ALL NOVEL Chapter 0 – Part 1
Remember I said that I cleaned the dungeon so much that the regeneration rate of the first floor decreased?
Well, that was reduced to almost zero. Which prevented me from leveling up any further in the last two hours I spent walking around to locate the stairs leading to the first floor.
With no monsters to kill, my boredom was reaching new limits. I was using some of my skills to level them up in the process, but it turned out that it didn't do much good.
[Recreation] was the only skill that leveled up during all this time. Since there are no enemies or attacks to anticipate, [Foresight] didn't level up either, and since it annoys me a lot to be reading [Wall] and [Rock], then [Valuation] didn't level up either. Practice makes perfect, that's what they say. I'm probably going to become a "master forger".
[Recreation] is at [Level 29] right now.
Very cool and all, but the only thing it increases is the resistance of the fake and the durability it has against attacks. Unlike the ugly knife I made the first time, I can now make a more decent knife.
For some reason.
I feel... Hot?
This wasn't something I've felt in the past. And I don't understand why it's happening now. But it's not a heat that burns me like the sun, but a scorching heat that makes every pore of my skin sweat.
I've been going down for a while, and there's light... And sand too?
Wait a minute.
Sand?
I finish entering the first floor, walking on sand with such short legs is complicated for me. I'm a girl's height, what can you expect?
And... it's just what I was afraid of.
-It's the sea! -. I let out a voice full of emotion.
I don't care how many laws of nature were bent to make it come true, and I don't care to know!
It's still the...!
The...
The...
[Water Hydra - Level 150]
"There's no doubt, can kill you"
The... sea...
All my energy drained at the same time as my enthusiasm for being able to see a body of water ended. Even the questions I wanted to ask about it simply disappeared the moment this beast entered my field of vision.
It hasn't noticed my presence... so I'd better not try to disturb it. Its level is over a hundred, it would kill me in an instant if I even try to deal with it. Of course, I don't stand a chance against something that size, I'm a small vampire after all, and even if I wasn't, I might even have escaped with my tail between my legs.
Common sense and fear are two different things but it is what has allowed humans to survive in any world. As I recognize my limited abilities, it is obvious that I would never think of bothering him. I'm sure the monster would also think twice if he were in my position.
So, I go to find another spot on the beach where I can enjoy the peace. Thank God I can't make a sound as I'm standing on sand and the weight distribution is different than on land.
Then!
When I find a place where I can relax in complete serenity, I take off my heavy clothes, my shoes, and... A necklace? I didn't know I had that.
Well, whatever. Now that I can use my free time for something productive for me, I climb a rock and jump with all the strength I have.
-YOLO! -. I raise my voice as I shrink my body to dive into the nearest body of water.
(Splash!)
Olympic record, 100/100! I deserve applause and cheers!
You must give me a gold medal, please!
Phew, it's about time I took a bath. After everything I managed to murder throughout the first floor, I was already starting to get a funny smell on my body. These are unladylike details that don't even need to be mentioned at all but, ok.
The last time I swam was in high school, when I belonged to the [Swim Club] back then and was known as number two in the same club. I learned three strokes, but my specialty is still butterfly.
This is indeed relaxing, just what I needed. Thank goodness my current body has different capabilities to my original body and even without much physical development, I can swim this way without any complications to bother me.
Mm. My hair is softer now that it's wet. It feels like a sponge indeed. This feeling is satisfying actually.
Vampire hair, you're just what any woman in the world I was originally born in would want. I love it.
For some reason, the face I have in this world is the same as the one I had in my original world, I don't know if this girl was my alias in another world, but mixing the facial features that this girl had in the beginning, they make a good combination. No doubt I am beautiful. Of course, I am. The golden hair is proof of this. And it's the first time in a long time that I've seen my face without fringes.
I'm going to let my hair grow until it can cover my face.
In the previous world, my aunt was a stylist and taught me various things regarding beauty but I never got to apply them as I was more busy deciding to improve either "Brutality", "Tactics" or "Survival" in a game about cells or something.
I guess now is a really good time to try to apply them. I could create a nice pair of scissors with [Recreation].
Simple it should be, of course.
Maybe I can even get make-up. Well, I have no idea what those things are composed of but I imagine it couldn't be too complex for mass production of it.
Heh, heh... floating on water is fun.
Though I wonder how there's light in this place that doesn't affect me at all. If I find out, could I replace the real sun with that?
Right... like I'm that kind of isekai protagonist who abuses his powers.
That starting directly in the other world was the mistake? Huh? Huh? What are you talking about?
All the other protagonists appear in their original world first. Why do you say that, haha? I'm not the first or the last to regain consciousness in another world.
That's ridiculous, isn't it better if we're direct? This is a unique way of telling a story as clear and precise as a game of chess.
Besides, I'm not the only one who thinks that the typical beginning where someone suddenly stops being in their classroom and then goes to the fantasy world is repetitive and trite.
...
Isn't it...?
Ahhh!
It's just that I think it's better this way since my beginning is not the typical one expressed in several stories of this same category. I wasn't hit by a car, truck, or train. I did not die of old age. I didn't even die of a random cause and reincarnated as someone of the opposite sex.
I've broken the fourth wall so far, isn't that my essence as a character? That's what has made you read the six chapters so far! Do I promote any attachments?
Agh...
Right.
While I'm relaxing, I guess I have nothing better to do than tell you guys.
It's the least I can do at this point since the bastard author is excited about this and doesn't want to fast-forward the fight against that thing from earlier either.
Alright, pay attention to this.
[20 - November - 2019, Wednesday]
Nishimiya Saeko (18) is a student who could be described as "ordinary" if you don't take into account her lonely attitude and the fact that she gets bullied by her classmates.
After her second cup of coffee in the morning, Saeko gets up from the seat she has occupied for the past eight years in the dining hall. She leaves the dishes in the sink and leaves the house without saying a word to her aunt.
With her backpack over her shoulder and her headphones on, Sae started listening to her favorite song, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".
She is well versed in English vocabulary thanks to all the games she has played so far and has no trouble understanding the meaning of the lyrics.
Anyway, that's not important. Saeko just tries to pretend it's like any other school day.
She can't keep her mind at ease because of a wound in her stomach that she feels throbbing with every step she takes. She barely had the willpower to stitch up the wound on her own and almost went crazy to endure the screams of pain that wanted to escape her throat as she did so.
She would have preferred to skip school that day. But it all had to end that day. Saeko's eyes show all the intentions she has to kill those who have hurt her so much.
For their protection, Saeko's aunt bought a gun. It is the same one that she carries with cold delicacy.
The walk to school is neither fun nor interesting. What Saeko does to kill time is to read one of the books in her library as she walks to school. The girl with her eyes covered mostly by her hair, which is too dark for a brunette, is alien to almost all her classmates.
She lives in a different world, so they say.
Being oblivious to everyone's opinion, Saeko could never realize that despite not being stylish in her dress or grooming like the other girls, she was popular because of her beauty. Anyone who has had the chance to look through her fringes knows that she is a diamond in the rough that has not yet been refined.
And that's what made her stand out the most, as she had no idea how beautiful she was just au naturel. She didn't need make-up to be beautiful. The most she ever used was lip moisturizer in summer.
But it was thanks to her nature that she earned the envy of several girls around the school. They took advantage of the fact that she had no one around to start harassing her.
However, not everything is bad in her life. Once she arrives at her classroom and sits down in her usual place, unaware that it hurt her a lot to sit down just now, a boy approaches her.
Kisaragi Shuri. Black hair. Brown eyes. And an average height of 1'70m. He had left his girlfriend so he could be closer to Saeko. They hit it off, but Saeko never knew about Shuri's feelings.
-Sorry to bother you, Nishimiya-san. Could I borrow your literature notebook? -. Kisaragi Shuri asks Saeko.
Saeko looks at him silently for a few seconds. She was trying to remember which of her notebooks were stained with his blood.
After remembering... she took out her notebook carefully so that the gun wouldn't fall out of her backpack. And she gives the notebook to Shuri.
Even if he didn't get a response from her, he had already gotten used to this from being in love with Saeko. This is a good example of when you change when you love someone.
But of course, for him, it's just an excuse to start a conversation with her.
-Nishimiya-san, did you do something to your hair? I see it's straighter than usual.
Looking away from the book in her hands again, Saeko closes it. Knowing that she was now forced to talk to Shuri, it wasn't like she had much of a choice.
She used her right hand to remove the hair covering her eyes. Feeling the texture of it with her fingers, she recalled what she had used to bathe off all the blood she had lost while closing her wound.
-I used conditioner. -. She answers quietly.
-Can I touch it?
-Mhm.
Shuri, with Sae's permission, touches her hair to feel it. It's silky smooth to the touch. He fought his desire to do this, resisting it as much as he could. For her part, Saeko doesn't mind at all.
-You ape! How dare you touch Sae-chan's hair so early in the morning?! -. A third voice intrudes into the chatter.
Kamado Maria, a brown-haired girl of small stature steps in between Saeko and Shuri, removing the boy's hand from Saeko's hair. She causes them to lose physical contact in record time.
Shuri smiles half-apologetically at that and replies:
-It was Nishimiya-san who permitted me.
-That's not enough, think about how she feels!
-Well, good. Nishimiya-san, do you mind if I touch your hair?
When Shuri asks her, Maria waits to hear Saeko's answer. She looks down a little to think about what she's going to say and how she's going to say it.
And so he did.
-I don't care if it's Shuri. I don't care if it's Maria, Ouka, or Kana. You are... my friends... -. She thought carefully about every word, so as not to cause a misunderstanding.
Nishimiya Saeko specialized in not having friends, but those who became close to her could be called that. Perhaps she did not possess the proper speaking skills because of her communication disorder which prevented her from being expressive when others were close to her. She could communicate perfectly well whether it was text messages or calls, as long as she did not have people in front of her.
Kisaragi Shuri, Kamado Maria, Mishima Ouka, and Mishima Kana were the four who could be called "friends" of Nishimiya Saeko. She didn't mind calling them that since that's what they were anyway, her friends.
-Ehh? Sae-chan talked about me? -. The first of the Mishima twins and Shuri's main rival in love, Ouka, walked through the classroom door.
Naturally, she also got involved in the chatter.
Shuri's seat is in front of Saeko. To the right of her, Maria. Behind her, Kana. And on the left, sits Ouka.
The reason for this arrangement is to take care of Saeko as much as possible. Even if she doesn't care, these four care enough to stand up against those who harass her.
-And here comes the other ape! -. Maria expresses her displeasure at Ouka's presence here.
The dark-haired young man with similar colored eyes smiles even at Maria's dismissive comment. They don't seem to get along, but in reality, they are best friends.
After her brother, Kana enters a couple of seconds later. She smiles wryly and says:
-You always think Sae-san talks about you when she opens her mouth, stupid Ouka.
They all take their respective seats and start talking.
Their conversation was quite animated, though it was mostly the other four talking animatedly while making Saeko reply to their dialogue. None of them knew that this would be the end of those happy days.