Chapter 1

I had just died for the second time.

“Huhhh…!”

A ringing filled my ears, and a headache surged. I gasped for breath, blinking several times to clear my blurred vision.

“Ah─”

A place I had become familiar with over the past two weeks, the room of Theo Lisitoel, the NPC I had possessed.

Now, the nanny would take my hand and start weeping while pouring out prayers to the gods.

“Oh my! Almighty Lucius, thank you!”

A maid would barge in, nearly ripping the door off its hinges.

“Heavens…! Young master!!”

Theo Lisitoel’s physician would be shocked to see me with my eyes wide open. Like a play stuck in a loop, repeating the same predetermined script.

“Ha, hahahahaha.”

It was only the second time, and yet it felt so familiar. So calm that it sent chills down my spine.

“Nanny.”

A metallic taste rose in my throat.

“Yes, young master! Say anything you need!”

“I want to see my father.”

“Of course! I’ll contact the Academy right away! Do you need anything else?”

The nanny’s eyes sparkled. Say anything, she seemed to say with her gaze.

“Send everyone away.”

I needed time alone to sort out my thoughts.

***

I possessed a game I had been playing for ten years.

That much was fine. Everyone dreams of reincarnating in their favorite game at least once.

The problem was, the game I had possessed, , was infamous for killing off characters at the slightest provocation. Not just NPCs—even playable characters with minor roles were mercilessly disposed of.

So the solution was simple.

Just live outside the game world! Run off to another country and avoid getting involved altogether!

“But why the hell am I dying?”

I had written a polite and earnest letter to Evan Lisitoel, the father of this body, requesting to postpone my enrollment.

But after even putting off rehabilitation and lazing in bed for a few days, I met a sudden death not two hours after making my decision.

No, it wasn’t just a personal death—it was the end.

The end of the world.

A rain of meteors dyed the sky blood-red.

I died crushed beneath one without any resistance. Damn it.

“Ugh─”

Thank god my stomach was empty. Otherwise, I’d have vomited everything out.

Then, there was a knock, and the door opened.

“Young master, the lord has arrived.”

He arrived faster than expected. Did he come as soon as he heard? It might not be a bad idea to call Evan right away next time too.

Since I had been a vegetable, my movements were clumsy. After lying down for ten years, there was no way I had the muscles to walk properly or lift my arms.

I gave up trying to button my shirt and asked Emily for help.

“Could you help me get dressed?”

“Of course. That’s what I’m here for.”

It must’ve been bothersome, but maid Emily’s touch was gentle and kind. I changed shirts and, with her support, sat in a wheelchair.

A wheelchair in a medieval fantasy world? Must’ve been something cobbled together with magic. Lazy game developers.

“Thanks for the help.”

Emily only gave a small smile in response. She began pushing the wheelchair, heading toward where Evan was.

“Must be nervous, seeing your father after so long?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

I hadn’t met Evan last time.

What if he realized I was a possessor? Would he exorcise me or something?

Evan was the strongest mage in the setting, officially certified by the game’s developers.

If I got caught, I’d have no choice but to surrender.

Maybe sensing my unease, Emily offered comfort.

“Don’t worry too much. He’s still your father, after all.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

Though I said that, I didn’t quite agree.

He came right away this time, but in the previous life, Evan hadn’t shown his face once.

I knew he was busy as an Academy professor, but still—his son had woken up after ten years. He could’ve visited just once. But he hadn’t.

So I was honestly surprised. I hadn’t expected him to return to the mansion so soon after I asked the nanny to call him.

As I awkwardly brushed it off, I felt Emily’s pitiful gaze on me. Was she feeling sorry for me? Don’t bother. He’s not even my real father.

After moving a fair distance down a long corridor in the wheelchair, we stopped in front of a door. Emily knocked and announced the young master’s arrival.

The door opened, revealing a face similar to Theo’s. No, Theo resembled Evan, of course.

“Greetings, Father.”

I bowed deeply, greeting him. Awkwardly, I tried to read Evan’s expression.

“You really… opened your eyes.”

Though surprise was clear on his face, his voice was dry and indifferent.

So Evan wasn’t fond of Theo after all, huh. Makes sense. A son who’d been bedridden his whole life—he probably felt more fed up than fond. And without any special talent, it’s hard to grow attached.

“Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“No, I’m fine.”

A curt, short question. His words were firm and measured, as if each sentence had been carefully selected.

Facing his stiff expression made me uneasy, and I reflexively turned my head. Still, I was relieved he hadn’t figured out I was a possessor.

“So, what did you want to say?”

“I’d like to focus on rehabilitation for the time being.”

No point beating around the bush, so I got to the point.

“I plan to enter the Academy in five years—at the earliest.”

“That late?”

Evan tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully.

His eyes remained flat. A chilling gaze, as if evaluating a product, squeezed my chest tight.

“Even if it’s late, I want to enroll only when I’m truly ready. If I go now, I’ll just fall behind.”

“Alright. Do as you wish.”

Despite how deep in thought he looked, his decision came easily.

Good. This time, I won’t go anywhere near the Academy. If it looks like the Empire’s going to fall, I’ll just flee to another country.

“Thank you, Father.”

As I nodded, a chill ran down my spine. A disgusting feeling, like my blood was flowing backward, made me hunch over and catch my breath.

“Theo?”

Startled, Evan called my name. I lifted my head—and saw a familiar sight through the window.

A crimson sky. A rain of meteors.

The end had come again.

***

“Huh…!”

Did I die again?

The nanny would take my hand and pray to the gods again..

…Wait? I wasn’t dead?

I could’ve sworn I died, yet my body remained atop the ruins. How was I still alive?

If there was any difference between this death and the ones before…

“Theo.”

Theo’s father, Evan Lisitoel.

The only variable. The one clear difference.

Evan had abandoned his own body to shield me from the meteor storm.

“Are you alright…?”

Evan spoke with difficulty.

That would probably be his last words. No matter how great a mage, no one survives losing half their body.

“Father…”

Looking at his mangled form, I barely managed to force out my voice.

“Why…?”

Why had he done it? Even if I survived this, I would soon die anyway. I was practically a disabled vegetable.

So… protecting himself would’ve been the better choice.

“Because you’re my son.”

As his life faded, Evan Lisitoel muttered that. With unwavering certainty.

My throat stung as if scraped with needles. Tears fell, soaking my trousers.

“Live on.”

And with that, the body shielding me collapsed to the ground. His eyes, already unfocused, clearly belonged to the dead.

I couldn’t cry, couldn’t laugh, couldn’t make a sound.

It would’ve been better when I first possessed Theo’s body. At least then, I could slap myself awake from this nightmare. But now, not even that was possible.

This damned body couldn’t even close my father’s eyes properly.

“This has to be a dream. Please, let it be a dream.”

I wasn’t waking up.

Suddenly, my skin stung.

I looked up.

Meteors were pouring down again.

They filled the sky, as if determined to wipe everything away.

“Hahahahaha…”

All I could let out was a dry laugh.

“How the hell am I supposed to survive this?”

No one could survive this.

I climbed out of the wheelchair and collapsed to the floor. Crawling forward, I raised a trembling arm toward my father, whose eyes were already closed.

“I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t live on, just as you asked.

Clutching his now-cold hand tightly, I closed my eyes.

“Next time, I’ll definitely─”

I’ll survive.

I had just died for the third time.

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