The Unusual Era (I)

Alex, reading the note, became excited, as it was a fool's dream for him to survive in such a world without some equipment to aid his journey. He immediately opened the backpack and checked its contents. It carried two Naruto T-shirts, two One Piece shorts, a small but sharp axe, some knife, a lighter, a small guidebook on poisonous substances, a normal sleeping bag, two bundles of cotton thread, each approximately 100 meters long, canned food for 12 hours, a compact medical kit, a pair of shoes and a two-liter water bottle, a small tent.

Seeing these items, Alex couldn't help but mutter, "I'm in a fantasy world; at least give a storage ring! What's with the cotton like thread? Do you wish to wipe my ash with it? The knife is so small, is it for suicide? Is this axe meant to chop a tree? It wouldn't cut a branch, let alone a tree. And what's with the Naruto and One-Piece clothes? Do you want me to die in these clothes?"

Sighing, the only things of good use seemed to be (the lighter, the guidebook, and the sleeping bag, water bottle, the canned food, the tent, compact medical kit and the pair of shoes). Alex checked the bag again to find something of any use and discovered a note in the inner chain of the backpack, which read:

"Dear Mr. Alex,

It was my revenge for all those curse words used against me. Ha-ha-ha! So, I limited the use of supernatural things you get. The only supernatural thing are the cotton threads and the canned food, as for threads they have heat and weight resistance up to 2000 degrees Celsius / 2273.15 Kelvins and 500 kilograms / 1102.31 pounds. For the canned food find out yourself, ha-ha-ha.

From your favorite, Mr. Origin."

Alex immediately knelt, facing the rising sun of that world, and kowtowed, saying, "This lowly one has learned his lesson. Show some mercy on the poor soul that suffered so much. ORIGIN-SAMA" After such a ritual, he immediately checked the note page again, but there was no change on it.

Alex grumbled, "At least throw in a few more blessings after that whole kowtowing routine. The old fart doesn't seem to appreciate the sacred art of reciprocal respect."

Alex immediately wore the clothes, as he had been running around naked until now, but he didn't have time to ponder whether he would die with or without clothes.

"But I have to admit, this body is quite something. I didn't have seen the face yet still; it's got some serious athletic prowess and looks."

Now that Alex had a moment to catch his breath, he slung the backpack over his shoulders and took in the expansive view around him. Towering trees, forests stretching as far as his eyes could discern – if he had been a nature enthusiast in his past life, this would be a scene to revel in. However, he had little time to appreciate the beauty of the jungle, as a sudden discovery interrupted his thoughts.

"Is that a spider as big as my palm? I'm so dead," Alex exclaimed, sprinting away from the colossal arachnid as if his life depended on it. In his panicked escape, he estimated that he had lost around 20 minutes after arriving to the world. Formulating a plan on the run, he decided, "Let's find a high enough location, to find a place to hide for a good four or five days and pray I don't encounter a monster with a love gaze. Oh, Almighty Rob! Guide this junior."

Locating a nearby hilltop, Alex carefully approached it, making an effort to minimize any noise. Consulting the guidebook, he found earlier, he discovered various useful tips, such as - using pine needles to conceal his scent, by rubbing its crushed-on cloths and palm or identifying carnivorous plants that would have otherwise lured him in with their beauty. Poisonous fruits that resembled familiar ones from his modern-day life were also listed – all potentially lethal threats. Alex moved swiftly towards a higher altitude on the hill, glancing at the book intermittently while maintaining a steady pace.

"The heck is up with this body? If I ran at this speed in my previous life, I'd be dead before any creature caught up with me or I had the chance to taste a poisonous fruit," he mused, reflecting on the peculiar details of his situation. After another half-hour of running, he reached a vantage point that he believed would afford him a clear view of the entire landscape without much trouble.

After reaching there, he took in the scenery that was too beautiful for a city boy like him, who had never visited such deep forests. On the back of the notes page, he drew a simple map of important locations with the help of leaves he had picked up. He crushed them and used their green pigment to shade his drawing. "This should prevent me from getting lost and help me navigate important places in my surroundings. Ho-ho-ho, I'm such a genius," he declared, attempting to mimic Brooks's laughter but failed miserably.

He ate some food, drank water, and pondered about a plan to survive. However, the biggest obstacle was the egg, which would attract carnivores.

"How do I deal with this egg?" he wondered, looking into the distance. He noticed a wisp of smoke rising from a mountain top. He stood up, trying to change his viewing angle for a better perspective.

Alex thought, 'There is most probably one of two things happening. Either it's a volcano that has been cooling down, producing less smoke that I initially couldn't noticed, or something is causing a fire in that area.'

"Ooo yessss! If it's a volcano, I could just tie the egg and drop it in the volcano. As far as my knowledge on animals goes, they shouldn't try anything funny there," he exclaimed loudly. Due to which, as soon as he spoke, a loud roaring sound echoed in the distance, "ROOOOAR."

Startled, Alex witnessed a significant number of trees shuffling, sending a wave of panic through him. Hastily, he dashed towards the canned food, running to a nearby spot where he emptied half of the contents onto the ground.

"The can boasts meat with an amazing smell, and it's labeled for a 12-hour food supply. But maybe it's too much; in my past life, I would consume this much food in weeks. Perhaps this body requires more sustenance. At least, it should divert the creature that's headed my way," he pondered. The scattered contents of the can, now on the ground, successfully seized the creature's attention, or so Alex hoped.

Swiftly, he sprinted towards his bag, tossed the can from a distance, grabbed the axe, tied a rope to a nearby tree, approached the cliff, and descended cautiously as much as possible. Planting the axe into the ground, he left the rope slack.

After a while, the dinosaur he expected didn't show up. Slowly, he climbed the rope, packed his things, and rubbed the pine needles on himself that he collected during his descent.

"Those pine worked well, and luckily, I wasn't near the dinosaur. Maybe it was busy eating my food. It was all thanks to this body; it would have been near impossible to do such stunts with my previous body. I only did some exercises, not to the level of a world-level athlete. I also spotted the pine tree from a distance, which is why I came to this particular peak. Thanks to this body, I saved myself. I don't think if it went like this, I would survive another day. Food is also gone, and that might not have been the wisest choice, but I was too panicked," he reflected, looking towards the smoky mountain, and silently running towards it.

[It had been two and a half hours since he arrived in this world. He had four and a half hours left until the egg's power activated.]