I've transmigrated.
The way I transmigrated had a certain primal beauty.
Gao Hai had just bought instant noodles, ham sausage, and eggs, and was on his way home to reward himself with a grand meal when he heard the jarring sound of a horn behind him. He turned his head just in time to see an out-of-control truck bearing down on him, roaring as if to shout, "It's time to be reborn in another world, kid!" And just like that, he was sent flying, landing on the ground, unable to move. Then the truck caught up a second time, crushing his skull on the spot before he transmigrated.
It probably felt something like a watermelon being smashed by a baseball bat—splattering messily all over the place. To be honest, Gao Hai wasn't entirely sure if he really died that miserably. All he knew was that in the last moment before losing consciousness, he definitely saw a tire enlarging before his eyes and heard the screams of onlookers and the clicking of camera phone flashes.
Alright, let's drop the subject. This isn't some gore forum; there's no need to discuss such R-rated topics.
In any case, after transmigrating and being reborn, he found he had seemingly replaced someone in a family that had immigrated to the island nation. Although his neighbors all had names that sounded very Japanese, the name on this family's health insurance card was still Gao Hai, same as his previous life.
Incidentally, Gao Hai figured it must have been a physical transmigration, not a soul transmigration, because none of his physical details—his height, build, moles—had changed. He was even wearing the same set of clothes, which still bore the marks of a tire and a sticky red-and-white substance. Everything was just as it was.
Speaking of which, this dried red-and-white stain... couldn't be my brains, could it?
After transmigrating, Gao Hai inherited a two-story detached house with a small courtyard. The family's only bank card had an eight-figure balance, and the PIN was conveniently written on a small slip of paper stuck to the side of the card. The cardholder's name was none other than Gao Hai himself.
After rummaging through various documents in the house, Gao Hai guessed he might have crossed over to some kind of parallel world. The original Gao Hai of this world, whom he had replaced, was almost identical to him, with no major differences besides being a bit thinner. And just like in his past life, this Gao Hai's parents had also died early on, placing him squarely in the ranks of Maoke's orphan protagonists.
During his investigation, Gao Hai also discovered that the original Gao Hai of this world actually had a habit of keeping a diary. Although it was mostly a mundane record of daily life, it roughly sketched out the image of a shut-in who had dropped out of school and was living comfortably off his savings, spending his days playing games and watching anime. He was basically a complete recluse, which meant Gao Hai wouldn't have to worry about dealing with any relatives or friends after arriving.
"Seriously, who actually keeps a diary?"
After transmigrating, Gao Hai cautiously investigated the house first to get a general grasp of the situation. Holding the diary left behind by his "other self," he couldn't help but remark on it.
Regardless, it seemed there was no going back now.
"I know I've inexplicably taken over your life, but since it can't be helped and I'm already here, I'll live on in your place from now on."
And speaking of which, his circumstances after transmigrating were almost too perfect. No parents or family, no social circle, plenty of savings, and a house—it was as if everything had been arranged just so.
Could it be that I'm actually a novel's protagonist, destined for some grand purpose?
Gao Hai, who in his past life had been a struggling web novel writer living alone in a rented apartment, couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
"Well, generally speaking, a transmigrated protagonist should get some kind of cheat ability. Let's see... if this is a Maoke protagonist's story, it would probably be a System. A check-in type would be best, of course, since Maoke Systems are usually pretty lame—the kind that are better for warming your bed. So, is there a System? System, are you there? System? Lady System? Mr. System? Hmm, guess not."
He tentatively called out for the System but received no response. He just stood there alone in the room like an idiot, shouting in various poses and tones.
"Alright, so no System. Looks like it's a pure slice-of-life story, at least at the start. That's fine too. All that fighting and killing is boring. A peaceful, ordinary life is the real treasure."
Finally feeling that shouting like this was just stupid, Gao Hai stopped. He cleared his throat and walked to the second-floor game room, which the original Gao Hai had specifically set up. Bypassing the various game consoles placed to one side, he went to the computer by the window and pressed the power button. He then started searching for news and general knowledge about this world to get a clearer picture of his new environment.
Incidentally, although the search results were all in Japanese, Gao Hai could read them without any difficulty and could even speak the language naturally. Not only that, but when he searched for other languages, be it American, French, or Arabic, he could understand the meaning and read them all correctly.
I see. So my cheat ability is being able to speak all the world's languages?
This cheat seems kind of useless...
But for now, there was no need to worry about that. In short, after a thorough investigation, Gao Hai confirmed that this world wasn't drastically different from his previous one. On the whole, it seemed to be a peaceful, everyday world with nothing supernatural.
He found no news reports about man-eating monsters lurking in the shadows. There was no Fuyuki City with its constantly exploding gas pipes, no Umbrella Corporation, no Miskatonic University. The sun wasn't aging rapidly, and nothing was flying in from outside the solar system. Yes, it looked like a completely normal, ordinary world.
Hmm, although it could be the type of world where all sorts of things are active behind the scenes. But generally speaking, it should still be a world where a normal person can live out their life in peace, right?
As he was thinking this, Gao Hai looked up some news from within Japan and saw the five large characters for "Shuchiin Academy."
Shuchiin... isn't that from the world of *Kaguya-sama: Love Is War*? That famous work, a masterpiece of romance in its early stages and a masterpiece of yakisoba in its later stages, also known as "the little giant of romance."
I get it! I've transmigrated into the 2D world!
Gao Hai had to admit he was getting a little excited.
He tried searching for more and quickly found the Shinomiya Group, which basically confirmed this was the world created by that old scoundrel Akasaka. He had to say, although later plot points like the photographer were completely insane, Gao Hai was still pretty thrilled to actually enter a 2D world.
No, I can't be completely sure yet. More investigation is needed.
First, let's check for Toyogasaki Academy and Sobu High School. Hmm, neither exists. Looks like Maoke's hardest-working models, Yukinoshita and Kasumigaoka, aren't in this world. They already have plenty of gigs, so I guess they can skip this one.
Then, hmm... Suimei University of the Arts? It exists. If it has an affiliated high school, does that mean Sakurasou exists too?
And this "Guitar Hero" that's blowing up online... that means Little Bocchi exists in this world too.
So, does this mean I've transmigrated into a crossover anime world? And from the looks of it, a slice-of-life crossover anime world at that?
Gao Hai turned off the computer, sat back in his chair, and fell into deep thought, starting to organize the clues.
First, he, an orphan, had transmigrated to another world and replaced someone almost identical to himself.
He now had a linguistic cheat ability, a small villa, and a large sum of savings, ensuring he wouldn't have to worry about food or shelter. Furthermore, the person he replaced had practically no social circle, minimizing the obstacles he would face living in this world.
And this world was a slice-of-life crossover fanfiction setting, the kind exclusive to Maoke, filled with all sorts of cute anime girls.
Doesn't that mean I'm going to become the protagonist of a 2D harem story?
Although it was a bit of a shame there were no sisters due to Maoke's policies, the story from here on out was bound to be full of otaku-pandering developments, with all kinds of fan service coming his way, right?
Wow, when you put it that way, this new life seems pretty exciting~
As much as he wanted to pretend to be above it all, Gao Hai had to admit he was a man of culture who couldn't help but think of things that would get censored if he wrote them down.
At this moment, he was already imagining himself as the protagonist of a Maoke slice-of-life harem story, wondering what sort of titillating scenarios he would encounter. He even considered the possibility that a crowd of readers was watching him right now, waiting for him to conquer various beautiful girls.
But that was for later. The more pressing matter was to finish investigating the house to be fully prepared.
He had a basic grasp of the family situation and had already searched most of the house, getting a general idea of the layout. However, there was a small shed in the yard that looked like a storage shed he hadn't checked yet. He decided to go take a look.
Then, once he had a clear picture of the house, he would use the computer to look up the layout of the surrounding streets before taking a walk to learn about the neighbors. In short, he wanted to gather all the information he possibly could. For Gao Hai, this was practically instinct. Even in his past life, if he decided to go somewhere, he would always try to investigate the place thoroughly. He'd even look up the cast, voice actors, director, and screenwriter before watching a movie or an anime. Even though he often ended up with a pile of useless information, he still enjoyed doing it.
Sliide—
He slid open the door to the yard and slipped on the shoes placed in front of it.
Already fantasizing about his future, Gao Hai walked into the yard and approached the ordinary-looking shed on one side. He tried the door, found it unlocked, and pulled it open.
The next moment, a cool breeze blew out from the shed, making Gao Hai shiver.
Why is it so cold? The weather out here is still pretty warm.
A little puzzled, Gao Hai took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it inside. He saw that it was just a normal storage shed, containing brooms, shovels, a lawnmower, and some cloth bags filled with seeds. It smelled of dust.
That earlier chill seemed to have been just his imagination.
"Seeds, huh? Was he planning to plant a garden in the yard? Should I call this a classic trope?"
Muttering to himself, Gao Hai stepped into the shed. He then saw, on the innermost part of a shelf, a small black box containing something unknown. A note was stuck to it.
Placed here so deliberately... is it some kind of hidden item?
From the moment he transmigrated until now, after hours of investigation without finding anything supernatural or strange, Gao Hai thought for a moment before reaching out, ready to take the box down and see what it was.
The box seemed to be made of iron, and it felt cool to the touch.
Despite being in a dusty shed, the small box was spotless, even reflecting a faint light, looking as if it were brand new.
Gao Hai looked down at the note on the box. It contained only a single sentence:
[Do not let anyone know where you came from]
What does that mean?
Before Gao Hai could ponder the meaning of the sentence, the box's lid popped open with a soft *click*.
At the same instant, Gao Hai's vision plunged into darkness. He lost consciousness almost immediately.
Then, in that muddled state, he heard a voice.
A voice whose gender and origin were indiscernible, a voice that was chilling to the bone, a voice that seemed to be chuckling right next to his ear.
It said:
[Welcome to the "Sacrificial Game"]
[The level of the game you are about to participate in is: Twilight]
[May you witness the end of all things amidst true fear]
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