Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Don't Use Your Phone While Walking
Chapter 1: Don't Use Your Phone While Walking
Rod's head was spinning, and his arms and legs ached as if he had been hit by a truck. He remembered being attacked by a beast, but he didn't seem to have been eaten?
Rod opened his eyes, but he didn't see an unfamiliar ceiling. The sunlight was blinding, and his eyes instinctively squinted. He tried to raise his hand to shield them, but someone had already drawn the curtains, making it easier for him to see.
"About time you woke up."
Rod heard a voice, an elderly woman's voice, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. It wasn't the Chinese he knew, not even Mandarin. It didn't sound like English or any other familiar language either.
Rod turned his head slightly and saw a pink-haired woman standing by the window, draped in a peculiar red cloak. She must have been the one who spoke.
"How are you feeling?" A kind male voice came from the other side of the bed. Rod saw an old man sitting cross-legged on a chair, wearing a jester's hat. Rod didn't understand him either.
Rod's throat was dry, and he struggled to ask, "Where am I?"
The two elders exchanged puzzled glances, clearly not understanding Rod's words.
Rod thought for a moment and tried again, "Where is this? Who are you? Hmm... Where am I?"
Seeing the elders' increasingly confused expressions, Rod realized he was in trouble. Mandarin didn't work, English didn't work, and even his broken Cantonese was no use. What was he supposed to do?
The old man in the jester's hat hopped off the chair, and Rod noticed he was shorter standing up than sitting down. That was a bit rude to think, so Rod reprimanded himself and then noticed how agile the old man was, not at all like someone his age.
"It seems we have a language barrier. This is quite a problem," the old man said, looking troubled.
"Never heard a language like that before," the pink-haired woman said. "Where did you find this child?"
"In the forest, like I said."
At that moment, someone knocked on the wooden door, and a teenage girl walked in.
"President, it's almost time. If we don't leave soon, we'll miss the regular meeting."
"Ah, right. Porlyusica, can you take care of this child?" the old man asked the pink-haired woman.
"I refuse. I hate humans, Makarov, and it's too noisy here."
Despite her words, Porlyusica helped Rod sit up and handed him a glass of water.
"Thank you," Rod said instinctively.
Porlyusica didn't understand but could guess what he meant. She didn't respond and turned to leave, "His injuries are not serious. I'm going back."
"Ah, thanks," Makarov said, knowing his old friend's character and that trying to persuade her was futile.
Rod drank the water to soothe his dry throat and watched the pink-haired woman leave, puzzled.
The small old man was talking to the teenage girl, but they were still speaking in a language Rod couldn't understand. He could tell from their occasional glances that they were discussing him.
A slight pain in his left leg made Rod frown. He noticed that his left arm and waist were wrapped in bandages, and his head was also well-bandaged when he touched it.
The various wounds on his body reminded him of the attack.
It was a strange situation.
Rod remembered staying up all night gaming with his roommate. When he woke up, he didn't want to move. His two roommates, who had gone to get food, hadn't returned.
Starving, Rod decided to go out with the remaining roommate to find them. One went to the new cafeteria, and the other to the old one.
But Rod, distracted by his phone while climbing the stairs, tripped and fell hard.
When he got up, he found himself in a vast forest.
What to do when you suddenly find yourself in an unfamiliar place? Don't panic. First, check your phone for your location, and call for help if necessary.
But he couldn't find his phone. It must have flown out of his hand when he fell.
Rod realized something was seriously wrong. He might have encountered a phenomenon that science couldn't explain. There was a TV show called "Running Away from Science" that talked about people waking up in a distant city after a normal night's sleep.
Rod suspected he had experienced something similar, but there was a worse possibility: he wasn't in another city, but in another world.
He wondered if his roommates had met the same fate, which was why they hadn't returned.
Regardless, he needed to find someone to ask for help.
Rod tried to determine the direction and, after some hesitation, decided to go west—there were signs of trampled grass in that direction.
But he regretted it a few minutes later when he woke up a massive beast, the size of an elephant.
He had never seen anything like it—a giant bear with a pig's head, pig's hooves, and a spotted body.
The branch Rod had broken off for self-defense was no match for it.
The moment the colossal beast lunged, the tree branch snapped, and Rod was sent flying, his vision going dark.
Just before he lost consciousness, he heard the calls of birds, the howls of wolves, the croaks of frogs, and the roars of unknown beasts.
This was definitely not a normal world. But at that moment, Rod had no time to think about it.
He felt that death had come too suddenly, and there were still so many things he hadn’t had the chance to do.
If there was a next life, he vowed never to use his phone while walking, especially on stairs.
But it seemed he wasn’t dead yet. Had he been saved by the inhabitants of this place?
“Hi, hello!”
Rod’s thoughts were interrupted by a gentle voice. It was the girl who had just entered the room.
She wore a dark red dress, her long white hair cascading down to her waist, and her bangs were tied back into a neat ponytail on top of her head. Her features were delicate, and her smile was warm and inviting.
She was the kind of girl who would turn heads wherever she went, both for her beauty and her aura.
Rod didn’t understand what she was saying, but her waving hand suggested she was greeting him.
“Hello,” Rod replied, and her bright smile helped ease his unease.
Just as the guild master had mentioned, the girl’s expression changed to one of understanding.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying either. I imagine you must be feeling frustrated and anxious.”
“Ah, you don’t understand this sentence either… Anyway, the guild master has something to attend to and asked me to take care of you for a while.”
The girl tried to communicate using gestures, but it didn’t seem to help much.
“Right! I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Mirajane.”
She pointed to herself and enunciated slowly, “I, Mirajane.”
“Mi-ra-jean?” Rod hesitantly repeated the unfamiliar sounds.
Mirajane’s face lit up with a radiant smile. “That’s right, Mi-ra-jean.”
Rod’s spirits lifted, and he repeated it a couple of times, gradually improving his pronunciation.
“Mirajane.” He had learned his first word in this world.
“And you?” Mirajane pointed to herself, “I, Mirajane.”
Then she pointed to Rod, “You?”
Rod understood her meaning and pointed to himself. “Rod.”
“Lo…d?” Mirajane repeated, trying to mimic the pronunciation.
“Rod,” Rod corrected her, just as she had done for him.
The first step in communication, though awkward, had been taken.
“Pleased to meet you, Rod,” the girl said, extending her right hand.
Rod gently took her fingertips. “Ple…ase… Mirajane.”
He hadn’t learned the phrase that might mean “Nice to meet you.”
Rumble… Rod’s stomach let out an untimely growl.
He clutched his stomach, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find the words.
Mirajane smiled understandingly. “Ah, I understand that. Please wait a moment.”
She made a gesture with her hands, then turned and left the room.
Rod watched her leave the infirmary, picked up a cup, and sipped some water while organizing his scattered memories from the moment he fell.
First, there was the sudden appearance of the forest, the strange and fierce beast, and then waking up to see a few people speaking in an unfamiliar language.
This was definitely not the world he knew, nor was it a normal world.
Rod wanted to know how long he had been unconscious, what had happened during that time, where he was, how to get back, and so many other things…
But even basic communication was a challenge, making it difficult to ask such questions.
He pulled back the covers, feeling a slight pain in his leg, but it was manageable, and the injury didn’t seem severe.
“Try not to move too much… even though you can’t understand me,” Mirajane said as she entered with a tray, placing it on the bedside table and gesturing for Rod to eat.
The tray held a glass of milk and two beautifully crafted sandwiches.
The triangular bread slices were cut neatly, with lettuce, tomato slices, and ham neatly arranged inside, the vibrant colors making them look incredibly appetizing.
Rod picked up one of the sandwiches and gave her a questioning look.
With her nod of approval and his rumbling stomach urging him on, Rod took a bite from one of the sharp corners of the isosceles triangle.
The bread was soft and sweet, the ham tender and flavorful.
The juicy tomatoes, slightly tangy, paired with a sweet sauce that Rod found a bit too overpowering.
But the fresh, crisp lettuce provided a perfect balance.
Swallowing the first bite, Rod felt a renewed sense of life.
But he couldn’t savor the taste for long, devouring the sandwich like a starving bull.
After finishing one sandwich, Rod’s hunger was somewhat relieved. He picked up the glass of milk, feeling the warmth of the cup, clearly heated for him.
She must be a very caring and gentle girl, Rod thought, sending her a grateful look.
Mirajane smiled and watched him eat and drink.
---
First-time writing a novel (not really).
First-time writing a Fairy Tail story (not entirely).
Anyway, please follow and support!
(End of Chapter)
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