There was only a deep, endless black that stretched out in every direction.
’So this is it... The afterlife. Seriously?’
He had always imagined something more. At the very least, some tired old man sitting behind a desk with a list of everyone’s sins.
Instead, there was a void.
’Miss Ann...’
The thought squeezed his chest, and he clenched his fists out of habit.
Then he froze.
’Wait.’
His fingers had moved.
Slowly, he curled them again. He could feel his nails pressing into his palms.
Then came the rest of it. His arms. His shoulders. Something soft and warm beneath his back, and the scratch of fabric against his skin.
’Can ghosts feel blankets?’
His eyes snapped open.
Light stabbed into them, and he hissed through his teeth. He forced himself to look and slowly the blur turned into a ceiling.
Steven jolted upright so fast that his head spun.
He gasped, one hand flying to his chest, then his ribs, then his stomach. He patted himself down.
He was okay and breathing fine.
’What...’
He looked around.
He was sitting on a large bed with white sheets. The room around him was spacious and filled with ordinary things. Things you could find anywhere on Earth.
It was exactly the opposite of everything people had ever said the afterlife would be.
He lifted his left arm and then pinched the inside of his forearm as hard as he could.
"Ow!"
He yanked his hand back. A red mark was already blooming on his skin.
’That hurt.’
His heart began to pound.
"I’m... alive?!"
The words clicked into place inside his head, and yet they refused to make sense.
’That can’t be possible by any logic.’
"I got hit by a literal moving truck. I’m sure as hell not superman so how am I alive and kicking."
"I know I died. I saw the blood and I also heard the woman screaming."
He had never been so sure of anything in his life. So why was he sitting in a clean, comfortable bed?
He was still staring at his own hands when the air in front of his face rippled.
[YOU HAVE BEEN REINCARNATED]
Steven blinked.
[WELCOME, HOST]
[DEFILEMENT SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
"Reincarnated... Host... System..."
A grin split across Steven’s face. It started small, and then it grew, until his cheeks hurt from it.
He jumped off the bed and thrust both fists into the air.
"YES!"
His voice bounced off the walls.
"YES! I got reincarnated!"
He spun around once, then pointed a finger at the ceiling like a man announcing a victory in court.
"And I got a system!"
Then he forced himself to breathe. Steven tugged the front of his shirt straight, cleared his throat, and lowered his voice to something calmer.
"Ahem. What I mean is... I am deeply, sincerely grateful."
Then he clapped his hands over his mouth and laughed into them.
"That’s fucking perfect," he said through his fingers. "That’s absolutely, completely perfect."
His laughter slowly died down, and a strange expression crossed his face.
His smile faded. His eyes slowly lowered, past the blue screen and all the way down to his waist.
He gulped.
’No. No. Don’t be stupid. It was part of the soul. It has to come with the soul.’
But he did not move.
When you wake up in a new body, everything is up for debate. Height. Face. Muscles.
He placed both hands on the hem of his pants.
"Gods..." he whispered, shutting his eyes. "Whoever’s listening. I’m not asking for much. I don’t need a sword. I don’t need a crown. I only need one thing. Please. Please let it still be there."
He took a breath.
Then he pulled the waistband forward and peeked inside.
Then his shoulders dropped and slowly, the tension drained out of him until he let out a long, sigh.
It was indeed still there. Exactly as Miss Ann had liked it.
His eyes grew wet, and he quickly looked up at the ceiling and blinked hard.
"Thank you, heavens. I knew you would not abandon me." he murmured, voice cracking.
He wiped the corner of his eye with his thumb.
’What a perfect reincarnation. I lost a life, but I kept the most important thing.’
Steven straightened up and rolled his shoulders back.
"All right, system. What kind of overpowered skill are you giving me?"
The screen flickered and a new text appeared underneath.
[HOST MEMORY INTEGRATION COMMENCING]
"Memory...?"
Before he could finish the word, something slammed into his head.
"Ugh!"
It was like a dam breaking. Information poured into his mind in an enormous rush, faces and names and places and years all colliding at once. He staggered backward and caught the bedpost to stay upright, clutching his skull with his other hand.
It lasted only a few seconds and then the pain vanished. Steven stood breathing hard for a while. Then he walked over to the bed and sat down heavily on its edge.
He laced his fingers together and rested his jaw on them.
His name in this world was Alex Vance.
He was the son of Lord Edward Vance, ruler of the Vance estate. A man respected across the region, and a man who currently could not look at his eldest son without disappointment crossing his face.
Alex was the eldest son.
He also had a younger brother. A twin, Daniel.
And according to the memories, that brother hated him with a passion that had grown stronger every year.
’Of course he does.’
Because that same brother was now the heir to the estate.
And the reason was simple.
Three months ago, every young noble who had come of age had stood in the great hall for the awakening ceremony. One by one they had stepped up to the crystal, their classes had shone brightly for everyone to see.
Swordmaster. Mage. Archer.
When it had been Alex’s turn, the crystal stayed completely dark.
’So I have no class. That’s unfortunate. But it’s fine. I have a system. Systems fix these things, right?’
But the memories were not finished with him yet. The worst part came a moment later.
"I can’t even use mana. I have the status below that of a commoner."
He started pacing the room, one hand pressed against his forehead.
"I came here expecting an overpowered skill. And instead I woke up in the bottom one percent of the bottom one percent."
He raised both hands.
"That’s completely, utterly absurd."
He let them fall and exhaled slowly, his voice dropping into something dry and tired.
"Heavens. I asked for a gift, and you handed me a joke."
Then he turned his head slowly toward the blue screen.
"And you."
He walked up to it and pointed a finger at it.
"What’s your fucking use, then?"
The screen flickered.
[HOST’S MANA CORE WAS SEALED AT BIRTH]
"...Sealed? My core was sealed?"
[CORRECT]
"By who?"
No answer.
He frowned and thought about it.
’If it was sealed, then it exists. Which means that I’m not entirely useless.’
’But who would seal a baby’s core? And why me?’
He looked back at the screen.
"Why would anyone seal it?"
The letters appeared at once.
[BECAUSE THE HOST POSSESSED AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF POTENTIAL AS AN INFANT]
Alex’s eyes widened.
"Excessive..."
He felt something warm and proud rising in his chest.
"So I was a genius."
[THE SEAL WAS PLACED TO...]
[ERROR]
[FURTHER INFORMATION CANNOT BE DISPLAYED UNTIL HOST REACHES A HIGHER LEVEL]
"Hey. Hey, you can’t just stop there!"
Nothing happened. The screen remained red for a few more seconds, then slowly turned back to calm blue.
Alex glared at it for a long time. Then he let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face with both hands.
"Fine. It’s not like I can force you. I don’t know anything about this world. I only got the memories of a boy who spent eighteen years in one mansion."
He sat back down.
"Whatever the reason was, it can wait. What matters now is the core."
"System. How do I unlock it?"
[THE SEAL MAY BE BROKEN BY SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH THREE WOMEN WHO POSSESS MANA]
It sounded insane.
It sounded ridiculous.
It sounded like the best plan anyone had ever come up with.
"Wait a second," he said, forcing his face into a serious expression. "I just want to confirm. This is the only method?"
[CORRECT]
"No alternatives?"
[NONE]
"Any dangerous side effects?"
[NONE DETECTED]
Alex nodded gravely.
"I see."
He stood, straightened his collar, and folded his hands behind his back like a general.
"Then I accept."
He didn’t even wait for the system to respond.
’Three women with mana. Where do I even find...’
He frowned.
Then the memories shifted, and a face rose out of them like a figure walking out of fog.
A maid.
A maid who could use mana. He remembered watching her warm a cold room with only her palm. Her name was...
’It’s... it’s...’
He opened his mouth to finish the thought.
Knock, knock.
He froze.
The door swung open and a woman stepped into the room carrying a silver tray with a covered dish and a steaming teapot. She wore a neat black maid uniform with a white apron, and she bowed her head politely.
"Good morning, young master. Your breakfast is ready."
Alex stared at her.
The name arrived in his mind at last.
’Lena. First target... locked in.’