Rika moved like water through the clearing, her sword a blur of steel and skill. The remaining wolves didn't stand a chance.
[Power Strike] bisected one mid-lunge. [Crescent Slash] carved through another. The Corrupted Slime tried to retreat, but she was faster, driving her blade through its core with surgical precision.
That left the Shade Stalker.
It hissed and melted into the shadows between the trees, vanishing from sight. Rika's eyes tracked it anyway, like she could see exactly where it was.
"[Revealing Light]!"
Her sword began to glow, and the shadows peeled back like curtains. The Shade Stalker materialized mid-lunge, caught in the open. Rika sidestepped, spun, and her blade found its neck.
The monster dissolved into particles.
---
[Combat Complete]
[Ally: Rika Moon has defeated multiple enemies]
[You Have Gained: 150 EXP (Shared)]
---
The clearing fell silent. Rika lowered her sword, breathing only slightly harder than normal despite having just soloed five monsters that had been about to kill me.
She turned to face me, concern etched across her perfect features.
"Are you alright? You're injured."
I looked down at my shoulder where the wolf had bitten me. Blood soaked my shirt, and my HP bar showed 56/120. The pain was real enough—sharp and throbbing.
"I'm fine," I said, even though I very much wasn't. "Thanks for the save."
"What were you doing out here alone?" She sheathed her sword and pulled a small vial from her belt. "Here, drink this. It's a minor healing potion."
She handed me the vial. Red liquid, glowing faintly. Standard RPG healing item.
I took it but didn't drink immediately. "I thought you were heading to the village."
"I was." She frowned. "But something felt wrong. I kept thinking about how you'd turned back for that 'something you forgot,' and it seemed strange. The forest has been more dangerous lately, and you're still new to this world..." She trailed off, looking almost embarrassed. "I suppose I was worried."
The explanation was perfectly reasonable. Perfectly in-character for a concerned companion.
Too perfect.
"So you came back to look for me," I said slowly. "Even though we'd only just met."
"You saved my life earlier. It seemed only fair." She gestured to the potion. "Please, drink. Those wounds need attention."
I uncorked the vial, studying her face. Looking for any sign of the script, any indication that she was following programmed responses.
But she just looked genuinely concerned, the way a real person would.
"How did you find me?" I asked. "This forest is pretty big."
"I... I'm not sure, actually." A small crease appeared between her eyebrows. "I just felt like I should head this direction. Like I knew where you'd be."
There it was. The crack in the facade.
She had no explanation for how she'd found me in the middle of an unmarked forest. She'd just "felt" she should come this way. Like something had guided her.
Like the script had.
"That's convenient," I said.
"I suppose it is." She smiled. "Perhaps it's fate? The Elders sometimes speak of destiny bringing people together."
Fate. Destiny. Narrative convenience dressed up as mysticism.
I drank the potion. Immediately, warmth spread through my chest and my HP bar started refilling. The bite wound on my shoulder sealed itself with a tingling sensation.
---
[HP Restored: 56/120 → 110/120]
[Bleeding Status: Removed]
---
"Thank you," I said, handing back the empty vial.
"Of course." She looked around the clearing, her expression darkening. "This is strange, though. These monsters shouldn't have been here together. Wolves, slimes, and undead don't hunt as a pack. And that Shade Stalker was far too high level for this area."
"Yeah," I said carefully. "It was almost like they were specifically sent to attack me."
"Sent?" She looked confused. "Monsters don't get sent. They just... are."
Right. Because she was an NPC. She couldn't conceive of the monsters being spawned by an outside force. To her, they were just natural parts of the world.
"Never mind," I said. "I'm just trying to make sense of why five different monster types all showed up at once."
"Bad luck, I suppose." She gestured back the way she'd come. "Come on. We should get you to the village before dark. Master Kang can look at those wounds properly, and you need to register with the Guild."
Master Kang. The village elder who'd raised her. Who would probably give me a quest.
This was the script reasserting itself. The encounter that was supposed to scare me back on track hadn't worked, so now Rika—whether she knew it or not—was here to guide me there personally.
"Actually," I said, "I'm curious about something first."
Rika tilted her head. "What is it?"
"You said you've heard of Reincarnators, but you've never met one before. How many are there? Other people like me, I mean."
"Oh, I'm not entirely sure. They're quite rare. Maybe a dozen or so in the kingdom? They tend to become famous quickly—their strange knowledge and rapid growth make them stand out." Her eyes brightened. "Actually, there's one in Brighthollow right now! A Reincarnator named Jin who arrived about a month ago. He's already level 12 and has formed quite a successful party."
Level 12 in a month. That was... actually reasonable progression for someone who knew they were in an RPG world.
"Is he in the village now?" I asked.
"He should be. His party was planning to tackle the Goblin Warren today, but they usually return before dark."
A goblin dungeon. Classic early-game content.
"I'd like to meet him," I said. "Another Reincarnator might have useful information."
Rika smiled. "That's a wonderful idea! Jin is very friendly. I'm sure he'd be happy to share advice with a fellow Reincarnator."
Of course he would. Because that's what tutorial NPCs did—connect new players with slightly more advanced players who could offer guidance and team-up opportunities.
Unless...
Unless Jin wasn't an NPC.
The thought hit me like lightning. What if there really were other Reincarnators? Other real people who'd died and woken up here?
What if I wasn't alone?
"Let's go," I said, starting toward the village. "I really want to meet this Jin."
Rika fell into step beside me, and we walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes. The forest had returned to its normal, too-perfect state—bright and safe now that I was heading in the "right" direction.
My minimap showed the path to Brighthollow clearly now, a dotted line leading northeast. Maybe ten minutes away.
I pulled up my status, checking the deviation counter.
---
[SYSTEM FLAGS]
- Anomalous Behavior: Active
- Administrator Watch: Active
- Deviation Counter: 4/10
- Tutorial Completion: 32%
---
Interesting. The counter hadn't increased even though I'd gone off-path again. Maybe it only counted major deviations? Or maybe the system was being lenient since I was ultimately heading to the village anyway.
Or maybe it had learned that threatening me with numbers didn't work.
"Can I ask you something?" Rika said, breaking the silence.
"Sure."
"In your world—the one you came from—did you have someone? A family? Friends?"
The question caught me off-guard. It was more personal than her previous dialogue, more genuine-sounding.
"Not really," I admitted. "My parents died when I was young. I worked a lot. Didn't have time for much else."
"That sounds lonely."
"It was."
She was quiet for a moment. "I think... I think that's why the gods bring Reincarnators here. People who need a second chance. A chance to be more than they were."
It was a nice thought. Comforting, even.
And completely wrong.
I wasn't here for a second chance. I was here because I was entertainment. A protagonist in someone else's story.
But I couldn't tell her that. She wouldn't understand. Couldn't understand.
"Maybe," I said instead.
We emerged from the forest, and Brighthollow Village spread out before us.
It was exactly what I'd expected: a picturesque fantasy village straight out of a video game. Cobblestone streets, thatched-roof houses, a central square with a fountain. In the distance, I could see a large building with a sign depicting a sword and shield—the Adventurer's Guild.
People moved through the streets—NPCs going about their daily routines. A blacksmith hammered at an anvil. A merchant called out wares. Children played tag near the fountain.
It all looked so real.
So alive.
And I had no way of knowing who, if anyone, was actually aware they existed.
"Welcome to Brighthollow," Rika said with obvious pride. "It's not much, but it's home."
"It's nice," I said, and meant it. Whatever else was true, the designers had done good work.
"Come on. The Guild is this way."
We walked through the village, and I couldn't help but use Identify on every person we passed.
---
[Human Male - Level 0]
Name: Thomas Gray
Occupation: Blacksmith
---
[Human Female - Level 0]
Name: Sarah Chen
Occupation: Merchant
---
[Human Child - Level 0]
Name: [Unnamed NPC]
Occupation: N/A
---
All level 0. All with occupations instead of classes. Background NPCs, designed to fill the world but not interact meaningfully with the plot.
The unnamed child hit me hardest. Not even important enough to have a name in the code.
Then we passed someone different.
---
[Human Male - Level 8]
Name: Marcus Chen
Class: Warrior
Status: Resting
---
Level 8. A class instead of an occupation. A real name.
He was sitting on a bench near the fountain, a massive warhammer leaning against the seat beside him. His armor was battered, practical rather than decorative. He looked tired.
When we walked by, his eyes tracked us—tracked me specifically—with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
"Who was that?" I asked Rika quietly.
"Oh, that's Marcus. He's one of the local adventurers. Nice enough, but he keeps to himself mostly. A bit odd."
"Odd how?"
She shrugged. "Just... quiet. He doesn't party with others much. Spends a lot of time in the old graveyard outside town, which most people find creepy."
A solo player who spent time in graveyards. Either a very dedicated roleplayer or someone who was looking for something.
We reached the Guild building. It was larger up close, three stories tall, built from sturdy wood and stone. Through the windows, I could see people moving inside—adventurers, presumably.
"Here we are," Rika said. "Let me introduce you to the Guild Master. She can help you register and—"
"Rika!"
We turned. A young man was jogging toward us, waving. He wore leather armor similar to Rika's but with better enchantments—I could see the faint shimmer of magic on the material. His sword was quality steel, and he moved with the confidence of someone comfortable in their own skin.
---
[Human Male - Level 12]
Name: Jin Park
Class: Swordsman
Title: [Reincarnator]
Status: Friendly
---
Jin Park. The other Reincarnator.
He had the same title I did.
"Jin!" Rika smiled. "Perfect timing. This is Kim Jinhyuk. He's a Reincarnator too! He just arrived today."
Jin's eyes widened, and he immediately switched to Korean. "No way! Another Korean? Dude, it's so good to meet you! How'd you die?"
The casualness of the question was almost funny. Like we were comparing commute stories instead of death stories.
"Heart attack at my desk," I replied in Korean. "You?"
"Car accident on the way to a job interview. Truck-kun got me, classic isekai style." He grinned. "Man, I can't believe there's another player. I've been here a month and you're the first one I've met."
Player. He'd said player, not person.
"You think this is a game?" I asked carefully.
"I mean, yeah? Isn't it obvious?" He gestured at the system interface only we could see. "Stats, skills, quests, NPCs. It's literally an RPG. A really, really good one, but still."
Rika looked between us, confused. "I wish I could understand what you're saying. It sounds so strange!"
"Sorry," Jin switched back to the common language. "Just excited to meet someone from the same place. It's been lonely, you know?"
"I can imagine," I said, studying him.
He seemed genuine. Enthusiastic. Like someone who'd adapted well to his new life and was enjoying the adventure.
Too well. Too enthusiastic.
"Hey," Jin said, "my party's about to head to the Guild Hall for dinner. You should join us! I can show you the ropes, explain the system, help you build your character properly."
"That's very kind," Rika said. "Jinhyuk could use the guidance. He's already gotten himself into trouble once today."
"Oh yeah? What happened?"
"I went off the recommended path," I said, watching his reaction. "Got attacked by some monsters that shouldn't have been there."
Jin winced. "Yeah, that'll happen. The system doesn't like when you skip content. Better to just follow the quests, do things in order. Trust me, I tried to sequence-break early on and it spawned a damn drake on me. Level 20! I barely escaped."
He said it so matter-of-factly. The system spawning punishment encounters was just an accepted game mechanic to him.
"Good to know," I said. "So you've been following the quest lines?"
"Mostly, yeah. I mean, why wouldn't you? They're designed to level you up efficiently, introduce you to the mechanics, give you good gear. Fighting the system is just making things harder on yourself."
He believed it. Completely.
Jin either didn't know about the Administrators and the betting, or he didn't care. He'd accepted this world as a game and was playing it straight.
Which meant either I was crazy and seeing patterns that weren't there...
Or Jin was an NPC designed to look like another player.
A tutorial companion disguised as a fellow Reincarnator.
"Your party," I said. "Who's in it?"
"Oh, awesome group! There's Yuna, she's our healer—absolute lifesaver, literally. Marcus is our tank, super reliable. And Eli's our mage, glass cannon but hits like a truck."
"Marcus?" I glanced back toward the fountain. "The guy with the warhammer?"
"Yeah! You met him already? He's quiet but solid. Best tank I could ask for."
The same Marcus that Rika had described as a loner who didn't party with others.
The same Marcus who was supposedly "odd" and kept to himself.
Either Rika was wrong, or Jin was lying, or the system had just generated contradictory NPC backstories.
"I'd love to meet your party," I said. "Learn more about how things work here."
"Awesome! Come on, they're probably inside already."
Jin headed into the Guild, still chatting enthusiastically. Rika followed, and after a moment, so did I.
But as I crossed the threshold, I pulled up my character sheet one more time and focused on Jin's status in my recent interactions log.
---
[Recent Interaction: Jin Park]
Type: NPC Encounter
Relationship: Potential Ally
Trust Level: Unknown
Note: [PLAYER ANALOG - TUTORIAL ASSISTANT]
---
There it was. Hidden in the system code.
Jin wasn't another player.
He was an NPC designed to act like one.
I was alone.
Completely, utterly alone in a world of scripts and shadows.
And I had to pretend I didn't know.
I had to smile and nod and let Jin teach me the "right" way to play while I figured out what the hell was really going on.
Inside the Guild Hall, adventurers laughed and drank. Rika waved at someone across the room. Jin was already heading toward a table where three people sat waiting.
And I stood in the doorway, surrounded by people, more isolated than I'd ever been in my life.
"Jinhyuk?" Rika touched my arm. "Are you coming?"
"Yeah," I said. "Just taking it all in."
She smiled. "It can be overwhelming at first. But you'll get used to it. This is your life now."
My life.
My game.
My prison.
I followed her into the crowd, toward Jin's table, toward the next stage of the tutorial.
Toward whatever script they'd written for me next.