If you told me before—
That I'd be fighting a monster in another world—
I would've laughed at you.
But here I am.
Standing in the middle of a forest that doesn't belong to Earth.
Breathing air that feels too clean.
Too alive.
And in front of me—
A monster.
Big.
Ugly.
Green skin stretched over muscle.
Sharp teeth.
Eyes filled with killing intent.
"…A Goblin Lord…"
I exhaled slowly.
My grip tightened—
Around a knife.
A small one.
Simple.
Cold steel.
I flipped it once.
Click.
Then again.
Click. Click.
"…And this is all I get, huh…"
A butterfly knife.
Of all things.
No magic staff.
No legendary sword.
No overpowered skill.
Just this.
"…That old man really has a sense of humor…"
The Goblin Lord growled.
Low.
Heavy.
Each step it took shook the ground beneath me.
"…Yeah…"
I rolled my shoulders.
My body relaxed.
Loose.
Ready.
"…This is bad…"
If this was the old me—
I'd be angry.
Annoyed.
Cursing everything.
Asking why I got thrown into this kind of situation.
But now—
A grin slowly spread across my face.
"…Heh…"
My heart started pounding.
Not from fear.
But from excitement.
"…This feeling…"
I flipped the knife again.
Smooth.
Familiar.
Comforting.
"…I missed this…"
The tension.
The danger.
The edge between life and death.
But this time—
It's different.
No gangs.
No betrayal.
No dirty alleyways.
Just—
Me.
And a monster.
"…Trying to be a hero, huh…"
The Goblin Lord roared.
Charging straight at me.
Fast.
Too fast for something that big.
"…Come on then…"
I stepped forward.
Not back.
Forward.
The blade spun between my fingers.
Controlled.
Precise.
"…Let's see if this world can keep up with me…"
The distance closed instantly.
Its arm swung—
Massive.
Deadly.
I moved.
Fast.
Slipping just beside it.
The wind from the swing brushed past my face.
"…Too slow…"
I cut.
A clean line across its arm.
Blood spilled.
The Goblin Lord roared in pain.
I jumped back.
Landing lightly.
"…Heh…"
My eyes sharpened.
Cold.
Focused.
Alive.
"…My name is Akiro…"
I flipped the knife again.
Click.
"…And this…"
A smirk formed.
Dangerous.
Excited.
"…Is my second life."
The monster charged again.
And this time—
I didn't hold back.
"…Let's dance."