… being relentlessly pursued.

With astonishing speed, Arus moved from one tree branch to another, and behind him, a colossal pack of wolves, each exceeding 2 meters in size, chased after him.

Damn… why are there Warwolf packs here?…

I hate them because they look ferocious… and they’re persistent… they keep coming out in droves… as if they were a horde of cockroaches.

Arus sighed and, after putting some distance, executed a sharp turn, and then came to a stop.

Then, adopting a stance that had already become a habit, somewhat like karate, he glared directly at the pack of wolves.

Qi techniques… the effectiveness is… about 40% if you’re going for a one-strike hit…

Well, my HP is still holding up well, so it should be fine…

After learning qi techniques, Arus came to the realization that, unlike magic, utilizing qi techniques depletes his HP.

Recalling the initial instances when he used it on the verge of death, his spine still sent shivers down…

Yet, wiping out a group with telekinesis, which is his primary fighting style, is almost impossible.

Because of that, Arus engaged in combat using qi techniques frequently as well.

Furthermore, his physical capabilities have significantly matched the growth of his body.

Arus can defeat a monster rated D or lower with just a few well-placed strikes to vital points, without relying on telekinesis or qi techniques.

The gentle release of force life escaping from his body, accompanied by the sensation of his entire body being enveloped in invisible flames.

Concentrating all of that in his right arm, he delivered a straight punch to the front…

“Haahhh!!!”

The Warwolves, as if suddenly hitting an invisible giant wall, widened their eyes and were blown away.

Observing the unconscious and motionless pack, Arus calmly took a breath.

He refrained from delivering the finishing blow.

If he were to deliver the finishing blow, blood would spill, and the undeniable scent of blood would draw in other monsters, resulting in more successive battles.

Moreover, with sunset approaching, he wanted to return to his base, a cave, to have dinner.

Bypassing the spot where the wolves were scattered, Arus ran quickly towards the base.

The base, a cave with a depth of approximately 20 meters, provides both ample space and a significantly lower encounter rate with other monsters compared to elsewhere. Arus has called this cave home for more than two years.

Passing through the entrance cleverly concealed by dry branches and grass, Arus continued through the area where dried meat and laundry (mostly hastily made homemade fur for wearing) were hanging.

Then, there is a living space with carpets made from monster fur, and a flat rock, perfect as a table.

Next to the table rock are beds made of dry branches and fur, and further back in the living space, there is also a makeshift toilet facility.

Arus had managed to create a surprisingly well-crafted home for himself.

After finishing the main meal of dried meat, he immediately lay down on the bed for sleep.

Despite everything, Arus, being a child, is always sleepy.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he prefers sleep more than anything else.

The routine of hunting, coming back home, processing the hunted prey, having meals, sleeping, waking up, turning the monsters hunted the previous day into dried meat, taking a bath in the river, and hunting—has remained almost constant.

However, sleeping… is his main focus.

Currently, Arus’s status is as follows:

――――――――――――――――――――

Name: Arus

Family Name: ?

Age: 6

Race: Human

Occupation: Martial Artist

Title: Iron Wall

Level: 89

HP: 23,000 (23,000)

MP: 58,000 (58,000)

Attack Power: 28,200

Defense Power: 173,000

Agility: 7,900

Dexterity: 4,800
Luck: 777

Magic Affinity: Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, Light, None

Innate Magic:［Telekinesis Level MAX］

Attack Magic: None

Defense Magic: None

Innate Skills:［Supreme Path Level 2］［Path of Training Level 4］［Auto-Recovery Level 3］［Status Check］［Qi Techniques Level MAX］

Resistance Skills:［Loneliness Resistance Level MAX］［Hunger Resistance Level MAX］［Physical Attack Resistance Level MAX］［Magic Attack Resistance Level MAX］

Divine Skills:［Divine Protection of the World God］［Divine Protection of the World Tree］

――――――――――――――――――――

Level 89…

Even though Arus doesn’t pay much attention to leveling up, his progression rate is astonishing.

Moreover, after adopting a striking combat style, he has gained the role of a martial artist. In addition, his other stats have seen a remarkable increase…

Besides, judging from Arus’s current running speed and his force capable of pulverizing rocks, he is starting to suspect that there might be something extraordinary about himself.

In addition, having Luck at 777, regardless of whether there are actual benefits or not, Arus was genuinely delighted because he believed it brought good fortune.

However, his loneliness resistance maxed out while he was munching on dried meat with eyes resembling those of a dead fish.

His defense power, which has become so high that even Arus himself can’t fully grasp it, is now at a point where, during lunch breaks while hunting, he can continue eating without caring even if a C-rank or lower monster is hitting him. Initially, it was certainly frightening.

However, once he realized that being hit by those didn’t cause any pain at all, he began to casually ignore the smaller monsters during his hunts.

Naturally, when a formidable or poisonous monster approaches, he maintains a distance and counterattacks.

Shortly after that, a crucial event unfolded for Arus.

On that day, during his regular hunting expedition, Arus sensed an unusual presence.

“Let’s venture deeper than usual,” he thought confidently and ran with enthusiasm.

However, he got carried away and ended up going too far.

There was a chance he might have encountered a new and potentially dangerous species of monster.

Encountering a new species of monster can be quite troublesome and intimidating.

Some of them might be outright powerful, while others could wield unfamiliar and mysterious magic.

By the way, Arus has almost died many times before.

Oh no, seriously, should I run away?

Well, observing from a distance might be beneficial for gaining some knowledge…

If I observe, I might be able to come up with countermeasures…

With caution, Arus took a look from the shadows of the trees, relying on his instincts.

Huh??? What?

Is this real??? Seriously?

It’s a person!!!

A human.

This is the first time I’ve encountered a person here.

I used to think I could be the only person in this world, but it turns out there were others after all!

Could it be that…

It is possible for me to leave the forest?

Several individuals on horses, all wearing the same armor, led by a man with distinctively crafted armor, long hair, and a beard.

A robust and elegant figure. Are they knights?

They look like some kind of military unit…

But, wouldn’t it be suspicious if I suddenly appeared?

After all, I know from living here that this forest is no place for a child to be alone.

I happened to survive, but it’s probably a miracle among miracles.

It must be thanks to my Luck and the gods’ protection.

Hmm, what should I do?

But, there’s no point in hesitating!

This opportunity won’t present itself again soon.

I need to seize it!

They wouldn’t harm a child, would they?

No, surely not?

Alright, let’s just go for it! I emerged from between the trees, I positioned myself about several tens of meters in front of the horses…

“What?! A child!? Stop!!!”

At the signal from the man leading the group, they swiftly pull the reins, bringing the horses to a sudden stop.

“Neigh!!!”

The horses look startled as well. The man at the front dismounts from his horse.

“Hey, kid, what are you doing in this forest?”

“It could be the illusion magic of some hallucinogenic monster! We shouldn’t approach it without caution…”

One of the knights behind shouts at the man.

“Shut up! Be quiet! Don’t you know that I have more experience and knowledge than you guys!? Besides, if it was a monster, we would have been attacked the moment we stopped the horses.”

The man glares at the knight who seems to be his subordinate.

“Kid… don’t mind him. He’s just a bit paranoid since it’s his first time in this forest. So, let me rephrase the question. Why are you here? Where are your parents?”

Uh… I hadn’t thought about this. What should I say?

I can’t say I came from another world!

Besides, I’ve never seen my parents in this world…

I can’t explain this…

Guess I have no choice but to pretend to be a pure child.

“Um… I… I was abandoned by my parents… I’ve been hiding in a cave in the forest… um…”

Upon hearing this, the man scratches his head awkwardly, and then crouches down to meet my eye level.

“Sorry… asked something bad… I see, abandoned by your parents… But you managed to survive well! In a forest like this… Well done! Kid, what’s your name? Oh, and your age! Um, can you tell me your age?”

He suddenly changed the atmosphere and spoke to me in a cheerful manner.

The kindness in the man’s eyes makes me feel a bit overwhelmed.

It makes me want to say “It’s okay! Mister…I’m not that bothered by it!”.

After all, with my Loneliness Resistance, I hardly feel lonely…

“Um… I’m Arus! I’m 6 years old.”

“Oh! Arus, 6 years old… Impressive that you can even use polite language! Have you been eating well? I only have rations, but do you want some?”

The man takes out something like a cross between a cookie and bread from a pouch on his waist.

“Um… I’ve been eating… yeah. I caught rabbits and found fruits in the forest, so…”

“Rabbits?? Regular rabbits are here?? Kid, you’re truly a lucky one! But being able to hunt is amazing.”

And just like that…

They decided to take me to the town!

Sure, I don’t have anything to regret leaving behind, and this could be a good opportunity, so I’ll go along with it.

“But hey, kid! How long have you been in this forest?”

The man calling out to me with a voice that wouldn’t be carried away by the wind is Keires, seemingly a member of the military from the town near this forest.

He is giving me a ride on his horse.

“Um…”

I can’t say “forever”…This forest feels inherently dangerous…

“For 2 years.”

I considerably underestimated…

“2 years??? No way! A child alone in that forest for two years, that’s seriously incredible! Even for a strong soldier, it would be tough alone. It’s amazing, or rather, if such a pure young child hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have believed it…”

“Y-yeah…” I should have said it was shorter… regret comes too late.

By the way, I decided to check Keires’s status…

Being a military person and clearly superior to the others, he must have considerable strength.

It would be great if I could understand the standards of these statuses…

Well, I can also check others’ and get an idea of the average.

―――――――――――――――――――
Name: Keires

Family Name: Reynard

Age: 29

Race: Human

Occupation: Magic Swordsman

Title: Sword Demon

Level: 92

HP: 11,000 (11,000)

MP: 7,000 (7,000)

Attack Power: 29,000

Defense Power: 31,000

Agility: 14,000

Dexterity: 6,700

Luck: 12

Magic Affinity: Fire, Wind, Light

Innate Magic:［Heavenly Sword Level MAX］

Attack Magic:［Flame Sword Level MAX］［Wind Disintegration Slash Level 3］

Defense Magic:［Wind Barrier Level 3］［Sanctuary Circle Level 2］

Innate Skills:［Swift Feet Level 4］［Body Enhancement Level MAX］［Berserker Level 4］

Resistance Skills:［Magic Attack Resistance Level 2］［Poison Resistance Level 3］

Divine Skills:［Divine Protection of the War God］
――――――――――――――――――――

Level 92…

This guy is quite strong.

Even though his stats are lower than mine, with skills like Body Enhancement and Swift Feet, he could become stronger than me when enhanced.

Moreover, he appears to be able to use several types of magic.

That Berserker skill sounds pretty intimidating…And the title “Sword Demon”…

He’s quite impressive.

Nevertheless, I’ve come to realize that my stats at the age of 6 are uncommon and extraordinary.

Looking at the stats of others, most are about half of mine or slightly higher… so I must be exceptional.

And the fact that I can see people’s stats, while no one else possesses this ability, is also unusual.

I must say, once again, this is a useful skill.

As the town started to appear in the distance…

Keires suddenly turned around and looked at me.

“Hey… Arus, it seems like you don’t have anywhere to go. How about staying at an orphanage?”

An orphanage…

That’s true, I am an orphan.

Well, it can’t be helped.

It seems like I might have a better life than before.

If I don’t have to fight those monsters, it’s even better.

“Yes… it seems safer than the forest.”

“Yeah… Alright.”

Keires gives off an atmosphere of contemplating something…

It seems like he wants to say something but is hesitating.

“Thank you for bringing me this far. I won’t forget this favor.”

I should express gratitude… even though it hasn’t been long since we met, he seems like a really good person.

“If you want, you can come to my house.”

“Huh? To play?”

“No, how about living with me? As my adopted child.”

Huh? Just how good of a person is he?

Rather, should I say he’s too kind-hearted?

Even though I’m practically a stranger, he wants to take me in as his adopted child?

“I can’t be that presumptuous.”

“Well, to be honest, I wanted a son too. But, in our family, we only have daughters… and the priest told us that my wife can’t have any more children. Besides, you’re very bright. Not only that… but I think you can fight quite well, can’t you?”

I was already surprised, but what came next astonished me even more.

“Huh?”

“No matter how lucky you are, you can’t survive there without some level of combat skills. No, I should say more than just some. I heard something before… that living a life immersed in battle since childhood dramatically improves combat abilities. Could that be your case?

Your understanding of combat revealed in your behavior, your superior detection ability surpassing even our knight’s, as seen in the way you scanned the surroundings during our journey through the forest… You don’t look like a very fragile child.

I don’t understand why parents would have to abandon a child as exceptional as you. But if you were abandoned, I would love to have an outstanding child like you as my son. That’s what I’m thinking.”

He noticed…?

I thought I had convincingly played the role of a simple child, but…

This is the first time I’ve been so deeply moved since coming to this world.

Perhaps it’s the dazzling light, tears welled up in my eyes and I quickly averted my gaze downward.