Loner In A Fantasy World

I am Karl Perton. I am just your average student, I go to school and go home after school. I don't really have a lot of friends since I always lock myself in my room after getting back from school. My parents are not really bothered by what I always do because I always have a passing grade and for them, that is enough.

Instead of hanging out with my friends, I spend my time playing games and reading mangas. There has been a lot of instances where my mother wants me to socialize with kids my age, but I find that troublesome. I contented with what I am right now. I don't rely on other people's company to bring me joy. For me, I am my own company and that is more than enough for me.

Then one day, something happened that changed my life. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I am appreciating the sun warming up my body after that long winter when all of a sudden, I saw an old lady getting nabbed by a thief, from the looks of it, the thief grabbed a hold of the old lady's purse.

I instinctively hid myself to a nearby tree. It was the first thing that came to my mind, and before I knew it, I was already holding out my phone to call the cops. The one thing that I noticed immediately is that there are no other people in that specific place aside from us. No other students like me nor adults going to their work. It is as if the whole city was purposely avoiding this place.

Without thinking too much about it, I dialed to call the police and while I stayed there waiting for them to arrive, I had the dumbest idea.

"Now that I think about it, the thief looks really thin. Its like he had been starved for a few days. I can easily help the old lady." I looked at my build, and I am sure enough that I can overpower the thief with a few nudges.

I smiled at my adversary, it is the first time that I am going out of my way from my comfort zone. As a person that has no social life, this is a huge and crucial step for me.

I put my bag away with my phone and start to approach the thief after mustering all the confidence that I have. I have reached legendary rank on COMD with just a few days of started playing, this is going to be a piece of cake.

All that effort and confidence were for naught, I got stabbed on the chest without even having been able to do anything.

"I should have stayed in my comfort zone. Karl, you bastard. Why did you have to play the hero when you are just a mob character? I should just leave and went to school. My accounts, what will happen to them- it's getting warmer. Next time, if I get born again. I swear I won't be as stupid as I am today."

I closed my eyes after telling myself those kinds of things in my dying breath. All of a sudden, I felt my soul leave my body. It felt so strange and uncomfortable at the same time that it is hard to explain. Time seemed to have stopped, and so I looked around and there are still no police.

I floated to the nearest street that is bustling with people, and there I saw it. The reason why there were no people besides us in that place. It turns out, that specific place will be under construction soon, so the people are told to vacate that part of the city. I did not notice the sign since I was busy basking in the sun and I had my earphones on. People might have called out to me not to take that route to school.

It was a dumb mistake for me. A very dumb and careless mistake. I suddenly felt sleepy, since I am already out, my body had definitely died. The only strange thing is that there is no pain nor anger towards the one that had killed me. It is as if I found peace.

There is light. A bright light is shining down on me while I feel like I am being raised up in the sky, I feel so cold yet so warm, these strange feelings urged me to try and stretch my hands toward the light.

"Eh? What the heck is this? Baby hands?" I contemplate for a moment if I was dreaming or not, but then I saw a face of a woman I have never met in my entire life. Now that I can see a bit clearly, I am inside a house with a few people gathering around me as if this is some kind of ritual or something.

"Yura has blessed you with a beautiful healthy boy. What will you name him?"

All I could do was watch them as they all look at me and some of them even grovel on the ground at my presence. I feel so uncomfortable and creeped out at the same time but as a baby, all I can do is cry.

"His name will be Zed. Exactly 500 years have passed after the hero, Zed has saved our world from the Dark Lord. My son will be the commemoration for his valiant effort for saving humanity."

The woman that named me, I assume that she is my mother like what? Nobody names someone if they are not their children right? Anyways, that is how it went on.

I spent the next few years trying to understand the custom about this world and to my shock, I got reincarnated, to a fantastical world that only exists in books and fantasies of authors who write novels.

Karl who is now named Zed did everything he can to learn about the current world he is living in, their language is simple for him to understand that after only two years, he is able to mutter the words that even five-year-old kids are not aware of.

He is praised for is advanced growth unlike his peers.

Five years later,

"Zed! Zed! Zed! Are you listening!?" Corn, Zed's childhood friend called out to him as he sleeps at the branches of a tree while enjoying the breeze.

"What? Don't tell me that there is trouble at the stable again. I told you to do the usual thing that I do and there will be no problem." Zed answered lazily as if he just woke up from a nap.

"Uncle Yshfa is calling for you. I don't know what is his deal, but he seems really pissed. I think you should go while he is still nice. I don't want to be caught in your fights again."

Corn then left after saying that. Zed felt the urgency in his words, and so he climbs down to visit the man that was looking for him.

"I wonder what kind of needless thing it is again. Dealing with grown-ups are such a drag."

Right after arriving at the place of the man who is looking for him, Zed can already hear his angry voice bursting out of the house.

"Looks like he is busy and lively at the same time." Zed said to himself and smiles. The man noticed him and walks up to him directly. All the other kids taking care of the stable are so afraid that they immediately left his line of sight.

"What do you think will happen to Zed?"

"You know mister Yshfa, he gets angry at the smallest of things. This is not new unless you yourself are new to this place."

All of them went silent as Zed continues to look at the man straight in the eyes as if he doesn't fear him at all. On the other hand, the other kids are terrified on what is about to happen, Mister Yshfa raised his hand and some covered their eyes thinking that their boss will slap Zed or something but to their surprise, nothing of the sort happened.

"Where the hell did you go? Can't you just sleep in the shed next door? Why did you have get someone to fetch you? Anyways, the thing that you told me about is on point. I made a lot of money from that, so I was thinking if you can count it for me. You know I am bad at math."

The stable is engulfed in silence as the other kids are speechless on what they have witnessed.

"Counting again? Didn't I already teach you about it? This is why I don't want to sleep in that shed not to mention the stink coming from horses. Forget sleeping, I might not even get the chance to take a few minutes of nap." He retorted but went along with their boss to do what he is asked to do.

"It is just as you said, the cotton will be in demand. All that borrowing money has paid of. Even after paying all the debt I used to buy all those cottons, I still have two times the amount that I borrowed. Zed, you really are a genius! Do you know that?"

After living in this world for almost six years, I have noticed that common folk like me are not so well off in education. Most of them cannot read, write, and only a few can count. After the hero that I was named after defeats the Dark Lord, nothing much changed in the life of common people. The royalties on the other hand have spread their influence all around the world.

"How far to the next town?!"

"It is still a few days away your highness. If we stop now, we will get caught by those bastards. We just need to make do and treat his highness, the prince with anything we can right now rather than risk both of your safety."

A princess turned to the window and saw the people pursuing them shooting out arrows that struck her brother on the shoulder earlier and was poisoned.

"Oh, great goddess, Yura. Please grant us your protection." She prayed as she grasps her necklace tightly.