"D-damn... my skull..."
In a small, rundown room, a pale-skinned young boy held his head in his hands, groaning in pain.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he lifted his eyes to realize that his surroundings had changed drastically.
"Where am I...? W-wait a second... my voice has changed... and my body too," he murmured as he suddenly sat up, only to fall back down due to his new balance.
He clearly wasn't used to this strange body yet, which also felt numb, as if it had been dormant for a while.
The boy's black pupils were filled with confusion. The last memory etched in his mind was a sharp pain, followed by a mocking face.
This young boy was named Damien Smith. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary young adult in his twenties.
He had nothing particularly remarkable about him, except for his love of Japanese culture and his death.
Damien didn't consider himself a hero. Yet, he had risked his life to save a little girl who hadn't noticed the traffic light turn red.
He was then hit by a truck. The last thing he saw before dying was the amused face of a drunk driver.
After a brief blackout of his consciousness, he woke up facing this strange, dilapidated shack.
'Is this really that famous isekai scenario I've read so much about?
Or is it just a dream... and if so, am I in a coma at the hospital?' Several questions raced through his head as he prepared to stand up.
However, the universe seemed to have other immediate plans for the young boy.
Numerous memories suddenly flooded Damien's mind, accompanied by intense pain in his skull.
He quickly realized that the previous headache was just a preview.
His complexion grew even paler as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
It took several labored breaths before the throbbing pain finally subsided.
His body slumped heavily to the floor, sitting with difficulty, while his panting echoed in the room.
After a few minutes of silence, Damien murmured:
"I didn't expect to be reincarnated in... a world of magic."
Thanks to the memories of his new body, he learned more about his current identity.
His name was now Merlin... Merlin Emrys.
This boy lived in an isolated village, nestled in a remote mountain range in the Kingdom of Fiore.
His parents had died following an epidemic, leaving the boy alone ever since.
Unfortunately, the void left by their disappearance overwhelmed young Merlin.
He succumbed to grief and died in his sleep.
That's how Damien took possession of this body, under circumstances that still eluded him.
"Seriously... an orphan? I could've at least started as a noble, tsk," he said, before clicking his tongue.
Because of his young age, Damien couldn't exert any real strength or have the slightest influence in the village.
"However, the name of the Kingdom of Fiore sounds familiar for some reason," he muttered.
He glanced out the window, observing the blue sky outside, desperately trying to remember where he'd heard that name before.
"Merlin, are you home?"
At that moment, a childish voice suddenly rang out from behind the door. A flicker of doubt crossed Damien's black eyes.
He hesitated briefly before responding:
"Who is it...?"
"It's me, idiot! I haven't seen you for days, and you're already forgetting me?"
Hearing this familiar voice, a warm feeling flooded his heart for no reason he could understand.
Damien realized that this voice belonged to someone important to this body.
He wanted to head to the door to open it, but the stranger entered before he could act.
"What's wrong with you? You're asking weird questions, and on top of that, you're making me wait outside!"
A young girl with dark red hair entered the house, clearly showing her annoyance.
However, Damien detected genuine worry in her immature eyes.
He decided to exploit that to buy some time.
"Sorry... I've been feeling a bit weak and hungry a lot lately," he lied without batting an eye.
"Oh... sorry. I sometimes forget that you're in poor health. But don't forget my voice anymore, got it?"
She closed the distance between them.
Merlin nodded mechanically, but the girl's face so close allowed him to recover the last remaining blurry memories.
Erza Scarlet.
That was the name of the young girl in front of him.
From his memories, Erza and Merlin had been friends forever.
Both orphans, they had supported each other to survive.
The loss of Merlin's parents explained the emotions Damien felt in Erza's presence.
"Are you sick again? I have some medicinal herbs at home. I'll go get you some with a bit of food."
Seeing his pale complexion, Erza stood up and ran out.
Before Damien could even protest, she had already disappeared.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for meeting an important protagonist of this world.]
[Erza Scarlet is a key character in the story.]
[Ding! The system is officially activated.]
[Please wait...]
[Ding! Activating system rewards in progress.]
When Erza's presence had completely vanished, mechanical sounds rang in Damien's ears.
His pupils contracted as he scanned his surroundings.
'System...?' he thought, reading the notifications floating in front of his eyes.
As a fan of online stories, Damien was familiar with systems in fiction. However, he never would have believed he'd become a system host.
[Ding! The Mad Scientist System is activated. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a character template draw.]
A luminous curtain appeared in front of him.
A large spinning wheel materialized on it, displaying familiar images:
Doctor Who, Heinz Doofenshmirtz, Fiddleford "Old Man" McGucket, Jinx, Mojo Jojo, Plankton, Rick Sanchez, Stanley Pines, Dexter...
Before he could think further, the wheel started spinning automatically.
After a moment, the arrow slowed down and then stopped.
The final image appeared.
Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
(Image)
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Heinz Doofenshmirtz template.]
[Do you wish to fuse?]
[Yes? Or No]
A slight disappointment crossed Damien's gaze.
He hadn't gotten Rick Sanchez or Doctor Who.
However, Heinz Doofenshmirtz was still one of the most dangerous scientists he knew.
Suddenly, Damien remembered something and quickly questioned the system:
"If I fuse with this template... will I also inherit his clumsy side and his traumas?"
Heinz Doofenshmirtz was an incredible scientific genius, despite lacking an official degree.
He had already manipulated time, space, biology, and the mind, and had even achieved interdimensional travel.
His real flaw lay mainly in his traumas and chronic clumsiness.
[No. The host obtains only the abilities and memory of the template, not the personality or mental flaws.]
Hearing this, Damien let out a sigh of relief.
Only the doctor's knowledge and abilities truly excited him.
In the Fairy Tail world, Heinz Doofenshmirtz would undoubtedly be one of the most dangerous beings.
After confirming there would be no side effects, Damien declared without hesitation:
"Yes!"