I clearly remember that the moment I was crushed by the truck falling off the bridge, a rather random thought popped into my mind: if I had one wish, what would it be?
At that moment, I automatically pondered a dilemma I'd been having: who chooses the protagonists in stories? Do some of them really exist? If so, what's the real purpose of their existence? Is someone influencing this?
[Unique Class Acquired: Selector!]
I didn't understand at first, and I still don't know what it means to be a Selector, but upon gaining this class, I briefly experienced something akin to my dreams—where I act with the confidence that everything will work out, and anything is possible, even flying.
Soon, I was transported to what seemed like a character creation screen. There, as in many standard games, there was a selection of various species, such as humans, elves, vampires, dragons, and so on.
Among the possible choices—and there were a lot, trust me, ranging from humans to species I'd never even heard of, like "Askekeshi." I still have no clue what they are, but they looked a lot like a fusion of kangaroo and dinosaur, all green.
In addition to those, there was also the "Hybrid" option and, finally, the one I chose: "Tri-hybrid."
When I selected the Tri-hybrid option, three more choices appeared, each allowing me to pick a different species.
In my mind—what I now call "Dream Mode"—I quickly chose Dragon, then Vampire, and lastly, Elf.
Reasons? Honestly, I don't even know why I chose those three. I just did.
After making my selections, the next step was to choose my origin. However, it seems that by opting for the Tri-hybrid choice, I used up all my points for selecting an origin and was left with the option of starting randomly.
[1/3: Smoke Dragon Race Obtained!]
[1/3: Elf Race Obtained!]
[1/3: Noble Vampire Race (Demonic Race Lords) Obtained!]
When I confirmed, a voice echoed in my mind. It was a feminine voice—assertive, yet slightly robotic.
[Extra Ability Acquired: Selector's Shop!]
[Noble Vampire Racial Ability: Familiars Acquired!]
[Noble Vampire Racial Ability: Semi-Immortality Acquired??]
[Elf Racial Ability: Builder Acquired!]
[Elf Racial Ability: Semi-Immortality Acquired??]
[Smoke Dragon Racial Ability: Smoke Body Acquired!]
[Tri-hybrid Racial Ability: Immortality Acquired!]
[Tri-hybrid Racial Ability: High-Speed Regeneration Acquired!]
[Inherent Ability: Universal Speech Acquired!]
[Inherent Ability: Magic Manipulation Acquired!]
[Inherent Ability: Charm Acquired!]
[Inherent Ability: Metamorphosis Acquired!]
[Extra: Noble Vampire: Familiar Acquired!]
══════『☯︎』══════
Back to the present… I look at my hands and see that everything appears normal, at least as far as human hands go; there's no sign of dragon traits or anything like that.
The rest of my body seems the same. So, what exactly is my appearance now? Even I don't know yet.
I'm very confused. Everything happened so fast. Just a few minutes ago—or at least, it feels like it—I was on my boat, drinking beer and fishing, when I saw, incredibly, a truck falling straight toward me.
Why on Earth did I think fishing under a bridge was a good idea!?
I really was crushed to death by a truck, wasn't I? Urgh... Even though it was a quick and almost painless death—or at least it seems that way, since I can barely remember the pain at that moment—just imagining the scene of the truck coming toward me makes my body shudder.
It's like watching another man take a kick to his most sensitive area… Even if you don't feel the pain directly, the impact still makes your face twist as if it were happening to you.
Anyway…
I still have no idea how the truck fell off the bridge in my direction. I was a bit tipsy after drinking almost a whole longneck…
Maybe the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel or overdosed on whatever drugs they were on… Whatever it was, it doesn't change the fact that I died and, somehow, got a second chance at life, unbelievably restarting after entering "Dream Mode" and becoming a Tri-hybrid of Dragon, Vampire, and Elf.
By the way, I wonder if I can use magic? I think so. At least, that's what I heard in "Dream Mode."
"ZZzzzhiiiiii!!"
Suddenly, a loud and unsettling sound echoed. It was a high-pitched yet deep scream, coming from the depths of a cave. The sound was terrifying, enough to make the blond hairs on my arm stand on end.
"What was that now?" I murmured, almost voiceless, as I hid behind a thick, sturdy tree, trying not to be noticed.
"Woolf!!"
'Was that a howl?' I thought, frowning. 'Is a monster attacking a wolf, or is the wolf attacking the "monster"?'
Whatever it was, I wasn't about to run toward danger. The sound was coming from the northeast, so I decided to head southwest.
The moment I turned my foot, planted the left one on the ground, and applied some force to start running, something unexpected happened.
It was like a cat leaping onto a wall—quick and, surprisingly, high. Before I could make sense of it, I realized I was about five meters off the ground, floating in an utterly bizarre way, flailing my arms as if trying to swim through the air. My heart was pounding uncontrollably.
"Ahhh!"
A scream escaped my mouth as I noticed my trajectory leading me straight toward a tree at least ten meters tall.
Instinctively, I spread my arms and legs as if to hug the tree. But I regretted it as soon as I did.
"Bang!"
"Urghhh!"
My body slammed hard against the trunk, mostly my face. I managed to turn my head at the last moment to avoid a direct hit, but the pain that followed was intense, knocking the wind out of my lungs.
Luckily for me, the lower part of my body was the last to hit and didn't take as much impact, or the pain would've been far worse…
Sliding down the tree, I began to fall as I slipped.
As I descended, my face was twisted in pain. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my emotions.
"Woolf!"
When I heard another howl, I realized I hadn't managed to leave this danger-ridden area—literally.
This time, I didn't start running but instead walked quickly. Soon, my pace picked up, and before long, I was running fast enough to compete for an Olympic sprinter's medal.
As I ran, countless thoughts raced through my mind. After all, everything was so fresh, and I still didn't even know what kind of world I was in:
Am I still on Earth? Maybe an alternate Earth, like in those superhero movies? Or could this be a completely different world? What do I look like now? How old is this body I have? Is that immortality thing real? What does the "Selector" class even mean?
"ROAR!!!"
So many questions, so many doubts swirling in my mind, but all of them were abruptly interrupted by a thunderous sound that reached me, even scaring the nearby birds into flight.
It wasn't the same wolf howl or strange roar as before. This was different, deeper, reverberating with an intensity that made the air feel heavy. A roar—powerful and terrifying—that sounded like the majestic bellow of a lion combined with something far darker and more unsettling.
"Shit!!" I cursed.
Blocking my path stood a massive, filthy brown boar, roughly two meters tall and three or four meters long. Even its two tusks, curving upward like hooks, were at least 40 cm long. The boar's eyes were pitch black, gleaming dangerously.
"Oink!"
Dragging its hoof across the grassy ground, the boar growled, preparing to charge at me.
I quickly analyzed my options, one of which was climbing the nearest tree.
"Oink!"
However, I underestimated the speed of this boar. It was faster than a raging bull, charging at me with sounds akin to pig grunts.
I knew I was probably stronger than I had been as a human before, but I'd never even been in a fight before, let alone a battle against a wild boar that was nearly twice my size. Not to mention, it must weigh several times more than I do now. Being hit by this boar would certainly be hard to withstand.
So, I jumped as high as I could, realizing the boar was too close and running was no longer an option.
'I made it...!' I thought as I found myself over five meters in the air and still rising.
However, what I saw made my face go pale…
"Oink!!!"
When the boar lost sight of me, the damn thing—which looked more like a leaping rabbit, or maybe it really was part of some rabbit lineage since its hind legs, which I hadn't paid much attention to before, resembled those of a rabbit—jumped after losing track of me. Its leap was even faster than mine, quickly closing the distance.
With my heart nearly pounding out of my chest, beating furiously, I tried to manifest wings, squeezing my eyes shut in desperation.
When I felt a strange sensation, almost like an intention—similar to the feeling of needing to take care of basic needs, like peeing—I somehow focused on using it.
When I opened my eyes again, thinking I had succeeded, I saw myself in a form that left me utterly dumbfounded.
'Did I just become some kind of smoke?'
Recalling one of the abilities I had acquired upon becoming a Tri-hybrid—Smoke Body, part of the dragon heritage—I didn't even know what to think. I simply wanted to get out of that place, avoiding the massive boar-rabbit.
As I thought about escaping, the boar reached me and struck. However, to my relief, its huge head passed straight through what should have been the lower part of my body. But before I could feel at ease, a strong wind blew and carried me away, leaving me completely out of control.
'Damn it!' I cursed, feeling as though I was being distorted by the wind, overwhelmed by an absurd fear that my body might be divided and I'd end up separated from myself.
By the way, is that even possible? If I get separated, when I return to normal, will I die like that?
I wasn't sure if I had a heart in this smoke-like form, but it felt like it was racing. My entire body was hot, feverish.
As I was swept away by the strong wind, I tried every possible way to take control of the situation, to control my current state, but with no success.
At the same time, the scenery around me began to change. I left the forested area and approached a rocky region.
As I passed several rocks, I saw a canyon with flowing water that probably connected to the sea.
I thought I would cross the canyon and pass over the water, but suddenly, my smoke transformation was canceled.
'Did I run out of energy?' I wondered before fear struck me, and I started screaming: "Ahhhhh!"
As I screamed during the fall, I directed my body and saw that I was plummeting toward the sea from a height of almost 30 meters. I felt a slight sense of relief—at least it was water. If it had been rocks…
But even though I was relieved to be falling into the water, I kept screaming, and my scream echoed.
"Splash!!"
I hit the water face-first, completely knocking the wind out of me as a searing, excruciating pain coursed through my body.
I'm a good swimmer; I love fishing… But at that moment, I didn't even have the strength to think about swimming, and I began to sink. I was already out of air from the impact, and I believe the last remnants of power I had were used up during my smoke transformation.
I tried to fight back, my arms attempting to move, but they were sluggish. As I sank deeper, my fear grew.
'Am I going to die again?'
That thought brought me clarity. I don't know where I found the strength, but I managed to fight, thrashing my arms upward and kicking my legs.
"Huff…!"
I broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. Even after swallowing a mouthful of water, I managed to suck in some air through my mouth.
"Huff… Huff… Huff…!"
My breathing was loud and deep. I struggled to get air as I floated on my back.
Looking up at the sky, with an annoyingly bright sun, I felt a sense of happiness for somehow surviving.
"Cough… Cough! Huff!"
Coughing up water, I turned my head slightly as more water escaped my mouth. The salty taste in my throat and the discomfort of nausea were the least of my worries.
My entire body ached from the earlier fall. I was still terrified—afraid of dying a second time, and this time for good. Or, at the very least, afraid I wouldn't retain my memories like I have now.
Just as I thought I could finally swim to shore, I felt a disturbance in the water. I became alert, looking down, and what I saw left me so terrified I felt like I might lose control from sheer fear.
I'm the kind of person who feels overwhelming dread when confronted with something absurdly large. I remember the first time I saw a whale—I was so terrified that I fainted. And what I saw now was even bigger than a whale.
Some kind of octopus with massive tentacles, one of which was heading straight for me.
"Shit, shit, shit!!"
Turning around, I started swimming with all my might, but it was like a turtle on land trying to outrun a leopard. I was grabbed around the waist by the slimy tentacle.
Oh, and a minor detail: I have no idea what happened to my clothes. I didn't notice what became of them when I transformed into smoke form, and now I was completely naked, wrapped in a slimy tentacle.
Even as I was scared to the point of nearly crapping myself, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind: 'Screw you, monster! You grabbed the wrong person. You should've gone for an elf archer or a knight princess, not me!'
"Plunk!"
As I was dragged under, the speed at which I was pulled was even faster than the speed I'd fallen from the sky earlier.
I tried to scream, but I was underwater. Bubbles escaped my mouth and nose as water replaced the air I'd lost.
My vision began to darken. This time, I was truly done for. How could I possibly survive this?
I couldn't even properly escape from a giant boar-rabbit... How was I supposed to escape some kind of mythical kraken that already had me in its grip?
I don't know when, but my mind blacked out. I had a short dream: in it, I was eating at a restaurant, and in the center of the table was what looked like a piece of fried tentacle surrounded by condiments.
However, the dream didn't last long enough for me to start chewing on the tentacle furiously, sinking my teeth into it. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the air instead of the sea.
Somehow… I didn't die?
"Cough-cough... Cough-cough!"
Coughing as I vomited water, my arms hung limp at my sides, clearly broken from the kraken's earlier grip. I must be extremely unlucky, because even though I somehow managed to escape, I was now falling toward the rocks in the canyon below.