The dirt road sloped downward, leading into a valley where smoke curled lazily from chimneys. JP slowed his pace, nerves prickling. Up until now, the only company he'd had were trees, rocks, and glowing mushrooms.
Now, nestled by a river, he saw it: his first village. Wooden houses with straw roofs clustered together, children ran barefoot along the paths, and farmers carried baskets of grain. Dogs barked, chickens scattered, and for a moment, JP just stood at the ridge, stunned.
"This… isn't a dream," he whispered. "It's real. An entire world. And I'm the stranger here."
When he entered, heads turned. Villagers eyed him curiously—his robes were plain, but his mannerisms strange, his steps too cautious. A woman selling apples gave him a wary smile.
"Traveler?" she asked.
JP froze. The words were foreign, yet… he understood them. More than that—he knew how to reply. "Uh, yeah. Traveler," he said slowly.
Her eyes widened slightly at his accent but she handed him an apple. "First one's free. You look like you need it."
He accepted it, biting into the crisp fruit, but his thoughts raced. I can understand her… I can even answer back?
Curious, he glanced at the wooden sign nailed above the village's well. Strange looping runes covered it. Without thinking, he read aloud:
"Fresh water. Do not waste."
His heart skipped. "I… I can read this?!"
He hurried to a nearby merchant stall and pointed at the list of items chalked on a slate. The letters made no sense visually, yet his mind translated instantly: Grain – 2 copper. Eggs – 1 copper. Salt – 3 copper.
A thrill ran through him. "Not only did I get isekai'd… I got a universal translator. Reading, writing, speaking—I can do it all."
The merchant cocked a brow. "You're not from around here, are you?"
JP smiled faintly. "Not even close."
As he wandered through the village, he felt the weight of opportunity pressing down on him. He wasn't just some lost foreigner. He had tools no one else did—Appraisal, Alchemy, and now, literacy in a world that should've been alien to him.
This wasn't just survival. It was a head start.
And JP, electrician-turned-alchemist, had every intention of using it.