The weirdest thing about this was that I wasn’t anyone special. I didn’t have a sympathetic backstory that could make an audience cry. I didn’t have any traumatic experiences that haunted my past. I didn’t even have anyone in my life that could count as an antagonist. I got along just fine with everyone! I was a perfectly normal guy who had gotten out of college and was working my first job. Indeed, I even considered myself ahead of the pack. I was an engineering major who had a job lined up for me as soon as I graduated. The salary was decent enough where I could get my own place and had enough left over to fund my hobbies. I had a good support network with plenty of friends and loving parents. I was even talking to a girl from another department about going out. Our date was next Tuesday for Heaven’s sake!

The only unique trait I could say about myself was that when things got serious, I could become very analytical real damned fast. That, and I had a soft spot for history, especially military history.

These two factors were probably why I’m not freaking out right now.

One instant I was getting in my car about to head home and the next instant I’m here in this godforsaken forest that looked like a cutaway picture from every stereotypical dark forest in the Western fantasy genre. Overgrown pine trees dotted the environment as far as the eye could see, with an overabundance of spindly branches that created the illusion of being surrounded by barbed wire. I could almost feel the eyes staring at my back, peering out from the numerous tree hallows hidden beyond my sight. And as if to add to the ambience, a flock of crows just literally flew over my head.

Now I’m a grown 24-year-old adult but even I’ll admit the sounds those birds made when they whipped past me did send a chill down my spine.

Which was why I was more than relieved when I heard voices, human voices, coming my direction.

There were four of them, all girls, and as they stepped into the clearing where I was, the first thing I noticed about them was that they were armed. One of them carried a battered shield in one arm and wielded a worn sword in the other. Another gripped a simple spear in two hands. The third girl had a shortbow and had already strung arrow to string. The fourth one seemed to be the only noncombatant in the group. She had a traveler’s pack slung over her back and an assortment of pouches wrapped around her waist. She was not entirely defenseless though as I did see the sling hanging from her belt. One of the pouches must hold the slingstones then.

For a moment all of us stared at each other, or more accurately all four of them were staring at me.

In any case, someone had to break the ice somehow and I figured it might as well be me.

“Who are you?” both I and the sword and board girl said at exactly the same time.

The two of us looked at one another in surprise. Then sword and board girl narrowed her eyes.

“I asked first!” we both said at the same time again.

Well, this was making for an awkward introduction. The sword suddenly being pointed in my direction wasn’t helping either.

“Whoa… Hold on now.” I raised both my hands in a placating manner.

“Your name,” sword and board girl glared at me, “and don’t make me repeat it.”

“I’m… Warren?” I said slowly for it was true.

The swordpoint lowered a fraction of an inch.

“And what are you doing here, Warren?”

“What’s… here?”

“You mean you don’t know?” spear lady leaned on her spear and gave me an inquisitive look.

“This is the Drakvald Forest,” the archer said coolly, “People who don’t know where the Drakvald Forest is tend not to come out of it.”

“We’re helping with a goblin subjugation campaign,” the support girl who was most likely their healer provided the only genuinely helpful information so far, “Um… Are you lost, kind sir?”

Drakvald Forest? Goblin subjugation campaign? My mind was spinning a mile a minute. Meanwhile, my new hosts kept on with the conversation, though mostly to themselves.

“He’s clearly lost!”

“Or he’s just stupid. Why else would he come here alone to this forest?”

“Maybe he’s not from around here? I mean, look at his hair! It’s black! I haven’t seen anyone with black hair except those from the Eastern Provinces!”

“You’re right Elise! He could be an adventurer from another country!”

Adventurer? Oh… Oh! Now I get it! Just recently, a friend of mine had introduced me to light novels as a genre. The ones where modern protagonists get isekai’d to a medieval setting were among my guilty pleasures. And this was exactly what it was! I’d been reading so many of these damned transport-to-another-world stories that I was starting to have dreams about them! And over the past weeks I have been working overtime to complete some project deliverables. I must have been so tired, I passed out in the seat of my car. This was all a dream and all I had to do was wake myself from it!

“That’s right,” I said confidently to myself, “All I have to do is close my eyes, snap my fingers, and I’ll wake up from this crazy isekai novel.”

I proceeded to do all three. When I opened my eyes again, it was to see the same four girls staring at me with weird expressions on their faces.

“What’s isekai?” the spear girl asked.

“What’s a novel?” sword and board lady demanded.

“Are you awake yet?” the healer asked in concern.

“Maybe he is just stupid,” the archer said with a shrug.

Oh boy.