Isekai was one of the most overused genres where he lived. Someone would suddenly be thrown into another world, gifted a system or an overpowered skill, and pushed into a grand narrative where they either saved the world or destroyed it.
Over time, the genre itself split into countless subgenres. Some were reincarnated into another body, others possessed characters from novels or games, sometimes as the main character, sometimes as a disposable extra.
There were even cases where the host never realized the world was fictional at all.
Gideon didn't know which category he belonged to, and he didn't have the luxury to panic either.
If anything, he felt… happy.
If this really was an isekai scenario, then he must have received something good. Something that makes him special than the rest.
More importantly, he could feel it immediately. His body felt light, his breathing steady even after walking across the desert.
His feet were not swollen. His head did not throb. There was no sudden wave of exhaustion that made him feel like he was about to die.
He was healthy.
That realization alone made his chest feel strangely full. A second life, a real one, after spending his first life trapped inside a body that constantly betrayed him. The sense of freedom was intoxicating.
Without thinking too much, Gideon spoke.
"Status."
The blue screen appeared again, this time shifting into something more familiar, resembling a game interface.
[Name: Gideon Beckett]
[Age: 23]
[Level: 1]
[Attributes (boosted by passive skill)]
[Charisma: 40 | Strength: 30 | Endurance: 40 | Speed: 30 | Defense: 20]
[Passive & Active Skills]
[Distress Harem Radar (MAX)]
Automatically activates when a woman in distress is nearby. Boosts STR and END and sharpens the host's senses.
[Safe Zone]
Unavailable. Requirement: Plant the Seed of Aaru.
[Infinite Shop]
Uses Love Coins obtained through intimacy with harem members, or Ruby Stones obtained by killing mutated monsters.
[Harem Members: None]
—
Gideon's eyes widened as he stared at the screen, his mouth slowly falling open when he reached the Infinite Shop description.
"Having sex and being lovey-dovey for currency?" he muttered. "That's insane."
And killing monsters?
He didn't even have a blatantly overpowered combat skill. It was not like this world was kind enough to hand those out freely either, judging from what Freya had told him that human kind were still human with no superpower.
"Fuck," he groaned. "I'd die on my first day."
By then, he was already walking across the desert again, following Freya as she led him toward her so-called home.
They moved further down, away from the ruined city but into lower ground nearby, where the terrain dipped naturally.
She explained along the way that she had gone to hunt mutated monsters in the ruins, only to get into trouble instead.
"If it wasn't for you," she said with a grin, glancing back at him, "I wouldn't have survived. So you won't die on your first day."
Gideon smiles back at her. 'What a brave woman.' He thought.
Normally, it would be really traumatizing experience, she was almost raped. But Freya tried to be strong even when her hands sometimes trembled.
Though, he couldn't touch her to calm her down. It would make her even more scared. So he ended up giving her a distance but kept watching for potential dangers.
Gideon had told her that he lost all his memories. She accepted it without much hesitation.
In fact, the more basic questions he asked, the more confused she became, clearly wondering how someone like him had survived this long in the open desert of Deliric territory.
Still, she said nothing more and simply kept walking.
It turned out this world had met its apocalypse ten years ago, triggered by an asteroid that struck the earth. Not because of the impact itself, but because of what the asteroid carried inside.
At its core was something called the IX Genome, a substance capable of merging animals and plants into entirely new lifeforms. At first, humanity tried to weaponize it. Those creations were later named Aberrants.
But something went wrong.
The IX Genome mutated into a virus instead, spreading across the world with terrifying speed.
Entire ecosystems collapsed as the planet's habitat was rewritten, turning fertile land barren and dry until deserts like this one swallowed everything.
Ironically, it became the perfect hunting ground for the Aberrants. They no longer needed water to survive.
They lived on blood and human flesh.
"That's such a fucked up thing to happen," Gideon muttered.
"I know," Freya replied quietly. "My mother said my sister and I were lucky to survive. We were still children when it happened."
There was sadness in her eyes as she spoke. Gideon reached out and tapped her shoulder, trying to lighten the mood, though he made sure to keep his distance.
She smelled bad, but he understood why. In a world like this, water was probably more valuable than gold.
'I wonder if the system shop sells water,' he thought, making a mental note to check later.
"Still," he said aloud, "if water's that rare, how did you survive this long?"
"Most Aberrants grow flowers or fruits," Freya said brightly. "They hide water inside them. That's how we drink!"
Her eyes sparkled as she continued. "Some of it is even sweet and cold. You'd love it!"
"Yeah," Gideon replied with an awkward laugh. "Of course I would."
He did not say anything else. Knowing what Aberrants fed on, he could already guess where that water came from.
"Some areas still have natural water sources too," Freya added, her tone dropping. "But they're dangerous. The stronger Aberrants gather there. Some of them are smart enough to know humans will show up eventually."
Gideon swallowed. Mutated animals that could think, hunt, and possibly coordinate like any animal would be, but smarter. If they learned strategy and adapting, any encounter could turn into a massacre.
"All right, we're here!" Freya suddenly announced.
Gideon blinked and looked around. He saw nothing but sand and a massive boulder sitting alone in the middle of nowhere.
Before he could ask, Freya crouched down and brushed away the sand at its base, revealing a metal hatch hidden beneath. She knocked on it three times.
"Pinacolada!"
A muffled voice answered from below. "You can come in, Freya."
She opened the hatch, revealing a stairway descending straight underground.
"This is an old government bunker," she said casually as she climbed down. "It was huge when we first found it. Full of canned food and water."
She shrugged. "Not anymore, though."
Gideon followed her inside and pulled the hatch closed above them, sealing the desert away.