A New Reality

Pluck, strum~

The cheerful sound of a stringed instrument tickled my ears from somewhere nearby.

"..."

Listening to the music, I slowly blinked my eyes open. A strange ceiling met my gaze. Through my hazy consciousness, I felt a hard sensation pressing against my back and waist. The floor was so unyielding it made my spine ache.

"Ugh!"

Next came the smell—a damp, musty odor reminiscent of a basement, mingled with the stench of alcohol. The sour reek of stale beer and sweat assaulted my nostrils.

"...Ugh."

Quickly pinching my nose, I let out a low groan. I slowly pushed myself up and sat on the edge of a rickety wooden bed tucked into a corner of the room.

"Where... am I?"

The ceiling was made of rotting wooden planks. Cobwebs clung to every corner of the room, which was sparsely furnished with the creaking wooden bed and a few pieces of worn-out wooden furniture.

Strum~

The sound of the instrument continued ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to drift in through the window. Blinking blankly, I pinched my cheek.

"Ouch... Judging by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the pain, this isn't a dream."

Rubbing my reddened cheek, I stood up. My brow furrowed immediately.

"...What's going on?"

Something was wrong with my body. My head felt as heavy as if a boulder were resting on it, and my stomach churned. My throat was parched, and a sharp headache brought a wave of dizziness.

"Ugh!"

Clutching my head, I stumbled toward a mirror mounted in another corner of the room.

"Haa... Haa..."

I staggered to the mirror and stared at my reflection. My hair was greasy and disheveled, dark circles hung heavily down to my cheekbones, and a patchy, unkempt beard covered my jaw. My lips were dry and cracked. I looked like someone who had done nothing but drink for days without washing.

"Urgh..."

My stomach lurched, but I held it in. I plunged my face directly into a basin of water sitting beneath the mirror.

Splash!

"Phew! Haa... That finally woke me up."

Sweeping my wet bangs back, I surveyed my surroundings with slightly clearer vision. No matter how many times I looked, it was just a shabby tavern room. There wasn't even a light bulb on the ceiling—only a single rusted candlestick mounted on the wall. In one corner sat a pair of worn-out boots that looked like they had been abandoned by their previous owner.

"Phew... What is this? It can't be... a dream, right?"

I muttered to myself, wiping the water from my face. The rough texture of my skin felt too vivid. The thirst burning in my throat, the cold draft seeping through the cracks in the window... No matter how hard I tried to rationalize it, this was no dream.

But above all, the strangest part was that the man in the mirror was not me.

My lips trembled as I stared at my reflection. It wasn't an incredibly ugly face, but the exhaustion and alcohol-soaked pallor made it thoroughly unappealing. Besides, I couldn't get used to the messy, bandit-like beard and the greasy brown hair.

"Who... the hell are you?"

No matter how much I stared, blinked, or rubbed my eyes, the reflection remained unchanged. Despondent, I slowly turned and walked toward the window.

Creak.

The old wooden floorboards groaned and shifted slightly under my weight. Stepping carefully, I stood before the window.

"...Ah."

A soft gasp escaped my lips.

There were no asphalt roads in sight—only dirt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠paths. Wooden carriages rattled down the unpaved streets. Merchants sold fruit beneath canvas awnings. Two soldiers clad in armor patrolled the road with spears in hand, while a drunkard spewed curses at a street corner.

Strum, pluck~

And further away, in the center of a plaza, a man wearing a feathered hat plucked at a stringed instrument. Passersby occasionally tossed coins at his feet, while others walked past as if completely accustomed to the sight.

"Ha..."

I let out a breath of disbelief and stared down at the street in silence. It was a familiar sight. Even the song was familiar. It was undoubtedly the background music of a medieval fantasy RPG I had played briefly a few years ago. And the scenery before my eyes was none other than the world inside that very game.

It was a game that had drawn plenty of criticism for its brutally realistic difficulty, though hardcore gamers praised it. I hadn't played it for long. While it was famous and well-known, it simply hadn't been my cup of tea.

Hunger stats. Sleep. Disease. Injuries. Affinity. A perpetual lack of mana. Even the NPCs were excessively human. Starving people actually died of hunger, and penniless children turned to banditry. There were even rumors that nameless small villages were more dangerous because of humans than monsters. That was why players called this game the "Realistic Medieval Simulator."

"...No way."

A chill ran down my spine. This game had no respawn system. In other words, if you died, it was truly the end.

Thump. Thump.

My body trembled involuntarily, and the sound of my heartbeat rang loud in my ears. Just then—

"Hey! You up there! Stop making that fucking noise!!"

A shout erupted from below. Startled, I looked down to see a heavily bearded man pointing a finger at me and yelling.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

"...Ah."

I must have leaned too far out the window without realizing it. I quickly pulled myself back inside and shut the window.

Thud.

The room grew quiet, save for the faint, muffled music filtering through the cracks.

"...This is insane."

I covered half my face with my hand. My heart was still pounding wildly.

Is this real? Am I actually inside the game?

The sensations were far too vivid to dismiss as a dream. Yet, I desperately wanted to deny it. Above all, I had zero confidence in my ability to survive in this crazy place. I hadn't even cleared the game; I had died in the Beginner Village and quit.

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. The Status Window. If this was a game, it was bound to have one. And if it existed, there might be a logout function as well. Swallowing hard, I tentatively reached out my hand with an anxious expression.

"...Status Window."

But nothing happened.

"...I guess there's no such thing."

As I lowered my arm with a bitter smile—

Ding.

A soft chime echoed in my head.

"...Huh?"

Then, with a faint hum, a semi-transparent blue window materialized before my eyes.

Ding.

[Reward is being distributed.]

A mechanical voice rang in my head, and the window vanished, replaced by the Status Window.

"..."

That was it. No level. No stats. It was barebones, offering only the absolute bare minimum.

"Wow, there really is nothing here."

A hollow laugh escaped me, but it was fine. I had received a Character Reset Ticket as a reward for the hidden tutorial.

Before I knew it, a thick, rectangular piece of paper had materialized in my hand.

"How do I use this? Use! Use Character Reset Ticket! Activate! Release!"

I struck various poses and shouted different commands, but nothing changed. Ultimately, I decided to tear it. I worried that ripping it might ruin it, but I had no other options.

Riiip.

"Hup!"

Riiiiip!

It was quite thick, but as I twisted it with all my might, using my entire body, the paper slowly began to tear.

Rip!

Once the paper was torn completely in half, a brilliant light burst from the seam.

"Ugh!"

Flash!

Ding.

"Where... am I?"

When I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself floating alone in a vast, blue space. It felt incredibly soft and comfortable, as if I were sinking into a plush sofa.

"Even my story?"

Whoosh!

Blue holographic windows popped up one after another, displaying my current appearance. Beside it, another window filled with text appeared.

"...Ah, so my stats weren't showing because it was an incomplete character. No wonder ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Status Window looked so bare. But... I have a debt?"

I buried my face in my hands.

"Sigh... I barely have any points. What should I do?"

I lifted my head, resting my chin on my hand, and carefully browsed through the traits. After a considerable amount of time had passed, I finally made my move.

Click.

My decision was made. This was the best choice I could make right now.

Beep.

I wouldn't touch the story. My points were already scarce; I had to save them. I only adjusted the free parts of my appearance... and dumped the rest into traits and stats.

Ding.

[Final confirmation of character reset.]

I invested in both traits and stats. I had considered dumping everything into one category, but I figured a well-rounded build would be better for surviving alone, so I distributed them evenly. For my name, I decided to go with my school nickname, Ginyu. Now that my body had changed, it felt fitting.

"What? How do you know my name?!"

The moment I lunged forward and reached out, the blue space rippled like water. With a sensation of sinking downward, my vision spun instantly.

Thud.

"...I'm back."

When I came to, I was back in the shabby tavern room. It had clearly been a cold, emotionless mechanical voice, but strangely, those last words had felt warm, as if spoken with a gentle smile. Was it just my imagination?

"..."

I lowered my outstretched hand.

Growl~

I placed a hand on my stomach and muttered quietly to myself.

"...Phew. Right, if they're the ones who threw me in here, of course they'd know my name. But that's not what's important right now."

Clink.

I immediately reached into my pocket. My fingertips brushed against four coins, and I pulled out all the Copper Coins.

Clink.

Just four Copper Coins. That was my entire net worth.

"...I'm broke."