Chapter 3: A Fantasy World? Meeting Dushi Tribe

Ray is contemplating his life decisions while he is entering a planet's atmosphere inside a drop pod. When he arrived at the new world, he appeared on a small orbital base that was fully run by AI.

The base functions as a personal satellite for Ray to assist him with gathering information about his region and stuff. The base also the the one that will deliver the bombs when using Aerial Bombardment.

The problem is, for Ray to enter the planet that looks like earth but with different continent shapes, he will be sent to the surface through planetary insertion. He will drop from the height of 2000 km and arrive on the surface safe and sound… hopefully.

The pod starts to heat up when he gets lower into the atmosphere. The internal isn't affected by the heat but the momentum of the drop and the gravity starting to affect Ray. It was a nerve wrecking trip from space to surface.

When he felt a great tug, the AI announced that Ray had almost reached the surface and the pod released its parachute to lower his descent. Even then the pod was still traveling at fast speed and great momentum as it crashed in a forest.

When the AI told Ray to brace for impact, he didn't hesitate to use Die Another Day skill to reduce all damage received by 90% which is a wise choice when the pod hit the ground. The crash is very violent and thankfully Ray is held in place or he will be thrown around like a rag doll during the impact. He would break his bones if he didn't use the skill in time.

"I'm still a normal human damnit! I didn't go through the body modification yet to survive this kind of drop scot free." Ray grumbles at the guy again, the guy can just send him on the surface instead of outer space.

"I need another round of fluff to recover from this…" Ray untangle himself from the safety equipment that keeps him in place before summoning Lil Cheshire again.

"Ow- nyaaa! not my face again!!" Little Cheshire once again becomes Ray's victim of fluffing.

She enjoys the affection from Ray since she already think him as his hus- *cough* owner… Why does that sound worse than the previous one?

Anyway, she didn't mind it but having too Ray is doing it too much like a dehydrated man in the desert finally found an oasis. He just couldn't get enough of her cuteness.

…

An hour later, Ray exits the pod and starts exploring the place. Little Cheshire is riding on his shoulder that is covered by his Hardplate armor.

Like an excited kitty she is, Little Cheshire is very excited and almost runs into the forest but Ray stops her and puts her on his shoulder. He rather not let her go on her own and become missing.

"Cheshire, can you use your radar to find anything nearby?" Ray asks after he failed to get the satellite to provide any detailed geography of the surrounding area.

The satellite needs another two hour to reposition itself and get the proper angle to scan the terrain. This is because his fall into the planet isn't a straight line down and he landed quite far away from the satellite. All he knows now is he is in a forest and there are few possible settlements that the satellite manages to find.

The satellite will normally scan for light which indicates civilization but right now it is still day time in my side of the hemisphere so, the scan cannot be done but few man made constructs are labeled as possible settlements.

*ROAR*

A faint roar can be heard coming from the north. The roar sounds like an injured animal roar which piques Ray's interest.

"Come, we are going to follow the noise." I told Little Cheshire and also brought her to my shoulder before I ran into the forest.

The trees are very tall, looking like ancient forests with very tall and big trees. I didn't need to worry about Cheshire hitting branches.

…

*Roar!*

A large 3 meter tall massive bear is wreaking havoc while being surrounded by human army and fantasy creatures like ogres and trolls.

"Go kill the bear quickly! We must not dally any longer or we will not return to camp by sunset." A well dressed and decorated soldier barks his order and few soldiers order the monster to attack the bear first.

When the ogres and trolls become the fodder against the bear, the soldiers then attack using long pikes to stab the bear to death.

"Hm, take its head as proof of subjugation." The leader says and few soldiers immediately carry out the order.

The group of soldiers then left after retrieving the bear's head. Ray arrived some time ago but kept his distance and decided to follow the soldiers.

Ray tries to follow the soldiers as stealthy as possible but isn't very desperate to follow the soldiers since his satellite scan will reveal to him the surrounding area anyway. He spent almost an hour following the soldiers before he saw a plain beyond the trees.

He didn't exit the forest but instead trekking back to the pod because he is fucking stupid to forget to put away the pod before he went exploring.

Cheshire seemed tired from the travel and slumped over my shoulder and took a nap like a cat would. I sighed and carried her on my arm while running back to the pod.

When I returned and put the pod into my inventory, the satellite's AI sent me an accurate scan of the land. When I looked into the map, I found something concerning within the images of the scan.

Somewhere far north of me, there is a white structure that looks similar to my history book in Roman buildings. The whole structure is while and surrounding it is a military base being constructed. My distance to that base is approximately 200 km away but it is impossible to move in a straight line to the military base since there is a big forest, swamp and hills between us.

I take out the ACV that I snagged from my previous world then ride it through the forest in the direction of the military base. Since I have a constant connection to the satellite, I have a map that I can access at any moment which can help me navigate through even dense forest.

…

(Time Skip)

3 days later, I am still inside the jungle that I was dropped in before. Why? you asked? Well someone is dumb apparently and forget to check the fuel and now he have to trek through the jungle and cross a mountainous terrain then swamp.

However, thanks to that, he finally met a local that went by the name, Yao Haa Dushi. She is a dark elf that lives in this forest, Schwarz forest. It was after meeting her that Ray finally realised that he is in the Gate anime world or rather, the Falmart continent that is also called a special region by the JSDF.

He met Yao when he was walking through a ravine after descending a mountain. The ravine is the location where her tribe lives. She is on a quest to find help to vanquish the Flame Dragon that is terrorising and killing her tribesmen, the tribe of Dushi.

…

"I was on my way to the hill in the north and I just coincidentally walked past your tribe's territory. I swear that I didn't have other ulterior motives." I tried to explain to this dark elf lady that I mean her no harm but she didn't seem to be convinced by saying no one will climb that mountain without a serious reason.

"Lies. This is all lies. One must either be insane or have ULTERIOR motives to dare climb the mountain the Flame Dragon lives in." Yao remains stubborn with her stance.

"Listen here lady, I swear to whatever god up there in heaven that I just know that Flame Dragon even lives in that damn mountain, okay. So, can you cut me some slack on this matter? Not like I am hurting your people right?"

Yao looks almost convinced when I swear randomly to whichever gods. She dropped the matter and was about to let me go when Cheshire ruined it.

"No sister, my owner isn't a bad person nya! He is telling the truth." Cheshire says when she raises both her hands and stands between me and Yao. Cheshire then looked at me waiting to be praised.

"Owner? Owner! You making such a little girl a slave!" Yao instantly leaped back and unsheathed her curved sword.

"Goddamnit… Sigh, I didn't want to resort to this but, NIGERUNDAYO!" I grab Cheshire before sprinting full speed toward the north.

"Come back here you scum!" Yao shouted and put up a chase. She is fast as elves have natural advantage in their natural habitat but still pale in comparison to Ray's top speed until she starts using magic(haxx).

"Nya. Did Cheshire say something wrong?" Cheshire innocently stared at me while bending her head backwards.

Ray was tempted to say yes but he didn't have the heart to say it while being stared at by Cheshire with a very adorable face.

"No, that lady has a loose screw in her head. That's why we are running away from her." I patted her head to reassure her as I continued sprinting but I saw a swamp in front of me. When I turned to the side, Yao was already there to block my way.

"It's a foolish notion to run away from an elves in their own territory, especially older elves that already memorised the entire area like the back of their palm." Yao declared, seemingly proud of herself.

"Now, surrender yourself before I skin you alive for turning such a young girl into a slave for your sick pleasure."

'Oi lady, your slander is getting out of hand.' Ray says to himself as he swaps his empty fist to his primary weapon, Sub-Light COM2 assault rifle.

Using his implant to assist his aim, Ray shot a round that whizzed past her head just by an inch. She can feel how fast the projectiles move when the bullet hits a tree behind her instantly after Ray pulls the trigger.

"How about a counter offer? We go our separate way and you can keep your head."

Yao gulped because she knew that Ray could kill her instantly with just a pull of a trigger. She cannot even see anything when the bullet whizzed past her head and only saw the weird contraption glowed for a moment.

"Fine, I trust you for now but I have something to talk to you about." Yao said because Ray can kill her if he wanted, he is genuinely trying to just mind his business.

"But I still haven't forgive you for turning a little girl into a slave."

Just as Ray was about to feel relieved that this lady finally dropped the hostility to him, she brought it up again and he could only sigh. At least she is willing to talk.

"Start talking then, or I will continue my travel."

"Let's go somewhere more appropriate than in the middle of nowhere. My tribe's settlement isn't far from here anyway." Yao said before she started walking back to the direction we were running away from just now.

"Sure, lead the way then. Surely it's not a trap to capture me or something." Ray replied sarcastically as a joke and paid back.

"What! We Dushi tribe isn't a dishonourable one to hurt their guests like that." Yao retorted but Ray didn't reply anymore and just followed her while ignoring her throughout the trip.

Ray however is talking with Cheshire only, which Yao keeps an ear on. She discovered that the girl seems to call herself a cat but she didn't look like a beastman at all other than the cat ears like accessories on her head. Ray however seems to simply adore the girl due to her cuteness which Yao also agreed with.

The reason Yao decided to invite Ray is because she thinks Ray is one of the deities or demigods of this world. Only a demigod will dare to climb over a Flame Dragon nest casually. The fact that Ray didn't think the Flame Dragon is a threat to him convinced Yao that Ray is a demigod. His physical prowess also is unnatural to be able to run that fast in a jungle while wearing such bulky armor is a feat only demigods can achieve.

…

When Ray arrived at the Dushi tribe settlement, Yao invited him in to meet the other leaders of the dark elves tribe.

"Yao? Why did you return that fast? Did you finally obtain help to vanquish the Flame Dragon?" Question bombarded Yao from the tribe's leader.

"Not yet but when I just leave our settlement, I meet this man who is also a deity. He can definitely help us kill the Flame Dragon"

Ray, who is listening to Yao, is able to piece together the information and according to his limited knowledge about the Gate anime, he basically asks to fill the role of Itami to kill the Flame Dragon that lives in the mountain.

Ray actually has no qualms about it since he really wanted to test his might against the mythical creatures. He remembered that the dragon does have a hard scale but a rocket launcher like Panzerfaust still can hurt it. His advanced weaponry definitely could too.

"Is that true, stranger? Are you really a demigod?" The tribe's leaders look in disbelief and some even want to prostrate themselves to pay their respects.

"No, I am not a demigod but if you need help to kill the Flame Dragon then I am willing to extend my help. For a price of course."

"Really! We prepared this, a big chunk of pure adamantite that is enough to buy a country. This is the heirloom of our elves tribe from a few generations before." Yao takes out a pouch and shows the large chunk of silvery crystal like stone the size of a large ostrich egg.

"If you find this insufficient then I will include myself as part of the payment." Yao resolutely added when she saw that Ray wasn't responding.

Ray is really surprised after seeing the notification.

[Crafting Material detected, Adamantite metal]

[Adamantite metal is best suited to create armor because of its unparalleled sturdiness. Can be used to infuse with armor to gain its trait and effect.]

Ray's mouth was wide open when he saw the notification. His armor can be infused with better material to be strengthened. This opens up new possibilities to make himself stronger. Since this is a fantasy world, there definitely are a lot more other fantasy materials that he can obtain to upgrade his armor.

"Hmn, I accept. I wanted to test myself again the dragon anyway." Ray agreed and the other dark elves all look happy and thankful that someone accepted their request.

The dark elves all excitedly rush out of the tent and tell everyone to throw a party to celebrate this joyous occasion.

…

Next morning, Ray wake up refreshed and Cheshire also wakeup along with him. She stretch her body like how a cat would. Ray feel strange that Cheshire is a human that dressed like a cat but she is more like a cat than human from her behaviour.

Well, Ray like the most is her sleeping face that look irresistible. He wanted to pinch them so badly but he didn't since it would wake he up. Though if she already wake up then its a fair game.

"Nya! Owner… stop pinching my cheek every morning nya!" Cheshire cried out and try to swat away Ray's hand.

"Umu, another great morning today." Ray said before taking out a ration for himself while Cheshire get other fresh food that he still have from the previous world. The stock of those start to dwindle and soon only junk food is left.

He honestly regret not taking more actual food and grabbed junk food which he reluctant to feed Cheshire. The combat ration is also a no since Cheshire said she didn't like them. He would be luck if he found a river to catch fish. His inventory halts time which allow him to stockpile food but he currently have no knowledge of how to hunt for food other than fish.

"Sir Ray, Miss Yao is waiting for you in the big tent." A male dark elf outside of my tent informed me.

"Yes, I'll be there in a moment."

Quickly finishing my ration, I carried Cheshire who was still munching on a fruit roll cake in my arm and went to the big tent that we used yesterday.

*Growl*

I look confused that Cheshire is able to growl like a cat when I put her in my arms. She growled like a cat that her food was being taken which looked more adorable than threatening. Cheshire then noticed her growl and quick stop before looking at me.

"Cheshire is in a bad mood nya, Cheshire cheek is always swollen in the morning because of owner nya." After explaining herself, she proceeded to stuff her cheek with more cake rolls.

Giving her a peaceful time to finish her food, I walked to the big tent and the tribes leader and Yao were already waiting for me.

"Good morning everyone." I greeted everyone before taking a seat. There was food prepared for me but I already ate my ration due to my recent habit.

"Sir Ray, our tribesmen will join you today to fight the Flame Dragon. They are our best warrior and-" Ray interrupted by raising his palm to stop them.

"I wouldn't require any help since I work best on my own. Besides, I also have my own method to kill the Flame Dragon. I only require a guide to lead me to its nest." Ray summoned his operators which is now five since he reached level 51. He selected another Assault operator which totaled him with 4 Assault and 1 Medic operators.

The dark elves didn't force it and let Ray have his own decisions. Ray did this because he knows that the elves will become emotional and thus a liability that causes themselves to be killed. Besides, he can conceal his abilities more if he is alone.

After finishing his discussion here, Yao volunteers herself to become the guide. We left soon after to reach the mountain around afternoon when the Flame Dragon usually returned after finishing hunting.

We spent more than 4 hours reaching the cave that leads into the mountain. The mountain turns out to be a dormant volcano that the Flame Dragon made its nest in. When we arrived, the nest was still empty and I handed Cheshire to Yao for safety since I cannot have her with me during the battle.

Cheshire isn't happy that I exclude her from the action. She says that she could fight with him too and manifest her heavy cruiser rigging that has one cannon almost the size of her body and a torpedo launcher. She shoots her main gun at the forest and the loud sound of explosion causes Yao to jump on instinct. The shell exploded on impact which destroyed a few trees.

"See! Cheshire can also fight nya!" Cheshire continued her protest which I relent in the end because she wanted to climb me with her rigging on.

A shipgirl's rigging shares the same weight with its actual real counterparts which means, I will be crushed to death if Cheshire did climb on me. She knew it and did it on purpose to make me relent.

"Fine but you must be accompanied by Yao and escape if it's dangerous, okay?"

"Mhn, Mhn!" Cheshire nods her head aggressively before joining Yao to standby near the entrance to escape if the fight becomes dangerous.

Meanwhile, I was summoning my operators and making sure they are using proper weapons that will be able to damage the dragon even if just scratches. Then I also deploy two cryo turrets to help slow down the dragon if it is even effective.

Since this is a former volcano, the hole above allows Ray to use Aerial Bombardment. He ready his BLACK Proposition and wait until the Flame Dragon returns to its nest.

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