"What world is this?"
Suzuki stood at a loss, racking his brain in an attempt to recall any manga or light novels about sudden transmigration. Unfortunately, he hadn't casually watched anime in almost twenty years.
Still, he wasn't completely in the dark. Thanks to the [Manager], the shared network of memories from his alternate selves, and that cold, mechanical voice that seemed to speak directly from the fabric of reality itself... there was only one logical conclusion.
There is only one answer.
Suzuki let out a heavy, defeated sigh. He knew exactly where he was. He had been transmigrated into the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
"...Why me?" he muttered to the empty forest.
While random Japanese citizens being dragged into this specific universe was a common trope, experiencing it firsthand was just unbelievable.
"I was living a perfectly good life, you know!"
If his life on Earth had been an absolute hell—if he were drowning in debt, miserable, horribly out of shape, or trapped in a situation where living was more painful than death—then sure, being randomly transmigrated to a fantasy world might have been a blessing. But he had been doing well. So well, in fact, that he had zero desire to be here, especially knowing it was virtually impossible to return home unless he acquired the power of a literal creator god.
"Dammit..."
Much like the Arifureta Suzuki, this version of Suzuki had worked himself to the bone his entire life. As an orphan, he had no safety net. If he failed, he wouldn't just be inconvenienced; he would be thrown into the meat grinder of low-wage labor, working from dawn till midnight, six days a week, until the stress finally stopped his heart.
He refused to let that happen. He wasn't going to be one of those tragic Isekai salarymen who worked themselves to death just to get a fresh start in a fit, young body.
He was already handsome. His body was already fit and healthy. More importantly, his future had been absolutely secure. He was a scholarship student at Tokyo University, just steps away from earning his degree.
And what was his major? Linguistics.
It might have seemed like a bizarre choice. Why would a desperate orphan choose Linguistics over law, economics, medicine, or engineering—the traditional, lucrative paths to wealth? He had often told people he just wanted to teach high school English or write poetry.
That was a lie.
Suzuki chose Linguistics because he understood a fundamental, ruthless truth about the world: Language is the operating system of human society.
Linguistics is the ultimate "hack." It is the study of how information is structured, how masses of humans are psychologically manipulated, and how absolute rules—like laws and contracts—are coded into existence. Growing up at a massive disadvantage, Suzuki knew he needed to understand the "rules" better than anyone else. Linguistics taught him how to deconstruct communication. It taught him how a politician lies, how a corporate contract legally traps you, and how an algorithm parses human intent.
Unlike STEM degrees that require expensive lab equipment or business degrees that require generational wealth to network effectively, language only requires a brilliant mind and access to data. As a scholarship student, his raw intellect was his only capital, and linguistics allowed him to weaponize it.
If he hadn't been transmigrated, a Todai Linguistics graduate of his caliber wouldn't be sitting at a basic translation desk. He would be positioning himself in sectors where single words were worth millions of dollars: strategic intelligence for a massive General Trading Company, forensic linguistics for high-stakes legal consulting, or Natural Language Processing (NLP) for AI development.
Suzuki knew that whether you are drafting a corporate merger, negotiating a global trade deal, or training a supercomputer, the person who controls the definition of the words controls the entire outcome.
He was perfectly positioned. And to top it off, he had just acquired the [Manager]! His life was about to be as secure and luxurious as humanly possible. With his unmatched communication skills and the algorithmic wealth generated by the Manager, he could have lived like an absolute king in Tokyo!
Yet... yet...
WHY THE HECK DID I HAVE TO GET TRANSMIGRATED?!
"..."
Suzuki pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
There was no point in complaining to the trees. Unlike the Arifureta Suzuki, who had a clear, defined enemy (a mad god), the 5th Suzuki didn't have anyone to direct his revenge toward. Instead of plotting vengeance, he needed to figure out how to survive, and eventually, how to leave. This world is famously lethal.
"First things first. Let's see what abilities that I have."
Unlike those who were fully reincarnated (like Rimuru the slime), a "Transmigrant" or "Otherworlder" arrived in their original physical body. Passing through the dimensional boundary had infused Suzuki's cells with a massive amount of magicules, granting him superhuman physical specs and manifesting Unique Skills based directly on his mind, desires, and background.
"Let's check the skills."
The [Manager] was obvious; it was the shared singularity connecting him to the multiverse of Suzukis. But what about the other two the Voice of the World had announced?
"[Etymologist]... and [Self-Made]."
These two were entirely original, born from his personal history.
"Let's look at [Etymologist] first."
Essentially a Universal Lexicon, this skill was the ultimate manifestation of his linguistics background. It granted him instant, conceptual comprehension of any spoken, written, or structural language.
"Hmm... so, I should be able to communicate with non-telepathic monsters. Or rather, I can perfectly parse the intent of absolutely anyone, or anything, that communicates."
And the second skill?
"[Self-Made]."
It was a skill born from his grueling life as an orphan—a scholarship student who had to violently fight for his place in a world that wanted to ignore him.
"How fitting."
So, what did it actually do? The systemic explanation was highly detailed, but the core concept was beautifully simple: Extreme Adaptation.
Despite being dropped into a harsh, alien environment, he realized he was strangely calm. His initial, blinding panic had completely vanished. When he first landed, the damp forest air had felt freezing and deeply uncomfortable. Now? Those sensations were gone. His body was rapidly developing permanent resistances to the physical and magical ailments of this world in real-time.
"I actually feel... healthier."
Back in Japan, his income was strictly limited. Despite carefully optimizing his nutrient intake, his diet had always been cheap. Driven by his obsession to succeed, he frequently forced his body to run on three or four hours of sleep a night—a schedule arguably worse than what the Arifureta Suzuki endured.
Now, his fatigue was completely gone.
He was incredibly thankful for that rapid adaptation, because he had been dropped directly into the middle of the Great Forest of Jura—a brutal, primordial ecosystem.
And while he was busy analyzing his skill menu, the forest had noticed him.
Glowing eyes pierced the dense brush. The rustling of leaves echoed from every direction as a pack of massive, drooling Direwolves and heavily armed, hostile Goblins slowly closed the circle around him, eyeing his flesh and bones for their next meal.
Suzuki calmly adjusted his glasses.
ROAARRRRRRR!!!!!
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Welcome to the Tensura!
Also, yes, he is a human since it feels weird if he is a monster, but don't worry, he can evolve.