The light came from the window. Though the curtain was closed, it still allowed sun rays to slip through and hit my eyes.
"Just five more minutes." I turned around, facing the other direction while covering my face with a pillow.
[24 hrs are up. Time to check up your results.]
The same female voice from before spoke.
Even though I was still half asleep, my body moved on its own and my eyes fluttered open.
Next to my bed was a counter I hadn't seen before. It looked beautiful, but that wasn't what caught my attention. Sitting on top of it was some kind of machine. Above it floated a blue holographic light with a tiny envelope.
I looked at it but ignored it.
However, a big arrow pointing downward made it clear what I was supposed to do—press the machine and open the message.
Man, I won't lie and act tough. I was exhausted. My body felt like it had been through hell and back. Every muscle screamed in pain, even my eyes that had forced themselves open.
"Remind me to check my messages later. I'm still tired." I groaned and turned around again.
No one could explain how once someone wakes up unwillingly, going back to sleep becomes impossible.
The sunlight that had felt warm earlier suddenly felt hot and irritating on my face.
I had no choice but to wake up.
I didn't get out of bed immediately. I sat up, took a few breaths, and stretched. It also seemed like I had forgotten about my death experience and the strange fight I had gone through.
I was in bed, yet I didn't realise it wasn't my bed.
Instead of rushing, I paused for a moment.
"Well, let me get up and get ready for work," I said to myself.
I pushed the sheets aside. I was used to soft silky sheets, but these felt different—actually better than the ones I had before.
The first thing I did was put my feet on the floor .Normally I had slippers, but instead there was a mat just as soft. As my feet rubbed against it, a pleasant tingling sensation ran through them, making me roll my eyes.
Since it was morning and I had just woken up, I headed straight to the bathroom. Strangely, I found it easily even though it wasn't where I usually expected it to be.
A dresser mirror stood beside a dresser. I didn't understand why someone like me would need a dresser, but I ignored it.
Inside the bathroom, which had both a toilet and a shower, I didn't pay much attention to anything else.
I used the toilet, then walked to the shower and checked the water temperature. My whole body still hurt, something I tried to ignore.
I opened the hot water first.
"Nah, not today."
I turned it off, switched to cold water, and stepped in.
Working for the Mafia had its ups and downs. One thing I learned was that cold showers helped reduce muscle pain.
While washing myself, flashes of memories appeared—scenes of me fighting that creature.
"Damn… that was one of the weirdest nightmares I've ever had."
I washed my face.
The flashes continued. I saw myself standing victorious, yet the face I saw didn't feel like mine.
I brushed it off.
After stepping out of the shower and drying myself, something strange happened. Instead of feeling cold, I felt refreshed—completely healed. Cold steam rose from my body as if my body was mending itself.
When it ended, I felt lighter.
Not weak—just young and light.
I didn't bother checking myself. In my mind I was already late for work.
I must have been so out of it that I forgot I had been fired.
I opened my drawers looking for my suit, but instead found only teenage clothes scattered everywhere.
"Where the heck are my clothes?"
I sighed and sat on the bed, rubbing my face in frustration.
Then a forgotten memory resurfaced—the moment I got fired.
"Damnit, I forgot."
White flashes of memory appeared in my mind.
"Ouch, what was that?" I flinched.
More flashes followed, but these brought a crushing headache.
Before I knew it, I was kneeling on the floor.
I shook my head and tried to stand, but the pain intensified. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, rising from low to unbearable.
I collapsed again.
My vision faded to pure white.
The pain was so intense I ground my teeth and clutched the corner of the bed.
Memories flooded my mind.
But they weren't mine.
They belonged to a kid I had never seen before.
Yet somehow I could access every memory—from childhood to his teenage years. For someone so young, his life had been intense. The sheer number of memories made the headache even worse.
I screamed over and over. My screams were loud enough to alarm the entire building, yet no one came.
Or maybe no one heard me.
The pain forced me to punch my own head.
"What the hell is going on with me? What's with this headache? Whose memories are these?" I kept hitting myself. "Please stop."
Walking wasn't possible. The pain forced me to crawl.
My body trembled as sweat poured from me like I had been under the scorching sun for days.
I knew I needed water, but there was no way I could reach the kitchen.
So I crawled toward the bathroom.
Eventually my arms and legs felt numb, forcing me to crawl on my stomach.
But I kept moving.
"I need water," I rasped while reaching for the sink.
By some miracle, I made it.
I tried to stand even though my legs were numb. The memories still hadn't finished processing. It felt like an old computer struggling to download massive files.
When I finally reached the mirror, the only thing I could see was red.
My eyes were crying blood.
Luckily there was an empty glass nearby.
My hands trembled so badly that pouring water into the glass was difficult.
I finally managed it.
But just as I was about to drink, my hand jerked uncontrollably.
The glass slipped from my fingers.
It shattered.
I collapsed and lost consciousness on top of the broken glass.
I don't know how long I was out.
But eventually I heard the familiar female voice again.
[Memories of the player have been successfully processed.]
[Preparing mind bending...]
[Mind bending complete.]
[Initiating soul binding... 5%.]
[25%... 48%... 70%... 98%... 99%... 100%.]
[Soul binding complete.]
I gasped for air like someone waking from a coma.
I was back in bed.
This time nothing felt strange.
I stared at my hands and flexed them.
Everything felt normal.
Like I had fully adjusted to this body.
The first thing I did was press the machine on the counter. It acted like a thumb scanner, and the holographic message appeared.
[Congratulations Ace Vane. You have passed your entrance exam.]
[Your score is a total of 75%.]
[You will be in class 1D.]
[Please be at school within the next three weeks to update your field of choice.]
[We look forward to having you. Please collect your student card at the royal capital.]
The message dissolved and the machine short-circuited.
"So my name is Ace Vane?" I muttered.
I stood up, got ready, and looked at myself in the mirror.
Another holographic notification appeared.
Profile:
Name: Ace Vane
Age: 17 years
Grade: E+
Ki: Intellectual
Art: Twilight
Aptitude: Infinite
"Well, it's not bad… but the grade worries me."
I grabbed my bag and headed toward the nearest train station.