Kaito blinked and immediately regretted it. The sterile white light burned his retinas like the morning sun after a late-night cram session. He squinted, trying to adjust, but everything in the room was painfully sharp: the polished white desk, the spotless white walls, and the fluorescent glare bouncing off them in every direction. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant and... ozone? Something electric and unnatural.
He sat up—or tried to. His body felt sluggish, like his limbs had been dipped in molasses. His head throbbed faintly, as if protesting his return to consciousness. The last thing he remembered came rushing back: stepping outside the convenience store, the biting chill of winter air cutting through his thin jacket, the sharp sound of his boots scraping on black ice, and then... nothing. Well, nothing except the embarrassing image of himself flailing like a bad slapstick character before slamming headfirst onto the pavement.
"Seriously?" he muttered aloud, his voice rasping in the unnaturally quiet room. "That's how I went out? Death by comedy skit?"
The absurdity of it struck him more than the fear. People talked about life flashing before your eyes in those final moments—dramatic, poignant memories of love and regret. Kaito's was a blur of cheap instant noodles, grueling late-night shifts, and the smug satisfaction of correctly bagging someone's groceries in record time. If the afterlife was real, he imagined his ledger wasn't exactly thrilling.
"You're awake," a voice said, crisp and oddly chipper.
Kaito jerked, his sluggish body finally cooperating enough to let him whip around. A figure was seated behind the desk—he hadn't noticed them before, though how anyone could miss someone in this glaringly empty room was beyond him. She was dressed in an outfit that could only be described as corporate fantasy chic, a blend of professional office attire and flowing celestial robes. Her hair shimmered unnaturally, somewhere between gold and silver, and her eyes seemed to swirl with faint, otherworldly light.
"Uh... hi?" Kaito said, his voice cracking slightly. "Did I get fired or something? Because this doesn't look like unemployment orientation."
The figure smiled, serene and patient in a way that immediately unnerved him. "Kaito Shirogane. You've died."
The words hung in the air, stark and unceremonious.
Kaito stared at her, his thoughts trying and failing to align with reality. Died. The word sounded ridiculous, even as his brain worked to process it. He remembered the black ice, the sickening crack of his head hitting concrete, and now this... whatever "this" was.
"Oh," he said finally, because what else was there to say? "Cool. So, uh... where exactly am I? Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? Or am I just in some kind of... waiting room?"
The figure didn't answer immediately, which wasn't comforting. Instead, she gestured toward a small folder on the desk. It was a jarring pop of color in the endless white—red, stark and foreboding. She slid it toward him with unnerving grace.
"This," she said, "is your second chance."
Kaito's stomach tightened. "Second chance?"
The figure nodded. "Your life, as you knew it, has ended. But there is a world in desperate need of aid, and your arrival there could change its fate. I am here to offer you an opportunity. Call it... a reassignment."
Kaito blinked at her, then at the folder. A reassignment? That sounded suspiciously like a scam. "Hold on, hold on. You're saying I'm dead, but instead of... whatever's supposed to happen next, you want me to what? Save a world? Like a video game protagonist or something?"
The figure's serene smile remained unchanged. "In a manner of speaking, yes."
Kaito stared at her, a sharp laugh bubbling out of him despite the absurdity of the situation. "You're kidding, right? I just died slipping on ice. You want me to save a world? Are you sure you've got the right guy?"
The figure didn't flinch, didn't waver. "You are precisely who is needed. The choice, however, is yours."
Kaito looked at the folder again, his fingers itching to open it despite the knot in his chest. A second chance. The idea was tempting. And yet, his instincts screamed that nothing about this was simple.
Kaito leaned back in the chair, staring at the red folder like it might suddenly spring open and bite him. His fingers twitched, wanting to flip it open, but something held him back. The whole situation was absurd. One minute he was slipping on black ice like a fool, and the next, he was sitting in some kind of cosmic HR office, being offered a job as... what, a world savior? The sheer audacity of it was laughable.
A second chance. The words lingered in his mind, tugging at something deep in his chest. He couldn't tell if it was panic, excitement, or both. Maybe it was the prospect of fantasy reincarnation—a chance to live out the kind of stories he'd only ever seen in games or anime. Or maybe it was the weight of the unknown, the terrifying realization that this wasn't just a bad dream.
"Okay," he said, breaking the silence. "Before I sign my soul away or whatever, can I at least get your name? Or am I supposed to just call you 'Mysterious White Room Lady'?"
The woman blinked, as if the question had genuinely caught her off guard. "Oh! My name! Of course, where are my manners?" She smiled brightly, her hands clasping together in front of her. "I'm Cylenne, a lesser deity in the pantheon of cosmic balance!"
She said it like it was supposed to mean something to him. Kaito tilted his head, brow furrowed. "A... lesser deity? Is that, like, an intern?"
Cylenne let out a nervous laugh, a sound somewhere between bubbly and slightly unhinged. "Oh no, no, nothing like that! I'm fully ordained and everything! I'm just... not one of the big-name gods, you know? No cults, no grand temples, no festivals in my name. Honestly, it's kind of nice! No pressure to be perfect all the time."
She waved her hand as if brushing off the thought, but Kaito caught the way her eyes darted around the room, almost as if she was checking for eavesdroppers.
"Right," Kaito said, folding his arms. "And what exactly does a 'lesser deity' do? Are you the one who handles reincarnation, or is this just your side gig?"
Cylenne's face lit up, though her enthusiasm came with a tinge of scatterbrained energy. "Oh, I do a little bit of everything! Reincarnation is definitely part of my portfolio—though, full disclosure, it's not my specialty. Usually, I'm in charge of minor cosmic anomalies and, um, quality assurance for dimensional transitions."
"Dimensional transitions?" Kaito echoed, his voice dripping with skepticism. "You mean when someone dies, and you shuffle them off to their next life?"
"Exactly!" she said, pointing a finger at him like he'd just solved a particularly tricky riddle. "Except your case is a little... unique. Normally, souls are assigned automatically, but sometimes things fall through the cracks. Or, you know, someone slips on ice and creates a teeny-tiny ripple in the system."
"Great," Kaito muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So I'm a cosmic paperwork error."
Cylenne winced, her bubbly demeanor faltering for just a moment. "I wouldn't put it like that. Think of it as... an opportunity! A chance to do something extraordinary! To live a life filled with adventure, magic, and maybe even—" She leaned forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "—a little bit of romance?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And what's the catch?"
Cylenne hesitated, her smile faltering just enough for Kaito to notice. "Well," she said, dragging out the word, "it's not exactly safe. The world I'm sending you to is in a bit of a, um, predicament. But that's where you come in! You're going to fix it!"
He let out a dry laugh, leaning back in his chair. "Right. Sure. No pressure or anything."
Cylenne's grin returned in full force, though there was a flicker of desperation in her eyes now, like she was trying very hard to sell him on this. "Don't worry! You'll have help! There's a whole system in place—skills, classes, quests... It'll be just like one of those video games you humans are so fond of! Doesn't that sound fun?"
Fun wasn't exactly the word Kaito would have used. Still, there was a part of him—small, buried under layers of doubt and sarcasm—that couldn't help but feel the tiniest spark of excitement. Adventure. Magic. A chance to start over, to be someone other than the guy who slipped on ice and died.
"Alright, Cylenne," he said, reaching for the folder. "Let's see what you've got."
Her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Wonderful! You won't regret this, I promise!"
As Kaito opened the folder and scanned its contents, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just agreed to something far more complicated than he realized.
Kaito opened the folder, the faint rustle of paper oddly loud in the stillness of the room. Inside, the first thing that caught his eye was a map—crudely drawn, like something straight out of a budget RPG. At the center, circled in bright red ink, was a town labeled Axel.
"Axel?" Kaito muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Is that... the name of the place I'm going?"
"Exactly!" Cylenne chirped, clasping her hands together like a proud teacher. "Axel is the town where all reincarnates start out. Think of it as a hub—a safe, cozy little spot for you to get your bearings. It's perfect for beginners!"
"Beginners," Kaito repeated, deadpan. "So it's like a tutorial area."
"Precisely!" Cylenne said, missing—or ignoring—his sarcasm. "Axel is equipped with everything you'll need to start your adventure. There's an Adventurers' Guild where you can register, plenty of quests to choose from, and even a friendly community of locals to help you adjust! It's practically paradise."
Kaito scanned the rest of the folder, his eyes narrowing as he flipped through pages filled with bullet points and basic instructions. It all felt a little too familiar. There was the inevitable quest to "gain strength," a vague mention of choosing a class, and, of course, the obligatory Big Bad lurking in the shadows.
He sighed, running a hand down his face. "Let me guess. There's a Demon Lord."
Cylenne's expression brightened as if she'd been waiting for him to ask. "Oh, yes! A very nasty one, too. Your ultimate goal will be to defeat him and save the world! Isn't that exciting?"
Kaito closed the folder and gave her a flat look. "Exciting. Sure. Because the whole 'random nobody fights Demon Lord' thing has never been done before." He let the words hang in the air for a moment before muttering under his breath, "Seriously, are there any original plots left?"
Cylenne tilted her head, blinking in confusion. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Kaito said quickly, shaking his head. "So let me get this straight. You're sending me to this Axel place, where I'll do some training, take a few low-stakes quests, and eventually work my way up to fighting this big scary Demon Lord?"
"Exactly!" Cylenne said, clapping her hands together. "And along the way, you'll meet allies, learn valuable lessons, and discover the true strength that lies within you!"
Kaito stared at her, his face blank. "You've been rehearsing that speech, haven't you?"
"...Maybe a little," Cylenne admitted, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
He leaned back in his chair, the absurdity of it all threatening to overwhelm him. On paper—or in this case, in the folder—it all sounded like every fantasy story he'd ever consumed in his old life. And yet, here he was, the protagonist of what looked suspiciously like a dollar-store isekai.
But there was no going back, was there? The thought was both terrifying and oddly liberating. No more late-night shifts, no more midterm exams, no more slipping on black ice like an idiot.
"Alright," he said, closing the folder with a decisive snap. "Axel it is. But if this turns into some cliché mess, I'm holding you personally responsible."
Cylenne beamed, either not noticing or ignoring the thinly veiled threat. "Oh, don't worry! You'll do great, Kaito! I have complete faith in you."
As the white room began to fade, the light around him shifting into a strange, kaleidoscopic swirl, Kaito couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Yeah, sure. What could possibly go wrong?"
Just as the kaleidoscopic swirl began to engulf him, Kaito shot upright, panic flashing through his mind. Something crucial had slipped his attention, and it hit him like a thunderbolt.
"Wait!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the void. "Don't I get a cheat skill or something?"
The swirling colors slowed, like a buffering video, and Cylenne's figure blinked back into clarity, her expression somewhere between puzzled and sheepish. "Oh! Right! A cheat skill!" She tapped her chin with a finger, her head tilting to one side as if she'd just remembered she left the stove on. "I was supposed to assign you one, wasn't I? How silly of me."
Kaito stared at her, exasperated. "Uh, yeah! Isn't that, like, the whole deal with isekai? Special powers, OP abilities, something to make sure I don't die the second I walk out of the starting town?"
Cylenne's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. "Ah, yes! But, um..." Her gaze darted nervously to the glowing console that had materialized on her desk. "The system's been a little... how do I put this... uncooperative lately."
"Uncooperative?" Kaito repeated, deadpan.
"You humans have a word for it," Cylenne continued, leaning forward conspiratorially. "You know, when games start acting funny? Uh... glitchy! That's it! The system is a bit glitchy right now."
"Glitchy," Kaito echoed, his voice rising an octave. "You're telling me my one advantage in a literal life-or-death situation is stuck behind a bugged-out system?"
Cylenne held up her hands defensively, her expression shifting into something that could only be described as apologetically cheerful. "Now, now! Don't panic! I'm sure I can work something out. Let me just... um..." She began tapping at the console furiously, muttering under her breath. "Cheat skill, cheat skill... Where did I put that menu?"
"Wait, there's a menu for this?" Kaito asked, incredulous.
"Oh, absolutely! But, uh..." She squinted at the screen, her tapping becoming more frantic. "It's... not exactly loading properly. Maybe if I refresh—no, that didn't work. Oh, dear."
Kaito groaned, running a hand down his face. "I'm going to die before I even leave the tutorial area, aren't I?"
Cylenne waved a hand dismissively, still typing furiously. "Oh, don't be so dramatic! The system might be a little slow, but I'm sure it'll catch up eventually. In the meantime..." She snapped her fingers, her face lighting up with a sudden idea. "Why don't I give you something temporary? Just a little placeholder skill to tide you over!"
"A placeholder?" Kaito asked, narrowing his eyes. "What kind of placeholder?"
"Well," Cylenne said, leaning back and crossing her arms, her face the picture of confidence. "How do you feel about... enhanced reflexes? No, wait, maybe minor telekinesis? Oh! I know! How about Partial Frog Immunity?"
Kaito stared at her, his eye twitching. "Frog immunity? That's the best you've got?"
"Partial frog immunity," Cylenne corrected with a cheerful smile. "It's very situational but surprisingly handy in Axel! Trust me."
Before Kaito could protest, the swirling vortex around him reignited, and the ground beneath his feet seemed to vanish. He could hear Cylenne's voice, distant and chipper as ever, echoing in his ears.
"Don't worry, Kaito! I'll patch the system soon and send your proper cheat skill! Good luck, and try not to die too often!"
And with that, he was gone, hurtling toward a destiny that now felt significantly less promising.
With a sudden whoosh, Kaito was yanked downward, the sensation somewhere between freefalling and being flushed down a cosmic drain. He barely had time to brace himself before slamming face-first into something solid, followed by the distinct crack of splintering wood and the plop of scattered vegetables.
Groaning, Kaito pushed himself up from the mess he'd landed in. Shattered wooden planks lay beneath him, surrounded by an explosion of cabbages, carrots, and an unidentifiable green sludge that smelled suspiciously like overripe broccoli. A tomato dangled precariously off his hair before splattering onto the cobblestone street.
"Oi! What the hell?!" a voice bellowed, and Kaito glanced up to see an irate vendor, a burly man with arms like tree trunks, storming toward him. The crowd of onlookers parted like the Red Sea, their murmurs of amusement and judgment forming a soundtrack to Kaito's misery.
"Uh..." Kaito managed, brushing lettuce off his shoulder as he struggled to stand. His legs wobbled, threatening to betray him further. "Sorry about that?"
"Sorry?" the vendor growled, hands on his hips as he gestured wildly at the wreckage. "Do you know how much that crate cost me? And the vegetables! Look at them!" He picked up a flattened cabbage and waved it dramatically. "Ruined!"
"Technically, I think the cabbage was already having a bad day," Kaito muttered, only to realize he'd said it out loud when the vendor's face turned an impressive shade of purple.
"Are you mocking me, you scrawny—"
"Alright, alright, relax!" Kaito cut in, raising his hands defensively. "Look, I don't have any money, but maybe we can work something out? Like... I help you pick this stuff up? Or, uh, free labor?"
The vendor narrowed his eyes, looking like he was weighing the pros and cons of throttling Kaito in broad daylight. Before he could decide, a new voice called out from the crowd.
"Leave him be, Gregor," said an older man with a long beard, leaning on a cane. "It's just another reincarnate. You know how they are—clumsy as newborn foals."
Gregor huffed but stepped back, muttering under his breath as he began scooping up what remained of his produce. The crowd, seemingly satisfied with the drama, began to disperse, though not without a few lingering glances and snickers aimed at Kaito.
The old man shuffled closer, his cane tapping against the cobblestones. "First time in Axel, I take it?"
Kaito nodded, still trying to shake the tomato pulp out of his hair. "Is it that obvious?"
The man chuckled. "Oh, it's obvious, alright. The sky-drop landing gives it away every time. Don't worry, lad. Happens to the best of them. Welcome to Axel, the town where adventurers start fresh and the cobblestones break their falls."
"Great," Kaito muttered, glancing at the mess around him. "Glad to know I'm living the cliché already."
"Cliché or not," the old man said, a twinkle in his eye, "you'll find your footing soon enough. Just don't go wrecking any more produce stalls, eh?"
Kaito sighed, brushing off his tunic and feeling every bit the fish out of water. As he trudged toward the town square, he couldn't help but think that if this was the tutorial, he was in for one hell of a game.
As Kaito walked through the cobblestone streets of Axel, he was immediately hit by an overwhelming wave of sensations that nearly knocked him off his feet. It was like stepping into a theme park on steroids, only without the safety regulations or helpful maps.
The sights alone were enough to leave him slack-jawed. Towering medieval buildings loomed over him, their uneven rooftops lined with colorful banners fluttering in the breeze. The streets were alive with adventurers clad in mismatched armor, bustling merchants hawking everything from potions to enchanted trinkets, and townsfolk shouting over each other in a cacophony of voices. And the creatures—oh, the creatures. A man-sized lizard with saddlebags scuttled past, hissing at a pair of kids who giggled and ran away. A cart pulled by what looked like a cross between a giant hamster and a very fluffy yak lumbered by, its driver lazily munching on a piece of jerky.
Then there were the smells. Spices and roasting meat wafted from street vendors, mixing with the faintly metallic tang of blacksmith forges and the less pleasant aroma of unwashed adventurers. Kaito wrinkled his nose as a goblin-sized man ran past him carrying what he hoped was a large fish and not some kind of monster appendage.
The sounds were no better. Bells rang in the distance, signaling the start of something—probably important—and the sharp clanging of swords being tested echoed from an open smithy. A bard on a corner strummed a lute and sang what might have been a ballad if it weren't so painfully off-key. Nearby, an argument between two shopkeepers reached a crescendo, their voices blending into a chorus of "You overcharge!" and "Your stock's garbage!"
Kaito stopped in the middle of the street, turning in a slow circle, his eyes wide. "Oh my god," he muttered under his breath. "This is... this is actually happening. I'm in an isekai."
A child nearby gave him a confused look and then ran off, laughing, when Kaito gave a weak wave. He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Alright, Kaito, focus. You've seen enough anime to know how this goes. First, you find the guild. Then, you—"
He was cut off as something small and furry darted between his legs, nearly tripping him. "Hey!" he yelped, flailing to keep his balance. The offending creature—a rabbit-like thing with antlers—looked back at him with an unimpressed snort before hopping away.
Kaito took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "Right. Guild first. Questions later. Don't get distracted by—" His stomach growled loudly, interrupting his pep talk as the smell of freshly baked bread wafted past him.
"Food," he mumbled, turning toward a nearby stall where a woman was pulling golden loaves from a stone oven. His awe melted into self-awareness as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, so maybe this is less 'epic hero's journey' and more 'hungry idiot in a weird theme park.'"
Still, as he shuffled toward the bread stand, he couldn't help but smile. The world was ridiculous, chaotic, and completely overwhelming—but for the first time since arriving, he felt a spark of excitement beneath the sensory overload.
Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all.
Kaito approached the bread stand, his stomach growling with the ferocity of someone who hadn't eaten since, well, dying. The warm, golden loaves stacked neatly on the wooden counter glistened slightly, their aroma wrapping around him like a warm hug. He leaned over eagerly, grinning at the baker, a stout woman with flour smudged across her cheeks.
"Uh, hi!" he began, trying his best not to sound like a starving lunatic. "How much for one of those?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by his enthusiasm. "Two eris for a small loaf, five for a large."
Kaito froze. Eris? Right. Fantasy currency. He patted his pockets, knowing full well they were empty, and gave her an awkward smile. "Sooo... let's say I don't have eris yet. Any chance of a free sample?"
The baker didn't even dignify that with a response. She just stared at him, her expression making it clear that freeloaders were not tolerated in Axel.
"Got it, got it," Kaito said, backing off slightly. "I'll... figure something out."
As he stepped back, his eyes drifted to a nearby wooden board nailed to the side of the stall, covered in brightly painted signs. He squinted at the nearest one, a hand-painted advertisement with clumsy lettering:
"Seeking Adventurers! Giant Frog Infestation in South Field! Reward: 3 Eris Per Frog Defeated!"
Below it, another sign caught his eye:
"Help Needed! Cabbage Bandits Spotted Near East Road! Protect the Harvest! Reward: Negotiable!"
Kaito blinked, rereading the second notice to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Cabbage bandits? Like... thieves who steal cabbages? That's a thing here?"
The baker, overhearing him, let out a snort. "You must be new. It's harvest season. The cabbages get feisty this time of year."
He turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Feisty cabbages. What does that even mean?"
The woman shrugged, picking up a loaf and brushing off a few stray crumbs. "It means they roll themselves off the fields and go rogue. They've got a mind of their own, you see. Farmers need adventurers to round 'em up or, uh, deal with them."
"Deal with them," Kaito repeated, deadpan. "You're telling me people in this world fight runaway vegetables."
"And make good coin doing it," she added, completely serious. "Axel's got a reputation for odd quests, but that's why folks come here. A couple of cabbage quests and frog hunts, and you'll have enough eris for bread in no time."
Kaito stepped back, his brain struggling to process this new reality. "Frogs the size of cars, and vegetables with delusions of freedom. Right. That's... totally normal."
The baker nodded, as if it were the most mundane thing in the world. "You'd better get used to it if you're planning on sticking around. The guild's always got something weird posted on their board."
Kaito stared at the advertisements again, feeling the weight of his empty stomach. "Well," he muttered, "at least it's a step up from dying on black ice. I think."
His stomach growled again, loud enough to turn a few heads. With a sigh, Kaito squared his shoulders and glanced back at the baker. "Alright, where's the guild? Looks like I'm about to start my glorious career as a frog exterminator."
The baker pointed down the road, and as Kaito walked away, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what he'd signed up for—or if Cylenne was somewhere laughing at him. Probably both.
Kaito stood outside the Adventurers' Guild, staring up at the modest wooden sign hanging above the door. The building itself looked sturdy enough, with its stone foundation and slightly crooked roof tiles giving it a rustic charm. He took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders as he tried to psych himself up.
"This is it," he muttered to himself, straightening his tunic. "The starting point for every legendary hero. The Guild. Where the brave gather, where quests are issued, where destinies are forged. Just act like you belong, and you'll be fine."
With that thought firmly in mind, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside.
The scene that greeted him was... not exactly what he'd imagined.
For one thing, it was loud. Not the kind of "heroic chatter" loud he'd envisioned, but a chaotic mishmash of laughter, shouting, and the occasional sound of something breaking. The interior was a sprawling mess of long wooden tables, mismatched chairs, and adventurers of every imaginable description. Some were hunched over maps, others were loudly boasting about past quests, and a surprising number of them were nursing mugs of ale—despite it being what Kaito assumed was mid-morning.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the far side of the room, where a group of adventurers appeared to be hurling bread rolls at each other in what could only be described as the saddest excuse for a food fight he'd ever seen.
Near the counter, a bored-looking receptionist was absently flipping through a stack of papers, entirely ignoring the adventurer in front of her who was clearly trying to flirt. Another receptionist was frantically waving her arms, trying to de-escalate an argument between two adventurers holding pieces of a broken chair.
Kaito blinked, his mind struggling to reconcile the reality in front of him with the grandiose image he'd built up in his head. "This... this is the Guild?" he whispered, his voice dripping with disbelief.
One of the bread rolls from the food fight flew past his face, narrowly missing him and splattering against the wall. He instinctively ducked, muttering, "Yeah, no, this is definitely not the Guild I imagined."
As he cautiously stepped further inside, the sheer absurdity of the place became more apparent. A man in heavy armor was trying to eat soup through his visor, spilling half of it down his chest. A group of fresh-faced adventurers sat at a table, flipping through quest notices while simultaneously arm-wrestling each other. And in one corner, a wizard was calmly reading a book as his staff occasionally sparked with what looked like lightning, completely unbothered by the chaos around him.
Kaito sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So much for carrying myself like I belong. This place doesn't even know what belonging means."
He wove his way through the crowd, narrowly avoiding another airborne bread roll as he approached the reception desk. The bored receptionist finally looked up, her expression somewhere between exhausted and utterly done with life.
"Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild," she droned, barely glancing at him. "New registration?"
"Uh, yeah," Kaito said, trying to sound confident despite the circus happening around him.
She slid a form across the counter without even looking, her monotone voice reciting a well-rehearsed line. "Fill this out, choose a class, bring it back. Try not to die."
Kaito stared at her, then at the form, then back at her. "That's it? No grand welcome? No ceremonial speech about courage and heroism?"
The receptionist snorted, finally meeting his gaze with a raised eyebrow. "Kid, this is Axel. We've got cabbage bandits, giant frogs, and a Demon King somewhere out there. If you're looking for grand speeches, try a kingdom two continents over."
"Right," Kaito muttered, clutching the form as he stepped away from the counter. He glanced around the room again, watching as another bread roll went sailing past and hit an adventurer square in the back of the head.
"Well," he said to himself, plopping down at an empty table to start filling out the form, "at least it can't get any weirder than this."
A loud crash from somewhere near the kitchen suggested otherwise.
Kaito sat at the battered wooden table, the sound of chaos continuing around him as he stared down at the Guild's registration form. The parchment was thicker than expected, and whoever designed it clearly had a flair for overly ornate borders. It looked more like an invitation to a royal ball than an adventurer's form.
"Alright, let's see what we've got here," he muttered, leaning forward.
The first few sections were easy enough. Name? Check. Age? Check. Place of origin? Uh... that one was tricky, but he settled on "not here." Then he got to the section titled Class or Blessing. His quill hovered uncertainly above the blank space, his mind racing.
"Right," he muttered under his breath, glaring at the paper. "This is where I'd put my cheat skill. If I had one."
He scrawled a quick, unimpressive Adventurer into the space and tried to ignore the pang of frustration in his chest. He could practically hear Cylenne's voice saying, "Oh, don't worry! I'll fix the system later!" Yeah, right. He was pretty sure the system was running on a hamster wheel powered by wishful thinking.
When he finally finished filling out the rest of the form—which included bizarre sections like Preferred Monster to Fight? and Next of Kin (if applicable)—he stood up and carried it back to the counter.
The receptionist, who looked as though she might collapse from sheer boredom at any moment, took the form without looking up. She waved a hand, and a small, glowing card materialized out of thin air. It hovered in front of her, spinning lazily as she muttered an incantation.
"Alright, let's see what we're working with here," she said, her voice as monotone as ever. The card began to glow brighter, displaying a grid of stats and information.
Kaito leaned in, squinting at the holographic text. It took him all of two seconds to realize that his stats were... profoundly average. Strength? Average. Dexterity? Average. Intelligence? Slightly above average, but not enough to be impressive. Charisma? Flat-out mediocre.
The receptionist tilted her head, the faintest flicker of amusement crossing her otherwise stoic face. "Huh. You're... remarkably ordinary."
"Thanks for that," Kaito muttered, crossing his arms.
"No standout abilities," she continued, her finger lazily flicking through the card's information. "No blessings, no special skills—oh, wait. You do have something here."
Kaito's heart leapt, a spark of hope igniting. "Really? What is it?"
The receptionist squinted at the card, then sighed. "It says... 'Partial Frog Immunity.'"
Kaito stared at her, deadpan. "Of course it does."
The receptionist handed him the card, her expression completely neutral. "Congratulations. You're officially an Adventurer. Try not to die on your first quest. Or do. It's paperwork either way."
Kaito stared at the card in his hands, the words "Partial Frog Immunity" mocking him from the glowing display. He sighed, pocketing it as he muttered, "Thanks, Cylenne. Really living up to that 'divine guidance' promise."
The receptionist handed him a small pouch of basic supplies—an adventurer's starter kit, she called it—before waving him off toward the quest board.
"Welcome to Axel," she said flatly, already turning her attention to the next person in line. "Next!"
As Kaito stepped away, he couldn't help but feel the crushing weight of mediocrity bearing down on him. No blessings, no cheat skills, and no standout stats. He was, as the receptionist had so kindly pointed out, completely ordinary.
"Great," he muttered, glancing at the chaotic Guild around him. "I'm the fantasy equivalent of room-temperature water. Just what every hero's journey needs."
With a resigned sigh, he shuffled toward the quest board, already dreading what kind of ridiculous tasks awaited him.
Kaito approached the quest board with a mix of anticipation and dread, squinting at the chaotic collection of hand-painted notices plastered haphazardly across its surface. The handwriting ranged from neat script to borderline illegible scrawls, and the illustrations—when they existed—looked like they were done by particularly unmotivated children.
His eyes landed on a familiar set of quests:
"Cabbage Bandit Crisis! Protect the Fields! Reward Negotiable!"
And right below it:
"URGENT: Giant Frog Extermination! Reward: 3 Eris Per Frog!"
Kaito groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Seriously, this is my life now? Chasing runaway vegetables and wrestling with oversized amphibians?"
For a brief moment, he considered the cabbage bandits. It sounded weirdly whimsical, even if it did involve living cabbages. But then the word "negotiable" caught his eye, and he remembered his empty pockets. He couldn't afford a quest that might not pay out.
With a sigh heavy enough to rattle the nearby adventurers, he reluctantly pulled the notice for the giant frog extermination quest from the board. "Well," he muttered to himself, "if I'm going to dive into the fantasy adventurer life, I might as well start at the bottom. Literally."
He carried the notice back to the receptionist's desk, where she glanced up from her stack of papers with her usual lack of enthusiasm. "Frog quest?" she asked, not bothering to hide her boredom.
"Yeah," Kaito said, sliding the notice across the counter. "Let's get this over with."
She took the notice, scanning it briefly before sliding it into a slot behind her. "Alright, you're signed up. But word of advice?"
Kaito blinked. "Advice?"
The receptionist leaned forward slightly, her tone still flat but carrying the faintest hint of amusement. "Don't go frog hunting in the evening. They're usually gone by then, and you'll just waste your time. Morning's the best window for it. Fewer adventurers to fight over them, too."
Kaito frowned. "Gone? Where do they go?"
She shrugged, already turning back to her paperwork. "Probably wherever giant frogs go to... do frog things. No one's ever really cared enough to find out. Just stick to mornings if you actually want to catch any."
He stood there for a moment, trying to process the ridiculousness of it all. Giant frogs had schedules? They clocked out like office workers? What next—cabbages holding staff meetings?
"Right," he muttered, stepping back. "Morning it is, then. Thanks, I guess."
As he turned to leave, he couldn't help but feel the creeping nerves building in his chest. Giant frogs. Not dragons, not bandits, not even some cool, low-level goblins. Frogs. He sighed, shaking his head.
"This has to be the least glamorous start to an adventure in the history of adventuring," he grumbled under his breath.
Still, as he stepped out of the Guild and into the fading evening light, he couldn't ignore the tiny spark of curiosity beneath his anxiety. It wasn't glamorous, sure, but it was a start. And after all, what could possibly go wrong with a bunch of frogs?
The distant croak that echoed from the fields didn't exactly inspire confidence.
As Kaito strolled down the road, the din of the Adventurers' Guild fading behind him, he caught snippets of a conversation from a group of adventurers loitering near the entrance. Their voices carried, animated and loud, even over the general hustle and bustle of the street.
"Did you hear about the archmage again?" one adventurer said, waving his mug around for emphasis. "Another explosion! Blew up half a field this time!"
"Yeah, but at least the archmage is useful in a pinch," another chimed in. "Unlike that good-for-nothing shyster who's always trying to scam people!"
"Hey, don't forget the blue-haired beauty," a third voice added with a laugh. "You know, the one who can't do anything right but somehow still gets away with it because she's, well... you know."
"Oh, and that blonde warrior!" said the first. "She's supposed to be strong, but I heard she's into some seriously weird stuff—"
Kaito tuned out the rest, shaking his head as he walked past. "Sounds like a circus," he muttered to himself. He didn't care enough to ask for details, nor did he plan to get involved with whoever those people were. Right now, he had bigger priorities—like finding somewhere to sleep before he ended up dozing in the middle of the road.
After wandering aimlessly for what felt like an eternity, Kaito finally came across a small inn tucked away in an alley. Its sign was barely hanging on, the wood splintered and the paint peeling, but it boasted in bold (and rather desperate) letters:
"CHEAP ROOMS AVAILABLE! FIRST NIGHT FREE FOR NEW ADVENTURERS!"
"Well, that's suspiciously convenient," Kaito muttered, eyeing the building with skepticism. But with no money and no other options, he sighed and pushed the door open.
The inside was dimly lit, the air smelling faintly of damp wood and something he couldn't quite place—maybe burnt toast? The innkeeper, an older man with a gruff demeanor and a permanent scowl, glanced up from behind the counter.
"You new?" the man asked, his voice gravelly.
"Yeah," Kaito replied. "First quest tomorrow. I, uh, saw the sign about the free night?"
The innkeeper grunted, grabbing a key from the wall and slapping it onto the counter. "Room's upstairs. Third on the left. Don't break anything."
Kaito took the key and made his way up the creaky staircase, every step groaning under his weight. By the time he reached his room, he was half-expecting something out of a horror story—and he wasn't far off.
The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open, revealing what could generously be described as a "room." The bed was a rickety wooden frame with a lumpy mattress that looked like it had seen better centuries. A single window, partially boarded up, let in a sliver of moonlight—along with a constant drip from the leaky roof above.
Kaito stepped further inside, only to pause as the floorboard beneath him gave a particularly alarming creak. He froze, half-expecting it to give way, but when it didn't, he cautiously continued.
The room's only other furnishings were a crooked chair, a cracked mirror, and a nightstand with one leg shorter than the others, making it lean at a precarious angle.
"This... is fine," Kaito said aloud, trying to convince himself as he tossed his pack onto the bed. The mattress let out a wheezy whumpf, and a small cloud of dust rose into the air, making him cough.
He glanced up at the ceiling, where the steady drip-drip-drip of water from the leak had already formed a small puddle on the floor. "Luxury accommodations," he muttered, rolling his eyes.
The price for the room—or lack thereof—suddenly made a lot more sense. Still, it was better than nothing. He flopped onto the bed, wincing as the frame groaned ominously beneath him, and stared up at the ceiling.
"Well, at least I didn't end up sleeping in a cabbage field," he said with a sigh.
Somewhere outside, a distant croak echoed in the night, reminding him of the frogs he'd be dealing with tomorrow. Kaito groaned, burying his face in the pillow—which, thankfully, didn't smell too bad.
"Welcome to the adventurer's life," he muttered, his voice muffled. "What could possibly go wrong?"
Kaito lay on the lumpy, dust-filled mattress, staring up at the cracked ceiling. The rhythmic dripping from the leaky roof above him provided a surprisingly calming backdrop, and he let out a long sigh, feeling the tension from the day finally start to ease.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, trying to stay optimistic, "just one day at a time. Get through tomorrow, earn some money, and maybe—maybe—I can find a place where the roof doesn't leak, the bed doesn't creak, and the air doesn't smell like... whatever this is."
He shifted slightly, wincing as the bed gave another ominous groan. Despite the less-than-stellar accommodations, he felt a flicker of something resembling hope. Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.
But as he stared into the shadows of the room, a small, inexplicable unease began to creep in. It was subtle, like the faint pressure of someone staring at the back of your head. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about the day—about this—felt off. His mind kept drifting to that strange sense of familiarity when he first arrived, as though he'd already been here before.
Kaito shook his head, closing his eyes. "You're overthinking it," he told himself. "New world, new life, weird frogs. Just get some sleep. You'll need it."
He had just started to drift off when a sudden, sharp chime rang out in the distance, reverberating through the night air. His eyes snapped open, his heart skipping a beat as the sound jolted him upright.
The chime continued, slow and deliberate, each note digging into his chest like a faint sense of déjà vu. He frowned, his brow furrowing as he sat there, listening. It wasn't particularly loud, but something about it felt... wrong. Familiar, but in a way he couldn't explain.
As the final chime echoed into silence, the tension in the air dissipated, leaving Kaito sitting in the dark, heart pounding.
"Okay," he muttered, lying back down. "That was... weird. Probably just a normal thing here. Fantasy worlds love their dramatic clocks, right?"
He closed his eyes again, determined to ignore the gnawing feeling in his gut. Just as he began to slip into unconsciousness, a new sound reached his ears: someone, somewhere in town, singing. If it could even be called that.
It was loud, painfully off-key, and entirely too enthusiastic. The singer warbled through the notes like they were determined to butcher the song beyond recognition, their voice carrying through the quiet streets with all the subtlety of a stampede.
"Seriously?" Kaito groaned, covering his ears with a pillow. "Who the hell is singing at this hour?"
The warbling continued, unabated, a mixture of long, exaggerated notes and what sounded like an accidental gargle midway through a particularly high pitch.
Just as Kaito resigned himself to suffering through it, a loud, resonant CROAK shook the windows of the inn. The entire room vibrated slightly, the sound deep and guttural, like some colossal amphibian had taken personal offense at the singer's performance.
Kaito's eyes widened, his pillow still clutched to his head. "What the—"
Another croak echoed through the night, this one even louder, and he felt the bed frame wobble beneath him. Somewhere outside, the singer's voice faltered for a moment, then picked back up with renewed vigor, as if they'd decided to treat the croak as their backup singer.
"Tomorrow's going to be a nightmare, isn't it?" Kaito muttered, flopping back onto the bed and closing his eyes.
As the awful singing and the frog's haunting croaks blended into the strange symphony of Axel, Kaito finally drifted off, blissfully unaware of just how much worse things could—and probably would—get.
To be continued...
Author's Note:
Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for reading this first chapter. Honestly, this whole story idea started as a random thought I couldn't shake. You know how it is—one moment you're daydreaming about your favorite isekai tropes, and the next, you've got a full-blown plot forming in your head. I kept telling myself I'd save it for later, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I just had to write it.
So here we are! I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Kaito and his hilariously unglamorous start in the world of Axel. It's been a blast imagining how someone like him would navigate such a chaotic, trope-filled world. There's plenty more to come, and I can't wait to share the ridiculous adventures and challenges he'll face!
If you liked what you read, please leave a vote, drop a comment, or share this story with friends. Your feedback and support mean the world to me and help keep me motivated to write more. I'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, or even just your favorite moments from the chapter.
Thanks again for giving this story a shot, and I'll see you all next time! Stay tuned for more chaos, comedy, and maybe a bit of frog trouble.
• [Fierce]