Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Lord of the Hamster Wheel, Descent!
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The world seemed to flip upside down once, then snap back into place.
That was the feeling washing over me.
"Huuuuh..."
A scorching heat boiled in my brain.
And surging up through that fiery chaos were brand-new memories!
It felt like pouring more water into a balloon already stuffed full.
Just like paints of different colors swirling wildly in a bucket, two alien sets of memories tangled chaotically in my head.
A bizarre vertigo from the collision between the world I knew and the one I now had to know.
I sighed and opened my eyes.
"Chit!"
Everything before me was green.
My nose was already itching.
The air was thick with the damp smell of moss and the stench of rotting leaves.
I could feel the humid air stabbing into my lungs.
'A jungle?'
Before I could even grasp the situation, instinct blared a warning.
I was alone right now.
A sudden surge of disgust welled up.
"You rotten bastards!"
The voice that burst from my mouth was thin and reedy.
Now I remembered.
I was a porter.
A Bronze Rank party of clueless adventurers who'd plunged deep into the dungeon without a clue.
Their bag shuttle.
Bait to toss if things got dicey!
That was my role—Reti's role, to be exact.
'No, more precisely, the role of this body I possessed.'
In my previous life, I was just an ordinary adult guy living in South Korea.
Just the other day, I could still vividly recall fiddling with wood blocks as a hobby, making this and that.
Then I died.
Cause of death: traffic accident.
But why this world, of all places?
And why possess the body of a Ratkin girl abandoned in the middle of a dungeon?
No time to question it further, though.
Rustle.
The bushes behind me shook.
There was no wind in a dungeon.
A movement laced with clear killing intent!
The monsters had smelled the blood trail left by those idiot adventurers as they fled and were closing in.
With trembling hands, I drew the dagger from my belt.
A crude iron dagger.
The blade was dull, with several chips missing.
My face reflected on the blade.
"A rat...?"
Ash-gray hair with round, oversized ears poking out.
Big, black eyes.
And a weird thing wriggling freely behind my butt.
When I grabbed it, a slightly furry tail came into view.
"A tail!"
The familiar yet alien sensation paradoxically grounded me in harsh reality.
This wasn't a dream.
Standing here dazed would make me monster chow.
'Hide first.'
I slung on my pack and bolted down the dungeon passage.
This mouse body had more advantages than I'd thought.
Small and light, for starters.
The narrow gaps tangled with vines were perfect hidey-holes.
"Grrrrr...!"
A predator's harsh breathing sounded right nearby.
My heart pounded like it would burst from my chest.
The memories of my past life—taking up half my mind—forced down the panicking instincts of this mouse girl.
'Calm down. The monsters in this dungeon rely more on smell than sight.'
That was what those Bronze Rank adventurers had said.
I held my breath and swung the pack from my back to the front.
This party's junk they'd dumped on me.
To survive, I had to salvage what I could.
I rummaged carefully to avoid noise.
The texture, weight, and shape of items registered in my mind like blueprints.
Rotten rope—toss.
Axe and hammer—heavy, but keep. Could use as weapons.
Leather straps and cloth? Meh, but for now.
One hardtack biscuit—essential.
Oil flask and flint? Good.
Need to lighten the load to run.
As I dumped useless trash, my hand paused in the corner.
I pulled out an old wooden box shoved at the bottom.
'What's this?'
I dredged up memories from hours ago.
The party leader shoving this at me.
—Hey, rat brat. This looks valuable, so you hold it. Lose it and you're dead meat?
If it was important, he'd keep it himself.
Irritated, I pried open the box.
Surely some gem worth money?
My brow furrowed the moment I checked the contents.
"...What the hell?"
Inside was a wooden toy.
A palm-sized hamster wheel.
Smooth curves, flawless joints.
Even to my hobbyist woodworking eye, this was no amateur work.
Solid, premium ebony material.
And at the center, an exquisitely carved tiny mouse girl running.
"Nicely made."
But right now, it was just dead weight.
Couldn't eat it, awkward as a weapon.
'Sell it once I'm out.'
I moved to stuff the wheel back without regret.
That was the moment.
Kiririk!
"Huh?"
Kiriririk!
The wooden wheel started spinning in my hand on its own.
No spring, no power source in sight.
Like an invisible ghost joyfully sprinting around and around.
"Chit!"
Startled, a squeak slipped out!
I dropped it in shock, but the wheel hung motionless in midair.
Whiiiing!
Spinning furiously, whipping up wind.
As I watched tensely, another anomaly hit.
A shrill voice suddenly rang out.
[Ah! You've awakened me!]
"?"
[Finally! Decades! No, centuries?!]
[Chit! Rejoice!]
The voice came from inside the hamster wheel.
[The great Lord of the Hamster Wheel has returned!]
[Goddess Rodentia has finally returned to this land!]
A cute but insufferably arrogant voice drilled into my mind.
A hazy figure popped up abruptly.
A mouse-eared girl, just like me.
Her gaze wandered before locking onto me.
Her eyes widened round, ears twitching.
[You there! You awakened me! A glorious rodentkin, aren't you? Right?]
After a moment's thought, I decided to respond politely to this mysterious being.
"Yes, I'm a Ratkin."
[Indeed! Chit! I knew my children would manage it!]
The girl threw her arms wide.
[Thank you! My glorious apostle!]
"Apostle...?"
It had been barely five minutes since I'd recovered my past life's memories.
Things were getting weird fast.
I echoed her blankly.
"Apostle?"
It had been less than five minutes since my past life's memories returned.
I hadn't even gotten my bearings, and now a self-proclaimed goddess was spouting nonsense.
[That's right! Only fellow rodentkin can awaken me from slumber!]
[You recognized my greatness and woke me—you're my first apostle!]
The wooden hamster wheel floated in the air.
A shimmering figure extended from it, flickering about.
Before my eyes, a translucent mouse-eared girl phantom struck a pose, hands on hips, smug as could be.
She was so brazen I almost bought it.
But the common sense in this current girl's head told a different story.
'Lord of the Hamster Wheel? Goddess Rodentia? Never heard of her.'
This life's "me" wasn't well-educated, but I knew the basics.
This world had tons of gods.
Hearth and Home Goddess, Goddess of Wisdom and Magic, Warrior God, and so on.
But no Lord of the Hamster Wheel on the major pantheon lists.
Not even among the minor gods, probably.
"Um, Goddess?"
[Yes! My apostle! Ask anything!]
"Honestly, I've never heard of the Lord of the Hamster Wheel."
Before I finished, the wheel shook violently.
[Gah! How rude! To not know Rodentia!]
"But really, there's no such god in the Pantheon Temple..."
As my words ended, the self-proclaimed lord stomped her feet.
[What?! No way! Those Pantheon Temple jerks erased me from history!]
[I am the mother and guardian of great rodentkin!]
"...You're a real goddess, right?"
[Real deal!]
Rodentia grumbled, seeming peeved at my attitude.
Fine, whatever.
Minor god, evil god—didn't matter now. No time to be picky.
"Then, Goddess, I'm not sure about this apostle thing, but can you get me out of here first?"
[Hm?]