Overpowered Reincarnation Perks! - Chapter 1.2

As soon as I realized this, coincidentally, I heard the sound of a beast howling in the distance.

No, rather than a beast, it was more like an unpleasant… unidentified monster cry that might appear in a horror movie.

‘Let’s find a safe zone first. Party recruitment or whatever, if I get attacked while alone, I’ll die without being able to do anything.’

I immediately recalled the place where I had fallen. If this is inside a game, the safest place is predetermined.

It’s the starting point.

‘Let’s go back there first and search the surroundings. There might be beginner items necessary for survival.’

It would be a violation of business ethics if there weren’t even initial items when there’s no tutorial.

I returned to the forest with quick steps.

However, at the place where I first opened my eyes, there was already a visitor.

“…A person?”

It was a large man with hair whiter than snow.

‘Wow.’

To be honest, I had never seen a handsome man in my entire life until now.

Even when looking at idols or actors on TV, or SNS celebrities known for their looks, or international stars hailed as the century’s beauties, I had never once felt they were handsome.

It was more like, “Well, they’re a bit better than average people you see on the street.”

My friends said my standards were too high, and I agreed, so I thought I would never be able to like anyone but 2D characters from games or webtoons, and that I would never experience the thrill of admiring a real person’s looks, which made me feel frustrated.

But this man is truly handsome.

A real person, no. I’m not sure if this is really reality, but it’s the first time I’ve thought someone in 3D, not 2D, was handsome.

Yes. This is how a handsome man should look.

It wasn’t that my standards were high, but that the standards for handsome men in the real world were too low.

The silver-haired handsome man wearing silver armor, despite being quite tall, didn’t look that intimidating thanks to his slender face and fair skin. Rather, he looked sacred, as if he had stepped out of a cathedral mural. The barren mountain suddenly felt as majestic as if it had received God’s blessing.

I felt like kneeling down out of reverence.

“Why are you in a place like this?”

Oh my. Even his voice is good. A 3D handsome man, not 2D, is breathing, speaking, and moving. Hallelujah.

I had to take a deep breath to regain my composure, as that otherworldly beauty was enough to shatter any sense of reality.

When someone speaks to you, you should answer. Huff. It’s impolite to ignore their words while admiring their beauty. Hoo. I should respond. Huff, hoo.

“Um, I don’t know either.”

…That was too much of a flustered response. I quickly added:

“I lost consciousness for a moment, and when I woke up, I was here.”

Let’s not mention what I was doing when I lost consciousness.

I can’t exactly say, “I died saving someone by getting hit by a subway, then a crazy system window appeared, resurrected my body, and sent me here,” can I?

Besides, there’s a high chance they wouldn’t understand terms like subway or system window.

Judging by the armor he’s wearing, the fur cape on his shoulders, and the sword at his waist, I can roughly guess the era.

‘Probably early modern. Or…’

Given that the fur on his cape is clean and fluffy despite wandering in these mountains, it could be a modern fantasy world that just bears the name of the medieval period.

‘There’s no way monsters would appear right at the starting point, so this man is likely to be a companion.’

Common sense would dictate being cautious of a stranger met in a suspicious place, but strangely, I didn’t feel any wariness.

It’s not just because I’m captivated by that unrealistically beautiful appearance. It’s just a feeling I have.

“I don’t know where this is. I looked around, but it was all mountains… Is there no village nearby?”

I doubt there is, but let’s ask anyway. It’s less suspicious to act like a victim who was kidnapped and abandoned in the mountains after losing consciousness than someone who just fell from the sky. It’s better to first appeal as harmless and gain sympathy.

“There’s no way people would be walking around in a place like this.”

Did I look more suspicious? Should I have just acted like an otherworldly saint who fell from the sky?

“I don’t know how you came to be here, but it’s dangerous to wander alone.”

Right. We should go together.

No wonder the party recruitment window appeared, there must have been some text about waiting to form a party with such a handsome man.

‘But how do I form a party?’

Just by thinking about it, the system window appeared again in mid-air. Fortunately, it didn’t cover the handsome man’s face but appeared to the side.

Current waiting members: (1/2)

A party request has arrived. Do you accept?

Of course, I should accept. If I refuse here, I’m guaranteed to starve to death within two days.

Even with only 30 days to live, don’t people want to live out their lifespan to the fullest before dying?

‘Accept! Absolutely accept again!’

As I sent the signal internally, the (1/2) of the waiting members changed to (0/1), and a new window appeared.

[Party Formed!]

The party has been successfully formed!

All mission difficulties have been doubled.

…What nonsense is this?

I formed a party as told, so why is the difficulty increasing? Are you kidding me?

As I glared at the system window, it made a “pyorong” sound and disappeared. Are you trying to provoke me?

But this wasn’t the time to get upset at the vanished system window. Although we had formed a party in the system, I still hadn’t answered the handsome man in front of me.

“Then, would it be alright if I travel with you?”

We’ve already formed a party systemically, but let’s ask for permission out of courtesy.

“Yes. That would be better. Let’s go together until we reach a village.”

“Is there a village nearby?”

“We need to cross two mountains to reach the nearest village.”

From what I saw earlier, these mountains are not just ordinarily big. Do we have to cross two of them?

“If we don’t encounter any magical beasts, we should arrive in about five days.”

It’s a treacherous mountain range that takes five days to cross even without obstacles, and there are even magical beasts.

I wasn’t too surprised to hear about magical beasts, as this game or whatever world it is seemed far from peaceful anyway. I was somewhat prepared when I saw the party window.

“Um, then…”

“My name is Callion.”

Ah. Time for introductions.

Somehow, it’s a fitting name. Is it because his appearance is more unrealistic, like something from game graphics, rather than a Westerner?

“My name is Ju-in.”

Let’s not mention the surname. Judging by genre conventions, someone with such a foreign name would likely struggle with Korean pronunciation and not understand why the surname should come before the given name.

But surprisingly, he pronounced my name accurately.

“Ju-in… A beautiful name.”

That was an unexpected response.

“Lady Ju-in.”

“Ack! Please drop the ‘Lady’!”

Callion probably added the honorific out of respect but given the nature of my name. When called ‘Lady Ju-in’, it just sounds like ‘Master’.

T/n: The character’s name is Ju-in (주인). When the honorific -nim (님) is added, it becomes Ju-in-nim (주인님), which is intended as a respectful way to address her. However, 주인님 (Ju-in-nim) is also the Korean word for “master,” creating an awkward situation where it sounds like she’s being called “master” by a stranger.

“Understood, Ju-in.”

Being called just ‘Ju-in’, without any suffix, is also awkward.

But judging by Callion’s name, people here probably use nicknames but don’t think of adding anything after the name.

If the name is Amy, they’d call her Amy, not Amy-ya.

‘Amy-ya, the soup is too salty…!’

Swallowing the joke that would have earned me a glare if I’d said it out loud, I smiled awkwardly.

T/n: In Korean, adding “-ya” (야) to names is common for informal address, but the character notes this isn’t used in the new world. The joke “Amy-ya, the soup is too salty…!” combines this Korean speech pattern with a mundane complaint, creating a humorous contrast between the fantasy setting and everyday Korean speech. The character finds this mental mismatch amusing but keeps it to herself to avoid confusion.

The form of address is a bit awkward, but I didn’t feel the need to correct it.

I’m past the age where I’d want to correct a stranger for calling my name a bit strangely.

“I’m in your care, Callion.”

Callion quietly lowered his eyes.

His slightly softened expression almost looked like a smile.

He was as quiet as a winter mountain.

His snow-white hair flowed down smoothly without a single tangle, and his clear blue eyes, set in a flawless, fair face, shone as vividly as if life had been breathed into a statue.

Thanks to the firm jaw and masculine neckline visible below his well-shaped lips, he didn’t give off any sense of weakness.

“Beyond there is the habitat of magical beasts. This isn’t their main activity area, but occasionally, beasts that have strayed from their groups wander nearby.”

Callion said he was a magical beast hunter.

His appearance was so holy that I thought he might be some kind of holy knight bearing the name of a god to fight against magical beasts, but he said he was a wanderer without any fixed affiliation.

“What kind of monsters are magical beasts? Are they different from animals?”

Thanks to the groundwork I’d laid about losing my previous memories due to the shock of collapsing, Callion didn’t find it strange that I knew nothing about magical beasts.

I’m not sure if he’s naturally trusting, or if I just look so much like a Lv.1 novice that he judged me as non-threatening.

“They are immortal beings that move using core stones. They usually wander the mountains without eating or sleeping, but when they spot humans, they suddenly change and rush to devour them.”

“…Only humans? Don’t they prey on other animals?”

“Magical beasts don’t reproduce, so they don’t need to eat.”

“If they don’t die from not eating, why do they devour humans?”

Callion seemed to ponder a bit. As if he felt reluctant to convey information he himself didn’t understand.

“They say it’s because they like humans.”

“…”

If they like them, why eat them? Is this that? Like saying you love chicken so much you want to chomp it down? Is that what they mean by ‘like’?

I was dumbfounded, but there was no point in pressing Callion for an explanation he couldn’t provide. I decided to change the subject.

“So, has Callion been living in the mountains all this time?”

“No. After hunting magical beasts, I resupply at nearby villages and then move to other locations.”

Hunting, not extermination. It seems they can’t completely eradicate the magical beasts.

Well, from what I’ve gathered, it appears there’s an abundance of magical beasts, and regardless of how much Callion resembles a divine knight favored by the gods, it would be utterly impossible for him to single-handedly vanquish a million… no, even a hundred thousand magical beasts.

“Don’t the mountain-dwelling magical beasts attack human villages?”

I see, so they’re monsters that can be defeated if we form a party. If ordinary villagers can band together to catch them, they’re probably not boss monsters.

“If possible, I’d like to escort you to the safest ‘castle’…”

Castle?

“But as I’m not allowed to enter the castle, I’m afraid I can’t accompany you inside.”

“Oh, no. That’s fine. Just guiding me to the village is already a huge help.”

It’s a relief that I don’t have to worry about starving to death in the mountains. And I’m less likely to die a violent death from encountering magical beasts.

I chewed on the jerky Callion handed me and drank some water. Callion had a small bag attached to his waist, and despite being only as big as a palm, it seemed to contain not only plenty of preserved food but also tools needed for camping in the mountains and even clothes to change into.

‘Is it like an inventory?’

I wasn’t too surprised, as I had already considered the possibility of this being inside a game since the system window appeared. It’s probably enchanted with some kind of compression magic or something.

“We should find a place to stay before it gets dark. Can you walk?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Although my legs were sore from hiking after so long, it wasn’t the time to complain when magical beasts might appear. I diligently followed Callion. He moved slowly to match my pace, occasionally looking back to check if I was keeping up.

It was visible that he wanted to grab my hand and guide me, but he hesitated and lowered his raised hand.

My pace isn’t particularly slow, but it must seem frustrating to Callion. I can’t become a burden right after forming a party. I took a deep breath and looked around enthusiastically.

“Callion. I see a cave over there, don’t you?”

“Yes. It would be good if we could rest there.”

If we could rest?

“There’s a possibility of magical beasts nearby. We need to check inside.”

Ah. I see.

Callion went ahead to check inside the cave, and after confirming that there was no sign of magical beasts, he signaled that it was safe for me to enter.

The cave was quite spacious and pleasant. It seemed quite deep inside, but as Callion said, it didn’t seem like anything was living there. Actually, I was more worried about snakes or insects than magical beasts, but fortunately, there was no sign of any life form other than humans inside the cave.

Hurray for a bug-free bedroom.

“Hide yourself here, Ju-in.”

“What about you, Callion?”

“I’ll scout the surrounding area. It won’t take long.”

Callion spoke slowly and politely as if trying to reassure me.

For a very brief moment, a feeling of anxiety that he might abandon me flashed through my mind.

But if I was a bother, he would have left me from the start. I decided to trust Callion.

“Okay. I’ll wait here. Please be careful.”

“Yes, Ju-in.”

Callion left the cave, leaped over a boulder, and soon disappeared from sight.

It was amazing how he moved so lightly, seemingly unencumbered by the heavy-looking armor he wore.

Perhaps because his entire body was white, he looked just like a snowflake dancing on ice.

I watched the entrance where Callion had disappeared for a while, then turned my head and curled up.

Callion told me to hide in the cave, right? So I should obediently hide, of course.

‘Don’t take a single step out, just stay put here like you’re dead.’

Isn’t it the standard in genre fiction for someone to disobey orders to stay put, venture out, and end up in trouble? I had absolutely no intention of becoming an annoying, troublesome character that would frustrate readers.

So I’ll endure. Until Callion returns!

However, despite my ambitious plan, the damn system window popped up without any consideration.

[We don’t like lazy heroes!]

You’ve spent too much time in the shelter.

In 15 seconds, the shelter will collapse.

Time remaining until burial: 15 seconds

Are you kidding me?

You just can’t stand to see someone comfortable, can you?

Sure enough, I heard something collapsing with a rumbling sound from the far end of the cave. If I stay here any longer, the only outcome will be being crushed to death under the collapsed debris or suffocating.

Only then could I understand why so many troublesome characters in genre fiction acted the way they did.

It wasn’t because they had a grudge against readers and wanted to frustrate them, but because they had no choice, just like me now.