"We have to go."
"Eh?"
"Come on, Zilon."
"Huh?"
"WAKE UP!"
"AHHH!"
---
Zilon jolted awake, sitting upright in his bed. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He looked around, his heart still racing from the remnants of his dream.
"Oh, it's just another dream," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. But as he calmed down, fragments of the dream began to resurface. He remembered the dark figure, the demonic presence that had haunted him. The memory sent a shiver down his spine.
He glanced around the room, realizing that this was the second time he had woken up here. The familiarity of the surroundings struck him, but something felt different. He looked down at himself, inspecting his body.
"No injuries on my elbows or knees... no injury on my face either," he murmured, running his hands over his arms. "Then what was that?"
The memory of the excruciating pain he had endured when he faced that dark figure flashed in his mind. He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. As he did, he noticed something else.
"Hey, is it just me, or have I become smaller?" he wondered aloud. To confirm his suspicion, he stood on the bed, then stepped down to the floor. He was indeed shorter than he remembered.
"Man, I really have become shorter. Is this the result of the accident?" he muttered, looking around the room. His eyes landed on the door leading outside, and he suddenly remembered meeting someone—a woman. But the details were hazy.
Then it hit him. The panel. The strange blue screen that had appeared before him. The memory sent a chill down his spine. He decided to focus on that instead.
"Hmm, I don't really know how true all this is, but I've read a lot of isekai books. I'll use that knowledge to my advantage. Not to mention, I do have some fundamental training," he said with a smirk, trying to reassure himself.
He sat down on the bed, closing his eyes and trying to recall the panel from his memory. Ten seconds passed, then thirty, then a full minute. Five minutes later, he was still sitting there, concentrating. Finally, after fifteen minutes, a blue panel materialized in front of him.
---
[Status Window Opened]
[Status....]
- **Name:Zilon
- **Race: ???
- **Age: 15
- **STR: 5
- **AGI: 6
- **ACU: 15
- **STA: 12
- **MAG: 50
- **MAN: 60
[Skills:]
- (Active)
- **chronico eyes: ....
- ...
---
"Hmm, is it just me, or wasn't this different before?"nZilon muttered, staring at the panel. The information was similar but not identical to what he remembered. "Terra, was it? That's the name I saw the first time I woke up. But the information here isn't the same as before. I feel like I've been nerfed."
One thing Zilon prided himself on was his memory. He could recall details with precision, and this discrepancy bothered him. "Well, whatever it may be, I can't really confirm anything if I keep staying in this room—"
Before he could finish his thought, the door to the room opened. In walked the woman he had seen earlier—Layla. Her presence was as striking as ever, her beauty almost otherworldly. She wore a simple brown dress that covered her from neck to toe, yet it did little to diminish her allure.
She looked at him, her expression as indifferent as before. "You're finally... awake," she said, her voice calm and measured.
"Uh... yeah," Zilon replied, momentarily stunned by her beauty. He quickly composed himself, reminding himself not to let his guard down.
"Zilon, huh?" she said, her eyes glowing faintly with a brown light.
"Yes, that's my... wait, how did you know my name?" Zilon asked, his curiosity piqued.
She shook her head slowly. "Don't worry about that for now. I need to lead you to the bathroom."
Zilon nodded, deciding not to press further. "Then please, lead the way.
"Hm," she acknowledged, turning around and heading toward the door.
Zilon followed, his mind racing. He knew that one of the biggest mistakes isekai protagonists made was asking too many questions and relying too heavily on the first person they met. He decided to take a different approach—observe, learn, and discover things on his own.
As they walked, Zilon took note of the house's layout. It was small but functional, with a kitchen, a dining table, and two rooms. One of the rooms was presumably Layla's, though he didn't get a chance to see inside. The bathroom was their destination, and Layla explained its features briefly before leaving him to it.
---
"Here is the bathroom. The house isn't too big, but be careful so you don't get lost," Layla said as she walked away.
"Get lost?" Zilon muttered under his breath, amused. The house was indeed small, and he had already memorized the layout.
Inside the bathroom, Zilon found everything as Layla had described—a shower, a mirror, and a bathtub filled with hot water. He undressed and stepped into the tub, the warm water soothing his tense muscles.
"Suddenly, I feel like I'm in Japan," he chuckled, relaxing into the water. The water was pure and fragrant, unlike anything he had experienced on Earth. As he soaked, he noticed his skin becoming brighter and his bones feeling stronger.
"I've read about this type of water...in books and novels that is—herbal baths that cleanse impurities and strengthen the body. Never in my life did I think I'd get to experience one. Maybe I should get used to it. Who knows if this is a common custom in this world?" he mused.
After his bath, Zilon dried off and wrapped himself in a towel. He walked over to the mirror, curious to see his reflection. What he saw left him stunned.
"Is this... me?" he whispered, staring at his reflection. His face was more handsome than he remembered, resembling his 14-year-old self but with a more muscular build. "Not to mention, I look more muscular than I ever was," he said, his expression darkening as memories of his difficult childhood resurfaced.
He clenched his fists, his body trembling with suppressed anger. Unbeknownst to him, a faint red aura began to surround his figure. The sound of a cream container falling from the shelf snapped him out of his trance.
"Huh?" he muttered, looking at the container. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and smirked at his reflection. "Yeah, I might not have enjoyed it back then, but now... I do look quite sexy," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
He finished drying off and dressed in the clothes Layla had left for him—a simple white outfit that fit him perfectly. As he hooked his robe and towel on a nearby hook, he noticed the orange rays of sunlight streaming through the window.
"So, it's afternoon, huh? Which makes me wonder, when did I wake up?" he muttered, walking over to the window. He didn't open it but peered through the glass, taking in the view outside.
"Huh, wow..." he whispered, his eyes widening at the sight.
-----------