My consciousness, which had been shrouded in black, was dyed white in the next instant, only to regain its vividness without a moment’s delay.

The first thing I felt was “sound”.

The chirping of a bird whose name I didn’t know.

The sound of the wind running across the grassland.

This “smell”, which I had sniffed a few times long ago, is definitely the smell of soil and green grass.

The feeling of a comfortable gravity pressing down on my entire body and the softness of the earth pushing back on my back.

Along with that, the small leaf and damp soil I touched with my hand.

Slowly lifting my eyelids, confused by the light piercing the back of my eyes, my “vision” was filled with blue.

The vast azure sky that holds the infinite mystery of the universe beyond.

Sparse white clouds add an accent, further highlighting its clear color.

At this point, I finally realized.

Where am I?

Did I not die in the first place?

I was shocked as I tried to get up by putting strength into my stomach.

Can I – stand up?

Thinking maybe, I put strength into my legs.

They moved without a problem.

Even though my entire body’s muscles should have atrophied, I was surprised to find myself standing up quite naturally.

My legs are moving.

My hands moved too.

My body, following commands from my brain, showed unrestricted movement.

The question of whether I was dead or not didn’t matter anymore.

I awkwardly take a step forward.

One step.

Another step.

Gradually, I quicken the rotation of my legs.

How long has it been?

I had forgotten how good it feels to “run”.

I run full speed through the grassland that stretches to the horizon.

Blood from my heart races through my whole body.

My body gradually heats up.

Gradually, fatigue builds up in my legs.

My breath quickens, my heart rate increases.

But I didn’t care, I kept running.

After enjoying a chase with the wind, I dive onto a bed of grass, lying on my back.

“Haa, haa… Hahaha”

I found myself laughing for no reason.

The air I inhaled was delicious.

“Hahaha! Ahahahaha!”

Yes, this is what it means to “live”.

For a while, I laughed towards the sun.

I kept laughing leisurely until I faced a life-threatening situation.

　＊＊＊

When you hear “life-threatening situation”, what comes to mind?

A traffic accident?

A potted flower falling from an apartment?

Or perhaps encountering a bear while walking in the mountains?

In my case, it was a disease.

It was painful, it was tough, and if it felt like it, it could easily extinguish the flame of my life with a puff.

On this day, in addition to the disease, there was one more thing that was newly added to the threat to my life.

“Grrr.”

“――Hahaha!!!… huh?”

Mixed with the rustling of the wind and the chirping of birds, I heard a groaning sound.

When I hurriedly sat up, I could see a shadow peering from the bushes.

Two sharp eyes are glaring at me as if to shoot me down.

Peering out from its bright red mouth are sharp, white fangs.

Its whole body is covered in gray fur with a hint of brown.

“…Wolf?”

The moment I saw the enemy, its name inadvertently slipped out of my mouth.

At the same time, I had an idea of where I might be.

――『Regicide of Saga』

A fantasy open-world VRMMORPG.

It’s a state-of-the-art full-dive VR game that allows the senses of sight, hearing, and partial touch to be linked.

Players can engage in a wide range of play, including monster hunting, crafting equipment, building, trading, cooking, farming, and more.

The graphics are so realistic that they’re indistinguishable from reality, and it quickly became a sensation.

And above all, the fact that I could move even in a temporary body was more appealing to me than anything else.

That’s right, I remember begging my mother for it after falling in love with the screenshots posted on the homepage.

It was the only time I ever begged for something.

Since I was a child who didn’t often make demands, I was happy when my father brought home the dedicated hardware after work that night.

In that case, is this grassland one of the seven starting points in Regicide of Saga, the Stang Plains?

And the monster, which I’ve seen more than my own parents, is the【Wolf】, one of the monsters that appears in the Stang Plains.

I can confidently say there’s no mistaking it.

Somehow, it seems I’ve ended up in the world of Regicide of Saga.

Is this a “reincarnation”?

While I was thinking about various things, the wolf had fully entered combat mode.

It slightly bends its limbs, ready to pounce at any moment.

At this point, with it this close, escape is almost impossible.

My second life-threatening crisis was attracting a monster with laughter, which is rather comedic.

Still, somewhere in my heart, I’m enjoying this situation.

――I could die if I mess up

Those fangs certainly have the “attack power” to tear through my flesh and inflict a fatal wound.

But strangely, I wasn’t afraid.

I’m not thinking about something as convenient as respawning.

Even so, I have confidence that I can overcome the current situation even unarmed.

As I got up, the wolf bared its fangs and attacked――