Kurosawa Hinata was a reincarnated person. She had been born as a resident of this world while retaining the memories of her previous life. From the moment she was born, she knew she was completely different from the people of this world. The symbols that only appeared when entering a game now existed before her eyes. What was more, she alone could see and perceive them. Her parents in this world belonged to the Black Cat beastfolk, so naturally, it was perfectly normal that her Race was no longer human.
When she was little, she looked exactly like a kitten. It was only when she turned three that her body gradually began to change. Perhaps it was a form of shapeshifting, changing her from a young beast into a juvenile beast. At that age, Hinata looked like the wandering cat knight from the story of Puss in Boots. It wasn't until she turned seven that she fully transformed into her adult form. Apart from her cat ears and tail, all the distinctive features of the beastfolk had disappeared, and she now looked exactly like a human child. Over those seven years, Hinata had also come to understand the rules of this world to some extent.
This was a world governed by mana and internal energy, and it was home to an incredible variety of races. There were not only the human race and beastfolk, but also the elf race, dragon race, dwarf race, angel race, and demon race. Despite the many different races, there had never been any conflict between them. Instead, they had lived together in peace for thousands of years. The people of this world had only one common enemy: Chaos, the monsters born from mana that existed throughout the world. They appeared everywhere, especially in dungeons that had been explored, were being explored, or had yet to be discovered.
When Chaos was defeated, it usually dropped a magic crystal carrying the monster's energy. In some cases, it would instead drop an item, a material, or any number of other things. Everything dropped by Chaos could be valuable, sold, kept for later use, or completely worthless and thrown away. It all depended on each individual's luck rating in this world. The lowest luck rating was F-rank, while the highest was S-rank. Hinata's luck rating, meanwhile, firmly remained at A-rank, only a little short of the highest possible rating.
From the age of eight onward, Hinata diligently trained her body every day and learned various combat methods from her father. Her father, Kurosawa Ryoga, was an adventurer who had retired after starting a small family. Perhaps because of a mutation, her fur had not been pure black at birth, but a blend of black and white. Her mismatched cat eyes were clear and sparkling, like two marbles reflecting the brilliant sunlight. In fact, mutation was not rare in this world. It could even be considered a gift from the gods. Individuals with mutations often possessed extraordinary abilities, and they would grow stronger as they matured.
Perhaps her parents had recognized their daughter's mutation from an early age, because they never tried to stop Hinata from taking an interest in training methods and combat skills. They were even happy to teach her with all their hearts, guiding her in secret techniques possessed only by the Black Cat beastfolk. Hinata had been born in a forest town with a population of more than five thousand, most of them beastfolk. The forest beside the town was an ideal place to train combat skills. Once children turned twelve, they were allowed to enter the forest, hunt, and face low-level Chaos. Only after they had personally defeated the Chaos within their capabilities were they allowed to register as adventurers and leave the town to begin their journeys.
On the day Hinata was allowed to leave the town, her parents gave her a magic sword made from Mythril ore, a rare and extremely expensive material. The moment she touched the sword, a binding notification appeared before her eyes. This was a weapon capable of growing. It would automatically absorb mana from defeated Chaos and use it to level up. The higher a weapon's rank, the greater the damage it dealt to enemies. And because it had been bound to her, the sword could never be stolen from her or lost for any reason.
"Thank you, Mom and Dad. I'll use this sword well."
"Haha, all we need is for you to stay safe. Send us a letter or come back to visit from time to time, okay? We'll always be here waiting for you."
"I will. You two take care, too."
And so, Kurosawa Hinata's journey began. A new journey of her own, a trip to uncover the mysteries and strange wonders of this world.