Episode 2: ...Modern Japan?

"Wait, how is he moving with those injuries!?"

Thirty minutes after waking up, I was still staring out the window, trying to make sense of the surreal landscape, when a nurse caught me. One thing led to another, a doctor was summoned, and... well, I didn't know how to handle it.

"Um... who are you?"

I opted for the amnesia gambit.

"So... you're saying I was caught in a rockfall and spent five months in a coma?"

"That's right. You were essentially brain-dead. Waking up at all is nothing short of a miracle."

The doctor's explanation matched my memories of the accident, which meant I was back in the world I’d left three years ago. Or so it seemed.

It was a wonder I’d survived the initial impact, but apparently, this "modern" world now possessed magic. That was what had kept me alive—barely. My body hadn't been recovering; it had been on a slow, steady march toward the grave.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to run some tests."

The hospital wasn't about to discharge a miracle patient just because he could stand up. They insisted on a battery of examinations. The results, however, were... problematic.

"Unbelievable," my attending physician muttered.

No external injuries. No internal disease. Aside from the "memory loss," I was the picture of perfect health.

As a former Summoner, I specialized in support and recovery magic. Fixing a few broken bones and internal hemorrhaging was a Tuesday for me in the other world. Of course, I couldn't exactly tell him that. I kept my mouth shut.

"To heal injuries of that severity... it would take a high-tier Healer. Someone at least A-rank or S-rank."

Watching the doctor's eyes widen with shock, I felt a pang of regret. I shouldn't have been so reckless with the healing.

---

An hour later, my parents arrived.

It had been years since I’d seen them. I’d honestly thought I never would again. Since I was playing the amnesia card, I couldn't exactly break down in tears, but the relief of seeing them was real.

"Um... hello. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" my father asked, his voice thick with emotion. "That accident wasn't your fault."

He pulled me into a tight embrace, and my mother joined him, clinging to me as she sobbed. They were so genuinely happy, so overwhelmed with relief, that the lie tasted bitter in my mouth. Right. They were always like this. A wave of nostalgia washed over me.

"I'm really sorry. I just... I don't remember you at all."

"It doesn't matter," my father said. "You're alive. You woke up. That's all that matters. We have you back."

"Yes... thank God. I'm just so glad you're alive, Reima."

Hearing those words, I realized just how much I’d been loved.

I was home. But even as I felt the warmth of my family, I couldn't shake the image of the world outside that hospital window.

---

After a few more tests confirmed I was "perfectly healthy," I was officially discharged. I sat in the back of my parents' car as we drove home.

I spent the next few tens of minutes staring out the window, looking for the monsters I’d seen earlier. The world looked more advanced than the Japan I remembered. It made me wonder if this was even the same country.

Since the drive was going to take a while, I pulled out my smartphone to do some digging. A few terms kept popping up: Adventurer, Dungeon, and Dungeon Streamer.

I pulled up a news clip.

"—Japan remains peaceful today thanks to the Adventurers currently clearing the Dungeons! Furthermore, the recent boom in Dungeon streaming continues to grow, with more and more Dungeon Streamers entering the field—"

The audio played over footage of monsters rampaging through modern cityscapes and humans fighting them off. I opened a familiar-looking streaming app and searched for "Dungeon." The results were endless.

"...What?"

"Something wrong, Reima?"

"No, it's just... what is this?"

"Good grief," my father chuckled, though his eyes were misty. "Waking up and immediately checking Dungeon streams? Even with your memory gone, some things never change."

He seemed happy, but I felt a cold knot of unease in my stomach. The things on the screen—the Goblins and Orcs—were the exact same creatures I’d fought in the other world.

Beings that should have been fictional were now a part of reality. It felt like a manga had been forcibly superimposed onto my world. The disconnect was jarring.

"Did I... like these?"

"Yeah. You were obsessed with Dungeon streams. You always admired Adventurers. For the last few years, you were working yourself to the bone, saying you were going to become one yourself someday."

"I see..."

I didn't know how to respond to that.

At the very least, it seemed Adventurers and Dungeons were common knowledge. My amnesia was proving to be a very useful shield. It gave me an excuse for my ignorance. Nice move, me.

I was just starting to relax into the rhythm of the car when a familiar sensation prickled my skin.

Bloodlust.

Then, a shadow blurred across the distance, heading straight for us.

"Whoa!"

"Eek!"

My father yanked the steering wheel. The car swerved violently. At this speed, we were going to slam into a concrete wall. We wouldn't survive the impact.

I didn't hesitate.

"[Protect Shield]."

The support spell was second nature. A shimmering barrier enveloped my family.

"Ugh... Reima, are you okay?"

"Wait... it didn't hurt?"

"Dad, Mom, are you both alright?"

"Y-yeah..."

"I think so..."

"Good."

I didn't drop my guard. I squinted through the window at the massive shape looming in the distance. People were screaming, scattering in every direction.

"A monster escaped the Dungeon!"

"Hold the line until the Adventurers get here!"

The creature was a four-meter-tall monstrosity with the head of an eagle. In the other world, it was a B-rank threat known as a Griffon.

"Reima, we have to run!"

My father grabbed my hand. Even in the face of death, they weren't going to leave me behind.

In the other world, a Griffon was a serious threat. It took a squad of trained knights or veteran Adventurers to bring one down. To an ordinary human, it was a walking death sentence.

But to me—the man who had stood against the Demon King—it was a bottom-tier pest. I could kill it without even tapping into my Summoned Beasts.

But should I?

My power was the reason I’d been executed in the first place. The "me" of this world was supposed to be powerless. If I showed them what I could do, my parents would be terrified.

I didn't want to be feared anymore.

I should just run. I should be a normal person and get out of here. I turned to follow my parents, but then—

"Someone! Help!"

A child's voice.

I looked back. A small child was frozen in place, right in the Griffon's path.

Damn it.

Before I could think, I was moving.

I cast an enhancement spell on my legs, blurred across the pavement, and stepped directly between the child and the beast.

You idiot. Why did you jump out?

I didn't have an answer. By the time the thought even crossed my mind, my body had already made the choice.