Mandy let out a long sigh as he looked at the chaotic mess that the training hall had become.
Splintered wood, shredded straw, and cloth stuffing were scattered across the floor like battlefield debris.
The constant sound of slicing still sounded in the air, a rhythmic shhk… shhk… shhk that made Mandy flinch with every swing.
The wreckage was impressive enough to intimidate even seasoned knights, but to Mandy, this was simply another Tuesday.
His master was training again or maybe it was more accurate to say he was taking out his emotional issues on defenseless training dummies.
His gaze landed on the cause of the destruction.
Ren Crowhurst, A very handsome young man with damp blue hair and eyes burning with the intensity of someone trying to murder their problems, moved like a sharpened blade himself.
His sword cut through the air with precision, every motion he made was fueled by determination.
His physical build was enough to make half the Empire's knights jealous… he had lean muscles across his arms and core and was even more skilled at footwork than them too.
Mandy often thought that if raw handsomeness and murderous talent had a child, it would look exactly like his master.
Ren was a prodigy.
A natural with the sword, gifted with an overpowered magic affinity, admired by women, praised by nobles, feared by enemies.
Yet despite all his accomplishments, he lived in the shadow of one person: Jace Hayes, the Hero chosen by prophecy, fate, and apparently the entire universe.
No matter how hard Ren trained, Jace stayed one step ahead. And after last week's humiliating defeat… right in front of the Saintess, the one girl Ren had actually bothered to like.
Ren's inferiority complex had reached record-breaking levels.
"Master… don't you think you need to calm down?" Mandy asked tentatively. He already knew the answer… Ren wasn't going to calm down.
Ren didn't even know what calming down meant.
But before Mandy could mentally prepare to dodge a flying sword, Ren suddenly froze mid-swing.
His blade stopped an inch from the final training dummy with his entire body rigid like a statue.
"Huh…?" Mandy whispered.
Ren did not respond.
…
Edwin blinked as clarity returned to him.
His new reality snapped into focus all at once… there was a room that looked like a training hall, shredded dummies on the ground and a sword in his hand… He could also feel his muscles aching.
He lifted his arm, flexed his fingers around the hilt, and sighed.
'Great,' he thought, 'now I'm in the body of this maniac.'
It wasn't that he disliked Ren Crowhurst.
More like… he sympathized.
Ren was a douchebag with a superiority complex, sure, but he was also someone who'd gotten his crush stolen by a man covered in plot armor.
Edwin couldn't blame him for going slightly insane over it. If anything, it made the transition into Ren's body feel strangely comforting.
For once, he wasn't the loser with a dripping sink and no future. He was someone powerful… someone feared and most importantly… He was someone with abs.
Then the memories hit.
They were not painful like novels had described… they were more like a wave of clarity washing over him.
He suddenly knew how Ren fought, how he trained, his schedule, his grudges, his magic affinity, the names and ranks of nobles, even the exact moment the Hero humiliated him last week.
They had merged perfectly.
Edwin was Ren.
Ren was Edwin.
And strangely, it didn't frighten him.
He exhaled slowly, letting the sensation sink in.
'This… actually feels nice,' he admitted internally. 'I have power. Status. Muscles. Women who at least know I exist.'
Most importantly: he was no longer the guy whose landlord was one missed bill away from kicking him into the street.
His eyes drifted to Mandy, who was frozen in panic near the wall.
Ren would have insulted him without hesitation.
That was just what Ren did… throw the word "peasant" around like seasoning.
Ren opened his mouth out of habit. "Get me a bottle of water, you pea—"
He stopped himself.
Wait. How could he call someone a peasant when Mandy's living situation was better than Edwin's old apartment?
The guy had a full salary, a room in the estate, and access to functional plumbing. Compared to Mandy, Edwin had been living like an NPC in a poverty simulator.
"Master, I actually have one here—" Mandy started timidly.
"Get me one that's cold," Edwin corrected, waving him off. "Cold."
"Yes, Master!" Mandy bowed and bolted out of the hall, relieved his master wasn't in one of his "throw the sword at the wall and yell about destiny" moods.
Edwin dropped onto a bench with a groan.
His new body was fit, but his soul still carried the fatigues of a depressed Earth man.
He rubbed his forehead. "Alright… what did that guy say again? Right. System."
He muttered the word softly.
A blue translucent screen materialized instantly in front of him.
『System Initializing…』
Edwin almost smiled.
Finally… this was something familiar.
Something he'd seen in countless novels and games. Something he could rely on.
"Great," he thought, "I finally get an advantage like every other reincarnated MC."
Then another message popped up.
『For complete initialization, all Earthly desires must be abandoned.』
『The 「Almighty Supreme God of Games」 demands all your Earth money in exchange for the System.』
『Y / N』
Edwin stared at the glowing confirmation prompt in disbelief.
"…Is… is this bitch serious?"
He resisted the urge to yell.
'Fucking scammer! What Earth money?! The few dollars I had left? The coins under my couch? What is he going to do? Start a divine lemonade stand?'
Still, he hit "Y."
The screen pulsed and turned purple.
A voice echoed from it… it was loud and annoyingly familiar.
『Ahem. If you're hearing this, that means you've successfully made it into the world of The Protagonist's POV. Congratulations on not dying along the way.』
Edwin internally rolled his eyes. 'You better explain this System properly…'
The voice continued.
『And now, I will explain your System so you won't complain and say I ripped you off—』
Edwin leaned forward.
Finally.
『Actually, nevermind. Figure it out yourself, you fucking Earthling.』
"…Excuse me?"
The echo faded instantly, leaving Edwin staring at the screen in, murderous disbelief.
Was this… was this god being racist?
Against mortals?
Was this… godism?
Edwin rubbed his temples. "Of course. Of course he would do this. Why explain something properly when you can gaslight a newly reincarnated soul?"
He opened the System tab manually and immediately whistled.
"Oh hell yeah… this is stacked."
The door creaked open.
"Master, I brought your wat—"
"Stay outside for now," Edwin said firmly, not even looking up. "I'm checking something. And don't dare look inside."
Mandy squeaked, nodded rapidly, and closed the door so fast the walls shook.
'Now let's test out the System.'