Strange ceiling… No, it’s the sky.
Ugh…
As I lifted my sluggish body, the surrounding environment came into view.
An alley that resembled some kind of slum.
Looking up, I saw a small tent set up to shield from the rain, and food scraps scattered across the ground.
It was a dark and narrow alley, but dazzling sunlight streamed through the gaps.
The place I found myself in was.
An alley that seemed straight out of a comic, where being kidnapped wouldn’t be surprising at all.
Why did I end up in a place like this?
I pondered over what had happened before.
‘…Did I get possessed…?’
I lost consciousness, but I definitely retained memories up to the point before closing my eyes.
My writing deducing the mastermind, the comment from a lunatic on that piece.
And then I lost my consciousness after reading that comment.
For someone who had read countless reincarnation novels, this situation was all too familiar.
No, wait, this is reality.
Possession or reincarnation might be entertaining in novels.
But it was something that could never happen in reality.
Humanity has progressed alongside science, and no technology to facilitate possession like in novels has been developed anywhere.
Damn, if I had known this is how possession would work…
I would have postponed military service as much as possible.
I wouldn’t have worked so hard to get a job…
Even if I knew, I would have at least confessed to a girl…
As countless regrets passed through my mind, I gradually began to understand my current reality.
Maybe thanks to my extensive reading of novels.
I could remain calm in this unrealistic situation.
‘First, let’s organize the situation.’
If the clichés of countless possession stories hold true, then the world I fell into must be that of the Bulgului Yongsah! A world from a novel.
If this is indeed the world of Bulgului Yongsah.
Then surely, there must be…
I looked up at the sky.
Though I could barely open my eyes because of the glaring sunlight, I managed to spot something.
‘Just as I thought.’
What I found was a moon floating like the sun. Of course, it wasn’t the real moon. But that star, resembling the moon, was described like this in the novel.
– From the beginning, a brilliant sun (太陽) and a mysterious moon (月) have coexisted together.
The plot points regarding this were still unresolved, but I had just considered it a part of the novel’s setting.
However, because of this, I could deduce that this place is indeed a part of the Bulgului Yongsah’s world.
With my confirmation complete, I gradually pulled up my memories regarding Bulgului Yongsah.
Bulgului Yongsah was a typical hero fantasy novel that followed the story of the protagonist, Robin.
In this world filled with magical power, various races including humans, demons, beastmen, and elves existed, and as time passed, conflicts between the races arose.
As conflicts continued, a war broke out to determine the supremacy of the races, leading to countless lives lost.
The leaders of each race concluded that if things continued this way, it would only lead to meaningless deaths, prompting them to establish a peace treaty to stop the pointless war.
Each race defined its territory and made a pact not to infringe upon each other’s lands.
Time flowed quickly.
All races, except for the demons, developed a compassionate and understanding relationship with each other, eventually reaching an era of peace.
But eternal peace is a myth.
Rebellions from the demon race, invasions from monsters, and various calamities began to surface gradually.
The Great Empire, the Karaz Empire, established the Regis Academy to train promising individuals who could wield magical power in preparation for these calamities.
At the Regis Academy, Robin met various heroines and companions to defeat the calamities and bring peace to humanity.
As I thought alone, I mused, ‘…Isn’t this great?’
It seemed I wouldn’t have anything to do in this place.
This novel is not a tragic tale.
It’s a growth-type fantasy where the protagonist overcomes trials and becomes stronger while gaining fortuitous encounters.
With a bright atmosphere filled with humorous elements that bring laughter to readers, the protagonist always triumphed over hardships without ever wavering.
I didn’t need to do anything myself. The protagonist would solve everything.
In that case, what should I do?
That would be to ensure I didn’t become an obstacle in the protagonist’s journey.
If I awkwardly sought to gain fortune and obstruct the protagonist’s growth, I might be the one needing to stop the calamities instead of them, and that’s something I’d rather avoid.
If I simply stayed safe, wouldn’t I return to my original world after the protagonist reaches the ending?
“Athena might get involved, though…”
The author said in a notice that it wouldn’t turn tragic, so a happy ending is a given; I believe the protagonist will resolve things somehow.
I just need to find a way to survive.
Once my thoughts were settled, I rose to assess my surroundings.
Ugh…
Did I fall somewhere yesterday?
As I lifted my legs, a series of pains surged through my body.
…?
No, more importantly…
“Aaaah… What is this voice?!”
It wasn’t my voice.
The sound emerging from my mouth was not the deep baritone of a man, but rather a pleasant female voice.
Looking down, what I saw were the protruding fabrics of clothing.
It was a woman’s chest.
“What the hell!!”
I quickly searched for anything that could reflect my face.
I couldn’t find a mirror, but I spotted a puddle of stagnant water nearby.
I leaned over the puddle to check my reflection.
The face reflected in the water was that of a beauty with dark hair and ominously red eyes.
Though slightly disheveled, she was stunning enough to compete with the heroines.
They not only possessed the body but also seemed to have turned me into a girl?
That crazy author!!!
I’ve read a few transformation stories.
But I can honestly say I’ve never wished to change into a woman.
Isn’t everyone like this?
It’s one thing to like pretty girls and wish to date them, but no one wants to become a pretty girl themselves.
“Just make it one thing, you author!!”
Yet nothing changed just because I yelled to the heavens.
I took a breath and calmed my mind.
‘This isn’t good.’
At a glance, this place didn’t seem to be a well-secured neighborhood.
It might be one of the lawless zones mentioned in the novel.
In that case, my appearance could actually be a disadvantage.
Though it’s a lighthearted novel, that’s only the protagonist’s story—not something I could take for granted in a place like this.
I tore away the tent above me to conceal my face and stepped out of the alley.
First, I needed to ascertain where I was.
…
The lawless zone of Drax located on the outskirts of the Karaz Empire.
A city destroyed in the process of Athena hunting monsters in the past.
The aftermath of the battle between the monster and the ‘hero’ was devastating, and a once-thriving city became a ruin in an instant.
Countless people died, and comfortable homes crumbled. After the hunt, what remained were unrecognizable buildings and a handful of survivors.
But the people couldn’t blame Athena.
The monster that showed up in the city was one that could rival a dragon in size.
With such a massive creature appearing, the city’s destruction was already predictable.
To have defeated such a monster was an incredible achievement in itself.
Among the few survivors, those with wealth or fame migrated to the cities of the empire, while the citizens left with nothing became homeless in the ruins.
The destruction had been so severe that even geography couldn’t be restored, leading the empire to abandon Drax, gifting the area to Athena as a reward for the monster hunt.
But Athena left the city abandoned.
In the end, Drax became a city for wanderers and criminals, naturally evolving into a lawless zone that followed the law of the jungle.
“Thanks to that, criminals like me can live comfortably, but heh…”
Rick was wandering through the streets today, searching for something worth money.
Even in this lawless zone, currency that functioned as money existed, and various means to earn it were available.
Food, clothes, gems, and other resources could be traded for money, and one could earn money by working honestly or helping others.
But in Drax, a haven for criminals, such pure-hearted people were few and far between.
I wonder if that merchant I saw last time will show up again…
Despite being a lawless area, many merchants visited Drax.
That’s because they could sell various items that weren’t allowed in the empire.
Excluding a few merchants designated by the ‘boss’, it didn’t matter if one used threats or killed to rob.
As Rick contemplated how to swindle money, he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.
Thud-
While lost in his thoughts, he bumped into someone.
“Damn…. Who the hell?!”
“I-I’m so sorry…”
A mesmerizingly beautiful voice; though obscured by a cloth, upon closer inspection, he could see the face hidden within.
Ruby-colored eyes that seemed captivating, along with skin so fair it felt unimaginable for someone from this city. A lovely woman.
With a nose for money, Rick’s brain quickly processed what to do next.
“Sorry? Can I just say sorry after smashing your pretty face?!”
“I’m really sorry. I won’t let it happen again.”
The woman bowed her head 90 degrees, sincerely apologizing again.
“So being sorry is all there is?!”
Rick shouted angrily and kicked the woman.
She fell to the ground from the kick.
As she hit the floor, the cloth covering her face fell away.
The face that emerged was a beauty unlike any Rick had seen before. He stared at her dumbfounded.
‘This is top-quality…’
Smacking his lips, Rick wore a sinister smile.
‘First, I’ll have a taste… then sell her… or wait, what’s the price…?’
At that moment, caught up in his greedy thoughts, the woman stood up and began to flee.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?!”
But Rick was a criminal who could easily kill an adult man.
With her relatively small strides, she wouldn’t be able to escape for long.
Soon enough, the woman was captured by Rick.
“Kheuh… Just obediently follow me, okay?”
Rick grabbed her wrist to prevent her from escaping.
“Damn it, that’s creepy you bastard!”
The woman screamed in disdain and threw a punch at Rick.
Yet, even upon seeing the punch come at him, Rick did not dodge.
‘Need to fix that woman’s attitude first.’
He simply disregarded the small woman’s punch.
Crack
“Uh…?”
“Uh…?”
Both Rick and the woman simultaneously expressed their surprise.
What Rick last saw was—
His body, lying in the distance.
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