In the field of medical science, there was a strange phenomenon that researchers had observed occurring in certain people.
The only precondition for it to appear seemed to be for those people to have one or more of their organs transplanted.
Thanks to modern medicine, nowadays, when a person's organ fails to do its job properly, someone else's organ could be taken away and transplanted into that patient's body.
...And just like magic, a person who was meant to die otherwise, would be given a new life to live.
According to that same science, a person was said to be mostly defined by their memories, their life experiences, and whatever chemical reactions happened inside their brain.
There was much practical evidence behind this theory as well.
And that was exactly why this 'phenomenon' was so strange...
After all, it wasn't supposed to be normal to see someone's personality slowly changing to mimic a stranger they never met — when all they did was get an organ unrelated to any personality-defining factors transplanted into them.
It was unnatural – eerie even – to see their taste in food slowly change, lifelong habits deviating from their usual pattern, and for them to even get small glimpses of the organ donor's memories within their dreams.
...It was as if they didn't just replace a part of their body, but a part of their soul as well.
Now, here was the question — If all that could happen because of just a single organ transplant, then what would happen to someone who literally had every single one of their body cells replaced?
No, maybe the way I phrased it is a bit wrong...
Rather, what would happen to someone who only had his consciousness (or maybe the soul) transplanted into a completely new body?
Someone like me...
...What would the consequences be like for an existence like me?
Although it might not be so pronounced externally, I was experiencing a severe identity crisis right at this moment.
After all, back in that dark alley, when I was confronting those ragtag bunch of thugs, I had vividly felt something change within myself.
Originally, I was supposed to drop the name of Xaviers and make those thugs retreat without fighting them myself. Because that was the most sensible thing to do.
But, before I could do that...
...was it because the girl they were surrounding was Sierra, or was it because of the disturbingly provocative words spewed out by those thugs...?
Whatever the true reason was, it caused something within me to suddenly break free.
And then, all of a sudden, not even I could tell what the hell I was doing anymore.
My body moved almost automatically, following the flow of an animal-like instinct engraved deeply within.
And the most baffling part was, I felt neither shocked nor scared when that change occurred...
...It just felt so natural, as if it was always a part of me.
Instead of feeling shock and fear like a normal person, all I could feel at that moment was.....exhilaration!
Despite having no martial arts training or fighting knowledge, I was able to overwhelm an armed man all by myself, using nothing but my bare hands!
Even when I stabbed a knife into that guy's leg, feeling his flesh being torn apart...
Or when my hands were stained with his warm blood, dripping with red droplets from the brutally pulled-out blade...
...I didn't belch or hesitate for a single second. Nor did I feel the slightest bit of negative emotion towards any of those actions.
All I felt was a dark pleasure.
An intense pleasure that could only be experienced by trampling on the weak, by thoroughly crushing them under my feet, making them know their proper place!
...It almost felt addictive.
'Wait, this isn't like me at all...'
I was alarmed when I first noticed my boiling emotions.
After all, this wasn't how my usual personality was. It simply wasn't my way of doing things.
It was definitely someone else's!
...And thanks to knowing the original novel's storyline, I knew exactly whose personality it was.
'Shit. How could I overlook such an obvious hint?'
Now when I carefully think back, was this really the first time I felt like this...?
No.
On the day I transmigrated into this world, something very similar had happened when Myra Xavier tried to assert her dominance over me.
Back then too, my body had uncontrollably frozen up, without any apparent rhyme or reason.
'Why is this happening...?'
I didn't have to think too far to get my answer. By now, the answer was clear as day.
...The first arc villain of the story, Damien Collins, had never died.
All this while, I was simply misled by all the transmigration troupes I had seen in novels.
Everything physical about me was the same as the previous Damien, both in body and brain. Only the consciousness trapped inside it was truly my own.
'I am Damien Collins, and Damien Collins is....me.'
Both of us were fused together in a single whole, becoming someone who was neither my past self nor the novel character my past self knew from the novel.
It was just that my past self happened to take the dominant role after the fusion happened. Nothing more, nothing less...
'Haha.'
A story character built from the base template of Damien, using my past self to get rid of his greatest flaws...
Now, doesn't that sound like a superb replacement for the plain and boring original protagonist, who caused an Outer God's novel to fail?
*Ta-ting!*
...Hearing the familiar ominous sound coming from my pocket, a dark smile appeared on my face.
'...I'll check it later.'
We were almost in front of my house, and I was still pulling Sierra along with me.
Well, she did try a few times to break my grip and protested against my apparently 'tyrannical' behavior, severely berating me with funny-sounding insults when she realized she could only be pulled along with me regardless of her wishes...
But amidst my sudden identity crisis, it was slightly relieving to see her cutely struggle around like that.
Despite the clearly criminal-smelling scene, it strangely felt endearing for some reason...
"Come in."
Unlocking the door of my recently cleaned studio apartment, I called out to the awkwardly fidgeting girl by my side.
"B-But...my house was in the opposite direc—"
Seeing that she was about to raise her complaints once again, I gave her an annoyed glare.
She immediately shrunk back like a frightened kitten, instantly becoming docile and silently following me inside the house.
"...Go and sit there. I'll be back after washing myself, we can talk then."
Pointing towards the one and only couch I had in this apartment, I finally released her hand from my grasp.
Her eyes immediately went towards the locked door behind us.
Her intention to escape was so transparent that I almost laughed out loud.
"Don't disappear from here all of a sudden before I return. You won't like the outcome otherwise, got it?"
With an evil smirk on my face, I warned her.
Sierra flinched, audibly gulping down her saliva as she realized what kind of predicament she had fallen into right after escaping from one.
"Now be a good girl and wait here for me. We have a looong discussion ahead of us, 'kay?"
I wasn't joking. It was indeed an important discussion.
....Both for me, and for the entire humanity of this world.
****
Leaving for the washroom, I quickly pulled out my transmigrated phone from my pocket.
I had a vague feeling in my heart, that my future path was going to depend on my decision after seeing this message.
[Alert: New functionality has been unlocked in your Editorial-Assistant Interface.]
"...Heh. It's not a coincidence that it came up right when I realized my identity, is it?"
With a grim smile, I tapped on the notification.
[Welcome to the Editorial-Assistant interface!]
[Displaying Basic Item Information: An indestructible smartphone that has.....]
[Displaying Basic Character Information: Damien Collins]
[Physique: 7]
[Energy: N/A]
[Charm: 8]
[Bloodline: Human (F-grade)]
[Character Condition: Curious, Fear, Excitement, Anger, Irritation.]
[Individual Missions (New)] [Story Missions (Disabled – Story yet to commence)]
[Note: "Now, where is that new functionality...? Ah, there, I got it."]
– Tap.
[---Individual Missions---]
[Description: This is a space dedicated for the user to browse through missions that are personally catered to them. Completing an individual mission is not mandatory, but not completing it might lead to negative consequences in the future. It is heavily recommended for the user to seriously attempt and clear the missions listed here.]
[Active Mission (New): Dormant Memories]
[Displaying Mission Completion Requirements....]
[Requirement #1: Realize the truth behind your own existence. (Complete)]
[Requirement #2: Fully accept your identity. (Incomplete)]
[Mission reward: Perfect fusion with the original character's dormant memories.]
"..."
With a blank expression, I closed the Editorial application after carefully reading through the newly added mission details.
What I had realized back then had indeed been correct.
"Fully accept my identity, huh? Haha, I see..."
Was it strange that I immediately understood what this requirement meant?
Well, fine. I was getting tired of repeatedly trying and failing to uphold my past life's values and morals after coming to this world, anyway.
With my past self's story knowledge and planning, combined with the original Damien's innate advantages, who could even be able to threaten my life?
"Now, then... I can't show my dear 'guest' a messy appearance, can I?"
With a slight smile on my face, I quickly undressed and went into the shower.
– Ssshuuaak!
All the traces of blood were slowly washed away, leaving behind a pristine villain who was hungry for some chaos.
****
Back in the living room.
Sierra was currently experiencing the most excruciating few minutes of her life, silently contemplating what she should, or rather, could do after Damien returned.
"I...I-I really messed up. This demon isn't someone who can be reasoned with..."
No matter how much she agonized, her mind remained absolutely void of any viable plans to escape said demon's grasp.
All she could probably do was to beg him. But would that demon even listen to her pleas?
...Especially when he was the one who pulled her into this mess to begin with?
Thinking back on the scene where he effortlessly stabbed that knife inside a person without showing even a hint of hesitation, she grabbed hold of her little head in despair.
"Milia... Oh, Milia. What did I ever do to you for you to betray me like this...?"
Milia was the name of her best friend. A cheery loudmouth girl who accompanied her since her days in junior high.
Their friendship was so intimate that even if they kept some things secret from their parents, they didn't keep those secrets from each other.
Just like how she knew everything about Milia, Milia also knew everything about her.
So when she fell into Damien's trap, she still couldn't believe that it was actually her best friend who set her up.
...But in the end, she was here, wasn't she?
The one she trusted the most in this world had indeed betrayed her trust. And now, she was paying the price for trusting the wrong person.
*Click-!*
The washroom door opened at this moment, revealing a thin, foggy mist swirling inside.
A half-naked man soon walked out of the mist, with only a single towel wrapped around his lower body.
He then walked over to the couch Sierra was sitting on, before nonchalantly taking his seat beside her, fully flexing his buff, muscular physique and artistic tattoos decorating his upper body.
"Now, before we talk about anything complicated: Did you already have dinner for the night?"
Sierra found herself frozen in place like an ice statue.