*****
In a dimly lit room, where the only light came from the soft, red glow of LED fixtures, a young male, not older than twenty, sat in a black chair.
His posture was relaxed, yet focused, as he held a book in his hands, its pages seemingly absorbing his full attention.
His appearance was neither strikingly handsome nor unattractive, but rather ordinary.
His jawline was subtly sculpted, smooth and refined, like the edge of a diamond.
His black raven hair, slightly longer than typical, gently swayed to one side.
His deep, onyx eyes were intently fixed on a particular page of the book he held, his focus unwavering.
He wore an oversized, pitch-black T-shirt that draped loosely over his frame, paired with long, baggy black pants that seemed to swallow his legs, adding to his casual yet unassuming appearance.
The side of the book's cover displayed the title in a striking green, electric-themed font.
The title,
"The Ascended Gray,"Was emblazoned along the side of the book, the green, lightning-infused lettering glowing with an almost otherworldly energy, as if alive with an electric pulse against the book's dark cover.
"Huuu..."
He exhaled deeply, a sense of exhaustion in his sigh, as he closed the book after finishing its contents.
Then,
He rose from the chair, the book still in hand, and made his way towards the corner of the room where a wooden box, designed specifically for storing books, stood—a small makeshift library in the otherwise sparse space.
Step—!
As he walked toward the wooden box, the disarray of his surroundings became apparent.
The room, though ordinary, was cluttered with scattered papers, crumpled plastic bags, and discarded clothes strewn across the floor in an almost chaotic fashion, reflecting the lack of order that defined the space.
Upon reaching the wooden box, where numerous books were neatly arranged in each section, he stood before it, his gaze fixed on a particular section of the collection.
Thud—!
He carefully placed the book in his hand into one of the middle spaces, its cover settling among the others with a soft thud, adding to the growing collection within the wooden box.
His eyes drifted to the side, locking onto a book that resembled the one he had just placed, positioned near the end of the shelf.
He stared at it intently, as if something about it caught his attention.
"Oh... right. The last volume of The Ascended Gray that I bought yesterday,"
He muttered to himself, his gaze lingering on the book as recognition dawned.
It was the final volume of the series he had just finished reading—the second-to-last volume.
He had purchased this last volume the day before, during his walk home from a convenience store.
Despite his unassuming appearance as an ordinary teenager, he was, in fact, a trainee at a prestigious K-pop agency.
However, his aspirations lay far beyond the glamorous realm of the entertainment industry.
It was not his ambition that led him to the agency but the discerning eyes of the recruiter and the director, who sought him out for his extraordinary talent.
Yet, his heart was never captivated by the allure of stardom or the spotlight.
Instead, his true passion resided in the enchanting world of literature.
An ardent lover of books, he found solace in the pages of great works, joy in the act of reading, and an unwavering fulfillment in weaving words into captivating prose.
"Well then, let's just finish reading it,"
He said, glancing at the wall clock, which displayed 12:09 AM.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he added,
"Looks like I'll have to sacrifice my sleep tonight, hehe~."
He retrieved the book from the shelf and walked back to the chair.
Settling into it, he gently opened the book, ready to immerse himself in its pages.
Flip—!
Only to find the pages of the book with,
"Illustration?!"
The contents pages were adorned with intricate illustrations of each character from the novel, a visual prelude to the story.
Every chapter was enriched with its own unique depiction of a different character, bringing the narrative vividly to life.
Flip—!
"Whoa~~"
Flip—!
He was initially captivated by the intricate illustration of the main character, marveling at the artistry behind its creation.
Flip—!
However, as he noticed the sheer abundance of illustrations, his fascination quickly turned to irritation.
Flip—!
With a sigh of impatience, he began flipping through the pages at a hurried pace.
"Damn… There are so many illustrations. Just how many characters does this novel even have?"
He muttered in exasperation.
Flip—! Flip—! Flip—!
As he flipped through the pages, his expression gradually soured.
Nearing the end of the volume, he reached the final page, only to realize, to his dismay, that the illustrations seemed endless, with no conclusion in sight.
"What the?!"
He exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration as he reached the end of the pages, only to find them filled entirely with illustrations and devoid of any actual content from the novel.
Flipping through in disbelief,
He muttered,
"What is happening?! Where's the last volume?!"
His expression somewhat stiffed and confused upon seeing the pages with endless Illustration..
"Did the author forget to include the text or something?"
He muttered, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
"Or is this some bizarre error that only happened to this copy?"
Finding no solution to the perplexing situation, he sat silently, his gaze fixed on the useless book before him.
"Haa...."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, he picked up the book and carefully returned it to its rightful place on the bookshelf, his frustration still lingering as he stepped away.
"I guess I don't have to sacrifice my sleep after all,"
He muttered as he walked toward his bed and eventually lay down.
Staring at the ceiling, he sighed,
"Let's just take a small nap. I'll buy another copy Tommorow. But damn... I still want to continue. That cliffhanger in the last volume... shit."
As soon as he lay on the bed, the exhaustion and fatigue from the day's work hit him all at once, overwhelming his senses.
Within moments, slumber took hold of him, pulling him into a deep, immediate sleep.
ZZ—!
*****
"And that's the only thing I remember,"
Amon muttered in a slow, contemplative tone, his gaze still fixed on the screen in front of him, his left hand resting thoughtfully on his chin.
"I get the gist of this situation,"
Amon continued, his voice laced with recognition.
"It's way too similar to that kind of Chinese novel."
"Reincarnation? Transmigration? Transportation? Isekai'd?"
Amon muttered, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of the unfolding situation.
"Or did I get hit by Truck-kun in my dream?"
Amon mused aloud, his tone laced with both confusion and a hint of disbelief.
His eyes were fixated on the screen, specifically on a particular section.
->Name: Amon Von Lancaster
Who was it?
He couldn't recall who Amon was or what the name even meant to him.
The only thing that came to Amon's mind, given his current situation, was a single thought.
"W-Wait, this can't be real, right?"
He muttered, his voice filled with confusion and disbelief, a cold sweat trickling down his spine.
"Did I...?"
"Transmigrate?"
*****
Thanks for reading—!
Uhh, guys, it's an updated version—the name of the main character is different here. When I checked, I realized it was a mistake. I've corrected it now. The correct name is Amon... I accidentally used the name I originally planned to add but didn't.