"A new… world!?" Erison's voice echoed through the trees, startling a flock of birds into flight.
He clutched his head—it felt… strange. Light, but oddly distant.
"No way… this has to be a dream, right?" he muttered, pinching his cheek.
"Ow!"
The pain was real. Too real.
He looked around—an endless green meadow stretched as far as the eye could see, and far in the distance, a row of colossal trees rose toward the sky.
The sky itself was pale blue… but two small suns hung side by side above the horizon.
"Two suns?" He blinked rapidly, then shot up in shock.
He glanced down at himself—his outfit wasn't the neat black suit and tie he always wore, but a tattered gray robe. And the strangest part—a small pouch dangled from his waist, heavy with what felt like coins.
Suddenly, a glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Welcome to the Fourth World: Aetherion]
[Setting: A world where luck itself can manifest as magic.]
Erison stared blankly at the floating text.
"The Fourth… World?" he whispered. "Wait, does that mean… this is another world?"
His breath quickened. He stumbled backward, eyes darting toward the twin suns above.
"A new world? But I was supposed to wake up back in mine! What about Yuki!?"
The screen flickered softly.
[You are no longer connected to the world known as Earth.]
"What…?" His eyes widened. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? DAMN IT!!!"
Erison grabbed his hair in frustration.
"Twenty-four years of living! For the first time, I wasn't single—and now I die like an idiot, only to wake up in some random world!?"
The text replied in the same flat, emotionless tone:
[Current Location: Aetherion — The Fourth World within the Multiverse System.]
[Emotional State: Unstable. Suggestion: Calm down.]
"Calm down? CALM DOWN, YOUR HEAD!" he yelled at the screen, even though deep down, he knew it was useless.
"I don't even know where the hell I am, or why I'm here—and the only thing I know for sure is that
I DIED before I could have dinner with Yuki!"
More text scrolled across, accompanied by a mechanical chime inside his head.
[Initializing player creation process…]
[Player Profile: Erison Gray]
[BODY UNABLE TO PRODUCE MANA]
[HAS HEART DISEASE]
[Stamina: 1/10 — Extremely vulnerable to fatigue]
[Element: Unknown]
[Innate Skill: Absolute Luck (Only active ability)]
Erison froze, staring at the screen.
"...What the hell is this?" his voice trembled. "Double handicap!? No mana AND a heart condition!?"
The screen flickered again.
[Main Ability: Absolute Luck. All random outcomes will favor you… with consequences yet to be determined.]
"Consequences…? What does that even mean?" he muttered, frowning.
No answer. Only silence.
Erison stood still in the middle of the field, mind blank. The wind whispered gently through the grass.
"Hah… hahaha…" he laughed weakly. "What kind of sick joke is this?"
Then, all at once, frustration boiled over. He screamed, clutching his hair again.
His chest pounded violently.
"Absolute luck, my ass! This is absolute misfortune, damn it!!!"
His nose ran, his eyes glistened. He looked like he might cry.
Memories of his past life flashed before his eyes.
He'd always been unlucky—especially around women. He'd been slapped out of nowhere by strangers. Even when he said nothing, women looked at him with disgust—for no reason. And yet, he'd finally met Yuki. Kind. Gentle. Someone who actually cared about him.
And now… he was trapped in this broken body.
Before his thoughts could spiral further, the screen flickered again.
[Your Role: Beginner — Reincarnator with "Absolute Luck."]
He stared blankly at the text, his chest rising and falling. Then his voice softened, almost breaking.
"...Yuki…" he whispered. "If I hadn't died… we'd probably be having dinner right now…"
Silence. Only the sound of rustling grass filled the air.
"Wait a sec…" he muttered, suddenly panicking again. He touched his face.
"What about my face in this world!? Is there a mirror here!?"
He looked around frantically until his eyes caught a small brown pouch strapped to his belt.
He grabbed it and quickly poured out its contents onto the ground.
Coins clattered everywhere.
"What the—!? It's all money!?" he exclaimed. "No mirror!?"
His breathing quickened, heart hammering violently against his ribs. The pounding in his head grew louder, his vision spinning.
The screen flashed again—faster, sharper.
[WARNING: Player's heart rate exceeds safe limit.]
[System Recommendation: Cease physical activity and avoid emotional stress.]
"Heh… hahaha…" a weak, delirious laugh escaped his lips.
His breathing turned ragged—short, uneven gasps. Sweat trickled down his temple as his vision darkened.
Then the screen displayed a new message, calm and unbothered.
[Emergency Protocol Activated.]
[GAMBLE SYSTEM — ACTIVATED]
[Stabilize your heart through a game of chance.]
The next lines appeared as if they were offering a harmless choice—though the situation was anything but.
[To stabilize your heartbeat, you must obtain 3 Hearts.]
[Proceed? Press "OK."]
[Warning: Win rate — 0.0004%. Failure results in permanent cardiac arrest.]
Erison's half-blurred eyes locked onto the screen.
"...Gambling? Even on the verge of death… I still have to gamble?" he whispered bitterly, voice faint.
Before he could completely lose consciousness, his trembling finger barely managed to press [OK].
Darkness swallowed him whole.
The world faded to silence.
His body collapsed onto the soft grass—motionless.
-------------------------------------------------------------
He had no idea how much time had passed.
In the stillness, he began to feel something—a faint warmth brushing against his cheek
.Someone… or something… was breathing close to him.
Then came a tiny sound.
Chit… chit… chit…
"...What? Don't tell me I'm actually dead now," Erison mumbled weakly, his consciousness flickering. With what little strength he had left, he forced his eyes open.
His vision blurred, but through the haze, he could make out a small shadow—something tiny was standing right on his chest.
"What… is that…?" he whispered.
As his sight cleared, Erison's eyes widened—and a split second later, he screamed.
"AHHHHHH!!"
Strangely enough, the tiny creature screamed back at the exact same time.
"AHHHHHH!!"
Both of them panicked. In that absurd chaos, the small creature suddenly leapt toward Erison's face.
"DAMN IT—!! That hurts! It hurts, it hurts!!" he shouted as tiny claws raked across his scalp.
Instinctively, he grabbed the creature and hurled it away.
"AHHHKKK!!" the little thing squealed before disappearing into the tall grass.
Erison panted heavily, blood trickling down his temple and cheek. "...A squirrel? Seriously? I just got attacked by a squirrel?" he muttered between gasps.
But then his chest started pounding again—too fast, too violently.
"Damn… my heartbeat… it's racing again…"
He wiped the blood from his face. It felt warm, sticky against his fingertips.
"This is insane…" he whispered.
Before he could think further, the familiar blue screen appeared once more before his eyes.
Lines of glowing text scrolled across it with mechanical calmness:
[Gamble System]
[Symbol One: ♥ Heart]
[Symbol Two: ♥ Heart]
[Symbol Three: ♥ Heart]
[Congratulations! You've drawn 3 Hearts. Heart rate stabilized.]
Erison stared at the message with a tired, half-bitter smile. "Unbelievable… I could actually die just from panicking? What kind of body is this?" he muttered, frustration laced with a faint hint of fear.
He looked at his trembling hands. "If I didn't have this so-called 'Absolute Luck,' I'd probably have dropped dead minutes after reincarnating," he said quietly, eyes vacant as they drifted toward the grassy ground.
He took a slow breath, then exhaled deeply.
One breath in… one breath out.
Gradually, the frantic pounding in his chest began to settle. His breathing steadied, though sweat still trickled down his temple.
When he finally felt calm enough, Erison pushed himself to his feet. He brushed the dirt off his robe and began gathering the scattered coins one by one. The soft clink of metal filled the silence each time a coin fell into his hand.
When the last coin was returned to the small pouch on his belt, he turned his gaze back toward the glowing screen.
"How do I… turn this thing off?" he wondered aloud.
And just like that, the screen vanished.
Erison blinked. "Oh… so I just have to think it?"
He smirked slightly. "System, activate."
Instantly, the blue light reappeared before him.
"Alright. That's convenient," he said with a quick nod.
He looked around again—towering trees, endless meadows, and the twin suns still shining overhead.
"So this is… a forest?" he murmured.
"First things first, I need to find a settlement…" he thought, then immediately shook his head.
"No. What I really need right now is clean water. I need to wash these wounds."
A wave of thirst hit him, burning his dry throat. He touched the cut on his cheek, wincing softly.
"The guy who owned this body before me… must've died from a heart attack," he muttered. "He had money—maybe he was on his way somewhere."
He scanned his surroundings carefully, eyes darting through the tall grass as he took slow, cautious steps.
"No vehicle… no mount," he noted silently. "Yeah, that checks out. He probably collapsed from exhaustion. In a body this fragile, even small things can be deadly."
He frowned, rubbing his chin, trying to piece things together.
"With this much money, he was definitely heading somewhere," he thought. Then sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "Well… hopefully it's not too far."
Erison turned toward the vast forest ahead—towering trees swayed under the wind, and the faint cries of strange birds echoed in the distance.
"If there's a settlement, there has to be a river," he murmured. "Villages usually form near water… especially in forests like this."
He started walking again, eyes sharp, searching for clues—damp soil, the sound of trickling water, or a faint mist hanging in the air.
"If I can find a river, there's a good chance I'll find people too," he whispered.
His footsteps rustled softly against the grass. Gradually, he noticed the ground beneath him growing firmer—the grass thinning out, replaced by packed earth.
He stopped. Looked down.
"...What's this?"
A narrow trail stretched before him, faint but visible—a natural path, worn smooth from long use. The dirt was firm, the footprints aged but still clear.
Erison studied it for a moment, then lifted his head. The path led deeper into the dense forest.
A grin spread across his face.
"Jackpot," he said under his breath, a smirk tugging at his lips.