Asahi was completely shattered beyond repair.
In the world of the Cursed Children, Asahi had been physically ruined.
In the world of the Titans, Asahi's soul and consciousness had collapsed.
Now, he was just like a mass of chaos enveloped by the system, drifting in the void between worlds.
The only positive point was that all his limitations had vanished, provided, of course, that he could regain consciousness and Asahi returned to being Asahi.
And to do so, he needed to... recollect, to reestablish his true form from memory, from will.
That is what defines the truest existence.
In other words, he needed to retrace an important journey for him, once again.
Beginning recollection.
...
On a wide dirt road, a carriage slowly passed. Unbeknownst to them, the ground ahead was cracking, as if something was about to emerge.
Boom!!
The crack split wide open, and a massive dark brown monster appeared.
"Whoa!!!"
"That... that's an Earth Dragon!!!"
The two carriage drivers shouted in terror. The Earth Dragon roared, its enormous clawed arm striking down, engulfing the carriage.
Slice!
Just when both carriage and people seemed certain to be crushed under the blow, a sword flashed through the air from nowhere. Fresh blood splattered from the Earth Dragon's arm joint. The severed part was flung into the air and then fell behind the Earth Dragon.
Jumping out from behind it was a young man with green pupils and light brown hair.
"Danger Beast Grade 1, the Earth Dragon..."
"...truly a worthy opponent."
The young man spoke, looking up at the Earth Dragon's massive body. His demeanor remained relaxed and calm.
The Earth Dragon looked at its severed limb, shrieking in fury. It lunged down to attack the young man, striking with its remaining arm.
"Looks like you're angry, huh?"
Boom!
Smoke and dust filled the air. The young man had reappeared in the air behind the Earth Dragon. The monster's speed, in his eyes, was no faster than a lumbering ox.
"Let's finish this."
He spun in mid-air, his sword continuously cutting diagonal lines at incredible speed. When the young man landed, the Earth Dragon behind him stood still, blood constantly spurting from the cuts. It staggered, then collapsed and died. Its immense body crashing down sent dust flying everywhere.
"Amazing!"
"I can't believe you managed to defeat such a dangerous monster single-handedly!"
The young man turned his face back. Gone was the coolness from before, replaced by a cocky look. He thumped his chest with self-admiration.
"Of course."
"To me, that thing was nothing. Defeating it was easy as pie!"
The carriage drivers' faces stiffened. Was that the same person from a moment ago?
"By the way, I'm Tatsumi. It won't be long before this name is famous throughout the Capital!"
"You say you want to become famous in the Capital?"
"That's right! Achieving success and fame in the Capital is the dream of all country boys!"
Contrary to Tatsumi's strong desire for the Capital, the two drivers became silent.
"The Capital is not the place of dreams and hope you think it is."
"It is truly bustling. But there are monsters far more terrifying than this Earth Dragon there."
"Do you mean there are dangerous monsters appearing in the city?"
"It's just an allusion. The most terrifying monsters there are people. The Capital is filled with them."
Tatsumi was silent for a moment, then curved a confident smile. He turned his head and looked up at the sky.
"Thank you for your advice. But I can't turn back now."
"I... no, we! We will get rich in the Capital and save our village!"
...
Asahi had been in this world for three days. Currently, he was in a vast, prosperous city.
Before arriving, he asked the system if it could create a disguise for him in the new world. The result was yes, but it was only free for the first world; afterward, he had to pay for it—10 accumulated points per time. He could choose a random identity or self-determine it. Of course, this identity couldn't be a character with too much influence. If he wanted that, he would need more points.
Asahi didn't need that. So, he self-determined his identity as a café owner, doing the same in every world. To avoid choosing randomly and ending up as a beggar later, which would be a waste of 10 accumulated points.
This world possessed supernatural powers, but its stage of development was only equivalent to the medieval era, with a royal family, a king, and such. And the city he was currently in was the Capital of one of the oldest empires.
This Empire had existed for 1000 years, and like all dynasties from East to West throughout history, it was rotting and decaying. And it happened to be at this moment.
Officials, taxes—all sorts of issues. The country was even headed by a mere child. It wasn't that he looked down on young people, but a child could hardly manage a country. It was highly likely that this king was king in name only, and the one manipulating the entire monarchy was someone else. Manipulating it to this state of decay guaranteed that the person was not good.
To be honest, a situation like this was even more difficult for Asahi than the previous world. Because in the previous world, the factions were clearly divided, making the task straightforward. Here, on the contrary, Asahi felt constrained.
He couldn't just charge straight into the palace, overthrow the monarchy, and then dust off his hands and leave. If he did that, the consequences would be far more terrible. The best approach was to find someone who could be a good leader and assist them. Those people would handle the political matters; he just needed to do what he was best at: kicking the bad guys' butts.
The problem was, whom could he trust, and even if he did trust them, were they truly capable?
Besides, Asahi didn't think he could just fight his way up. A world with superpowers wasn't simple.
In the world overview he had read, there was a mention of artifacts called "Teigu" (Imperial Arms). If they were mentioned in the overview, they were certainly not simple. He would make a note of this.
"Phew! Finally ready to open."
Asahi put up his sign and began welcoming customers. For now, since he didn't know what to do, he would just stay put and see if anything developed.
He looked outside, seeing a grand, magnificent city. But there was a hidden dark and oppressive atmosphere.