A long, piercing horn blast jolted Levin awake from his stupor.
"Gather up! Quickly!"
Voices of others reached Levin's ears, but in his daze, he couldn't fully grasp his situation.
"My head... it hurts... A call to assemble? What's happening? Wasn't I just playing a tabletop game?" A wave of intense pain surged through Levin's head, his last memory being with a group of friends rolling dice.
Driven by curiosity, he had borrowed a player's antique bronze die during the game, intending to use it for a bluff check with his rogue character. But when the die bounced off the table and struck his forehead, he felt an electric shock and instantly lost consciousness.
"Where am I now?" Levin muttered to himself, only to realize with a start that he was speaking and hearing a language entirely foreign to him.
In the next moment, a flood of memories overwhelmed his consciousness.
"I am Levin Yasin, an orphan."
"With the help of the late orphanage head and my own relentless efforts, I was accepted into the city's guard corps."
"After three years of training, I finally became an official member of the city's guard."
"On my first day of duty, while patrolling outside the city, I encountered a group of human traffickers."
"To cover my comrades' retreat with the civilians, I was knocked unconscious by the traffickers."
Levin sat up, frowning, trying to digest the sudden influx of information.
According to these new memories, this was a world of swords and magic, where humans could gain extraordinary powers through physical training or mental discipline.
Though his predecessor had undergone three years of training, he hadn't gained any supernatural powers but had pushed his physical body to its peak. Unfortunately, one of the traffickers was a warrior, a transcendent being who had mastered the combat technique of Power Strike. This warrior had struck Levin's predecessor on the head with a shield. Thanks to his helmet, his skull wasn't immediately shattered, but he was knocked out cold, and what happened next was unknown.
"Since I've crossed over, this body's original owner must have died from a concussion or brain hemorrhage... But how did I cross over? Could it have been that die?" Levin recalled the ancient bronze die that had knocked him unconscious. It was a beautifully crafted twenty-sided die, with a lustrous sheen and ornate numbers on each face.
As the image of the die appeared in Levin's mind, it suddenly transformed into a bronze-colored panel within his consciousness, displaying a series of familiar Chinese characters.
[Trickster Myth Path has been loaded.]
[Current Rank: 0 (0/10)]
[Based on your rank, you have gained a new mythical ability: Chaos Insight.]
[Chaos Insight: Once per day, you may target anyone within your field of vision and obtain a random piece of information about them. The success rate is determined by your rank and the strength difference between you and the target.]
[Enjoy your deceit.]
Amidst the Chaos Insight description, there was an icon resembling an eye, much like a skill button in a game.
"Could this be... the die's gift to me?" Levin scrutinized the panel in his mind, realizing that his crossing over likely had something to do with the die, which had seemingly followed him into this world and transformed into this system.
"Levin, how's your head? Are you okay?"
Still engrossed in examining the Trickster's panel, Levin suddenly noticed a tall, silver-haired woman in a form-fitting leather armor standing beside him. Her piercing blue eyes, like the depths of the sea, were intently studying him.
"Officer Grey!" From his predecessor's memories, Levin knew that this striking woman was his immediate superior, Second Lieutenant Ellie Grey.
During the skirmish with the traffickers, Ellie, the only transcendent in their patrol, had been the first to spot their crimes. With lightning speed, she fired two pistols, taking down the crossbow-wielding traffickers, and with a single slash of her military knife, she severed the chains, leading the women and children to safety.
"Stay seated, no need for formalities," Ellie said, seemingly relieved that Levin was unharmed.
"Levin, you were brave, but your head is no match for a shield. Next time, dodge if you can…"
"You're excused from today's training. Focus on recovering, and let me know if you need anything." Ellie sat beside Levin, leaning forward to clasp his hand in hers. Though she scolded him lightly, her words were full of genuine concern.
She's truly a caring superior… but if she knew her subordinate had been replaced, I doubt she'd be so kind. For now, it's best to act as my predecessor would and avoid any slip-ups.
"No, Lieutenant Grey!" Levin, mimicking his predecessor's tone, responded after a brief recollection of his usual behavior. Suddenly, he remembered the mythical ability he had just gained: Chaos Insight.
Wasn't Ellie Grey the perfect target?
Levin focused on the Chaos Insight icon in his mind, mentally clicking it as if with a mouse, and then turned his attention to Ellie.
[Chaos Insight activated successfully!]
[Information about the target is as follows:]
[Current Status: Wolf's Blood Mark (Permanent)]
[Wolf's Blood Mark: A mark bestowed by the Master of Wolves, the Bloodthirsty Wild Hunt, and the God of the Hunt. The bearer's blood will forever boil with the ferocity of the wolf, never to rest, always pursuing flesh and craving the hunt. Once per day, the bearer can transform into a wolf-human hybrid, succumbing entirely to the desire to hunt and kill until they are physically exhausted. On nights of the full moon, the bearer is forced to transform and gains enhanced attributes.]
What the hell!
It seems I've stumbled upon something dangerous…
According to his predecessor's memories, the Wolf's Blood Mark was a sign of those chosen by the God of the Hunt. Bearers of the mark, known as werewolves, were bloodthirsty in life and, after death, would be condemned to the God's eternal hunting grounds, participating in the endless hunt.
To the common folk, werewolves were better known as dangerous criminals, their hands stained with blood. By law, every werewolf discovered was to be executed on sight.
Which meant this beautiful police lieutenant might secretly be a ruthless serial killer?
Levin wasn't naive enough to believe that Ellie was a self-controlled, benevolent werewolf just because she had protected civilians before.
What if Ellie was a werewolf infiltrating the police force?
The thought sent a few beads of cold sweat trickling down Levin's forehead, which Ellie seemed to interpret as a sign of his lingering injury.
"It seems you're not fully recovered. Rest well. I'll be going now. If you need anything, just let me know." Ellie nodded at Levin and turned to leave, heading towards the training grounds, leaving Levin alone in his bed.
But in Levin's mind, two questions kept echoing.
What do you do when you find out your lieutenant is a werewolf? Asking for a friend.
A werewolf in the police force! Is anyone going to do something about this?
With a heavy thud, Levin collapsed back onto the wooden bed, his brain overloaded as he tried to process the day's events.
In the end, he decided to temporarily set aside the issue of his lieutenant being a werewolf.
Mainly because, no matter how much he thought about it, with his combat skills inferior to those of his predecessor, Ellie wouldn't even need to transform to subdue him. With her transcendent strength, she could probably take him down with one hand.
As for reporting this to his superiors, Levin had considered it.
But in his current state, where he had effectively taken over someone else's body, any investigation into his background would likely expose him as an otherworldly entity possessing Levin Yasin, which by law, would mean immediate execution.
If he reported his superior without concrete evidence and couldn't explain the source of his information, there was a good chance he'd be thoroughly investigated, expelled from Levin's body, and face complete annihilation.
Even if he could report anonymously, what if Chaos Insight wasn't reliable? The ability's name alone didn't inspire confidence, and its origins seemed suspicious.
A Trickster.
Enjoy your deceit?
If the result of Chaos Insight was just a joke, slandering a good officer like Ellie would be a grave mistake.
With this in mind, Levin summoned the die panel once more.
No matter its purpose, the Trickster Myth Path warranted careful study, given that his crossing over was most likely closely tied to it.
If he could fully understand it, perhaps he might even find a way back home.
[Deception successful!]
[Mythic Trickster Points earned: 2]
[Current Rank: 0 (2/10)]
[Review Deception Records?]
[Yes/No]
Levin scratched his head in confusion. Deception successful? When had he deceived anyone? Since arriving in this world, he had only interacted with his werewolf superior...
As Levin's thoughts stirred, the "Yes" option flickered, and the scene of his earlier conversation with Elly replayed before his eyes.
The first green +1 had appeared when Levin spoke to Elly in the manner of his predecessor. The second +1 surfaced when he broke into a cold sweat and Elly remarked, "It seems your injury hasn't healed yet."
"When I spoke like my predecessor, I was, in essence, pretending to be someone else. The second +1, though I did nothing overt, misled Elly in her assumptions...
"The common thread in these instances is deceit, misdirection...?"
If this were true, the Mythic Trickster Path might grant points whenever Levin successfully deceived someone. Accumulating enough points would allow him to ascend ranks, gaining new abilities in the process.
If deception truly fueled his growth, he might find himself evolving from a warrior into something closer to a rogue.
Levin suddenly recalled that the character he played before crossing over was a chaotic-neutral rogue. Perhaps this was fate's design?
Setting a small goal, Levin decided to advance the Trickster rank to level one.
Levin wasn't the type to shy away from unknown powers. His innate adventurous spirit and optimism made him not only unafraid of the Trickster's abilities but rather eager to test them.
Closing his eyes, Levin carefully recalled his predecessor's mannerisms.
"Hmm, my predecessor was a quiet, introspective soul... and he harbored a secret crush on Captain Elly?"
Levin's eyes snapped open, and he shot up from the bed.
"That's one hell of a crush! Never mind the werewolf issue, can you even handle a fierce girl like that as your superior?" The memory of Elly's extraordinary combat prowess made Levin shiver involuntarily, as if adding to the world's rising temperature.
Although he had resolved to ignore the fact that Elly might be a werewolf, this didn't mean he was ready to get close to her. What if, by making himself noticeable, she found him attractive and decided to eat him?
"Since it's a secret crush, avoiding the object of my affection should be perfectly reasonable, right?"
Levin lay back down, closing his eyes again as he rapidly assimilated his predecessor's memories.
"Pretending to be this introverted, honest guy probably won't yield much." After fully digesting his predecessor's memories, Levin clicked his tongue.
The straightforward, taciturn nature of his predecessor was completely at odds with the idea of a Trickster. Though acting in character might count as deception, it wouldn't be worth it if it affected his overall gains.
"Alright then, time to stir things up!"