Adrian Hale, 19 years old, a university student at Ashford University in the city of Havient.
An orphan, he lives with his younger sister, Alicia Hale, who is still 17, and his Aunt, Maya Hale, who has raised them since childhood.
His older brother, Erickson Hale, is a Rank-S hunter and rarely comes home because he's busy.
In the darkness, waves of memories kept attacking me relentlessly.
Then I felt water splashing on my face. I frowned and opened my eyes to find a silver-haired man sprinkling his drinking water on my face. In my memory, this man was named Azrael, a Rank-D Hunter.
"Stop that, Azrael." I called the man's name unconsciously, but the command didn't stop Azrael.
"Stop that!" My voice rose but was hoarse.
"Oh, you're awake?" Azrael chuckled and said, "How are you feeling?"
I answered his question by sitting up, indicating I was fine—what I felt right now was an extremely sore neck.
'Where am I?' My current location was no longer the crystal-filled cave, but a small hill with a large tree. It seemed Azrael was the one who brought me here because there was no one else here besides him.
'Is this healing magic?' Beneath me, there were also glowing green roots, and I was sure these weren't the tree's roots.
Setting that aside, I saw a settlement with tall buildings not far from here, and when I shifted my gaze, I saw a huge wall about 50 meters high.
Seeing that wall made me even more certain that I had truly entered the world of my novel because it was an icon of my novel. That wall was probably built about 120 years ago to protect humanity from strong monsters outside. The area within this wall is called a Safe Zone.
And outside this wall, there should be other Safe Zones. However, people inside this Safe Zone don't know that, and those outside are the same. Everyone in the Safe Zones thinks only they survived the Great Cataclysm. Well, the distance is miles away anyway.
"Adrian, you're awake?" A woman's soft voice came from behind me.
Turning, I saw a fair-skinned woman with whitish-blonde hair. She wore a cream-colored sorcerer's robe, which made her look soft and elegant.
From the information in my memory, that woman was named Sierra, and she was also the owner of this healing root magic.
Unexpectedly, the woman crouched down and looked at me. "Is there still any pain?"
I tried to stay calm and answered, "N-none."
"Are you sure? Your neck was quite badly scratched earlier." She then touched my cheek to look at the wound on my neck.
But I didn't immediately believe her. I stared at her face, trying to find any hidden intent. Instead, what I got was my own face heating up because she was too close, and she also seemed genuinely worried.
"S-see? There's nothing, right?" I slightly pulled my body back.
She nodded, and then from behind Sierra, Aaron and Emily appeared, carrying a small sack containing crystals probably obtained from the dungeon.
"You're awake?" Aaron sat leaning against the tree.
Meanwhile, Emily, standing farther away, was cleaning her dusty robe, and in a split second, she gave me a sharp look.
"What's this? Why is there a red hand-shaped mark on your face?" It turned out Sierra was still watching me closely.
"Oh, this…" How do I say this was a slap from Emily when she's right here?
Suddenly, Aaron burst out laughing and said, "That… You know? Adrian seemed to have lost his memory and gone crazy in the dungeon. He was screaming loudly, saying 'I know I'm weird'... So Emily slapped him hard, and he snapped out of it afterwards. I actually wanted to laugh when I was there…"
Azrael beside him chuckled, infected by Aaron's laughter.
"Yeah, sorry, it was because the situation was really urgent. He could have attracted monsters. I actually didn't want to do it," Emily said.
"Is that true?" Sierra said.
I nodded and answered, "Yes, earlier… But it's a-alright now." For some reason, I was embarrassed by my previous behavior!
"It's already evening, time for us to go home." Azrael stood up from his sitting position while lifting the sack of crystals. "Wow… we were really lucky to find a dungeon with crystals."
"Really?" Aaron responded in a joking tone. "Well, since you and Sierra were just strolling in the dungeon, I think your share should be reduced."
"Idiot, what do you mean just strolling? I was also looking for you guys. You guys are really careless, not even knowing there was a hole." Azrael also responded jokingly. Then he looked at me and said:
"Well, since Adrian just ran out of mana, it seems we can't enter a dungeon for a week."
Everyone nodded.
Suddenly, I remembered myself in the dungeon—going crazy from being too happy and forgetting I was only Rank-D. Yeah, this is my punishment—unable to use magic for a week, and if I force it, my immune system will weaken, and worst of all, I could have a heart attack!
'Uh, that's terrifying. I really shouldn't take the limitations I created lightly just because I'm the author—I've already felt the consequences myself.'
But thinking about it, it seems it wasn't just because I was too excited, but also because of my own knowledge as the author. I swear when I used the fireball larger than my body—I didn't actually intend that; it just appeared that big.
My knowledge about magic in this world seemed to make my mana leak because this body couldn't contain it.
'Well, it's okay not to be able to use magic for now. I also want to adapt to this world first.'
'I'm curious about where Lucas's city is. My current city is Havient, right? I don't remember ever creating this city in my novel…'
'Hmm, does that mean I'm in a city far from him?' For some reason, this thought made me relieved. 'Good, it would be dangerous for a self-aware being to be near him because even a slight movement from me could change hundreds of chapters of plot ahead, even if I just chatted with Lucas—that would cause a Butterfly Effect.'
"Adrian, Sierra, you two go home. Azrael and I will sell these, and your share will be sent to you," Aaron said, then turned to leave with Azrael. Emily followed them from behind.
"Yes, be careful," I answered with a wide and sincere smile. Only for this world, I might try to trust someone.
'Alright, I've decided. I'll live my life here as Adrian Hale. Well, I also don't need to think about the people on Earth; after all, will they care if I disappear? No, of course not.' Even though I said it in my heart, I felt a tightness in my chest and hurriedly diverted my thoughts.
'Oh right, don't I have a younger sister here? Alicia Hale… Whoa, I've always wanted a younger sister.'
Well, I actually still can't believe that I entered my own novel in my own younger body, even having a more decent life.
So, is this a parallel version of myself from the novel's world?
Considering it a coincidence is very difficult because I never once wrote a character with my name living a harmonious life.
Hmm…
"What are you waiting for?" Sierra's voice, who turned out was still beside me, slightly startled me.
"W-why haven't you gone home?"
"Why? You just ran out of mana—it would be dangerous for you to walk home alone. You could faint." Sierra shrugged.
'Ah, alright.' She was right. My body felt very heavy now, even when I tried to stand. "Let's go home."
We walked side by side, leaving our original location.
Then we arrived in Havient City, not far from here. I was amazed because there were many buildings and structures around, and cars driving peacefully on asphalt roads as if no disaster had ever occurred.
I also saw a Gates in front of a building, with hunters preparing in front of it. Well, even though humans have built walls, the threat from Gates remains because they appear randomly.
However, there is something more dangerous than Gates: Rifts. Cracks that appear in the ground, opening paths for demons from the Underworld. But fortunately, they are very rare, and even if they appear, only low-level demons come out.
Throughout the journey, I felt something strange. I mean, this city is very technologically advanced even though it's right next to the wall. Yeah, in my novel, there are also advanced cities, but they are in the center of the Safe Zone, not on the outskirts.
'Hmm, maybe it exists, and I just don't know…' I dismissed the strangeness I felt and concluded that this city could exist even though I didn't write it. Like how this world created me and, of course, Sierra—existing without me writing them.
Oh, after walking with Sierra, I think she's not like the typical flat side characters in novels. She really is like a human with her complexities; sometimes she smiles at me and talks about her past in school…
After a long journey that probably took almost an hour, I finally arrived in front of the housing complex in Olstree District.
I turned to look at Sierra and said, "Thank you for accompanying me… Uh, can you walk home alone? I can accompany you if—"
"I can walk alone, thank you," Sierra said with a smile on her face that, for some reason, warmed my heart. She then continued, "Alright, I'll go now. I have some business to take care of. And promise me you won't push yourself."
Her words confused me. What exactly is our relationship? Finally, I said, "Of course, be careful on your way."
She then left and disappeared into the crowd.
Then the security guard of the housing complex greeted me as I entered; I just responded with a thin smile.
I was momentarily amazed by the houses here. The houses here were very harmonious, all white with the same model, triangular roofs on both sides and one conical roof in the middle right above the door. Their gardens were also spacious enough to play in.
I was now in front of house No. 7, which should be my house.
–Knock! –Knock! –Knock!
Then I heard shuffling footsteps from inside. After that, the doorknob turned, and the door opened slowly, revealing a girl…