An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 2

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 2   Goddess Tutorial

Scanning the surroundings, I find myself in the middle of a forest.

Taking a look at my appearance, I’m dressed in camouflage from head to toe, wearing trekking shoes and an orange jacket with a matching hat. By my side lies my beloved old Remington M870 shotgun. In my pockets, I have seventeen sabot slug rounds.

My backpack contains essential items for hunting: a hunting knife, a Swiss Army knife, a rope, a plastic bag, gloves, a can of spray paint, a water bottle, and some snack pastries. Additionally, I have a chocolate bar, emergency thermal insulation sheet, binoculars, a flashlight, a lighter, and my wallet.

Inside the backpack, I also have tissues, a few handkerchiefs, and a Nikon laser rangefinder for accurate measurements. In my chest pocket, I carry my firearms license and the town-issued certificate for engaging in pest control. On my arm, there’s a solar-powered digital watch with a built-in compass. As for my cell phone, it’s tucked away in my pants pocket.

Don’t underestimate the importance of having a reliable waterproof phone for hiking. It needs to be tough enough to withstand the elements.

Unfortunately, I have no signal here—no service.

Let me try activating the compass on my wristwatch.

…I wonder if I can determine the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.

Radio… the radio on my shoulder(※1). Is anyone there?

Up until now, it could all have been a dream, and I might actually be in Japan.

“This is Nakajima, calling out for a response. This is Nakajima.”

No response. It’s not working.

“This is Nakajima…”

“Yes, loud and clear!”

Whoa!

I was startled! Isn’t that a woman’s voice?

“This is Nakajima. Please provide me with the situation over there.”

“This is Nanotesu!”

“Nanotesu… You’re the goddess from earlier?”

“Yes! I’ll be your assigned goddess from today onwards, the goddess of this world!”

She’s so cheery! The atmosphere is completely different from before!

But I’m not feeling the same way!

“Why are you so excited…”

“Well, I’m just happy that someone from another world has finally come to my world.”

“It’s almost like you’ve forcibly abducted me…”

“Don’t be so rigid. After all, you’ve been given a second chance at life.”

I see. So I was dead. I can’t keep wallowing in it forever…

“If you encounter any problems in the future, please contact me via the radio, okay?”

“Well, if I use it too much, the battery will run out.”

“I’ve made sure it won’t run out!”

“Well, that’s great, but if possible, could you make it a mobile phone instead?”

“That’s out of range here. Besides, there’s no one else you can call anyway.”

“…Please make it usable as a mobile phone.”

“You know, it takes a lot of infrastructure development to enable mobile phone usage. You have to set up antennas everywhere, establish relay stations, maintain servers—it becomes a national project… Anyway, in this other world, mobile phones and smartphones are prohibited!”

…Such an old-fashioned rule…

“Now, let’s proceed with the tutorial. Listen carefully.”

“…Yes.”

Quite forceful, isn’t she, this goddess…

Now, according to the goddess, this place is a European-style world with a king, nobles, commoners, and various non-human races coexisting. I wonder if it’s like those fantasy movies…?

And there are monsters too, opposing the humans.

Oh, I see…

“If you think of it as a typical RPG game or an anime set in another world…”

I can’t really feel it.

“I guess I’m not really interested in that kind of stuff, so I don’t have much knowledge about it.”

“Oh, really? What kind of games did you play when you were alive?”

“Not many games… I played some racing games and Resident Evil at my friend’s house…”

“What about your favorite anime?”

“If it’s from Studio Ghibli, I love them all. But my favorite is definitely Castle in the Sky.”

“What about action movies?”

“I’d say Die Hard and Terminator series. I also like Alien and Predator.”

“Oh… So you’re not an otaku… It’s troublesome to explain then…”

“…Well, even if you say that…”

…

The radio stopped receiving signals.

Ahem ” Nakajima-san, then let me explain the essential ability for living in this other world!”

“Yes.”

She’s avoiding the topic.

“Allow me to explain about your cheat ability!”

“Cheat?”

“…Well, to put it simply, it refers to a special ability that the people in this other world don’t possess.”

“Oh.”

“Please think and chant ‘Magic Bag’.”

“Magic Bag?”

Poof!

Wow, a yellow bag appeared right in front of me!

I quickly catch it, feeling flustered.

“That is your cheat ability.”

“A bag…?”

“The yellow bag is a revered and versatile item said to be bestowed by a black cat. Don’t you know about its prestigious reputation?”

“I don’t know!”

“Please open it.”

“…It’s empty.”

“Put some money inside.”

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

“Whether it’s Japanese yen, dollars, euros, or even the currency of this world, be it gold or silver coins, any form of money will do. It will be automatically converted at the prevailing exchange rate.”

“Alright… Just five hundred yen.”

I take a five hundred yen coin from my wallet and put it in.

If this is truly another world, then it’s useless to carry any more money.

“Now, close the bag and verbally request something you desire. How about… bullets for a firearm?”

That’s right.

In this world, I only have one gun and seventeen rounds of ammunition.

“Federal, sabot slugs, copper, 12-gauge, 2-3/4 inches.”

“Open the bag.”

…I see a familiar shotgun shell, nestled inside the bag…

My beloved Remington M870 Half Rifle, equipped with a scope.

Usually, I attach a smoothbore shotgun barrel for foxes and bird shooting, but when it comes to deer hunting, I switch to a dedicated rifle barrel for sabot slugs.

The M870’s standout feature is its easy barrel interchangeability. Simply loosen and remove the end cap at the front of the magazine, and the entire barrel can be detached.

However, due to Japanese laws, this is a half-rifle barrel with more than half of the rifling removed. Without this modification, I wouldn’t be allowed to possess it as a shotgun. It’s regrettable.

I’ve mounted the scope on the barrel itself using a cantilever(※2) so I can hit stationary deer within the range of 50 to 100 meters quite accurately. Deer are large, after all.

But at 150 meters, it’s still beyond my skill level…

What sets apart these slugs from regular ones is that the bullet is encased in a plastic sabot, which engages with the rifling and is discharged while spinning. This significantly enhances accuracy compared to regular slugs.

The issue is the cost of these rounds.

They cost five hundred yen per shot. While regular shotgun shells cost less than a hundred yen per shot…

Oh, by the way, shotgun shells are called shotshells, and they are distinguished from regular bullets.

“How about that? It’s amazing, right? With money, you can buy anything with this!”

Well, that’s certainly impressive…

Oh, there’s some change inside. Two one-dollar bills…

Why dollars? Is it three dollars per shot? In Japan, each round costs five hundred yen.

“Thank you very much. Does this mean I can buy anything with this?”

“No, there are certain limitations based on what you can clearly imagine. Currently, when it comes to your weapon… guns, it’s almost unlimited.”

“Well, that’s a troublesome restriction… Can I use a cash card?”

“Hmm… Let’s say it’s okay!”

“Thank you very much.”

There’s only about twenty thousand yen in my wallet…

I had around one million yen in savings, I think. I was saving up to buy a compact car.

Without any income, even with frugality, you’d be broke in six months in Japan.

“Let’s try it again, chant ‘Magic Bag’ one more time.”

“Magic Bag.”

…The bag disappeared.

“How about that?”

“That’s amazing. It’s like magic.”

“Well, it is magic.”

“Is there really magic in this world?”

“Absolutely, it’s quite common.”

“In a world like that, can I survive with just a shotgun?”

“Well, you won’t know unless you try.”

Such an irresponsible response…

“That Magic Bag is bottomless. It can hold anything. Feel free to toss in unwanted or unused items. Even if it’s stolen, you can quickly make it disappear or bring it back with a spell, so it’s excellent for security measures. When you want to retrieve something, speak out what you put in and open the bag.”

“That’s convenient!”

I felt relieved. Somehow, I started to feel like I could manage, at least a little.

“So, what should I do from now on?”

“That’s for you to figure out. Communication over!”

Whaaat?

――― Author’s Note ―――

※1. Wireless Communication

In this novel, digital portable radios are used for hunting as the use of amateur radios is prohibited. As of the year Reiwa 4 (2022), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications revised its guidelines, allowing the use of amateur radios in fields such as firefighting, disaster prevention, and volunteer activities. It was officially decided to permit their use in the culling of harmful animals by hunters, which was previously considered illegal.

Furthermore, with the digital transition starting from Reiwa 6 (2024), the use of analog 400/350 MHz bands and the old standard specified low-power transceivers (commonly used in stores and other places) will be prohibited. Local hunting associations using such radios for culling operations will need to replace their equipment.

Business radios operating in the 150 MHz band (analog and digital portable radios) and the new standard specified low-power transceivers are not subject to these regulations. It is necessary to check if your current models fall under this restriction.

It may seem complicated, but transceivers with an output power of 1W or less that can be purchased at electrical stores are categorized as “specified low-power” and do not require a license. On the other hand, business radios with an output power of 5W or less, which can be used by corporations, companies, and organizations (including hunting association branches), are referred to as “analog/digital portable radios for business use.” Using digital portable radios without a license is, of course, a violation of the Radio Law.

In summary, the “digital portable radios” mentioned in the story and the “specified low-power transceivers” that are subject to the current regulation are separate entities.

※2. Cantilever

The Remington M870 shotgun used in this story lacks screw holes for attaching scopes directly, so the common method for using slugs was to attach a separate part to the action. However, this caused the aim to be thrown off when changing barrels. Therefore, the current mainstream approach is the cantilever method, where a scope mount is directly extended and soldered onto the barrel. With this method, even when changing barrels, the scope remains attached, minimizing any discrepancies in the scope’s accuracy.

While individuals with knowledge of firearms may laugh at someone attaching a scope on top of a pump-action shotgun in certain law enforcement circles, there are many real-life slug hunters, including the protagonist of this novel, who actually employ this technique.