"So this is that situation." I muttered, staring at the tall, floating wizard lady who I recognized from a game—Elden Ring, if my memory served me right.
In other words, this was a textbook case of Cliché Situation 101: The Isekai Experience.
It took less than a second to piece things together, thanks to my Hyper Thought—an ability that accelerated my thinking and allowed for parallel processing. In the same instant, I sifted through the memories of a certain caped baldy, whose powers I now possessed, albeit in a really nerfed state.
There was also a nagging sense that something else was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet.
So, with that quick exposition out of the way, I should think about how to beat…Renni?…Renna…Rennala!
Or rather, should I beat her? I pondered, walking Flash Stepping around the library, and knocking out all the crippled…sweetlings.
Finishing with my job, I stopped in front of the Queen who was no longer floating in a barrier. "Miss?" I called out, and she stirred, tearing her gaze away from the amber to meet mine.
Now what? I'm not really in the mood to fight someone who's clearly depressed, especially if they're not going to give it their all.
Scratching my head, I sat down cross-legged before the towering Queen—though she's not so towering now, lying on the ground. "Your Majesty, you know, sometimes in life you can get…kinda stuck, and you feel like you should have changed chapters by now, but you just can't…" I let my words hang in the air for a moment before continuing.
"Personally, I think you should move on, but I can tell that that might be a little difficult for you. So, how about starting with something easier? Like not letting yourself get dragged back?" I hold her gaze, her blue eyes now studying me with a new intensity.
"Thine eyes… they glimmer with a hue most unusual," she murmurs softly. "Tell me… art thou a Tarnished?"
I blink, surprised, "Tarnished?" I repeat, trying to remember what little I know about Elden Ring. All I've got are bits and pieces from short videos and memes I've seen online. Tarnished… right, they're the ones who die and revive, like respawning in a game. And they're all trying to become the Elden Lord or something.
"If you're asking if I came back from the dead, then the answer is no." I shook my head.
Isekai Experiences occur in various forms, from Reincarnation like in Mushoku Tensei, to Summoning in the Hero-Demon King scenarios, and Transportation due to dimensional cracks etc.
I'm not sure what my situation falls under since it could be a case of Divine Intervention - basically ROB doing his ROB'ING - Transportation, Random Occurrence, or possibly even summoning.
Rennala's gaze remained fixed on me, her blue eyes narrowing as if trying to discern something deeper. "If thou art not Tarnished, then perhaps I am mistaken… but thine eyes, they shine with a light most peculiar... Canst thou see it? The light of grace?"
"By Light of Grace, do you mean that gold thing behind you?" I pointed at the floating rhombus above the scroll, which she looked at briefly before losing interest.
Guess she can see it, I mused thoughtfully, reading her expression and coming to the conclusion with the help of Hyper Thought.
"Strange," the ancient Queen mused, her expression unreadable. "Though thou art a Tarnished, thou dost not bear the air of one. Verily, thou seemest altogether unremarkable."
"That's just how I am." I shrugged, unsurprised by the evaluation. Saitama had always been lowkey, and nobody would have ever realized his abilities if he really tried to hide.
Humming thoughtfully, Rennala inquired, "I perceive thou art unfamiliar with the ways of the Tarnished, and thus 'tis unlikely thou seekest my Great Rune. Pray tell, didst thou journey hither merely to offer counsel?"
Great Rune? I glanced at the amber cradled in her arms before meeting her gaze again. "It was quite unexpected. One moment I was in my home, and the next, I found myself in this library. So no, I didn't come here to offer you therapy; it was merely a coincidence." I replied truthfully.
"What is thy name?" She suddenly asked, making me blink in confusion.
"Samuel."
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A/N: This was an idea I came up with few months, and wrote shortly. As you can guess from the title, it's Saitama Template from a CYOA (Can't really remember which one, gonna have to look through my notes).