In the pitch-black darkness, Sylas gradually regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, a blurry vision flickered across his retinas.
"Am I alive?"
What happens when someone dies in this world was still a mystery. Would they be reincarnated in another world, or would they disappear forever? Luckily, it seemed that disappearing wasn't the case. After blinking a few times, the surrounding scenery became clear.
Tanned animal hides, deer antlers, a bow and arrows leaning against the wall. It was an all-too-familiar cabin.
"My hunting cabin?"
Sylas wasn't born a noble in this world from the start. He had begun as nothing more than a rural hunter. His mother had passed away long ago, and he had lived in the hunting cabin with his grandfather, learning hunting skills.
He only became a part of the nobility later when his father came to find him. And now, the place where he had woken up was that same cabin from back then. Thinking it might be a dream, Sylas pinched and twisted his cheek. The stinging pain caused him to wince.
"Since it hurts, it's not a dream."
Rubbing his now-reddened cheek, he tried to recall his last memory. He was sure he had been dying after being hit by a crossbow.
"Wait, now that I think about it, at the very end..."
As he was dying, he had heard a voice. The memory was a bit fuzzy, but as he tried to recall it, the words came back to him clearly.
[Ending the 'First Round' for tutorial purposes.]
[Preparing to enter the main 'Second Round'.]
[Data inheritance complete. Removing the first-round-only trait 'Mediocre'.]
[Starting the Second Round from the restart point.]
"Second round!"
His mind snapped into focus. So, everything he had experienced until now had been the first round, used solely for practice? And now, this was the start of the real game, the second round?
"Haha."
A hollow laugh escaped as mixed emotions surged within him. He felt dumbfounded, angry, relieved, and overjoyed all at once. Either way, he had another chance. He could now start anew, something he had dreamed of. That alone made him feel as if all had been forgiven. Sylas grabbed the bow and arrows hanging nearby and headed outside.
Whoosh.
"Brr, cold."
A sudden gust of cold wind made his body shiver, but going back into the cabin was out of the question. He wanted to immediately test whether the trait 'Mediocre' had really disappeared.
As soon as he stepped outside, a few birds perched on a nearby tree came into view. Sylas carefully aimed his bow and pulled back the string.
Whoosh, thud.
-Screech!
Sylas often shot arrows even while riding a running horse, so hitting a stationary bird wasn't difficult. Whether or not he could catch the bird wasn't important.
"Please, please!"
Sylas silently prayed and swallowed nervously. Thankfully, he heard the result he had been hoping for.
[Due to a perfect shot, your experience has increased.]
[Current archery level: 'Skilled'.]
"...!"
Sylas's body trembled with excitement. The rank limitation caused by his 'Mediocre' trait had vanished. He nearly screamed with joy.
"Yes, this is it!"
How much suffering had he endured because of the rank limitation? Every time he reached the skilled level, everything was forced to stop at that point, leaving him in mediocrity. But now, that damned 'Mediocre' trait is gone. He felt like dancing with joy.
"Whew, calm down."
Sylas took deep breaths, suppressing his emotions. While it was good to celebrate, now was the time to plan. First and foremost, he needed to figure out where in time he was right now.
"Let's head down to the village for a bit."
Picking up the game he had just hunted, Sylas prepared to head out.
* * *
Brick Village. It was the village where Sylas had lived for 15 years after being reincarnated into this world. In a way, it was his second hometown. But Sylas had no attachment to this village whatsoever.
"It was a garbage place."
Expecting morality from people in this era was foolish. It was a world where overall moral standards were terrible. Scamming outsiders was common, and robbing and killing travelers with no connections was nothing unusual.
But among them, Brick Village was particularly bad.
"For 15 years, they exploited my grandfather."
Sylas's family had moved to Brick Village just before he was born. Naturally, they were subjected to the local villagers' hostility towards outsiders. He had no complaints about that. This kind of hostility was normal in any village.
Since no one knows what kind of people new settlers are, it's natural to be cautious. If there's a troublesome story behind them, the entire village could be at risk, so they had to be wary. As time passes and trust is built, the newcomers are eventually accepted as part of the village.
"But there should be limits."
Even if Sylas's family were newcomers, they had been living there for 15 years. By then, they should have been acknowledged as villagers rather than outsiders. However, the people of Brick Village continued to treat them as outsiders. The reason was simple.
They could exploit Sylas's grandfather's labour as a hunter at a cheap price. Outsiders have to curry favour with the villagers, so Sylas's grandfather had to sell animal meat and hides at reduced prices, and he had to help fend off wild beasts without much reward.
Once they accepted his family as villagers, they could no longer exploit them like this. That's why Sylas's family remained treated as outsiders for 15 years.
"Those bastards."
Sylas clicked his tongue as he looked around the village. It was still early in the morning, so people were just starting to wake up. At that moment, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared next to him.
"Sylas? What brings you here?"
"Oh, Uncle Andy."
Seeing the person who had appeared, Sylas bowed his head slightly. Andy was a woodcutter who often went into the forest, so they knew each other well. Of course, that didn't mean their relationship was a good one.