* * *
“Why the hell are you taking that money?! That’s money my kid earned! Give it back!!”
“Just because you gave birth doesn’t make it all yours! Without me, you wouldn’t have had the kid in the first place!”
“You abandoned your child and your wife, and now you’re coming back for this?!”
My life was garbage.
Every time my life tilted out of balance at the hands of the ones who had given it to me, I escaped into the world of my phone.
I didn’t need to buy books; web novels were just a click away.
Fantasy novels were my go-to.
‘I opened my eyes, and I was in another world! Inside someone else’s body!’
The idea of living a different life in another world—that was exactly what I wanted.
I wanted to escape my worthless parents and my worthless world and start anew.
I even thought about trying the infamous “reincarnation truck” trope and lingered around roads, hoping to get hit.
But nothing ever happened.
I gave up on those useless fantasies.
Instead of staying up all night glued to my phone, I took what little money I had left and left home.
I moved to a distant province, renting a dingy basement studio.
I changed my phone number and started doing manual labor to save money.
How many years passed like that?
Finally, I managed to leave the basement studio behind and move into what they called a “1.5-room” on the second floor.
But when I fell asleep and woke up…
“What the hell? Where am I?”
I found myself in a strange place.
My crappy life. Nothing ever worked out.
‘Just when I thought I could finally live a decent life, I get thrown into transmigration life?!’
I had given up on ridiculous fantasies years ago.
Back when I desperately wanted it, nothing happened…
And the character I had transmigrated as wasn’t in a good state either.
A crumbling house.
An abandoned child living alone.
That was the situation of the character I’d taken over.
“Sigh, this one’s rotten too.”
I had purposely set aside the least rotten parts of food to save, but this place seemed cursed.
Everything spoiled quickly.
‘This was the last of the potatoes…’
Even enjoying one last meal seemed impossible.
“Haah…”
My stomach growled relentlessly, but I couldn’t bring myself to peel and cook the potato.
I had no appetite.
Placing the potato back where it was, I trudged outside.
As I stepped out, the narrow, cluttered alley and rows of crumbling houses greeted me with their bleakness.
I sat down on the ground in front of my house, staring blankly at the dismal view.
‘I definitely possessed someone, but I have no idea who or where I am.’
With no mirrors or anything similar, I had to use the water’s reflection to get a rough idea of my appearance.
At most, I looked like a grubby child under ten, but I couldn’t even tell what I truly looked like.
There wasn’t a single valuable thing in this wreck of a house, nor was there any clue about who this kid was.
To make matters worse, I had no memories of this kid’s life.
‘In most transmigration stories, the host’s memories are supposed to trickle in.’
Not here.
Either this kid had lost all their memories, or this world just didn’t work like that.
By now, there was only one conclusion.
‘I’ve transmigrated as an insignificant extra.’
“Maybe I should just die.”
The words spilled out before I could stop them, a habit born from spending too much time alone.
Who knows?
Maybe dying would let me return to my original world.
No matter how I thought about it, this place offered no dreams or hopes.
Even if I wanted to do something, I didn’t know a thing about this world.
Not that knowing anything would help—I was just a powerless child.
My stomach let out a loud growl again, and pain shot through my abdomen.
“Ugh…”
Forget debating whether to die or not.
At this rate, I’d starve to death anyway.
‘For now… I should eat that last rotten potato.’
It’s useless to save it. Might as well eat it before things get worse.
I was about to get up when a sharp pain rang through my head.
‘What…?’
My body collapsed to the ground, and my vision blurred.
Through the haziness, I thought I saw a luxurious carriage—something completely out of place in this decrepit alley.
‘You bastard!!’
With a crash, a soju bottle smashed against my head.
I crumpled to the floor, and the man laughed cruelly at me.
‘Think you’re tough now, huh? Disrespecting your father like this….’
Muttering to himself, the man suddenly froze and took a step back in alarm.
‘What’s this? Why’s there so much blood…?’
He hesitated, prodding me with his foot before letting out a frightened gasp.
Moments later, I heard his hurried footsteps and the loud slam of the door.
Silence followed.
Ah… is this how I die?
That thought crossed my mind, and then my eyes snapped open.
“Haaah!!”
What greeted me was a high, sparkling ceiling.
‘Where the hell am I now?!’
It was maddening.
Every time I closed my eyes and reopened them, I’d find myself in another world, another space.
Pushing off the blanket that covered me up to my chin, I tried to get out of bed, but my legs gave way.
“Ack!”
Luckily, I avoided hitting my head, but…
‘Ow, my tailbone hurts so much!’
This kid’s body didn’t even have flesh to cushion the fall.
Rubbing my sore bottom, I glanced around the room.
Could this even be called a room?
It was the size of two decently large rooms combined.
‘The floor is marble…’
The place was filled with elegant, antique furniture perfectly suited for a child this age.
Even someone like me, who knew nothing about luxury, could tell these were expensive.
‘Why on earth is this kid here?’
I vaguely remembered seeing a carriage before passing out.
Was it connected to this?
“Oh my, you’re awake?”
“…!”
Suddenly startled by a sound from behind, I turned to see a woman with brown hair and green eyes standing there.
She was holding what appeared to be a tray with two medicine bottles resting on top of it.
‘I didn’t hear the door open.’
I glanced at the door, which, much to my dismay, was slightly ajar.
This house must be so luxurious that even the sound of doors opening was silent.
The woman placed the tray on the table and approached me cautiously.
“Why are you sitting on the floor? Did you perhaps fall while trying to stand up?”
Her overly formal tone felt a bit awkward, and I scratched my cheek self-consciously.
At that moment, her warm hand lightly touched mine, and I reflexively jerked my hand away in surprise.
“…Ah.”
I messed up.
Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be someone working in this grand house.
I still didn’t know why I was here, but it’s not like I planned to stay long. I should tread carefully…
“I’m sor—”
“My apologies, sir. I startled you by reaching out so suddenly, didn’t I?”
What’s with this polished, professional demeanor?
No, more importantly, the word she just used to address me caught my attention.
‘Sir?’
“…Um, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not a noble.”
At that, her eyes welled up, and she covered her mouth with one hand.
“Oh my… You really don’t remember anything, do you?”
Was she assuming I had amnesia?
That worked for me.
Feigning hesitation, I slowly nodded.
I didn’t know if the kid whose body I was now inhabiting really lost his memories while in that shabby house, but I honestly had no idea about anything right now.
“This can’t be… Sir, you’re the sole heir of the Marquis of Kreveta. Your name is Sean Kreveta. This place is the Duchy of Pantheon, and the Duke has been searching for you for a very long time.”
“Ah… I see…”
Wait a second.
Did she just say the Duchy of Pantheon?
The familiar name sent my thoughts racing, and then it hit me.
The Pantheon family was the one belonging to the villain, Raizen Pantheon, from the fantasy novel ‘From Transmigration to Hero’.
And in that same novel, Sean Kreveta was…
‘Raizen’s adopted younger brother and the first person Raizen ever killed!’
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