As the world faded to black, Leon felt an odd sense of detachment from the sharp pain that had stabbed in his back.
There was no fear, no panic—just a small curiosity about what would come next.
[You have used one of your remaining lives.]
Leon felt like he was in a strange place where there was neither light nor dark, and time didn't seem to matter.
[You have left two more lives.]
'So this is how it feels to lose one,' he thought, almost entertained by the situation's absurdity.
Suddenly, he felt a pull, a force that was dragging him back to the realm of the living, to the narrative spun by the weird and strange system.
[Reincarnating…]
The sensations returned in a rush—the smell of the sea, the sound of the waves, and the less welcome sensation of a wooden deck beneath him.
Leon opened his eyes to find himself staring up at the same sky, the same three worried faces peering down at him.
"Is he alive?" It was the same question, asked in the same worried tone.
"I don't know..." Another familiar response.
Then, the third woman, the one with long blond wavy hair, shouted, "Sixto!"
Leon sat up, quicker this time, as the memories of his brief fight with death—or whatever it was—remained fresh.
"I remember now," he said, surprising even himself with the clarity of his voice.
"The pirates."The women exchanged confused glances. "Pirates…yes, we know!" one of them repeates.
"Sixto, you've been unconscious. Do you remember anything at all?"
Leon knew better.
He remembered the odd, clumsy pirates, the stabbing, the voice announcing his death. 'So, it resets,' he realised, a part of him wondered whether he could change the outcome this time.
Leon focused on his new ability—mind reading.
Perhaps, if he could understand his opponents' intentions, he could avoid his previous fate.
"Listen," he began, turning to face the women. "I know you're confused, and frankly, so am I. But we need to be prepared. Those pirates—or whatever they were—might come again. And this time, I intend to stop them."
The women gave each other a look and then nodded.
As he made his way to the ship's wheel, Leon's mind raced with his own questions. 'Mind reading,' he thought. 'Let's see how this works.'
Closing his eyes, he reached out with his thoughts, trying to sense any minds other than those he knew were on the ship with him.
At first, there was nothing.
Then, small thoughts, not his own, creeped closer.
Opening his eyes, Leon turned to the women. "Prepare yourselves. They're coming. But this time, we'll be ready."
And as he felt the first hints of an approaching mind, Leon couldn't help but smile.
This was his game now. This time, he would write the rules.
As the first pirate clumsily jumped onto the deck, tripping over his own feet again, the three women didn't hesitate.
Pushing past Leon, they stood ready to confront the pirates.
Leon attempted to get into the pirates' thoughts, seeking clarity on their true intentions.
"Why are they attacking us?" one of the women whispered, her fists clenched.
The pirate captain, regaining his composure, declared, "Yarrr, hand over the magical sea cucumbers, and ye might live!"
Leon, probing into the captain's mind, was taken aback by an intense obsession not with treasure but with... magical sea cucumbers? 'Really?' he questioned, baffled.
The women launched into action, with knives and swords in their hands.
"Do you really believe in magical sea cucumbers?" Leon asked.
The pirate captain nodded aggressively. "Aye! Legend says they grant immense power!"As the women continued to fend off the pirates with ease, Leon approached the discussion.
"And you think stealing them will give you power?"
One of the women, parrying a slow, predictable jab, responded, "Leon, don't waste your time! Help us!"
A pirate, paused mid-swing, shared, "We were told they'd make us unbeatable pirates. No one takes us seriously."
Leon, seizing the moment, dropped his jaw. "But attacking ships? There are better ways to improve your-."
"Leon, behind you!"
As he turned around, he noticed that the same guy who stabbed him before was making his way towards him.
"How do one even fights a pirate?" He asked out loud.
But to his surprise, his legs and hands moved on their own. It felt like his whole body was trained exactly for this moment alone.
"I can't believe it-" he punched the guy in his face, a small vibration went through his hand, "my God!"
Leon punched the pirate again, and the man fell back. Leon's eyes widened and his mouth opened a little, when he realised how much power his combat had.
"Whoa, did you see that?" he said, looking at the women with a smile.
The pirate got up slowly, holding his jaw, and asked, "What was that?"
"I don't know, but it's good," Leon said, feeling surprised about everything.
Leon started fighting and helping the three women.
He moved fast, avoiding, then striking first. Leon somehow noticed that he could sense the pirate's intentions before they even acted, giving him an advantage in combat.
He dodged a sword and kicked a pirate into the water.
"Heeeeey!" The pirate myelled!
The women were brave, too, and they all fought hard to protect each other, gently and almost flying like the butterfly at night.
"A little bit more!"
"Yes!"
When the fight was over, Leon felt glad to be alive, 'I survived this...if now I could survive until the end of the book, I'd be able to go back into my world…'
"Looks like we showed them who's boss," one of the ladies said, smiling and looking at the beaten pirates.
[The pirates defeated]
"Yeah, no shit Sherlock…thanks for your help," Leon rolled his eyes.
[You must leave your old name behind] the system declared.
"What? But why?"
[Your name is Sixto now, to find out about your surname and the character's story, you must continue, keeping yourself alive]
"I mean, with these skills, It's not going to be hard…"
[Now, push the blond girl into the water]
"What?!"