For the past month, I’ve been playing the same game obsessively after coming home from school.

It’s a home console role-playing game from my favorite developer. Its name is “Elder’s Sword,” and it’s a fairly well-known game with a classic storyline.

It’s a multi-protagonist, free-scenario format game that takes dozens of hours to complete one playthrough. In addition to adopting a system similar to 3D action games, it has elements that allow me to play it endlessly, such as a complex synthesis and forging system that can create weapons and powerful items even stronger than the ultimate weapons.

This game came out about two years ago, but I decided to replay it because a long-awaited sequel was coming out. As a result, I got hooked again, and despite having played it ten times before, I’ve now played it five more times. After all this time, a lot of analysis has been done, and I was able to enjoy playing the game while making new discoveries.

And today, I once again positioned myself in front of the TV in my room to play my sixteenth playthrough and started the game.

After the developer’s logo and other displays, the start screen appeared. I unhesitatingly pressed New Game, adjusted the New Game Plus bonuses, and then the game began.

The opening scene is where the protagonist visits the tavern in their stronghold village. After some conversation with the shopkeeper and accepting a request, they recruit arbitrary characters and set off on an adventure.

The beginning is like a tutorial, so the protagonists, who are somewhat strengthened by the New Game Plus bonuses, can easily win. I wandered around the tavern for a bit, recruited companions, and then spoke to one of the NPCs.

“Hey, are you going to those ancient ruins? You can’t handle it, so you’d better not.”

One of the NPCs muttering such a line… and I laugh at this point. This guy is positioned as a joke character in this game.

“If you’re absolutely going, I’ll give you some advice. The gray rabbits in the ancient ruins often drop medicinal herbs. If you’re short on items, it might be a good idea to target them.”

His name is Ruon Madin. He has brown hair, an unremarkable face, and wears a brown overcoat. The reason he’s a joke character is related to his earlier dialogue.

In the early tutorial stages, enemies often drop medicinal herbs, which are recovery items. However, the gray rabbits he mentions are among the least likely to drop medicinal herbs. It’s probably a forgotten oversight where they changed the settings but forgot to change this line of dialogue—or so players speculate. As a result, following his advice can lead to difficulties even in the early stages, making him quite a troublesome character.

What’s more, this village gets attacked by demons and engulfed in flames when the story progresses a bit, and that’s when he dies. And he dies with a line like “Ugh!” which breaks the serious mood. As a result, even though it’s a scene where the protagonists resolve to defeat the demon race with anger, players end up laughing because of him.

So, he’s definitely a joke character, but… you can actually recruit him. His abilities are decent, making him a helpful character in the early game. However, no matter how hard you try, he dies in an event, so from the second playthrough onwards, he’s an unfortunate character whom no one recruits, as players allocate experience points to other characters instead.

Well, I skillfully handled the early stages with practiced movements and immersed myself in the game. Having played it fifteen times already, my body had completely memorized the controls, so I progressed rapidly.

Several hours later, it was dinner time, but as soon as I was called, I quickly wolfed down my food and started playing the game again. My parents, of course, complained about my addiction, but I ignored them and just kept playing. I played like crazy, half-ignoring my parents’ nagging about confiscating the game if my grades dropped.

The next day was a holiday, so it continued until late into the night… When I noticed my eyes were a little sore, I glanced at the clock and saw it was 2 AM.

Thinking I hadn’t even taken a bath, I stepped out of my room to check the situation. The hallway was pitch black, and looking down from the top of the stairs, there wasn’t a single light. My parents seemed to be asleep.

Then, my stomach rumbled. I thought about going to a convenience store, so I went back to my room, grabbed my wallet and house keys, and went outside. It was just before early summer, and the temperature was perfect for light clothing.

I got on my bike and headed to the convenience store. Being late at night, it was incredibly quiet, with only the occasional sound of a car driving somewhere reaching my ears. The nearest convenience store was about five minutes away. I kept pedaling, planning what to buy.

Eventually, I came to a crossroads. I hummed a tune and was about to pass through without thinking.

Just then—a sudden light appeared from my left. I instinctively turned around, and there was a car.

For a moment, I didn’t understand what was happening, and the headlights shone on my body… I vaguely thought.

Wait, this… isn’t good, is it?

I started thinking about dying after muttering that to myself. Unable to avoid it at all, I just kept my gaze fixed on the car heading towards me—

Suddenly, my consciousness went black. I think I was hit by a car. But there was no pain or anything, and I could even think about what would happen.

And then—I realized. Bathed in light, I saw an unfamiliar woman.

She had chestnut-colored hair, and she looked like a foreigner to me—and then,

In the other world where I was reincarnated, I cried out to breathe.