The scent of grass filled his lungs. The wind brushed gently across his face, carrying the fragrance of wildflowers.
Riku opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the dazzling sunlight. Above him stretched a sky bluer than any hospital ceiling or game screen he had ever seen.
"…Am I… alive?" His voice trembled.
He sat up, pressing a hand to his chest. His frail body was gone—no IV tubes, no bone-deep weakness. Instead, he found himself dressed in simple traveler's clothes, a wooden sword strapped to his waist. His arms felt strong, his breathing steady. It felt unreal.
"This… this isn't the hospital."
As if responding to his words, a glowing screen appeared before his eyes:
[Welcome, Traveler. May your journey be blessed.]
Riku blinked. "A… system window?"
It was exactly like the games he used to play during his sleepless nights. His lips curved into a weak smile. So I really… got isekai'd.
But the joy quickly dimmed.
In every story he had read, the main character was chosen, blessed, destined. But Riku knew he wasn't special. Not in real life. Probably not here either.
"Let's not get carried away," he muttered, gripping the wooden sword. "I'm probably the weakest one here."
He took a deep breath and began walking. The path stretched ahead into a forest, birds chirping overhead.
For a while, he simply enjoyed the sensation of walking without pain. His legs carried him lightly, and for the first time in years, he didn't feel chained down.
But the peaceful moment shattered when he heard it—
"Help! Someone, please!"
A desperate cry, feminine, echoing through the trees.
Riku froze. His heart pounded. In games, this was the kind of event where the hero rushes in. But he wasn't a hero. He wasn't strong.
Still… his body moved before his mind could argue. He sprinted toward the voice.
Branches whipped against him as he burst into a clearing. There, he saw a girl—her long silver hair glimmering in the sunlight, her pointed ears twitching with fear. An elf.
She was cornered by a beast twice her size, its black fur bristling, jaws dripping with saliva.
The elf raised a staff, trembling. "Stay back—!"
The monster lunged.
Riku didn't think. He leapt forward, swinging his wooden sword with all his strength. Thwack!
To his shock, the blade didn't splinter. Instead, the monster was sent flying across the clearing, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack. It collapsed instantly, unmoving.
Riku stood frozen, staring at his hands. "Wha… what? I didn't even swing that hard…"
The elf girl lowered her staff, wide-eyed. She took a hesitant step toward him.
"You… you defeated it?" Her voice was soft, disbelieving.
Riku scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Uh… I think I just got lucky. I'm not really strong."
The girl blinked at him, her cheeks faintly pink. "Lucky? That was a Direfang. Even trained adventurers avoid them… and you… with a wooden sword…"
She looked at him as if he were some legendary hero.
Riku quickly waved his hands. "N-no, really! I'm weak. I'm just trying my best."
But the girl shook her head, smiling gently now. "You saved me. Weak or strong… it doesn't matter. Thank you."
Her silver hair swayed as she bowed slightly. "My name is Aria Larethian. I owe you my life."
Riku's chest tightened at those words. Nobody had ever looked at him like that before—with gratitude, with warmth.
"…I'm Riku," he said softly.
The girl's smile deepened. And in that moment, surrounded by sunlight and forest air, Riku felt something stir inside him—a feeling he had long buried.
Maybe… just maybe… this world could give him the family, the love, the normal life he had always wished for.
But little did he know—this was only the beginning