Reko was the child of a noble household. He had been born with a weak body and was constantly sick. His family tried everything to help him. The best doctors, potions, and mana infusion, but it wasn't enough. Over time, his family grew distant from him. His parents started neglecting him, and eventually, his brother and sister did so too. Reko was left to his own devices, either sleeping, reading or eating. That was all he could do.
The kid also had a wild imagination. He could be lost in his thoughts for hours without noticing time flying by. On top of that, he was pretty damn smart. He could learn incredibly fast and absorb new information like a sponge.
He had two older siblings, Tris and Andy. They were close while they were children, but once Reko turned ten years old, they started detesting him for being weak and sullying their family name.
Reko had no qualms with this since he had already expected as much once his parents abandoned him. He was upset, but he got over it quickly.
He was incredibly calm and calculated, rarely batting an eye over anything. He managed to leave a friendly impression while actually being a somewhat sinister person with ulterior motives.
We share certain traits, which makes me wonder if this was the reason I ended up in his body after I, presumably, died. I'm still sceptical about what happened, but I don't mind a new life that's more interesting than my last one.
I started feeling a little lighter a few hours after I appeared here. I didn't feel as sick, and while looking in the mirror, my pale complexion also seemed to have grown better.
"Damn, I look good. Curse this kid and his good looks! Why wasn't I blessed with such genetics!"
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't hideous in my previous life. In fact, I was relatively good-looking. It's just that this kid was next-level. And no, rest assured, I don't have a thing for little boys. This kid is just really fucking handsome.
The moon hung high in the night sky, illuminating the earth below. I admired the sight through the giant window in my room while contemplating what I should do.
"What the hell should I do then?"
You see, Reko's situation isn't exactly what you'd call ideal. First of all, he belongs to a family of Realm Guardians. What's that you ask? In short, Realm Guardian families are noble households which solely focus on combat, and their bloodlines are especially powerful compared to most other nobles. They are given a large territory to rule and protect from potential threats.
As you can imagine, being weak in such a family is unacceptable. Guess what they do to the weak? Once you turn fourteen, they kick you out. Oh, that's fine, right? Yeah, when I say kick out, I mean literally. You get tossed into the middle of the woods with nothing. Still doable? We're in the middle of a tundra. There's snow everywhere, and it's freezing cold. With this body and lack of proper clothing, I'd die within minutes.
The main problem is that I'm turning fourteen today. So, I'm getting kicked out in the morning. Yeah, perfect time to end up in this body, I know.
I have a plan that will help me survive for a little while. I'd have to do some sneaking around and stea- borrowing some stuff without waking up the entire mansion, but it's a risk I'd have to take if I wanted to survive.
There wasn't much else to think about, so I decided to get it over with.
I quietly opened the door to my room and peeked out. The halls were dark and empty, which was just what I was hoping for. I quickly snuck out of my room and went down the halls.
I felt my heart pounding against my chest, yet I remained strangely calm as if this was natural. I wasn't panicking, no. I was excited! I just got dumped into a fantasy world for no damn reason. This is a new beginning! I basically won the lottery, so you can't blame me for being a little excited.
I snuck around, searching for a room I had seen in Reko's memories. I vaguely knew where it was, but it was disorienting to move in the dark because this mansion was massive! It felt like the size of five football fields.
After searching for what seemed like an eternity, I found the entrance. It looked like any other, but I knew that room was special. It was my father's study room, where he spent most of his days.
The halls were long and confusing. They connected, causing me to walk in circles. It felt like a maze. I got lost quite a few times until I eventually found the correct room without somehow waking anybody up.
I silently tried nudging the door open, and to my surprise, it worked! I stepped in and admired the room, whose only light source was the moon outside the window.
Several bookshelves stretched toward the ceiling, towering over everything in the room. There were ladders, which helped climb up and down the bookcases. In the middle of the room, there was a study desk.
"Found it!"
I quickly marched towards the desk and began rummaging through the drawers. After a few minutes, I found a key buried beneath a pile of paperwork. It was golden and felt indestructible in my palm.
"Shiny...No, stay focused!"
After shaking my head to clear my thoughts and taking the key, I felt around the books on a particular bookshelf. One of the books I touched felt hollow inside, so I pulled it out.
Behind the book, there was a space in the bookshelf, a keyhole. I stuck the key in and twisted it to the right. Suddenly, the bookshelf in front of me opened into a hidden chamber.
I felt my heart pounding even more than before. There was quite a bit of sound from the bookshelf opening itself, but it didn't seem to wake anybody up.
I peered into the hidden chamber and slowly made my way in. I could only stare in amazement.
Inside, there were all sorts of treasures. Swords made out of the finest metals, armour forged by a master blacksmith, gold glistening everywhere, powerful relics and other treasures. Yet I couldn't take any of it.
Why? My father, Oswald, is very paranoid about his little treasure stash. He comes here every day and counts everything, every coin, sword and armour, or at least the important ones. If I took something valuable, he would immediately notice and come to the forest and kick my ass.
Luckily, there were some things he didn't pay as much attention to. Everything covered in dust was on the table. Not that there was a lot of junk in here that he had kept for the sake of it.
"This old man is really stingy with his stuff. Reko only found it by accident because Oswald had left the door open. He's even worse than me."
I went through what I needed to get.
"Now, I should probably find a weapon to defend myself with and a way to keep myself warm..."
I carefully made my way through the treasure trove, making sure not to touch anything. After reaching the back of the chamber, I started searching for my mark.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for or how to find it. So I just stared at everything. Eventually, something caught my eye.
I approached one of the dust-covered swords and grabbed it by the hilt. It was an unassuming katana with a slight hue. Runes ran across its surface, giving it a mysterious allure.
As my hand touched the handle, a blue translucent screen appeared in front of me.
***
[Blade Of Rot]
[A once formidable demi-goddess wielded this on her prosthetic arm before being utterly defeated by a man only wearing a pot on his head. It has now been turned into a regular katana]
[Fast hands: the user's hands become more agile while wielding this blade]
[Rot: upon being inflicted a wound, an enemy's flesh may end up rotting]
[???]
***
I stared at the screen, stunned. Soon, a slight smirk appeared on my face.
"Now, what do we have here?"
I couldn't believe it. This whole thing reminded me of the novels I used to read back on Earth. People fought with blades, not guns. Magic and mana were present, and to tie it all together, it seems like some sort of system exists here too!
I couldn't help but laugh. I have truly been blessed.
It now finally settled in.
I had been transmigrated into a new world!
There's so much potential here it makes me quiver with excitement!
My previous life was dull. I wasted my days drinking and partying with my friends. I never had to try for anything since I was almost immediately able to do it, so I lost my drive.
But here, I'd have to struggle as hard as I could just to live another day. I love it!
*
After 15 minutes of ransacking the place, I stumbled out of the chamber with a single ring on my index finger. It looked very unassuming, but appearances are always deceiving.
This is a storage ring, a very rudimentary one at that. I could store and take out objects with only a thought. I didn't need to channel mana or anything. A mere thought was enough.
It couldn't store much, but it would be enough for my current needs. And if you're wondering why I took this one, it's because I can't channel my mana. That's a fault on my behalf since Reko could do it, but I couldn't. I can sense the mana, but I'm not sure how to control it.
"I wish I could take some more stuff..."
I had only taken the bottom-of-the-barrel stuff from that room. I currently took the [Blade Of Rot], a relic that could keep me warm and a small dagger for defence since the [Blade Of Rot] was too big for me to wield properly. All of these items are valuable, but they simply pale in comparison to everything else in the treasury.
I could've taken more valuables, but I figured the old man would notice if too much went missing. So, I settled for the most valuable items I could find.
"I guess it's time to head back," I sighed to myself.
I crept out of the study room and back into the halls. Finding my way back into my room took around 15 minutes of navigating the mansion.
I entered my room and let out a sigh of relief.
I had successfully done everything I could to ensure my survival in the near future.
I was dead tired, so I wanted to jump into bed to be well-rested for tomorrow since I probably wouldn't get a good night's sleep for a while.
As I was about to climb into bed, an idea struck me.
"Wait, can I access my own status screen too?"
Right at that moment, another translucent screen appeared.
***
[Name: Reko Starbreak]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: synergizing]
[Endurance: synergizing]
[Speed: synergizing]
[Stamina: synergizing]
[Dextirity: synergizing]
[Charm: synergizing]
[Intelligence: synergizing]
[NOTE: during synergizing, stats are being calculated and the status screen is incomplete. More info will be unlocked upon completion]
[Synergizing progress: 48%]
***
"Synergizing? What the hell does that mean?"
I wasn't really sure about what was going on at the moment. Maybe Reko and I were combining or something? Yeah, I won't think about it too much.
I did start feeling more at home in this body. I had some difficulties moving at first. My hand-eye coordination was off, and my balance was worse than when I was stumbling up the stairs earlier. But I got used to it at an alarming rate. I was always a fast learner, I guess.
"Yeah, better not dwell on it too much. I'd rather sleep since I can barely keep my eyelids open," I sighed to myself as I hopped into bed and wrapped myself in soft silk blankets.
Tomorrow was going to be a tough day.