When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by an unfamiliar sight and sensation—a ceiling made of white marble with luxurious decorations, and a comforting feeling I hadn't experienced in what felt like an eternity. There was no pain in my bones or a nagging headache.
Everything was so strange and illogical that I couldn't form any coherent thoughts while staring at the unfamiliar ceiling.
I got out of bed and began turning around in confusion, only to be met with the sight of an incredibly luxurious room.
The room was elegant and spacious, covered with a glossy white marble floor that reflected the warm lighting emitted from carefully arranged lamps in the ceiling. The walls were painted a soft creamy color, without any sort of decorations.
In the center of the room was a large bed, covered in soft white sheets.
The first thing that crossed my mind upon seeing this was that I must be dreaming. But it was impossible for a dream to be this realistic.
So, I turned to the second option—an absurd and unrealistic possibility that only someone obsessed with novels would consider.
Thinking about this possibility, I muttered in a voice trembling with happiness, fear, and anxiety:
"I've reincarnated!"
And though such a possibility was so impossible that being in a coma and having a long, realistic dream seemed far more logical, I ignored that thought and began frantically searching every corner of the room for something to make my dream more believable.
Oh, and how massive the room was!
As I explored, I couldn't help but feel surreal and foolish. Sure, I had always dreamed of reincarnation, but for it to actually happen seemed beyond unrealistic.
Yet, I decided to cast aside all logic in my brain, believe in the dream, and immerse myself in it completely.
After a while of searching, I found a bathroom. A bathroom so extravagant and oversized that it made my old room seem like a filthy prison cell.
But I didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, I rushed toward the mirror in the corner.
And what I saw in it left me both bewildered and overjoyed at the same time!
There, staring back at me, was the reflection of a slim yet muscular young man, with striking black hair cascading down to his shoulders and gleaming silver eyes.
A reflection so strange and unfamiliar that it made me feel disconnected from reality.
Not seeing my ugly, sickly face was both comforting and terrifying.
Yet, as I gazed at my reflection, I couldn't help but grin wildly—an absurd, foolish grin that resembled that of a madman.
And in a voice trembling with a joy so unreal that anyone watching from afar would think it was something I didn't deserve, I whispered:
"Finally, another chance to start over."
"A chance to have another life."
"A better life."
"A more beautiful life."
"A perfect life."
---
After half an hour of staring at my new reflection and struggling with the logical side of me that refused to accept what was happening as anything but a dream, I sighed in exhaustion and left the bathroom.
Standing in front of the mirror wasn't going to accomplish anything.
So, I decided to explore the room and search for anything that might tell me about the world I had reincarnated into.
After ten minutes of thorough searching inside the apartment, I found a card—one that resembled a national ID card, colored in a mixture of silver and blue.
Upon reading the text on it, a strange sense of déjà vu and fear washed over me.
[Name: Edward Lightstar]
[Year: First Year]
[ID Number: 00764]
It felt as if my reality was shattering, turning into a nightmare.
My hands trembled uncontrollably from the sheer terror that gripped me.
Why? Because I knew this name. It was the name of a secondary antagonist in my novel—not just any secondary antagonist, but the one who had the worst fate among them all.
Things were becoming more and more surreal and bizarre to the point that I bit down on my finger hard enough to draw blood—just to confirm whether I was dreaming or not.
Yet, no matter how much I tried to deny it, everything was so vividly real that it seemed impossible to be a dream.
In the end, I could only sigh in exhaustion, sit on the edge of the bed, and think of a way to escape this damned situation I was in.
Well, you might be thinking: "Aren't you overreacting a little?" I mean… I've reincarnated as a secondary antagonist, so what's so scary about that?
Some might even see it as a good thing after all, I was handsome, wealthy, and had the backing of a powerful family.
Well, first, let me tell you about Edward Lightstar so you can grasp the magnitude of the disaster I'm in. His background may be a bit cliché, but bear with me.
First, I need to explain the world I'm in. Of course, I won't explain everything, and I'll keep it as brief as possible.
In the year 2030, gates began opening all over the world, and from them emerged creatures known as demons. Unlike most stories of this kind, the demons were weak and few in number.
Humanity nearly defeated them—until the demons managed to deceive some human leaders by tempting them with immortality and power… and they succeeded.
Some nations allied with the demons, convincing their people that demons were merely a weak and oppressed race, that they had come in peace and brought knowledge to humankind, and that the rest of humanity were nothing but racists and extremists!
Thus, the war shifted from a battle between humans and demons to a war between humans themselves. At first, the war was evenly matched, but thanks to the knowledge the demon-allied humans gained about mana, the balance began to tip in their favor.
However, from the same gates the demons came from, other races emerged—elves, dwarves, orcs, vampires, and giants.
Yet, these new races were far from friendly, as they engaged in wars with both humanity and each other for dominance over the Earth.
After many wars (which I won't delve into since they aren't relevant to our topic), the landmasses merged into one giant continent due to mana's influence, and the continent was divided into eight territories humans, elves, demons, orcs, vampires, giants, dwarves, and mana beasts.
I won't elaborate on the other territories since they aren't relevant for now. I'll only mention the human region.
The human domain is ruled by the Union Army, governed by a government consisting of four major families:
Lightstar, Stormflame, Swordice, and Moonlight.
Let's ignore the other families and focus on the Lightstars.
The Lightstar family is currently led by its patriarch, Rickard Lightstar—a powerful warrior of SS rank.
And guess who his sole heir is? Yes… the very person whose body I now inhabit—Edward Lightstar.
He was like any stereotypical young master—trash, depraved, and utterly useless. If not for the fact that his father was an SS-rank warrior and that he possessed an SSS-rank talent, he would have died long ago!
This meant that he could reach the same level as his father or even surpass him. As a result, he could do whatever he wanted without consequences.
He even raped a girl and faced no repercussions… And yes, as you might have guessed, that girl was one of the main heroines!
And now, let me tell you why I fear taking over Edward's body.
At the end of the second volume of the story—or about a year from now—the heroine he raped takes revenge on him!
But she doesn't just kill him… she castrates him, then makes him experience the same pain she endured. Well, I won't go into more detail about what she did to him…
"Sigh…"
I really don't see a way to escape this fate.
Actually, there is a way.
Avoid attending the academy! Instead, flee to an isolated place.
With Edward's talent and wealth, I could establish a secret organization and work behind the scenes to assist the heroes and save the world.
Yes! The more I think about it, the more brilliant this idea sounds!
"Ding~"