I died on a Tuesday.
Not in some heroic way, not saving a child or stopping a robbery. Nope. I died because I was too busy looking at my phone, scrolling through restaurant reviews for my hospitality management assignment, and didn't notice the truck running a red light.
Classic isekai death. Truck-kun strikes again.
The last thing I remembered was the blinding headlights, the screech of tires, and thinking, "Well, this is embarrassing."
Then... nothing.
Until I woke up here.
"Ugh..." I groaned, my head pounding like I'd gone drinking with the entire college rugby team. My eyes cracked open slowly, and I immediately wished they hadn't.
The ceiling above me was a disaster. Wooden beams crisscrossed overhead, half of them looked rotted through, and I could literally see patches of sky through holes in the roof. Cobwebs hung everywhere like some kind of horror movie set decoration.
"What the hell...?" I sat up quickly too quickly. My vision spun, and I grabbed onto something nearby for support. It turned out to be a wooden post that immediately creaked ominously under my weight.
Great. Even the furniture wants to kill me.
I looked around properly this time, taking in my surroundings with growing horror. I was in what appeared to be a bedroom, if you could call it that. The bed I'd been lying on was a thin futon that had seen better days probably better decades. The floor was covered in dust thick enough to write your name in. A broken window let in a cold breeze that made me shiver.
"Okay, Kazuki, think," I muttered to myself, using my own name because apparently, I still remembered it. That was good, right? "Last thing I remember... truck. Definitely got hit by a truck. So I'm either in a hospital having the worst dream ever, or..."
Or I'd been isekai'd.
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. Me? Kazuki Yamamoto, the guy who could barely keep his studio apartment clean, transported to another world?
But as I stood up and walked to the broken window, looking out at the completely unfamiliar landscape, reality sank in.
Rolling hills stretched into the distance, covered in strange trees with purple leaves. In the far distance, I could see what looked like a mountain floating in the sky. Actually floating. Like gravity was just a suggestion.
"Well, shit," I said eloquently. "I really did get isekai'd."
My modern clothes were gone, replaced by simple gray robes that looked like they came from a cultivation novel. Which, given the floating mountain, might actually be accurate.
I stumbled out of the bedroom into what I assumed was the main area of whatever building I was in. It was worse than the bedroom, if that was possible.
The space was large I'd give it that. It looked like it was supposed to be some kind of reception area or lobby. There was a long counter made of dark wood that might have been beautiful once but was now covered in dust and grime. Several tables and chairs were scattered around, most of them broken or missing legs. The walls had peeling paint, and several sections looked like they'd been damaged by water or fire or possibly both.
"This is..." I trailed off, trying to find the right word. "A complete disaster."
That's when I noticed the sign hanging above the entrance or what was left of it. Half the characters were missing, but I could still make out: "The Lazy Dragon Inn."
An inn. I'd been reincarnated as an innkeeper.
"Of course," I laughed bitterly. "I study hospitality management in my old life, so naturally, the universe thinks it's hilarious to make me run an inn in a fantasy world. An inn that looks like it should be condemned."
I walked over to the front counter and found a small bronze mirror, probably the only intact item in the entire place. Picking it up, I looked at my reflection.
Same face, mostly. Still in my early twenties, black hair that was messier than usual, gray eyes that looked tired. I looked like me, just... slightly different. Sharper features maybe? Or was that just wishful thinking?
"Well, at least I'm not some ugly bastard," I muttered, setting down the mirror.
That's when I noticed the letter on the counter.
It was sealed with red wax and addressed in characters I somehow could read despite never learning this language. The letter was addressed simply: "To the New Innkeeper."
My hands trembled slightly as I opened it. The message inside was short:
"Congratulations on inheriting The Lazy Dragon Inn. The previous owner has passed on (literally fell through the roof and broke his neck, very unfortunate). As the only living relative (don't ask how that works), the property is now yours. Current status: Three months behind on taxes, multiple debts to local merchants, zero customers for the past year, and the building is one strong wind away from collapse. Good luck! You'll need it. - Town Administrator Chen Wei"
"You've got to be kidding me," I said to the empty room. "I got isekai'd into debt?!"
This wasn't how it was supposed to work! Where was my cheat ability? Where was the goddess offering me three wishes? Where was the mysterious old man who'd teach me ancient cultivation techniques?
Instead, I got a building that was literally falling apart and a pile of debts.
I slumped against the counter, letting my head fall into my hands. "This is the worst isekai ever."
For a long moment, I just sat there, feeling sorry for myself. Back in Japan, my life hadn't been exciting, but at least I'd had running water and a roof without holes in it. I'd been working my way through college, had a few friends, enjoyed my part-time job at the ryokan despite the long hours...
And now? Now I was in some fantasy world with nothing but a trash inn and debts I didn't even accumulate.
"Maybe I should just abandon this place," I muttered. "Find a city, get a normal job, forget about"
[DING!]
The sound echoed in my head like a bell, making me jump. Golden text suddenly appeared in the air in front of me, floating like some kind of hologram.
[System Initialization Complete]
[Congratulations! You have been selected as the host of the Supreme Innkeeper System!]
[Welcome, Kazuki Yamamoto, to your new life as the God Innkeeper!]
I stared at the floating golden words, my mouth hanging open.
"Now you show up?!" I shouted at the text. "After I've already seen how terrible everything is?!"
The system didn't respond to my complaint. Instead, new text appeared:
[Beginner Quest Available: A New Beginning]
[Objective: Clean the main lobby of The Lazy Dragon Inn]
[Reward: 100 System Points, Basic Innkeeper Skills, ???]
[Time Limit: 24 Hours]
[Failure: The inn collapses on your head (literally)]
I read the quest three times, focusing especially on that last line.
"Failure means the building falls on me?" I looked up at the questionable ceiling. "That's... actually pretty motivating."
Despite everything the debt, the trash inn, the complete absurdity of my situation I felt a small smile forming on my face.
Maybe this isekai life wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Alright, System," I said, cracking my knuckles. "Let's see what this innkeeper can do."
[End of Chapter 1]