NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Golden Spoon?
Feeling a strange tingle pervading his entire body, much like a limb falling asleep, Nobu awoke to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. This was a common trope in novels where the MC had been transported to a different world. Unfortunately, unlike his predecessors in countless fictional worlds, Nobu's situation was rather 'unique'.
Wiggling his arms a bit, Nobu confirmed that the shining golden ropes binding his body weren't an illusion. To make matters even worse, he was completely naked. Either of these things, alone, would have been more than a little disconcerting. Experiencing both, simultaneously, made Nobu question whether or not it was a good thing he had survived...
Doing his best to stay positive, a forced smile developed across Nobu's face as he noted, "Well...at least my stomach doesn't hurt. As long as a beefy old man doesn't walk through that door, I should be able to tolerate whatever comes next..."
Despite his words, Nobu had no intention of simply sticking around to discover why he was being held captive. Instead, he closed his eyes for a few moments, ears straining to ascertain whether or not he could hear anyone nearby.
With nothing but the distant sound of a hammer striking against metal to break the silence, Nobu decided it was in his best interest to try and escape. To this end, he did his best to remain silent as he awkwardly rolled from the bed. Then, once he had his feet under him, he searched for anything that might be useful for cutting himself free.
Based on the available furnishings, Nobu assumed he was currently within some kind of Inn, Hotel, or Hostel. The only things present, other than the bed, were a dingy old nightstand, a massive chest resembling the type seen in RPGs, and, though he hadn't noticed it at first, an eerie mechanical owl perched atop what he assumed to be a rack for hanging swords and other kinds of equipment.
Seeing the owl staring directly at him, Nobu's body immediately tensed. He normally would have ignored it, treating it as mere decoration, but, much like the ropes keeping his arms bound, the owl was comprised of a pale, slightly luminescent, gold. In other words, he was being watched.
"Why am I not surprised...?" muttered Nobu before shifting his attention to the only window in the room.
Judging by the height of the building across the screen, he was most likely only on the second floor. Unfortunately, even if he could break through the window, venturing outside without any clothes on was practically a death sentence.
Shaking his head, Nobu returned his attention to the owl, asking, "Can you get your Master for me? I don't think I've done anything wrong so I'd like to know why I'm being tied up..."
Though he could vaguely remember seeing a young woman before he passed out, Nobu's mental acuity hadn't exactly been at its sharpest. Seeing his life flash before his eyes had been more than a little distracting, and, were it not for the golden rope binding him, he could easily be convinced she had been nothing more than an illusion. His experiences thus far made him 'extremely' skeptical of the notion he had been fortunate enough to have a fateful encounter. After all, even if he had been given the opportunity to reincarnate, the words of the Goddess made it very clear he wasn't exactly special...
Feeling a little depressed by his train of thought, Nobu plopped down on the side of the bed before lying back and accepting his fate. If escape wasn't an option, he might as well take advantage of the fact he had a bed to sleep in. It had been two years since his body rested properly, so, with nothing better to do-
Opening his eyes, Nobu recalled the strange stone tablet his body had instinctually clung to even in his last moments. He knew it had something to do with his reincarnation so it would be a complete and utter disaster for him to lose it immediately after gaining control over his body.
Fortunately, the moment he sat up to begin searching a flash of grey appeared at the periphery of Nobu's vision. When he turned his head, he found the 18x9cm tablet just lying there, almost like a phone that had slipped out of someone's pocket and fallen onto their bed.
Though it might have been smarter to act when the mechanical owl wasn't observing his every action, Nobu immediately rolled to a seated position before using his feet to finagle the tablet a little closer.
Prior to his reincarnation, the Goddess had been complaining about people running rampant in the worlds they had been sent to. With this in mind, there was a real possibility he could quickly rise to the top if his cheat was strong enough. At the very least, it might be able to save his life in a pinch...
Without his hands to work with, Nobu did his best to examine the phone using nothing but his feet. This was more than a little awkward, but, after a minute or two, he had managed to scrutinize both sides numerous times. Unfortunately, even after calling out various key phrases such as Status and System Activate, nothing happened. In the end, the only thing he was able to ascertain was that one side was marginally smoother than the other. It also generated a bit of warmth, but, other than that, he couldn't ascertain any of its functions.
"Come on...couldn't you have included some kind of instruction manual? What are you, some kind of H20 Goddess...?"
Shaking his head, Nobu ignored the remarkably uneasy feeling that had suddenly descended upon him as he considered his options. Since he was in a cultivation world, there was a chance the tablet needed something like a 'key' to unlock it. In most novels, this would be the energy from the user, or, more often than not, their blood. After that, the MC would then discover that the simple-looking heirloom granted to them by their family was actually the treasure of some ancient or ridiculously powerful Cultivator that had lost their body and needed the protagonist's help in order to return...
Though the notion of having some ghostly old man telling him what to do wasn't exactly pleasant, that didn't stop Nobu from positioning himself so that he was on his knees. Then, after a very brief moment of hesitation, he lurched his body forward like a hammer striking an anvil, nose impacting the tablet with the intent to bloody it.
Despite his best effort, Nobu had failed to account for the fact that both he and the tablet were on the bed. As a result, he managed to strike it directly, but, in the end, the only thing he experienced was a bit of awkwardness as his face squashed the phone into the padded bedding, ass in the air...
Maintaining his best poker face, Nobu quickly fixed his posture before noticing that something had changed with the tablet. The smooth face now radiated a pale blue light, and, after several seconds had passed, a logo for a company called Seraphic Industries ICC. This caused a number of questions to pop into his head, but, before he could get distracted by them, a childlike giddiness swelled from the depths of his soul as the tablet completed booting up like a genuine smartphone.
Having read quite a number of reincarnation stories where the main character is transmigrated with a smartphone, Nobu's expectations immediately shot through the roof. Such cheats often had map functions, GPS, call functions, and, depending on the circumstances, he might even be able to use it to play some kind of Gacha. This phrase would have terrified him in his previous life, but, even if he had to pit himself against dangerous beasts to earn points, that was a given if he wanted to survive and prosper in a cultivation world.
With his attention fully focused on his 'phone', various thoughts racing through his mind, Nobu was completely oblivious to the sound of the door being opened. It was only when the interloper asked, "Oh? You're awake...?" that he instinctually covered the tablet with his feet, expression paling as he looked towards the person that had addressed him.
A stark contrast to the beauty vaguely recollected in his memories, the person addressing him was an old crone wearing threadbare clothing and carrying a bucket. Using the standards of Earth, most people would have assumed she was around seventy to eighty years old. Unfortunately, this wasn't Earth, so, if she was the Golden Warrior holding him captive, her actual age should be several times that. After all, one of the perks of being in a cultivation world was that you could drastically increase your lifespan by strengthening your base.
Forcing a smile to his face, Nobu squeezed his legs together in a vain attempt to conceal his not-so-little brother from view. This was one of the reasons he had wanted to keep his original body, as, not only would he be more comfortable in his own flesh, but, despite his father's many failings, the man had 'potent' genes. Though this made the notion of him walking around as a 'trap' even more terrifying, a lot of Nobu's confidence throughout Middle and High School had come from the fact he was 'gifted' where it mattered most.
Amused by Nobu's reaction, the elderly woman man of a show of both closing and locking the door behind her before adopting a grin of her own and teasing, "Come now, boy. Is that any way for a man to react? This isn't my first time seeing such a thing. Don't worry. I know exactly what I'm doing..."
Feeling what he could only describe as existential dread, Nobu did his best to maintain his smile as he said, "Listen...I appreciate you rescuing me, but, if you try anything, don't expect me to go down without a fight..."
Though his words were intended to sound intimidating, it was only after he had spoken that Nobu realized how they could be misinterpreted. The laughter of the old crone didn't help any, and, were it not for the fact his arms and torso were still bound, he might have made a break for the window out of sheer embarrassment.
Fortunately, just as he was mentally preparing himself for the two-story drop, extreme relief washed over Nobu's body as the old woman wiped away a tear and revealed, "I haven't laughed like that in years. Thanks for that, kid. Oh, and you'll be pleased to learn I'm not the one who saved you. I was simply hired to wash your body and outfit you with something more substantial than the rags you were wearing when you came in. Now, lay back and behave. I promise I won't bite."
Seeing the woman punctuate her statement with a wink, Nobu's urge to escape the room suddenly increased by a factor of ten. The only thing that prevented him from trying was the knowledge that his 'savior' could track him so long as he was bound in her aura. Since it was impossible for him, a mere 'Slag', to break free from the bindings of a Golden Warrior, he ultimately had little choice but to bide his time and see how things play out. Fortunately, he had been hospitalized quite a number of times in his youth, so, while it was impossible to associate the old woman with the nurses he had encountered in his past, it wasn't his first time receiving a sponge bath...
(A/N: Since the Cultivation in this world is derived from various metals, those deemed to lack talent are known as Slag by society. Slag is basically the useless byproduct of forging, and, while it wasn't impossible to recycle, most people simply scrape it off to the side for disposal.)