Chapter two
Chapter 2
I looked in the mirror and saw a boy with black hair streaked with faint white, and beautiful crimson eyes—so beautiful that the dark circles under them didn't hide their glow. His skin was pale with a slight pink tint, maybe from contact with something while he slept. But what caught my attention the most was the tattoo stretching from his neck down to his chest—shaped like a demon.
Only one word escaped my mouth when I saw this...
"Disgustingly filthy," I said in a repulsed tone.
Filth covered his body in horrifying amounts, even his hair was long and extremely neglected. I couldn't ignore the dark circles beneath his eyes, not to mention the torn clothes that exposed parts of his body.
No matter how hard I stared at this reflection, I couldn't recognize who this person was. Even when I tried to recall the novels I had read, this character didn't ring any bells...
Grrrr...
When the sound came from my stomach, I could only sigh.
I grabbed the phone beside the bed and got ready to head out—if I was hungry, I needed to find food. The plan was simple enough and didn't require much thought.
But just as I was about to leave, a bigger problem than my annoying stomach came up...
I didn't have any money.
I didn't even need to search for cash—the decaying apartment and rotting furniture made it clear there was nothing to find.
"Damn it."
All I could do was curse my rotten luck. But as the problems stacked up, the biggest one came right after...
I had an urgent need to use the bathroom, but no matter where I looked, I couldn't find one in this place.
I left the dilapidated building, determined to find a toilet—or at least somewhere to relieve myself.
But when I opened the door, the view in front of me was shocking.
Garbage heaps were piled up everywhere, but what stood out the most was a massive pile shaped like the √ symbol.
"Haah!!" I gasped in surprise.
When I saw that shape, I finally realized where I was...
"Heh..."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
I remembered that description clearly, and based on the fact that I had been reincarnated, I now knew exactly which novel I had entered.
I had been reincarnated into the strange world.
Not just anywhere in the story, but in the biggest trash dump.
I was inside the city's largest landfill...
At least I wasn't outside the city, and the academy wasn't far from this massive dump.
While I was deep in thought, I suddenly felt something about to burst out.
I rushed to a small pile of garbage and answered nature's call.
After finishing, I felt a refreshing sensation wash over me.
I shook my head to clear my mind and finally found the answer to my question.
But why hadn't I seen this character in the novel despite his distinct appearance?
Maybe the original owner of this body died before the academy arc even started.
Even when I tried to think deeper, I couldn't come up with anything.
"Did the original owner of this body never bathe in his life?"
I couldn't think straight with this filth covering my body.
"I have to bathe, honestly I can't stand this body anymore."
Luckily for me, there was a river nearby.
I grabbed a few tools I might need...
"Goodbye, mountain of trash."
I opened my phone and tried the map app, but since the phone was old, the app barely worked.
I gritted my teeth, activated the compass, and headed north.
At least the phone had a compass—otherwise, I'd be in serious trouble.
The landfill was 8000 square meters—getting lost here would be a nightmare.
Walking...
As I walked, sharp stones pierced my bare feet, sending unbearable waves of pain through my body.
But despite the pain, I continued forward with terrifying determination.
I clenched my jaw and kept going until I finally reached the river.
When I saw it, I felt indescribable joy.
The river was remarkably clean despite being so close to a garbage dump—though honestly, I wasn't surprised. This was a fantasy world, after all.
I quickly took off my torn clothes and jumped into the fresh water.
As I scrubbed my body, endless waves of filth washed off—so much that I wondered if the river would turn black by the time I finished.
But those thoughts vanished once I was done bathing.
"Ah, finally a clean body," I muttered tiredly.
I stepped out of the river and started looking for suitable trees to build a tent.
Some might wonder why I'd build a tent when I had a house.
But let me tell you—I will never return to that disgusting place.
I didn't have food there. But here, by the river, I could fish and hunt the animals that came to drink.
At the very least, I could secure food and water while I worked on restoring my health.
I could see my ribs sticking out from malnutrition, so I planned to build a decent physique in the two months before the academy started.
Honestly, I didn't want a bulky or overly muscular body—just a slim and moderately fit one.
I prepared a fishing line I had found in the landfill, tied it to a wooden stick, and used bugs from the forest as bait. Then I waited patiently...
Waited patiently... waited patiently... waited patiently...
"Oh my God, why aren't the fish biting?!"
I didn't know fishing could be this boring.
So I set up several fish traps and spread them along the river.
I couldn't just sit around waiting for a fish to bite, so I opted for traps instead.
And while I was at it, I figured I might as well make some rabbit traps too.
"Aaah..." I muttered wearily.
Yawning from exhaustion, I headed to the tent to rest while waiting for the traps to do their job.
I lay on my back and started organizing the information I had about the game.
It seems I got reincarnated into a game I used to play—but does that mean I get some special benefits like superpowers?
Do I have a system?
Why am I even asking? Of course there's a system—I'm sure of it.
"Kikikikiki..."
A wide smile spread across my face.
What kind of system will it be? I can't wait!
I shouted loudly:
"System...!"
Even though shouting normally would be embarrassing, there was no one else in the forest—so I didn't feel shy.
(To be continued...)