001 Sakurai Toru is a Mob Character.
This world, based on a game, can be called high fantasy, at least in terms of genre.
While the outside of the outer walls is a world of the survival of the fittest, filled with monsters beyond human comprehension, the inside, which is the main setting, is basically a slightly older modern society mixed with magic.
The protagonist (player) aims to become an adventurer who defeats monsters and brings back their resources to protect humanity’s living space, and enters the National Adventurer Academy. They make friends, beat up some bad guys, and prevent some dangerous plan—a typical story.
This overly-trodden world and story, which I feel like I’ve seen many times before, didn’t become a massive hit, but it did achieve a decent level of success with the customer base that was looking for something “good old-fashioned.” I myself am one of those people.
So, when it comes to whether I, who was reincarnated into such a world, am in a special position, I’m not really.
I was born into a very ordinary family, and my name, “Sakurai Toru,” is nothing special.
In addition, there is no character with the surname “Sakurai” among the original characters or even those slightly related to them, so it’s safe to say that I am a “Mob Character” in both name and reality.
In short, that means I can ignore the original story and focus on leveling up.
“World crisis, national crisis, heroine’s crisis, I don’t know, I don’t care, ignore them all! Just leave that to the original characters, they’ll figure it out somehow!!”
Even though I have memories of my previous life, I don’t see myself as special.
I was originally a bottom-of-the-barrel, small-time, weakling in a world without conflict. If I were to stick my nose in, I’d obviously get hurt.
Besides, my heart is already captured by leveling up. I do intend to borrow a few items for that purpose, but most of them are for end-game content, so they won’t affect the original story at all.
I’m leveling up, so you guys can handle the dangerous stuff!!!
My heart is light, and I feel incredibly refreshed.
Besides, why would I bother interfering in a story that’s guaranteed to have a happy ending, unless it’s a game over? If things are guaranteed to work out, it’s healthier to just leave it alone and live as I please.
“It would be nice to get involved with beautiful girls like the heroines, but I don’t know how to handle women, and I’ll probably just end up being disliked or creep them out.”
Don’t you think it’s presumptuous for a guy who wasn’t popular in the real world to suddenly become popular after being reborn?
In the first place, I plan to pour all my time into leveling up, so there’s no way someone like that would become popular. Alright, my theory is complete, I’m perfectly self-sufficient even if I’m alone.
“I’m feeling great today, my body is light, let’s level up, woo-hoo!”
With that kind of attitude, I grab my wooden sword and dash out of the house today as well. My destination is a riverbed a little ways away.
The wonderful thing about this world is that if you have a goal related to “training” and act accordingly, you’ll gain experience points just for that.
For example, if you jog while consciously thinking, “I’m going to increase my stamina,” you’ll gain experience points with every step. On the other hand, if you sprint to “reach your destination,” you won’t gain any experience points at all. In other words, if you make the purpose of every action to train yourself, you’ll gain experience points just by living.
What happens when you gain experience points? Don’t you know? Your level goes up.
Then what happens when your level goes up? Let me tell you, you can continue to earn experience points.
“This is the best…”
I can’t help but mutter to myself, the system of this world is so incredibly amazing, it’s like the best of the best, topped with whipped cream and awarded an art score.
I’m sure you don’t understand what I’m saying anymore, but in short, leveling up is the best.
You earn experience points, your level goes up, and when your level goes up, you can enjoy earning experience points towards the next goal. If there were no level cap, it would be an endless loop like the ouroboros. For me, who enjoys the act of “leveling up” itself, it’s like being in a constant state of bliss.
I do plan to go get an item that removes the level cap eventually, but I’m not strong enough yet. The current visible level cap is 50, and I, who just started earning experience points, have only just reached level 5.
“The required experience points increase like crazy with each level, so at my current pace, I’ll probably hit the cap around the time I enter the academy in 8 years.”
The first level cap removal item can only be obtained after joining the academy, so that seems like a reasonable goal for now.
Damn it, if only I had realized this when I was around 3 years old, I wouldn’t have lost 4 years of grinding!
Fueled by that regret, I continue to swing my wooden sword today as well.