”AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…… Ah…?”

Heart racing, I peeked through one eye, expecting to see the semi-truck that was speeding towards me just a moment ago.

‘What the-- Where am I?’

Instead of facing certain death, I found myself standing in the middle of a bustling market that stretched all the way to a pair of stone gates in the far distance.

What happened? My ears were still ringing from the truck's horn...

“...Mommy? Why is that person yelling?”

A child wearing a bright red robe was staring at me, tilting his head slightly to the side.

“Shhh. Don’t look at people like him.”

The child was pulled away by his mother and the two quickly disappeared into the crowd.

“……”

My head began pounding as I tried to figure out what was going on.

‘The last thing I remember…. Oh yeah, there was that girl who started to cross the street even though the signal light was clearly red... didn’t she see the huge truck coming? I pushed her out of the way on impulse but…”

I pinched myself on the cheek to check if I was dreaming.

‘Maybe this the afterlife?’

I slapped myself a few more times, and decided that it was probably best to ask someone to help me understand the situation.

But who to ask? All of the people here were dressed strangely. One man was clad in silver armor slinging a gigantic sword on his back, and another was wearing a ripped vest that revealed bulging muscles large enough to put Mike Tyson to shame. There were also women dressed in full body robes of various colors, and others who wore light armor with a sword hanging from their belt.

Upon looking closer, some of these people had sharp, elongated ears and an elegant jawline that would rival the efforts of the finest plastic surgeon in Korea.

'...Elves?'

Some people even had bushy tails, animal ears, or paws.

‘If this isn't an illusion, it feels like I stepped into a different world or something.’

With mixed feelings, I cautiously approached a middle-aged shopkeeper who was selling exotic fruits that I had never seen before. Bald men who wear aprons are usually nice, right?

“E-excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where we are?”

The man looked at me suspiciously and crossed his bushy eyebrows, forming an impressively perfect V.

“You lost, boy? Where are your parents?”

‘Boy? I’m 21 though…’

“My name’s Sen and I’m from a nation called Korea. Have you heard of it before?”

“…Never heard of anywhere like that. Kid, if you’re playing some kind of make-believe game with your friends, then scram. This uncle’s busy and I’ve got no time to play with you, aight?”

It was as I thought. If it really wasn't just a hallucination during the last few seconds of my life, then this may be the dream of countless people the current generation. The possibilities of epic, exciting adventures with a promise of romance blossoming during one’s travels. An opportunity to live a second life in a new world!

‘I wonder if I’m going to get diarrhea from eating the food here…’

I was never good at adapting to foreign diets. I shook my head, deciding to worry about this issue later.

'What usually happens in these cases again? I probably run into a teacher who teaches me how to fight, or I go to the adventurer's guild to get a class.... Oh! Maybe I'll run into a really pretty girl--"

“KYAAAAAAAAAAA!”

My train of thought was cut short by a shrill scream behind me.

'...pretty girl?'

“Run! A dragon’s coming!”

“Help! I don’t want to die!”

“To the castle! The soldiers will save us!”

Thousands of panicked people and shopkeepers began to flee through the narrow street and a chorus of screams filled the air.

'Ah, I should've known this was coming.'

Beads of sweat poured like rain from my face as a deep, resounding voice rumbled from the skies.

“MMMMmmm… I smelt a delicious amount of mana a moment ago.”

A tremendous gale of wind blasted the area as a black dragon emerged above, spanning the length of an large apartment complex.

“Kid, get a move on!”

The shopkeeper yelled as he grabbed my arm and pulled me in the direction of the fleeing crowd.

“QUICKLY!”

“EVERYONE, MOVE MOVE MOVE!”

“SOMEONE PLEASE HELP MY SON!”

My ears perked up.

Looking behind, there was the collapsed figure of a child lying in the middle of the street and covered in dirt stains. His red clothes seemed oddly familiar...

‘Shit. Shit. Shit. Why is no one helping him?’

I wrenched my arm away from the shopkeeper as hard as I could and dashed towards the child.

‘I’m definitely going to die this time. Keuk—‘

The idea of being crunched to death in the dragon’s jaws sent shivers down my spine.

‘Just a few more meters… Yes!’

I grabbed the child and ducked under one of the tables in front of the nearest stall.

Fuck, why did it have to be a dragon? Why couldn't I fight a dumb slime as my first enemy? In my previous world, the final boss of every monster I faced in games was always a dragon. A monster of god-like strength and almost infinite vitality. Harbor of the ultimate magics and tactics.

I was screwed.

“Oi, wake up!”

I whispered while shaking the child’s shoulders.

There was no way that I could run fast enough carrying him.

‘Tch, he’s out cold. No choice then.’

Leaving the child behind, I emerged alone and began sprinting in the direction of the fleeing crowd.

“Hey you, stupid lizard! Try to catch me!”

‘What am I doing? Ack… Saving two people in two worlds is not so bad though. I’m sure I’ll be rewarded in the afterlife.’

“LIZARD? I AM A BLACK DRAGON WHO HAS LIVED OVER 2000 YEARS. DIE, FOOLISH HUMAN.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

『Dragon’s Roar』has been cast.

- All stats have been temporarily reduced by 10

- Max health and mana have been reduced by 25%

- Your rate of stamina recovery will fall by 25%

- You are immobilized for 10 seconds

------------------------------------------------------------

‘Eh?’

I was frozen on the spot in a running pose with the message popped up in front of me.

“『Dragon’s Roar』...You’re kidding me, right?”

Glaring with hostility, the dragon breathed in deeply and fired a duplex-sized fireball at me.

I could feel the heat roasting my back like a baked potato.

“『Cobalt Shield』!”

A voice cried out behind me and a shield of water suddenly materialized between me and the fireball.

Boom!

The fire and water collided to form a tremendous amount of pressurized steam, and I was sent flying into a nearby stall, breaking the wooden frame holding up the store sign.

“Keueuk—“

My mouth tasted like iron and my back felt like it was on fire. The steam alone had probably melted most of the skin off my back, and there was no doubt in my mind that I'd soon die of anemia or fluid loss.

‘I’ve got to escape.’

I tried to will my arms to push against the dirt but it was hopeless. I had probably popped a shoulder, given that it just hung loosely without moving. My vision began to blur.

In the midst of screams and gusts of wind, a strong commanding voice resonated from a blurry figure in the distance.

“Medic, take the boy! Units 1 and 2, take the vanguard! Units 3 through 5, prepare offensive magic and target the dragon’s eyes! Priests, support the vanguard!”

As my vision turned black, I felt a pair of strong arms lift me up.

* * *

Oh, hey there.

‘Eh? Who are you?’

My name is Lilianna. You can call me Lily. Hmm… I guess to you I'd be a goddess.

‘Then… am I dead?’

No, you’re just sleeping. You’ll wake up soon.

‘Ah, I see. That’s good.’

…

‘Could you please tell me what’s going on? Where was I?’

Well… that's a long story. To be honest, this is kind of embarrassing. I was going on a vacation to Earth, you see, but I was preparing last minute so the body I created wasn’t working very well.

‘…’

My eyes were particularly crappy, but I didn't care because I was just so happy to be on vacation. However... I couldn’t see colors properly, so I didn't see the red light.

‘So you’re saying…’

Yeah, I was the one you saved, although I wouldn’t have really died.

‘…’

Anyway, I felt really bad, so I transferred your mind and soul into an artificial body in the world you just experienced.

‘Artificial body?’

Oh, don’t worry. It’s like any other body, but I didn’t have much time before the transfer so it might be a little different from your original.

‘Ack… Can you bring me back to my world?’

Sorry, but there’s a rule that a soul that’s left a body can’t inhabit another one in same world. Your original body’s completely useless now anyway. It’s so bad that I get nauseated looking at it. And I’ve seen a lot of zombie movies.

‘…But—'

Ah, seems like you’re going to wake up now. Good luck in the new world and have fuuuuun~!

* * *

I blinked twice and found myself lying down on a cot inside a green tent.

‘What the hell… was that a dream?’

I got up and looked around.

There were hundreds of patients lying on cots just like mine, and a few people dressed in white robes were walking around talking to them.

It reminded me of an army hospital.

------------------------------------------------------------

Large Medical Tent (Capacity: 500/500)

- Increases HP and MP recovery rate by 300%

------------------------------------------------------------

In the middle of the room was a floating notification window.

I guess this world is similar to my world’s MMORPGs. If that’s the case, then…

“Menu! Options! Status! Uh… Status Window!”

------------------------------------------------------------

Sen Arkfield, Level 1

Race: Human | Class: None

HP: 15 | MP: 15

STR: 10 | DEX: 10 | INT: 10 | WIS: 10 | LUK: 10

A completely average human being. Blessed by the Goddess Lilianna.

- Large Medical Tent grants you a 300% faster HP and MP recovery rate

------------------------------------------------------------

“Ha… so it really is like that.”

It also seemed that my body had fully recovered from earlier.

If only something like healing magic or items existed in my old world, the cost of medical treatments would be plummet and people of all income levels would be able to live full lives without worrying about their health!

I caught the attention of one of the white-robed females walking around.

“Excuse me, what happened to the dragon?”

Ba-dump.

Wait a second, this woman was gorgeous! Facial features were 10/10, and although her body was hidden by the robes, the subtle curves in the fabric foretold that it was 12/10! Moreover, her eyes were a rich baby blue that exuded charm, and her bright smile would be able to melt anybody’s heart in the middle of a blizzard.

“There’s nothing to worry about. The King’s Personal Guard came as fast as they could and fought off the dragon bravely. What’s your name? Mine’s Evelyn.”

“Oh uh… it’s Sen. Sen Arkfield.”

My heart was going to burst. I’d been single all my life. Since I failed to get into a good university straight after high school, I had studied for the National College Placement Exam for two years while working full time at a convenience store to support my independence. To secure a stable job for the future, getting into a good university was vital Every hour of my day was spent either studying or working... but now, I truly appreciated this opportunity to explore a new life!

‘Goddess Lily, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Until now, I had doubted you and thought that my luck was bad. But now I finally see the silver lining!’

Evelyn smiled even brighter, which I didn’t even know was possible.

'She's the true goddess here!'

My eyes started burning as if they were staring at the sun itself.

Evelyn gently grasped my hands and led me towards the tent exit.

“Come with me, Sen. Were your parents with you when the dragon came? I can try to help you find them.”

Despite currently experiencing one of the happiest moments of my life, there was something that had bothered me until now.

“I-I don’t have any parents here. Also, I’m 21 years old... why are you treating me like a child?”

Evelyn gave me a slightly puzzled look.

“Eh? You can't be any older than 12. Are you okay, Sen?”

Also confused, I looked at her blankly and was about to comment, but then noticed something as we passed by the washroom. I immediately froze, not recognizing the person that was reflected in the washroom mirror.

Instead of my jet black hair, it had completely turned white. My eyes were a deep shade of emerald instead of my original murky brown. But more importantly, I had shrunk about 40 cm. I looked like I was 10 years old!

...It’s like any other body, but I didn’t have much time before the transfer so it might be a little different from your original.

I was horrified as I recalled Lily’s words in the dream.

‘No way.’

Unable to find an excuse to explain my situation, I decided that my best bet was to run away and collect my thoughts.

“A-hahahaha, that was a joke! I know where my parents are, and I can find them on my own. Thank you for your help!”

“Wait a minute—“

Pulling myself away, I dashed out the tent cursing Lily.

‘Uuuuu… My chance to be with a beautiful woman. But who would want to be with a 10 year old? I will never forget this. Lilyyyyyy!’