"This is another world, huh..."

Seeing the scene that unfolded beyond the distortion, I murmured, deeply moved.

First, what caught my eye were the enormous trees and the flowers and plants filling the surrounding area.

Looking up, a beautiful blue sky spread out above, and the sun was shining brightly.

In short, it seems I have been transported to a forest.

"This development was a bit unexpected. Since it's Aristia, I thought she would at least transfer me to a town suitable for beginners."

Unfortunately, it seems that those expectations were betrayed.

"Well, it's fine. Compared to the thousand years of training, this is just a minor issue. I should just move on quickly."

I decided to promptly establish the future policy.

"As a temporary goal, finding a town where people live is important... but first, I need to get out of this forest."

That said, this is a forest in another world.

There are probably monsters living here too, so it's uncertain whether I can safely get out with my skills.

That scoundrel Aristia.

At the very least, she could have at least given me some basic information when she transferred me...

While I was muttering such resentful thoughts to myself, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Wait a minute. There's no need to leave the forest so stupidly, honestly, is there―"

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!"

"―What the!?"

At that moment, the sudden roar of a beast echoed through the air.

I never thought I'd suddenly encounter a monster like this.

I cautiously turn towards the direction of the voice while gripping the hilt.

Then, as expected, there was a beast present.

The height is just a bit lower than my waist, and its glossy white fur is distinctive.

From the brilliantly shining golden eyes, one can sense a definite strength.

"This is a monster from another world...!?"

From a visual standpoint, I can understand why it would be called just a dog.

However, I must never let my guard down.

Right now, my skills are only at the level of a low-ranking swordsman. If this beast turns out to be a high-ranking monster, I might be killed in an instant if I let my guard down.

In response to my cautious demeanor, the beast lunged at me, baring its sharp fangs.

"Growl!"

"...W-what?"

However, at that moment, I suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.

The monster's movements are unusually slow.

At this rate, I could probably counterattack a hundred times before the attack even reaches me.

An animal with abilities that don't even come close to a low-level swordsman like me.

There is only one fact that it points to.

"What's this, it wasn't a monster but just a dog?"

"Grrrrrr!?!?!?"

With this, there's no need to go out of my way to use a sword.

I let go of the hilt and, using the footwork I had acquired in the [Time-Space Interval], got behind the dog.

"Gr, grrr?"

The dog probably couldn't see that movement.

Suddenly, it was bewildered by the fact that I had disappeared right in front of it, and it stood there frozen.

Well then, what should I do from here?

As long as this isn't a monster, I could just walk away without doing anything―

"Somehow, it feels nostalgic."

―Despite the situation, my eyes were strangely welling up.

Well, it can't be helped, right?

The period I spent in the [Time-Space Interval] was over a thousand years.

During that time, there was no opportunity to interact with any living beings.

That's why, at this very moment, even though the other party is just a dog and not a human, I was happier than ever to be able to connect with it like this.

Therefore,

"Hey~, over here!"

"!? Growl!"

The dog, having noticed my position due to that call, lunged at me again.

I easily dodge that.

We repeated that kind of exchange for about an hour, over and over again.

"Ku, kuuuuuu~"

"Oh, are you already tired?"

Then, perhaps the dog had reached its limit, as it lay down on the spot, completely exhausted.

It seems that this is the right time for things around here.

It's a pity, I wanted to play around for about three more months.

"Ku, kuun!"

"Hmm, what is it?"

Seeing it down, the dog approached me hesitantly and grabbed the hem of my clothes.

And then it pulls me in really hard.

Perhaps, it seems like it wants to take me somewhere.

Following the directions, I moved, and there stood an exceptionally large giant tree.

At the foot of the great tree, there is a hollow, and the dog brings out a golden, shining stone from within.

And then they pushed it onto me.

"What's this, you're giving it to me?"

"Woof woof~"

When I asked that, the dog lay on its back right there, exposing its belly to me.

Since I have no experience raising a dog in my past life, I can't understand its intentions, but it must be happy to have played with me and is probably trying to give me a treasure as a token of friendship.

What a kind dog!

I can't just disregard this kindness.

"Thank you, then I'll take this."

"Woof!"

When I received the golden stone, the dog let out a powerful bark and went off somewhere.

For some reason, it kept looking back at me repeatedly along the way, so I continued to see them off with a grateful smile.

Strangely enough, it felt like the dog would stop dead in its tracks every time I smiled at it... But yeah, it was probably just my imagination.

"When things settle down a bit, I might come over to hang out again."

When we meet again, the dog will surely be happy too.

With that conviction in mind, I decided to think about how to finally get through the forest this time.

The surroundings are surrounded by trees as far as the eye can see.

Even if I walk without a plan, I probably won't be able to escape.

In that case, it would be best to use other means here. Ideally, a method that allows us to gather information about this area would be good.

"Alright, if that's decided―"

So, I kick the ground powerfully and jump without further ado.

In the next moment, my body soared above the massive trees, floating high in the sky.

Chapter 4: The Opponent in My First Battle Was Just a Dog