Standing on the barren ground of the Time-Space Realm, Hayashi turned his gaze toward the Crossing Gate suspended at the edge of the space.
"According to how the Crossing Gate works, I'll most likely be sent close to a 'protagonist'."
Muttering to himself, Hayashi stepped forward, passing through the glowing gate.
The next instant, a dense forest appeared in his vision.
Hayashi swept his eyes across the surroundings and spotted a village in the far distance.
Since he wasn't sure which world this was yet, he decided to proceed with caution.
"Beast Power: Stealth."
Taking a step forward, Hayashi's body instantly vanished from sight.
But a closer look would reveal that he hadn't disappeared—he had simply blended perfectly into the surrounding environment.
This was a Trait ability he had acquired from a chameleon-like monster he once hunted.
After being assimilated into the [Beast Power (Blue)] Trait, the stealth skill had been enhanced.
Previously, it only worked on his body. Now, by channeling magic, it extended to his clothing as well.
Silently entering the village, Hayashi quickly controlled one of the villagers.
"Nightmare Magic: Memory Manipulation."
"Tell me everything you know."
After extracting the necessary information, Hayashi also erased the villager's memories of the encounter.
From the villager's mouth, he pieced together a rough understanding of the world's setting.
This was a world with a level system, where people grew stronger by defeating monsters.
He was currently in a remote village within the Kingdom of Jioral.
"So it's the world of the Staff Hero. Didn't expect to land here."
Realizing where he was, Hayashi scanned the entire village.
He activated the third ability of the Boosted Gear: "Penetrate," and applied it to his eyes.
With "X-Ray Vision" enabled, the entire layout of the village unfolded before him.
Thanks to his enhanced vision, he immediately locked onto the figure of Keyaru, sound asleep in a grass hut.
The moment Hayashi laid eyes on him, a look of pity flickered in his eyes.
Keyaru's first playthrough was infamous—suffering from exploitation, mind control, physical abuse… the works.
But that sympathy only lasted half a second. The Boosted Gear on Hayashi's arm emitted a soft glow.
"Penetrating Light Lance!"
A Light Lance imbued with penetrating force formed in his palm and launched with a thought.
Thwack!
It bypassed the wall of the hut and pierced straight through Keyaru's skull.
He didn't even have a chance to realize what happened—his life ended instantly in his sleep.
[Crossing Gate Progress +15%][Ding! "Protagonist Slayer (Red)" triggered. Plunder Existence?]"Existence Plunder."
This time, Hayashi didn't hesitate.
In the next second, everything related to "Keyaru" was transferred to him completely.
The scenery beneath his feet shifted—and when he opened his eyes again, he was lying in the same shabby grass hut.
The corpse that should've been on the bed had vanished. In its place, he himself now lay there.
"What a strange feeling. It's like playing as a character in a simulation game for a few hours."
Hayashi could now confirm that this was Keyaru's first life, before his time-loop awakening.
He opened his status panel.
[Ding! Acquired Traits: Chosen Hero (Gold), Hero of Healing (Gold), Protagonist Halo (Blue)][Chosen Hero (Gold): You are a chosen hero, blessed by the world. Your level has no limit. Your bodily fluids have a small chance to help others break through their limits.][Hero of Healing (Gold): The hero who wields the power of Heal, capable of altering the very nature of things.][Protagonist Halo (Blue): Your luck, potential, and various stats are moderately boosted.]
"My [Hero Descendant (White)] Trait just got overwritten.
These Traits… are absolutely busted!"
Hayashi could feel the power surging within him.
This Heal magic—it felt as if the knowledge was inscribed deep into his genes, awakened from dormancy.
And he knew very well—this wasn't mere healing magic.
The true essence of "Heal" was restoring the target to their original state.
"It's like Doraemon's Time Cloth. On a world-scale… it's time reversal."
Understanding the sheer potential of this power, Hayashi also knew it came with a not-so-small side effect:
If used on other people, everything they'd experienced would be transmitted directly into his mind.
All their pain, trauma, and memories—poured into him in a single moment. Unbearable, if unprepared.
But along with that pain, he would also inherit all their combat skills and experience.
"If your mental resilience isn't strong enough, that's a serious drawback."
"But if I could absorb only the skills and experience without the pain… it'd be perfect."
Hayashi believed it wasn't impossible.
But that would involve soul-level manipulation. He needed more time to study it.
As for now, that could all wait.
"The Hero's exclusive Holy Arnaments, and Flare—the Hero of Magic—I need to get my hands on both before leaving."
Hayashi leapt out of bed, stretching his limbs as memories from the story flashed through his mind.
The fastest treasure to obtain right now was the blessing of the Star Spirit.
But the problem was, he didn't have the incantation for the ancient pact.
He furrowed his brow slightly—but soon had a plan.
"Play it by ear. Worst case, I'll just take it by force."
Just as Hayashi was about to head out, the door creaked open.
A simply dressed girl appeared in the doorway.
She had a sweet, gentle face. Her long brown hair was braided and draped over her chest.
Even in plain peasant clothes, her natural beauty stood out.
Her fair skin glowed with moisture. Her petite frame was curvy in all the right ways, highlighting her soft silhouette.
With a smile on her face and a maternal aura radiating from her, she made Hayashi unconsciously lower his guard.
"Good morning, little Hayashi~"
Anna stepped inside with a calm, affectionate smile.
She reached out to open the tightly shut window, letting sunlight pour in.
Hayashi returned her smile with one of his own. "You're here early, Anna~"
Thanks to his newly inherited memories, Hayashi clearly remembered who she was.
Anna wasn't technically related to him, but as the neighbor who had raised him, she was more of a sister—if not already something closer to a wife.
Maybe it was instinct, but Hayashi checked her favorability rating.
[Favorability: 99]
Seeing that it was just a point shy of max, he couldn't help but step forward and wrap his arms around her slender waist.
Surprised by the sudden intimacy, Anna's cheeks flushed pink.
"Hayashi, you're being extra clingy today."
"That's because I like you, Anna."
Hayashi's blunt confession struck her heart like a hammer—her pulse raced uncontrollably.
Before she could say a word, he had already taken her lips.
His dominant kiss caught her off guard, but her love for him made her clumsily, earnestly respond.
That kiss felt like it lasted an eternity.
So much so that Anna lost herself entirely in the moment.
Only when the voices of children playing outside grew closer did she snap back to reality.