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Ethan Blackwood's last memory from his old life was the screech of tires and the sickening crunch of metal. One moment he was scrolling through Reddit theories about the ending of Game of Thrones on his phone in the back of an Uber. The next, bright headlights blinded him, followed by nothing but darkness and the faint taste of blood.
Then came the voice.
[Ding!]
[Supreme Throne System has bound to Host Soul]
[Transmigration commencing…]
[Body compatibility: 97.3%]
[Memory integration in progress…]
A flood of foreign memories slammed into his mind like ice water. He saw a skinny boy with dark hair and striking green eyes growing up in a small holdfast south of Winterfell. The bastard son of a minor Blackwood knight who had died in a skirmish with wildlings. The boy had been sent north two weeks ago with a letter and a single horse that died on the way.
Ethan gasped, eyes flying open.
He was no longer in a car in Chicago. He was lying on a pile of dirty straw inside a freezing stable. His breath came out in white clouds. His hands — smaller, younger, calloused from stable work — trembled as he pushed himself up.
"Fuck… it actually worked," he whispered, voice hoarse.
A blue translucent screen materialized in front of his eyes, visible only to him.
[Welcome, Host Ethan.]
[You are now Ethan Snow, 16 years old.] [Current Location: Blackwood Holdfast stables, 8 miles south of Winterfell, The North.]
Status:
Strength: 8
Agility: 11
Endurance: 9
Vitality: 10
Charisma: 15
Dragon Affinity: 1 (Latent)
Luck: 6
Level: 1 (0/100 EXP)
Titles: None
Skills: None
Bloodline: Dormant Blackwood + Hidden Targaryen Trace (0.8%)
[Main Quest: Claim the Iron Throne]
Become the undisputed ruler of Westeros. Reward: Godhood Tier Authority, Full Dragon Bloodline Awakening, Eternal Youth, Unlimited Harem System Slots. Failure: True Death — no second chances.
Ethan let out a shaky laugh, running his fingers through his messy black hair. "Weak as shit… but I've read enough novels to know how this goes."
He stood up slowly. His legs were unsteady, body still weak from the transmigration. The cold bit through his thin black tunic and wool breeches. Outside the stable, light snow was falling. He could hear the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer and the shouts of men training.
[Daily Quest Generated]
Chop wood for 2 hours (0/2)
Help with stable duties (0/1)
Survive the day (0/1)
Reward: 50 EXP + 1x Minor Healing Potion
[Hidden Quest: First Impression]
Make a memorable first impression on a major character. Bonus reward if the character is female.
Ethan smirked. "Alright, System. Let's not waste time."
He stepped out of the stable. The world smelled of pine, smoke, and horse shit. Tall pine trees surrounded the small holdfast. In the far distance, he could just make out the grey walls of Winterfell rising like a fortress against the white sky.
A rough voice shouted behind him.
"Oi! Snow! Stop daydreaming and get to work before I whip yer worthless hide!"
A burly stable master with a thick beard stomped toward him, carrying a pitchfork. This was one of the memories Ethan had inherited — the man hated bastards.
Ethan's new body instinctively wanted to lower his head and obey. But the modern mind inside refused.
He straightened his back and looked the man dead in the eye.
"I'll do the work," Ethan said calmly, "but don't call me worthless again."
The stable master blinked, surprised by the sudden backbone. Then he snarled and swung the pitchfork handle at Ethan's head.
Time seemed to slow.
[Danger Sense (Passive) has activated!]
Ethan dodged clumsily, the handle grazing his shoulder. Pain flared, but he didn't fall. Anger surged through him.
He grabbed a nearby wooden shovel and swung it hard. The flat end cracked against the man's knee with a sickening thud.
The stable master roared and dropped.
Ethan didn't stop. He tackled the bigger man, raining down punches with all the frustration of his weak stats. After the fourth punch, the man stopped moving.
[First Blood Achieved!]
[+3 to all physical stats]
[New Skill Unlocked: Basic Brawling (Lv.1)] [+30 EXP]
Ethan stood up, breathing hard, knuckles bleeding. For the first time, he felt the system's power flowing into him. His muscles felt slightly stronger, his mind clearer.
"Shit… that actually worked."
He dragged the unconscious man into an empty stall and covered him with hay. Not dead — just out cold. Good enough for now.
That was when he heard soft footsteps in the snow.
He turned.
A girl no older than fifteen stood a few meters away, auburn hair spilling from under her hood, blue eyes wide with shock. She wore a rich blue cloak embroidered with the Stark direwolf.
Sansa Stark.
She had been riding with a small escort and stopped to check on the horses. Now she stared at the bastard who had just beaten a grown man unconscious with a shovel.
"You…" she whispered.
Ethan wiped blood from his lip and gave her his most charming, slightly dangerous smile — the one that had worked on girls back in his old life combined with his new Charisma stat.
"My lady," he said, bowing slightly but not too deeply. "I apologize you had to witness that. He attacked me first."
Sansa's cheeks flushed, a mix of fear and strange curiosity. Bastards weren't supposed to speak to her like this. They especially weren't supposed to look at her with such bold, green eyes.
"What is your name?" she asked, voice quieter than usual.
"Ethan Snow, my lady."
She studied him for a long moment. The snow fell gently between them.
"You don't speak like a stable boy," she finally said.
"Because I'm not just a stable boy anymore." He took one careful step closer. "I have… dreams. Big ones. And I think the gods just gave me a chance to make them real."
[Hidden Quest: First Impression — Completed with Excellence!]
[+3 Charisma]
[Sansa Stark Favorability: 22/100 (Curious & Intrigued)]
Sansa's escort finally caught up, two guards on horseback. They looked at the scene and immediately drew swords.
"Lady Sansa, step back! Bastard filth—"
"Stop!" Sansa raised her hand. The guards froze, shocked. She looked back at Ethan, biting her lip.
"Come to Winterfell tomorrow," she said quickly. "My father is holding court for new arrivals. Tell them I sent you."
Before Ethan could reply, she turned her horse and rode off, cloak fluttering behind her.
He watched her leave, heart beating faster than the fight had caused.
"System… she's even prettier in real life."
[Harem System activated early due to high favorability gain.]
[Target: Sansa Stark added to potential conquest list]
[Current Harem Slots: 1/??]
[Conquest Progress: 22%]
Ethan laughed under his breath as he returned to work. He spent the next few hours chopping wood (completing the daily quest) while his mind raced with plans.
By evening, his stats had improved again.
Updated Status:
Strength: 12
Agility: 14
Endurance: 13
Charisma: 18
Level: 2 (30/200 EXP)
That night, as he lay on a thin mattress in the servants' quarters, the system gave him one final notification.
[Main Story Quest Line Unlocked] Quest 1: Survive the Arrival of King Robert Baratheon's Party (Time limit: 19 days) Reward: 500 EXP + Random Rare Skill + 1x Dragon Egg Fragment
Ethan stared at the wooden ceiling, a fierce grin spreading across his face.
"Game of Thrones, huh? This time… the story is going to be mine."
He closed his eyes, already imagining the red-haired girl he had just met, the dragons he would one day ride, and the women who would stand beside him as he burned the old world down.
The bastard of House Blackwood had just begun his rise.
End of Chapter 1