The body Ethan had transmigrated into belonged to a nobody.
Not a villain worth remembering. Not even a proper side character.
Su Yan was the kind of existence stories disposed of without effort, a footnote with a dirty reputation, a name mentioned once only to explain why someone else suffered.
In the original plot, Su Yan was nothing more than a palace whore.
A fox beastman born at the very bottom of the food chain, dragged up from a brothel in the outer districts where foxes were sold cheaply and used thoroughly. He had no clan, no backing, no dignity to speak of. From the moment he learned how to smile prettily and spread his legs for silver, his life had already been priced and labeled.
Su Yan knew exactly what he was.
He wasn't naïve. He wasn't innocent. He was greedy, vulgar, and painfully self-aware. He despised poverty more than he despised himself, and that made him reckless. If crawling into beds could buy him silk, jewels, or even temporary safety, then he would crawl without hesitation.
Shame was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Fox beastmen were already despised in this world, creatures whispered about as parasites who survived by clinging to stronger beasts. They were said to have no real power, no honor, no worth beyond their looks and their ability to soften men's hearts for a fleeting moment.
And Su Yan leaned into that reputation shamelessly.
He flirted too openly. Smiled too eagerly. Took bribes without subtlety. In the brothel, he was known as someone who would do anything if the price was right. Old men, cruel men, broken men... it really didn't matter. As long as they paid, he stayed quiet. Money was everything to him. His one and only true love.
That was why Prince Bai Yanchu chose him.
The Emperor's younger brother had not wanted loyalty. He wanted something disposable.
A fox with no future, no pride, and no one who would miss him.
Su Yan was bought, dressed up, and gifted to the Wolf Emperor like a novelty, a pretty low-born toy meant to amuse and be forgotten. No one questioned it. A fox concubine was beneath scrutiny. Beneath suspicion.
Su Yan entered the palace believing this was his chance to climb out of filth.
Instead, he dragged the filth in with him.
As a minor, unfavored concubine, he was ignored by the Emperor and despised by the court. Servants whispered behind his back. Other concubines called him "brothel leftovers" and "secondhand trash." Officials refused to meet his eyes. Even palace guards treated him like something sticky they'd stepped on by accident.
Fear made him greedy.
Greed made him stupid.
Unwilling to rot at the bottom, Su Yan began selling information—first to Prince Bai Yanchu, then to anyone who offered more. He exaggerated, lied, and manipulated, desperate to make himself valuable enough to survive.
Instead, he crossed a line he was never meant to approach.
His actions caused the Empress, the main character of this world to suffer irreparable harm.
That single mistake sealed his fate.
No one defended him. No one investigated further.
A fox whore with a record of betrayal was the easiest thing in the world to condemn.
Prince Bai Yanchu abandoned him without hesitation.
The Emperor ordered his execution without a flicker of emotion.
Su Yan died publicly, dragged onto the platform like refuse. His execution was swift, his body disposed of quietly, his existence erased so cleanly that even the original story barely spared him a paragraph.
Ethan fell silent.
He didn't move. Didn't blink. He simply stared at the character information as if reading it a second time might somehow make it less revolting. Seconds stretched. The dungeon felt colder. The chains around his wrists seemed heavier than before.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head.
Xixi met his gaze—and immediately regretted existing.
The little rabbit swallowed hard, ears stiff. "H-Host, please calm down! With your quick adaptability and outstanding intelligence, this world should be as easy as cutting pie!"
It forced a bright smile though the nervousness in its eyes said something else entirely.
"What kind of fucked up character is this?!" Ethan snapped.
The chains rattled violently as he jerked forward, eyes dark, expression twisted like he was genuinely considering skinning a rabbit. "Are you trying to get me killed on purpose?!"
Xixi shrieked and scrambled backward, nearly tripping over its own feet. "I-I believe there's been an error! This world absolutely cannot be Difficulty Level E!"
"Then fix it," Ethan growled. "Send me to the next world. Now."
Xixi shook its head miserably. "We… we can't leave until the main mission is completed."
Ethan laughed.
It was a short, humorless sound.
"Great," he muttered. "Just great."
He opened the system store with what little hope he had left, fingers moving fast—only to freeze.
The same interface stared back at him.
Level 1 Store
Seduction and Allure Section
Useless trinkets. Perfumes. Charm boosters.
Ethan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
So dead.
So completely, absolutely dead.
Couldn't the system have thrown him in before this little piece of shit ruined everything? Why now? Why one day before execution?
Unbidden, his mind conjured the image of a massive blade coming down—cold steel biting into flesh, bone giving way, the sudden weightlessness right before...
Ethan shuddered.
"…Fuck."
Calm down. Think.
He wasn't dying here. He refused.
"Umm, host?" Xixi piped up hesitantly.
"What."
"T-that revival skill you received during the tutorial mission… you still have two uses left. So even if you die, you'll regenerate."
It paused, then added weakly, "The pain will be completely real though. You'll feel all of it."
Ethan stared at it.
"…And you think that's comforting?"
Xixi smiled nervously.
The smile died under Ethan's gaze.
"Fine," Ethan muttered, leaning back against the cold wall. "By tomorrow… I'll have a plan."
His lips curved upward slowly, sharp and calculating. The kind of smile that belonged on someone about to do something very, very unpleasant.
Xixi took one look and quietly vanished back into its system space.
The host looks scary bohoo!