NXT_MARVEL

Our MC was an extreme introvert in his past life — a bookworm who avoided people like the plague, focused only on his studies, and had zero interest in anime, games, or romance. The only time he ever touched anime was when his one and only friend forced him to watch a single episode of some fantasy academy drama — and he hated every second of it.
So when he wakes up in an unfamiliar, lavish room and finds himself in the body of Lucien von Zephyr— a rich, handsome academy student — things seem… pretty okay. That is, until memory floods in and he realizes who  Lucien is: the pervy, obsessive side character doomed to die in Episode 7 for going too far with the main heroine!

Survive the Death Flag! (Or Die a Simp)

Lucien stretched his arms and let out a long sigh. "Alright, let's do this. If I'm going to survive this ridiculous anime world, I need to learn magic—and fast."

[System: Oh my, look who's finally motivated! What's next, are you going to start making friends? Maybe charm your way into everyone's hearts?]

"Let's not get crazy," Lucien shot back. "One step at a time." He glanced at his stats again. Mana: 45. Elemental Control (Fire): Level 2. Intelligence: 92. Physical Strength: 18. Agility: 21. Endurance: 19. Charisma: 5. Luck: 8. He was going to need some serious improvement.

He flipped through one of the dusty old books in the dorm room—"Basic Fire Magic for the Aspiring Mage." The illustrations were terrible, but the instructions were clear enough.

[System: Perfect choice! Step one: Don't burn your eyebrows off.]

"That's very comforting," Lucien muttered. He focused on the first spell: Ignis. Simple enough. Create a small flame. He took a deep breath, held out his hand, and whispered, "Ignis."

[System: Wow. Such talent. Much magic.]

"Shut up! I'm just getting warmed up!"

Lucien tried again. And again. And again. After the seventh attempt, a tiny spark finally flickered to life above his palm.

[System: Congratulations, you've created the world's smallest campfire. We'll be roasting marshmallows any day now.]

Hours passed, and Lucien slowly got better at controlling the flame. By the end of the night, he could make it dance and flicker, even change its size a little. He wiped sweat from his forehead and grinned.

[System: You're still far from being a fire-bending prodigy, but hey, at least you've stopped being completely hopeless. Progress!]

Just then, a knock sounded at his door. Lucien froze. No one ever visited him—except maybe to yell at him.

"It's… it's Lilia Elthorne," came a soft voice.

Lucien's eyes went wide. The supposed villainess herself? Why was she here?

[System: Ohoho. Things are about to get interesting! Try not to die.]

Lucien opened the door slowly, his heart pounding. And so his real adventure began.

"What… what do you want?" Lucien stammered, trying not to sound as terrified as he felt.

Lilia stood there, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "You've been unusually quiet today. Everyone's talking about it. They think you're up to something."

[System: She's onto you. Quick! Act natural. Or faint. Fainting is always an option.]

"I'm not up to anything!" Lucien said quickly. "I'm just… studying."

Lilia raised an eyebrow. "Studying? You?"

[System: Ouch. Even I felt that one.]

"Yes," Lucien said, forcing a smile. "Trying to better myself. New year, new me."

Lilia stared at him for a long moment. Then, to his surprise, she sighed. "Good. Maybe you'll finally stop being such a nuisance."

[System: This is progress. In its own, insult-laden way.]

"I'll… do my best," Lucien said, still stunned.

As she turned to leave, Lilia glanced back. "Don't mess this up, Lucien. I'm warning you."

The door clicked shut behind her, and Lucien collapsed onto his bed.

[System: And you didn't even die! I'm so proud.]

"Barely," Lucien muttered. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

Magic Training