Awakening in a New World

As the magic activates, I experience a moment of weightlessness. It felt as if I was stretching and compressing in every direction all at once.

After a few moments, I feel the ground below my feet.

Upon solid ground again, I mutter, "Damn, that was trippy as hell," and slowly open my squinted eyes, immediately shielding them from the intense sunlight.

A sudden collision interrupts my thoughts. "Watch where you stand, idiot!" a gruff voice scolds.

"Woah! What the-?" I open my eyes to find a wall in front of my face.

I slowly look up and see the face of a scarred lizard.

"Seriously…?" I mutter, gazing in disbelief at the 3-meter tall angry lizard-man.

'I knew it was another world, but seeing it like this…' I gulp.

"Hah? Tch, watch where you're standing, pretty boy! You'll get hurt!" he warns, placing his large clawed hand on my shoulder.

'Bro, his hand is the size of my whole head!' I gulp once again.

"S-sorry, man! I got distracted!" I blurt out.

"No worries! Just be careful! Live strong, brother!" he says with a thumbs-up, walking away.

'He was surprisingly gentle…' I sigh in relief.

I look around and find myself in the middle of a busy intersection with a huge fountain behind me.

"This is wild…" I mutter, spotting a variety of fantastical beings.

"Is that a rabbit girl? Wait, does that dude have horns? That guy has a shark for a head!" My heart races as I take in the vibrant scene.

I step out of the pedestrian's way and stand near the fountain. "Seeing is believing, huh? I'm really in another world! A whole new world!" I exclaim with excitement, raising my arms.

"What's this?" I notice a plastic bag in my hand.

'A plastic bag? This doesn't look like something that would exist in a medieval setting…'

I open it and find a cup of instant ramen and a bag of potato corn-flavored potato chips.

'What kind of adventurer starter kit is this…' I joke internally.

"Come to think of it, I have clothes on too…"

I look down at the cheap, athletic-themed outfit I was wearing. It was a black and white tracksuit with orange stripes running through the sides. The pants match the tracksuit too with the orange stripes running through the black fabric. I also have black sneakers with orange laces and soles.

Zipping down the tracksuit, I find a simple black shirt.

"Wait, these are the clothes of the guy I transmigrated into!" I realize.

The moment I come to that conclusion, a painful headache assaults me.

"Ahhh…fuck…" I bite my lip to suppress the pain as memories flood in.

Memories I don't recognize start to flood into my head as I crouch on the ground with my head in my hands.

"Natsuki… Subaru… These memories," I mumble, wiping sweat from my forehead with my sleeve.

Natsuki Subaru, an average guy you'd encounter anywhere. Optimistic and laid-back, he didn't take anything seriously and just went with the flow. Crushed by the expectations of those around him, he withdrew into his room and became a shut-in.

Withdrawal from school.

Withdrawal from social activities.

Withdrawal even from his own parents.

The textbook definition of a loser…

"…" Silence envelops me as I stare at the ground.

'We… are not so different, huh?' A sad smile plays on my lips.

"Natsuki Subaru…" I mumble his name once again.

'Ah, the Goddess said he went through severe mental trauma that destroyed his mind. She had to reset the world because it almost got annihilated or something. That means the timeline has reset. Natsuki Subaru was already summoned here in the previous timeline…' I deduce.

"I feel kind of bad for him… thrust into another world with nothing to your name… What kind of life did he live, I wonder? At least the Goddess gave me a path to strength; he got nothing…" I murmur with a sad smile.

'So this is what it feels like to have parents, huh?' I contemplate as I scroll through the various memories in my head.

A slightly envious smile appears on my face.

"At least I got to experience what it was like…"

'Thank you, Natsuki Subaru. I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life.'

I rise from the ground, wiping away the slight tears in my eyes.

"I have to live my life to the fullest this time! I won't let anyone take it from me again…" I declare, my eyes narrowing with determination.

I notice some people giving me weird looks, but I ignore them and continue walking down the busy street.

I observed the medieval buildings and architecture. The ground seemed to be stone-paved and well-maintained too.

'Woah, look at that carriage. They use monsters to pull carriages instead of horses. It kinda looks like a Velociraptor.' I looked in awe.

"Come to think of it, that Goddess gave me something at the end. It was a skill or something?" I remember as I stroll down the sidewalk.

'Status!'

[Status Page]

[Name: ???]

[Level: 0]

[Age: 16]

[Attributes]

- Strength: F+

- Agility: F

- Intelligence: F+

- Vitality: F-

- Willpower: D

[Skills]

- Fatestrider Gaze - Lv. 1

[Authorities]

- ???

[Titles]

- Monster Groper

"Okay, that was a lot to take in at once…" I say with a wry smile as I deftly avoid bumping into a massive, loin-headed woman.

'I have stats. I don't know if they're good or not. What's this new section about Authorities? I didn't see that back at the Nexus. The question marks are freaking me out. That cursed title too…Ah! That's the skill she gave me! Can I view what it does or something…?' Just as I ponder that, a translucent golden display materializes before me.

[Skill : Fatestrider Gaze]

[Rarity : Legendary (Limited)]

This skill grants the ability to peer into the intricate tapestry of fate, unraveling the ethereal threads that bind individuals, destinies, and the very fabric of existence. The possessor of this skill gains profound insight into the flow of destiny, discerning the subtle interplay of fate's threads that shape the past, present, and future. A limiter has been placed on this skill.

"Legendary? I don't get what the skill does at all. Why is it so vague? A limiter has been placed on it too for some reason. Is it because I'm too weak? Damn it, too many questions! Alright, Let's test it out!"

I go to the side of the road and activate the skill.

'Fatestrider Gaze!'

My eyes shine with a multicolored glow as the world immediately goes black. Anything and anyone has a white outline that makes them stand out from the dark background—but that's not the thing that catches my attention.

'It's so pretty…'

Threads. Thin ethereal threads connect everything together. Threads of all kinds.

Threads that denote family.

Threads that denote love.

Threads that denote hostility.

Threads of all kinds…

There is one thread that stands out…

The threads around me, or more importantly, my left hand…

I raise my arm to my face and examine the beautiful golden thread branching off from my hand to God knows where.

A stinging headache assaults me as I turn off my ability.

"Fuck, why am I getting headaches all day!" I hold my head in pain.

I start to feel tired, as if I have run a marathon.

[ Low Mana ]

'So that's why…' I shake my head and resume walking down the street.

"Oh yeah, my attributes."

'Status!'

[Attributes]

- Strength: F+

- Agility: F

- Intelligence: F+

- Vitality: F-

- Willpower: D

'I can make specific categories appear, huh? That makes it convenient.'

"Why is my Willpower so high? It seems like I'm pretty balanced across the board…" I mumble.

As I ponder my stats, I catch my reflection in a puddle on the ground.

"Oh yeah, I forgot I changed my appearance."

I observe my face in the reflection and fix my silky white hair a bit. My bright golden eyes make me look innocent for some reason.

"Damn, I look hot. Even a clueless guy like me knows that…"I flash a satisfied smile.

'I think the Goddess may have overdone it a bit with the face…' I wryly smile.

'First things first, I need info. I don't know my left from right in this world. I need some kind of foundation…' Observing the different people, I realize, 'Come to think of it, I don't see many humans… the majority are demi-humans of one kind or another.'

'There's so much variety; is that a cow woman? Her tits are huge!' I stare at a woman and bump into someone ahead of me.

"Watch where you're going, boy!"

"Yeah, sorry, man." I nod, noticing his weapons and armor.

"Tch!" He clicks his tongue and walks away.

'So, armed people can walk around with no one batting an eye huh?' I look around and see people carrying unconcealed weapons.

'That means it's a dangerous world… I need some kind of weapon too…' But first, I need some money.