[02 — Restart?]

>Year 338 — Kingdom of Lisarya: City of Blessom<

The flash was so intense I could still feel the afterglow burning in my eyes.

That damn Vindt.

So that’s what she meant by 'granting my wish,' huh?

Damn it.

I clearly remember playing this game, but I can’t remember a single thing about it. What kind of messed up scenario did she drop me into?

"Ah... First things first, I need to get my bearings.”

Unless I’m going insane, I swear I heard the system say 'City of Blessom.' Is that the starting town?

I felt something soft beneath my fingers.

I clenched my hand and the cool, thin texture brushed against my palm.

...Grass, maybe?

With a little effort, I yanked some from the ground and popped it into my mouth.

“Hmm… yep, that’s grass…”

I finally opened my eyes. A deep, vivid blue sky filled my vision. The scent of nature rushed into my nose, like my senses had just been waiting for me to wake up.

As my pupils adjusted to the light, I noticed a bunch of little hills in the distance.

They looked like dirt cakes with green frosting on top. Colorful, juicy-looking plants were scattered all over them like decorations.

... I wonder what they taste like?

Eh… why am I drooling over a patch of dirt?

GROWLR

My stomach growled.

[HUNGER LEVELS APPROACHING CRITICAL LIMIT]

A message popped up in front of me.

“So that’s how it is…”

I figured the system wouldn’t cut me any slack, but I didn’t think it’d start harassing me this early.

“Ahh…”

Looking more closely at the horizon, I spotted something that looked like civilization. A few wooden cabins and some stone structures surrounding them.

If I had to guess from the architecture, I’d say it’s some sort of medieval setting.

“Uhn…” I leaned my head on my hand, mentally taking notes.

... I know I’m not really in a position to say this, but… this place looks amazing.

I mean, yeah, everything happened way too fast, I get it, but still… it almost feels like a dream.

“So pretty…”

Before my gamer instincts could hijack my body, I pulled myself together and focused on what actually mattered.

Even if everything seemed beautiful, there was a clear contrast between the vibrant colors of nature and the dark, worn-out gray of the buildings.

That piqued my curiosity. I’d have to check that out later.

With a bit of hesitation, and keeping my voice down, I finally gave in to the urge that had been eating away at me.

“Open status” I said, blushing hard.

And just like that, the window appeared:

[NAME: KATOU DESTROYER 9000
LEVEL: 01 (?)
CLASS: NONE
RACE: HUMAN
SKILLS: (Do I really need to list your own skills?)
DIFFICULTY: New Game Plus +++++++
STATUS: Hungry]

“Hm... so I used that name here too, huh…”

... Wait.

"What the hell is with this skills message? What kind of system doesn’t list your own damn skills?"

No—worse: what’s with this difficulty setting?

Wasn’t this supposed to be my first run? Why the hell is it still treating me like I’m in 'New Game Plus?'

As I tried to push myself off the grass, a wave of nausea and weakness hit me hard. My legs trembled, and a sharp pain throbbed at the back of my head.

I reached around and felt something sticky and warm on my fingers.

“…Blood?”

Now that I was thinking about it, my whole body kinda hurt—

“Yo, buddy! You up?”

A tall, muscular guy walked up to me, showing way more skin than anyone has a right to. His voice was deep, and just loud enough to be annoying.

“... Ah… yeah?”

Who the hell is this guy?

In times like this, all I could rely on was my gaming experience. Usually, games start you off with some kind of guide character to help you get used to the world. This didn’t seem like a proper tutorial, but the setup was familiar enough.

Looking closer, I could count each ridge of his abs. Knife scars covered his chest and arms. Judging by the crosses tattooed on his wrists, he probably had some religious background too.

“I’m up now… uh… buddy?”

Not to brag or anything, but acting’s always been one of my strong suits.

“Damn, buddy. I think I hit my head somewhere around here.”

I showed him my bloodied hand.

“…”

He looked a bit confused.

“…You… by any chance… don’t remember anything?”

Argh! He saw through me already?!

An awkward silence filled the air. For the first time, I noticed how soft the cold breeze was against my face, and how comfy the dirt felt under my feet.

... Wait… if I can feel the dirt, that means I’m barefoot.

I needed to check my inventory ASAP.

“…”

The silence was getting on my nerves.

"Pfft—" I felt his heavy hand knock me off balance.

“HAHAHA!”

“Ha… ha…”

He pulled a wheat stalk from his belt and stuck it between his teeth.

“Not surprising, buddy… after a fall like that, anyone’d be a little loopy, haha!”

Fall? So that’s how I hit my head?

“Ah… ha… ha…”

*

As I walked alongside my 'buddy' through the fields, I tried to get a better read on where the hell I even was.

According to Markus (which is what he said his name was) the place we were in was indeed Blessom: a small city on the far southern edge of the Kingdom of Lisarya.

Apparently, the road to the capital had collapsed, so we were taking a little detour.

Beyond that, Markus didn’t go into much detail, and I didn’t feel comfortable asking too many questions yet. Since he was clearly supposed to be my 'guide,' I figured I’d save the info-dump for later, once I got more settled.

I tried calling out 'Inventory' in my head, hoping to quietly check what I had on me.

... No dice.

I wanted to avoid the embarrassment of saying commands out loud, but…

“Inventory,” I whispered, barely audible.

Markus was a few steps ahead. I don’t think he heard me.

A window popped open:

[INVENTORY
ITEMS IN POSSESSION: 01 (expand)]

Honestly, I wasn’t even surprised…

“Expand.”

Another window opened over the first:

[ITEMS: Checkpoint Coin x1 — Item bound to KATOU DESTROYER 9000 (non-transferable)]

Hmm… Checkpoint Coin?

I can guess what it does just from the name, but once again, this cursed system refuses to explain anything.

Ah...

“Unbelievable.”

“You say something, buddy?”

“Nope. Not a thing.”

*

The sun was starting to set, and I still had no idea where Markus was taking me.

We were walking in the exact opposite direction of that town I saw earlier, and I was starting to doubt if this guy even knew what he was doing.

Seriously… where are we going?

The open field gave way to thick forest—and let me tell you, the vibes were not good.

Up ahead, I saw a few carriages parked near the trees. The wheels were thin and tall, the body made of wood but reinforced with thick layers of bluish steel.

The black horses weren’t hitched to them, instead, they were just wandering freely nearby.

Whoever was staying here… they weren’t planning on leaving tonight.

Markus came to a sudden stop.

“We’re here, buddy,”

“Huh?”

Wait, what?

Before I could ask anything, Markus cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled:

“WE’RE HERE!”

His voice echoed through the whole damn forest.

“…”

Yeah.

Guess I’m screwed.