"If only we had realized what was happening sooner…"
"If only we were stronger… this wouldn't have happened."
Those words echoed throughout Valyr's mind as he watched the world he had lived his whole life in, the world he knew as Earth, gradually crumble into nothingness due to a game.
A game everyone had no choice but to partake in.
Thinking about what had transpired up to this point, Valyr could not help but wonder what had gone wrong. All of them were informed a long time ago as to what kind of battle they were about to head into, even going so far as to prepare plans, countermeasures, and skills for certain situations in advance. With that in mind, one would normally think that their side would win. After all, there was a saying that went 'Knowing the enemy means winning half the battle.'
Yet, against all odds, the exact opposite happened.
Even with all of the plans they've made, the countermeasures they've come up with, the spells and skills they've devised for it, all of it had become utterly useless in the final battle, with Valyr being one of the people at the frontlines that witnessed how the opposing side utterly ravaged their side. Wherever he looked at that time, all he could see was pure hopelessness and despair.
With those memories flashing through his very eyes as his body gradually drifted off into space, he could not help but make a wish to the heavens above, knowing very well that he'd die in the vacuum very soon. Closing his eyes, he uttered out words only he could hear as he let the void around him do its task.
"If there's ever a being up above listening to me… I hope you could give me a second shot. A second chance to make things right."
"Let me start all over again. Let me correct all the mistakes I've done."
"Please."
As he had finished saying those words, Valyr felt like his body was gradually slipping away from reality, the fluids in it gradually evaporating off into space as he felt his body become chillingly cold. Eventually, his consciousness also headed towards the same path, slowly slipping off as Valyr embraced the sensation of true darkness.
However, not even a minute later, this darkness was quickly replaced by light, jolting Valyr's consciousness awake as he could not help but find the current situation odd.
'Have I… have I been sent to the afterlife?' he asked himself, thinking that the best way to find out was to move his body. Surprisingly, in accordance to his thoughts, his arms and legs moved in response, allowing him to feel that he was lying on something prickly, yet soft at the same time.
Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he eventually opened his eyes, being greeted by the sight of a vast blue sky far above him.
At this point, Valyr had realized that the heavens had indeed given him a second chance, giving him the opportunity to be reborn. Though, as he looked around for a bit more, he could not help but become a bit despondent, thinking that the heavens had only granted a part of his wish.
Currently, far above him was a vast blue sky with billowing clouds similar to that of Earth's. However, the landscape that greeted him was anything but, showing him the beauty of nature. His sight was filled to the brim with vast plains, rock formations that could make a grown man cry, as well as plants and trees as far as the eye could see.
Of course, that wasn't all. He also noticed that he was lying on top of a cart of hay, which was on top of a wooden carriage.
Scratching his head as he let out a light sigh, Valyr could not help but mutter, "I guess the heavens are telling me that a wish like mine is too far-fetched. Do the heavens just want me to relax and enjoy the life I'll live in this medieval world?"
Ding!
Just as he thought that it was better for him to accept his current situation, a bell chime resounded throughout the area, prompting Valyr to look around as he wondered where it came from. For a second, his eyes could not help but widen in slight shock, remembering that he had heard a chime like that from somewhere before.
Ding!
Fortunately, the chime had sounded once more, this time giving Valyr something more tangible as something he had never expected to see in a medieval world had appeared in front of him.
A screen.
Rubbing his eyes in slight disbelief, Valyr sat up straight as he looked at the screen in front of him. At first, he could not help but think that the heavens had taken pity on him as it had not granted his entire wish, giving him a system that could help him out in this world. But then, as he read through the lines of text that were shown on the screen, this thought was instantly dispelled as great excitement filled his body.
[Initializing the Non-Player Character Advancement System…]
[Initial stages have been initialized. Modifying system to Variant GB…]
[Identity confirmed. Current being has been identified as Valyr Zeihardt…]
[Character has been fully examined. Information has been added to the system.]
[System fully initialized. Being can access the system at anytime.]
'You're telling me… the heavens actually listened to my wish?' At this point, no other thought could be found in his mind other than this. Clenching his fists in excitement before raising it up into the air, tears started to brim around Valyr's eyes before streaming down his face as he had now become certain that he had been given a second shot, just like what he said before his death.
Taking a few deep breaths as he wiped away the tears of joy on his face, Valyr then thought about his current situation a bit more, making sure to examine every inch of what he could see. While thinking about this, he could not help but mutter, "To think such a small change in mindset would make a great impact."
With that, he continued to look around his surroundings as the carriage he was on continued to move. Eventually, there were a few nuances he had noticed in his surroundings, prompting him to try and browse through his memories from his past life.
Surprisingly, as he tried to recall where he was at the moment, he had noticed that nothing in his memory was erased during his death. In fact, if he tried hard enough, he felt like he could recall every bit of information if he wanted to. Deciding to find out the limits of this memory of his sometime later, he eventually found a piece of information that matched with his current location.
"Considering the general terrain and the direction this carriage is heading in, we're currently near the north side of the Veleos Plains," he murmured. "As for the place this carriage is heading to… if my memory serves me correctly, then it's heading towards a village."
"Of course, it's better to ask the person directly instead." He lightly smiled, looking above the stack of hay to find a young man at the front, relaxedly holding onto the reins of a decently sized horse.
"In any case, it's quite surreal to find out I've been reborn into the game itself," he said, lying down on the hay as he gazed up at the sky once more. "Although it seems that I've turned into an NPC, that's not much of a problem."
"After all, that will just allow me to do far more than what a player can."
