The Moonlit Awakening

I opened my eyes to find a full moon hanging in the night sky. At first the pain in my head was so blinding I couldn’t even tell where I was, but once the skull-splitting agony began to fade, the memories slowly returned.

“That hurts…”

I ran a hand through my hair, brushed off the blades of grass ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clinging to my clothes, and pushed myself up from the forest floor.

How on earth did I end up becoming Hint?

Hint.

In this academy that worshipped strength above all else, he was an F-class student who received no proper treatment whatsoever. He had originally existed only as an Easter egg in the game.

If you looked a little closer…

The Guide’s Cabin was a literal guide hut that players would visit whenever they got lost during the main story. When you first opened the door, the empty cabin greeted you with nothing but a small table and two chairs facing each other. The curious player would sit down, and a black silhouette would suddenly respawn across from them. The player would tense up, thinking it was a trap, but the shadowy figure would simply speak in a low, gloomy voice:

Despite the gloomy, low voice, the cabin gave surprisingly kind and gentle hints, so new players loved it. Yes, it was the kind of place you’d find in any game. But one day a post appeared on the community forums.

For veterans who had already devoured every piece of content and were starving for more, it was decent bait. Hint. A commoner with no surname. The only first-year F-class student. Since there were no F-class students in the second or third years, he was effectively the academy’s one and only F-class student. You couldn’t recruit him as a companion, and he only had a single line of interaction dialogue. Still, when players dug into him with obsessive determination, they discovered something interesting.

If you adjusted the pitch and tone of the voice coming from the Guide’s Cabin, it was identical to the voice of the boy named Hint. Of course, that was all there was to it—nothing more special than that. Players simply laughed and moved on, saying, “They even prepared an Easter egg like this?” It was nothing more than a brief, amusing event.

“For now, let’s head home.”

I walked toward the cabin.

The Guide’s Cabin. Even after I had become a veteran player who never visited it anymore, the place somehow felt as familiar as my own home now. That was because the mysterious pain had left me with knowledge—an inheritance. Knowledge that the original Hint, who had lived in this world, possessed. Knowledge impossible to gain simply by staring at a monitor. And within that knowledge was information about this very cabin.

This cabin, which turned out to be a legendary relic no one had expected, was in reality Hint’s house. When I opened the door, instead of the empty space with just a table and chairs, I saw a reasonably well-decorated home. There was a soft-looking bed and sofa. Although no smoke rose from the chimney outside, the fireplace crackled warmly, filling the chilly room with comforting heat.

“I see. So this is one of its abilities.”

This was the first power of the legendary relic known as the Guide’s Cabin.

Of course, an ability like this alone would hardly qualify it as legendary. At that point you could call a ten-room pension a legendary relic too. There were additional powers, but they were ones I couldn’t use right now, so I set them aside.

I flopped down onto the bed. The soft texture enveloped my back.

“How should I proceed from here…”

Tales of Sword & Magic—the game I had been thrown into—would soon be swept up in countless incidents and accidents at its main stage, Arpia Academy. During the first year there were only a few major events, but from the second year onward it was nothing but disasters. Surviving all those trials in the body of an F-class student like Hint was practically impossible.

Yet leaving the academy came with an even bigger problem.

‘If the protagonist fails to reach the ending, the world will inevitably be destroyed anyway.’

Two years from now, on Arpia Island where the academy stood, a cataclysmic battle beyond human imagination would take place. A war that would decide the very survival of the world. Originally humanity was destined to lose without fail, but thanks to our protagonist and her companions, they would defeat the great evil threatening the world and bring peace.

Even if I left this island, if the protagonist and her party failed to reach end-game specs, it would be no different from living on a three-year death timer. Of course, it would be nice if our protagonist perfectly cleared the scenario, grew strong, and cleared everything without me lifting a finger… but there was no way that would happen.

Tales of Sword & Magic was fundamentally a game with extremely high difficulty. New players couldn’t even dream of a no-death clear, and even veterans died constantly. Sure, with infinite saves and loads anyone could clear it, but this was reality. Our protagonist had neither saves nor loads.

“I suppose I have no choice but to help.”

The direction was set.

I wasn’t the type of person who could sit back and think, ‘The protagonist will figure it out somehow~’. In a game with a hundred endings where half were bad ends, failure was something I was all too familiar with.

Help the protagonist. Save the world.

That became my goal.

The scent of spring rode on the breeze. The rustling leaves created a choral hymn of spring. The sun was only just beginning to rise; the moon still lingered in the sky, not yet overpowered by the sun’s light.

The moment Hint opened his eyes, he savored the spring air and began walking along the path through the West Forest.

“I can’t miss a view like this.”

It had been one week since arriving at the academy.

Today was finally the entrance ceremony.

It would have been more efficient to head straight to the academy, but Hint deliberately chose the longer route back to the docks. There was only one reason.

“The first cutscene of Tales of Sword & Magic. There’s no way I’d miss ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.”

The scene of countless ships from countless nations and tribes docking one by one at dawn on entrance day, with hordes of students disembarking, was the game’s very first cinematic.

As I drew closer to the docks, the sharp salty smell of the sea blended with the scent of spring, creating a complex fragrance.

“The academy’s new students are arriving!”

“Everyone get ready!”

When I reached the docks, numerous staff members were busy preparing for the ships’ arrival. Thank you for your hard work. I offered a silent greeting in my heart and sat down at the edge of the pier.

Beyond the horizon, one by one, massive vessels silhouetted against the sun and moon began to appear.

“The Empire. The Alliance. The Great Forest. The Underground City. And the Great Plains.”

Five enormous ships, each flying its own flag. A thrilling shiver ran down my spine and spread through my entire body. Seeing a cutscene I had only ever watched through a monitor unfold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right before my eyes delivered an excitement that surpassed imagination. Unable to stay seated, Hint unconsciously rose to his feet.

“It’s finally beginning.”

It might have felt short to others, but this past week had been the longest experience of Hint’s life. As I felt the original story begin with my entire being, the first ship to dock and unload its passengers was the Empire’s vessel.

The Millennium Empire, Evergreen.

Disembarking from that ship were the Empire’s two proud supernovas.

“We’ve finally arrived☆.”

“Stop hopping around, Shepia. As the Imperial Princess, you should set an example.”

“Yulia is always so uptight~☆.”

A blonde, blue-eyed girl jumping excitedly at having reached the academy, and a white-haired, red-eyed girl trying to calm her down.

The Imperial Princess. Star Magician.

Shepia Evergreen

The Northern Duke’s daughter. Ice Swordsman.

Yulia Frostwolf

Hint rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on his arms as he watched the two of them. After that, countless more people disembarked and walked past him toward the academy. Some glanced strangely at the boy sitting quietly at the docks in his uniform, but they soon lost interest and moved on.

Once everyone had headed toward the academy and the pier grew quiet, an academy staff member approached Hint.

“Student. Hurry up and get to the academy. You’ll be late for the entrance ceremony.”

“Hehe. I appreciate the concern, but I’m waiting for someone.”

“Hmm? All the students should have already disembarked by now.”

The moment the staff member finished speaking, a girl burst out from the Empire’s ship.

Messy grey hair that reached her waist and striking golden eyes. There was still a clear trail of drool at the corner of her mouth—she must have been asleep until just now.

“Uwaaaaaah!!!! I overslept!!!”

The girl who hadn’t gotten up from her room until everyone else had already left was now rushing around in a panic. It seemed she couldn’t find the way to the academy now that everyone else had disappeared.

Hint smiled at the sight and walked over to her.

“Do you need any help?”

Her eyes sparkled as if she had seen her savior, and she pressed close to him without any sense of personal space. Her behavior was exactly like a human retriever. Hint laughed inwardly. The protagonist’s natural affinity that could charm anyone was pouring out without restraint.

“Ah! You’re a new student too! Do you know the way to the academy? I overslept and… hehehe.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you so much!”

The sun rose higher, and the moon gradually lost its clarity.

Hint extended his hand to the girl.

“My name is Hint. It’s a rather unusual name, isn’t it?”

The girl took the hand he offered.

“No, it’s a cool name. I’m Stelle!”

Beneath the rising sun, the boy and girl clasped hands.

At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that moment, the story of the boy and the girl began.