I awaken in the shade of a large tree. It`s a warm afternoon - the sun is still high in the sky, with a few puffy white clouds peeking through the branches. A cool wind blows, carrying with it the aroma of freshly-baked bread and the buzzing of some insect - a fly or a bee, I`m not sure. As I stand up and look around, a smile comes over my face. I breathe the crisp, clean air - of all the worlds to be reincarnated into, I managed to avoid all the dystopian hellscapes. Though, I still need to figure out which world I ended up in, and what I have to do in order to get back home.

　　Judging by the alluring scent of baked bread, there`s a town nearby, or at least, a small cottage. My stomach growls; I must have been dead longer than I originally thought. Time to look around, try to figure something out about this world.

　　I briefly try climbing the tree, but I`m not nearly strong enough to do so, falling back to my butt after almost reaching the second branch. As I land, I hear a buzzing sound and something moves in the top of my vision. I try to get a better view, tilting my head around, but the strange object remains stubbornly fixed in my eye, denying me clarity. After struggling about and realizing I need to roll my eyes upward, I finally can make out what it says. Though my findings leave me even more confused.

　　Ashley Lancaster

　　Level 1

　　HP

　　125 / 130

　　MP

　　20 / 20

　　So, I`ve been reincarnated into an RPG world. No big deal - I`ve done speedruns of like& ten of them? Just need to get a feel for what type of game I`m in and then get to work. Maybe I`ll get lucky and end up in one of the games I actually run. Anyway, time to look around in earnest.

　　A few jelly-like creatures pop out of small bushes as I walk up the hill. Weak monsters most likely - I could take them almost certainly, though the lack of a weapon gives me pause. I could try punching them, though, they probably have some sort of bludgeoning resistance. Best to avoid them for now - I still don`t know where I am.

　　As I reach the halfway point up the hill, a scream halts me in my tracks. I don`t really want to investigate, but the words from the clerk at Afterlife DMV creep back into my head. I`m supposed to be the world`s heroine, and if I want to get back home, I should probably find the plot as quickly as possible.

　　With this in mind, I sprint toward the source of that scream, smiling at the swiftness of this new body as I dart between trees and shrubs. On the ground, I spot a solid-looking stick, about as long as my arm, with some nice heft and a good curve to it. Not an ideal weapon, but at least it`s something. I pick it up and keep running, redoubling my speed as the scream cries out again. It`s only another minute or so before I arrive at the outskirts of a small village - maybe twenty buildings, population around fifty?

　　"Help me!" the voice cries out again. It sounds like a young woman`s voice and my body races on ahead of me - damn I am such a lesbian, even in my second life! Sprinting ahead, I find a woman surrounded by three of those green jelly monsters from earlier, and I leap into action, delivering a piercing strike to the one closest to me. Without skipping a beat, I follow through with a slash that splits the creature`s core in two. It splashes among itself before collapsing in a puddle. One down, two to go.

　　The two other creatures notice me and launch themselves at my midsection. I parry the first with my stick, but the second hits home, staggering me with a hit to the gut that stings with the intensity of a dodgeball; painful, but no serious injury. It does, however, succeed in pissing me off, and I waste no time recovering before a flurry of blows ends the second slime`s existence.

　　"Damn," I mutter. While I was busy being proud of my handiwork, the last slime divided on me. Still no injuries, but I am getting a bit fatigued and the two daughter slimes take flanking positions on either side of me. And their attacks are coordinated; I dodge the first one only to be slammed in the back by the second. A follow-up thrust leaves me winded and pissed off.

　　"Firebolt!" I hear behind me as a burst of heat swells at my back and a golden glow emerges from the periphery of my vision. I briefly turn to my left to see the slime boiling in a pillar of flame. No time to falter, no time to lose focus as I charge the last slime, delivering a flurry of stick strikes until I`m sure the creature has expired, then a couple more for good measure before I finally stop and catch my breath.

　　A surge of strength wells through me and I hear a dinging sound in my mind and feel a subconscious pull to look at the status overlay.

　　Experience Gained: 27

　　To Next Level: 33

　　Ashley Lancaster

　　Level 2

　　HP:

　　92 / 159

　　MP:

　　27 / 27

　　Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Though, something about those numbers feels oddly familiar. I push the feeling out of my head as I look around for any other monsters. After a brief survey, I see no hostiles and turn to the woman from before.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

　　"Holy&" I mutter, and I wipe my lips, worried that I`m drooling. This woman is absolutely gorgeous. Those long, golden locks are to die for, and her smile makes me weak at the knees, worried that I might be dying again mere minutes into my second life. Her smile outshines the sun, and I`m dazed once more, needing all my willpower to maintain consciousness as I extend a hand toward her.

　　"T- Thanks for saving me," the woman says. Even her voice carries the quiet, gentle rhythm of an angelic choir - not that I would know from my brief stay in the afterlife, but at least how it was depicted back on Earth.

　　"It`s the least I can do," I say. "If I may have the pleasure of your name?"

　　"It`s Sammy, Miss."

　　The name feels familiar. "Oh, yes. Ashley Lancaster. Or Ash if you prefer." Just never `Lee`. I hate that nickname so damn much. I bow slightly as I help Sammy up - this simple brown tunic and these white leggings seem unconducive to a curtsy.

　　"I am curious about something, if you don`t mind." I say. "I seem to have gotten lost in my travels and I`m not quite sure where I am."

　　"Oh, you`re just outside of the village of Penne, in the outskirts of the kingdom of Bolognese."

　　Everything falls into place. I know exactly where I am, and exactly why I`ve been brought to this world. Either this is all an elaborate set up, or I`ve been reincarnated into the world of one of my all-time favorite games, Legendary Star Odyssey. According to an interview with one of the developers, one of the game designers started naming the towns and locations after pasta dishes as a joke. But one of the executives caught wind of it and found it so funny that the names ended up sticking all the way through the finished product. And I have to agree with that decision - it provides some of that charm that you only get with games that have a little bit of self-awareness.

　　Knowing that, the woman here is Samantha Relford, the game`s deuteragonist. A shy girl from Penne with a gift for the magical arts, she and the protagonist set off on a quest to collect the seven star shards to reseal the great Calamity. And definitely one of my childhood crushes. No wonder I find her so gorgeous.

　　"Anyway, Miss Ash, I`m really sorry. Um-" Sammy begins stuttering and twitching her fingers.

　　"No need to apologize, Sammy. I was just caught in my thoughts for a moment. In any case, would it be possible for me to visit the town for a little bit? At least long enough to recover, get some supplies, and set up a plan for where to go from here?" That last part is a half-lie. I know the plot will demand I head to Rigatoni next, but I decide it`s better to keep my knowledge of the world secret.

　　"Of course!" Truly, there is no greater radiance than Sammy`s sweet smile as she leads us into the village. We stroll into the center of town before she rushes off to go home for a spell, and I`m left wandering the hamlet.

　　Idyllic is the only word that captures the serenity of Penne. The warm breeze carrying the aroma of fresh herbs, the gentle cobblestone road passing through the center of town, a handful of villagers chatting amongst themselves, a pair of kids running around, chasing one another. If there is such a thing as paradise, Penne is not far from it.

　　As I walk along the path, a small storage shed catches my eye, and as I approach, an idea springs to mind. In the game, there`s a sidequest that unlocks after gathering the second star shard, and when you defeat the Dire Bear threatening the villagers` sheep, one of the townsfolk gives you the code for the lock as thanks. The developers were aware that someone might try to exploit this knowledge with a guide, so they also placed an NPC here to prevent you from obtaining the item on your first trip, but with no one guarding the shed, it`s worth a shot.

　　I sidle up along the alleyway, doing my best to be sneaky without being overly suspicious, and, with everyone looking away, I sneak up to the door. A simple combination lock - five digits. 73663 - Penne`, as represented with a nine-digit keypad. And to my great surprise and glee, it opens without resistance. I decide not to disturb any of the supplies or foodstuffs - the last thing I want is to cause a big scene and risk steering off the plot at some later point. My eyes turn to my real prize as I stroll over and pick up an Ice Blade +1. Even by the standards of the third arc of the game, this is a fairly useful weapon, especially given that ice resistance is rarer than the typical fire and lightning resistances the developers programmed.

　　Ice Blade +1

　　A blade enchanted with runes of ice magic. Further enchanted to slightly increase offensive capabilities.

　　Attack: 16 � 84

　　Attacks deal ice-elemental damage.

　　Finally, a suitable weapon. I tiptoe out of the storage facility and after checking for any signs that I`ve been spotted, relock the door and head back to the main street of Penne. I can`t help but feel a little bad that I`m functionally robbing these good people who have taken me in, for however brief a time, but such is the nature of being the protagonist. I was told I had to save this world. I was never told I had to be prim and proper while doing it!

　　Having justified my actions to myself and put any worries that my angelic overseers are watching aside, I head toward a house in the corner of town with a light green roof. Time to introduce myself to Sammy`s parents. I giggle and blush a little at the thought - the way I say it, it almost seems like I`m making myself out to be her girlfriend! Well, maybe someday.