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Chapter 39: Version Upgrade

I’ve never had a nightmare.

Dreams are just dreams, pain, suffering, fear, none of it is real. Just things that happen in your sleep.

That kind of stuff doesn’t count as a nightmare.

Reality is far more of a nightmare.

I reincarnated in another world and became the leader of some tribe of savages called the Barbar, marching through one war after another.

I led my army to victory, scattering the enemy on the front lines, taking the heads of enemy generals, enduring the pain of my own body being cut open.

And yet, I’m still just a fifteen-year-old kid.

In Japan, I’d have just graduated middle school and be starting high school.

It should’ve been a fun youth full of laughter and excitement, but instead, I’m screaming on the battlefield, drenched in blood and sweat.

, All of it as a mercenary, for money.

From a Japanese perspective, it probably is a nightmare.

「Is your life now really that bad? Like a nightmare?」

Someone’s talking to me.

My muddled consciousness sharpens, and I feel myself rapidly rising upward.

「Who’s there?」

I open my eyes to find myself in a pure white world.

It’s all soft and floaty, no sense of up or down.

A man I recognize stands before me.

This guy…

「An angel!」

「That’s right! Long time no see! So? Enjoying your second life after reincarnation?」

The man in front of me is the angel who helped me when I was reincarnated.

「Where is this? What do you want?」

「If I had to explain it in human terms, this is a dream. Your body in the real world is asleep. I’ve called your consciousness here. We’re going to upload some data and update your app version!」

「Upload? Version update?」

I had no idea what the angel was talking about.

I pressed for a clearer explanation.

「God still cares about you. After all, we kind of ended your first life in Japan due to our mistake. So He’d like to check in and see how you’ve been doing since reincarnation. We’ll be uploading your stored data, your memories.」

「I see… got it.」

I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed.

Immediately, a splitting headache hit me.

「Gah! That hurts!」

「During data upload, it puts a load on your brain. So yeah, it hurts a bit.」

「You could’ve warned me first!」

「Oh, and I’ll be upgrading your app version too, so it’s going to hurt even more!」

「Ababababa!」

I writhed in pain while the angel looked on, clearly enjoying himself.

「Wow! Mercenary life! You really fought hard, huh! With all this killing, yeah, I can see how it’d feel like a nightmare!」

He was probably looking at my memories.

Must be nice for him, treating someone’s life like entertainment.

I’m putting everything on the line out there.

Don’t turn my life into a damn show.

「Whoa! You got married! Congratulations!」

「Th-thanks… When… will this end…?」

「Almost there. Okay, all done!」

The blinding headache stopped just as suddenly.

「So tell me, how is it? Is your second life really a terrible nightmare?」

The angel asked with concern.

It seemed he actually did feel some responsibility.

A nightmare, huh…

If I were still Japanese…

「No… I’m living a fulfilling life. Thank you. Tell God I said thanks too.」

I’d found a place for myself in this world.

I had family here, comrades, people who relied on me.

I’d grown used to killing and war.

I fought for my family, my friends, and myself.

No hesitation.

「That’s great! A fulfilling life is what matters most! Alright then, I’ll be off! I’ll check in again sometime. See ya!」

「Yeah, see you around!」

「Gaia! Gaia! Are you okay!?」

「Whoa!」

When I came to, Jessica was peering into my face, looking worried.

Jessica and I were both fifteen now.

We were married and living together, trying our best to make a baby.

「Every day’s a Monday!」
「Every night’s a Friday night!」
「Day and night, every moment, nonstop!」

That’s the level of effort we were putting in.

But apparently, having children is harder between different races.

We didn’t have any kids yet.

「You had a fever and were thrashing around… for two days!」

She had a wet towel on my forehead.

She removed it and pressed her forehead to mine.

「Yeah! Your fever’s gone!」

Jessica at fifteen had matured, developing a captivating charm.

Her once-flat chest had grown, probably about a C cup now.

And she was still growing every day.

「Gaia, how are you feeling? Can you move?」

I slowly sat up, clenching and unclenching my fists to check my condition.

I had strength. My head was clear. No fatigue.

「Yeah, I’m good. I can move.」

「I’ll go get Rosso then.」

Jessica left the tent.

Our Barbar assault force was pushing our territory northward toward the sea.

This tent was part of the camp we’d set up.

Jessica said I’d had a fever, probably a result of the dream with the angel.

It felt so vivid, so real…

The angel said something about an app version update.

I figured 「app「 meant my skills.

If that dream was real, then something should’ve changed with my skills.

【Sma-ho!】

I activated the skill 【Sma-ho!】 to bring up my status screen.

Nothing seemed different.

Buttons and data all looked the same.

I tried speaking various languages.

Barbar, Elvish, Vaffancrow Empire, Algeas Kingdom, Ring Kingdom…

All of them came out smoothly.

Lastly, I nicked my fingertip with a steel knife.

Blood welled up slowly, then the wound began to heal with a sizzle.

Same healing speed and process.

No noticeable change.

(The angel said 「version upgrade「… but was it really just a dream?)

I gave up thinking about it and stepped out of the tent.

It was breakfast time. Steam rose from pots all around.

「Hey! Gaia! You feeling better?」

Jessica returned with Rosso, the leader of the Giant Lizard tribe.

Still big. Still loud.

「Yeah. Sorry for worrying you.」

I patted Rosso’s back.

Back when I was thirteen and newly reincarnated, I had to look up at him.

Now I’d grown, about 170 cm tall.

I reached up to his chest now.

「Alright then! Let’s get to it after breakfast!」

「Yeah. Let’s go!」

Just a little more till we reach the sea!