"Wait… was he forcibly reincarnated?" Sel muttered, confusion and relief mixing on her face as she steadied herself.
"Well, I guess I'll have to go find him..."
She turned and stared into the empty space ahead.
"Phew... this is going to be a hassle. Still, I'll get to be with [Blur]—so it's worth it." She said with a soft smile. Remembering the warmth of a memory, the laughter, and the quiet promises they shared. Thinking of this made her smile a little more genuinely.
⸻
The scene shifts to Reiji.
"Where am I…? Did I return to Earth? Was it all a dream?" Reiji whispered, surrounded by trees that seemed to stretch endlessly. The earthy scent of moss and damp soil filled his nostrils, grounding him more firmly in reality. The gentle rustle of leaves in the wind sounded almost like whispers, calming yet unnerving in their familiarity. A sudden birdcall startled him, a sharp reminder that this was no dream but a tangible world with its own life force.
"…Seems like it wasn't a dream," he said while protecting his eyes from the cloud of leaves that washed over him, sent by the wind.
He sighed, frustration and confusion mixing.
"What happened to Sel…? Is she here?"
"Of course not," he muttered, picturing her sharp personality and charismatic attitude.
'She really was a tsundere.'
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the rustling leaves seemed to whisper louder. A shadow flitted across the ground, sending a shiver down Reiji's spine. He squinted, peering into the treetops, his heart pounding as the voice echoed from above. Left, right—there was nothing to see. But the voice grew louder, more insistent, until finally, Reiji looked upward and spotted a tiny figure descending rapidly.
"Is that… a bird?"
No. The voice sharpened as it closed in.
"Who are you calling a tsundere?!"
It was Sel, plummeting toward him at meteor-like speed. In that split second, the world around Reiji seemed to freeze as a jolt of sheer terror shot through him. His mind screamed, and fear gripped him as he realized the imminent collision.
"Wait—SHE'S FALLING TOWARD ME?!"
Reiji panicked and ran, hoping to avoid being used as a landing pad.
"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" Sel yelled mid-fall, adjusting her angle as if deliberately trying to land on him.
"Stop following me! Go land somewhere—"
THUD.
She crashed directly on top of him.
"Yahoo! And that's how you safely crash-land!" Sel announced triumphantly.
"Ow, ow, ow… 'How you crash-land' my ass…" Reiji groaned, clutching his skull.
"Oh, zip it. You should be grateful—I chose to crash-land on you," Sel said proudly.
"HEY..." Reiji glared.
"Oh, please, it didn't hurt that much."
"Oh yeah?"
He paused.
…She fell on top of me, from the sky, but it actually doesn't hurt that much.
Why?
"Are you made of carbon fiber or something?" he asked aloud.
Her expression darkened instantly. Reiji felt a burning pressure—like the heat she radiated back in the void, except now it scorched his physical body.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU JERK?! Carbon fiber?!"
"No—wait—I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that! It didn't hurt, that's why I asked!"
"Huh? Are you stupid? It barely hurts because you're more durable in this world."
"Huh?" Reiji blinked.
"Honestly, you really need to learn how to talk to women."
"Yeah, sorry… But wait, you said I'm more durable?"
"Yup! I gave you some pretty awesome abilities before coming to get you," Sel said with a smug smile.
Reiji jumped to his feet, as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.
"What? Seriously? That's amazing—it must be nice being a goddess."
"It sure is."
Her smile widened, soaking in the praise.
"I am a goddess, but… coming down here, I needed to put a limiter on myself."
"What? Why?"
"Well, put simply, if I enter into this lower world without limiting myself, BOOM. The world is gone. I slipped up years ago, and the entire world was reduced to nothing. Since then, I've learned to be careful." She said
"For real? You're that strong, Sel?"
"Of course," she said, as she puffed out her chest with pride.
Reiji's mind raced after hearing this.
"Then what about me? Am I strong, too?" he asked, wanting to know if he, too, was unimaginably strong.
Sel's smile faded. She sighed.
"Yes…"
A huge grin lit up Reiji's face.
"…You were."
"Huh? Were?"
His joy evaporated instantly.
He looked like a man who saw the gates of heaven but couldn't enter.
"Oh, right… I'm just a shell of what I used to be… Ugh."
Reiji sniffled.
Still, a question lingered.
'Who was I before reincarnating? A god? A monster? Something else? Sel doesn't seem to be lying; she has no reason to, he thought to himself.
"Where exactly are we?" Reiji asked.
"In a forest. The Kingdom of Grimholde should be that way," Sel said, pointing deeper into the endless trees.
"Wait—Grimholde? How do you know the kingdoms of this world?"
"Well, before I followed you here, I absorbed the information of this world. I lost most of it after putting on the limiter, though. I only remember the major kingdoms and a few important people like the Hero." Sel said.
"Hero? There's already a Hero?!"
"Of course. What, you thought you were going to become the Hero? You weren't supposed to be in this world to begin with. Well… It was more like you were forcibly brought here."
Reiji's heart dropped.
Maybe coming here was a mistake. He had no Heroic abilities, no unbelievable powers, nothing special at all.
But as the weight of this realization threatened to crush him, a nervous laugh escaped his lips.
'What a joke… Send me back already, this was a damn waste of time.'
But then all humor faded when he remembered the freakish things that chased him.
"…Right. I can't go back."
"Sel, isn't the world in danger? Should we really just be standing here?"
Reiji's concern was evident, but Sel's hesitation was telling.
Her eyes briefly shifted away before meeting his again.
"Let's get moving," she said immediately.
Yet, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth suggested there was more she wasn't revealing.
And so, they headed toward Grimholde.
"Oh, about your question earlier," Sel added.
"The world is going to end. But there's still time."
"Good… so we can plan. How much time?"
"About 30 to 50 years."
"HUH?! That long? I am pretty sure I'll be dead by then!"
"No, you won't. You can't die of natural causes. Not sure about the other stuff though." Sel said as they continued to walk.
'I can't let anything happen to him… even I don't know what happens to him in this body.'
Sel thought silently, her vow to protect him strengthening her resolve.
Reiji noticed her seriousness and didn't press further.
They walked until they reached a cliff.
Below was Grimholde, a city that looked like it came from a fantasy novel.
As they watched, they noticed all sorts of unusual details. Instead of loud market shouts, soft, bell-like chimes rang out from the shops, marking the hour. The marketplace was full of bright colors and strange smells, with merchants selling goods that almost seemed alive. Street performers performed magical illusions, and people played 'Elemental Chess,' a local game in which the pieces moved by magic. There were stone streets, horse-drawn carriages, kids running through the market, and the smell of bread, lilacs, and magic in the air. Guards in silver armor walked by, and far ahead stood a large castle.
"This is nothing like the kingdoms I read about…" Reiji whispered.
"You're right about that," Sel said with a proud little smile.
"Anyway, we need to register at the Adventurers Guild. Information is power," Sel added.
⸻
The Adventurers Guild
They found it in the center of town. Massive wooden doors stood beneath a weathered sign that read ADVENTURERS GUILD.
Inside, the place was chaotic.
A group of dwarves argued loudly over dragon claws, their voices rising above the noise. Nearby, a bard entertained a small crowd by levitating mugs of ale and sending them back to their owners with a flourish. It was just like a scene from an isekai story.
But Reiji could feel eyes on him; they were sharp and watchful.
Is this some ability? Or can people here sense things instinctively?
They approached the reception desk. A young woman flipped through a large leather book, unusually calm compared to the chaos.
"We'd like to register," Sel said.
"Of course. Fill this out, then proceed to the magical assessment," the receptionist said as she brought out forms from underneath her desk and laid them on the table.
Reiji stared.
She was gorgeous.
Reiji froze. All the manners he learned on Earth clashed with his situation, and his anxiety shot up.
"M-M-MY NAME IS REIJI! IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU ON THIS FINE DAY!"
He declared, panicking. The words were awkward, almost archaic. Back on Earth, his mother once told him always to greet people with a warm demeanor, but he had never gotten the hang of it. Now, the attempt at polite formality seemed wildly out of place, highlighting both his cultural mismatch and discomfort.
'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! Just kill me…' He thought to himself as he panicked internally.
Sel glared at him intensely.
The woman smiled.
"My name is Lyra. Nice to meet you."
Was that sarcasm? Teasing? Pity? Reiji felt himself evaporate into the atmosphere from the shame he felt at that moment.
After Sel was done filling out her form, she left for her magical assessment while Reiji filled out his papers.
⸻
Sel's Magic Assessment
"Place your hand on the cube," Lyra instructed as she pointed at a cube-shaped material sitting on the desk.
"Like this?" Sel said as she pressed her hand onto it.
Lyra's eyes widened as she froze in place, completely stunned by what she was seeing.
"…Unbelievable. This is impossible." She said
"Uh… is that good?" Sel asked bluntly, seemingly uninterested in the result, as it was a fact she already knew.
"'Good' isn't close. We need to retest to make sure it's not a glitch.
Lyra brought in another cube and placed it on the table in front of Sel. Seeing this, Sel placed her hand on it again.
After scanning for a bit, the result was revealed. It was the same result as the previous test.
"She… She has an aptitude for every element. All of them. And they're all maxed out." Lyra said, covering her mouth in awe.
The entire guild went silent, then the whispers: "That's impossible." "They tested twice!" "They're cheating!"
Lyra turned to Reiji.
"Now it's your turn, Reiji."
'Sel is crazy strong... I have to be at least as strong. After all, I'm her master.' He thought to himself as his lips bent into a smirk.
⸻
Reiji's Magic Assessment
Reiji placed his hand on the cube.
A bright light flared from it.
"Wow. I knew I was strong, but not THIS strong," Reiji boasted.
Lyra was still looking at the cube, paying no heed to the intense light it was emitting. She was already in awe of Sel's assessment, so she couldn't wait to see what Reiji had to offer.
Suddenly, her face dropped.
"This is… not good."
"What, too strong for the cube to read? Yeah—" Reiji said with a broad smile on his face.
"No. You're... incredibly weak. Are you sure you want to be an adventurer?" Lyra asked, looking at Reiji.
"…Huh?" Reiji said, confused, and turned to look at Sel, who stood beside him. She was trying to hold her laugh in.
"You..." Reiji said, his face turning red with embarrassment.
Then suddenly, the stench of blood scattered through the air. The presence of someone made the entire guild fall silent.
Reiji turned toward the entrance of the guild.
A massive figure stood there.
Lyra whispered, trembling,
"No… it can't be. What is he doing here? He rarely comes to the guild."
"You know him?" Reiji asked.
"Know him? There isn't a single person in the entire kingdom who hasn't heard about him. That's the strongest person in the entire kingdom. That's KAEL THORNE."
Reiji felt like his soul had just left his body.
'What the hell did I walk into?' He thought as he stared at the monstrosity standing right there.