"Wait… could it be that he was forcibly reincarnated into another world?" Sel muttered, confusion and relief mixing on her face as she steadied herself.
"Well, I'll just have to go find him…" She turned, staring into the void.
"Phew… this is going to be a pain. On the other hand, I'll get to be with [Blur]… Worth it." A small smile tugged at her lips.
⸻
The scene shifts to Reiji.
"Where am I…? Did I return to Earth? Was it all a dream?" Reiji whispered, surrounded by countless trees.
He stood, scanning the forest—trees stretching endlessly, birds chirping, a soft breeze brushing against his face.
"…It wasn't a dream after all." He sighed, frustration and confusion mixing together.
"What happened to Sel…? Is she somewhere 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, a loud voice echoed from above. He looked left, right—nothing. The voice grew louder. Reiji finally 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.
"Wait—SHE'S FALLING TOWARD ME?!"
Reiji panicked and ran, trying to avoid becoming the world's first human 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 somewhe—"
THUD.
She crashed directly on top of him.
"Yahoo! And that's how you 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 from the sky, but it actually didn't hurt that much.
Why?
"Are you made of carbon fiber or something?" he asked.
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 like a kid on Christmas.
"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 the lower realms without limiting myself… BOOM. The world's gone."
"For real? You're that powerful, Sel?"
"Of course," she said, chest puffed out with pride.
Reiji's mind raced. "Then what about me? Am I strong too?"
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 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 didn't seem like she was lying. He'd have to keep asking.
"Where exactly are we?" Reiji asked.
"In a forest. The Kingdom of Grimholde should be that way," Sel said, pointing left.
"Wait—Grimholde? How do you know the kingdoms of this world?"
"Well, before following you here, I absorbed all the information about 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."
"Hero? There's already a Hero?!"
"Of course. What, you thought you were going to be the Hero? You being here is a mistake. Well… more like you were forcibly brought here."
Reiji froze.
No Hero. No OP powers. Nothing special.
'What a joke… Send me back already. This was a damn waste of—'
Then he remembered those 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?"
"Let's get moving," Sel said immediately.
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'll be pushing uncle status by then!"
"No, you won't. You can't die of natural causes. Not sure about the other stuff though."
I can't let anything happen to him… even I don't know what happens to him in this body. Sel thought silently.
Reiji noticed her seriousness and didn't press further.
They walked until they reached a cliff. Below them lay Grimholde—a city straight out of a fantasy book.
Stone streets. Horse-drawn carriages. Kids racing through markets. The scent of bread, lilacs, and faint magic lingered in the air. Guards in silver armor patrolled calmly. Far ahead stood the great castle.
"This is nothing like the kingdoms I read about…" Reiji whispered.
"I'm sure it's not," 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 central district—huge wooden doors, a weathered sign reading ADVENTURERS GUILD overhead.
Inside was chaos: shouting, singing, drinking, arm-wrestling. A typical isekai guild scene.
But Reiji felt eyes on him—sharp, analyzing, predatory.
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.
Reiji stared.
She was gorgeous.
"Would you like to register as well?" she asked him, snapping him out of it.
Reiji malfunctioned.
"M-M-MY NAME IS REIJI! IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU ON THIS FINE DAY!"
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! Kill me…
Sel glared at him with the intensity of a dying star.
The woman smiled. "My name is Lyra. Nice to meet you."
Was that sarcasm? Teasing? Pity? Reiji wanted to evaporate.
Sel left for her magic test while Reiji filled the form.
⸻
Sel's Magic Assessment
"Place your hand on the cube," Lyra instructed.
"Like this?" Sel pressed her hand onto it.
Lyra froze.
"…Unbelievable. This is impossible."
"Uh… is that good?"
"'Good' isn't close. We need to retest."
She brought another cube. Sel placed her hand again.
Same result.
"She… She has aptitude for every element. All of them. And they're all maxed out."
The entire guild went silent.
Then the whispers:
"That's impossible."
"They tested twice!"
"They're cheating!"
Lyra turned to Reiji. "Your turn."
Sel is insane… I must be at least as strong. I'm her master after all.
Reiji smirked.
⸻
Reiji's Magic Assessment
Reiji placed his hand on the cube.
A bright light exploded from it.
"Wow. I knew I was strong, but not THIS strong," Reiji boasted.
Lyra's face dropped.
"This is… not good."
"What, too strong for the cube to read? Yeah—"
"No. You're incredibly weak. Are you sure you want to be an adventurer?"
"…Huh?"
He looked at Sel.
She was smiling.
Mocking him.
Then—pressure. Bloodlust. A presence crushing the entire hall.
Everyone went silent.
Reiji turned toward the entrance.
A massive figure stood there.
Lyra whispered, trembling, "No… it can't be. He rarely comes to the guild."
"You know him?" Reiji asked.
"Know him? Everyone does. That's the strongest adventurer in the entire kingdom."
She swallowed.
"KAEL THORNE."
Reiji felt his soul leave his body.
What the hell did I walk into?