Chapter 1 - A Lie Called Confidence

"Good morning, everyone.

My name is Daniel Smith.

I graduated from school last year, and I am currently pursuing my technology degree.

I am an energetic and positive man.

My goal is to become rich.

I am always looking forward to my future.

Thank you."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

👏👏👏

---×---×---

Daniel stood at the front of the classroom, holding a sheet of paper tightly in his hands.

He was around twenty years old, with black buzz-cut hair, brown eyes, a slim face, and brown skin. Nothing about him stood out much—he was almost painfully average.

The classroom was filled with students. A few were clapping. Most of them were his friends.

It was the first day of his second semester in college. The teacher had asked everyone to introduce themselves since this was a PDP class—Personality Development Program.

Daniel felt nervous, but that was normal. Anyone would feel uneasy standing in front of so many people.

He wasn't an introvert, but not an extrovert either—somewhere in between.

---×---×---

A group of students walked together on the campus road after class.

"Wow, Daniel, that was awesome," one boy walking beside him said.

"I thought you'd get really nervous and wouldn't be able to speak," a bulky boy from behind added.

"Thanks… but stop making fun of me," Daniel replied.

"But your lie was really good—'I am an energetic and positive man,'" a shorter boy said with a grin.

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

They weren't wrong.

I'm not energetic. I'm not positive either.

To be honest, I'm more of a negative and lazy person. It's not because I'm an introvert—I have plenty of friends.

Life just feels… boring.

I don't have a clear goal. Sure, I say I want to be rich, but is that really a goal? Nothing truly interests me.

I don't have a girlfriend. I don't even have a female friend. As you can see, my friend group is all boys.

"We're alpha males," we joke.

Yeah… that's what every man says when he can't get a girlfriend.

Life feels empty.

I like reading novels—it interests me sometimes—but let's be honest. Ninety-nine percent of them are trash. Same story, different names.

I want thrill in my life.

Sometimes, like everyone else, I think about getting reincarnated into a novel. But then I remember my parents—my father and mother who love me deeply.

I also have two sisters. They're smarter and more capable than me. They could take care of our parents even without me.

Still… the idea of being born into a completely new world scares me.

How do those protagonists adapt so easily? They're born there, raised there—it makes sense for them.

If I ever transmigrated, I'd want it to be from the start. At a very young age, so I could adjust properly.

And please—no Demon King.

If there is one, let the protagonist handle it easily.

But… 😏

Let there be beautiful girls. I don't want to be single there too. 😆

"I have to leave early today," I said to my friends. "I've got an assignment."

Of course, that was a lie.

If I were that hardworking, I wouldn't be in this shitty college.

I just wanted to read the novel I found yesterday. It was interesting.

'Killed the MC at the start'.

The main character gets accidentally killed by the protagonist right at the beginning.

Sounds fun.

"Okay, bye. See you tomorrow."

---×---×---

I started crossing the road.

Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in my chest.

It felt like a knife stabbing straight through my heart.

I couldn't breathe.

And with my extraordinary luck—

A huge truck came rushing toward me.

🚛

Impact.

Pain.

Chaos.

People screamed. Some pulled out their phones. Some recorded.

No one called an ambulance.

No one tried to help.

I knew I was dying.

But I didn't want to die.

I wanted to find a purpose.

I wanted to make my parents proud.

I wanted to truly become energetic and positive—just once.

I wanted a loving girlfriend.

But—

Everything went black.

"…He's awake."

Huh?

Where am I?

I stared at the ceiling.

Cream-colored. A chandelier hanging above.

Is this a hospital?

Then why do my hands feel so small?

Not tiny… but definitely smaller than before.

Did they get cut in the accident?

"He looks cute as always, my lady," a woman said.

I turned my eyes.

Two women stood nearby, wearing medieval-style dresses.

…Wait.

"Next month will be his second birthday. Are you excited?" said a woman in a maid's uniform.

"Of course I am," replied the woman in the purple dress.

She was beautiful.

And somehow… I knew.

She was my mother.

She gently placed a hand on my forehead.

My eyelids felt heavy.

Form her gesture i concluded she wanted to make me sleep

I should pretend to sleep.

"Oh, he fell asleep," she said softly. "Let's not make any noise."

They left the room.

Ah…

So this is real.

I can't go back. I should be dead in that world.

Then I have no choice but to live this new life.

Why am I so calm?

Is it because… this is what I truly wanted?

If I really got transmigrated—

Then there should be something like a system.

It should appear if I say it.

I gathered my thoughts and whispered in my mind:

"System."