Chapter 2
Splash!
Cold water slammed into my face, jolting me awake. Whoever was washing up had doused me way too aggressively—my clothes were soaked through—but this wasn't the time to care about that.
Please...
I desperately hoped it wasn't what I thought it was as I slowly lifted my head to face the mirror.
A sharp-featured man stared back, with jet-black hair like midnight and piercing blue eyes that sparkled with an otherworldly gleam. His proportions were damn good, but he looked soft, like he hadn't seen the inside of a gym in years.
"No bullshit, seriously..."
My brain already knew this was reality, but denying it was human nature. No matter how much I rubbed my eyes or squinted from every angle, nothing changed.
I'd possessed a character in a novel.
The guy in the mirror was Han Siwoo, an extra in the novel I'd been reading: The Lonely Lady, shorthand LonLady.
For a split second, I wondered, Is this a dream after all? But then I remembered tumbling around after kicking the wall in confusion at how different this room was from my bedroom before entering the bathroom.
"Thinking about it makes it hurt like a bitch."
Grabbing my throbbing leg, I limped toward the door, nearly slipping on the wet floor. This body had some serious physical specs—my reflexes kicked in hard, shooting out an arm to catch myself before anything broke. Note to self: be careful with the water next time I wash up.
*
After changing out of my wet clothes, I started rummaging through the house to get a proper read on the situation. It was someone else's body, so the place was totally different from my old apartment, but muscle memory made it feel somewhat familiar.
It was a studio, not huge, but livable. Digging into the inner pocket of a coat tossed carelessly on the floor turned up a beat-up wallet and bankbook.
First, the wallet: a few ten-thousand-won bills and a student ID.
I stuffed the cash in my pocket and checked the ID. Same face as in the mirror, plus info on me.
"Name's... yeah, Han Siwoo. Age twenty."
At the bottom was the star-shaped logo of Astel Academy, the setting for LonLady.
Astel Academy trained knights, mages, espers—all kinds of Awakened.
Right. LonLady was an esper academy story. More precisely, it was a novel about possessing a game called The Failing Holy Sword Hero of the Academy, shorthand AcaFailHoly.
So I'm in a possession story... inside a possession story. What a clusterfuck.
And LonLady was a TS possession tale. Somewhere in this world, a guy in a beautiful girl's body was roaming around.
Worse, LonLady's protagonist used her stunning looks and overpowered strength to seduce everyone—men, women, young, old.
"Urk..."
Something was rising in my gut. Seducing everyone meant a dude in a girl's body was even hitting on guys!
I'd only read part 1 before possessing, but by the end of that, most of Astel Academy was already her captive.
"I will not fall for her temptations."
The words came out all solemn, but getting crushing feelings for a guy on the inside? Hard pass.
I pulled out the phone from the coat pocket and started searching around. Had to check if anything differed from what I knew.
The previous Hero died to the Demon King, and a new Saintess was born. Same deal.
The world was at war with the Demon King. The game AcaFailHoly—the basis for LonLady—followed a girl who became the new Hero after the last one's death.
Of course, that's just mentioned in LonLady, not real here.
Other details matched too: some demons allying with humans against the Demon King, rifts spawning magic beasts everywhere.
"Looks like it's the world I know. No major changes."
Maybe I could relax a bit.
Naturally, being an Astel Academy student meant I was Awakened too.
"Han Siwoo... wielded a sword, right?"
He was that persistent villain extra who kept popping up.
But LonLady's protag Dina and AcaFailHoly's Stia were such munchkins that he seemed like a fly.
LonLady was about a guy in a girl's body building a harem and reverse harem, but it was set in the AcaFailHoly world, deep in Demon King war. One wrong move, and heads rolled.
To survive, stick to the protagonists—they're in every major event but safest.
Of course, that required baseline combat power.
"A status window would make this so much easier..."
Seeing the status cleared up why Han Siwoo was always just an extra. Loaded with great traits, but Mana Insensitivity kept most unawakened.
Phone said enrollment was a month away. Wall had a sword hanging—fitting for an aspiring knight.
Goal before academy: ditch the negative trait, awaken a few others.
Luckily, the LonLady author posted detailed unused settings in notices, and I'd read them obsessively. I knew the methods.
Key was curing Mana Insensitivity, but I lacked specs for the required dungeon.
Boost basics first.
Swordsmanship Prodigy needed mana sensitivity and 10+ Magic stat, so fix Insensitivity and hit minimums to awaken it.
With that, I'd hold my own at academy.
"Time to train."
Couldn't raise Magic with Insensitivity, but other stats would creep up with exercise.
Grabbed the sword to head out, but real steel on first swings seemed risky. Snagged the wooden one rolling underneath instead.
*
Before training, one experiment: can I see others' status windows?
If yes, game-changer.
LonLady's Dina couldn't see anyone's—not even her own.
To test, I headed to a crowded street.
This world favored magic over tech, so the night sky floated with countless stars. Never seen so many.
Body knew the way; I barely thought about crowds before legs carried me there.
Late as it was—sun long set—the street buzzed with life. Street performers under lamplight, vendors hawking food. A guy breathed fire to grill skewers; a mom chilled a kid's shaved ice with frost from her hand.
Quintessential fantasy: everyday magic and espers.
I was so entranced I forgot the status test—until a massive explosion rocked ahead.
Boom!
"Villain!"
People fled from the blast. Beasts and Demon King weren't the only threats. In a world of magic and espers, villains lost to power, causing terror.
Heroes handled rifts, Demon King wars, and villain hunts.
No power yet, so I turned to run. My specs? Slightly above average adult male. Useless against an esper.
Best move: bolt, fetch a hero.
As I spun, my eyes locked on two figures.
A woman gripped a sword, striding toward the explosion. She'd been selling drinks at the cafe by the skewer stand moments ago.