His confusion lasted only a moment.
Johan carefully sorted through the flood of memories.
[The Trial Version does not allow access to events that occurred during auto-progression.]
But the memories had already flooded into his head.
'Did the System bug out?'
Even programs made in the modern world suffer from bugs all the time.
Apparently, a fantasy world was not much different.
'This is fucking great.'
That was one less reason for Johan to purchase the Full Version.
He forced himself to ignore the Status Window messages threatening to fill his entire field of vision, as well as the two women pressed close on either side, and focused on the memories.
'Ugh!'
'Young Master! Are you all right?'
'I'm fine. I just overdid it with the sword, so my muscles are sore.'
The memory showed a young Johan dropping his sword during a lesson in the training yard.
Priscilla, who had taken his hand to check on him, blushed.
And then came a kiss…….
'What? Why? Why does this turn into a kiss?'
Johan had never dated in his previous life—his first life on Earth.
That was why he could not understand how that situation could possibly lead to a kiss.
After that came a youthful romance with Priscilla.
Karane had been jealous, but the difference in social status had made her hesitate. Johan seduced her too.
The young Johan, having gained confidence from dating two women at the same time, went on to woo other women as well.
'Hmm.'
He did not know what effect romance had on him, but his swordsmanship had improved considerably compared to his second life.
If the old Johan had been worthless, this young Johan had reached roughly the level of a Bronze-Rank Mercenary capable of killing a wolf without much trouble.
Hans, who had once worked as his private tutor, recognized Priscilla's talent early.
After being summoned to the Empire and entering Imperial service, Hans sent Johan and Karane letters of recommendation for admission to Relic Academy, the finest academy on the continent.
The two of them successfully enrolled.
Karane displayed remarkable talent, but……
The auto-progressing Johan poured all his effort into romance and failed most of his classes.
'Is this really right?'
He had gone through two lives without dating even once, only to become a womanizer.
Was auto-progression actually too competent?
Then again, judging by how little he had studied, maybe it was just as incompetent as he had been in his previous life.
"What's wrong, darling?"
Priscilla stroked Johan's cheek.
To be honest, goosebumps rose across his skin.
Darling?
The pet name was so embarrassingly sweet that Johan's sensibilities could barely endure it.
Did dating mean he had to overcome trials like this?
He would rather remain single.
"You're acting strange today."
Karane leaned against him.
His mind found the situation awkward, but his body reacted with the ease of long familiarity.
Was this what masters meant by a disconnect between body and mind?
While Johan's thoughts wandered, an important detail suddenly came to him.
'Wait. Didn't auto-progression end right before death? Why can I move now?'
[With Trial Version regression, you may enjoy 7 days of life. Afterward, your life proceeds automatically, and you regain control of your body shortly before death.
After death, the subject's actions are evaluated and Achievements are awarded.
Achievements provide various convenience functions and talents.
Achievement functions are available only with the Full Version and cannot be used in the Trial Version.]
No matter how many times he thought it over, this did not seem like a situation where he was about to die.
The most likely possibility was some absurd death from overexertion.
Or perhaps suffocating under the two women crowding the bed.
While Johan was thinking—
The door flew open and a group of furious people stormed in.
"Johan!"
"Where is that bastard Johan?!"
"Eek!"
"Get out! Get out!"
Startled, Karane and Priscilla yanked the blanket up.
Johan examined the intruders.
'A few women I saw in those memories… some classmates from the academy, and middle-aged men? Are they the women's families?'
He did not have time to calmly assess the situation.
The moment the men spotted Johan in bed, they began radiating murderous intent.
"You dared touch my little sister?"
"You dared touch my fiancée?"
"You dared touch my older sister……."
"You dared……."
Several gloves flew through the air and slapped Johan across the face.
Up to that point, he understood.
Throwing down a glove was the custom for challenging someone to a duel.
Anyone would be furious if the man who had messed with someone precious to them was lying in bed with other women.
But the man who lost control and actually tried to swing his sword was not normal either.
SHING—
One man, looking as though reason had left him entirely, drew his sword in a frenzy.
THUD!
He kicked off the ground and charged.
'Should I dodge this?'
Johan had someone he could rely on.
"Priscilla!"
"Who gave you permission to touch my darling?!"
Priscilla, the future Sword Master!
This was three years before she would become famous, but she was a natural-born genius.
Surely she could easily handle some student blinded by jealousy.
Priscilla snatched up a nearby sword and shot forward like an arrow.
CLANG!
"Aaah!"
"Priscilla?"
Contrary to Johan's expectations, Priscilla failed to withstand the sword strike and was hurled into the wall.
CRASH!
She went limp where she fell.
'What? Why?'
Was this Priscilla not the same Priscilla?
Johan dug through his memories and discovered why she had fallen so easily.
Because she had become absorbed in romance, her growth had been slower than in his previous life, and she had only reached the level of an Aura User.
And the man unleashing those vicious sword strikes was not a student.
He was an instructor.
'Goddamn auto-progression.'
There were not enough women in the world, so it had to go after an instructor's fiancée too?
Johan almost laughed, but first he had to survive the situation.
WHOOSH!
Johan barely dodged the sword and shouted.
"Wait! This is a misunder—"
"Die!!"
SLASH—
He failed to avoid the second strike.
As Johan's vision briefly rose and then dropped lower, one thought crossed his mind.
'At least I didn't get one-shot.'
Before he regressed, he would have died in a single strike.
So regression had helped a little after all.
He expected the same messages as before to appear.
Instead, an unexpected scene filled his vision.
Darkness swallowed everything and then receded.
Johan saw a bizarre museum exhibit built around his remains while academy cadets gathered around it.
"Everyone knows the word 'Johan,' right? It is used almost like a synonym for 'womanizer.' Johan—the man whose name gave rise to the expression—had dozens of lovers by the age of twenty, but nobles enraged by his indiscreet conduct eventually had him executed. What lesson can we learn from Johan's story?"
"Don't cheat on people!"
"Be faithful to your partner!"
"Correct. Shall we move on to the next exhibit?"
As soon as the guide finished speaking, Johan's vision went dark again.
[Achievement Acquired!]
[Legendary Womanizer]
Johan could not overcome his disbelief and muttered.
"What the hell……."
All he had wanted was to improve his swordsmanship a little by taking Priscilla as his teacher.
Yet somehow he had ended up with a womanizer Achievement and a womanizer ending.
[Legendary Womanizer]
[You became a legendary womanizer.]
[Achievement Perk: While equipped, Charm Adjustment: Medium]
[After death, the subject's actions are evaluated and Achievements are awarded.]
[Achievements provide various convenience functions and talents.]
[Achievement functions are available only with the Full Version and cannot be used in the Trial Version.]
The Achievement Perk could not be used in the Trial Version anyway, so it did not really matter.
Even so, Johan could not shake the strange feeling.
'Dying is a shame, but I can just regress again.'
Come to think of it, though, the Achievement felt a little wasteful.
He did not know exactly how strong a Medium adjustment was, but if he compared it to a game, it had to be better than a Low adjustment.
Naturally, it would also be harder to obtain.
[Purchasing the Full Version grants Achievement Carryover Slots.]
[Special Event!]
[Purchase now and receive 10 additional slots on top of the 10 basic Achievement Carryover Slots!]
'You people are terrible at sales.'
Telling someone who had earned only one Achievement that they would increase his carryover slots did not mean much.
They would have been better off offering some basic adjustment.
Not that Johan had any intention of giving up his soul either way.
'Quit the tricks and give me the Trial Version.'
[……Providing Trial Version.]
Even though it was only a message, Johan could almost feel it sighing.
Maybe he should think of it as dialogue programmed into a game NPC.
While waiting to regress again and entertaining pointless thoughts, Johan noticed something unfamiliar in the Status Window.
[Achievement Carryover Slots are available.]
[Achievement Carryover (0/0)]
[Otherworlder's Soul (0/1)]
What was Otherworlder's Soul?
[Otherworlder's Soul]
[A soul from another world transferred to the Arcana Continent. Achievements can be equipped and retained.]
[Effects Currently Applied: (Empty)]
[The soul can be developed.]
The description of Otherworlder's Soul was simple.
Johan had been disappointed that reincarnation itself had given him no advantage, but this changed everything.
It felt like compensation for all the hardship he had endured because of his lack of talent.
'Then I don't even need to purchase the Full Version, do I?'
The fact that he could equip only one Achievement was not a problem.
Something that had been completely out of reach was now available to him.
What more could he ask for?
It could even be developed.
'How do I unlock more carryover slots?'
[Then perhaps purchasing the Full Version—]
'Can't you see this?'
Johan grabbed the Otherworlder's Soul information window and shook it.
[I can see the completely empty Achievement Carryover slots very clearly. Legendary Womanizer is a difficult Achievement to obtain. Purchase the Full Version and experience talent adjustments for yourself.]
The Status Window's response sounded almost human.
'A demon? A god? Well, it doesn't really matter.'
Either way, Johan was grateful that it apparently could not see the special feature of Otherworlder's Soul.
Now all that remained was figuring out how Achievements worked.
Johan equipped [Legendary Womanizer] to [Otherworlder's Soul].
A new message appeared.
[Status Window functions unlocked.]
[Achievement Acquired: 'Opened the Status Window for the First Time.']
[Name: Johan]
[Talents Possessed: Memorization]
[Effects Currently Applied: Charm Adjustment: Medium]
The Status Window was so simple that it almost looked empty.
Johan stared at it in disbelief.
Was this really all there was?
A proper Status Window was supposed to show numbers for Strength, Agility, and the like.
There should be Skills too.
Thinking he might have missed something, Johan examined every letter one by one.
No new functions appeared.
In the end, he accepted reality and checked the new Achievement he had acquired.
[Perk: Opened the Status Window for the First Time]
[While equipped, detailed stats can be viewed.]
'Ah. I have to equip this if I want to see my stats.'
The drawback was far too large compared to the benefit.
He was not willing to devote his only slot just to seeing his stats.
He could consider it later, once he unlocked more carryover slots.
After finishing his inspection, Johan declared confidently.
'Let's regress.'
[Selecting regression point.]
'Why is it taking so long? Hurry up!'
Now that he knew Achievements could carry over, his entire body was buzzing with excitement.
As the saying went, the beginning might be humble, but the end could be great. He wanted to rack up Achievements, expand his carryover slots, and unlock other functions.
'Eventually, I'll live out my natural lifespan without auto-progression.'
Along the way, he would wreak some havoc in this other world too.
If he managed to live a satisfying life, he would not even need to regress anymore.
But to reach that point, he first needed regression.
And then more regression.
[Regression point selected.]
[Returning to 20 years and 10 months ago.]
'That number is strangely specific.'
Johan waited for the darkness before his eyes to brighten again.
No matter how long he waited, however, everything remained dim.
'What is this? Did it break?'
Even in the twenty-first century, using pirated software instead of an official version often caused errors.
Had equipping Otherworlder's Soul somehow broken the regression function?
'That would be bad.'
As he worried, sensation returned.
Johan was floating in warm liquid.
The strangely cozy feeling brought back memories from his second life.
'I became aware of my previous life while I was still inside Mother's womb. I'm a fetus right now.'
If he waited a little longer, he would be born into the world.
But what could he possibly change about the future by spending a week as a baby?
Well, he would figure something out.
After a short wait, he felt a force pushing him forward.
But the sensation was very different from childbirth.
Countless things were present in a space that should have contained only him, brushing past Johan as they moved.
'What?'
Startled, Johan tried to move and felt something like a tail.
'A tail? I have a tail?'
Had an error occurred and reincarnated him instead of regressing him?
If he had a tail…… could he be a dragon?
How many Achievements could he earn if he became a dragon?
For a moment, Johan indulged in that happy fantasy.
Then a message dragged him back to reality.
[Achievement Acquired.]
[Failed to Be Born]
[Regressing 2 hours.]
No. Seriously, what the hell?
***
Anyone who repeated the same mistake over and over was no longer human.
Johan was not exceptionally brilliant, but neither was he stupid.
He figured out what situation he was in.
'I became a sperm cell.'
The moment he realized he was a sperm cell, instinct told him how to move.
Johan had originally been a sperm cell that won the competition and successfully achieved fertilization.
By whipping his flagellum as hard as he could, he easily reached the area around the ovum.
But now that he was right on the verge of fertilization, a concern occurred to him.
'Is it really okay to be born like this?'
After wasting two entire runs, Johan had figured out one rule of the Regression System.
The regression point was still random, but it was based on the time of death in that particular run.
Dying as a sperm cell had not suddenly sent him into the future.
In other words, if he failed fertilization here, he could become a sperm cell again.
'The first time, it gave me the Failed to Be Born Achievement.'
Johan checked the Achievement's effect.
[Failed to Be Born]
[You chose to begin as a sperm cell. Your intentions were admirable, but your ability was insufficient.]
[Achievement Perk: While equipped, Speed Adjustment: Very Low]
He had equipped it immediately after receiving it, so he had not known how large the adjustment actually was.
After thinking for a moment, Johan yielded his place to another sperm cell.
'First, let's find out how strong the adjustment is.'
Another life beginning as a sperm cell.
Once he removed the Failed to Be Born Achievement, his movement was noticeably more sluggish.
If he compared it to a 100-meter sprint, the difference was about one second.
After confirming that, he became even more curious about just how powerful the Medium Charm Adjustment from Legendary Womanizer would be.
After verifying the effect across several runs, Johan had another thought.
'Is Failed to Be Born really the end of it?'
He had burned through seven runs during his experiments.
That was nowhere near enough to stop testing.
'Let's make it exactly one hundred.'
.
.
.
And when he failed fertilization for the hundredth time, the message he had been waiting for finally appeared.