Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Extreme Diet
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I'm screwed.
The first three words that popped into my head after waking from my faint.
A heavy body that felt like it was overflowing with broth, a chubby, greasy face.
No matter how many times I looked, it was the same. The body of Sian Brace, Ariel's infamous villain.
'Fuck... why this guy of all people...!'
Usually, it didn't work like this, right?
Id written comments vowing to give Sian a proper schooling, so possessing the protagonist Cain's body was the standard trope, wasn't it?
'How the hell am I supposed to live now...'
I gazed around the room with a dazed expression.
A spacious, luxurious chamber.
The bed I was currently occupying was big enough for three people to sleep comfortably, yet the room was so vast it easily accommodated it without feeling cramped.
A brazier for temperature control, decorative vases.
And the bed curtains right in front of me—all of it screamed "wealthy noble's quarters" at first glance.
'Hahaha. Nice house, at least.'
I was chuckling to myself, denying reality, when...
The room's door suddenly burst open.
"...Oh my!"
The person entering was a maidservant in a maid uniform.
She carried a basin and wet towel in her hands. Probably sent to nurse me.
"Your Grace! The young master is awake!"
She looked startled for a moment upon seeing me awake, then hurriedly called out and dashed down the corridor.
Your Grace—the duke, Pablo, Sian's father.
'Hahaha. Whatever.'
Whatever happens, happens.
I lay propped up on the bed, upper body raised, just letting out empty chuckles.
.
.
.
.
"You're awake."
A short while later, Pablo—what I assumed was my father—entered the room with three maidservants in tow.
Just one word from him filled the air with a grave, solemn atmosphere.
His expression was deadly serious, as if proclaiming him a cold-blooded man, and his stern, handsome middle-aged face looked like it had never cracked a joke in his life.
"So, what happened this time? Why did you faint?"
He spoke coldly.
His tone held no fondness. Did he dislike Sian, the original owner of this body?
There wasn't a shred of fatherly warmth in his voice.
'I'd be devastated too if a debauched waste like this was my son.'
"...Why the silence? What caused the faint?"
Pablo furrowed his brow and pressed me.
Why did I faint? How could I answer that?
I couldn't very well say I was so shocked by possessing your son's body that I passed out.
But I couldn't stall forever. If I didn't answer now, I'd get dragged into something annoying.
I hadn't grasped the full situation yet, so I'd buy time with a vague response.
"Well... I felt sick."
"Sick?"
"Yes. Starting last night, I had this inexplicable stomach pain, and it suddenly got worse, so I must have blacked out briefly."
"......"
It was a ridiculous excuse even to me, but there was no reason for a sudden faint.
No external injuries on the body, so internal pain was my only alibi.
But even so, what could he do if I said I was in so much pain I fainted?
"...Pathetic. After gorging yourself at dinner yesterday."
Pablo looked down at me with contemptuous eyes.
"I'll try to eat less from now on."
"Eating less won't fix that body of yours."
"Yes. So I'll start exercising too."
"...What?"
Pablo flinched, looking shocked as he repeated my words.
What? Did I say something wrong?
Pablo stared intently into my eyes.
A brief silence fell.
Unsure what to say in this bizarre situation, I stayed quiet.
Then Pablo spoke as if it was odd.
"...Strange."
Pablo tilted his head.
"Did you hit your head when you fainted?"
"Pardon?"
What? Some new kind of insult?
I stared blankly, not understanding, and Pablo gestured dismissively.
"Never mind. Rest up. Keep your word about exercising."
"Understood."
Pablo turned and headed for the door.
The three maidservants followed behind him.
As they went, the maidservants whispered among themselves.
"That debauched young master... doesn't he seem different since fainting?"
"Yeah. Speaking clearly, eyes wide open..."
"Did he really injure his head?"
They were clearly talking about me, but they'd already gone too far for me to hear well.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window.
The garden of the ducal estate bloomed with blue flowers. Beyond it, the familiar townscape unfolded.
A beautiful backdrop and buildings straight out of medieval Western Europe, a peaceful village.
Landscapes I'd seen while playing Ariel.
Only then did it sink in. I'd really possessed the world of the game 'Ariel'.
Curiosity suddenly struck.
Unable to resist, I reached out into the air and shouted.
"Status Window."
"......"
Surprisingly, nothing happened.
'Why isn't it working?'
Because the game had become reality? Once a game turns real, it's no longer a game?
No status window was inconvenient.
In the game, I'd obsessively check it like a neat freak to monitor my condition...
Strength, agility, vitality stats, and most importantly, magic power—to decide my class growth path.
Without knowing them, what could I do?
I had to adapt to this world until I found a way back to reality.
First things first: cultivate my abilities and grow.
'Even a trash debauched young master's body must have some talent.'
Ariel was a well-balanced game.
Every character had unique talents, initial stats evenly distributed—no big gaps no matter who you raised.
...Though I wasn't sure if that included villain NPCs like the debauched young master.
Given the game's detail and polish, even throwaway villains probably had proper stat distributions.
'Maybe try Meditation.'
Normally used to recover energy or expel toxins...
Without a status window, I couldn't check this body's Dantian level. Meditation might let me gauge my mana sensitivity.
"Hoo."
I mimicked the game's meditation pose.
Eyes closed, legs crossed, breathing slowly in and out, trying to feel the mana within.
And then.
-Shuuu.
'Oh...!'
Something came.
A formless sensation, like something flowing from the Dantian.
'Is this mana?!'
The sensation grew clearer, swirling at one point. Mana gathering toward the Dantian.
But it didn't last.
'Huh...? What's this?'
The swirling mana flow suddenly leaked out like air from a balloon.
The source: the Dantian itself. A tiny hole where mana should be contained, letting it escape instead of circulating.
Like pouring water into a leaky jar.
Meditation broke, and I opened my eyes.
'...This body's definitely got issues.'
Inability to circulate Dantian mana was fatal.
No circulation meant no conversion to magic power. No magic.
'Body's a mess, and now the Dantian's defective too!'
Despairing.
Was that why debauched young master Sian, who tormented the protagonist, joined the swordsmanship club? Because he couldn't use magic?
Even there, without magic power, he couldn't become a great swordsman...
What happens when an aura blade clashes with a plain wooden sword?
The wooden sword snaps silently.
Those who enhance bodies with mana and coat blades versus pure sword-swinging—worlds apart.
Great Sword Masters had immense Dantian proficiency, even without being mages...
'No wonder he felt inferior to the protagonist... He, from a ducal family, couldn't use magic power, while the fallen baron's son had innate mana talent.'
It made sense. Original Sian... what a hopeless life.
Couldn't dream of high swordsmanship, nor become a mage.
Only status as ducal heir. So he ate, played, neglected a body that couldn't grow anyway. Letting it rot like this.
Kukuk.
A mocking laugh escaped unwittingly.
'Yeah. Yours was a hopeless life.'
But I'm different.
I know the answers.
Choi Jian, Ariel's top player.
A hole in the Dantian? No big deal for me.
First task already in mind.
Possession glitched, but might as well enjoy the game in reality.
I heaved my heavy body up and headed out of the ducal estate.
"Huff, haa, huff."
I ran like mad. Two hours since starting.
Twentieth lap around the vast manor grounds.
Muscles prickled all over. Each step made the heavy fat on my ponderous body jiggle back and forth.
'Fuck... how much did he just eat and lounge to get like this...!'
But I wouldn't yield to mere flesh.
Run till the fat melts. I'm Choi Jian. If I say I'll do it, I do it.
As I vigorously lapped the Brace Ducal Estate, the maidservants watching widened their eyes in shock, whispering.
"What's going on...? The young master exercising?"
"Has his brain fattened up and gone weird...?"
...I can hear you, you know.
What was Sian's reputation like for mere running to shock them?
Beyond imagination trash, apparently.
Well, chasing girls and bullying the protagonist at the academy gave a hint about home behavior.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
I shoved distractions aside, focusing on running.
Unused muscles screamed from sudden use.
But my mind felt clear.
In inverse proportion to bodily pain, clarity sharpened.
Flesh chafed painfully with each stride, but unavoidable.
"Fuck... huff huff..."
As I panted fiercely from the grueling run,
I spotted a twin-tailed girl with the same hair color as mine approaching.