Swoosh… The refreshing sound of leaves rustling in the wind gradually brought Minjoon back to consciousness.
He felt incredibly refreshed, as if his body could float away, having slept soundly for once. The warm sunlight on his face, along with the gentle scent of trees and earth tickling his nose, made Minjoon feel invigorated. Still half-asleep, he thought to himself, unaware of anything amiss, that sleeping in on weekends really does help recover one's condition.
'But in the end, I didn't get to play the game at all because I was sleeping.'
He had fallen asleep while downloading additional data, so he hadn't even seen the tutorial. While it was nice that he got to sleep well because of it, Minjoon was bothered by the fact that he seemed to have heard a strange voice from the game just before falling asleep.
What was that voice again? Was it really a sound from the game? In his drowsy state, Minjoon reached out his arm to find his phone at his bedside table to check.
But something was odd. The phone that he was sure he had placed nearby couldn't be felt. No, that wasn't all that strange. Instead of the familiar touch of his pillow and sheets, his fingertips met the unfamiliar texture of velvet fabric. As if he were lying somewhere other than his own bed.
Something was wrong. Finally sensing the ominousness of the situation, Minjoon carefully opened his eyes and froze with his mouth agape.
"…Huh?"
The sight that met his eyes was a pristine, blue sky that looked like a painting. White clouds lazily drifting across the shy and leaves occasionally floating in the wind added to the beauty of the scene. It was certainly a view that could bring peace to one's mind just by looking at it, but there was a crucial problem. Why was he seeing the sky instead of the familiar ceiling of his home?
Minjoon, startled, looked around and realized another problem. The place where he was lying wasn't a bed. Although there was a soft, plush velvet cloth spread out, this wasn't a place originally intended for a living person to lie down.
He had woken up inside a coffin. and not just any coffin, but one that had already been buried in the ground.
"B-buried alive?!"
If someone were to start shoveling dirt from above, he might end up buried alive right then and there. Terrified, Minjoon grabbed the side of the coffin and scrambled to his feet.
Getting out wasn't too difficult. The hole where the coffin was buried was only thigh-deep at best, and there was some kind of metal rod stuck in front of the pit that he could grab onto to climb out. Thanks to that, Minjoon managed to escape the hole with just a bit of grunting.
But he couldn't relax just yet. Outside the pit was an unfamiliar forest.
"Where the hell am I now!"
Minjoon had never seen a forest like this in his life. He couldn't even guess if this was still South Korea. Although autumn was still a long way off, the forest was ablaze with fall colors, and the birds flying through the branches and the flowers blooming in the bushes were strange and unfamiliar.
He even started to imagine if he might have been kidnapped and taken to a foreign country, but no matter how he thought about it, the idea of kidnapping someone peacefully sleeping at home and abandoning them in a distant foreign forest seemed unrealistic. Minjoon erased the far-fetched hypothesis from his mind and looked around.
Except for the pit Minjoon had emerged from, there were no signs of life in the clearing. Only massive piles of fallen leaves, seemingly accumulated over many years, towered over him like mountains. Minjoon looked around, hoping to find some trace of whoever had put him in the coffin, but even that was fruitless. The soft soil didn't even bear any footprints.
However, as he examined the area around the pit, one thing caught his eye. Minjoon belatedly turned his attention to the metal rod stuck in the ground. It was the same rod he had grabbed onto to climb out earlier.
At first, he had been too preoccupied with getting out of the pit to examine the metal rod closely, but now that he had regained his composure and took a second look, he realized it wasn't an ordinary pipe or rebar from a construction site. Rather, it was an extremely out-of-place and unexpected object.
"……?"
A longsword that looked like something out of a fantasy was stuck in the ground, as if standing in for a gravestone. Minjoon tilted his head in confusion and crouched down in front of it. The longsword was embedded quite deeply, but when Minjoon grasped the scabbard with both hands and pulled hard, it came out easily.
Forgetting his fear, Minjoon carefully examined the strange longsword. The hilt was wrapped in high-quality leather, and the scabbard, though slightly soiled, was decorated with intricate and beautiful metalwork reminiscent of an antique. It was his first time seeing a real sword, not just a plastic prop painted for cosplay.
The question was, why was something like this stuck in front of a grave? A Western-style longsword that looked all too real, in the middle of a forest with exotic scenery that didn't seem like Korea at all. Wasn't this all too unrealistic?
How should he make sense of this situation? As Minjoon tilted his head, puzzled by the utterly incomprehensible circumstances, suddenly there was a loud rustling sound from a nearby pile of fallen leaves.
"Who's there!"
Startled by the sudden noise, Minjoon shouted, and the rustling grew louder. Still gripping the sword in its sheath like a club, Minjoon approached the pile of fallen leaves. As he got closer, the top of the leaf pile began to move more vigorously.
In hindsight, it was a pretty reckless thing to do, but Minjoon wanted to find out what was making that sound. So many inexplicable things had been happening one after another. He was desperate to understand the situation properly, no matter what it turned out to be.
Cautiously adjusting his grip on the sword, he poked at the leaf pile with the tip of the scabbard. Beyond the crisp leaves, he felt something soft and squishy. Thinking there must be something in there, Minjoon tried to pull out the squishy thing with the end of the scabbard.
But at that moment, the leaf pile collapsed with a loud rustle, and something burst out from inside with a pop.
"Aaagh?!"
As an unidentified white object suddenly lunged at his face, Minjoon screamed and stumbled backward. It belatedly dawned on him that he might have accidentally disturbed some wild animal.
Fortunately, the white object didn't bite his head off like a wild wolf or tiger, nor did it threaten the person who had disturbed it. In fact, it was questionable whether the white object had any such intention at all. It just floated in the air, looking down at Minjoon.
"A… a lamb…?"
It was a creature with such a harmless appearance that his terrified scream now seemed ridiculous. A lamb with a large exclamation mark floating above its head like an NPC was hovering in the air, stared down at Minjoon.
It was lamb with such fluffy wool that it looked like a giant ball made of sheep's fleece. Although its two pairs of short legs were barely visible, almost buried in the wool, the fact that it could float effortlessly in the air without any movement suggested that those stubby legs weren't used much for walking.
The lamb's small head also barely poked out from the white fur, and it still had colorful leaves from the leaf pile stuck to it, giving it quite a comical appearance. A pair of metallic-looking yellow horns protruded from its forehead, and its red eyes shone with an inorganic gleam like well-polished gems, making Minjoon wonder if it was even a living creature at all.
When their eyes met, the exclamation mark burst with a pop, and golden letters appeared in its place. Dazed, Minjoon read the message. It said:
—I'd appreciate it if you didn't freak out so much, Spirit Summoner, especially since you poked me first.
It was a statement that seemed reasonable at first glance, yet oddly annoying. Minjoon was about to retort that if it didn't want to be disturbed, it shouldn't have been hiding in the leaf pile in the first place. But then he realized there was a strangely familiar word in the sentence written in golden letters.
'Wait a minute, Spirit Summoner?'
A flash of realization swept through Minjoon's mind. He suddenly remembered clearly the loading screen of the game he had last seen before falling asleep.
Now that he thought about it, this whole situation was very similar to the illustration on that screen. The coffin buried in the middle of the clearing, the colorful autumn forest scenery, and the beautifully decorated sword—it all matched. And then Minjoon realized one more crucial fact: this sword looked exactly like the one that had appeared in the game illustration.
—Of course, I apologize for startling you unintentionally. The system took longer to set up than expected, so it was temporarily deactivated in the meantime.
"System? Deactivated…? I have no idea what you're talking about. By the way, did you just call me Spirit Summoner? Did I hear that right?"
—That's correct. Then allow me to greet you, Spirit Summoner. Welcome to this unknown world.
The lamb, which had been spouting a bunch of incomprehensible words, politely brought its front legs together and bowed its head, just like a person giving a greeting. After pondering for a moment while observing this sight, Minjoon was convinced he had grasped the situation. The conclusion was clear.
'It's a dream! What was I thinking?'
Thinking of this situation as a dream explained everything perfectly. Of course it did. If a scene from a game you were playing before bed appears before your eyes, it's definitely a dream. It might be a disconcertingly realistic dream, but unless it's a lucid dream, everything tends to feel real in dreams anyway. After all, wasn't a lamb displaying text above its head an unrealistic situation to begin with?
Only then could Minjoon relax. It seemed that in this dream, Minjoon had become the 'Spirit Summoner,' the protagonist of the game. The expression about coming to an unknown world was probably just a sort of filler phrase to emphasize the player's uniqueness. This lamb was likely a mascot created by Minjoon's subconsciousness to explain the tutorial.
'This would be great to write at the beginning of a game review. Something like, "I had a dream about playing the game before I even started playing it. It was truly an amazing dream," or something along those lines would be perfect for the introduction, wouldn't it?'
Minjoon really loved games and often dreamed about playing them, but this was the first time he had such a vivid dream. He thought to himself that this would probably turn out to be an interesting dream, and he wanted to leisurely observe how it would unfold.
Little did he know that this wish would come true in a rather unexpected way.
Unaware of the thoughts running through Minjoon's head, the lamb began to erase the text using its own body as an eraser. The letters touching its wool disappeared smoothly, like chalk being wiped off a blackboard. It was quite an amusing display.
Once all the text was erased, an exclamation mark appeared above the lamb's head again, and as it burst, new letters appeared. This creature seemed to communicate in this manner.
———
"Um, aren't you saying some complicated stuff for our first meeting? Can't you explain it in simpler terms?"
———
The lamb nodded its small head and then stared intently at Minjoon. Despite its cute appearance, much like a game's cute mascot character, the sentences the lamb produced had a strangely stiff tone and the content was unnecessarily profound.
It seemed like the scenario writer had crafted the script this way in an attempt to set the mood. But simply stringing together awkwardly difficult sentences doesn't necessarily create a serious atmosphere. Of course, considering this was Minjoon's dream, it was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
'Even so, it's too cold… No, wait. Maybe it's more trustworthy to be polite and solemn like that, rather than dancing around trying to act cute and shaking its butt.'
These days, the cliché of cute mascot characters pulling a fast one has become so common that the bright and cheerful ones are actually more suspicious. This little guy might be saying some difficult things, but at least it's showing proper manners, so that'll do.
———
"Severing ties with the old world… So, is this some kind of game setting? Well, anyway, you're telling me to choose a player name, right??
The text floating above the lamb's head smoothly changed shape, transforming into the phrase 'Tutorial: Please give yourself a name!' Indeed, it seemed they were in the tutorial stage now. Minjoon guessed that after naming himself, there would be a simple background story, and then stages like that would follow.
Now, about that name… Minjoon thought for a moment and decided to use the game nickname he usually went by. It's always better to start with a safe, ordinary name.
"Shane. I'll go with Shane."
It was the nickname he'd been using since middle school. It didn't have any special meaning; he'd just picked up some random fantasy name he'd heard somewhere. But after using it for over ten years, it had become a name he was quite fond of.
———
"As expected of a game, it's thorough about these things. It's fine, so go ahead with that name."
Golden dust flowed from the lamb's yellow horn, forming the letters 'Shane.' Mesmerized, Minjoon reached out towards the letters, and they were absorbed into his palm, as if melting into his skin.
The moment the letters were absorbed, Minjoon felt a chilling sensation. It was as if the person named Lee Minjoon had disappeared, and a new persona called Shane had taken its place. It was just choosing a name, yet he couldn't understand why it felt so eerily unsettling. As if he had committed something incredibly dangerous.
However, before he could shudder at the uneasiness, the lamb shook its head a few times as if shaking its horns, then turned around.
—Now that you've chosen a name, I'll explain this world to you. Please follow me.
It seemed the real tutorial was about to begin now. Thinking that the earlier creepiness was just his imagination, Minjoon, now 'Shane', followed behind the lamb.
***
On the opposite side of the clearing, there was a narrow path leading to who knows where. It was impossible to tell whether it was made by humans or animals, and there were no signposts, but it appeared to be the only way out of the clearing.
The sunlit path was tranquil and peaceful. The crunching sensation of stepping on fallen leaves with each step felt quite charming, and the unknown flowers blooming on the trees not only pleased the eyes but also smelled wonderful.
—Since you've chosen your new name, I suppose it's only fair that I introduce myself as well. My name is Mesarthim, and you can think of me as your guide to this world.
"Mesarthim, huh… Oh, is it from a constellation? That's an easy to understand naming convention."
Shane nodded, muttering, "Ah, that's what they call the gamma (γ) star of Aries." While he wasn't particularly well-versed in astronomy, he knew a bit of trivia that it wasn't uncommon for game characters to be named after stars. When you make a hobby of reviewing indie games, you end up learning all sorts of strange facts.
"But isn't that name a bit much? It's hard to pronounce. Can't I just call you 'Sheep' or something?"
—You may call me whatever you like, I don't mind.
The lamb seemed a bit miffed as it erased the letters with its tiny body. Shane felt a little embarrassed, thinking maybe he should have just called it by the name it had shared. But honestly, that round, fluffy appearance didn't really match the grand name of Mesarthim. It needed a cuter name to suit it better.
"If you don't like 'Sheep', I can call you something else. Come to think of it, how about just 'Ba?' It's short and snappy, and since sheep go 'baa,' it kind of sounds similar and fits well, don't you think?"
—Let's move on to the main topic, shall we? There's much to discuss.
The lamb, seemingly having run out of patience, cut off the conversation decisively and shook its yellow horn. A brilliant light flowed from the tip of the horn, and a map depicting what looked like a continent appeared in mid-air. It was like a hologram.
"Wow, cutting edge technology in a fantasy setting. It's just like a sci-fi movie."
—…I think we can save your impressions of the technology for later. What I need to explain right now is the current situation of the world.
As soon as the lamb finished speaking, pitch-black inverted crosses appeared floating here and there on the continental map. There seemed to easily be over a hundred of these markers, and they looked like they symbolized something dangerous at first glance.
—To put it bluntly, this world is falling apart.
Bang! Hundreds of markers plunged into the continental map at once. Where the markers struck cracks spread out as if the actual land was splitting apart. From beneath these cracks, something like pitch-black mist began to seep out.
—You've probably heard about this in some form in your original world, but this world is very unstable, unlike yours.
"I got the gist of it from the opening video. Monsters or something suddenly started appearing in the world recently, right?"
—To be precise, they're 'Shadows.' They're distortions that naturally form in places where divine providence doesn't fully reach. It's not entirely wrong to think of them as monsters, though.
The map zoomed in, focusing on the cracks in the earth and the black mist. No, upon closer inspection, it wasn't mist at all. It only looked like mist because there were so many of them and they spread so quickly, but a detailed look revealed that it was actually a collection of countless living beings.
"T-those are real monsters!"
These weren't your run-of-the-mill orcs or goblins. Their bodily structures were so nonsensical that it was questionable how they could even be alive and moving. Rather than living creatures, they more closely resembled chunks of meat hanging in a slaughterhouse, squirming and crawling out from inside the cracks.
There was no consistency in the monsters' appearances. Some walked on sharp-tipped legs, while others moved on their arms instead of legs, each with its own unique form. However, they were all equally repulsive in appearance.
The lamb, perhaps wanting to show the Shadows' appearances in more detail, deliberately zoomed in on the group of Shadows. However, this wasn't particularly welcome for Minjoon. The sight alone was enough to make his stomach churn and bring on a bout of dry heaving.
Shane genuinely wondered if it was right to give such a mild and innocuous name as 'Shadow' to these grotesque creatures. Wouldn't something more grandiose like 'Twisted Amalgamation of the Underworld' be more fitting? Just as he had thought that the little lamb needed a cuter name than something like 'Mesarthim.'
In the midst of this, one of the holographic Shadows that had been writhing and spreading in all directions suddenly lunged at Shane. It was a hideous creature that looked like an animal's belly had been slit open and turned inside out, exposing the flesh, with sharp teeth and lips roughly sewn onto the cut.
The monster, with its slimy mucus-like skin and bluish veins protruding on the surface, suddenly opened its mouth wide and bared its yellow, filthy teeth, aiming for Shane's head.
"Aah!"
Shane let out an unseemly scream and fell flat on his back. Fortunately, the hologram disappeared, melting away before it could actually touch Shane, but that didn't mean his fear vanished instantly.
Shane caught his breath, panting heavily. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his entire body trembled like an aspen leaf.
"Huff, huff…!"
—Are you alright?
"Do I look alright to you?!"
The lamb looked down at Shane sprawled on the floor with a somewhat disdainful expression. It seemed to say, "Why are you so scared? It's just an illusion," which was true, but…
"Of course I'd be startled if something suddenly pops out!"
Even when a ghost suddenly appears on the other side of a monitor in a horror game, people scream and freak out. It was only natural for anyone to be shocked when such a terrifying 3D illusion lunged at them.
If an elderly person or someone with a heart condition had been exposed to this, they might have suffered a severe shock. No matter how much they wanted to include shocking elements, the game lacked consideration. This was among the worst kinds of jump scares (a technique in horror movies where something suddenly pops out).
"What kind of explanatory video scares people like this? Did they mix up the genre? Was this a horror game? What kind of gacha game throws in jump scares fit for a horror game right from the tutorial?!"
—It was merely a means to clearly show you what threatens this world. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Shane couldn't tell what genre this was supposed to be, with the earlier hologram being sci-fi and this scene being horror—it was all mixed up. Maybe it was because this was a dream. Or perhaps that little lamb was deliberately scaring him as payback for earlier.
—By the way, Shane, you seem to be quite the scaredy-cat. You fell over in shock when you first saw me, and now you've screamed twice. You must be quite easily startled.
"Y-yeah! I'm a coward! Is there something wrong with being easily scared? You're the one who frightened me both times, and now you're talking like it's my fault, you little…"
Whether the lamb looked at him with disdain or not, Shane took deep breaths to calm his racing heart. As he finally stood up and dusted off his behind, the little lamb floated forward.
—…Well, it's fine. You won't be directly fighting those miserable creatures anyway.
"Of course I shouldn't fight. I'm such a complete coward that even after playing a horror game once, I have unsettling dreams all night long. Even if the monsters looked normal, I don't know how to fight in the first place."
—But you need to know how to deal with monsters. You have to take on the role of commanding and controlling the heroes.
"Commanding heroes… Ah, right. This was that kind of game."
For a moment, things had gone in a strange direction, but this game wasn't like an MMORPG. In typical gacha games, the player doesn't fight directly. Instead, heroes summoned through draws fight on the player's behalf.
Of course, the player would still need to devise strategies or decide skill activation timing, but many games even handle that automatically… So Shane wouldn't have to engage in direct combat with those bizarre creatures.
As Shane finally showed a relieved expression upon realizing this, the little lamb gazed at him with a peculiar look.
—That's right. You only need to stay in the rear. The role of bleeding, screaming, and repelling the shadows at the forefront belongs to the heroes of the past.
"…"
—They are unfortunate beings who, having fulfilled their roles and died, are summoned to the battlefield even after death due to their unworthy descendants. They'll surely do anything to protect the peace of the present world. As long as the spirit summoner gives proper instructions, they'll take care of the dirty… no, the arduous tasks on their own. So there's no need to worry.
"…"
—I'm not saying it's your fault. I'm merely explaining the current situation.
It seemed like the lamb was trying to explain earnestly, but the tone was somewhat cynical. Shane frowned for a moment, but it appeared that the little lamb wasn't mocking Shane specifically, but rather viewing the entire situation skeptically. Even the lamb didn't seem particularly pleased about bringing up the topic, so Shane decided to let it slide for now.
"The opening video reeked of disrespect for the dead, could that have been real?"
As Shane tilted his head and continued walking, he realized that the seemingly endless path was finally coming to an end. It looked like the tutorial was about to conclude.
Beyond the path, an unidentified altar stood. While it was the first sign of human presence in this forest, it clearly hadn't been maintained for a long time. More than half of the white pillars surrounding the altar were broken, and even those still intact were completely covered in ivy and moss.
However, something strange was happening. As Shane approached the altar, the sky seemed to grow darker. Just moments ago, the sky had been so clear and the sunlight so bright that it lifted one's spirits just to look at it, but as he walked towards the altar, clouds gathered in the sky and shadows fell across the forest. The air, which had been crisp and refreshing, gradually became damp and humid, creating a sticky atmosphere as if stepping into a swamp.
"Is the weather around here usually this fickle? Is it going to rain?"
Shane felt uneasy, but the little lamb showed no reaction. Not wanting to appear scared again, Shane said nothing and just kept rubbing the back of his neck.
—Then I'll continue with the explanation. This time, it's about summoning heroes.
The little lamb floated over to the center of the altar, sat down, and lifted its head high towards the sky. Just like when Shane was choosing his name earlier, golden dust flowed from the tips of the lamb's horns.
The golden dust formed into a palm-sized card and flew towards Shane. When Shane tried to touch the card, it retreated slightly as if to say it wasn't time yet.
—The most important thing in summoning heroes is a special mineral called 'soul stone.' No matter how skilled a spirit summoner is, it's impossible to resurrect a new hero without this mineral. Conversely, even someone new to spirit summoning can resurrect a new hero if they have this mineral.
"You just need soul stones? You don't need the dead hero's corpse or anything?"
———
"That's true."
———
"I see, so this is the 'character gacha' system."
It seemed they had incorporated the random drawing element into the world's lore through the concept of 'not knowing which soul will be summoned when using a soul stone.' While it was surprisingly interesting to see the effort put into the world-building, Shane had one concern.
"Then how do you get these soul stones? I'm guessing you have to buy them with real money, right?"
———
"I mean, sure, there's probably a way to get them in-game too, but that's probably just a drop in the bucket… Normally, you'd have to make a payment to get them, right? I can't do that now since this is a dream, but I'm correct, aren't I?"
Having played games like this before, Shane quickly understood the game's structure. Proper character summoning costs a lot of money. Usually, it costs tens of thousands of won for a 10-pull, and it wouldn't be strange to spend hundreds of thousands more to get the character you want.
'Since it's just a dream, it should be fine to make a payment, right? This game in the dream, though it's not real, looks pretty fun, and I want to play more.'
However, there was no way to know what the payment method in this dream would be. For now, Shane didn't have a phone or credit card, so even if he wanted to make a payment, there was no way to do it. Maybe there was a dream payment method in the dream? Shane looked at the little lamb, just in case.
But suddenly, the little lamb turned its head towards Shane and said something strange.
———
"Huh?"
———
The bright red eyes staring intently at Shane were impossible to read for any emotion, but Shane somehow got the impression that the lamb was pitying him.
"What? Why do you mean by that?"
———
"No, don't change the subject. What did you mean by misunderstanding just now?"
———
Somehow, it seemed like there was more to it than just that. Shane's doubts remained unresolved, but the lamb primly turned its head away and looked up at the sky again. With the other party acting like that, he felt reluctant to pry further.
Shane no longer wanted to ask more. It was if his instinct was warning him to pretend not to know.
———
As the lamb said this, it once again created a hologram. It showed what appeared to be a vast underground passage swarming with those shadow-like monsters they had seen earlier. As Shane felt his stomach turn and tried to avert his gaze, the lamb perceptively erased the hologram.
"Do… do I have to fight all those monsters at once? That seems a bit… Is there perhaps another way?"
———
"In other words, it's a rip-off. So clearing monster subjugation quests diligently to earn soul stones is the easiest way."
———
The lamb rummaged through the fur near its belly with its stubby front hoof and pulled out a pitch-black stone. While Shane was marveling at how it could store items in such a place, the stone floated over to him and dropped onto his hand with a soft thud.
It was a stone with a peculiar appearance. Black and pockmarked with holes all over, it looked like common basalt at first glance. But upon closer inspection, an ethereal light was flowing from inside the holes. It was as if a rainbow had been melted and poured into the stone's interior.
———
"That's easier than I thought. Is the hero you get completely random?"
———
The text above the lamb's head shifted again, changing to 'Tutorial: Summon Your Hero!' As Shane stared intently at the message, additional content appeared, as if to supplement what the lamb had left unexplained.
[Heroes are divided into 8 'traits' based on the groups they belonged to during their lifetime. Additionally, they are categorized by 'potential' ranging from one star (1-star) to five stars (5-star), based on their strength during their lifetime.]
Indeed, it seemed that even here, there was a setup for classes and rarity that could be seen in any mobile game. 1-star was presumably for heroes who were weak in their lifetime, while 5-star was for those who were strong. Probably, 5-star would be much harder to draw than 1-star.
'I guess drawing a 5-star would be best?'
According to Shane's experience, in games like this, higher rarity characters often trump everything else. Of course, there are usable characters at lower rarities, and sometimes high-rarity characters don't live up to their rarity value, but generally, higher rarity characters perform better.
1 and 2-star characters are often used briefly when you're desperate for characters in the early game, but after that, they usually become trash. 3-star characters might be useful for specific purposes occasionally, but typically, 4 and 5-star characters are the main performers.
'If I draw something weird here, I'll be in for a tough time for a while.'
In character gacha games, the difficulty of subsequent gameplay is determined by how good your 'first drawn character' is. That's why the practice of 'rerolling'—continuously creating new accounts until you get a good character at the start—is so popular.
Come to think of it, is rerolling possible in this game? Shane decided to ask the lamb about it while the thought was fresh in his mind.
"Oh right, is it possible to start over from the beginning if I'm not satisfied with the hero?"
—Excuse me?
"I'm not sure what kind of hero will come out of this card, but having a good hero from the start would help with future progress, right? It doesn't seem possible to buy a ton of soul stones through in-app purchases, and if it's not easy to obtain soul stones, wouldn't starting over from the beginning be the most efficient method?"
—……
"Well, I can at least ask if it's possible or not, right? If an unsatisfactory hero comes out here, I could redo the tutorial from the beginning, grinding until the best-looking hero is summoned…"
The more Shane explained, the narrower the lamb's eyes became. Of course, he knew this wasn't exactly a topic to bring up so boldly. In most games, rerolling occupies a gray area that's 'not explicitly band, but not entirely above board' either. Some games even go as far as to block or prohibit rerolling.
Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned it after all. Had he offended the lamb? As Shane silently berated himself for his loose tongue, the lamb, who had been looking skyward, turned its gaze back to him.
In that moment, Shane felt a chill run down his spine. The lamb's eyes seemed to be mocking him. It was as if it viewed the foolish human before it with contempt, or perhaps it was angered by the irresponsible words the human had uttered, or maybe…
It seemed to be lamenting its own pitiful situation, unable to even laugh off the human's stupid and irresponsible remarks.
—Your world must have been quite a comfortable place. To so casually suggest the idea of starting over whenever you fail.
No, that's not it, this is just a dream and a game after all. Shane tried to hastily explain himself, but before he could answer, his vision was suddenly engulfed in light.
"Huh, what's going on?!"
A blinding light began to pour out simultaneously from the lamb's body, the soul stone, and the golden card in front of Shane's eyes. As Shane hurriedly covered his face with both arms and closed his eyes, words began to be clearly etched on the inside of his eyelids, as if someone were branding them with fire.
———
"W-what do you mean, misconception? And before that, you've been hiding something from me too, haven't you? There's something you haven't told me yet, right?!"
———
"…What?"
The way it asked if he thought this situation was a dream implied that in fact, it wasn't. The moment Shane realized this, he felt his heart sink.
Until now, he had been able to remain calm in these strange and unfamiliar circumstances because he believed it was all a dream. Being transported to another world, that 'other world' being the one from the gacha game he was playing before falling asleep, having to defeat monsters so horrific they were hard to look at with the naked eye alongside ancient heroes who weren't even his ancestors—he could accept it all because he thought it was just a dream.
But what if this wasn't a dream?
What if it didn't end even when he closed his eyes and opened them again, like an eternal nightmare?
———
Shane felt his heart plummet. He had thought a slightly gruff mascot would be more trustworthy than a cute and lovable one? No, now he realized that this one was the real con artist trying to swindle him. So, this wasn't a dream at all but stark reality, and that lamb had clearly taken advantage of that to deceive Shane…!
Shane struggled to open his eyes to glare at that damned lamb, but the little sheep was nowhere to be seen. Instead, all Shane could see was the soul stone that had somehow slipped from his grasp and was now floating in mid-air, along with a golden card touching the soul stone.
"What, now you've gone and summoned a hero on your own?!"
[Reach out your hand from the edge of the world. Until then, you can never return to your world.]
[Throw yourself from the end of the world. Until then, you can never return to your world.]
The moment Shane cried out through gritted teeth, a voice echoed in his mind like a reverberation. At first confused about whose voice it was, Shane soon realized. This was undoubtedly the voice that had flashed through his mind just before he fell asleep waiting for the download.
The soul stone seemed to melt into the card and vanished, and the golden car writhed on its own, changing shape until it became a human figure. Shane tried to get a proper look at who this person was, but the light radiating from the golden figure was so brilliant he couldn't see anything clearly.
—Don't worry. I'll be by your side until the moment we face the world's end.
—When this world's end comes and our bond is severed, you'll surely be able to return to your original world…
With these vivid words that the lamb had etched onto the back of Shane's retinas, his consciousness began to fade away. Someone's strong arms caught and supported Shane's body, but he lost consciousness without even realizing it.
A moment later, the light disappeared.
The area around the altar where Shane and the little lamb had been was now silent, without a trace of human presence.