"Ughhh..." I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was still blurry, and my head felt like it was spinning. My entire body was sore.
Realizing I was in bed, I glanced around in confusion. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, as was the room itself. I didn't recognize the mattress or the design of this place at all. It looked outdated—like something straight out of the medieval era, back when nobles held absolute power.
"Hey, wake up, you lazy bum!" A sudden system notification popped up in front of me.
"What the heck is this?! Wasn't I supposed to be dead?" I blurted out, baffled.
"Goddess of Benevolence... Reincarnation..." Memories of meeting the Goddess of Benevolence and her offer to reincarnate me came flooding back.
"Calm down, idiot! Did you forget everything already?" the system scolded me.
"Why is this system so rude? Did the Goddess forget to set its personality or something?" I muttered, annoyed.
"I can hear you, you know. I've always been like this!" the system snapped back.
Somehow, I could feel its irritation through the text on the screen.Ignoring the system's snarky remarks, I shifted my attention to my surroundings. The Goddess had said she'd reincarnate me into another world, so... could I really be in a new world now? I tried to get out of bed, but a wave of pain shot through my entire body. I glanced at the mirror in the corner of the room.
"What the—?!" I gasped in shock.
The person staring back at me looked to be around my age, with black hair and black eyes. The face was eerily similar to mine back on Earth! But this body was taller, a bit more muscular. The hairstyle was also different. While my hair on Earth was a messy, shaggy style, this guy had neat, middle-parted curtain hair. It actually looked... pretty cool.
"Heeey! I'm way more handsome than I used to be!" I exclaimed, marveling at the reflection.
"So, you're admitting you weren't good-looking before? Hahaha!" The system mocked me, its words practically radiating laughter.
"Damn it, stupid system!" I grumbled. First meeting and it's already getting on my nerves.Choosing to ignore it again, I decided to take off my shirt.
"Why is this body covered in bruises? No wonder I'm in pain..." There were bandages wrapped around my torso, and when I took them off, I saw bruises all over—my arms, chest, waist, and back. I was puzzled. Did this body get into some sort of fight or something?
image [https://i.imgur.com/0QF5YjC.png]
"This is ridiculous... Waking up like this, seriously?" I muttered, feeling a mix of disappointment and a strange sense of amusement at my situation.
The confusion gnawed at me. I needed to learn more about this body and this world."Hey, system... The Goddess assigned you to help and guide me in this world, right? Can you give me some information about who I am right now?" I asked eagerly.
"My name is not 'Hey,' and I'm not just a system! Call me Envi. Got it?" the system retorted with an indignant tone.
"Alright, alright, Envi. I have no other choice but to work with you to complete the Goddess's mission, so... I'm counting on you," I said, trying to swallow my pride.
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"Hahaha! Look at you, finally showing some humility. Okay, Nao, take a look at this status window," Envi said smugly as a status screen suddenly popped up before me:
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Name: Naoki von Blackmore
Level: 25
Title: Failed Hero
Condition: Vitality decreased due to unresolved bruising
HP (Hit Points): 350 / 500
MP (Mana Points): 7,500
Strength (STR): 25
Vitality (VIT): 5
Agility (AGL): 20
Intelligence (INT): 75
Skills:- Swordsmanship Lvl 1
- ??? (Locked)
Goddess Points: 50
----------------------------------------------------------
"Naoki von Blackmore? Sounds like a noble's name... but he's got the title of Failed Hero?!" I said, utterly confused.
"Look at this ridiculous status! He's supposed to be a swordsman, but his Intelligence is maxed out! And who in their right mind only has 5 Vitality?! No wonder this body is so weak! I'm practically dying here thanks to this low Vitality!" I complained, frustrated.
Even though I wasn't the best at RPGs back on Earth, I played enough to know how absurd this setup was.
"You keep saying 'idiot' like you know everything. If you're so smart, why don't you fix it yourself?" Envi snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Wait, I can reset this body's status? I can reassign the points however I want?" I asked, intrigued.
"Of course, dummy. I can reset it for you, but only once. Do you want to do it or not?" Envi offered, still sounding irritated.
"Yes! Let's reset this ridiculous status!" A confirmation window appeared with the option: Reset status? Yes or No. I didn't hesitate and quickly hit Yes.
Immediately, I could reassign my stat points however I wanted. Each level gave me 5 points, and I learned that skill levels could only increase through practice. After thinking it over, I carefully redistributed the points:
----------------------------------------------------------
Name: Naoki von Blackmore
Level: 25
Title: Failed Hero
Condition: Normal
HP (Hit Points): 3,000
MP (Mana Points): 2,000
Strength (STR): 30
Vitality (VIT): 30
Agility (AGL): 40
Intelligence (INT): 20
Skills:- Swordsmanship Lvl 1
- ??? (Locked)
Goddess Points: 50
----------------------------------------------------------
"Now that's more like it! The key to success in RPGs is balance, especially early on," I said, pretending to sound cool.
"Congratulations! With the reset and your vastly improved Vitality, your body's condition has returned to normal," a notification suddenly appeared.
I immediately felt the soreness leave my body, and to my amazement, all the bruises had disappeared.
"Hah... Thank goodness resetting the status healed me. Thanks, Envi!" I said, genuinely relieved."Yeah, yeah... you're welcome ~_~," Envi replied, clearly annoyed.
"Hey, Envi, what's with that locked skill? And what exactly are these Goddess Points?" I asked, brimming with curiosity.
"You're so full of questions. You should be grateful I'm here. Goddess Points can be exchanged for miracles granted by the Goddess of Benevolence. You could ask for a miracle to send help to your family back on Earth, or even blessings for yourself in this world," Envi explained, sounding proud.
"That's it! With these Goddess Points, I can help my mom and sisters back on Earth. Thank you, Goddess!" I said, overwhelmed with gratitude.
"But... how do I earn more Goddess Points?" I asked, eager to know.
"You'll gain more by completing random quests given by the Goddess. The harder the quest, the more points you'll earn," Envi said, this time with a bit more patience.
"Got it. But what about that locked skill, the one marked with '???'?" I asked, intrigued by the mystery.
"Uh... well... I... don't remember -_-" Envi stammered.
"You useless system! Acting all high and mighty, but now you can't even remember?!" I teased, my sarcasm sharp.
"Hey, I said I don't remember! Maybe I'll recall it later!" Envi shot back, clearly defensive.
"Alright, alright, I was just joking. I'll be counting on you from here on, Envi," I said calmly.
As much as this system was a pain, I needed it on my side if I wanted to survive here.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever -_-," Envi grumbled. Inwardly, I was a little irritated, but I had no choice but to work with this sassy system.
"Okay, now I'm really curious about this guy. Who exactly is Naoki von Blackmore?!" I asked Envi, dying to know more about this body and its past.
Envi paused for a moment before answering,
"Well, he is..."...
---To be continued in the next chapter---