Infinite Checkpoint Project: No Game No Life

Nangou Haruya's adaptability was exceptional, a trait honed by countless brushes with death and bizarre situations. As time passed, the afternoon faded into night.

The starry sky of this fantastical world was far more beautiful than the one in his original world. The pitch-black night was adorned with countless stars hanging high above.

Using his phone to play games to pass the time, Haruya noticed that the caravan was moving quite slowly, likely due to the rugged terrain nearby.

Additionally, since he did not have a charger, he had to conserve the battery life of his phone and other gaming devices.

If he wanted to charge them, he'd probably have to find a power source in the Nation of the Werebeasts, since they had electronic games there.

While Haruya was pondering, the driver spoke, asking a series of questions, "Where exactly are you from, young man? Why are you wearing such strange clothes? And what's that thing in your hand? Why is it making weird music? Is it some kind of instrument?"

"Where I'm from and where I'm going isn't important, old man. The clothes I'm wearing are the latest fashion in my hometown," answered Haruya.

"Clothes with girl patterns and badges are considered fashionable?" the old man's companion pointed out.

"Of course! In my country, there are even villages where everyone wears swimsuits with thigh-high socks."

"Swimsuits with thigh-high socks?" Both the driver and the young man beside him looked utterly confused.

"Swimsuits with thigh-high socks are popular everywhere. Make sure to tell your family and friends when you get back." Advised Haruya.

"But no one in Elkia dresses like that..."

"That's because they don't understand what's trendy."

If everyone wore swimsuits with thigh-high socks, the human race would become something truly extraordinary…

While spreading his bizarre and death-defying knowledge, Haruya turned off his phone.

"By the way, do you know who the current king of Elkia is?" Haruya asked, changing the subject.

"Well…"

The young man who had been taking notes answered Haruya's question. He seemed to have genuinely recorded the bit about 'swimsuits with thigh-high socks and fashion'...

"We left Elkia half a month ago to trade in a border city. Before we left, we heard that the next king would be decided through a game."

"Yeah, I remember the last king won by playing rock-paper-scissors..." the old man mused.

What a chaotic world, but that's also where the fun lies.

They had left Elkia half a month ago. If the siblings, Sora and Shiro, had arrived in Disboard during that time, they might have already become the representatives of the human race, Immanity.

If that were the case, Haruya thought it would be best to focus on conquering the Werebeasts and the Sirens.

The former because beast ears are the cutest! The latter because the Sirens are the dumbest…

Since the caravan was moving slowly, they probably wouldn't reach Elkia until early morning. As a result, Haruya was treated to their hospitality.

In return, Haruya told them some interesting stories, all of which were plots from Light Novels by the way...

"Onii-san, is the 'tsundere beauty' you mentioned really that popular?" asked a child.

"Of course, little one. It's one of the cutest traits!"

"Black haired Onii-san, is the 'Chuunibyou Black Flame Right Hand' setting really suitable for boys?" asked another.

"Absolutely! It's the epitome of manliness!"

By imparting otaku knowledge, Haruya believed he was paving the way for their bright futures.

As he answered the children's questions, even some adults gathered around.

Just as the nighttime chat session was in full swing, the caravan suddenly came to a halt. Angry shouts could be heard from the front.

The children quickly hid in the tents, while Haruya followed a few young men to the front of the caravan. There, they found over a dozen armed bandits blocking the path.

The bandit leader stepped forward and shouted, "This road was built by us, and these trees were planted by us! If you want to pass, you'll have to play a game with us, you bastards!"

'Don't you think your lines are a bit awkward?' Haruya cringed.

The bandit leader, a one-eyed man, grabbed the caravan leader, an elderly man who looked quite kind-hearted. The old man glanced back at the children...

Then he tried reasoning, "We're in a hurry and don't have time for games. You-"

"Shut up, old man! Life's been tough for us. Don't worry, our games are perfectly fair!" the bandit leader interrupted.

"Even if you say that…"

"Hey, bring out the props."

According to the Ten Pledges, specifically the fifth one —The challenged party has the right to decide the game's content— the caravan should have the right to decide the game.

But even under the constraints of the Ten Pledges, no one dared to speak up in the face of the menacing bandits.

Haruya stood among the crowd and saw the bandits pull out stun batons.

"We bought these from a foreign caravan. Press this button, touch someone, and they'll be electrocuted. Each side sends out ten people to compete. The side that's completely knocked out first loses."

"That's not fair! You're all strong, and we can't possibly win!"

"That's why everyone will be blindfolded. That way it's fair, right? You might randomly hit your opponent, or you might hit your own people by chance. That evens the playing field."

Faced with the bandit leader's reasoning, the old man had no rebuttal.

Indeed, if everyone was blindfolded, cooperation would be impossible, and physical strength would no longer be an advantage. Everyone would be on equal footing.

"So, is that fair enough? You can propose a game too, but it has to be reasonable and agreed upon by us. Otherwise, we'll just keep stalling!"

The hidden meaning behind his words was, "We won't agree to your game, and we'll keep wasting your time unless you agree to ours."

What a bunch of scoundrels...

"Alright, who are you sending? My side has already decided, me and nine others!" said the bandit leader shamelessly.

"..."

The caravan leader looked around at the young men. Though they wanted to participate, the sight of the unfamiliar stun batons made them hesitate.

Haruya put his phone in a bag and handed it to a little girl for safekeeping.

"I'll go alone." He said.

"Huh?" The bandit leader glared at Haruya.

Haruya went to the old man and said, "Leader, let me handle this. I'll definitely win."

"Alone? There are ten of them, young man…"

"Don't worry, I'll win for sure."

"But…"

Before the caravan leader could finish, Haruya stepped forward, "Now, let's talk about the stakes!"

"Hmph, you're really asking for it. If we win, you hand over all your valuables. If you win, we'll become your bodyguards for free and follow your every command!"

Haruya looked at the caravan leader, who nodded at the stakes. After all, there was no other choice.

"Good, since we've agreed, let's begin!"

The bandit leader handed out the stun batons to his men and gave one to Haruya.

The battlefield was a circle formed by the carriages. Haruya tested the stun baton... it was fully charged.

The caravan members watched Haruya with worried expressions.

As a way to repay their hospitality, Haruya gave them a peace sign, "Don't worry, everyone."

With that, the game began in three seconds.

""Aschente!!""

The participants declared in unison.

Ten enemies, all blindfolded. First, Haruya needed to confirm their positions, and then…

"Here I go-! Arggghhhhh!!!!!"

A powerful electric current surged through his body, and Haruya collapsed to the ground.

""He was instantly defeated!!!!!""

The caravan members' eyes widened in shock.

.....

<< Checkpoint: Reload >>

< Reloading Save... >

"Good thing I've built up a resistance to electric shocks. Don't underestimate someone who's been hit by high voltage sixteen times."

What a tragically sad line…

In any case, the first attack came from the left.

So, he needed to avoid the left side from the start...

""Aschente!!""

With that in mind, the game began again.

As soon as it started, Haruya immediately moved to the right, dodging a gust of wind from the left.

'I avoided it!'

Staying calm, Haruya pondered how the bandits could track his position. They must have had some kind of signal.

Continuing to move to the right, Haruya heard a voice from the left, it was the bandit who had attacked him earlier.

"Ouch!"

I bumped into someone!

The next moment, two stun batons hit Haruya in the chest.

What the hell…

...…

<< Checkpoint: Reload >>

< Reloading Save... >

Alright, let's try again. First, dodge the attack from the left, then move to the right... Last time he heard "Ouch!", then got hit.

So, when moving to the right, he needed to dodge to the left.

Following this logic, Haruya successfully avoided the second attack.

"Ouch!" "Ouch!"

As Haruya moved to the left, he heard two bandits cry out. The next moment, two stun batons hit him again…

How could they know his position in the middle of a chaotic fight?

If they were blindfolded, they could still talk. So, what was their signal?

When the first person said "Ouch", Haruya was moving to the right. When the next two said "Ouch" in unison, he was moving to the left…

Was that it?

After over a dozen attempts, Haruya figured out their signals.

"Ouch" — move to the right;

"Ouch" x2 — move to the left;

"Damn it" — move backward;

"Banana bala"— confirm his position and surround him.

Now that he understood their signals, Haruya waited for them to finish their cues before moving in the opposite direction.

"Ouch!"

Here it comes!

Dodging to the right, Haruya moved to the left and swung the stun baton wildly. A powerful electric current hit the bandit who had attacked him, eliciting a loud "Aaaah!" from the man.

Then, he prepared to dodge the next attack.

"Ouch!"

Dodge.

"Damn it!"

Run forward.

"Banana bala!"

Drop to the ground.

Following the sequence, Haruya moved like a skilled master, effortlessly electrocuting all the bandits.

"Amazing!"

"Big bro is so cool!"

"It's like he knew all their moves! So awesome!"

Removing the blindfold, Haruya let out a sigh of relief.

After being electrocuted dozens of times, he had finally defeated the enemies.

1 vs 10 — Haruya had 'easily' emerged victorious...