That was the last thing Kento Yamazaki remembered before everything faded away. One moment, he was walking home from work, exhausted as always. The next, he felt an impact—sharp pain, the screech of tires, then nothingness.
But he didn't stay in the void for long.
When Kento opened his eyes again, he wasn't in Tokyo anymore. Instead, he found himself lying on a bed of hay, the air thick with the scent of earth and wood. A wooden ceiling stretched above him, and distant voices echoed outside. He sat up abruptly, his heart pounding.
"I… I'm alive?"
No, that wasn't quite right. His body felt different. Smaller. Lighter. He glanced down at himself and realized—he wasn't an adult anymore. His hands were small and childlike, his legs barely reached the edge of the bed. A surge of panic rose within him.
"What the hell is going on?"
A flood of memories rushed into his mind. His name was still Kento Yamazaki. But now, he was in a completely different world. A world where swords and magic reigned supreme.
"I've been reincarnated."
The realization sent chills down his spine. His past life—his job, his apartment, his struggles—it was all gone. But his mind, his memories, and his knowledge remained.
And so did the pain.
A sharp ache settled in his chest as fragments of his past life resurfaced. The betrayal. The deception. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
His so-called "best friend," the one he had trusted with everything, had stabbed him in the back—both figuratively and, in the end, literally. A false accusation, a setup at work, and then the final betrayal in a dark alley. He still remembered the smirk on that bastard's face as he watched Kento collapse, bleeding out.
"I was a fool. I trusted too easily."
That mistake had cost him everything. His career, his dignity, his life.
"Never again."
He forced himself to take a deep breath. This was a new world. A new chance. But one thing was certain—he would never trust anyone so easily again.
If this world worked like the fantasy games and novels he loved, then there was one thing he needed to check first.
"Status," he whispered.
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
---
Name: Kento Yamazaki
Race: Human
Age: 10
Class: None
Level: 1
HP: 50/50
MP: 30/30
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Endurance: 5
Magic Power: 3
Skills: [None]
---
"It really is like an RPG."
His stats were pitifully low, but that made sense. He was only ten years old in this new life. But if this world had a level-up system, that meant he could grow stronger.
A thrill of excitement ran through him. In his past life, he had been just an ordinary man, stuck in an endless cycle of work and exhaustion. And in the end, he had died a fool, betrayed by someone he had considered family.
"That won't happen again."
A sudden knock on the wooden door startled him. A woman's voice called out.
"Kento! Wake up! You'll be late for training!"
Training? His heart pounded. It seemed like this world had already set him on a path.
"Fine," he thought, swinging his legs over the bed. "Let's see what this world has to offer. And this time, I won't be so naive."
---