Volume 1 - Chapter 2: The Old man who reset his level

Chapter 2: The Old man who reset his level (1/2)

In a forest far from the village, a man could be seen riding a horse-like creature at a speed impossible for horses. The creature’s species was known as Raptors. Raptors were faster and stronger than average horses as well as more useful in combat than trained horses. They were useful creatures that can be found in dungeons and were often tamed by adventurers due to the massive advantages that they provided.

In their current situation, if a person were to determine their destination, that person would merely assume the adventurer to be travelling into the wilderness blindly seeking adventure. That person would never guess that the travelling adventurer destination was a room which could perform the impossible.

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It appeared in my mind again… The hidden room.

Why can’t I stop thinking about the room? Why do I continue to believe in a fairy tale?

A room capable of resetting a person’s level.

I just can’t imagine such a convenient room existing in this world.

If it did exist, why wasn’t it discovered long ago? Such a room would had been famous worldwide in the blink of an eye.

If it was impossible for such a room to exist, why am I still trying to aim for the dungeon that appeared in my head?

Sigh I must look like an idiot. I know that it is impossible and yet, I still want to go to that dungeon to confirm it for myself. I never realized it but I really am bad at giving up huh. Probably the worst in the whole world.

I probably realized it a long time ago.. That if I had given up my dream of becoming the strongest, I would had fell into depression a long time ago.

Subconsciously, I knew that even if I did obtain a power beyond my status, even with all the training I have done.. No. Even if I did have a normal status, I would not have been able to clear the Tower of Trials, and continued running from it without giving up.

It feels like I have been waiting all this time, waiting for something.

At this moment, something appeared in the distance and the heat in my chest started to radiate even further.

For the sake of resetting my level, I continued to ride towards the entrance of the dungeon that has to contain the level reset room.

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In this world, dungeons weren’t considered a national threat, but rather a form of resource. If the monsters within were defeated, they would drop items which could be used or sold for money. There were also monsters that could be tamed as well as treasure chests containing rare items. These monsters and chests would re-spawn once every week, thus dungeons were a resource that provided endless amounts of materials and treasures. Seeking this valuable resource, towns and villages were often built near dungeons. Time to time, monsters would escape from the dungeons and wreck havoc inside the towns and villages, however people were still willing to take the risk as the dungeons had provided more benefits than the risks provided.

Dungeons located away from human civilization were called Wild Dungeons.

These dungeons were often considered more dangerous than normal dungeons for various reasons. For domesticated dungeons, adventurers frequently enter in hopes of hunting valuable materials or discovering treasure chests. This causes the number of monsters in the dungeon to be regulated every week as adventurers continue to hunt for their income. However this wasn’t the case for wild dungeons. Wild dungeons were dungeons that were uncontrolled. As there are rarely adventurers entering these dungeons, the dungeons are filled with monsters and it would be impossible to ask for help once caught in a dire situation.

If the secret room existed, this is likely the reason why it was never noticed.

The dungeon I arrived in appears to be a Wild Dungeon.

[It seems that this dungeon is a cave-type.] (Yuuya)

Cave dungeons were one of the most disliked dungeons among adventurers due to their low visibility and low efficiency. They are one of the dungeons that requires utmost diligence from any adventurers who aim to conquer them as adventurers are required to carry a light source with them, thus hindering their combat prowess. In addition, many monsters that dwell in cave dungeons typically hide in the shadows to attack unsuspecting adventurers from their blind spots or incapacitate them. With such a high difficulty rate, many adventurers often neglect cave-type dungeons as their rewards was not worth the effort that was required to conquer the dungeon.

[If only I had a magic flare with me.] (Yuuya)

I muttered unknowingly as I took out my magic torch and held it in my left hand. Magic torches were torches which illuminated the surroundings whereas Magic Flares were capable of serving as a similar light source while repelling monsters.

Magic flares were especially effective for cave explorations as it was a light source that did not attract monsters, but rather dissuade them from approaching as monsters disliked the light it emitted.

I continued my exploration of the dungeon holding a short sword in my right hand rather than my usual two-handed long sword as my left hand was currently holding the torch. Being unable to hold my trusted sword made me feel extremely uneasy as I wouldn’t be able to perform at my 100%. I tightened my grip onto the short sword as I resolved myself to enter the cave.

Just as I was feeling comfortable walking inside the cave, I felt a sudden chill rush down my spine. Following my instinct, I jumped to the right and turned to my original position as I regained my footing, catching something launch itself onto my previous location. It was a Tyrant Snake, a large snake the size of an adult’s neck which produced a paralytic poison on its fang. It was also capable of moving soundlessly and managed to enter my blind spot before launching its attack. If it was successful then I would had easily been paralyzed and slowly suffocated as the snake wrapped itself around my neck. However, I am a trained swordsman who was capable of unconsciously detecting presences entering my range, a skill which only the best swordsmen possessed.

Taking advantage of the recoil from its rush, I dropped the torch onto the ground as I ran over, grabbing the snake’s head with an eagle’s grip and forcing it onto the ground with my iron boot, immobilizing its head as it’s body thrashed around trying to break free. However, before that happened I swung down my short sword onto its neck severing its head from its body as it’s body turned into blue particles. Judging from the experience points from the battle, the dungeon seemed to be around level 20 to level 30 as I picked up my torch, continuing deeper into the dungeon.

Chapter 2: The Old man who reset his level (2/2)

It has been four hours since I started exploring the dungeon.

I could feel my fatigue accumulating as I ventured deeper into the cave. My body started to feel sluggish and my mind started to shut down as I look at the unchanging scenery around me.

Whenever a person’s field of vision was limited, battling becomes much more difficult as they unconsciously become more attentive to their surroundings. In this case, not just my field of vision, with my battle capabilities hindered due to the torch, I was in an uncomfortable situation where I suffered multiple handicaps whereas the monsters which dwelled in this area have the advantage as their battle capabilities weren’t hindered. Not to mention that the monsters would not require light to maneuver in combat and skills such as paralysis. Entering such a dungeon alone would be suicide.

To make matters worse, this torch also served as a moving beacon, luring every monster in the vicinity to my location. It was as if I was serving myself to them on a silver platter. I knew this the moment I entered the cave, and my instincts were screaming at me not to lower my guard. This pressure pushed my mind into hyper drive and consumed my stamina much faster than usual. However, thanks to this pressure, I have survived thus far and I have finally arrived at the third floor of the dungeon.

[This place looks exactly the same as the image back then] (Yuuya)

If my memory is correct, the hidden room that contains the level reset function should be somewhere in this area.

As I investigated the area, I found a pure white stone monument standing in a corner. According to the image, this monument should be the entrance to the hidden room.

I walked to the side of the monument and leaned my body weight onto the monument to push it, revealing a secret door hidden in the wall. For some reason, I knew that it was a door that was sealed using magic, and that it required specific conditions before a person could open the door.

I placed my hand on the door.

*RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE*

The sealed door started to rumble and opened itself, revealing a secret room.

Just how did I know, that I needed to be level 50 to open this door?

In the first place, it was impossible for anyone to discover this place, much less figure out how to open this door.

For an adventurer to coincidentally discover this dungeon, decide to enter the dungeon despite its difficulty and inefficiency compared to normal dungeons. After spending their energy and stamina travelling in the dungeon for over four hours, push aside a white monument that could possibly be a trap, revealing a door that can only be opened by a person who was level 50. There were too many variables and even if the person was blessed with the best luck, it was still unreasonable to expect a level 50 adventurer to enter a dungeon filled with monsters leveled 30 at best.

The person would need to know about the hidden room to actually find it.

Thinking about it calmly, it was even more unreasonable.

In the first place, resetting their levels was every adventurers’ dream. If they had obtained unsatisfactory statuses like I did, they would had chosen to reset and start all over. If anyone knew about the level reset function, news about it would had spread all around the world. Which means that if it was still unknown, then the conditions was impossible to be discovered by mere coincidence.

[Could this really happen…??] (Yuuya)

As I wondered to myself, I entered the hidden room. My heartbeats became harder and louder, and my expectation was growing more and more.

[What the hell is this room?] (Yuuya)

I turned off my torch as the room was illuminated by a magic stone called Photonic Crystal.

At the back of the room, there was a statue of a goddess made by chalk. It was the very same statue that appeared in my mind. The vision I saw turned out to be reality, I did find the room that contained the level reset function. However, I did not know what to do.

[How do I activate the level reset function.] (Yuuya)

I was clueless and afraid. I knew that this place existed and what it could do, but I did not know how to activate its function. When I thought that I might not be able to reset my level despite discovering this place, I couldn’t stop shivering in fear.

[Wait a minute, what’s that?] (Yuuya)

As I looked around the room, I noticed a large transparent crystal at the side of the room.

[A girl with animal ears… and a tail?] (Yuuya)

The crystal contained a girl around the age of 14. Her eyes were closed and she had beautiful reddish golden hair with animal ears and a tail. If they were dog ears, she would be a dog-kin, however it was obvious that her ears and tail was much larger than a dog-kin.

For some reason, I felt myself being drawn to the crystal as I extended my hand and placed it on the surface of the crystal. As if I knew what would happen, I quickly extended both my hands. The crystal shattered as my hand touched the surface and I grabbed the girl in a princess carry. Any normal adventurer would never do this. It was a risk to expect the girl not to be a monster, especially when the person was alone. However, I knew that she wasn’t.

[Are you alright?] (Yuuya)

As I carried the girl, she started to open her eyes. She sloppily turned her eyes and looked at me.

[I…Was…..Waiting…Forever…] (Girl)

[What do you mean by that?] (Youya)

[It’s time to remember. The memory of your distant past.] (Girl)

The girl extended her hands, placing them on the back of my neck. She pulled my face towards hers, and I felt my lips connect with hers. After kissing me, the girl went back to sleep, and I laid her on the ground.

Information started flowing into my brain like an open dam. Information that felt like memories. A huge influx of memories starting swirling into my brain. Memories about a man, born into a country called Japan. He grew up and became a typical salary man. It was a normal life where the man worked everyday without any trouble, but he would not be successful in life. No matter how much he tried, his achievements would never be his. Other people would present the results he produced and gain the achievement. Even so he continued trying his best. That man felt strangely familiar, as if he was close to him. As if it was him himself.

[What the hell is this?? What is going on?? This isn’t me. That CANT be me.] (Youya)

No.. It definitely is me, but yet it isn’t. That isn’t me.

[It’s my previous life…] (Yuuya)

As I came to that conclusion, the memory about the man, spending all his leisure time into playing a game flowed into my brain. A game that looked exactly the same as this world.. My world.

[If that was truly my previous life, then according to the memory, I know how to activate the level reset function] (Yuuya)

I took one of the light crystals that was set onto the walls of the room, and placed it into the necklace of the goddess’s chest. The light crystal fit perfectly into the necklace and starts to emit a soft light.

[Welcome, adventurer with power. Congratulations on your journey thus far. I am an artifact created with the goal of making adventurers stronger by sacrificing their levels. Are you willing to give up the levels you have built up thus far, in exchange for becoming stronger?] (Goddess statue)

According to the memories, this statue allows a person to reset their level, in turn sacrificing all the experience gained. My journey had been a painful one. I had no choice but to stick with my weak status, fighting battles with a handicap. I wish to restart and be reborn, and be rewarded for all my hard work.

[I do.] (Yuuya)

[The ritual has been accepted. Adventurer Yuuya. From now on, your level will be reset back to level one, and you will be reborn.] (Goddess Statue)

The soft light starts to illuminate even further, becoming harsher and hotter. The light started to overflow from the necklace and envelop my body. My body started heating up, as if I was being disintegrated. After a brief moment, the light starts to dissipate.

I was reborn.

[You have been reborn. You are now level one and every skill you have attained up to this point has been lost.] (Goddess Statue)

A status card was displayed from the statue.

My status had reset back to how it was at level 1, and I was no longer a “Warrior” class. I was released from the miserable status that gave me the worst stats ever possible.

[Exactly the same as my memory…] (Yuuya)

In addition, I received a 10 point bonus for each stat and 20 skill points. Normally an average person’s stats increased by 2 points and gained one skill point per level. This meant that I had a 5 level and 20 level bonus respectively.

[With this, I will be able to aim for the top. To be the strongest again.] (Yuuya)

I walked to the fountain in the middle of the room, and looked my reflection.

I saw the same 36 years old middle-aged face.

However, this time it looked full of vitality, as if it was a young adult who had the face of an old man.

[I am convinced now. That the reincarnation was real.] (Yuuya)

Apparently I was reincarnated into a world similar to the game that I had played, and lived without any memories of my past life. It was a blessing in disguise. If I had my memories right from the beginning, I wouldn’t had been able to adapt to this world. It would had been impossible to fight monsters and endure the rice in this world.

[Looks like I have finished my first round in this world.] (Yuuya)

Normally it would be a disaster to have your level reset back to one as an adventurer. It would be impossible to accomplish anything and death would come before you even hit level 50 again. Normally.

With my accumulated experience as an adventurer from round one, and my knowledge accumulated from my previous life. If they are used together, nothing is impossible. I will be able to become much stronger.

It is about time I was rewarded for my efforts.

There are many things I want to do, but for some reason, I know that I absolutely must not abandon this girl.

[I wasn’t planning to anyway] (Yuuya)

I placed a mantle over the girl’s body.

This was the start of my second round in another world.