He looked at his surroundings before his eyes fell on the mirror.
"This is not my face… What is happening?"
His breath caught. The stranger in the reflection had black hair, slightly curled at the ends, with sharp blue eyes that weren't his. The jawline was more refined, the nose straighter, and the skin clearer than anything he remembered. None of it belonged to him. A cold pressure crawled along his spine as he reached out, fingertips brushing the mirror's surface as though the image might distort into something familiar.
A piercing pain exploded inside his skull.
His knees buckled, and the world dissolved into blinding white.
He didn't even feel himself hit the floor.
…
"Young Master!"
Voices spilled through the haze first—urgent, high-pitched, trembling. Something dabbed at his forehead. A hand shook his shoulder.
His eyelids twitched before opening a sliver. Light stabbed into them, and shapes gradually sharpened into faces—three maids hovering anxiously over him. Their uniforms were unfamiliar: crisp black dresses, white aprons trimmed with silver thread, a crest embroidered near their collars.
"Young Master Aster, can you hear us?" one asked, her voice cracking despite her effort to remain composed.
Aster.
The name fell into his mind like a stone dropped into water, sending ripples through everything—his memories, his thoughts, his sense of self. A deeper wave followed, and suddenly two sets of memories clashed inside him like colliding storms.
His own life.
And the life of this body.
Images overlapped—late-night reading sessions flipping through a fantasy novel he'd just begun… and childhood memories of sword tutors, etiquette lessons, crystal chandeliers, and a sprawling ivy-covered manor. He saw pages from the novel, scenes he had browsed absentmindedly, characters he'd never imagined meeting in reality.
And then—Aster Luvian's fate.
Killed one year from now.A footnote in the Demon Academy Arc.A minor casualty used to push the protagonist forward.
His stomach lurched as both consciousnesses settled uneasily together.
"I… I'm fine," he managed, though the words came out weaker than intended.
The closest maid, a girl with ash-brown hair tied neatly into a bun, let out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness. You fainted so suddenly. We thought you were—well…" She swallowed her unfinished thought and stepped back slightly.
He pushed himself upright, pressing a hand to his temple as the last threads of the migraine faded. The room came into clearer focus: polished wooden floors, tall windows framed with emerald drapes, and ornate furniture carved with arcane motifs—the kind nobles favored in the novel.
This was real.Too real.
He forced his breathing to steady. "What… time is it?"
"Nearly noon, Young Master," another maid replied. "Lord Luvian has requested your presence in the dining hall as soon as you awaken. He emphasized it was important."
His mind flicked back to the novel—Aster Luvian, second son of House Luvian, a middling noble family in the Arkavia Kingdom. Not weak, but not influential enough to avoid certain political entanglements. His death was described in a paragraph, barely more than a narrative tool.
He needed to avoid that.Somehow.
A faint chime echoed inside his head—clear, mechanical, artificial.
He froze.
Then translucent blue text materialized before his eyes.
──────────SYSTEM BOOTING…Initializing status interface…──────────
More lines flickered into existence.
──────────
Name: Aster Luvian
Race: Human
Age: 16
Attributes:
• Strength — 7
• Agility — 6
• Magic Power — 4
• Intelligence — 9
• Constitution — 5
Talent Rating: Average
──────────
He almost laughed. It was exactly the sort of system every cliché protagonist dreamed of—but the numbers were painfully underwhelming. Nothing overpowered. Nothing exceptional.
Just… average.
"Great," he muttered, dismissing the holographic window with a thought. It faded instantly. He didn't have time to dig through menus—not when he was being called to dine.
"Prepare my coat," he said, instinctively echoing the persona buried in his merged memories.
"Yes, Young Master," the maids responded in unison.
They moved to the wardrobe, pulling out a navy coat embroidered with silver hems. He let them dress him, still adjusting to the unfamiliar yet familiar weight of this body. Aster's physique was leaner than his old one, but slightly taller.
Once ready, he stepped out. The hallway stretched long and pristine, lined with paintings of the Luvian lineage—each portrait staring down at him with sharp noble features.
His footsteps echoed softly.The scent of polished wood and citrus oil hung faintly in the air.The tension of the upcoming conversation settled in his chest.
He turned the final corner toward the dining hall—
—and the massive doors opened before he reached them.
Warm light spilled out from within, accompanied by the low murmur of voices.
The system reappeared suddenly—one last line pulsing at the bottom.
──────────Note: Attribute average for a fully grown adult human is 10.──────────
He paused.
"…Huh."
So he wasn't weak. Not exactly. For a sixteen-year-old, his stats were decent. Strength 7, Agility 6—physically above average compared to adult men. Intelligence 9 was already nearing the adult standard.
Not bad. Not hopeless.
He stepped inside.
The dining room was bright and warm, the long table lined with silverware and steaming dishes. His family was already seated: his mother, Celise; his father, Daemon; his older brother, Verrin; and his little sister, Elira.
He took his seat, reaching for his tea—
"Aster," Celise said softly, worry tightening her voice, "the maids informed me that you fainted this morning."
Daemon's eyes sharpened. Verrin paused mid-sip. Elira stopped humming.
Aster kept his expression steady. "It wasn't serious. I just… fell asleep. I think I was still half-drowsy from last night's lessons."
He let out a small, easy chuckle. "Guess I overworked myself."
Celise didn't look convinced. "You collapsed on the floor, dear. That's more than just falling asleep."
"I know," he said calmly, "but I really do feel fine now. Completely."He rolled his shoulders lightly. "See? No dizziness."
Verrin's gaze lingered a moment before he nodded. "If he feels well, it should be fine. Aster's always been careless with sleep."
Elira puffed her cheeks. "Big Brother should sleep more. I heard you snore through the walls!"
Aster blinked. "…I snore?"
"Yes," Daemon said flatly, sipping his tea. "Loudly."
A brief wave of laughter softened the tension at the table.
Celise still glanced at him every so often, but as she observed his steady demeanor, her worry eased. Daemon relaxed slightly. Verrin resumed eating. Elira swung her legs happily again.
Not fully reassured—but reassured enough.
Aster finished a bite of eggs, mind drifting back to Celise's earlier words.
Kuyrem Academy.
He let the merged memories fill in the rest.
Right. Enrollment exams in June.First-year curriculum begins immediately.Kids here start formal combat and arcane education much earlier.
It's May now. Post-Apocalyptic Year 19…
Nineteen years since humanity nearly collapsed under the eruption of spiritual energy—monsters appearing, lands reshaping, kingdoms rebuilding around ability users.
And this body would die in the Demon Academy Arc if he didn't prepare.
Three months… I still have time to figure things out.
"Yes, Mother," he answered when Celise asked about his lessons. "I'm focusing on my studies."
And he would.Just not the studies they expected.
He summoned the system again, keeping his expression neutral.
──────────STATUS──────────
Unchanged.
He swiped to the next tab.
──────────MAP──────────
A perfectly detailed image of the Luvian estate unfolded. Every hall, training yard, and servant wing was labeled clearly. But beyond the estate, everything blurred into gray fog.
Unexplored. Unknown.
He tapped one area.
──────────Area Locked: You have not personally visited this location.──────────
He hid a sigh behind a bite of bread. So I have to explore manually.
Next tab.
──────────INVENTORY — Capacity: Unlimited──────────
That one nearly made him smile. Unlimited storage. He tested storing his fork—a hum vibrated lightly—
—but he canceled it. Wrong place, wrong time.
Next.
──────────SKILL TREE──────────
Branches sprawled like constellations. Most nodes dim. But several faintly glowed.
• Low-Level Spearmastery
• Low-Level Rune Mastery
• Basic Physical Conditioning
• Basic Meditation
Descriptions and upgrade paths branched from each.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Damn… this is actually extremely useful. If I grow these, I might survive that arc.
He didn't notice he'd paused mid-bite until his mother tilted her head toward him. "Aster? You seem distracted."
He blinked, calmly resumed eating. "No, Mother. Just thinking."
The system hovered quietly behind his gaze, the faint scent of herbal tea mixing with soft conversation and clinking silverware.
He zoomed deeper into the skill tree—
—and paused at a dim, locked node pulsing faintly with violet light.