Volume 1 Chapter 1 Reincarnated As An Instant Death Mob, Is This Hell？
"What the hell... there's a bug here too?"
It was Thursday night—technically, 25:00—in my dingy apartment. I was grinding through my third playthrough of a famously buggy RPG. Swords, magic, and endless crashes. The kind of game that makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Every time they patched something, new bugs popped up. Rumor was, one dev even collapsed from stress and died. Honestly? I believed it.
I was your average corporate drone, stuck at a black company that didn't pay for overtime. Broke, sleep-deprived, and bitter, I kept playing anyway. But tonight, the game had hit me with yet another glitch.
"No wonder the strategy wiki gave up."
The wiki had basically turned into a complaint board. Bugs, rants, weird workarounds—that was all anyone posted.
"Guess I'll report it."
I opened the page and started typing.
> "In the boss dungeon of the Mountain of Bracelets, if you don't grab the treasure first, the main path locks you in. You'll be invincible, but stuck. Great for farming, though..."
I trailed off.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, my chest ached. It wasn't the usual work stress. It felt like something was squeezing my heart from the inside.
"What the... this isn't normal—"
Pain exploded in my chest. I grabbed my phone with shaking hands, tried to call for help—but collapsed before I could even finish dialing.
* * *
"...Where am I?"
When I came to, I wasn't in my cramped apartment anymore. Instead, I stood in the middle of a peaceful village. A wooden waterwheel turned lazily in a clear stream, and sunlight filtered through the trees.
This place... I knew it.
"This is the starter village... from that game?"
It was the protagonist's hometown. In the prologue cutscene, monsters burn the whole place down in a tragic intro sequence.
So... what, did I reincarnate?
The breeze felt real. So did the grass under my feet, and the pain when I pinched myself.
"This isn't a dream."
Which meant—yeah, I was in the game world now. Compared to dying nameless in a black company apartment? This was a massive upgrade.
I glanced at my reflection in the stream. Same face as before, though younger. Poor-looking clothes, dirt on my sleeves... definitely not the hero.
"No OP stats? No cool class? Not even a fancy name?"
Made sense. This was the village that gets wiped out in 15 minutes. Still, kind of a letdown.
"Hey, Mobu."
I turned at the voice.
A girl stood behind me. She looked about 15, wearing a patched-up dress that couldn't hide how pretty she was. Long, curly blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her smile was soft enough to melt stone. Her bright eyes twinkled as she walked over.
Mobu... was she talking to me?
I looked around. No one else here.
"You're looking all over the place. What a strange Mobu," she giggled.
...So I really was a mob character. Not even a sidekick—just one of those background guys who die to show how scary the monsters are.
"Who are you...?"
She laughed again, covering her mouth with one hand.
"It's me, Ran. Don't tell me you forgot your childhood friend."
Ran. Right. She was a popular heroine in the game, too. Seeing her in person like this, she was even cuter than her in-game model.
Ran was an orphan, like the mob character I'd apparently become. She and the protagonist, Blaze, were childhood friends. When the village burned down, she was the only one who survived and joined the hero's party. She was known for her healing magic—and being the game's top-tier waifu.
"If Ran's here, then..."
"Where's Blaze?" I asked.
She tilted her head. "He's out at the Healing Cave, gathering mushrooms."
"No way..."
Notes:
• Ran - Female. An orphan and a close friend of Mobu. She has long, dark hair and a gentle appearance. Ran is kind and trusting, often relying on Mobu for guidance. She survives the demon attack by hiding in the secret base with Mobu.
• Blaze - Male. The protagonist of the game, born into the wealthy Rosinore family. He has blond hair and a heroic appearance. Blaze is kind and lacks arrogance despite his status. He is destined to become a hero and defeat the Demon King. His relationship with Mobu and Ran is complex, as they are not part of the main story.
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