First step as a forest guard (1)

'Interesting...'

I continued questioning the system, and while the answers were limited, the results weren’t entirely fruitless. I managed to draw a few important conclusions. The most notable was that the system would not answer any question I didn’t already have some knowledge of myself. It always demanded an exorbitant amount of reincarnation points, and for more complex inquiries, it required a system upgrade. In essence, there seemed to be no question the system couldn’t answer—provided the price was paid.

This left me wondering about its creator.

“Hmph…”

My feet stopped at the house’s entrance. I closed the system interface and instinctively reached into my pocket for a key—a habit from my first world. Of course, this world didn’t rely on keys. Magical doors attuned to their owners were commonplace, at least for those who could afford them. The Valvaro family, unsurprisingly, enjoyed such luxuries.

I pressed my palm against the door and pushed gently. It opened without resistance, and I stepped inside. Martha wasn’t around, so I placed the groceries on the table, just as Valvaro always did, and headed toward the kitchen counter.

An idea struck me: to investigate the strange energy Sailor had mentioned earlier. Without hesitation, I activated Minor clairvoyance.

“Hoooh!”

My eyebrows rose slightly. Unlike the outside, the house was brimming with unnatural energy. A faint golden aura flowed through the air, clinging to nearly every surface like a shimmering jelly.

But this energy wasn’t hostile—quite the opposite. It exuded comfort, like a soothing balm.

“Healing energy,” I muttered, quickly piecing it together. The memory of Martha curing my headache after reincarnation resurfaced. This energy had to be her doing—a way of keeping the house pure and serene.

“What a woman,” I said softly.

Suddenly, something peculiar entered my clairvoyance field. It was close, hidden beneath the kitchen counter on the utensil shelf. I approached and searched until my hand landed on an unexpected object, tucked away at the back.

“A gun?”

It was a six-chamber revolver with an intricately crafted wooden grip and a single bullet inside. Even in this world of strange weapons, this one stood out.

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“Good heavens…”

The grip bore an engraving: Apex. I couldn’t tell if it was the maker’s name or something else, but it stirred a faint sense of familiarity. Was this weapon from this world or my first one?

After a moment’s inspection, I carefully returned the gun to its hiding place. I didn’t want Martha to catch me with it.

“I’ll deal with this later,” I decided.

Footsteps echoed from the stairs, and soon Martha appeared. I greeted her at the counter, and we chatted about the day.

At one point, I delivered a message from Teacher Cindy about Jila, which brought an unmistakable glow to Martha’s face. Her pride in her daughter reminded me of the way my own mother had looked at me when I earned my master’s degree. It made me admire Martha even more—despite my complicated feelings about Valvaro.

Do I even deserve this woman? I wondered. Every moment spent talking to her deepened my guilt. She was far better than anything I could have hoped for in my first life, given my less-than-noble character back then.

I felt like an imposter.

No, I was an imposter. My speech, my mannerisms—they were undoubtedly different from Valvaro’s. Yet Martha showed no suspicion, not even a flicker of doubt.

“Is her love for Valvaro blinding her?” I couldn’t help but think.

I considered mentioning the strange energy Sailor had alluded to, but ultimately decided against it. There was no need to worry her unnecessarily, especially when I intended to investigate further tomorrow.

As for the gun, it might belong to Valvaro. Mentioning it now would only invite trouble, and I couldn’t afford that on my first day.

After our conversation ended, I headed to the bedroom. I changed clothes, collapsed onto the bed, and reopened the system interface.

“Two features left,” I whispered.

The remaining features were Open Query and Map. While the latter was self-explanatory, Open Query intrigued me. From its name, I assumed it had something to do with the Information Room. Despite my poor experience with this system, curiosity won out.

“Open Query,” I commanded.

*[Welcome to Open Query!

Level: 1

Unlike the Information Room, Open Query offers direct guidance to achieve your goal. Instead of you asking the system, the system asks you!

Would you like the system to open a query now?]*

“Interesting,” I murmured.

I wouldn’t get a direct answer, but at least the questions might be meaningful. The real concern was whether or not this feature demanded reincarnation points.

“Open a query!”

*[You have opened a query!

Payment for the first question: 0 reincarnation points.

Query: What is the meaning of death?

Answer the question to receive an exclusive gift from the system.]*

“What nonsense?!” I barely restrained myself.

What does death mean? How was I supposed to answer that? It could be as simple as “the end of life” or as complex as a philosophical debate.

And how was this supposed to help me achieve my goal?

I racked my brain, but nothing definitive came to mind.

“End of life,” I said at last.

No response. Well, that was expected. I was beginning to grasp the system’s modus operandi: a finely-tuned mechanism designed to frustrate and disappoint at every turn. A part of me dreaded the day it might fail me when I needed it most.

“Map,” I muttered with a sigh.

**[ Welcome to the Map!

Level: 1

Here, you can view your location in the world. Of course, don’t expect much since you’re only Level 1. You’ll need to explore the world on your own! ]**

Simple and predictable—nothing here to even bother getting frustrated over.

The screen displayed a void of darkness. Within it, faint outlines of a house, a few roads, a park, and a school came into focus—the only places I had visited thus far. Above the empty expanse, the word Pieck was written in bold letters.

I closed the map without a second glance. Rest, I told myself. Maybe the system’s limitations were tied to its low level. That thought gave me a sliver of hope.

If I wanted it to evolve, I’d need to collect Reincarnation Points. How to do that, though? A faint idea brewed in my mind, but I’d need more clarity.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. A routine family gathering, casual conversations at the table, brief exchanges with Martha when the opportunity arose, and a short bath. Peaceful... or as close to it as things could get.

......

Day Two Begins

Morning unfolded like the first: wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, chat briefly with Martha and Jila. Then came my next destination.

The Forest Guards’ Center of Pieck.