Translator: Haruto.

The Strongest Old Man in the Parallel World ~ I Only Got Physical Skills So I Had to Form a Party but It Turned into a Harem~

Volume 1: Transferred, and Becoming an Adventurer.  

When I woke up, I was lying on grass.

An endless blue sky extended before my eyes, accompanied by a myriad of tree branches.

“Ow… Urk…” Waves of pain course through my entire body as I try to lift myself from the ground.        

The last thing I can remember is trying to leave the office. I was dragging my feet as I walked due to how tired I was, and when I started stepping down the stairs, I’m pretty sure I felt a sharp pain in my heart that almost knocked me out and made me lose my footing…

But, if what I think happened did happen, shouldn’t I be lying on a hospital bed instead? Why was I sleeping outdoors…?

My clothes are the same as the ones I had on back then: a shirt, trousers, and a necktie. It appears my favorite shoulder bag is gone, though. I don’t have anything in my pockets either, not even my phone, which puts me in quite a pickle.

Thinking of such things, I attempt to get on my feet once again. This time, I’m able to move without issue and my body feels just fine. In fact, even the pain I’ve been having in my shoulders ever since I turned forty is completely gone for some strange reason.

“Now, where am I?”

I’m standing on some grass fields that I’ve never seen before. The grass is as tall as my ankle and it extends almost endlessly into the distance. There are a few trees around me, but there’s a whole forest not too far away, and opposite to it, I catch sight of a dirt path.

At the end of that path, there appears to be a sort of city—no, it’s more like a village or some other type of small settlement. Even from afar, it’s evident that its buildings are nothing like the ones in modern Japan.

“It doesn’t feel like this is a dream… Well, let’s just head there for now.”

Knowing that there’s no point in staying here, I decide to set off to the small settlement.

After walking for a while, I notice that my body is in far better condition than before. It’s not just my shoulders; my knees and my back don’t hurt anymore, and my whole body feels weirdly light as I march down the dirt path. And talking about the path, a few other people are using it beside me. They’re evidently not Japanese, but they also don’t seem to belong to any of the other countries I know. They appear to be Westerns at first glance, but their facial features are not as pronounced, so I guess in that regard they do resemble the Japanese a little.

However, their clothes are not like anything we Japanese wear today. Their costumes are rather ancient, and even people that I think are regular citizens are carrying swords and other types of weapons at their hips. Some of them have thrown a few glances at me, but that makes sense since I must look strange to them not carrying any weapons and wearing this kind of outfit.

Seriously, where the heck did I end up?  

I try to listen in on the conversations that the people around me are having, and I notice that they’re using a language I’ve never heard before.

“…Every year the knights… and I heard the dungeon was closed…”

“For real? According to the rumors, that dungeon is… and the adventurers… the neighboring nation is also…”

For some reason, though, I’m able to understand them perfectly. It’s almost as if they’re speaking my mother tongue.

Still, “knights”? “Dungeon”? “Adventurers”?

Some of the terms they’re employing are straight out of fantasy. They remind me of those games I used to play to escape the stress and woes of life, like my divorce, work-related problems, and the relationship I had with my coworkers. Now that I think about it, what if this is just an elaborate hallucination produced by my exhausted brain wishing to escape from the stress of real life?

…Nah, there’s no way. The scene before my eyes, the whistling of the wind, the smell of dirt, and the sensation beneath my feet are far too realistic. Me having been thrown into another world is actually starting to seem more plausible.

While I was still thinking about this and that, I arrived at the entrance of the small town, although it’d be more accurate to describe it as just two large logs placed in a vertical position.

Inside the settlement, I’m welcomed by the sight of a long street, lined with rows of two-story houses. Those are not the only homes in town, though. In total, I’m able to spot around fifty different buildings. I guess the closest thing to this place in Japan would be those housing complexes you see often these days. With that being said, the whole town feels kind of medieval. The street was built with poorly cut stones, and the walls of the houses are made of wood and what I believe to be plaster. In short, it looks exactly like those rural towns that show up in fantasy games all the time.

The people walking around me, and the workers of the food stalls set up along the street all resemble the travelers I saw outside of town.

“…What’s up with them?” As I was gazing around, I spotted a group of two men and two women wearing some peculiar costumes. No, wait, scratch that. Those are not “peculiar costumes.” They’re just fully equipped.

One of the guys in their group is wearing a whole set of armor and is carrying a large weapon, which according to my fantasy game knowledge is known as a halberd, and the other dude is carrying a huge shield that’s almost as big as him on his back. As for the girls, one is wearing a large, pointed hat and a cloak, and is holding a sort of staff, while the other one is just walking around with a bow and a set of arrows. I can only describe them as the typical RPG party.

Their equipment has definitely seen better days, though, and that’s one of the things that make them stand out the most from regular people. You can just tell at a glance that they are “warriors.”

“…Have I really been thrown into a world similar to the ones I’ve seen in movies and video games?”

Normally, that kind of thing would be preposterous, but considering what I’m seeing here, that’s the only viable conclusion.

I then decide to continue down the main road and have a look around. In between the regular houses, there are also various stores selling food, clothes, etc. but the ones that really catch my eye are the weapon and armor shops. Seeing all the different weapons displayed in the storefront—something unthinkable in modern Japan—makes me once again realize how strange is the situation I currently find myself in.

In contrast to my bewildered state, the people around me are all rather calm, and it’s at that moment that I finally notice that some of them have horns and even animal ears. In games and stuff like that, there are many beloved races with similar characteristics, but I can’t help being started having them right in front of me.  

I’ve also spotted a few more parties like the one from earlier. They weren’t identical to them, obviously, but they all had that same imposing aura.  

After walking up and down the main street, I finally return to the entrance of town.

“Well, it looks like this is all real…” I murmur.

I have no choice but to accept the fact that after I fell down the stairs at the office, I somehow stumbled into this world. My heart had been feeling weird for a while, so I suppose that’s what did me in.

“But then, what now…? I guess I’ll have to find a way to earn a living here…”

Having now resolved myself to live in this world, I first need to find a solution to my current lack of food and lodging. The problem is that I doubt this town offers the types of jobs that pay daily, and even if it does, there’s no guarantee that they’ll hire me. I don’t want to throw in the towel so soon but—

“Hey, mister, are you perhaps looking for the adventurers’ guild?” Someone nearby talks to me as I was about to give in to despair. It’s an elderly man who appears to be a resident of this town.

“Ah… well, um… I’m not even sure what the ‘adventurers’ guild’ is.”

“Ohh? Mister, have you just ‘awakened’ or something?”

“Awakened?”

Noticing my confusion, the elderly man adds, “Huh, it looks like you don’t know what that is either. You must have been thrown out of your village without any kind of explanation.”

“Aah, yeah, something like that.” I seriously have no idea what he’s talking about but let’s just nod along for now.

“Then you really ought to visit the adventurers’ guild. Follow me.”

“…Well, alright.”

I hesitated for a second, but it didn’t look like the elderly man had bad intentions, so I just decided to follow him. Not to mention, it’s not too hard to imagine what kind of place the “adventurers’ guild” is, so that’s also why I’m not too worried about where he’s taking me.

“I must say, though, I’ve never heard of someone ‘awakening’ at your age, mister. You’ll probably have it rough in the future, so I wish you the best of luck.”

“Um, thank you.” I continue walking as the elderly man tries to cheer me up for some reason. After a while, we arrive at a three-story building, which I’d passed by earlier.

“This is the adventurers’ guild. Talk to the receptionist inside and she’ll tell you what you’re supposed to do from now on. Bye then. Don’t push yourself too hard, you hear?”

When I thank him for his help, I hear the elderly man say, “You look like a nice fellow. It’s a shame you ended up in this situation…”

Once again, I’ve got no idea what the heck he’s talking about. But well, what matters here is that if I talk to the guild’s receptionist, it seems I’ll find a way to make a living in this world.

I then proceed through the large open door and take my first step into the adventurers’ guild.

Contents – Next Chapter

Note:
We’ve also picked up another project today. Here it is if you’d like to check it out:
How the Listless Gyaru Yukikawa-san Started Coming Over After Class.