"Zephyrus, there you are. Have you finished preparing to go to the academy?"
"Huh? Village Chief?"
When I suddenly turned around at being addressed, there was another familiar face.
It was the village chief from the Nameless Starting Village in the early part of Dungeon Job Hunting Recommendation.
By the way, Zephyrus is my character name.
It was the name I'd continuously used in Dungeon Job Hunting Recommendation, commonly called Dan-katsu, and apparently the me inside the game world is also named Zephyrus.
Ah, so this really does seem to be inside the world of Dan-katsu, I confirmed to myself.
"What are you spacing out for? Pull yourself together. Zephyrus, you're 16 this year. We talked about this just yesterday, how you need to go to the academy and get yourself a good job."
I don't know anything about that conversation.
I had just awakened moments ago.
Was this a takeover reincarnation like in light novels? I wondered, but there wasn't a shred of memory from the original owner of this body I supposedly took over.
Sorry I don't remember, Village Chief.
"Don't tell me you've already forgotten? You bird-brain."
I didn't forget. I just have no recollection of being told.
"No, Village Chief, isn't it possible that you think you told me but actually forgot to..."
"As if, you fool! Fine, I'll tell you one more time."
"Ah, no need."
"Wha... what?"
When I cut him off since it seemed like he was about to launch into a long explanation, the village chief froze with an amusing expression on his face.
Yeah, let me calm down for a bit.
I want to process this situation.
Up until now, confusion had been winning out, but talking with the village chief settled my jumbled head, and I remembered that this scene felt somewhat familiar.
It was from the early part of the game. Or rather, the very first conversation, an exchange between the village chief and the protagonist that was almost identical to this.
For now, I should focus on getting through this scene.
I'll respond by recalling the protagonist's lines from the early game.
"I've already packed my things, so all that's left is to make my rounds and say goodbye."
"So you did remember after all. Good then. Make sure you properly greet everyone in the village who's looked after you."
The village chief, veins bulging, said that and walked away with heavy footsteps.
Seeing him off, I finally understood what situation I was truly in.
That just now was the conversation that triggers the greeting quest in Dan-katsu.
In the game, there's a rule that when you turn 16, you enter an academy to obtain a job and to master how to use it. And the conversation just now was the start of the farewell quest when leaving the village.
In other words, I've probably become the protagonist who just turned 16.
The moment I understood that, my heart thumped loudly.
Wait, such a delicious opportunity exists?
Because it's the game world, right?
A reincarnation, right?
And it's the world of Dan-katsu that I played so obsessively that my life accumulated dust, right?
Starting Dan-katsu in real life from the very beginning...
"This is absolutely the BEST!"
My heart exploded.
"Thank you, life! Thank you, reincarnation! Thank you, Dan-katsu!"
I went mad with gratitude.
I shouted with joy.
I raised both hands and cheered banzai three times, spinning around and dancing.
Even when the villagers looked at me like I'd taken some seriously bad drugs, I didn't care at all.
That's how happy I was, the happiest in my entire life.
Who cares if my save data was erased? Even that trivial matter was blown clean out of my head.
"Hell yeaaah!"
Playing Dan-katsu in real life.
That had been my dream.
"Hah, hah, hah..."
I'm honestly exhausted.
How many hours had I been celebrating? When I came to, I was lying spread-eagle on the ground.
I wanted to tremble with joy a bit longer, but apparently my stamina couldn't keep up.
As I caught my breath, I gradually regained my composure.
What a waste.
Well, it's not like I actually want to go crazy, so I guess it's fine.
This is no time to be losing my mind when I'm about to fully enjoy real Dan-katsu.
"Alright. Now then, what should I do from here?"
I build up momentum and jump up unnecessarily to stand.
Even though I've regained my composure, my excitement is still at maximum.
I find myself humming as I think about my next actions.
"First is the job. Since this is real life now, I can't choose a joke job. That's a bit disappointing. Well then, should I go with the strongest build for the first time in a while?"
Dan-katsu is, as the name suggests, a dungeon attack game.
You get a job, scout various companions, form parties and guilds together, and challenge dungeons. A fantasy game.
And Dan-katsu's biggest selling point is, without question, its massive number of jobs.
That number: 1,021 jobs.
An absurd amount.
The fact that they published six volumes of strategy guides just for job details has already become legendary.
Incidentally, I bought them all.
No wonder it takes so much time to master the game.
From among such diverse jobs, I must choose just one to enjoy real Dan-katsu.
I've run simulations countless times in my imagination.
Even while thinking it could never happen, I wondered what job I would choose if I could play real Dan-katsu.
And after triple-digit simulations, I had decided on one job.
"Alright. Time to go clear the job requirements then."
I set off with excitement.
While imagining the future of my real Dan-katsu experience.
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