Chapter 9
“You’re Already Dead”
“Khhrrk!”
The instant I passed through the gate, I bolted awake as if having a seizure. I felt like I was choking, the breath caught in my throat. Desperately, I moved my eyes instinctively to assess the situation. The damp scenery of a sewer greeted my vision, and the putrid stench assaulted my nose mercilessly.
I was sprawled out right in the middle of a sewer.
“Huh… This is strange. Was it this hard when I passed through the gate before?”
For a while, I was so preoccupied with shaking off the inexplicable heaviness pressing down on me that I barely had any clarity. I roughly wiped away the cold sweat trickling down my forehead and tried to steady my ragged breathing. I exerted all my strength to clear my muddled mind.
A few minutes passed, and gradually, my heart that had been beating furiously began to calm down. Once I regained some stability, I got up, tidied my disheveled appearance roughly, and immediately started checking my surroundings.
“Whoa. What kind of clothes are these?”
And then I gasped in surprise at the unexpected change in my outfit.
The scruffy knitwear was nowhere to be seen. Now, I was dressed like a medieval hunter, wearing a thin leather armor over a shirt. Reinforced leggings covered the leather pants, tied firmly with leather straps and a chest belt. A bag rested on my back, and a pouch hung at my waist.
As I stared at my outfit in amazement, a faint sense of fatigue crept into my eyes unexpectedly.
Before I could be confused, there was a faint electronic sound, and a familiar panel appeared.
[Name: Leather Armor]
[Bonus: Defense +5]
[Details: Basic equipment provided to beginners. No special performance should be expected.]
[Reinforcement Possible: 5 Times]
It was a form similar to the panel Minerva had shown me before.
Only then did I recall the effects of the special skills I had seen then, and I nodded my head.
‘Is this the effect of the special skill called “The Eye of Mimir”?’
Though I’d heard about it, actually experiencing it felt incredibly fascinating. I spent quite some time marveling as I fiddled with the panel. This was like the absolute feeling of playing a game, wasn’t it?
Since I had decided to use it, I checked not only the items in my bag but also my current status. As I closed my eyes and concentrated, a slight beeping sound soon rang out.
[Name: Park Jeong-yong]
[Nickname: The 163417413th Hero, Guardian of the Demon King’s Egg, One Bound to Immortality]
[Level: 5]
[HP: 150/150 MP: 112/120 Physical Condition: Normal]
[Strength: 15 Agility: 18 Intelligence: 10 Hero Sense: 3]
[Remaining Ability Points: 0]
The displayed status was very straightforward.
Strength, Agility, Intelligence – these were the classic measures of stats in any game. It seemed like the only metrics the Eye of Mimir was revealing to me were these three.
The notable points were the 8-point reduction in magic power and the fact that the starting level was 5. Why did it start at 5? Did Minerva generously decide to give an extra boost, raising it to 5 out of kindness?
While I didn’t know the specifics, a higher level certainly wouldn’t be disadvantageous.
“… Hmm, but what is this?”
However, even after checking a few more times, there were certain parts I couldn’t understand, like the item “Hero Sense.”
As I tilted my head in confusion, the system seemed to detect my doubts and promptly brought up a new panel in front of me. Again, 4 points of magical power were deducted from my total, reducing it to 108.
[Detailed Description: Hero Sense]
[The Second Sense granted to Heroes summoned from another world within the continent of Gaialant. Enhances luck, charm, sharpened sixth sense, and intuition. Cannot be enhanced through normal leveling up, but only by specific experiences involving the manipulation of the ‘Dice of the Gods.’ ]
“Wow, this is convenient.”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the straightforward skill system. If nothing else, this Eye of Mimir seemed like a skill I would use quite frequently in the future.
“Alright then…”
After rubbing my hands together, I began carefully inspecting the items I had. It was both to organize the items I possessed and to confirm them thoroughly.
As I laid the objects down one by one and placed my backpack and pouch on the ground as well, I focused my attention on them one by one.
Beep. Soon, numerous panels appeared sequentially within my field of vision.
[Name: Leather Backpack, Leather Pouch, Box of the Dead, Izanami’s Heart, Yojutsu Vestark, Ether Condensation Bottle, Handheld Igniter]
However, only the names appeared, and detailed descriptions were not provided.
After briefly tilting my head in confusion, I concentrated on the most unfamiliar item, the Handheld Igniter panel. Soon, a feeling of weariness crept into the corners of my eyes, and detailed descriptions rolled down.
[Name: Handheld Igniter]
[Bonus: Ignition Ability. If enhanced, can provide buffs to campfires.]
[Details: A Handheld Igniter issued in bundles to beginners. It functions like a regular flint and steel, but uses magical ingredients as fuel, giving it a semi-permanent lifespan.]
[Reinforcement Possible: 3 Times]
“Ah, it looks like a lighter, huh? So it’s a magical lighter.”
It seemed that reading the detailed descriptions could only be done one item at a time.
I decided not to bother reading the descriptions for the familiar items like the Box of the Dead, Izanami’s Heart, and Ether Condensation Bottle, as well as the unnecessary details of the backpack and pouch. The adventure’s outcome was uncertain, and conserving my magical power while possible seemed wise.
After putting the other items back and re-slung the backpack on my shoulder, I picked up the sharp sword left on the ground.
Ssshrrng. The blade emitted a characteristic metallic hiss as its description appeared before my eyes.
[Name: Yojutsu Vestark]
[Bonus: Strength +10, Agility +5]
[Details: The legendary dual-edged black sword reportedly wielded by the Witch Knight Han. It grows by absorbing magical energy. It houses an ancient ‘Ego’ that sleeps.]
“An ancient Ego?”
One mountain after another; an unfamiliar term led to yet another unfamiliar concept.
Did this Ego refer to the Ego in the Ego Sword that I knew? In simpler terms, was it a sword with a self-awareness that simply hasn’t awakened yet?
Again, the system eerily detected my doubts and delivered a sense of weariness to me.
However.
[Detailed Description: Ancient Ego]
[Error: Unknown. Insufficient Capability.]
I immediately dropped the sword with a frustrated expression, exhaling a heavy sigh of resignation.
“Apparently, I’m not ready yet.”
It seemed that the ancient Ego was beyond my current understanding – an existence I was too low-leveled to comprehend. As I leveled up and grew alongside the magic sword, the truth would reveal itself at some point. Should the Ego awaken, I could always ask it directly.
“…Alright.”
That was it, I had finished analyzing the situation. I turned my gaze around.
The endless dark sewer was filled with the sound of water and squeaking rats echoing loudly.
Without realizing it, I swallowed a lump in my throat and tightened my grip on the sword.
“Let’s start our thrilling adventure, shall we?”
Thus, my first adventure began in an anonymous sewer, accompanied by the stench of filth.
The goal was to escape this place first. I decided to delay the joy of rebirth in this other world to the next stage. With such a light thought in mind, I slowly moved forward.
… At that moment, I couldn’t possibly have imagined.
That this sewer was prepared as a never-ending hell for me.
*
When you work a lot in construction, you often find yourself around sewer areas.
Most construction sites involve building structures, and constructing a building isn’t just about setting the foundation and putting up walls. You must also integrate surrounding infrastructure, including water supply and drainage. Occasionally, I was involved in tasks related to this.
Thanks to this, I was already accustomed to the smell of sewers in my previous life. Therefore, I didn’t choke or feel sick from the characteristic, repulsive odors of the sewer.
Just one thing, though.
“Huh… What is this smell?”
It was different.
The odor emanating from the sewer where I found myself was not the ordinary stench of a sewer.
I furrowed my brow, pinching my nose from the sharp prickling sensation it induced.
“Rotten smell… And this is…?”
The smell of blood.
The unique metallic and fishy scents mixed with the sewer odors creating a vivid vibration.
Rotten smells can be ignored. Sewers are spaces where anything can rot without surprise, which is why the smell had already lost its impact, allowing my nose to adjust and ignore it.
However, the strong smell of blood hidden within the vibrating stench of rot was impossible to ignore.
“Is this the way?”
Moreover, the smell of blood grew stronger. Or, more accurately, I was heading toward where the scent was getting stronger. For some reason, it made my shoulders feel heavier, tingling uncomfortably all over my skin. Breathing became difficult due to the tension.
When the smell of blood finally overpowered the stench of rot,
“Ugh, ugh…”
Without realizing it, I clamped a hand over my mouth and turned away, unable to face the horrifying scene before my eyes.
Corpses. Corpses. And yet more corpses.
A mountain of countless bodies stretched before me.
At the dead end of the sewer, hundreds of corpses were piled up, drenched in a mixture of blood and filth.
Bodies that had been variously dismembered or crushed. Some corpses were so decayed that only bone remained, with bits of withered leather-like skin still attached. Others were freshly dead, with a vivid appearance.
“What… is this?!”
I glanced away slightly. A yellow object caught my eye.
Next to the mountain of corpses was a small wheelbarrow. Broken arms and legs were scattered around, and there were a few corpses that were not yet fully loaded. Perhaps these were being transported from somewhere.
And suddenly,
My gaze was captured by one of the bodies piled in the yellow wheelbarrow.
“Uh…?”
My mind went as blank as a white canvas.
“No, wait a moment…”
I stumbled back a few steps and tripped over some unknown corpse, tumbling backward with a thud. The stagnant filth and water quickly soaked my pants.
My shaking hand rose to point at the horrifying scene before me.
“No. That… is it… me?”
What I saw was my own face.
I wondered if I was mistaken, but that was impossible. I couldn’t look away. Whatever I did, the corpse in the cart, staring back with its eyes wide, was unmistakably me.
“No… what is this? What…!”
The upper half of its body was completely crushed as if struck by some heavy object. Worse than that, the blood-soaked chest suggested it had been repeatedly stabbed by something sharp. The grotesque form made me unconsciously touch my own body.
What is it?
What the hell is this?
This is strange. What situation is this?
I—clearly only just summoned through the gate and started my adventure moments ago.
So why is my body here, dead and discarded?
I don’t know.
I don’t know anything. What is going on?
“Urrgh!”
I clamped my hand over my mouth. My mind was in total chaos. As a result, an unbearable urge to vomit surged up. I felt dizzy.
In the midst of it, the words exchanged with Minerva in the white space rang in my ears, echoing again and again.
“… Perhaps. That might be.”
“When you activate that lantern, it will guide you to where the residual memory lies.”
“Izanami’s Heart restores memories, skills, and some abilities from your previous life…”
And there, I realized that one sentence of hers was continuously replaying in my mind.
“Restores memories and skills, and abilities…”
An item that restores memories.
In other words, it means that upon my resurrection, I was supposed to be without the memories of my past life until they were restored.
Why did I not realize this sooner?
“Impossible… Impossible..”
I touched the lantern at my waist—The Heart of Izanami—with a trembling hand.
It emitted a faint glow and a whispering sound. A pale black light illuminated my path ahead, as if beckoning me to follow.
Staring in astonishment, I muttered,
“… It works.”
The lantern shines. Once activated, it naturally guides me.
The meaning was clear.
But it took me quite some time to understand and accept it.
And I realized anew why my level was already at 5 from the start.
“I— I—”
Absurdly, I recalled a famous line from a certain anime.
“I’m already… dead?”
I just hadn’t realized it yet.
Now I knew.
