Hearing the scream grow louder as I got closer, I pushed my way through the forest. The moment I stepped deeper among the trees, I became certain of one thing.
I was definitely not in my world anymore.
The trees looked strange, their trunks twisted in ways I had never seen before, and the grass carried faint shades of color that did not exist back home. Even the air felt different when I breathed it in. Fresher… yet somehow heavier.
Still, the scream guided me.
From the sound of it, I was sure it came from a woman. The voice was delicate, high, and trembling with fear.
But it turned out I was completely wrong.
My steps stopped the moment my eyes landed on the figure ahead of me.
My legs froze.
My heart skipped a beat.
I could not believe what I was seeing.
Long Brown hair flowed down their back, shimmering under the sunlight. Their face was beautiful, soft and delicate enough to rival any woman I had ever seen. The features were smooth, almost unreal, framed by strands of that brilliant brown hair.
They wore a light robe woven from thin, shimmering silk that draped softly over the shoulders. The fabric clung gently around the waist before loosening as it fell, leaving long, slender legs almost fully visible with every step. The robe was split high along the thighs, swaying with each frantic movement and revealing brief glimpses of what lay beneath.
"…Definitely not a woman," I muttered unconsciously, my voice half-choked as our eyes met.
Still screaming, he turned his head toward something behind him.
A wolf.
But calling it a wolf almost felt wrong.
The beast was enormous, easily four times larger than any wolf I had seen on Earth. Its claws dug into the soil as it slowly advanced, yellow eyes locked onto the trembling brown-haired boy.
I knew I had to do something.
And the moment that thought crossed my mind, a strange sensation surged through my body.
Cold.
An icy current rushed through my veins, stretching them as it spread throughout my body. It did not hurt, but it felt unnatural, like my blood had suddenly turned into flowing winter.
My heartbeat changed.
Slower.
Yet stronger.
My hand rose on its own, as if guided by something beyond my control. Words slipped from my mouth before I even realized what I was saying.
"Wind Slash."
In the next instant, the cold heaviness vanished from my body. My mind cleared as if waking from a brief trance.
And the wolf…
Was already cut in half.
A single, perfectly clean line split the massive beast from head to tail. For a moment it stood there, unmoving.
Then blood burst outward as the two halves collapsed onto the ground.
I took hesitant steps toward the boy
"Are you okay?" I asked, standing over him.
At six-foot-one, I was basically casting a shadow over the poor guy. Not that I'm bragging or anything, but I had the fairly standard tall-guy build. Broad shoulders, decent posture, the whole package. My face was not bad either. Sharp jawline, straight nose, the sort of face people in school used to call "handsome."
Honestly, if it were not for… that incident back in high school, I probably would have been pretty popular with women.
The boy sat there on the ground, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes, staring at me in complete shock.
And I mean staring.
Okay, I knew I looked good. But this was getting a little embarrassing.
Especially considering the fact that a literal femboy straight out of my fantasies was currently sitting in front of me and looking at me like I had descended from heaven.
Trying to play it cool, I shoved my hair back with my hand, attempting what I believed was a very cool and heroic pose. Honestly, I had no idea where this sudden confidence was coming from. But one thing was certain.
I was absolutely, completely, hopelessly in love right now.
I flashed him my most confident smile and reached out a hand.
"I know I'm handsome and all, but you really shouldn't stare at people so mu—"
Suddenly his expression twisted.
Not admiration.
Not awe.
Pure terror.
He pointed at me with a trembling finger and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"GHHAAAAAA! AN ORC CAN USE MAAAGIIIC!?"
…
My smile froze.
"Excuse me?"
An orc?
Me?
I mean sure, maybe I was not some delicate pretty boy, but…
An ORC!?
I instinctively touched my face.
Hold on.
There was no way.
I knew I looked handsome.
But… AN ORC??