"Where am I...?"
Natsuki Subaru's eyes widened as he stared at the bustling street before him, his face frozen in a daze.
"Horse-drawn carriages, demi-humans with animal ears, medieval-style architecture... no matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem fake." He clapped his hands together and muttered to himself, "So this is the setting, huh? I've been summoned to another world!"
His expression grew progressively excited as he suddenly brandished the plastic bag in his hand.
"According to the usual tropes, next I should be saving a beautiful and noble princess, then encountering a tsundere noble girl, and they'll use every trick in the book to fight over me. Boy, just thinking about it gives me a headache."
Natsuki Subaru wriggled around like a worm, showing not even a hint of actual distress.
"But, the most important thing is that, right?"
He took a deep breath, wiggled his hips, and thrust an index finger toward the sky. Standing in the middle of the crowded street, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come forth, Cheat Ability!"
"..."
Stared at by everyone around him as if he were a complete moron, even someone as thick-skinned as Natsuki Subaru felt incredibly embarrassed. Shouting "I'm so sorry!", he turned and fled in a panic.
Hiding in a secluded, narrow alleyway, he sat on the steps and sighed.
"Why isn't there one? It doesn't make sense."
While he was wallowing in misery, three thugs of varying heights and builds approached him from the front.
With a swagger that suggested they owned the place, they moved in three directions, surrounding Natsuki Subaru.
"Hey, kid. How about giving us some pocket change to spend?"
"Ah, so even another world has bottom-tier thugs like this." Natsuki Subaru understood instantly.
Right then, a crisp ding echoed in his mind, and misty, ethereal text floated in front of his eyes:
[Starter Quest Triggered: Defeat the three thugs. Reward: One Starter Gift Pack.]
"This is it! This is it!" He jumped up in excitement, giving the thugs a massive fright.
"What's with this guy? Is he crazy?"
"Hahahaha, I'm not crazy." Natsuki Subaru wagged his finger and struck a cool pose. "Thanks for coming over to deliver some EXP. I'll try to be gentle."
"Ha?"
"I don't get what he's saying, but it's annoying. I guess this kid doesn't want to cooperate."
"Stop wasting breath! Let's give him something to cry about!"
The thugs charged all at once.
Natsuki Subaru let out a cold snort and unhurriedly closed the distance. First, a punch landed square on the fat one's nose, erupting in a spray of blood; next, a shoulder throw slammed the thin one into the ground; and finally, he simply kicked the short one against the wall.
In just a few seconds, the thugs were all sprawled on the floor.
"Hmph, don't look down on me just because I'm a shut-in. I've actually been training this whole time," Subaru said triumphantly.
"Curse you! Don't underestimate us!" In a fit of rage, the thin one pulled a small knife from his vest.
The light reflecting off the smooth blade hit Subaru's face, startling him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Using a knife is cheating, isn't it?"
"Regretting it now? Too late!"
Under the threat of the knife, Subaru's movements lost their previous fluidity. Before long, he was stabbed in the abdomen.
A sensation of pain he had never felt before spread to the depths of his soul, causing him to howl in agony.
"Save me... I don't want to die yet. My life in another world was just beginning..."
His eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he fell into eternal darkness.
…
Subaru blinked and came to his senses, immediately clutching his stomach.
"Huh? Strange. Where's the wound? Wasn't I just stabbed? Was it a dream?"
However, the misty text appearing before him again told him this was no dream.
[One life consumed. Current remaining resurrections: 2.]
[Starter Quest in progress...]
"It wasn't a dream. I really was just killed. That feeling was way too real; I seriously don't want to go through that again." Subaru held his stomach, his expression grim. It took a long while for him to recover.
"The good news is the quest didn't fail and I can still resurrect twice. The bad news is there are only two left. These precious resurrection chances can't be wasted on those thugs again. I need to think of a plan."
Rubbing his chin and pondering for a bit, Subaru decided to prepare a weapon first.
They were just thugs; there was no need to buy a standard-issue weapon, nor did he have the money.
But that didn't matter. Cheap and useful weapons were all over the street.
After spending some time finding a wooden club as thick as an arm, Subaru returned to the alley that had been his undoing and hid against the wall.
A moment later, the three thugs appeared with their usual swagger. Subaru didn't hesitate, launching a decisive sneak attack that beat them until they knelt on the ground begging for mercy.
"Hmph! Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Huh? But we haven't even done anything yet!"
"Hmm?" Subaru brandished the wooden club in his hand.
"Sorry! It's our fault!" The thugs immediately gave in.
"Will you dare to go around hitting people again?"
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare..."
"Hmph, I'll let you off this time. Be grateful and turn over a new leaf."
"Yes!"
Watching the thugs limp away while supporting each other, Subaru, having successfully avenged himself, flashed a happy smile.
"Heck yeah! That should count as quest completed."
Sure enough, the mist gathered into the words "Quest Completed," and a large bundle appeared out of thin air on the ground.
"Hehe, this must be the Starter Gift Pack."
With a look of joy, Subaru couldn't wait to open the bundle. What met his eyes was a longsword with a scabbard and a multi-colored egg.
Setting the sword aside, he picked up the egg. "What kind of egg is this?"
Suddenly, a piercing light shone from the egg, forcing Subaru to cover his eyes.
When the light faded, Subaru reopened his eyes and was immediately startled.
In his hands appeared a fluffy, fox-like, peculiar creature.
"What kind of animal is this? A fox or a dog from another world?"
"Eevee~" The newborn Eevee let out an adorable cry. That soft, high-pitched voice instantly enchanted Subaru.
"So... so cute!" His eyes sparkled as he rubbed his cheek against it. The soft fur felt so good he let out a satisfied moan.
"How about I just call you Eevee? I'm your master, Natsuki Subaru. Please look after me."
"Eevee~"
"Hahaha..."
After playing with Eevee for a while, the misty text appeared once more.
[New Quest: Join the Klein Miracle Merchants. Reward: One resurrection chance.]
"A resurrection chance?!" Subaru turned serious instantly. "The more resurrections, the better. Let's go, Eevee! We're going to those Klein Miracle Merchants!"
"Eevee!"
Natsuki Subaru's life in another world had only just begun.