My vacation was supposed to be simple. Go back to the village, relax, laze around like a sloth, and eat my grandma's food.
But boy… It looks like God took that one personally.
The news channels had been screaming about heavy rains for a week, and they weren't wrong. It was a full-blown monsoon.
Yet for some reason, in that heavy rainfall, our family's prized buffalo—the one I grew up with—decided this was the perfect weather for a stroll near the river.
The water was rising fast, turning the local stream into a muddy, dangerous death trap. I should have stayed inside. I should have just kept eating. But even I'm not lazy enough to watch a childhood pet get swept away.
I threw on a raincoat and trudged out to drag her back. Outside, I could feel the weight of the rain,it was heavy. The wind howled in my ears, and the rain hit so hard I could barely see two steps ahead, but I somehow made my way to the river.
The moment I saw her, I yelled, "Hey, Rosie! It's time to go home! Come with me!"
She turned her head toward me… and froze.
"That's weird," I thought to myself.
So I decided to close the distance between us by slowly walking toward her, and then she also started walking toward me… I thought she was going to rub her head against me, showing some affection.
But NO!!
That thick-headed bitch—the one I considered part of my family—had other plans. The moment I got close, she lowered her head and tackled me with the kind of rage you'd expect if I had just murdered her calf, sending me flying straight into the river.
Which, I should add, was already flash-flooded.
I yelled, "Rosie… why, you bitc— I…" before I got swallowed by the rushing river.
The world became a chaotic swirl of brown water and debris before everything went black, and I drowned into unconsciousness. At that moment, I was sure I had just died.
But my eyes opened again. The roaring of the river was gone, replaced by the gentle rustling of leaves. I was lying on damp soil in the middle of a deep, ancient-looking forest.
The trees were tall—no, really tall—the kind you'd expect from some fantasy world. So tall I couldn't even see their tops clearly. Some smaller ones were scattered around too. I didn't know if they were juveniles or just short.
I'm sure this isn't my world… I know what the flora of my world looks like. Am I hallucinating? Am I dead and in the afterlife? Where am I?
I thought to myself, Did I get isekai'ed? Like in manga? Does that actually exist?
I started questioning my own existence and reality.
After taking a deep breath and calming myself,
I looked around.
I examined the trees.
I examined a squirrel-like creature with wings on one of the shorter trees.
I considered the evidence.
Conclusion reached.
Yeah.
I got isekai'ed!
Hell yeah!
I mean, sure, this time the job wasn't done by Truck-kun, but still… I got isekai'ed.
After calming my excitement about getting isekai'ed, I decided to explore my surroundings. That's when I encountered my first big creature of this world—
a frog the size of a mini-truck, chasing a deer-like creature that—what the… why does this creature have a nose shaped suspiciously like...
No. That can't be what I think it is.
…Right?
Then the frog stopped. Its huge, unblinking eyes swiveled and locked onto me.
"Oh, wait. It's looking at me now," I thought, as if I were watching a wildlife documentary from the safety of my couch.
It let out a croak that sounded like a foghorn and took a bounding leap in my direction.
"Oh, WAIT! IT'S COMING FOR ME!" I screamed.
"Holy sh*t!" I screamed and started running.
"Damn it! WHERE THE HELL ARE MY SUPERPOWERS?!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet.
Didn't I just get isekai'ed? I'm supposed to be overpowered! How do I use it?
"System?
Status window?
Goddess?
God?
Primordial demon?
Firebolt?
Summon?
Anything, please!" I screamed, hoping something would happen—but nothing did.
As I ran, I realized something horrifying. The distance between us was shrinking, my inner monologue of becoming an overpowered hero vanished in a puff of pure panic. I ran. Fueled by adrenaline and the very real possibility of being eaten, I found the nearest climbable tree and scrambled up its trunk like a terrified monkey.
I held my breath as the giant frog monster, after waiting for what felt like two full minutes, thankfully lost interest and went back to chasing the "penis-nose deer."
Once my heart stopped trying to beat its way out of my chest, I looked at my surroundings from the treetop and realized I was at the edge of the tall forest.
In the far distance, I could see the faint outline of a town. Hope surged through me, immediately followed by a loud growl from my stomach.
I noticed squirrel-like creatures on a nearby branch happily munching on some bright purple berries. They looked harmless, so figuring if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me and at least better than dying of starvation
I plucked a few and cautiously took a bite.
They were surprisingly sweet.
"Yep. Still alive. They should be safe." I said after waiting nearly fifteen minutes for any side effects.
I stuffed a handful of berries into my pocket and began my journey. As I walked, I couldn't shake my disappointment. This crappy world had given me nothing!
I tried the essentials, of course. A shout of "Status Window!" earned me nothing but a sore throat. Pointing my palm at a rock and yelling "Fire Blast!" failed to produce so much as a spark.
After ten minutes of increasingly desperate chuunibyou poses and commands, the only power I'd discovered was the ability to attract strange looks from the local fauna.
I was completely, utterly, disappointingly powerless.
…Wait.
Can I come back from death? Like the power of Honda from Re: Infinite?
Should I try it by killing myself?
…Nope. Sounds like a bad idea.
…Or maybe I have a Stand? Am I a Stand user?
"Star Finger!!"..
…
"Crazy Carbon!!"..
…
"Made in Hell!!!"..
…
Nothing.
I tried again with poses.
…
Still nothing.
Carefully dodging weird animals, I finally reached a wide-open grassland.
The town was much closer now, a welcome sight. But then I saw it—a figure lying on the ground, resting.
Wait… is that a person? Are they camping here?!
Forgetting my own safety for a moment, I ran toward them for help, since it was the first time in this world I had seen another person.
"Hello..? I'm lost. Can you help me?"
I knelt beside him, reaching out a hesitant hand. His eyes were closed, and one of his hands rested behind his head.
He was incredibly striking: pale skin, long silver-gray hair that shimmered even in the fading light, and a tall, slender figure.
A gasp caught in my throat as he slowly lifted his chin.
He opened his eyes.
They were red.
Red…?
His lips parted just enough to reveal a beautiful, pearly white set of… fangs.
….fangs?
Wait…
OH SHI- He HAS FANGS?! AND HIS EYES ARE RED?!
Before I could process this internal conflict, he looked at me, and the instant our eyes met–
"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?! What kind of disease is that?!" he shrieked, recoiling.
"The disease is that I was born this way… it's the face I was born with," I snapped.
He blinked, then quickly recovered, a flush of pale pink rising on his cheeks.
"Oh. Uh, sorry about that. You just look a little bit… never mind. I'm kind of hungry right now. Do you have some food? I can smell some berries on you. So…"
Nope. This is it. He's trying to lure me. I know he's a vampire! everything about him screams vampire—and I'm only eating these berries because they're the safest-looking thing in this forest that I could get my hands on. A powerful being like him wouldn't be starving for… berries. He's a vampire! They drink blood. He's trying to get me to lower my guard so he can suck me dry!
Of course, I said all this internally. I'm not an idiot enough to provoke a freaking vampire.
As my mind succumbed to terror, the vampire, with surprising speed, pounced. My life flashed before my eyes.
Yep, goodbye.
My second life was good while it lasted.
Crunch. Crunch.
I blinked. The vampire was sitting beside me, calmly munching on one of my purple berries.
"Hmm. You have good taste in berries," he said to me.
"Wait… you're eating berries?" I asked, completely bewildered.
"Yep," he replied, taking another bite.
"Aren't you… a vampire?"
He paused, a berry halfway to his mouth. His red eyes narrowed. "…How do you know that?"
"Your fangs, your skin, your hair… everything screams vampire."
He sighed, running a hand through his silver hair. "Oh, and here I thought I completely looked human."
"You see, my fangs are usually hidden. They're only visible now because I let them be. I didn't expect any humans to come out of the forest." he said, swallowing the berry.
He gave a little grunt of effort, and slowly, his fangs receded.
"So… you're going to eat me now?" I asked, still wary.
"Why would I do that?" He looked genuinely confused.
"Because you're a vampire!"
He scoffed. "I only eat veggies."
"Wh-what the fu— well, I'm not judging you. In fact, I should be happy about that, for my safety, but… that's kind of disappointing."
"Yes, I know! That's why I was kicked out of my home! Because I refused to drink blood!" he interrupted, sounding frustrated.
"And you," he added, looking me up and down, "you also look quite weird. Those clothes—I've never seen anything like them."
"Well, you see… ah…"
Maybe I should also say I was kicked out of my family because I can't use magic. I mean, half of it is true—I really can't use magic. And if magic doesn't exist in this world… which I find hard to believe after seeing a literal vampire in front of me… I'll just say I was joking.
"I was also kicked out of my family. Because I can't use magic."
He stared at me, then at the sky, then back at me.
"Seriously? A human who's… I'm not trying to judge you here, but you are repulsively ugly and have no magic? Aren't you the ultimate failure?"
"Says who? The vampire who can't drink blood?" I shot back, my anger overriding my fear.
"I can!" he shouted back. "I just refuse to!"
Wait… this could actually work for me.
I looked at him again.
"Doesn't matter. We're both outcasts, aren't we?" I said. "Abandoned by our own kind for not being what they wanted."
He fell silent, his red eyes looking at me with a new, grudging understanding. For the first time, he didn't look like a predator. He just looked… lonely.
"Yep," he finally admitted, his voice quiet.
"Well," I said, seizing the moment. "How about we go to that town together? Two failures have a better chance than one, right? And there will be less questioning if we say we're here to form a party."
Alright, let's see how he reacts. I sure hope the system of parties and adventurers exists in this world just like in those books.
""Well… I wasn't planning to go to town… or form a party… but… it sounds better than roaming alone, so… are we forming a party?" he asked, tilting his head.
Yes! It exists! Just by looking at his expression that does not say "what the hell are you talking about?"
"That's what I thought we should do," I explained. "We're both going to be new to this town, and we both need money. We can earn it if we get some simple quests done."
I can really use this vampire. I seriously need money if I have to live here. And maybe he won't be so bad. I mean, he only eats veggies, so he shouldn't be a danger to me. He can't be any worse than a buffalo, right?
"Alright!" I declared aloud.
"Let's go to town and make a party!"
"What's your name, vamp?"
"Carl Zeiss," he replied, a faint, confident smirk playing on his lips. "And you are?"
"I'm Darcy Sinclair." (I made it up on the spot.)
And that's how my new life in another world began: with a vegetarian vampire named Carl and the sinking feeling that I'd just signed my own death warrant.