One day, a friend asked me what kind of world I would reincarnate into if I could choose. I thought it was a timely question because it was something I had already considered. After all, as a good reader of web novels, light novels, manga, and anime of all types and genres, I have enough experience to answer this question.
My answer? I would choose a world with countless races of beings!
From elves, dwarves, and half-orcs to centaurs, medusas, and onis. I definitely wouldn't have any problem living alongside an elf friend, and I can even see myself working comfortably with a half-orc in some manual labor job. As long as, of course, they weren't annoying or petty people β nobody likes that type.
I must say that ever since I started consuming fantasy content like this, I've always been excited by the idea of many different races interacting and living together in one world.
Besides, I can't help but be enchanted by the mystical creatures that could also exist; the more exotic and different these creatures, the greater the fascination they emit β I think everyone agrees with that.
Not only that, but I would also choose a world where the ratio of men to women is unequal, like, for every man, there should be 2 or 3 women. Not necessarily a harem for each man, but there should be a reasonable gender imbalance.
And to top it off, this world would have to be one of magic and science. With all kinds of hidden secrets, places to explore, and challenges to face. And with a bit of science to develop various luxuries and conveniences so that this world wouldn't be dirty and unhygienic.
Who would want to wake up in the middle of the night and relieve themselves in a chamber pot or outdoors? (Nothing against those who do that...)
Anyway, my ideal world for reincarnation would have to meet these three requirements. I know it's strange to have a ready answer for this kind of question, but the flesh is weak, and the libido is stronger than me.
Imagination is fascinating, we must admit... But sometimes it can be dangerous and frustrate or torture us as much as, or even more than, reality itself.
I say this because while I imagine myself in a bright, joyful fantasy world filled with adventures and epic tales, I can also say that my reality is a bit grim, literally.
I find myself in a dense and strangely dark forest, surrounded by old, twisted trees with thick, prominent bark and dry, gnarled branches, almost as if they were dead. If not for the strangely vibrant green leaves densely covering the treetops, I would say I was in a haunted, dead forest.
There is nothing but the weak wind passing through the gaps between the trees and the creaking of branches rubbing against each other, giving an eerie feeling of loneliness while also making me uncomfortable being in such a place.
To break the monotony of this place, there are occasional rustling sounds of leaves due to the wind, and much more rarely, a bird flapping its wings and singing a calming, beautiful melody, but this is brief, and then the monotony settles in again for another long period...
It's all dark... Not to the point of seeming like a new moon night, but enough to feel like the early hours of dusk when the sun sets, but there is still a bit of light on the horizon to move around safely.
Unfortunately, the only ray of light piercing through the dense veil of leaves in this forest tells me that it is midday or close to it...
Tsk Tsk Tsk... I've been in worse situations before, I must admit, and it wouldn't be difficult for me to climb one of these huge trees and get a better view of the surroundings. Then I could look for a higher point to gain a better perspective, set a goal, and figure out a direction.
From there, I could follow the signs and directions that the forest and the sun provide, and if I found some road, it would be easy to find civilization. If I found a river, I could craft a raft or canoe, and it would be only a matter of time before I stumbled upon some settlement...
Unfortunately, none of this is possible in my current situation because... besides lacking any kind of protection, equipment, or tools, I am completely naked, lying in what appears to be a hollow in a tree trunk.
And worst of all, I can't even move properly because I'm in the body of a baby.
I'M A BABY, DAMNNNN...
Crap, stuck in the body of a BABY and in the middle of a forest with no one around. Damn, hell, who's in charge of reincarnation today? Damn bastard. I'll pray to all the gods that they kicked him in the butt for this.
Damn... How do I have the fortune to reincarnate to start a new life and the misfortune of being in a deadly situation on day one? Is this some kind of joke? Did the old guy who was supposed to grant my wishes go on vacation and leave everything to a heartless AI?
Who the hell thought it was a good idea to abandon a baby in a forest like this with nothing more than a rag barely worthy of being called a blanket? Damn it, if they can't raise children, they shouldn't even have them. A bunch of irresponsible fools, children of a mad hyena.
I can't even call for help; the best I can manage is crying and making sounds that resemble a wounded animal.
And I don't even know if crying is a good idea; the chances of attracting a hungry animal are much higher than a kind soul finding me before that happens. And today, my luck doesn't seem good enough for me to make that gamble.
Damn, damn, damn, damn... AAAAHHHHHHHHHH.
Okay... Calm down, breathe. I need to calm down and try to come up with some sort of plan.
But what kind of plan? My only chance of survival is if someone passes nearby, so I'm hoping this forest only looks dead and is actually rich in resources and well-frequented.
For now, all I can do is wait, so it's comforting to imagine something good and cheerful; it'll help me avoid despairing even more about my situation. Like, being naked in a totally scary forest would be enough to be in a horror movie.
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After what felt like hours, something changed in this forest...
I have no idea what happened, but I'm sure something did.
The wind began to blow much faster and more frequently, the agonizing sounds of the trees and the rustling of leaves became much louder...
I'm sure it's not nightfall yet, the ray of light that indicated the sun's position is still visible, just slightly angled now, I'd say a little over 45 degrees...
Unfortunately, the temperature that was pleasantly warm just a few minutes ago has now started to drop rapidly, and if it continues like this, I fear I'll freeze to death before nightfall...
I think this is when horror movie characters start running frantically, constantly looking over their shoulders, feeling like something is chasing them.
I don't judge them now that I'm experiencing that feeling firsthand... Something seems to be watching me, and my neck feels cold, not to mention the chills running down my spine.
I want to run... I want to run with all my might, as far as I can...
DAMNED REINCARNATIONNN...
Man, why did I have to reincarnate in such a situation?? I'm a baby, barely in control of my body, and I've wet myself twice since this ordeal started. The most I can do is cry desperately and hope all my attribute points were put into luck.
Will someone or something kind find and save me?
This forest is too sinister, I'm sure bears frequent it, or at least predators like wolves or jaguars... If I start crying now, how long until a wolf or bear shows up to enjoy a free meal? And even if it's near civilization, is this a frequented area or an isolated one?
Fuuuuuuuuoohhhh
Suddenly, as my panic begins to overwhelm my rational thoughts...
...Something gigantic passes very close to the treetops right above where I am. Something so big and bulky that I can only compare it to a large airplane, or maybe even bigger than that.
Luckily, the speed at which this thing was moving wasn't impressive at all; I could say it was strangely slow. Maybe it was just gliding, I can't tell...
FuuuuuuuuoohhhhΒ Fuuuuuuuuoohhhh
What I do know is that this thing didn't leave.