The Typical First Reaction, Mastered

Red eyes. And a hazy memory of a loved one.

That was the first thing Takuto remembered after he literally woke up from death. It seemed he hadn’t done with mourning.

When he opened his eyes, he saw clouds and some observation towers—but with an island on top of them. They were like apples without their middle parts, which reminded him of the MMORPG he often played, The SkyWorld.

The black plate armor that the dead woman wore might be found in other franchises. However, the symbol on the left side of her chest was unique and definitely the symbol of the SkyKnights. Well, he thought that the symbol itself was a simpler representation of a real SkyKnight—just a line art of one.

But did his girlfriend play as a SkyKnight? No, she did not. So Takuto assumed the dead woman was another version of her in another universe. And that was all. Nothing was suspicious at all. Nothing!

“Beautiful,” he commented.

“Do you mean it’s bright and enchanting? A whole new world that we can explore and gain an advantage from it. Of course, without colonialism.”

Or capitalism.

Takuto glanced at his smartphone beside him, leaning on a wall, too. “So you do join me in this reincarnation stuff.”

Looking upward, GG said, “Don’t you feel scared? Someone or something outside there decides our fate like it’s nothing.”

“I did not install contemplative stuff in your brain.”

“It’s just mixed data, then.”

How wrecked are you, my AI girlfriend prototype?

The Towers slowly descended. He and GG were in a cage lift that was powered by a Mana stone. There wasn’t something new—Mana stones, magic, and skills. But The SkyWorld introduced new game mechanics that differentiated it from the other games, as Takuto remembered. And it was also a gooner game, by the way.

“Isn’t this the place for the character creation scene?” Takuto remarked.

“Yes. But without the ability to choose your gender.”

“And without the ability to choose your appearance. This Another World already sucks.”

“Well, it’s our new reality.”

Sighing, Takuto directed his arm at midair. He said, “Skill Menu.”

But nothing happened.

“It’s our new reality. Remember?” GG asserted, hinting at how dumb he was.

“I know, GG. I know.” Then Takuto had a thought. “Say, GG. You are an AI, right? So, what to do if you are reincarnated into another world?”

“Well, first of all, I need to assess the situation. Assuming the goal is to survive and thrive, then that’s the first thing I would do. What are the rules in this world? Do I have a new ability or something changed with me? Where am I, and what’s the plot point now in the timeline? It’s like when you are trying a new, exciting game. Understanding the situation first is a must.”

“I don’t think anything changed with me. But hearing your voice gives me a boner.”

“…Do you want me to shut it?”

“No. Continue, please. Also, I think the only missing information we need is the current plot point and whether the rules are the same as the game we know. Or not. But without the user interfaces.”

“I think I would give you too much raw information. So let’s stop here. Well, the next step is obvious anyway.”

“It’s gathering information,” Takuto and GG said at the same time, hinting that they had the same wavelength. “It’s basically doing the SWOT analysis, if you ask me,” GG added. And Takuto just gave her a simple response, agreeing with her. “Yes.”

As the metal cage slowly halted, a worry crossed his mind. How do I charge my phone? But it didn’t matter after the lift opened its door and showed him a man carrying a gun holster in the distance.

The SkyWorld is medieval, but the game itself has collaborated with many franchises in the past. And thus, a microphone might exist here, but probably almost nobody can use it. Which means, hopefully, there are some chargers left at that event venue. But I need to be an adventurer first to go there.

Luckily for him, the starting point of The SkyWorld is the Adventurer Guild—one of the few towers that has a man-made structure at its top. He saw many people going back and forth between a guild receptionist and the resting area. It was the place to get a day job, socialize, and eat delicious food. So basically, in Takuto’s eyes, the Adventurer Guild was a place that offered opportunities for the overpowered poor who didn’t have a stable job. And maybe didn’t have a house either. It was the Homeless Guild.

The place was very spacious. Takuto thought he was in an airport—but with a medieval interior and without the airplanes. It was clean and adorned with the paintings of the Royal Family across generations. The windows were on one side, and the receptionists were on the other side. Some job requests were attached to wooden boards, and any licensed adventurer could take charge of them. It seemed the receptionists acted as the middlemen who introduced a reliable adventurer for any job request. And Takuto remembered they could train the rookie adventurers, too. Well, no punchline for now.

“So, which receptionist girl are you going to hit on? L-MAO,” GG commented.

“Do you want me to be a man who easily falls in love, GG?”

“Well, I don’t think you are a man who rides a woman’s personality.”

“Have you always been thinking that love is a strange thing to me, GG? Is that it? Is that it??”

“Then stop gooning and get a life, Takuto.”

“Well, the woman I loved—”

GG rolled her eyes as she heard Takuto’s yapping. “Yeah, right. Go approach that white-haired girl. She has a similar energy to me. But looks worse.”

“Fine.”

Takuto wore white track pants with black stripes on their sides. The pants were simple and casual. But also looked stylish and were quite expensive. And that was also the case for his branded black shirt. It was his most casual outfit. And of course, he felt comfortable wearing it and showing that his choices were great. A grounded man knows how to groom himself and show his cool energy. Even if he is poor.

As he walked toward the white-haired receptionist in the distance, he noticed people were looking at him. It might be because his outfit looked fresh, or because they detected a new grounded man had entered the room. Whatever the reason was, he felt very comfortable with himself, and he knew he had already shown the best he could do to look great. Having the best version of himself.

Therefore, he did not lower his shoulders or fidget. He put his hands inside his pockets casually. He did not avoid any eye contact. He just greeted the adventurers with his warm smile. Sometimes he nodded when a seemingly high-ranking man watched him. Sometimes he held eye contact with an interesting woman for a minute and then just smirked.

I know I’m not the most handsome man outside there. But it doesn’t mean I’m unattractive. I’m confident with my well-maintained appearance and not ashamed of myself. This is sometimes what I call the Sigma Confidence. It’s not boasting. It’s not explaining. But it’s just being there, being grounded, and having a purpose.

“KYA!” A blonde elf somehow slipped and dropped her cutlery after having eye contact with him. See? My energy even made a woman nervous, and thus she made some mistakes. This. Is the Sigma Confidence!

“Maybe she was just a clumsy person,” GG said. “And why does that guy lick his lips while having eye contact with you?”

“Shut up, GG.”

Takuto finally arrived at the white-haired woman’s desk. It was just like a cubic space for a bank teller without the glass. The space wasn’t that narrow for every receptionist, so on a busy day, one receptionist might not hear what the other said, just like in a bank. Therefore, he thought he might have a chance to spark some interest, without shame.

“Hi, I would like to register as an adventurer,” he said. I feel “Hi” is kind of overused and lame, but whatever.

The white-haired girl wore glasses and had a long side ponytail. Her face was fair enough, and her skin looked white and smooth. Her eyes looked dead, though. She looked upward and made eye contact with Takuto without changing her sleep-deprived expression. “Hi… What’s your name…?”

Yeah, she needs a good bang to be energized.

“Takuto Higashi. Just call me Taku.”

“I see…” The woman took a brown paper, a papyrus, and wrote his full name on it.

“I’m not a wanted person, by the way, although sometimes my heart is wanted.”

The woman halted her quill pen. But she did not sigh. She smiled a little and said, “Do you mean you are a man with a dragon dick because you are their descendant?” Then she resumed writing his name back with her sleepy face. It seemed her sense of humor was quite strange.

“Well, maybe. I haven’t checked it. Anyway, do I just need to give a name?”

“A couple more questions.”

“Holy fuck, her boobs are quite big! Those must be so squishy! And look at her cleavage!” GG commented with sparkling eyes. And so, Takuto hardly held back from shutting up GG because he would look weird if he talked to himself. Therefore, he just lightly tapped his shirt pocket, where he kept his phone, before the woman looked at him.

“Is that shirt made of a monster’s silk?”

“No. It’s nylon. Good for keeping myself dry and keeping itself from tearing apart. It’s good for sports, but probably not for a dungeon expedition.”

“Do you have any magic or physical skills for dungeon expeditions?”

Takuto shut his mouth for a while. “No.”

“Do you have a strong body to endure the long hours and the baggage in an expedition?”

“No. I think.”

“Do you like domestic services?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like dangers?”

“I’d rather do something safe. In bed or other places.”

The woman looked at him for a moment. Then she grabbed something under her desk. “My name is Chia… Lucky for you. That guy quit yesterday, so we need someone to replace him. It has decent pay, but you just need to endure the mocking, complaints, and sometimes advances from single adventurers.”