NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: [Prologue]
[Prologue]
I am a reincarnator.
Wow, that sounds incredibly cliché, doesn't it? Just 4 words, and it's enough to make someone cringe. Is this the magic of language at work?
That said, there's something a little unusual about me—I'm on my second reincarnation.
Unlike your typical high school reincarnator, I come with a wealth of experience that sets me apart.
In my first life, I lived somewhat ordinarily.
My second life, though set in a chaotic world where multiple fictional settings seemed mashed together, was relatively peaceful.
Even in that mess of a world, I managed to live without much conflict until my death.
That's good enough, right?
I did wonder if I'd keep reincarnating endlessly. But then again, I've only reincarnated twice so far, and the future is uncertain. Let's leave it at that.
Anyway, this time, I was reincarnated as a mere resident of a slash-and-burn farming village.
I wasn't hoping to be born as the child of a noble family or anything extravagant, but being born into a comfortable middle-class household would've been nice.
To make matters worse, I have no parents.
Unlike my previous lives, this world seems to be in the fantasy genre, filled with monsters roaming around—a place devoid of dreams or hope.
Thanks to this, the village, without state protection, fell victim to an attack, during which my parents lost their lives.
I was only 10 years old at the time.
If I had the internet, I could've figured something out.
But in this fantasy world, the only skills I could rely on were the ones I'd learned in my second life.
Wasn't there a saying about how "law is distant, but fists are near"?
Cooking or writing aside, the only other thing I was ridiculously good at was killing.
That left me with two career paths: becoming a hunter or a contract killer… or as they'd call it here, an assassin.
So, I decided to become a hunter. It's not that I hated killing people, but it's not like I enjoyed it either. I wanted to keep that option as a last resort.
Whether it's animals or people, stabbing them in the gut with a knife kills them just the same.
While the techniques might differ, hunting becomes easier with experience.
Even against monsters, goblins were manageable, so I could make a relatively decent living for a kid my age.
I had lived like that for about four years.
Not long after my 14th birthday, an event occurred that would become a major turning point in my life.
Before winter arrived, everyone—humans and monsters alike—was desperately hunting for food.
To make matters worse, it had been a bad harvest that year.
It was a time when even the mountains offered little to eat. As a result, the number of monsters targeting the village increased significantly. And one day, the attack came.
Goblins, quadrupedal monsters, and a few other creatures joined forces.
Their numbers were somewhere between 20 and 30—not an overwhelming horde, but still a serious threat to a slash-and-burn farming village like ours.
It was clear that, at best, we'd suffer massive casualties, with at least half the villagers killed.
At worst, total annihilation.
Even with the experience from my past life, my body hadn't fully matured, and I resigned myself to the possibility of death.
And then, a bolt of lightning struck among the monsters.
Amid the ashen remains of the creatures, a man casually walked forward, scratching the back of his head as if it were nothing. He stopped in front of me and locked eyes with me.
"Hey, kid. Does this village happen to sell booze?"
"What the…?"
I instinctively let out a bewildered response.
Despite the experiences from my previous life, something deep within me, something primal and instinctive, brought a conclusion to my mind.
'I can't kill him right now.'
Whether it's a person, an animal, or a monster, they all die if you cut their necks or stab their guts—whatever method you use, death is inevitable.
But for some reason, I couldn't imagine this man dying, no matter what I did.
No, it wasn't that he couldn't die—if I severed his neck, he would die. But on a fundamental level, he felt entirely detached from the concept of "death" itself.
It felt like I was staring at a game character—someone who would just respawn after dying, where the only way to truly get rid of them would be to destroy the game itself. That ridiculous thought flashed through my mind.
So, I instinctively ran away.
...
I got caught again.
"What the hell? Is it customary here to run away from someone who just saved your life?"
"What's that supposed to mean? You don't even look human."
"I am human. Just think of me as a really strong mage."
"Strong mage? These days, do mages come with some kind of immortality attribute or something?"
Hearing that, the man widened his eyes in genuine surprise, as if he'd never expected such a question.
"How'd you figure that out?"
"I don't know. I'm not exactly the smartest person, so I can't explain it in detail. Just… a gut feeling, I guess."
"You seem mature for your age, but… it's not like you show any particular talent."
He examined me as if trying to gauge something, then narrowed his eyes and asked a pointed question.
"Are you… a reincarnator?"
...
He nailed it.
I couldn't believe it. I never thought anyone would uncover that part of me so quickly.
It wasn't like I told him myself. He wasn't some old acquaintance from a past life either. He was just a stranger I'd met for the first time today. Yet somehow, he uncovered my biggest secret.
"Pfft! This is hilarious. A reincarnated human and a Tripper god? What kind of messed-up fate is this?"
"What?"
A Tripper? Wait, does that mean…?
"Wait, were you human in your previous life, or maybe…?"
"Ah, no, it's not what you're thinking. I'm a god, through and through. But, you know, even gods can get caught up in interdimensional travel. Keep that in mind."
A god?
If that's the case, then it explains the immortality—or rather, the invulnerability—I felt from him. After all, he's not some fictional protagonist, and there's no way I could ever manage something as absurd as god-slaying.
Still, even so…!
"How do you even know words like 'Tripper' or 'reincarnator'? Do gods have some kind of internet or something?"
"There's someone I know who's really into that stuff. Oh, by the way, has One Piece ended yet?"
"It's still ongoing and super popular—wait, what?! For a god, your otaku level is pretty impressive!"
"What's with calling it 'otaku level' over One Piece? It's one of the basics for any guy these days, along with the other Big Three. Honestly, though, Bleach hasn't been my thing lately, so I kind of dropped it."
"Oh, same for me—wait, no, that's not the point!"
For the first time in 14 years, I met someone who truly understood me, and before I realized it, I let my guard down completely.
It had been so long since I could talk with someone about shared interests—topics completely unrelated to this world.
Fourteen years after reincarnating into this life, my bland, ordinary existence finally brought me a person I wanted to call a friend.
"Luke. Luke Blade. What's your name?"
"The name's Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Ugh, that's a mouthful—just call me Susanoo."
And that was the day I had a fateful encounter with a cheerful god.