Chapter 2
"Zephyrus, there you are. Are you ready to leave for the academy?"
"Huh? Village Chief?"
When I turned around at the sudden voice, I saw another familiar face.
He was the village chief from the early part of Dungeon Job-Hunting Guide, the Nameless Village of Beginnings.
Zephyrus, by the way, was my character's name.
It was the name I'd used for years in Dungeon Job-Hunting Guide, or 〈Dan-Katsu〉 for short. Apparently, I was Zephyrus in the game's world, too.
Ah, that confirmed it. I really was in the world of 〈Dan-Katsu〉.
"What's with you, spacing out like that? Get a hold of yourself. You're turning sixteen this year, Zephyrus. We talked yesterday about how you'd go to the academy and get yourself a good Job, didn't we?"
I had no idea what he was talking about.
I'd only just come to my senses.
I wondered if this was the kind of body-snatching reincarnation you saw in light novels, but I couldn't remember a single thing about the person whose body I seemed to have taken over.
Sorry I don't remember, Village Chief.
"You mean you've already forgotten? You forgetful little birdbrain!"
I hadn't forgotten. He'd just never told me.
"No, maybe you only think you told me, and then forgot that you—"
"As if! You idiot! Fine, I'll say it one more time!"
"No, that's okay."
"H-Huh?"
I cut him off before he could launch into a long explanation, and the village chief froze with a funny look on his face.
Right. I needed a moment to calm down.
I wanted to make sense of the situation.
Until now, confusion had gotten the better of me. But talking with the village chief calmed my muddled thoughts, and I remembered that this scene felt oddly familiar.
It was just like the exchange between the village chief and the protagonist at the very beginning of the game.
For now, I should focus on getting through this situation.
I recalled the protagonist's line from the early game and answered.
"I've already packed my things. All that's left is to go around and say goodbye."
"So you did remember after all. Good. Be sure to properly say goodbye to everyone in the village who's looked after you."
With a vein bulging on his forehead, the village chief said that and stomped off.
Watching him go, I finally understood what kind of situation I was in.
That had been the conversation that triggered 〈Dan-Katsu〉's farewell greeting quest.
In the game, everyone had to enroll in the academy at sixteen to obtain a Job and learn how to use it. That conversation was the start of the greeting quest you did when leaving the village.
In other words, I was probably the protagonist, who'd just turned sixteen.
The instant I understood that, my heart gave a thump.
Huh? Could anything be better than this?
I mean, this is the world of a game, right?
I've been reincarnated, right?
And not just any game—the world of 〈Dan-Katsu〉, the game I'd played so obsessively it could've buried me under a mountain of ash!
Getting to play 〈Dan-Katsu〉 for real, from the very beginning...
"This is the absolute best!!!!"
My heart exploded with joy.
"Thank you, life! Thank you, reincarnation! Thank you, 〈Dan-Katsu〉!"
I went mad with gratitude.
I let out a wild cry of joy.
I threw both hands up, shouted "Banzai!" three times, and danced in circles.
Even when the villagers looked at me like I'd taken some seriously messed-up drugs, I didn't care.
That's how happy I was. It was the happiest moment of my life.
Who cared if my save data had been erased? That little thing flew right out of my head.
"Yessssss!!!!"
Playing 〈Dan-Katsu〉 for real.
That had been my dream.
"Huff, huff, huff."
I'd finally worn myself out.
I don't know how many hours I'd spent celebrating, but before I knew it, I was sprawled on the ground, flat on my back.
I wanted to keep trembling with joy a little longer, but apparently my stamina had run out.
As I caught my breath, I gradually returned to my senses.
What a shame.
Well, it's not like I want to stay crazy, so I guess that's fine.
I couldn't go around acting crazy when I was about to enjoy real-life 〈Dan-Katsu〉 to the fullest.
"Up I get. Now, what should I do first?"
I sprang to my feet, adding an entirely unnecessary hop for emphasis.
Even though I'd calmed down, my excitement was still at its peak.
I hummed to myself as I thought about what to do next.
"First, I need to choose a Job. Now that it's real, I can't pick a joke Job. That's a little disappointing. Then maybe I'll go for the strongest option for a change."
As its name suggests, 〈Dan-Katsu〉 is a dungeon-crawling game.
You take on a Job, recruit all kinds of companions, form a party or guild with them, and take on dungeons. It's a fantasy game.
And the biggest selling point of 〈Dan-Katsu〉 was, without a doubt, its enormous number of Jobs.
There were 1,021 Jobs.
It was an utterly ridiculous number.
The fact that they published six whole strategy guides just for the details on the Jobs had become the stuff of legend.
I bought all of them, by the way.
No wonder it took so long to play through everything.
To enjoy real-life 〈Dan-Katsu〉, I'd have to choose just one Job from that incredible variety.
I'd simulated it in my imagination countless times.
Even though I thought it could never happen, I'd often wondered which Job I'd choose if I ever got to play 〈Dan-Katsu〉 for real.
And after well over a hundred simulations, I'd decided on one Job.
"All right. Let's go fulfill the requirements for that Job."
I set off, practically bouncing with excitement.
All the while, I imagined what lay ahead in real-life 〈Dan-Katsu〉.