"This fucking bitch! AAAA—huh?"
Zeiren's eyes snapped open.
He expected to see the familiar fluorescent lights of a hospital room. Instead, he found himself lying in a massive bed, large enough to fit five people comfortably.
"What the hell…?"
The room around him was extravagant. Two bedside tables stood on either side of the bed, one holding an ornate lamp, the other a delicate vase filled with fresh flowers. The walls shimmered with an unnatural golden sheen.
Zeiren stumbled out of bed, his bare feet sinking into the plush carpet.
His breath hitched. "Where the hell am I?"
*Creak.*
The door swung open.
A young girl rushed inside, her voice laced with panic. "Y-Young Master?!"
Zeiren turned toward her then froze.
The moment he saw her, a sharp pain stabbed through his head. A flood of memories—ones that weren't his—invaded his mind.
The world blurred. His knees buckled. He clutched his skull as his surroundings spun.
Mana. Heroes. Hunters. Villains. Elves. Dwarves. Demons. Miasma Crypt Order.
Countless foreign concepts flooded his consciousness.
"AAAAAGH!"
An older man, dressed in a pristine butler suit, rushed to his side. "Call the Madam! Quickly!"
"Yes, Butler Lin!" the maid cried before bolting from the room.
Zeiren barely registered any of it. His mind was on fire. Before he could process anything else, his body gave in, and he blacked out once more.
---
When he next woke up, he found himself wrapped in someone's arms.
"Sulien!"
A woman clung to him, her eyes swollen from crying.
Zeiren blinked. "Who…?"
But before he could finish the thought, a tidal wave of memories rushed back.
Sulien Von Wald.
That was his new name.
He had transmigrated into the novel he once read in high school—his favorite book, Above Helot.
He quickly recalled the story.
In the novel, the protagonist, Aiden McFerrin, was a slave forced to fight in an underground arena. His life changed when a hero, investigating a villain's escape, discovered the illegal operation and reported it to the Hero Association.
A large-scale rescue mission followed, freeing dozens of enslaved teens, Aiden, the protagonist, among them. Recognizing their potential, the headmaster of Apex Hero Academy took them to enroll in the world's most prestigious school for warriors. That was where the real story began.
Zeiren, no. Sulien frowned.
"Wait… what role did the Wald family play in the novel?"
He searched his new memories.
The Wald family had five children, but four of them died under mysterious circumstances, leaving only the eldest, Aloysius Von Wald.
Aloysius later betrayed humanity and joined the Miasma Crypt Order, a villainous organization, seeking revenge for his family's downfall. His confrontation with Aiden marked the climax of the novel's first volume.
But in the book… there was barely any mention of Sulien Von Wald.
"Did I die before the main events even started?"
His stomach twisted.
If the Wald family was destined for destruction, that meant—
His hands clenched.
"I need to prepare."
That was the time he had to change fate.
***