Reincarnated User Manual



1 – Complicated Feelings

A sharp blade pierces the man’s chest.

His shocked face is pitiful.

The man’s expression shows he doesn’t understand why this is happening.

[Why, why can’t I reach you?]

His desperate gestures and tone convey his frustration to the girl, but

her reaction is cold as ice.

[Whatever, just get lost.]

The man, defeated in the duel, still can’t reach the girl.

His daily efforts wielding his sword to get her attention, to surpass her, are all in vain.

No matter how hard he tries, he can never defeat her.

He is average while she is a genius.

A genius.

Not as a metaphor or exaggeration, but someone gifted by the heavens.

If human talent is a light, the gap between them is larger than the midday sun and a dying firefly.

A mediocre village destined to fade into dust before the march of time, and a towering hero who proudly illuminates history.

That immense gap could not be narrowed by training a few years earlier or taking better potions.

The seed itself is just different.

A typhoon and a breeze.

A dragon and a tadpole.

Like a cheetah and a lapdog.

That is the difference between genius and not.

*

I’m angry.

Because I had to repeatedly watch a character resembling me die violently and pointlessly on the screen.

The character moving on the screen just before, no matter which branch I chose at the countless decision points, died every single time.

A deliberately designed ‘unclearable character’.

And of all things, that character resembled me.

If it were someone else, I could dismiss it as a coincidence or overthinking.

But the resemblance between that character and I was more than superficial.

Furrowed brows with a sour expression, a scar by the eye from falling as a child, the habit of rubbing the nape of my stiff neck – every detail was me to a T.

Of course there were times I tried to deny it, convincing myself ‘it’s just coincidence, no way’.

But now,

I’ve tried every branch in this game, and watched the ending credits I used to skip past to start another playthrough. And I’m certain.

[Creativity Designer: Yura Shin]

That uncomfortably familiar name was there.

“This b*tch.”

I’d heard she got a job here a few years ago, but I can’t believe she’s making crap like this.

Cursing springs unbidden to my lips, and they peel dry.

Yura Shin

Seeing that name, a thought I’d buried deep inside floated up.

‘Why is this b*tch always messing with me?’

Yura,

No, this stuck up b*tch has always messed with me.

I disliked her from the start.

[You got 1st again on the mock exam?]

Bragging about things I don’t want to hear when she’s never done anything for me.

[Oh, I don’t think that’s right. Your mom would agree with me.]

Refuting everything I say.

[I told you, you can’t get in doing that. I know why you’re trying it your way, but after 10 years shouldn’t you finally learn?]

When I shared my disappointment about getting rejected from my first choice school, her words cut me deeply and are still lodged in my chest.

So maybe, more than the despair of not getting in, I first felt the relief of finally being rid of this b*tch.

Looking back, it’s become a pleasant memory.

Time passed, we naturally lost touch, and stopped hearing about each other. But today,

‘She’s back at it again.’

“This b*tch.”

I gulped water to settle my churning insides.

‘Does she have some grudge against me?’

Sadly no, there’s no such thing.

We had minor spats, but never a relationship worth such a grand word as grudge. If so, we’d have cut ties long ago.

Rather, only childish regret remains that I didn’t just hit her when I daily wanted to.

Much time has passed, but the firm realization arises again. An unpleasant, muddy feeling surges up.

Inferiority that ‘I hate showoffs.’

More precisely, kids obliviously living their blessed lives without care for others’ feelings.

I hated admitting I was in the thrall of such a base emotion, constantly trying to deny it, but those three syllables shoved in my escaping face knew me too well.

My pathetic reflected self was too much to bear, and dizziness rose with all the blood rushing to my head.

And when the lengthy credits ended, I was dragged back into emotional turmoil.

[We were always happy with Yura.]

[We will remember her here.]

“…What?”

I stared wide-eyed at the final line knotting the credits. It plainly stated Yura had died.

Unable to believe it, my trembling hands automatically went for my phone. But,

“Sorry to call about something like this after so long.”

I couldn’t help but press the end call button with shaking hands.

The hope it wasn’t true was cruelly betrayed.

My childhood friend had passed away.

The news left my mind hazy.

Thud-

“Ah…”

A faint moan escaped, unbelievable even to me.

I felt like all the blood drained from my body.

My strength left me, and I collapsed onto the bed.

I disliked her, but didn’t want this ending.

My chest tightened and eyes grew hot.

‘…You toyed with me to the end.’

That cursed friend manipulated my feelings even in her final moments.

*

Was it because I heard the sad news of Yura? She appeared in my dreams.

“Hey. Stop bothering me and get lost.”

Of all things, it was young Yura.

Even younger from our first meeting.

It’s been awhile.

Young Yura had a foul mouth like this.

The other kids didn’t know what to make of a girl with a mouth like that, and gave her a wide berth.

As a result, Yura had no friends before meeting me.

A prideful brat with no social skills being shunned is no surprise.

That the gifted Yura had no friends as a child – she changed a lot.

“Pfft.”

Was it her familiar face? Or little Yura’s pretense of strength that seemed amusing? Despite it being a dream, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s with you? Eat something weird? Or did the cold freeze your brain.”

She scrunched her face, not understanding.

“No, just…it’s a nostalgic scene.”

“Nostalgic scene?”

Yes, a nostalgic scene from nostalgic times. Yura’s childhood, hazy but unfolding before my eyes, which I’d never see again.

“Hey.”

Nice to see you.

I know it sounds odd coming from me, but as a kind child I couldn’t leave Yura, unable to get along with others, alone.

So I said this.

“You don’t have friends, right?”

“…What?”

“That’s it, isn’t it? It’s so obvious you don’t have friends. If you’re so prickly, everyone will avoid you.”

Ah, that’s refreshing. A clean hit.

Letting out my pent up frustration toward her was far from enough, but saying something lifted the weight in my chest a little.

“…….”

But something is off.

Young Yura was often teased for her fierce eyes, but now they’re twisted like a demon’s, sinisterly glowing gold.

Glowing gold?

‘What’s that?’

I suddenly felt uneasy.

This wasn’t where we first met. It was a normal summer day at the park, not a desolate snowfield.

The hazy scene sharpened,

And my muddled senses grew keen as a naked blade.

The floating sensation faded, replaced by vivid senses.

“Ah.”

From noble mtl dot com

A tiny gasp escaped me.

‘This isn’t Yura.’

The girl before me wasn’t Yura. I simply imagined her to be. Her red hair and golden eyes proved it.

Only then did I notice the sword gripped in her hand.

Why’s she holding that? Hitting people with it won’t kill them, but it’ll turn them simple, I’d think.

Clang-

“Ha.”

The red-haired girl threw down the sword. Her expression and actions showed she was furious.

I unconsciously took a step back.

“Wait.”

“What wait? You started this, and now you say wait?”

“Something’s off.”

“You’re right, I was thinking the same.”

I couldn’t say any more.

“To look down on a brat like you, I must be an idiot too.”

Thwack!

“Uhhn…”

In a flash she closed the distance and her fist burrowed into my chest.

The tremendous impact cleared my fuzzy mind. But the vertigo from the blow quickly clouded my consciousness again.

But I could make out her face.

‘Ah, that’s why she seemed familiar.’

Lucia Prien, the character I had challenged in the game just before.

‘That b*tch…’

A dream where a game character beats me up.

‘What kind of messed up nightmare is this?’