Before the Story Begins
Gray skies heavy with dark clouds. No sounds around, just the quiet patter of rain.
"Hoo... damn, what a day to die... cough... perfect weather."
Ah, I always wanted to say that line with a cigarette dangling from my lips.
...But with only one arm left, that's not happening.
When does a person die?
Some romantic types say it's when they're forgotten...
That's bullshit, obviously.
People die for all sorts of reasons.
Losing more blood than the body can handle.
Vital organs failing.
Physical trauma like that kills you.
So, what's my condition right now?
Right arm: severed.
Left arm: hacked to shit... but still functional enough. Decent, relatively.
Left leg: crushed fracture.
Right leg: the only normal one.
Left eye: nearly blind. Right eye: totally blind.
Dragging myself step by step with wounds that should have killed me already.
"...Fucking hurts."
It wasn't just the injuries.
Black chain markings etched all over my body.
Curses, every one of them.
Effects varied: amplified pain, hearing loss, sensory deprivation, and more.
Layer upon layer of debuffs, making every agony crystal clear.
Still, I hauled this broken shell forward, one step at a time.
Crawling if I had to, until I reached my destination.
A massive tree stood there.
It must've been lush once... now it's as wrecked as me.
"...My legs are killing me."
They screamed from being dragged nonstop.
Sigh, weak bastard.
It's my leg, but zero grit.
"Yeah... guess it's time for me to rest too."
A pathetic, rotting trunk.
I leaned my back against it.
Released the trembling strength in my legs.
They collapsed instantly.
Stretched the ruined ones flat on the ground, upper body propped on the tree.
"...Quest."
Before the Story Begins
📍 Condition 1: ■■■ (100% Achieved)
📍 Condition 2: Die to Yusiel Merhen (In Progress)
Success Reward: [Route: ■■■] Unlocked. Failure: □□
"...Can't even see straight anymore."
Before coming here, I was your average shut-in hikikomori.
Sucking my parents dry, rotting in my room playing games. Totally ordinary.
Then one day, I wake up here?
Do this quest, they say?
Honestly... as a dopamine junkie marinated in anime, web novels, and webtoons, how could I resist?
I threw myself into it, life on the line.
Even after seeing the "die" condition. The rewards must've been killer...
Can't remember now.
My memory's shot.
Quest: my mission, dropped on me in this world.
I lived as the Demon King, chasing it.
But things got messy. Tangled up bad.
Memories started slipping away, one by one.
First, my name.
Then, where I came from.
Why I became a hikikomori.
All "me" memories, fading.
Memory loss arcs are cliché in web novels and anime.
I'd binged them, never thought much.
But living it? Chilling.
Not knowing myself anymore? Terrifying.
One day, someone asked my name. Couldn't answer.
That disconnect nearly broke me.
After, I jotted down every detail about myself daily.
Figured that'd do it.
Forget? Check the notes, relearn.
But the world ain't that forgiving...
About a week in.
Memories vanished again—including the notes.
Not just the contents. The location.
When that single memory wiped, terror hit first time.
Possibility of my entire self erased from existence.
Scary as hell.
I documented more, left more traces.
But even those faded from memory.
Living with memories bleeding away daily...
I adapted. Or gave up.
One day, I let go of clinging to my past.
No point; just breeds dissonance.
Now, on death's door, what's left?
...This tree's spot, maybe?
"At this rate, this tree could be my girlfriend."
Forgetting everything else but remembering one tree...
Was I a tree hugger or something?
Damn, that's romantic.
"...Must be losing it as death nears."
Chuckling at my own dumb joke when a clear voice cut from ahead.
My hearing's mostly gone.
Yet this voice rang crystal.
Followed the sound: a woman stood there.
Blonde hair soaked wet.
Luminous emerald eyes, snow-white skin.
Vision wrecked, but her? Sharp as ever.
"Filter on."
"...Pardon?"
"...Nothing."
She blinked, uncomprehending. The one who did this to me.
Yusiel Merhen.
The Hero.
...Huh. Not just the tree in my memories.
Hero, Yusiel Merhen.
The one fated to kill me. Never once forgotten her.
...So you're my girlfriend?
Better than tree-hugger.
"...Please hide your face if you're thinking weird stuff."
"Wasn't."
"Sure... whatever you say."
Look at that face.
Knuckle sandwich incoming.
"How'd you even make it here?"
"If you'd gone easier, it'd have been smoother..."
You butchered my whole body; hell of a trip.
"I'll ignore the nonsense."
...Harsh.
"I'm dying soon; least you could do is humor me."
"Dying people talk too much; tough."
What a capital T bitch.
Try empathizing a bit.
"...So, how much memory's left?"
"Just you."
No joke.
Tree and you. That's it.
Why scowl? You asked.
I stated facts, asshole.
"Want me to end it quick?"
"...Hey, we got history. Let me linger."
"History between Hero and Demon King? Please."
Yesterday's enemy is today's ally.
Hate's just twisted affection.
I'm chatting 'cause it's you. Anyone else, I'd rage to the end.
"Hoo... cough."
Long exhale, blood followed.
"Lots of blood."
Your handiwork.
Psycho?
"...Wasted too much time on bad jokes."
Look at her dismiss my efforts.
I slaved to lighten the mood; calls it jokes.
...Definite psycho.
Want to retort, but strength's gone.
Bled too much; vision blacked out.
"...Maybe three more words left."
...Skip chit-chat; say what you need.
That cost one.
"...Three short ones, then."
Fine, fine. I'm croaking soon; spit it out.
"Thanks to you, I was happy, even briefly."
I wasn't bored either.
...Not the response?
"Not sure about you... but the others felt the same."
...Others?
Who?
Name them.
"You waited best, right? So... don't worry. Yes, don't worry."
...Voice clings like regret.
Were you really my girlfriend?
"...Heal."
One syllable.
Pierced my ear faintly.
Blurred vision cleared briefly.
'Heal?'
First thought: confusion.
Heal magic's high-level; needs aptitude.
Priests and nuns prized for it...
How's Yusiel doing it?
Hero first, swordsman second.
Minor spells, sure—but not this.
Head spins amid confusion; her eyes gleam in cleared sight.
Rain?
So moist, sparkling... thoughts melted away.
"...Sorry."
I said it, unsure why.
Felt right. So I did.
Her heal... glitchy, like her.
Vision perfect, then poof after one word.
'...Just wanna sleep it off.'
Sleepy, tired... death makes you lazy.
Heard what I needed; time to crash.
...Hoo.
Let go of the thread holding my mind.
Consciousness drifted away.
This is the end.
If there's a next life, will even this fade?
...Dunno.
Just... sleep now.
You have cleared 'Before the Story Begins'.
Receive reward?
No user consciousness detected.
Reward received automatically.
Starting Route: ■■■
Preparing for Route: ■■■...
Not a long wait.
The user who should read these is unconscious, but the System doesn't stop.
Reasons abound, but the key one: this is all the user's will.
Proceeding with reincarnation.
The Most Upright Paradox
...Yes, even if forgotten now, this was undoubtedly the user's will.
A mere System can't do much.
It knows its words won't reach.
Still.
To you who wakes confused:
...Do your best.
Like always, it won't reach you.
But I'll cheer anyway.
...Oh, and moderate with the girls.
Two concubines max. Okay?