Unknown ####
The swords were still pointing at Reno's neck.
They were shiny.
Very shiny.
Not like those cheap cosplay swords he once held at a Japanese culture festival back in campus.These ones looked like they had a kill count.
A cold wind passed.
Reno swallowed.
"…Okay. I get it. This is the phase where I wake up from the dream."
He slapped his own cheek.
PLAK.
Pain.
Real pain.
All the women immediately stepped back half a step.
"He… attacked himself?!"
"Is He Crazy or Dumb?.. "
Reno panicked.
"HUH, WHY AM I STILL DREAMING!!"
A knight who looked like the senior among them stepped forward.Her silver armor was thicker. Her expression was sharper. Her aura screamed middle management but with swords.
"Male. Answer. From which queendom do you originate?"
Reno blinked.
"…Queendom…? you mean kingdom?.. oh im from the Republic of Indonesia. "
Silence.
The knights exchanged looks.
"I have never heard of such a place."
"Perhaps a barbarian region beyond our maps."
Reno immediately got offended.
"HEY. INDONESIA ITS NOT A DENSE JUNGLE, OKAY?! WE HAVE TOURISM!"
Suddenly glowing text appeared in the air.
[Passive Skill Activated: Lucky Bastard Lv.1]
Effect: Chance of surviving impossible situations increased by 0.01%
Reno read it.
"…Are you kidding me?"
The senior knight raised her sword high.
"Enough. Execution."
The blade descended.
Fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
Reno shut his eyes by instinct.
KRIIING.
A strange metallic sound echoed.
Everyone froze.
Reno slowly opened one eye.
The sword had stopped right above his head.
Because…
A yellow construction helmet was stuck between the blade and his skull.
A construction helmet.
The same one he saw inside the water tunnel earlier.
"…Huh?"
The senior knight was also confused.
"What is this… a defensive relic?"
Reno looked even more confused.
"That's a construction worker helmet, dude…"
System text appeared again.
[Lucky Bastard Triggered] You have avoided death thanks to a random interdimensional object.
Reno wanted to just sit down and uninstall life.
"…Okay. So now my survival depends on loot boxes."
Before anyone could react further, a loud trumpet sound echoed from afar.
TOOOOOOOT.
All knights immediately straightened like soldiers in a historical drama.
"The Queen's guard approaches!"
Massive castle gates slowly opened.
From within emerged a formation of elite women clad in gold armor and flowing capes.
At the center walked a tall woman with silver-white hair.
Her golden eyes shone like polished coins.
She wore a white tiara that looked carved from ice.
Her presence alone made Reno instinctively fix his wrinkled t-shirt.
She stopped.
Her gaze landed on him.
Curious.
Cold.
"Who is this man?" she asked.
The senior knight immediately knelt.
"Your Majesty, Queen Aleana. This creature appeared from forbidden white smoke… and nearly killed himself."
Reno protested instantly.
"HEY, YOURE SAYING THAT AS IF IM SOME KIND OF LUNATIC !"
Queen Aleana stared at him.
For a long time.
A very long time.
Reno felt like his CV was being scanned by a cosmic HR department.
Then suddenly—
GROOOOOK.
His stomach growled.
Loud.
Echoing.
Even birds perched on the castle tower flew away in panic.
Dead silence followed.
Reno lowered his head in shame.
"…Sorry. I haven't eaten."
The knights began whispering.
"This creature… produces warning sounds from within."
"Perhaps a pre-attack ritual."
Queen Aleana raised her hand.
Instant silence.
"Take him to the royal banquet hall."
Everyone was shocked.
"Your Majesty?!"
"If he wished to attack… he would not be hungry."
Reno nearly cried.
"…FINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME."
Minutes Later
Reno sat at a long table filled with food he had never even seen in anime cooking reviews.
Giant roasted meat.
Glossy bread.
Soup that literally glowed.
He stared at it.
Then asked quietly.
"…Is this self-pay or kingdom package?"
The servants looked confused.
Reno didn't wait.
He began eating.
Five seconds later the table was empty.
Servants trembled.
"His face… resembles a monster…"
Reno let out a small burp.
"Man Am i That ugly..?, no wonder im still a virgin till today.. huh?.."
Glowing system text appeared again.
[Stamina Full] [Confidence +1]
Something inside Reno shifted.
It wasn't bravery.
More like… the dangerous confidence of a man who had just eaten after two days of emotional suffering.
Suddenly—
BRAK!!
The kitchen door exploded inward.
A gigantic black wolf monster entered.
Red eyes.
Long fangs.
Shadow leaking from its body.
The knights panicked.
"Shadow Fenrir?! Since when did it infiltrate the castle?!"
Reno froze.
"…Bro I literally just ate…"
The monster leaped toward him.
System text flashed at insane speed.
[Lucky Bastard Overdrive]
The kitchen ceiling cracked.
A small dimensional portal opened.
And then—
A water gallon fell.
DUK.
Direct hit.
The monster collapsed instantly.
Knocked out in one attack.
Total silence.
Reno stared at the gallon.
The same gallon.
"…My gallon?"
Now it had a new sticker:
"Thank you for using our service. Please leave a 5-star rating ~ Chronos Delivery."
"So YOU were behind this, you scam god…"
He muttered internally.
Queen Aleana stood.
Her eyes sparkled.
"Man… earlier… was that ancient magic?"
Reno looked at her.
"I Think youre seeing things.."
" Im not dumb you fool.. " Says her Majesty with rage.
Final system text appeared.
[New Quest: Survive] Difficulty: Extremely Unreasonable
Reno took a deep breath.
He looked at the gallon.
At the unconscious monster.
At the knights who now seemed… hesitant.
Then at Queen Aleana.
She walked toward him.
Her cape swept across the stone floor elegantly.
Her authority made Reno stand straighter… even though his shirt still had instant noodle stains.
"Man."
Her voice was calm.
Absolute.
"You have just defeated Shadow Fenrir using a dimensional relic… in front of the entire royal army."
Silence.
All eyes were on Reno.
He wanted to disappear.
He wiped his mouth and slowly stood up.
The knights immediately tensed.
Hands went to sword hilts.
Reno raised both hands casually.
"Okay okay… everyone relax. Let's not rush into murder right after lunch, alright?"
Silence.
He glanced around the grand hall.
Armed women.
Royal banners.
A Good Looking Queen.
A magical glowing water gallon.
More Importantly, There is no man that act as it supposed to be, in here they really seems to be more feminine than the girls.
"…Yeah. This is definitely not Malang anymore."
Then looked straight at Queen Aleana.
"By the way… why are all your knights women?Why isn't there a single guy doing this job? Isn't that… kinda weird?"
The hall froze.
Utterly froze.
Even the servants stopped breathing.
One knight slowly turned her head toward another.
"…Did he just question the natural order?"
Another whispered back.
"He must be insane."
Queen Aleana did not react immediately.
She studied him.
Carefully.
As if deciding whether he was stupid…
Or dangerously ignorant.
Finally she spoke.
"In this world… men are not warriors."
Her voice was calm.
Absolute.
"They are protected. Sheltered. Guided."
Reno blinked.
"…Wait."
He pointed at himself.
"So you're telling me… I'm technically the princess here?"
A servant dropped a plate somewhere in the distance.
CLANG.
Several knights looked like they had just taken psychic damage.
Queen Aleana narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You misunderstand."
She walked down from the raised platform.
Each step echoed across the marble floor.
"In this world… strength belongs to women.Leadership belongs to women.War… belongs to women."
She stopped right in front of him.
Close enough that Reno could see faint silver patterns in her golden irises.
"Men bring life.Women protect it."
Reno processed this like a buffering video.
"…So basically…"
He crossed his arms.
"This is just a reverse world, like in the anime."
" Ani-what? "
No one understood the reference.
But they all hated how confident he sounded.
Reno continued.
"And what happens to men who… don't want to be protected?"
A ripple moved through the knights.
Queen Aleana answered without hesitation.
"They fail."
Not cruel.
Not mocking.
Just factual.
"They are not trained to survive the outside world."
Reno slowly turned his head.
Looked at the unconscious Shadow Fenrir.
Looked at the glowing gallon.
Looked at the terrified yet respectful faces around him.
"…Yeah… about that. this is kind of akward as hell isnt it?.."
At that exact moment—
TING.
System text appeared again.
[Title Effect Granted: Royal Emergency Asset]
Nearby personnel now perceive you as either extremely dangerous or extremely valuable.
No middle ground.
Reno read it.
"Huh..?" He said it with a deadpan eyes.
A young knight suddenly stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Royal Asset… please forgive our earlier hostility."
Another followed.
Then another.
Like dominoes.
Soon half the hall was bowing.
Reno panicked.
"WAIT, THIS ISN'T NECESSARY.. "
Queen Aleana raised a hand.
They stopped instantly.
She looked at him again.
This time… not as a threat.
Not as a curiosity.
But as a variable.
"Man from the Republic of Indonesia."
She spoke his homeland title with perfect seriousness.
"You defeated a calamity beast with an unknown relic."
Reno opened his mouth.
"That was a water gallon—"
"You survived dimensional displacement."
"Still the gallon—"
"You questioned our world without fear."
"…Okay that one's fair."
She turned away slightly.
Her long silver hair swayed like moonlight.
"For now… you will remain under royal supervision."
Reno's survival instinct screamed.
"That sounds like prison with better catering."
Queen Aleana ignored that too.
"You will be given quarters."
"Shared or private?"
"Private."
"…Oh wow this kingdom is already better than my previous life, but man such a shame i cant be with you tonight my queen. Just kidding.."
Says the man who wants to sleep together with the Queen, and the man is still a virgin in his whole life.
Some knights looked deeply offended.
Others looked confused.
One secretly nodded.
Queen Aleana stopped at the doorway, she's blushing a bit.
" I pretend that i did not hear that young man. youre too young for me.."
" Wait did i hear that correctly? she isn't refusing too isn't she?.. " Reno says it in his mind.
Without turning back, she spoke one final time.
"Ehem, If you truly possess such luck…"
Her golden eyes glanced over her shoulder.
"Then perhaps fate itself has delivered you here."
Reno muttered quietly.
"Yeah… express shipping too."
The glowing gallon suddenly vibrated beside him.
BRRRR.
New system notification appeared.
[Quest Updated: Survive → Survive Politely]
Reno stared at the queen, The Queen then ask.
"What is your name young man? "
"Reno Raditya, my Queen.. "
She smiled faintly, and then she welcome him.
"Welcome to the Queendom of Sylvaris, Reno Raditya.. I Hope you and i could get along.. "
Far above the castle towers…
The purple sky flickered faintly.
As if reality itself had just bookmarked his existence.
And somewhere… beyond time…
In the shadows of ancient stone pillars, far from the commotion of Reno nearly choking on his roast beef, a woman in a gray robe stood motionless. She wasn't wearing transparent silk like the other male servants, nor was she holding a fan.
Her hands, clad in old leather gloves, held a small notebook whose pages appeared to be made from dried monster hide.
The woman smiled faintly. It wasn't a smile of warmth, only the satisfaction of a collector who had just discovered a rare find.
"The man's transfer... finally complete," she murmured. Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against old wood. "Although his method was a bit unorthodox. A water tunnel? What a crude sense of humor the universe has. But I suppose it doesn't matter... as long as he sticks to the script, it's a win-win for me."
She turned the page. There, a sketch of Reno's face—complete with his panicked expression—was displayed beneath ancient writing that read: [The Variable].
The mysterious merchant stepped out of the shadows, staring up at the night sky, dotted with stars of a color not found in Malang. Two crescent moons, one silver and one violet, hung low.
"This will be so much fun..." She chuckled softly, a sound lost in the night breeze. "Welcome to the world of women, Reno Raditya."
She closed her book with a soft thud.
"This world has been static in its fragile beauty for too long. We need something rough, something irregular... we need a wild boar in a porcelain flower garden."
Suddenly, the shadows beneath the merchant's feet moved, as if they had a life of their own.
"But be careful, Reno," she whispered to the empty air. "In a world where men are considered vases, don't be surprised if they decide to break you the moment you no longer look beautiful on the table."
Her figure slowly faded, blending into the darkness just as the bells of the royal tower tolled once.