I see an unfamiliar ceiling.
I sat up, feeling the unnecessarily soft sensation of the bed on my back.
I leaned against the headboard and looked around the room.
It's surprisingly bare.
There's no special furniture, and the only thing that catches my eye is a large open window next to the bed.
Through the window, I can see a huge bush with white flowers blooming in the warm sunlight. It doesn't feel too cramped as it's distant from the window.
After looking around the room, I briefly tried to recall what happened before I woke up here.
One. The author's question that popped up like an Easter egg.
Two. Responding to the question with impaired reasoning.
Three. My vision went dark.
"And I woke up here," I muttered, moving my overly thin hand to my throat.
When I first opened my eyes, a curse escaped my lips, and I heard a deep, rich male voice that made my ears melt.
It didn't take long to realize that the voice was coming from me, but the embarrassment remained.
It still feels awkward.
"Hoo."
I exhaled briefly.
While it's good that my limbs are intact, there seems to be something wrong with this body. First of all, breathing is incredibly difficult, and the lethargy, like being under the influence of drugs, doesn't go away.
—Are you confident that you can create a story that will satisfy you?
As I was about to lean back on the headboard, exhausted by the lethargy that had spread through my body like poison, the creator's question flitted through my mind.
"Tsk."
My limbs are still heavy, and my body refuses to get up from the bed. But since our nerves are connected, I can't ignore the commands from my brain.
Perhaps my body has accepted my will to move, as my sluggish limbs started to pick up some speed.
The more I move, the more my body feels lethargic. However, my limbs, now with some momentum, kept going.
I got off the bed and stood in front of the window, bathed in sunlight.
Since there's no mirror in this room, I wanted to check my reflection through the window. And that's how I discovered that I was wearing a ridiculous pair of glasses.
The kind of glasses you'd only see in a comic book—opaque lenses with swirling patterns.
And I was wearing them.
"There must be a reason for this," I muttered.
There must be a reason why I have to wear these idiotic glasses.
To find out, I took them off.
"Ugh…"
As soon as I removed the glasses, my vision completely changed, and the shock caused a rather terrifying pain in my eyes, forcing me to close them involuntarily.
"Tsk."
Out of habit, I clicked my tongue and rubbed my aching eyes.
'Gray… and cracks.'
The moment I took off the glasses, my vision turned gray, and I could see cracks in various places.
I decided not to think too deeply about it for now.
After the pain in my eyes subsided, I put the glasses back on, even though I didn't want to. I had no choice but to wear them if I wanted to see.
"You're skinny," I muttered to my reflection.
My first impression of my reflection was of my height and broad shoulders. Despite my leanness, my shoulders are wide, indicating good bone structure.
My nose is sharp, and my lips have a certain appeal.
Even with the ridiculous glasses, I have to admit that I look pretty good. The character I've possessed must be quite handsome.
'The voice gave it away.'
It's better to be handsome than ugly.
However, I'm not here for a second life of leisure.
Awakened ones, monsters, gods.
In this world, filled with the scent of blood, I'm here to create the ending I desire. And for that, a healthy, able-bodied average-looking man is far better than a sickly handsome one.
'It's too early to judge, though.'
I could have looked around the room some more, but I decided against it.
If the creator has indeed sent me here, and if they're not being mischievous, they would have left some helpful notes or items in plain sight.
'Nothing within my line of sight.'
The only furniture in the room is the bed.
If I don't find anything outside the room, I can always come back and search under the bed or lift the mattress.
"Hoo."
I exhaled, feeling the weight in my chest, and then moved my heavy legs toward the door.
'The lack of furniture makes the room seem bigger.'
The distance from the window to the door was much shorter than I expected. In reality, a small room might be inconvenient, but given my current physical condition, it felt quite comfortable.
The door opened smoothly and silently, without a creak, despite its old appearance.
"A library?"
My expectation of finding a hallway or living room was lightly dashed, but it was a pleasant surprise.
"At least they had some conscience."
I spotted a large glass case on the desk in the library and walked over to it.
"A letter."
Inside the glass case were five small beads, each smaller than a thumb, spaced apart and glowing a vibrant blue.
Outside the case, as I had mentioned, was a single envelope.
"It's not the Middle Ages."
The letter was sealed with red wax.
I applied a moderate amount of force to remove the wax and opened the envelope, taking out the neatly folded letter inside.
'I don't think anyone will read this letter.
But if someone is reading this right now, breaking my expectations, then you're a madman. Or a madwoman.'
"Cough, cough!!"
My body was so weak that I couldn't even express my anger properly, and all I could do was cough as my chest burned.
I calmed myself and continued reading.
'Take it as a compliment, so don't be too upset. Besides, even if you are upset, there's nothing you can do to me, so don't overwork your pathetic body.'
I've felt it since I opened my eyes, but there's definitely something wrong with this body.
'Also, I didn't write down any way to return to your original dimension, so don't get your hopes up. High expectations lead to greater disappointment.'
"…"
To be honest, I had expected something like that.
In my original world, I had no parents or friends to speak of. But there was one thing I regretted leaving behind.
Money.
'Well, it doesn't matter now…'
Given that I have no idea what happened to my original body, it's not something I should be too concerned about.
'Money isn't going anywhere.'
I continued reading the letter.
'And don't be stupid enough to think that dying will send you back. If you're reading this, it means you've read all the questions I've posed. Just in case, I'll write it again.
When you die, it's over.'
—So, if I fail, I lose everything…
Including my life, it seemed.
'There's nothing more to write. All your questions will be answered naturally once you consume the essences in the glass case.'
The five vibrant blue beads, shimmering inside.
'The essences contain the memories of the 'me' who is writing this, and the 'you' who is reading it.'
So that's what these shimmering things contained…
In novels, when a character is possessed, they naturally gain the memories of the original owner. I wondered why I didn't have such memories, and now I understand that I have to acquire them in this manner.
'Start from the left and consume them one by one. As you do, you'll naturally learn how to use that pathetic body of yours. However, there's a high chance that your original personality will become blurred. Your memories won't be confused, but if your personality fades, you will become closer to the 'me' who is writing this than the 'you' who originally existed. I can't do anything about this, so if you want to curse me, go ahead.'
"You son of a… Cough!!"
'Of course, that might be difficult in your current state.'
"…"
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
After a couple of repetitions, I felt a little more relaxed.
'Whether you consume them or not is up to you. I won't force you. That trashy body of yours will gradually recover over time, so there's no need to worry. Once your body recovers, you'll be able to figure out how to wield your power as well. However…'
'…you'll waste too much time.'
"I'll be wasting time, huh… damn it."
Let me reiterate that I'm not here to enjoy a second life.
It seemed like there were options, but in reality, I only had one choice.
'Lastly, I advise you not to take off your glasses until your body has fully recovered. If you've taken them off before reading this, then I'm sorry. It must have been quite painful. Consider it a lesson that excessive curiosity can be poisonous.'
"…"
Unconsciously, I crumpled the letter a little.
'If you took them off, you saw it, didn't you? The world, gray and cracked. Don't expect anything special. You don't have any superpowers. Your eyes are just broken, that's all.'
With great effort, I resisted the urge to crumple the letter further and read the last line.
'Lastly, it's probably better to end with something profound. It makes me sound smarter.'
"Ha…"
Unknowingly, I let out a small laugh.
'To the one whose face and name I do not know. I do not know what ending you desire, but I will support you. I believe that the ending you seek is not too different from mine. Stay strong.'
The letter ended there.
I gently pressed the slightly crumpled parts to smooth them out and refolded the letter, placing it back into the envelope.
"So, I'm supposed to eat these, huh."
The five essences, shimmering inside the case.
If I consumed them all, there was a high chance that my personality would become blurred.
Click.
"Who cares."
When I first woke up, I was a little startled, I admit. But now, after reading the letter, my mind is resolute.
'Absolutely.'
I will stop at nothing to achieve the ending I desire.
I opened the case.
.
.
.
Exactly five days later, I learned something quite shocking.
"I'm the culprit…"