bookbashuk Page 5
Page 5
The boy, seemingly venting his anger, threw the empty bottle forcefully. The plastic bottle traced a graceful arc in the air before landing in a nearby trash can.
"By the way, I'll never choose geography again in my next life. Enduring the final exam was torture."
"Cunshu, exams are finally over! Shall we go to an internet cafe for an all-nighter?"
An excited friend snuggled up from behind, wrapped his arms around Yuecunze's neck, and wiped the sweat from his arm onto Yuecunze's neck.
Squeezing until numb...
Yuecun Ze impatiently brushed his hand away: "Forget it, I'm so sleepy. I need to sleep like a log when we get back. Even if the Light Energy Clan invades, they won't be able to wake me up."
"Okay, I'll go with Brother Xu and the others first." His friend turned around and quickly waved at him.
After waving goodbye to his friend, Koshimura Sawa yawned and continued walking out.
Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities to play later, so I'll take a nap first.
At the chaotic intersection, the green light came on, and Yuecunze had just taken a step forward when a strong gust of wind from the left lifted his tired eyelids.
Yuecun Ze stiffly turned his head, and what came into view was a scene he would never forget in his life.
The steel behemoth roared forward, its massive cab casting a long shadow over it.
The sharp screech of tires against the pavement was probably the most abstract and irrational sound he had ever heard in his eighteen years of life. It was as if the bell signaling the end of the college entrance exam was still ringing in his ears, mingling with the scorching June afternoon wind and the faint, relieved cheers from afar. The next second, the entire world was brutally smashed into pieces by this silent, roaring steel behemoth—a heavy truck emblazoned with the eye-catching words "Fast Track to Another World Reincarnation."
No, how did the full insurance for the semi-trailer incur a damage on my record?
Could it be that I'm getting my comeuppance because I tell hellish jokes every day?
Wait, I haven't even started hyping up my long-brewing, overused joke about this year's college entrance exam essay topic on Baidu Tieba yet, to capitalize on the trend and generate traffic—
His consciousness was as if it had been abruptly cut off, sinking into a viscous, deep sea of silence and darkness. There was no pain, no light, no sound, only a suffocating nothingness enveloping him as he slowly fell.
I don’t know how long it took, maybe a moment, maybe eternity.
A sliver of light pierced the boundless ink-black expanse.
Like a beam of light shooting down from the distant horizon, the light grew stronger and stronger, yet it was not dazzling; it was gentle and warm, even carrying a hint of holiness.
And what was enveloped in that magnificent holy light was—
A giraffe.
Koshimura felt his thoughts, like rusty gears, struggling to turn.
He tried to stare intently, noticing the incredibly long, slender neck and the smoothly defined lines of the deer's head. The near-perfect form was enormous, elegant, and possessed an indescribable, inhuman quality...
Um, it really is just a giraffe.
The consciousness of Yuecunze almost materialized into an expression of "=_=": "...Oh. So, I'm now on a day trip to the underworld? Where's the Bridge of Helplessness? Where's Meng Po? Did you outsource the business to the zoo? Could you please have Teacher Wenjian Gun come and pick me up? At least he could play a suona to send me off in a pleasant way."
"Young man, don't panic, I'm Chao—"
The holy light vanished abruptly, and the enormous body that had been floating in the air suddenly fell to the ground with a thud, along with the echo that seemed to have been stretched to its maximum.
Koshimura even heard the sound of something shattering.
"Um, bro, are you alright..." Koshimura Sawa squinted.
"It's nothing, I've been having too many company dinners lately, so my weight has increased a bit too quickly... cough cough, don't worry about the details." The giraffe struggled to its feet, floated back into the air, and was enveloped in a holy light. Its voice once again resonated with a full volume of echoes, "Young man, are you aware of your current situation?"
"I was killed by the full-insurance half-hanging injury." Yuecunze sensed his current situation and it seemed that he no longer had a physical body, only a floating consciousness. "So, the zoo really took over the underworld? Can I see what Ox-Head and Horse-Face look like? I'm quite curious. By the way, I'm not a ginger corpse."
"No, no, no, let me introduce myself first." The giraffe nodded slightly. "You can call me 'The Guide,' or, more in line with your understanding, 'The Great God of Qilin,' who has come to witness the unpredictable stage of destiny and brilliance."
"Huh? Wait a minute, so you're—the giraffe from Revue Starlight? Are even gods this abstract these days?"
"Of course, but our business scope is much broader than that of the gods in traditional mythology. For example, we provide reincarnation guidance services."
"Hey bro, tell me more!" Yuecunze suddenly got excited and leaned close to him. "Can I choose my spawn point? Can I customize my character's appearance? Can I use a system? Can I inherit my Steam inventory?"
"Hello, I can't do that, dear."
"If you can't do it, just use wormwood."
"Hey buddy, we assign reincarnations here, so just tell me if you want one or not." The giraffe scoffed. "You're being picky here? Do you know how many people are waiting in line? If you don't like it, get off and let the next one come."
"No, no, no," Koshimura Sawa quickly said, "But you should at least let me know in advance which world I'll be assigned to, right?"
"That doesn't violate the rules," the giraffe cleared its throat, reciting the script like a monotone voice-over, "Keywords: music, bonds, a dazzling stage, the girls' intertwined shouts and tears... Target world name: BanG Dream! Ave Mu—"
"Oh no, please!" Koshimura Sawa looked terrified and his face turned pale. "You mean that anime where everyone is inhuman, the characters are all broken, the logic is nonsensical, and the plot is just ridiculously over-the-top? Well, why don't I trade one with Kakimoto Hiroshi and bring him down too?"
"Friendly reminder: User 'Ze Sheng Zai Ci' posted on the official BANDORI account on September 15, 2024, saying: 'I have no regrets joining MYGO in this life, and I will still be a BANDORI member in the next life. Let this be a constant reminder...'"
"That was because I was young and reckless, and I didn't know what kind of torment awaited me. Please forgive me, brother. I will never dare to do it again." Yue Cunze was on the verge of tears, and he was just short of bowing deeply.
"Oh, not satisfied, huh? No problem, we admit students in batches. If you're not satisfied, you can switch to the second-ranked candidate." The giraffe's smile grew even brighter, though it was unclear why a giraffe could make such a smile. "Let me see, Warhammer—"
"Actually, I've always been a loyal fan of the girl band. Stealing Zero is adorable, and Xiangzi is like a real person. As a guitar master with six years of practice experience, I will definitely bring my talent to Bondori!"
“Great! Very energetic!” The giraffe nodded. “However, to ensure you ‘shine’ interestingly enough on your new stage, I’ll add a few small ‘variables’ to your journey.”
"You can think of it as an inherent advantage that time travelers possess."
As he finished speaking, a dazzling, anime-style special effect suddenly erupted.
Countless glittering star fragments swirled and converged like a torrent against a pure black background, punctuated by golden shimmers. A rousing rock soundtrack suddenly filled the air, and an orange-red ticket bearing the words "Girls BAND PARTY!" was torn open before his eyes.
"Byd, isn't this the gacha anime from Bang Bang?!" Koshimura felt his eyelid twitch; the day he fought Aine Fes with 7 star stones was still vivid in his mind.
All I can do is wish Bushido continued success.
Ten radiant cards, as if captured by an invisible hand, shot out from the card pool, hovering in front of Koshimura Sawa, slowly rotating and emitting a soft glow.
.
"Come on, young man, choose three out of ten. This is the moment that will decide your fate!" The giraffe had just finished his impassioned declaration when he saw Koshimura Sawa holding three cards and trying to forcefully pry off the fourth card that was not moving at all.
"Oh, it's three out of ten." Koshimura reluctantly let go of her hand. "So stingy, not even giving a newbie a ten-pull."
giraffe:"......"
Or maybe we should just switch to the next person.
As the other cards dissipated, the card held in Koshimura's hand suddenly rose into the air, slowly flipped to face up, and a light screen composed of words floated and unfolded in front of him.
[Visualized Decision Tree]
[Quality: Color]
When faced with a critical decision point, three dynamic options will pop up in front of you, and you must choose one of them.
[An extra reward is given when the optimal solution is chosen based on the current situation.]
[Note: Is he a master in the visual novel genre?]
------
Parallel Thinking
[Quality: Gold]
[By consuming mental energy, one can engage in multi-threaded thinking simultaneously, with no interference between the threads.]
The more threads running simultaneously, the faster mental energy is consumed.
[Note: Endless War God, come forth!]
------
Exquisite craftsmanship
[Quality: blue]
Your finger dexterity has greatly improved.
[Note: It can be used for more than just playing musical instruments]
The detailed information from the three cards flooded into Tsukimura Sawa's consciousness like a data stream, allowing him to instantly understand the function of these [abilities].
"To be outstanding in three consecutive rounds, that's pretty lucky." Koshimura nodded silently.
Not only are the skills quite strong, but they are all things that you can actually use.
I thought I'd get some kind of funny ability, like having my thoughts heard, body swapping, or seeing humans turn into animals.
It's not painful at all.
But what does it mean when options pop up in front of you? Don't you usually see three options suddenly appearing in front of you?
"Alright, alright, you've chosen yours now, it's time to go reincarnate." The giraffe looked impatiently at Koshimura, who was clicking his tongue in amazement. "Hurry up, I have to get off work on time."
"What you said makes sense, but why does it bother me so much..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yuecunze felt as if someone had hit him hard on the back of the head.
The spirit seemed to be stretched, shaped, and stuffed into the barrel of a railgun, instantly accelerated to the third cosmic velocity by the violent current and magnetic field, compressed into a pure flow of information, and shot out in a predetermined direction.
"Have a pleasant journey~" The giraffe's last words echoed in his mind.
The surroundings were no longer quiet darkness, but countless bizarre colors and incomprehensible geometric shapes flashing by at high speed, and a violent sense of dizziness assaulted his remaining consciousness.
Just then, Koshimura suddenly felt as if he had been struck hard by something, deviating from his original direction. It was as if something was churning wildly in his brain, bringing unbearable pain.
"Damn it, why do I have to get injured even after reincarnation...?"
This was his last thought before his consciousness completely faded away.
------
boom!
The hard and cold touch slammed into Tsukimura Sawa's cheek and chest, the force of which almost made him vomit up the last bit of stomach acid he had left.
"Cough cough... ugh..." He coughed painfully twice, instinctively trying to push himself up with his hands, but his palms were painfully poked by the sharp pebbles on the ground.
Before me lay a massive, awe-inspiring underground cavern, its towering, dark rock walls stretching upwards and disappearing into what seemed like an unfathomable abyss.
"Cough—" Yuecun Ze struggled to sit up, feeling a burning pain in his lungs.
Now my lungs are itchy.
Then, his movements suddenly froze.
About ten meters in front of him, a petite figure was kneeling on the ground with her back to him.
It was a young girl. Her long, pink hair, like cherry blossoms in full bloom, stood out brilliantly against the dark background, but now it was disheveled and stained with dust and dark blood. She was wearing a gray plaid dress that looked somewhat familiar to Yuecunze, but the once beautiful dress was now torn in several places, revealing her white skin with abrasions underneath.
However, Koshimura had no time to care about any of that. What truly froze his blood and made his heart almost leap out of his throat was the creature standing in front of the girl.
The only word to describe it is "standing tall".
Its massive body, like a moving mountain, loomed over the open ground not far in front of the girl. Its crimson scales reflected a cold, metallic sheen in the dim light. Several gruesome wounds ran across the gaps in the scales of its neck, spreading across its entire body, oozing steaming blood. Its ferocious head was raised high, locking onto its "prey" below.
Koshimura was absolutely certain.
That's a dragon.
Under his gaze, the red dragon defiantly opened its mouth, and a stream of scorching white air gushed out from its slightly open maw, carrying with it a strong smell of sulfur and a barely perceptible spark.
Beneath the suffocatingly dark dome, the air was so dry it felt like it could be set on fire.
Koshimura took a deep breath.
No, what about my modern city? What about my live house? What about my band's daily life, my youthful stories, and my exhilarating stage performances?
What the hell are you doing here, you giraffe?! Is this still a girl band anime?!
Chapter Two: The Dragon Descended Upon Me
"Let's go back."
Chihaya Aine sighed, packed the last piece of clothing into her suitcase, and zipped it up.
Despite having requested to study in the UK, she was unable to become a "professional" for an entire semester because she couldn't understand English.
I couldn't understand the professor's rapid-fire jargon on the podium, nor could I comprehend the textbook filled with unfamiliar words. During group discussions, I could only stand there like a mute, awkwardly smiling at my fellow group members who were engaged in heated debate.
Despite the great kindness shown to him by his classmates, he struggled to even communicate with them and could only wander on the edge of the crowd like a ghost.
I've failed miserably, completely.
So—let's go back.