(A/N: I have edited this chap, you are gonna enjoy reading this! Previously the proofreading started from chap 25 onwards leaving much to be desired, it destroyed the immersion of the story and I finally decided to step in! No proofreaders, done by yours truly!)
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First-Person POV
Getting reincarnated—or rather, transmigrated—isn't something you expect to happen unless you're a diehard otaku who's spent way too much time immersed in anime and light novels.
And yet, that's exactly what happened to me. Except, it didn't happen in any of the cliché or dramatic ways I would've expected.
There was no iconic Truck-kun barreling toward me, transforming into a giant mecha mid-sprint while yelling, "Get isekai'd, bitch!"
I wasn't struck down by the legendary Heaven-Splitting, Chaos-Creating Thunderstrike that zaps you into a new world where logic and maturity are rarer than dragon eggs.
I didn't die due to betrayal from close friends, triggering a tragic regression arc.
Nor did I peacefully fall asleep and wake up in another body.
No, all I did was step outside my apartment to buy some mutton for dinner. Blinked once—and the next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a cobbled street.
Problem? It wasn't the road to the mutton shop.
I had somehow ended up smack in the middle of some random-ass capital city straight out of a third-rate fantasy isekai world. Swords, cloaks, potions, and all that generic medieval crap. You could roll a dice and find a place like this in any B-grade anime setting.
'Okay, okay, calm down. Let's figure out what the actual fuck went wrong!'
Then it hit me—two sets of memories. In one, I was just… well, me. Normal guy, mid-20s, recently employed, decent life. In the second set, I was someone else entirely. Or more accurately, still me… but with a new name:
Natsuki Subaru.
Cue the existential dread and internal panic.
A chill ran down my spine as I slowly pieced it all together. I hadn't just been dropped into some random fantasy world. No. I had transmigrated into one of anime's most mentally tortured, death-looped, reality-punched protagonists in history.
And the worst part?
I wasn't even remotely ready for what was coming.
Behind me, a large fountain came into view. I sat down heavily on the stone basin, trying to collect my thoughts, while people milled about like this was just another Tuesday. Lizardmen, demi-humans, armored soldiers, merchants, shady types—you name it, they were here.
I took a deep breath.
"FUCK IT! WHO THE HELL HAD THE AUDACITY TO DROP ME INTO THIS SHITHOLE OF A WORLD?!"
My outburst startled the locals. Some glared, others snorted, and most just continued walking, uninterested in my breakdown. Just another lunatic screaming on the street, apparently.
That's when I really started questioning my life decisions. I'd just landed a dream job that paid 40 Lakhs per annum. Life was finally looking up. I had a decent family, an older brother who constantly roasted me, and a dad who grilled a mean barbeque. Everything was finally falling into place.
And now?
Now I was in deep shit.
Should I be glad that I know the plot? Is that a perk?
'So, what now? Stay close to Emilia and die. Die again. And then die a few more times.'
'Don't stay close to her and everyone dies anyway.'
If I wasn't around, Emilia would get murdered in a back alley. The village kids? Slaughtered. Rem and Ram? Dead. The entire village? Massacred. The White Whale would run wild. The Sin Archbishops would have a field day.
If I were purely the original Natsuki Subaru, maybe I'd suck it up and accept the role. But the other me—the modern, average me—was mentally screaming, "FUCK NO!"
How the hell am I supposed to handle country-destroying threats when my only ability is Return by Death—an ability with a traumatic downside—and I've got a possessive yandere witch breathing down my neck?
And let's not even talk about Roswaal. That clown with a Book of Wisdom who thinks he's playing 5D chess. If I don't follow his twisted little plan, he might just mark me as a threat to be eliminated. For what? Existing?
I looked down at the ground, my thoughts spiraling.
"I'm going to die, aren't I?" I muttered to no one in particular.
"Whatever. If Emilia ends up dead, her overpowered spirit daddy is gonna take everyone down with her. I'd just be collateral damage in the crossfire before Reinhard the SSS-tier Protagonist steps in and solos the threat."
Since I'm already stuck here… the least I can do is try. Try until I make it.
No lie, the future looked pretty damn bleak. But maybe the part of me that is Subaru could find the strength to endure it.
…
I got up and walked ahead, eventually spotting the infamous fruit stall.
Not apples—appas. Gotta love the off-brand naming.
"Hey, kid! Wanna buy some appas? I swear they're sweet as sugar!" the vendor grinned, holding one up like it was a gold nugget.
I sighed, brushing my hair back. "Sorry, man. I'm not really in the mood for appas. But hey—next time I pass by, I'll definitely grab some."
He looked a little disappointed, but nodded. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was broke as hell.
Finally, I reached a certain alley—the very same shady alley I knew from the plot.
"So, this is it, huh?" I muttered, eyeing the trio of thugs standing ahead.
I walked forward, fully aware I could die here. In fact, I was betting on it.
I had a plan, not pretty smart but I wanted to get Reinhardt.
"Hey, kid! Hand over all the money you've got!" one of them barked. He looked like a Gon or a Chin or something equally unremarkable.
"That's the thing," I replied, completely deadpan. "I'm broke. No money, no home, no food, no girlfriend. You're better off robbing someone else."
"Huh?! Don't try to play games with us! Hand over that stuff you're holding!" the third one snapped.
I didn't wait. I lunged forward, my fist connecting with the throat of the first guy. He gagged and stumbled back, clutching his neck.
The second one whipped out a knife and slashed toward me. I barely dodged it—thank Subaru's muscle memory—and backed away quickly.
That's when a small figure landed nearby.
A girl with blonde hair.
"Huh?" the thug turned in surprise. While he was distracted, I rushed in and kicked him square in the groin. He howled in pain as he crumpled, and I snatched the knife from his hand.
"Whatever. You guys have fun," Felt muttered as she bounced away like it was none of her business.
Now only one thug remained. He stared at me with a serious look, sizing me up.
"You little ba—" he started, but I charged toward him, knife in hand, ready to strike—
—and then, out of nowhere, someone kicked my leg out from under me. I hit the ground hard.
'No!' I screamed internally, trying to scramble back up.
Too late.
The third thug grabbed the knife I'd dropped and drove it into me. Again. And again. And again.
My world turned red.
The pain was searing—hot, burning agony radiating from every wound. I couldn't even scream. I just stared in disbelief, life draining from my body.
"Deserved it, bastard," one of them muttered as I collapsed.
Everything hurt. My vision blurred. I could hear footsteps—someone approaching.
"What's going on here?!"
She was too late.
Too damn late.
And just like that—
Natsuki Subaru died. (*2)
...
Where was I?
Honestly? I had no clue.
All I could see was darkness—thick, suffocating fog that wrapped around everything. There were no walls, no floor, no ceiling. Just an endless black void.
Worse? I had no hands, no legs, no body. Nothing. I was simply… a floating consciousness. Just a mind drifting in the void.
And then I heard it.
A whisper. Low, trembling, yet weirdly melodic. The kind of sound that doesn't just reach your ears—it seeps into your very soul. A chill ran down what would have been my spine… if I still had one.
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…"
Over and over again. The words repeated like a deranged lullaby.
From the dark mist, a woman emerged. Her figure began to form—first a silhouette, then more distinct with every step. Each movement she made carried an eerie elegance.
As she approached, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange, uncontrollable urge. It was like she was the very meaning of my existence. I wanted to reach out, to touch her, to kiss her—
Hell, I even felt a raw, primal desire to—
SNAP.
My mind yanked itself back just in time.
She was right in front of me now. Her lips brushed against the side of my neck. An icy thrill ran down my invisible spine.
Wait. Neck?
I looked down.
I had a body again. Arms, legs—everything. When the hell did that happen?
Where even was I?
Shouldn't I have already used Return by Death? Wasn't I supposed to go back to the previous checkpoint or whatever?
"I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you…"
That damn voice again.
And I'd had enough.
"FUCK OFF, WITCH!" I shouted, flipping her off with both hands.
In the very next instant, I was thrown back into the street—just like that.
I gasped for breath like I'd just surfaced from drowning.
'What the hell was that?! Why did I just meet the Witch of Envy?!'
No answers. My brain scrambled to make sense of it.
Was this a cut scene? A scrapped version of the anime? A deleted route from the light novel?
Wait—Petelgeuse went through something similar once, right? There was a place like that… what was it called again?
The Shadows? The Graveyard?
Whatever it was, it was terrifying.
So that's what dying feels like, huh? Screw that. I never wanted to feel it again.
'Last time, I fucked up. HARD. GODDAMMIT, SATELLA!'Wait… she'd probably take that as a compliment. Ugh.
I paused, realizing that my trauma-response mechanism had already kicked in—specifically, Subaru's. I giggled to myself like a lunatic, prompting a few people walking by to look at me like I'd grown horns.
Whatever. Let them stare.
'This time, I need to prioritize meeting Emilia.'
With that thought, I made my way forward again, passing by the familiar Appa stall. The vendor saw me but didn't say anything. I just gave him a small wave and kept walking.
Eventually, I stopped in front of that alley. You know the one.
"Hey bud! If you want to live, hand over all the money you have!"
I rolled my eyes.
'Here we go again…' I thought with a sigh.
But this time, I didn't enter the alley. I stayed just outside, watching carefully.
One of the thugs suddenly pulled out a knife and charged at me like some kind of discount assassin.
'Can I not catch a damn break?'
I twisted to the side, dodging him by a hair. As he passed, I pivoted and punched him right in the cheek. There was a sharp crack—like a branch snapping—and he crumpled to the ground.
Two teeth popped out of his mouth and skidded across the cobblestone.
I winced, both from pain and surprise.'Wait… Subaru's body is supposed to be weak as hell, right?'Apparently not as weak as I thought.
"How the hell did he take down Gon so easily?! Bastard! DIE!"
The other two thugs rushed at me. I dodged again, sweeping my leg under one of them and sending him tumbling to the ground. The last one tried to punch me, but I crossed my arms, blocked the hit, then retaliated with a clean kick to the jaw.
He went down like a sack of potatoes.
Just then—
"Wait!"
A familiar blonde figure darted past on my left—Felt, heading toward the slums like always.
And right after her came the white-haired half-elf.
"Um, sir…?" she said, hesitating when she saw the three groaning men laid out in front of me.
"They tried to mug me," I shrugged, completely casual.
"The boy isn't lying, Lia," said a small floating puffball—Puck—hovering beside her.
"I see… Sir, did you happen to see someone with blonde hair running this way?" she asked.
I knew this part of the story already. Things were diverging from canon slightly, but nothing too drastic yet.
"I did," I replied. "But before I answer… who are you? Name's Aya—no, you can call me Zero."
No way I was giving them my real name. Not with Gluttony in this world. That bastard would love to erase me.
Puck narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Emilia didn't seem to catch on. She simply asked, "Really? Can you tell me where she went? She stole something very important from me."
"She ran toward the slums," I pointed out casually. "By the way… what's your name?"
She paused—hesitated.
"…Satella," she finally said.
I sighed loudly. "You know, lying to your benefactor isn't exactly polite."
She flinched. Puck floated in front of me, eyes narrowing even more.
"Says the man who gave a fake name."
I smiled. "I've got my reasons. Safety precautions. Witch's Cult and all."
Puck seemed to accept it, albeit reluctantly. "You speak the truth… Still, my daughter has her own reasons for hiding her name from strangers."
"Puck, stop it," Emilia muttered. "I'm sorry, Sir Zero. My real name is Emilia."
I nodded. I didn't blame her. Half-elves aren't exactly treated kindly in this world.
"I understand," I told her honestly. "Your race doesn't affect my opinion of you at all."
"Well, he seems sincere," Puck said. "Anyway, Lia, we should resume our search. Now we know where the thief went."
"Let me help," I said. "I'm completely broke right now… Maybe if I help, you'll repay me somehow?"
Her face suddenly turned red. "Actually… I don't have any money either…"
I stared at her, deadpan.
'Even though I knew, it still sounds stupid hearing it out loud…'
"Whatever. I've already decided to help, so let's just get on with it."
She seemed unsure, but eventually accepted. We headed toward the slums together.
As we moved forward, we found a little girl crying in the middle of the street.
"Where are your parents? Did you get separated from them?" Emilia asked gently.
The girl flinched and backed away in fear.
I knelt down and used a small trick I remembered from Subaru's memories—something simple to distract and entertain. After a few moments, she calmed down and stopped crying.
With a little more effort, we managed to reunite her with her mother.
To be continued…
(A/N: New fic launched. Already got 30 chapters stocked for this one... SO LET'S F*CKING GOOOOOOOOOOO!)