Reality shattered with a silent thunder.
I remember the code. Lines of C++ dancing on my monitor while the coffee grew cold. My master's thesis on adaptive algorithms was half-finished.
Outside, city sirens blended with the rain. That environment was my home. In my neighborhood, silence preceded disaster.
[Status: User Integrity Insufficient]
[Initiating Transfer of Authority...]
[Candidate Identified. Classification: Survivor / Strategist]
[Welcome to the System: Authority of the End]
Cold voices, like glass fragments clashing together, pierced my mind. I felt my consciousness being torn from my body, a stream of pure energy transferred through an infinite void.
[Syncing Metaknowledge... Load complete]
[Upload complete in 0.4ms]
Absolute white gave way to a spectrum of impossible colors.
---
The sun hit the back of my neck. The air smelled of fruit and dung.
Vertigo.
I had been sitting just a second ago; now, my feet struck the stone. My knees buckled, nearly touching the ground. I gripped my head with both hands as the world spun in a whirlwind of light and shadow.
I barely kept my balance. The pressure in my skull was physical. I closed my eyes, waiting for the static to fade.
I opened my eyes.
Cobblestone asphalt. Carriages drawn by reptilian beasts of burden. People with animal features walked with total naturalness.
I kept my calm, trying to understand what was happening.
A blue window floated in my peripheral vision. Minimalist. Direct.
---[SYSTEM: AUTHORITY OF THE END]Host: Subaru NatsukiStatus: ActiveIntelligence: 18 | Agility: 9 | Strength: 8Plot Memory: 100% (Reference)---
"Re:Zero," I whispered.
My voice sounded youthful, unfamiliar. But the calm in my chest was real. I was in the body of Subaru Natsuki. It was a dangerous world, I knew that, but it was also an opportunity I didn't intend to waste.
I scanned the surroundings. I identified blind spots, guard positions, and escape routes. That world was vast, dangerous, and, to me, painfully familiar.
I shook the plastic bag on my wrist. Instant ramen and snacks. The basic inventory of someone who has nothing.
Something deeper than logic stirred in my chest. A bond of appreciation. I had read their hardships, seen their sacrifices. Emilia, Rem, Beatrice. Tragic figures who, to me, were friends who didn't know me yet.
"This time, no one dies." The decision settled in my chest with a gelid firmness.
I sat on the edge of the fountain, ignoring the murmur of the crowd. The gazes of Lugnica's citizens pierced my tracksuit, judging my strange attire with a mix of curiosity and disdain. To them, I was just a stranger in extravagant clothes.
I didn't care. I needed to assimilate the danger of this new world.
I turned my head toward the alley. The three thugs were waiting. Emilia would appear at any moment after her insignia.
"To be their pillar, I need to transcend my current limits. I need to accumulate Essence."
[New Mission: The Invisible Protector]- Objective: Secure Felt's insignia. Protect Emilia from any harm.- Reward: 50 Essence Points. Unlock: Authority Shop.
"I understand."
My reflection in the fountain showed a sharp-eyed young man. Subaru Natsuki.
A survivor who knew the price of weakness.
I stood up.
I walked toward the first problem that needed a solution. Knowledge was my greatest advantage, and I planned to squeeze it for all it was worth.