[Yahallo~ Akarin here!
Sorry in advance if my translation isn't 100% perfect. You might bump into some mistakes with character names, skills, locations, or other things that totally slipped past me. I really did my absolute best so you guys can have a smooth and comfy read. I apologize if any of those slip-ups end up bothering you or breaking your immersion. I really hope the novel lives up to your expectations and doesn't disappoint. Once again, sorry for the flaws, and thank you so much for reading!]
Chapter 1: Reborn Into the Digital World
"Is this part of my life... going to end so meaninglessly?"
The sterile scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air. The rhythmic, agonizingly slow beep of the heart monitor echoed through the quiet room. Mizuki lay trapped in a body that had long since given up on him. Years confined to this pristine white prison had whittled him down to skin and bone, leaving him with nothing but the cold creep of the end settling deep into his chest.
He dragged his heavy eyelids upward, forcing his gaze toward the glowing screen mounted on the pale wall. It was his final anchor to the waking world. The screen played a vintage anime from many years ago, broadcasting the tale of chosen children swept away to an alternate reality, fighting alongside fantastical creatures called Digimon.
For years, that digital frontier had been his only escape. Through a modern lens, the animation was dated and the plotlines occasionally naive, but the raw courage and unyielding bonds depicted within it burned just as brightly as they had decades ago.
'If only I could...'His breath rattled, shallow and weak.'I truly wish I could be like them. Just once. To run, to breathe, to set out on a journey filled with endless wonder...'
Holding onto that final, silent prayer, the last ember of his strength burned out. Mizuki let his eyes flutter shut, surrendering to the quiet dark of the hospital bed.
Perhaps the universe heard that silent plea. Perhaps a miracle, dormant for a lifetime, finally decided to bloom.
When Mizuki opened his eyes again, the suffocating white ceiling was gone.
Instead, a sprawling canopy of vibrant, emerald leaves stretched out above him, filtering golden sunlight into a lush, untamed jungle.
He blinked, momentarily paralyzed. He had fully expected the void.
'Is this a dream?'He pressed his palms against the ground. Damp, rich soil packed beneath his fingernails. A warm, humid breeze swept past, carrying the scent of crushed ferns and wild blooming flora. It was staggeringly, overwhelmingly real.'Where exactly am I—'
A deafening, metallic screech shattered the tranquility.
The sound erupted from directly behind him without warning, vibrating through the ground and rattling his teeth. Confusion clouded his mind as he slowly turned his head.
A monstrous shadow blotted out the sun.
Massive, crimson-plated insectoid armor. Jagged, terrifying mandibles snapping with hydraulic force. Unsettling, hollow eye-like patterns etched across its grotesque head.
Mizuki's breath hitched. He had watched that anime enough times to memorize every frame. He recognized the nightmare towering over him instantly.
A Digimon. Kuwagamon.
"Aieeee! Kuwagamon? Why the hell is there a Kuwagamon here!?"
The sheer absurdity of the situation threatened to short-circuit his brain. 'No! Wait! This is no time for abstract thoughts!'
Survival instincts, buried under years of medical sedation, violently kicked in. Mizuki scrambled backward, forcing his legs to push him up. He threw himself forward into a desperate sprint. Kuwagamon were apex predators of the early digital food chain, and they were anything but friendly.
Behind him, the giant insect locked onto its prey. It unleashed a deafening, excited shriek, the sound of tearing metal, and lunged.
Mizuki's mind screamed at him to run faster, but his new body was completely uncalibrated. Having spent his previous life entirely bedridden, his coordination was nonexistent. Before he could take three full strides, his foot caught on an exposed root.
He pitched forward, crashing hard into the dirt.
A massive, razor-sharp pincer snapped shut through the empty air right where his torso had been a fraction of a second prior. The sheer force of the missed strike sent a shockwave of displaced air washing over his back.
"Tsk..."
Mizuki gritted his teeth. The impact rattled his bones. Sharp stones sliced into his palms and knees, drawing hot, stinging blood. The monstrous clicking of Kuwagamon's mandibles echoed right behind his ears.
Every nerve ending in his body screamed in alarm. This was no fleeting illusion.
Yet, as he pushed himself up from the dirt, a bizarre sensation washed over him. He felt no paralyzing terror.
Instead, from the depths of a soul that had endured a lifetime of sterile rot, an intense, bubbling euphoria erupted.
'It's real!'His heart hammered against his ribs in a strong, steady, powerful rhythm.'I actually crossed over into the Digital World! I finally got rid of the diseases that plagued me!'
Countless thoughts raced through his mind in a fraction of a second. He bit the inside of his cheek to suppress a manic, joyful laugh. He had been given a second chance at life, but becoming insect food on day one was not on his itinerary.
He had to overcome this current obstacle first.
Forcing his mind to synchronize with his healthy limbs, Mizuki scrambled to his feet, dug his heels into the soil, and bolted into the dense undergrowth.
A second later, Kuwagamon recovered from its missed strike. Realizing its tiny prey was slipping away, the crimson beast let out an infuriated roar and tore through the foliage in hot pursuit.
The chase turned the jungle into a blur of green and brown.
Despite his newfound health, a lifetime of inactivity meant Mizuki tired easily. His lungs burned, demanding oxygen, and his legs felt like lead weights.
His only advantage was the terrain. The ancient, towering trees grew tightly packed together, creating a natural maze. Mizuki used his small stature to weave through narrow gaps, forcing the massive Kuwagamon to smash through the obstacles, slowing its momentum. Had they been in an open field, he would have been caught instantly.
Dizziness threatened to overtake him. Black spots danced at the edges of his vision.
Yet, the sharp sting of branches whipping his face and the jagged rocks tearing at his clothes kept him fiercely anchored to reality. The continuous, terrifying crashes of splintering wood behind him acted as a brutal metronome, stimulating his nerves every second.
An ordinary person, thrust from a hospital bed into a death game, would have collapsed from the sheer psychological pressure.
But Mizuki's eyes burned with a clear, diamond-hard resolve. The suffering of his past life had forged his willpower into tempered steel.
Fear served no purpose here. Crying would earn him no pity.
To be reborn was already a miracle and a blessing of fate. He could not afford to ask for more.
The wind roared in his ears, harmonizing with the passionate, indomitable beating of his heart.
'Think,'he commanded himself.'Running blindly will only delay the inevitable. I need a way to break through this predicament!'
As he darted past a cluster of particularly massive, ancient trees, his sharp gaze caught a detail in the environment. The corner of his mouth twitched upward into a faint, almost mischievous smirk.
Kuwagamon thrashed through the jungle, consumed by unmatched vexation.
This fleshy little morsel was insignificant, yet infuriatingly elusive. It kept slipping through the narrowest crevices, dodging lethal snaps of its pincers, and somehow managing to gradually pull further ahead.
The giant insect clicked its mandibles in frustration. Continuing this ground pursuit would only waste its stamina. It prepared to flare its wings, intending to ascend above the canopy and unleash its ultimate technique to clear the entire area.
But just as it shifted its weight to take flight, it noticed the prey's movements faltering. The human's pace dropped significantly, his steps growing heavy and erratic.
'Is it tired?' The predatory thought flashed through Kuwagamon's rudimentary mind.
Abandoning the idea of a sweeping aerial strike, the insectoid Digimon dug its six bladed limbs into the earth and launched itself directly at the slowing target.
The distance evaporated in an instant. Kuwagamon opened its massive, serrated pincers, ready to snap the boy in half. Victory was quite literally within its grasp.
Suddenly, a deafening crack echoed through the canopy.
Before Kuwagamon could register the sound, the towering, ancient trees surrounding it groaned violently. Their massive trunks, severely compromised at the base, snapped.
One after another, the colossal wooden pillars crashed down in a devastating avalanche of timber, slamming directly onto the giant insect's carapace and pinning it firmly to the forest floor.
Kuwagamon let out a muffled, confused screech. "?!"
A few yards away, Mizuki leaned against a sturdy trunk, panting heavily. A spark of joy involuntarily crossed his exhausted features.
He hadn't been running aimlessly in a blind panic. From the moment the chase began, he had been calculating the structural integrity of the forest. By deliberately using Kuwagamon's frantic pursuit to set a trap, he had guided the enraged creature in tight, overlapping circles around a specific cluster of deadwood and structurally weak trees.
Sure enough, the giant trees quickly became unstable under the creature's relentless attacks, and he finally succeeded in pinning it underneath.
Watching the Champion-level beast struggle but remain temporarily unable to break free, Mizuki let out a slight sigh of relief.
He pushed off the tree, preparing to put as much distance between himself and the trapped predator as possible.
But the Digital World was rarely so forgiving.
A terrifying surge of crimson energy erupted from the pile of timber. Kuwagamon let out a deafening roar, its survival instincts pushing its data to the absolute limit. With a violent, explosive heave, it forcefully shattered the massive restraints pinning it down, sending jagged splinters flying like shrapnel!
Mizuki's breath caught. His pupils contracted slightly.
He hadn't expected the beast to escape so quickly.
The enraged Kuwagamon lunged, its massive pincer snapping toward Mizuki with lethal velocity. There was no time to dodge. The shadow of death fell over him once more.
At that critical, breathless fraction of a second, a blur of yellow shot out from the dense foliage behind him!
Mizuki's eyes widened. "?!"
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