After being killed by Rom, Natsuki Subaru triggered the 'Return by Death' ability for the first time. It was through this that he discovered his cheat-like power.
On his next reset, Subaru acted much more cautiously.
Using his persuasive skills and communication talents, he successfully gained Rom's trust and met the blonde girl who had stolen Emilia's emblem—Felt.
While the three of them waited, they were soon met by the person who had hired Felt to steal the emblem: a beautiful, mature woman wearing a bold, low-cut black dress with black stockings and a violet flower in her hair.
At first, Subaru thought that such a gorgeous woman couldn't possibly be a bad person.
But it didn't take long for him to realize just how cruel and twisted this beautiful woman was…
The lady in black was named Elsa Granhiert, a notorious assassin known by the terrifying nickname "The Bowel Hunter."
Elsa had hired Felt to steal Emilia's emblem but never planned on leaving any witnesses alive from the start.
So, it came as no surprise that the three in the shop—including Subaru—were eventually killed by Elsa.
Though she was a stunningly beautiful woman, Elsa's skills as an assassin were second to none.
Neither the giant Rom nor the swift Felt could put up any resistance against her. As for Subaru… well, there wasn't much to say about his chances.
This marked Subaru's second death, and since he died a little later this time, Wood had managed to get further away.
On Subaru's third run, hoping to save time, he decided to take a shortcut to the slums. Unfortunately, he ran into some thugs, and a conflict broke out.
Overwhelmed by the group, Subaru was beaten to death before he could even make it to Rom's shop.
This was why, during Wood's third loop, the time rewind had felt like it triggered even earlier.
The last rewind, which was just now—the fourth—had Subaru feeling more confident. He believed he had figured out the thugs' routine by now.
While he knew he couldn't defeat Elsa, he thought dealing with the thugs would be easy this time.
After managing to knock out a few of them, however, he was caught off guard when one of them pulled out a knife.
And so, Subaru, stabbed in the back, collapsed into a pool of blood yet again…
After dying four times in a row, Subaru was beginning to feel a deep fear, even contemplating giving up entirely.
Although his ability allowed him to avoid true death, the fear and pain he experienced with each death were all too real.
Rom's death was quick, a single blow, but being killed by Elsa was a true nightmare for Subaru.
It was his first time seeing what his own intestines looked like, and every time he recalled that scene, his body shuddered uncontrollably.
On one side was his fear of death, and on the other was the super beautiful silver-haired girl. After only a moment's hesitation, Subaru's desire to pursue the beauty won out.
This time, Subaru planned to reach Rom's shop ahead of time and warn him and Felt about the danger of "The Bowel Hunter," avoiding her altogether.
As for the thugs in the alley, after two failed encounters, Subaru felt confident that this time he had them handled.
But when Subaru rushed into the alley, following the route he remembered so well, ready to deal with the thugs… he found an unexpected figure waiting for him.
The three thugs who had troubled him were already lying unconscious on the ground.
"So, can you tell me, Transmigrator boy, were the last four time resets your doing?"
Seeing Wood suddenly appear, Subaru had wanted to ask what was going on, but Wood's words nearly caused his jaw to drop!
After all, he had never told anyone he was a transmigrator, even though his outfit was quite out of place. And yet, this person—whom he had thought was just another local—actually knew what a transmigrator was. Did that mean Wood was also a transmigrator?
He wasn't the only protagonist in this world! This handsome, blond guy was from another world too!
Not only that, but Subaru's 'Return by Death' ability didn't seem to affect Wood at all.
In this world, whenever Subaru reset time by dying, everyone's memories were wiped. But if Wood remembered all four of Subaru's resets, that meant he was like Subaru—retaining his memories after each death!
Before, Subaru had felt that his ability was a bit lame. It didn't directly boost his combat power, and it required his own death to activate.
But now, Subaru's frustration was even greater. Not only was his power not unique, but Wood—the handsome blond guy—also seemed to retain his memories after each reset. This meant Subaru had lost his advantage of foreseeing the future!
"You're a transmigrator too? Then what's your power? Don't tell me it's also death…"
Subaru was about to reveal his own power, but as the words left his mouth, he felt an intense pressure, like his heart was being gripped by an invisible hand.
Subaru could feel it—if he continued talking, he would definitely die!
However, this incident taught him something new: to activate his 'Return by Death' ability, he didn't necessarily have to be killed by someone else—he could die simply by talking about it.
"I'm not a transmigrator. Though you might not believe me, I really am a native of this world. Well… maybe a bit more special than the others."
The system's simulated lives always placed Wood in the roles of characters who were originally from that world, so what he said wasn't entirely untrue.
However, Subaru now considered Wood to be a "reincarnator," a type of transmigrator whose soul was reborn in this world, unlike his own situation where both body and soul had crossed over.
"Just like you said, my transmigrator ability is connected to death… well, it's as you understand it."
"So what about your power? Even though we're not the same type of transmigrators, you must have some special ability, right?"
Previously, Subaru had viewed Wood as a classic second-rate "rival" character meant to make the protagonist look good. But now, he realized that he wasn't the only hero in this world.
And in comparison to himself, Wood was a handsome guy with money, status, and even some combat ability. It was starting to look like Subaru might be the side character after all…
"As a native of this world, I don't have any special powers. Any strength I have, I gained through hard work, not because some deity handed it to me."
"But since we've figured out the problem, could I ask you not to die so often?"
"Every time you die, it causes a lot of trouble for others."
"It might be fine for the other people who lose their memories each time, but for me, having to repeat everything over and over is enough to drive anyone mad!"
Wood had considered just killing Subaru to end things once and for all. But Subaru's power was too troublesome—if he died, his ability would just trigger another reset.
And if Wood tried to imprison him, he'd have to keep a constant watch, since Subaru could die from starvation or some other cause, triggering yet another 'Return by Death.'
"You think I want to die?! And what's with this unfairness? We're both supposed to be protagonists, so why is my ability so pathetic? I can't even beat a few ordinary thugs!"
Before knowing about Wood, Subaru had already felt his ability was pretty lackluster. But now that he realized Wood was some kind of 'reincarnator,' Subaru's frustrations boiled over.
He had such a useless protagonist power that didn't let him show off at all.
And to make matters worse, he wasn't even the only one benefitting from his ability. What was the point of having it?
"Even without strong powers, with your modern knowledge, you should be able to live well in this world. Just avoid picking fights with people beyond your ability."
With modern knowledge, anyone could make a good living in a medieval society like this. Even if Subaru didn't invent anything, he could still thrive as a merchant or in some other trade.
Wood couldn't understand why someone like Subaru, who could live comfortably, would go looking for trouble.
Wood himself had no choice but to survive in the pirate world, where power was everything. But in this world, he was only living through a simulated life.
In order to make this simulation worth it, Wood's goal was to enhance his own strength.
Subaru: "We're in another world! Don't you want to be the hero who saves the world and earns everyone's admiration?"
Wood: "Not at all. Fame is meaningless. I'd much rather just live a lazy life."
Subaru: "But what about all the beautiful girls in this world? Don't they make your heart race?"
Wood: "Do you really think someone who looks like me needs to chase after girls?"
Subaru was instantly crushed, feeling utterly defeated. He muttered gloomily, "Why is it that such a lazy guy like you happens to be both good-looking and powerful, while I, Natsuki Subaru, have grand ambitions but am just a regular weakling in this world?"
Subaru couldn't help but think that the gods of this world must have been drunk when they mixed up his and Wood's roles.
"Speaking of which, if you're not interested in girls, what do you think of Emilia?"
Subaru nervously asked, clearly anxious to hear Wood's opinion.
Though it might seem irrelevant, Subaru cared a great deal about this answer because he believed he might have found a way to beat 'The Bowel Hunter.'
"You mean the silver-haired girl from before? Hmm, she seems like a good person, but probably a bit naïve. I'd say her mind hasn't caught up to her appearance yet."
Would Wood be interested in Emilia? The answer was a clear no. He wasn't like Subaru, whose desires could easily cloud his judgment.
With the experience of multiple worlds under his belt, especially in the pirate world, Wood had long passed the age of acting on impulse.
"So, are you confident in your strength? Can you deal with someone who can cut through solid wood and a giant's body with one strike?"
Subaru, with his limited understanding of power levels, found it hard to gauge Elsa's strength.
Even though Subaru wasn't sure how strong 'The Bowel Hunter' was, the fact that she could slice through the massive Rom and a wooden counter with one swing made it clear she wasn't just anyone.
"Oh, someone who can slice through wood and even a giant's tough body? Where is this person?"
Wood's interest was piqued by Subaru's description of 'The Bowel Hunter,' and he couldn't help but marvel.
Subaru truly was the protagonist of this world. Even though Wood had wandered the town for hours without finding anything special, Subaru, a weakling, had somehow encountered such a formidable figure.
Now that Wood thought about it, his meeting with Emilia and Puck earlier might have been because Subaru had been nearby.
Though Subaru's description of 'The Bowel Hunter' was vague, Wood had a rough idea of her abilities—she seemed to be a decent fighter.
Wood hadn't yet fully tested his own current strength in this world. Now, this 'Bowel Hunter' sounded like the perfect challenge.
"You say this 'Bowel Hunter' will appear at Rom's shop in the slums?"
"Yes, she's the one who hired Felt to steal Emilia's emblem. But we've been chatting for so long now, it's probably too late to stop her."
"But don't worry, I can use my ability again. We'll meet here next time, and we can…"
Subaru was about to activate his 'Return by Death' and reset the timeline once more, but before he could go through with it, Wood held out a hand to stop him.
"Time may be running out for you, but for me, there's still plenty."
"How about this? We'll split up. I'll head to Rom's shop to meet this 'Bowel Hunter,' and you can go find some backup—maybe the town guards or something."
"I'd really rather not experience another time reset. I've already lived through this day four times, and I'm not keen on a fifth."
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Don't forget to give Power Stone
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