I Was Reincarnated As the Strongest Protagonist Who Would Eventually Become a Hero, But It Seems the Burden Was Too Heavy For Me - Chapter 1

“Are you okay, Luke?”

“Huh?”

I didn’t realize I was the one being called, so my reply came out a little late.

Before I knew it, I was lying on a futon. And a brown-haired girl was peering at me.

Who was she?

No… she looked familiar.

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Has your fever gone down yet?”

“Ah… yes. I think I’m fine now.”

“I am glad~”

The girl sighed in relief.

Fever? Did I have a fever?

As I wondered, the girl took out a small basket. Inside the woven straw basket were fresh fruit.

“This is a thank you gift from the family of the child Luke saved.”

“The child… I saved?”

“You’re still a bit out of it, aren’t you? Last night, you jumped into the river to save a drowning child. The child was saved, but because of that, you ended up getting a fever.”

Well, it was indeed cold last night, the girl muttered.

Ah—right, I remembered. There had been rumors of monsters appearing around the village recently, so I patrolled the area until late at night. On my way home, I found a child drowning in the river, so I panicked and jumped in to save them.

…A village?

What village?

I should have been living alone in Tokyo. I’d never lived in a village.

Something was wrong.

I had two memories in my head.

“Seriously. You always help people without thinking about the consequences… But it’s unusual for you to get a fever, Luke.”

That one sentence brought back my memories even more vividly.

A village, monsters, a familiar brown-haired girl, and a boy named Luke who helped people without thinking about the consequences.

“–Aisha!”

“Wahhh?!”

The brown-haired girl was surprised when I suddenly shouted out loud.

“Aisha, right? Aisha Venthema.”

“That’s right… but wait, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the name of your childhood friend?”

Aisha looked at me worriedly.

As I got up, I noticed a dirty window to my right. I checked my own appearance reflected in the window. Fiery red hair… Ah, there was no doubt.

‘This is the world of Legend of Spirit!!’

The epic RPG, Legend of Spirit.

With a deep, intricate world, a classic yet refreshing story, and uniquely designed characters with vibrant personalities, the game had everything. It was released at a time when online multiplayer FPS games were trending, yet Legend of Spirit defied the tide and became a smash hit, recognized as a masterpiece in its own right.

Its tagline was: ‘An RPG that tests the bond between humans and spirits’.

Just as the sales pitch said, the story of this world revolved around swords, magic, and spirits.

‘And I am… Luke, the main character.’

As a hardcore game nerd, I was well aware of the concept of reincarnation. It was a fairly popular theme not only in games but also in anime and manga.

It seemed that I had been reincarnated as Luke, the main character of Legend of Spirit.

The true identity of the two memories was probably the memories of my past life as a game nerd and my current life as the main character of this world.

—Jackpot.

I couldn’t help but think that.

Legend of Spirit was one of my favorite games, and if I were asked which character I’d like to reincarnate into, I would definitely say Luke.

Luke was destined to eventually receive the favor of the four elemental spirits and become the strongest human.

He was also a genius with the sword, and as you progressed through the story he would become popular with many heroines. He would be popular with not just single-digit but double-digit numbers of beautiful girls…

“Yes!!”

“Wha—?”

As I let out a cry of joy, Aisha was surprised again.

“W-What’s wrong? Luke’s acting a bit strange today.”

“S-Sorry.”

I apologized, but deep inside I couldn’t calm my excitement.

Instead of being a good old JRPG (Japanese RPG), Legend of Spirit used a more modern-day theme. It had some serious moments, but there were no depressing developments where the main character died.

Right, it didn’t have depressing developments at all!!

It was the kind of story that reflected the tough times we lived in.

There were a lot of convenient plot points. Some people might find it light. But for me, that lightness was just right.

The appeal of this game was the overwhelming strength that Luke displayed. And the sense of exhilaration that came with it.

In other words, Luke was the character who got to enjoy the best experiences in this world.

I was reincarnated as Luke. If this wasn’t a jackpot, then what else this could be?

Aisha, who was taking care of me, was also one of the heroines. She was a very cute girl with silky-combed brown hair and round eyes.

“Aisha, what month is it now?”

“It’s February, in the year 703 of the Spirit Calendar… Are you sure you’re okay?”

It was right before the beginning of the story.

That meant the future was still unwritten—I could change the course of events however I wanted.

In this world, there were some serious incidents, although not as depressing as the plot.

Unrewarded characters.

Heroines who became enemies.

Maybe I could save them.

I’d played the original to the fullest. I also had all the information memorized, such as where items were located, the conditions for events to occur, and how to become stronger.

I was confident.

I could survive in this world as the hero, Luke.

‘First, I need to get stronger to gain the spirits’ favor…!!’

My goal was a perfect, complete happy ending.

Excited at the thought of the future, I jumped out of bed.