"Is the party mapping on graph paper!?" ──What even is fantasy?──

Like many others, I was reincarnated. All around me were cold trees and damp grass—your typical medieval fantasy world. It might seem odd to look at trees and think “medieval fantasy,” but there are a few good reasons for that—

First off, the standard UI comes with a built-in translation function. As you'd expect, the UI displays status, your walking path, quest progress, and item updates. Of course, everything except the map is currently blank. But the design philosophy behind the UI helps define my current position and the world itself—serving as a guidepost.

Actually, there's another reason I can find my way here: I kept both my memories and my original body from my previous life. So calling this "reincarnation" doesn’t feel quite right—it’s more like I shifted sideways into a new world. My sense of time and identity stayed intact. In other words, I already have a self that's able to decide what feels right.

If I were to live in an entirely different world, my old memories would be mere noise— a burden, even. Yet the fact that I’ve “transferred” under the guise of “reincarnation,” and that the UI provides navigation, these things prove that I’m meant to “live this medieval fantasy through the lens of my former self.”

The current in-world time is displayed on the UI: Year 593 of Mavie, Elesis, Day 17. “Mavie” appears to be some kind of era name—like a dynastic calendar Or a historical period label. “Elesis” likely refers to a season or perhaps the name of a month, Making this the 17th day. I have no clue whether the month has 31 days or not...

The current area is listed as the Valreiv Continent, in Dolmedia. The Kingdom of Dolmedia is a confederation of noble families united under King Bart Bruth. More detailed info says I'm in a forested section of the Baiban Mountain Range, which is a territory governed by Lord Urs du Souls. I’ve been lost in this forest for three days now—clearly stranded.

I’ve got 20 Anur in cash... According to the UI, 1 Anur is about 1 dollar, So that’s roughly 20 dollar total... Thanks to a boom in steel demand triggered by a territorial dispute between the neighboring Mamdagada Kingdom and the Duchy of Debde-du-Debka, Dolmedia is experiencing economic growth. Peddlers use the backroads to trade food and steel for Anur, and the market is lively and stable. In other words, a simple lunch can be had for just 2 Anur.

As for food... Well, that depends on whether I can get out of this mess. For the past three days, I've survived on morning dew, evening dew— and whatever sap I could squeeze from the plants. I'm nearing my limit, but I’m surprisingly calm about it...

There’s a reason I’m able to stay calm, even in a situation like this. In my previous life, I had a fair amount of experience with high-difficulty RPGs. I died of old age back then, so even if I were brought back to life exactly as I was… No, actually—being revived in that same aging body wouldn’t do me any favors.

This feels more like a continuation of my previous life than something entirely new, so there's no real reason to cling to the life that already ended. And if reincarnation is possible—like what’s happening now— then it means I’ve been part of a cycle all along. If that’s the case, there’s no need to be attached to the present, either.

You could call it something close to nihilism, but physically—being stranded like this— I feel the fragility of my former life more vividly than ever. Right now, it’s not so much this life I’m concerned about... Perhaps it’s the sense of loss— for a past life that’s already vanished, and can no longer even serve as something to compare this one to.

Even if I were to starve to death right now— compared to the loss of my past life, which was full of everything— this kind of death feels… quieter. The contrast between joy and sorrow is far less extreme. If I never had any dreams or hopes tied to this world in the first place… then where would the sorrow of dying here even come from?

After wandering these mountain paths aimlessly for three days, my thoughts stopped clinging to the present situation. Instead, they drifted back to the past... But it wasn’t painful. In fact, there was a quiet comfort in realizing that my former life was still alive—within the thoughts I carry now.

After a while, I began to notice that the mountain path was gradually becoming more well-kept… It might be a sign that civilization was nearby. Even if there turned out to be no town ahead, I felt it wouldn’t really matter. There was a quiet sense of relief in reaching an open space. In the depths of the thick forest, one easily loses all sense of direction— Even one’s own situation becomes hard to grasp.

Pure wilderness. Untamed nature. The great outdoors. And yet, as long as there’s a certain amount of space— I can still keep my bearings and manage to sleep under the open sky. Something begins to stir within me— A kind of resolve, perhaps… or maybe a flicker of hope.

In situations like this—being lost in the wild— food is actually more abundant than one might think. This isn’t a frozen wasteland, nor a desert, nor the open sea. Almost everything around me could, in some way, become food…

In the short term, even my own urine could be used to quench thirst. As for feces—they can serve as fuel. With that, I could burn insects and likely use them as a source of protein. As long as I have fire, the risk from bacteria or viruses in any food source can be significantly reduced…

As I walked on, pondering this new way of eating, I saw a figure up ahead—a woman... No, not quite. She looked to be about fifteen, maybe even younger. A girl with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed like a traveler, stood there.

She had one hand resting against the trunk of a great tree, murmuring something— It sounded like a prayer, or something close to it…

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