Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia Town.
A gentle early-spring breeze carried the scent of rain-soaked earth as sunlight filtered through the leaves and spilled across a park bench.
"So I really crossed over…"
Sitting on the bench, Roland stared up at the sky, clear as if freshly washed, and let out a complicated sigh.
A few minutes ago, he'd been lying in his dorm scrolling on his phone. Then he blinked—and suddenly found himself in this unfamiliar park.
Not only that—
He also noticed his height seemed… no, his age had gone down—he looked about fourteen or fifteen.
Still, if something as outrageous as transmigration could happen, a change to his body was nothing he couldn't accept in comparison.
Looking on the bright side, he'd live a few more years.
"Anyway, I should figure out where I am first."
Steadying himself, Roland carefully observed his surroundings.
The afternoon park already bustled with people—affectionate couples, rowdy kids, strolling elders—on the surface, no different from parks he knew.
But the distinctive outfits on passersby and the rainbow of hair colors, worn as naturally as anything, all proved he had, indeed, crossed into another world.
Snatches of distant chatter drifted to his ears, but he couldn't understand a word, which only made him more dejected.
In webnovels and anime, don't transmigrators come with a language patch or some kind of system? So why didn't he?
What kind of nightmare start is this!?
[Daily Quest System loaded!]
Just as Roland was spacing out at the stone-and-timber houses across the river—buildings with a medieval vibe—a sudden voice echoed in his head.
A… system?
Before he could react, the voice sounded again.
[This system refreshes quests every day at 6:00 a.m. Complete them to receive curious rewards from various worlds and unlock your character panel.]
[Today's quests have refreshed:]
[Quest 1: New Arrival!]
[Description: Welcome to this brand-new world! To ensure the host can live safely and complete future quests, please claim your gift.]
[Reward: Welcome Gift (randomly obtain three abilities/items)]
So… a starter pack?
Staring at the translucent interface hovering before him, Roland's eyes gradually lit up.
"Claim quest reward."
He tried voicing it inwardly.
In the next moment, a deep-red gift box tied with a pink ribbon appeared out of thin air in his hands.
The box wasn't very large, and since he sat in a corner of the park, it didn't attract any attention.
[Open the gift box?]
"Open."
A translucent prompt floated from the box. Roland didn't hesitate and gave the order.
At once, the pink ribbon untied itself, three differently colored lights flashed by, and the system's voice rang out again.
[Ability acquired: Love's Tear-Mole (from the world of "Fate/Zero")]
[Ability Intro: A beauty mark bestowed by the love god upon Diarmuid O'Dyna. It charms the opposite sex—any woman who meets its bearer's gaze will feel powerful love.]
"If I remember right… this ability is basically the culprit behind Diarmuid's tragedy, isn't it?"
Seeing the first ability, Roland's expression turned a bit strange.
It's not that it's useless—if anything, it's too useful.
In a way, it's not far off from a succubus's charm.
[Item acquired: Translation Jelly (Honyaku Konnyaku) (from the world of "Doraemon")]
[Item Intro: A block-shaped jelly. Eat it to communicate seamlessly with speakers of other languages; also works on written text.]
[Character Template acquired: Sin of Pride—Escanor (from the world of "The Seven Deadly Sins")]
[Template Intro: You possess Taiyō no Onkei (Sun's Grace). Your power and personality grow stronger and more arrogant as the sun rises, peaking at noon; as the sun sets, your strength likewise wanes.]
[Note: After fusion, the template will be adapted to fit the host's physique in a reasonable manner!]
Roland, who had been delighted by the Translation Jelly, froze completely at the character template.
The lively noise of the park faded into a droning white hiss. Even his breathing paused, leaving only the quickening beat of his heart.
He drew a deep breath. After a long moment, he came back to himself, eyes shining brighter and brighter.
Isn't this… invincible from the start?
The template had a downside—usable only by day, personality growing arrogant, and at night becoming self-effacing.
But compared to power so overwhelming it might as well be invincible, those side effects were negligible.
[Claim the rewards now?]
"Claim all!"
As the words fell, a small black tear-mole appeared at the corner of Roland's left eye. The red gift box in his hands dissolved into light and vanished, replaced by a gray square of jelly.
The most obvious change was in his body: muscles under his black shirt looked chiseled, magic surged like molten sunlight—and a strength fierce enough to crush anything roared within.
"So this is… the power of the sun?" Roland murmured, feeling the riotous magic inside.
It was nearly evening, yet his power still felt this strong.
He didn't dare imagine how it would swell at high noon.
However—
"Why hasn't my build changed?"
Sensing the changes, Roland frowned in puzzlement.
He remembered this power affecting one's physique—growing more robust from dawn, towering near noon, even up to an exaggerated three meters, only returning to normal at night.
But now, near sunset, both personality and physique should've shifted notably—yet he felt nothing of the sort.
[This character template has been adapted. Physique will not change; effects on personality will vary by individual.]
"I see. How… considerate!"
Roland couldn't help praising it.
After a moment getting used to this vast strength, he remembered the Translation Jelly still in his hand.
The jelly, jiggly like a square of dessert, was on its way to his mouth when tiny raindrops spattered onto it.
"Rain?"
He instinctively looked up. The blue sky had, at some point, filled with dark clouds. Needle-fine rain poured down, bursting into sprays across the ground.
It began as a misting drizzle, but soon thickened until even the view not far away turned blurry.
Yet every drop that drifted near Roland evaporated in a puff of steam under his rising magic.
He wasn't getting wet, but the sudden downpour still made him frown.
While the sun was up, he could stave it off with magic.
But after sunset?
Was he supposed to sleep under a bridge…?
He'd just solved language and power, only to get stuck on finding a place to sleep.
He sighed.
"Um… are you okay? In this weather, it's better to head home first, you know?"
A girl's voice sounded beside him.
Clear and pleasant, tentative yet warm.
"Hm?"
Roland blinked, then turned toward a blue-haired girl standing by his side, one hand holding an umbrella, the other hugging a book.
Petite and undeniably cute, she wore a deep-green ribbon over short sky-blue hair. A pale yellow off-shoulder dress made her look lively and sunny.
"If I could, I'd go home too."
He gave a helpless little complaint, then smiled at the girl. "But thank you for the concern."
"Ah, n-no… it's nothing."
The girl's eyes widened as she took in the boy's refined features and the tear-mole at his eye, her heartbeat quickening on its own.
What a… strange feeling?
"Do you—need any help?"
She should have been heading back to the guild dorm. But after a brief hesitation, she couldn't help asking.
"Help?"
Seeing the soft flush on her cheeks, Roland understood at once.
Love's Tear-Mole is really something.
He did feel guilty about "deceiving" a kind girl who wanted to help, but compared to sleeping under a bridge tonight—
——
"Ehh! Your money got swindled away while traveling…? How could anyone be that awful!?"
After hearing Roland's "tragic" story, the blue-haired girl puffed up in righteous indignation.
"Yeah. So I don't even know where I'm sleeping tonight. In this weather… probably under a bridge."
"Um…" The girl glanced at the curtain of rain and blurted, "If it really comes to that—you can stay at my place for the night?"
Wait—what am I even saying!?
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized something was off. Heat flooded her face and she hid behind her book, cheeks burning.
"Would that be okay? I am a guy…"
Roland pretended to hesitate.
"It's fine… you look younger than me, anyway…" She peeked at him and muttered softly, "At your age you're more of a boy than a man, right?"
"In that case—I'll trouble you."
Smiling, Roland reached out a hand. "I'm Roland. A traveler from far away. Nice to meet you."
"Y-yes, I'm Levy… Levy McGarden."
(End of Chapter)
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