Arancis

"Gurgle! Gurgle! Gurgle!"

Noir tried to scream as he sat up straight in the wooden chair. In front of him was a mirror, reflecting an unfamiliar face— a corpse with a slit across its neck.

How... how am I still alive?

He tried to make a sound, but all that came out was a soft gurgling. The soft light from a nearby lamp illuminated his blood, which was pouring down his neck from the grotesque slit that exposed his trachea.

Noir, whose mind was already on the brink of collapsing from receiving the memories of Benron's body, was pushed even further as a new set of memories flowed into his mind.

Anderson Tod, an adventurer from the Eastern Continent's City of Aria, had just returned from a recent solo expedition to the Far Lands.

His father had been a former captain of a famous adventuring squad, who died sacrificing himself for his fellow squadmates in a tragic encounter with a ghoul. This left Anderson with a lasting hatred for the monsters lurking in the dark. He swore to become a famous adventurer and find out the truth behind the monsters...

His mother had been a normal housewife, but after his father's death, she began to show signs of insanity. She slowly descended into madness and now lived in a hospital...

He had no siblings—only himself. After the death of his father and his mother's descent into insanity, he could only rely on himself at the age of sixteen.

He gave most of his father's bereavement money to his mother's hospital to pay for her treatment, saving only a little for himself as he applied to an adventuring squad.

With no prior skills, he worked himself nearly to death, trying to carve his place in the adventuring world. He picked up the ancient Arancis language—considered the original language of life—as well as the Weyland language, the common language spoken by most people.

He encountered many monsters in his travels, hunting them, barely surviving. However, during his most recent expedition, he finally encountered a book of ancient origin. As expected, it was yellowed and worn due to the passage of time.

This book could revolutionize the world's understanding of the monsters in the dark, as well as the civilizations lost in the Far Lands.

He brought the book home in hopes of studying it. As he flipped open the first page of yellowed paper, he saw strange text that slowly turned familiar as he studied it closely.

It was written in ancient Arancis!

The slightly faded ink revealed knowledge that shouldn't be known by man.

After reading the first page, Anderson's mind was corrupted, and he instantly went insane. He started crying uncontrollably, clawing at his face, and banging his head on the table. Finally, he dragged his chair to a nearby dressing mirror, sitting in front of it, and took out a hunting knife, slicing at his neck.

Noir, now in Anderson's body, was instantly overwhelmed by the memories and began to show signs of madness.

"After the stars align, the world will be reborn anew."

The corresponding memories of the book's text were affecting him as well!

However, due to blood loss or the overflow of information, Noir lost consciousness, effectively halting his descent into insanity.

After an unknown amount of time, Noir slowly woke up as the sun's rays shone through the gaps in his one-bedroom flat. He slowly pushed himself up from the floor, his vision slowly becoming clearer.

Looking into the mirror once again, he couldn't help but frown.

The wounds on his head and the deep slit on his throat had disappeared!

Noir didn't know what to make of this as he slowly collected his thoughts.

The pain is gone...

After letting out a long sigh, he continued to analyze his situation.

It seems that I have transmigrated once again...

Even after my death in the last world, I've woken up in a new body with all the memories once again. What could have triggered this? So far, the only similarities are that the bodies I've transmigrated into are people who were dead.

Benron most likely had a heart attack in the middle of the street, and Anderson killed himself after going crazy due to the information in the book... Does that mean every time I die, I will transmigrate again?

Haiz... But that doesn't explain the cause of my initial transmigration.

I'm sure I didn't have any major health issues that could have caused my sudden death...

With a sweep of his gaze, he locked onto the book that caused Anderson's suicide.

If it hadn't been for me passing out, I might have started my third transmigration loop... Noir mocked inwardly.

"After the stars align..."

Eh, shit, I just thought of it!

"..." After an awkward silence, Noir realized that he was completely normal.

Why does recalling the information now not cause me to go insane?

Noir walked toward the book, stopping just before the table.

If I open it now and try to read the following contents, will I go insane or remain normal?

No, no, no, what am I thinking? This is the equivalent of rushing to my death!

There's a saying in English: "If you go looking for trouble, you'll find it!"

It's best if I leave it alone for now. Heck, I don't even know if touching it can corrupt me...

Noir then turned back toward the chair and carpet, which was covered in dried blood.

"..." It's probably best if I change into a clean set of clothes and clean up the mess I made...

Even in another world, my room looks like a garbage dump. However, this garbage dump has blood stains and weapons...

After making up his mind, he went and picked up the bloodstained carpet. He walked toward his toilet, opened the door, and turned on the sink, soaking the towel in cold water.

This world doesn't have hydrogen peroxide... Hopefully, I can get rid of the stain with cold water. If not, I'll have to throw it away. I can't have my house looking like a crime scene, can I?

After scrubbing it vigorously for what seemed like forever, Noir eventually gave up as the blood had dried too much, making the removal of it impossible.

Throwing the carpet aside, he went to pick up a tattered towel from his cupboard. Returning to the toilet, he soaked the towel until it was dripping wet and brought it back to his room.

Kneeling next to the chair and scrubbing it, he successfully removed the stain. He then tidied up the room, making it look presentable.

Phew, at least now my room doesn't look like an active crime scene. If someone were to enter right now, they might just get scared to death!

He then walked toward his dresser, opening it to reveal three identical sets of white t-shirts and black pants.

"..." How does he have less variety of outfits than a shut-in... Noir mocked inwardly.

Reluctantly, he changed into one of the sets of clothes and sat down on his bed, pondering other matters.

Though he had somewhat grasped the situation behind his transmigration, there was still the problem of why Amy had suddenly killed him.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Noir subconsciously tapped his temple, staring at the rotting wall in front of him.

Yes, there was that piercing bell sound that had given him a splitting headache. It seemed to ring out from nowhere, causing everyone around him to act strangely.

Could that be the reason Amy killed me?

As he reached this conclusion, Noir heard a knock coming from his flat's door.

"Knock. Knock. Knock."