The storm howled like a restless beast.
Wind tore through the night at reckless speed, bending trees until they trembled in quiet surrender. Rain tapped sharply against windows, a chaotic rhythm that wrapped the small town in unease.
Inside a modest house at the town's center, a very different battle was underway.
"You should eat dinner, Lucian."
Yukie's voice carried a soft exhaustion as she stood near the living room entrance, arms loosely folded, eyes half-lidded from fatigue.
Lucian didn't even look up.
"Just after this, Stepmom," he replied, fingers dancing rapidly across the controller. "I'm on the final chapter of this side story."
His grin was wide—borderline obsessive.
Yukie frowned, puffing her cheeks slightly in irritation. Without warning, she stepped forward and snatched the controller right out of his hands, raising it above her head like a trophy.
"You shouldn't stay up this late," she said, her tone sharpening just enough to cut through his focus. "And you have a math test tomorrow. Remember that?"
Lucian shot to his feet immediately.
"Give it back, Stepmom," he said, his voice dropping into seriousness. He reached up, grabbing her wrist, trying to pull it down. "I'm literally at the end."
Yukie resisted, pulling her hand back while using her other hand to push him away by the shoulder.
"You can't keep playing games forever, sweetie," she insisted, though there was hesitation behind her firmness.
They struggled for a brief second—
—and then Lucian let go.
Too suddenly.
The controller slipped from her grasp.
Time slowed.
The plastic body spun once in the air before—
CRACK.
It slammed directly into the screen.
The display shattered in a web of fractures, sparks snapping violently from within.
Silence followed.
Lucian stared, horrified.
"…What did you do, Stepmom?"
Yukie froze, equally stunned, her gaze flickering between the broken screen and Lucian's expression.
"I—I'm sorry," she said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll buy you a new one."
Lucian exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes as he turned away.
"If you'd let me finish, that wouldn't have happened."
He walked toward his room, clearly done with the conversation.
Yukie followed, pouting slightly.
"That's not only my fault, Lucian…"
And then—
A voice.
Cold. Mechanical. Unnatural.
It echoed through the entire house.
"System Activated. Two individuals detected. Initiating teleportation."
They both stopped.
Yukie turned slowly, confusion replacing her irritation.
"…Did you hear that?"
Lucian nodded, his gaze drifting back to the shattered screen.
"…It came from there."
The broken display flickered faintly.
Another voice followed.
"Teleportation Activated. Lucian Kurosawa and Yukie Kurosawa will now be transferred."
Yukie looked down.
Her body—
was fading.
"…What's happening?" she whispered, panic creeping into her voice.
Lucian raised his hand.
It was becoming transparent.
"…Are we dying?"
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then—
they vanished.
Pulled forward at impossible speed, their forms dissolving into streaks of light as they were dragged into the broken screen.
"Teleportation Complete."
Lucian hit the ground hard.
Air rushed from his lungs as he coughed, groaning slightly.
"…Where am I…?"
His vision blurred before slowly clearing—
—and the first thing he saw…
was a horse staring directly at him.
"…What the hell…"
A stable.
The scent of hay, wood, and animals filled the air.
Before he could process it—
a voice echoed inside his mind.
[ System Activated ]
[ Lucian Kurosawa recognized as the user ]
[ Absolute Regeneration Granted ]
[ Infinite Mana Granted ]
[ Absorption Granted ]
[ Appraisal Granted ]
[ Ability Mimicry Granted ]
Lucian winced, clutching his head.
"What are those…?"
He blinked rapidly, disoriented.
Then—
"Lucian!"
Yukie's voice snapped him back.
He turned.
She was sitting up nearby, breathing heavily, eyes wide with worry.
"Are you okay, Stepmom?" he asked, quickly standing.
"I should be asking you that," she replied, crawling closer.
Her robe shifted slightly as she moved, though her focus remained entirely on him. Fear had replaced her earlier scolding tone.
"Do you know where we are?" she asked, scanning the stable.
Lucian hesitated, then walked toward the large wooden gate. He pushed it open slightly and peeked outside.
What he saw made his expression tighten.
People walked along dirt paths.
Some carried swords.
Others wore clothes straight out of a fantasy setting.
Children ran around, laughing, completely normal as if this world made perfect sense.
Yukie stepped behind him.
"What is it?"
Lucian stepped back slowly, one hand rising to his head.
"…Don't tell me…"
He exhaled.
"…we got teleported into an isekai game."
Yukie stared at him, stunned.
"…That's impossible," she said. "How can you so sure about this?"
Lucian glanced at Yukie, then scanned the stable with a calculating gaze.
"If this really is an isekai…" he muttered, already moving. "There should be weapons lying around. That's how these stories usually go."
Without hesitation, he began tossing aside piles of forage, hay scattering across the floor as he searched with growing urgency.
Yukie watched him, her expression soft but troubled.
"…Is there a way to leave this 'isekai story'?" she asked quietly.
Lucian didn't answer immediately.
Then—
A faint glint caught his eye.
He froze.
Slowly, he pushed aside a thicker pile of hay—and revealed a blade.
A sword.
Its metal shimmered faintly even in the dim light.
Lucian's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"…Now that's what I'm talking about."
He picked it up, testing its weight, his grip tightening as a strange sense of confidence settled into him.
Behind him, Yukie's voice came again—more anxious this time.
"Lucian… is there any way to leave this game?"
He glanced at her, then looked down at the sword, running a thumb lightly along its flat edge as he thought.
"…Honestly?" he said.
"I don't think so."
Yukie's eyes widened.
"I've watched a lot of anime… played plenty of games," he continued calmly. "Usually, people don't go back. They get stronger… adapt… and start living in the new world."
Yukie took a small step back, fear creeping into her face.
"You mean… there's no way out?"
Lucian looked up at her—and smiled.
Not recklessly.
But steadily.
"We don't need to panic," he said. "Maybe there is a way. We just don't know it yet."
He rested the sword on his shoulder.
"But right now… we focus on surviving."
His tone hardened slightly.
"Because worlds like these?"
"They're not kind to the weak."
Silence fell between them.
Then—
Yukie flinched suddenly, clutching her head.
"…Ah—!"
Lucian turned immediately.
"What happened?!"
Yukie's eyes trembled as she held her temple.
"There are… words… in my head…"
[ System Activated ]
[ Yukie Kurosawa recognized as the user ]
[ Infinite Material Creation Granted ]
[ Instant Learning Granted ]
[ Advanced Healing Granted ]
[ Instant Analysis Granted ]
"What… are these…?" she whispered, clearly shaken.
Lucian exhaled slowly, his expression calming.
"…Looks like you got it too."
Yukie blinked.
"…Too?"
He nodded.
"The same thing happened to me earlier. Skills, abilities… a system."
He tapped his temple lightly.
"Seems like we're part of something now."
Yukie stared at him, processing.
"So… we have powers?" she asked cautiously. "Does that mean we can do anything?"
Lucian chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Stepmom."
He turned toward the stable gate.
"First, we learn how to use them."
He began walking.
Yukie quickly followed with her eyes.
"Where are you going?"
Lucian pushed the gate open slightly, peeking outside again.
"We need to move," he said calmly. "Find shelter. Something safer."
Yukie hesitated.
Then—
Her cheeks flushed faintly.
"…I can't go out like this, Sweetie."
Lucian paused.
He turned—and for the first time actually looked at her outfit properly.
The black silk robe clung lightly to her form, elegant… but completely out of place in a medieval world.
And definitely attention-grabbing.
Lucian sighed.
"…Yeah. That's going to be a problem."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"We don't exactly have spare clothes… and I don't have a skill for that."
Yukie blinked.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
"Wait…"
Lucian looked at her.
"You mentioned skills," she said slowly. "One of mine was… Infinite Material Creation."
Lucian froze for a second.
Then his expression sharpened.
"…That's not just useful," he said. "That's broken."
Yukie tilted her head.
"It means you can create materials—or objects—from nothing," he explained. "But it probably consumes mana… a lot of it."
Yukie nodded slowly.
"…Let me try."
She closed her eyes.
Focused.
Waited.
…
Nothing happened.
She opened one eye.
"…Why didn't anything appear?"
Her lips puffed in frustration.
"Is this skill useless?"
Lucian immediately shook his head.
"No, you're just doing it wrong."
He stepped closer, his tone more thoughtful now.
"You can't just think 'clothes' and expect it to work. You need to imagine it clearly."
He gestured slightly.
"Design, structure… how it fits… how it looks."
Yukie blinked.
"…So I need to visualize it?"
"Exactly."
She nodded slowly.
Then closed her eyes again.
This time—
She focused deeper.
"…A sorceress dress… with a slit…" she murmured softly.
A moment passed.
Then—
Light flickered faintly in her hands.
And something formed.
Fabric.
Smooth. Elegant.
A complete dress.
Yukie's eyes snapped open.
"…It worked."
Her face lit up instantly.
"It actually worked!"
Lucian stared, genuinely impressed.
"…Okay, that's insane."
Yukie smiled proudly—just for a moment—before grabbing him by the arm and dragging him toward the stable exit.
"Stay here," she said firmly. "Don't peek."
The door shut before he could respond.
Lucian blinked.
"…I wasn't even going to—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because outside—
Voices.
Rough. Unrefined.
His gaze shifted forward.
A group of men walked along the path, weapons hanging loosely at their sides.
Their posture.
Their expressions.
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
"…Bandits."
One of them suddenly stopped.
His gaze locked onto Lucian's sword.
"…That blade…"
The man smirked.
"That's a nice piece. Looks like it belongs to me."
He started walking toward Lucian.
The others followed.
Lucian tightened his grip on the sword.
His expression changed.
Calm.
Focused.
Serious.
"…So it begins," he muttered under his breath.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"This world…"
"…isn't going to go easy on me."