Bad news: I was directly reversed to "the beginning of the dream."
Good news: not only my memories but also everything from the Demon King in the second playthrough were inherited.
Reji closed the status panel.
He had somewhat noticed this point when he was still lying in bed.
His perception was exceptionally astounding.
He could keenly capture the conversations outside the door and even the emotional fluctuations of the speakers.
This was not present in the "plot" of the game.
Now, he had not only been reversed to the beginning of the game but also the unfolding plot was exactly the same as in the game, without the slightest difference.
Before meeting Freya and officially entering the main storyline of Saving the World, the game had a short prologue where the player would randomly start in different scenarios to help the player immerse into this world.
Reji's random start was being born into a declining noble family.
Because of the family's decline, his childhood fiancée, the Earl's daughter, planned to break off the engagement.
Of course, he chose to divorce her first, which immediately made him an enemy of the Earl. To protect his daughter's reputation, the Earl slandered and vilified him, framing him with fabricated charges, while also issuing a warrant for his arrest and constantly sending people to hunt him down.
Reji remembered that at the end of the prologue, the Earl hired a fifth-tier archmage to kill him.
At that time, he was only around level 20 or 30.
He could not put up a fight at all. It was a definite plot kill.
To survive, he could only keep running away. His injuries became more and more severe, and without being able to get supplies or rest, he finally collapsed and fainted by the roadside.
Afterward, it connected to what Freya had told him earlier.
The Radiant Saintess rescued him.
At the same time, the Saintess informed him of his mission, identity, and the responsibilities he would bear in the future.
From then on, he completely embarked on another path. The path of saving the world.
The real game only officially began from here.
So... If he hadn't stopped the emperor, the person who should have had the memories and power from a thousand years later at this point in time should have been Freya.
And if it were just to eliminate the demon race and save humanity...
The emperor should have had better "save points."
For example, directly reversing to the day the demon race descended. With the Emperor's strength from a thousand years later, even the Demon King and the Nine Apostles together might not be a match. Moreover, it was questionable whether there was even a Demon King at this time.
The question came back. So why did the emperor want to return to this past?
Was it because he, as a Descender, had not yet grown at this time?
In this way, would it be more convenient for the emperor, who wanted to eradicate the Descender, to kill him?
No.
Reji quickly shook his head in denial.
He was indeed very weak during this period, only in his twenties in terms of level, and by the time the demon race descended, he had indeed grown quite a bit, approaching the threshold of level 60.
It was the same in the game.
After he accepted the designation of "hero," Freya, as the officially appointed female lead, would transform into a guide to assign hero quests to him step by step, helping him advance the main storyline.
The reason why the emperor from a thousand years later could clearly know the functions of so many hero relics was that these former relics were all gathered by Freya who had accompanied him as the hero.
However... In Reji's eyes, who was a player at that time, Freya was just a very "tool-like" character, a clichéd female lead guide who had no attraction to him whatsoever.
He was more immersed in exploring the open world, finding side quests, secret realms, opening treasure chests, smashing pots, raiding mansions, stealing family heirlooms, and recruiting one new companion after another to join his team.
As for the main storyline and the Saintess... He had long since tossed them aside and only did them when he was forced to trigger them.
Phew!
Reji took another deep breath.
He now seemed to have some understanding of why the emperor wanted to reverse to this point.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead."
"It's just that before that, if I remember correctly, we still have to deal with a small trouble first."
Hearing that the hero was willing to cooperate with her, Freya's anxious heart finally relaxed, and her face was filled with joy.
But Reji's next words made the girl puzzled again.
Small trouble?
If he remembered correctly?
What did that mean?
Just then, from outside the small house where they were, the sound of commotion and footsteps could be heard. Freya immediately became tense.
She quickly ran to the bedside and lifted the curtain to look. Outside, there were twenty to thirty swaying figures, each holding sharp weapons, surrounding the small house they were in.
From their equipment, they were clearly mercenaries at a glance.
There was no need to mention who their employer was.
Freya immediately realized that these were the pursuers sent by Earl Nicholas.
But... why?
How did they find this place?
And what about Tabor, whom I had sent out to keep watch? How come there was no news at all? Tabor was a fifth-tier paladin and couldn't have been easily taken down.
There is no time to think too much.
"Lord Hero! Quick, hide! No, this place is too small. You run first! I... I will hold them off!"
The extremely anxious Saintess turned around, only to find that the hero on the bed was already gone.
When she went to look for him in a panic, Freya's heart nearly jumped into her throat.
Because she saw that the Hero was actually... walking to the door!?
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(Regarding the information about the protagonist's first playthrough, such as the Earl's daughter, you can go back and take a look at Chapter 1. Well, well, well, this is how you pick up on foreshadowing, right?)