"How do I get you to believe in me?" asked 18-year-old Lucas Ryder. He kept his cap pulled low and his jacket zipped up tightly, hoping to keep his identity hidden.

Across from him, Evelyn Monroe sat with composed confidence. At just 20, she was already the youngest female CEO of the prestigious Westoria agency in their City, Ravenford.

"Convincing me that you're worthy of this deal is the essential part, isn't it?" she emphasized.

Lucas held her gaze. "I'm not sure how to convince you right now. But there's one thing I know for sure—if you give me a chance, a year from now, I'll be someone worth investing in. I'll bring you a return."

Evelyn regarded him differently now, noticing the determination in his eyes, the quiet confidence in his words. He was composed and resolute, far from the image she'd been led to expect.

What makes him different? Has the media misjudged him all this time? Evelyn mused. He doesn't seem like the person everyone claims he is.

Leaning in slightly, she asked, "And what if you fail?"

"I promise, I'll step down and disappear from the entertainment world."

His boldness caught her off guard, but Evelyn chose not to press further, acting as though she hadn't noticed the weight of his words.

Lucas Ryder was a member of the idol group Stellarix, signed under a different agency than hers, Starlight Entertainment. 

Though he'd been with the group for three years, he was the only one who hadn't seen any significant success.

Lucas had a reputation in the industry as insecure, indecisive, and mediocre at best—his only real asset being his striking good looks, above average. 

Yet, sitting across from her now, Evelyn found it hard to reconcile that image with the man in front of her.

In person, Lucas was determined, confident, and intensely focused. There was no trace of the uncertainty people associated with him. In his eyes, Evelyn saw nothing but resolve.

After a brief pause, Evelyn broke the silence. "Alright," she said. "Maybe your good looks alone are enough for me to consider this."

Lucas felt a relief wash over him, though he knew nothing was guaranteed yet. His future in the entertainment world now hinged on Evelyn's decision. If she gave him this opportunity, he was determined to make the most of it.

As soon as the meeting ended, Lucas hurried away, keeping his head down, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. He couldn't afford to be recognized. 

His mind drifted back to five months ago, before everything changed—back when he, Lucas from another world, had taken over this body. The body of the original Lucas that belonged to this world.

On the day of the truck accident, Lucas had thought his life was over. But instead, he found himself transported into a new body.

When he first opened his eyes in this unfamiliar form, everything was dark. His lungs burned, and his body felt unbearably heavy. Panic gripped him as he realized he was submerged in deep water, struggling to stay afloat. 

Instinct kicked in. Drawing on his swimming skills, he forced himself to calm down, kicked toward the surface, and fought his way to the shore.

Coughing up water, drained and on the edge of passing out, Lucas looked around in disbelief. He was in a completely unfamiliar place, nearly drowning, when just moments ago he had been in a truck accident.

"Where am I? How did I end up here?"

Then, as if two streams of consciousness were merging, memories from the last 18 years of the original owner of this body began to fuse with Lucas's own 25 years from the other world. 

"Am I dead in my world? Is that why my soul ended up here?"

"Could this guy have drowned? It's eerie how both of us suffered such tragic fates, even in different worlds."

Surprisingly, they shared the exact same name, but their fates couldn't have been more different. Different worlds, different lives—yet now, they were one.

Now, let's call the owner of this body the original Lucas, and the one who took over his body simply Lucas.

The original Lucas had lived a harsh life. Abandoned by his parents at the age of five, he was taken in by an uncle who cared little for him. The uncle was a heavy drinker, too lazy to work, and forced the original Lucas to do all the menial tasks while constantly reminding him of a supposed "debt of gratitude." 

The original Lucas had no choice but to endure it—he needed a place to stay.

"This guy's life was tragic."

Six years ago, while working as a store clerk, someone had spotted the original Lucas and offered him a chance at an agency. With no other options, he signed a private contract and started training. 

For three years, he worked hard as a trainee, and in his fourth year, he finally debuted in a boy group. They had a brief moment of fame, gaining some popularity. But as the years went on, the group's star began to fade. 

Three years after their debut, the group, Stellarix, was on the brink of failure. 

The agency was planning to disband them due to their lack of success.

As for the original Lucas? He had nothing. No side jobs, no savings—just an empty future. A once-promising start had led him nowhere.

"Damn, how could this guy be so clueless, wasting his celebrity status like this?" 

On his 18th birthday, someone had pushed the original Lucas into a river, and he had died quietly beneath the water. That was the moment the new Lucas—he—had entered this body.

"But why would anyone want to kill this guy?"

His memories of that night were incomplete. All he could recall was the sensation of being shoved into the cold water—nothing beyond that. 

The strangest part was that the original Lucas didn't seem to have anything worth killing for. He had been quiet, shy, and deeply insecure. Aside from his good looks, there was nothing remarkable about him, not even his failing career.

Shaking his head, he muttered, "No, none of that matters now. My life has to move forward in this new body."

The idol group hadn't made much progress in the three years since their debut, and now they were on the verge of disbanding?

"Looks like I'll have to work harder and start over from scratch. Ck!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, only to find it completely dead—ruined by the river water. 

It was 1 a.m. The city streets were quiet as Lucas walked, drenched from head to toe, with no way to contact anyone. And he had no idea how long it would take him to get back to the dorm provided by the agency. But there was no other choice. He had to keep walking, no matter how far.

Shivering in the cold, hunger gnawing at his stomach, and exhaustion weighing heavily on his body, Lucas trudged along the empty streets. Cars zipped by without even slowing down.

Suddenly, a sleek white Lamborghini pulled up alongside him, honking twice. Beep beep!

Lucas glanced over briefly but kept walking. The car's window rolled down slowly, revealing a woman inside.

"Hey, need a ride?"

He didn't respond, looking away. But the woman leaned closer, squinting at him. 

"Wait… you look familiar. Where do I know you from?"

Lucas ignored her, quickening his pace. 

No matter how cold or hungry he was, he would never lower himself by selling himself to random strangers.

"Idiot, he's gonna regret this. He could freeze to death," she muttered as she sped off, leaving him behind.

Suddenly, regret hit Lucas like a wave. What am I doing?!

"Hey, wait!" he shouted, running after the car.

In her rearview mirror, the woman caught sight of him and smirked. "Stupid. That didn't take long."

The woman stopped the car and rolled down the window again. "Changed your mind? Get in."

Lucas shook his head. "My phone's dead—can I borrow yours? I need to call the police."

"The police? What are you talking about?"

"Yeah. Someone tried to hurt me—maybe even kill me."

The woman stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh, shit!"

But instead of helping, she simply rolled up the window and sped off, leaving him standing in the middle of the street.

Lucas's heart sank. As the cold gnawed deeper into his bones and hunger blurred his vision.

DING!

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and strange text began to materialize before his eyes.

[The System has made a remarkable discovery: a world unlike any other, one in which there is no magic.]

[To ensure its own existence, the System requires a host to inhabit.]

[The System installs itself into a new host.]

Lucas's eyes widened in shock as the words hovered in front of him. He reached out to touch the words, but his hand passed right through them, as though they were made of air. 

"What... is this?"

[...50%...]

[...25%...]

[...100%.]

[The System has been successfully installed.]

What system? What does it want with me?