Chapter 3: If You Can't Resist, You Might as Well Enjoy It
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: If You Can't Resist, You Might as Well Enjoy It
"Could it be some kind of prophetic dream?"
Muen tapped the cover of the black book, lost in thought.
The more he considered it, the more "prophetic dream" seemed like the only logical explanation for a dream so bizarre yet so viscerally real.
Of course, that was only one theory.
"If it really was a prophetic dream... did I do something wrong to end up like that?" Muen murmured, his face pale.
The agonizing sensation of being sliced apart still seemed to crawl across his skin. No one could remain perfectly calm after discovering their future might involve being subjected to a death by a thousand cuts.
"But who could hate me that much? To be so cruel?"
In the dream, that shadowy figure had claimed it was all for "love," but Muen didn't buy it for a second. What kind of love involves carving someone into pieces? Even a psychopathic serial killer wouldn't be that unhinged! Even if you have some twisted, perverted fetish, you should at least leave the body in one piece!
"The safest bet is to find that black shadow..."
Muen quickly settled on a plan. As long as he identified the killer before they could act, avoiding that ending should be simple given his status as a Duke’s son.
But...
"It seems... impossible."
Cold sweat dripped from Muen’s forehead.
To find that shadow, he needed clues. But the prophetic dream hadn't revealed anything useful. The figure’s voice and appearance were completely indistinguishable; he could only vaguely tell it was a woman.
Trying to guess her identity based on that alone was a fool's errand. Muen Campbell had offended far too many people. Even the maids in the Duke’s manor might have reached their breaking point with his usual villainy and decided to take drastic revenge.
"In the end, it’s all because you did too many terrible things."
Muen let out a long sigh, wishing he could personally beat the original host to a pulp. But that was impossible now—he was the original host. He had to answer for the sins Muen Campbell had committed.
"No, I have to find a solution. Even if it's just a theory, I refuse to be sliced into ribbons."
"Ah, right! That black book!"
Muen finally remembered the culprit that had given him a front-row seat to his own execution.
"Huh?"
Muen looked around for the missing black book, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, the book reappeared before him.
"Did it... enter my body?"
He focused his mind again, and sure enough, the black book turned into a streak of dark light and vanished into him. Muen could clearly sense it resting quietly somewhere within his consciousness.
"That’s incredible!"
Muen was overjoyed. "Am I saved?"
With a heart full of excitement, Muen summoned the black book. He pressed his palms together and prayed fervently:
"Black book, oh black book, whether I can turn the tables depends entirely on you, Great One."
"Open!"
With a loud shout, Muen flipped the black book open.
【Muen let out a loud shout and flipped open the black book.】
Muen: "?"
Nothing happened after he opened it, except for those words appearing on the pristine white first page. It was like a diary, recording Muen’s every move in real-time.
"What the hell? That’s it?"
【Muen shook the black book back and forth, but nothing happened.】
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
Muen’s lip twitched. He stared at the text on the page, then reached out tentatively to pick up a nearby mirror.
【Muen picked up the mirror.】
He put it down.
【Muen put down the mirror.】
He looked into the mirror.
【Muen looked at himself in the mirror and, as usual, thought he looked exceptionally handsome.】
"You’re trolling me, aren't you?!"
Muen slammed the black book down in a rage. It was useless! He’d gotten his hopes up for nothing.
【Muen began to vent his impotent fury.】
"..."
Muen covered his face, speechless and wanting to cry.
"What was I even expecting?"
A yellow-haired villain is just a yellow-haired villain. A disposable extra is just a disposable extra. Did he really think he could become the protagonist just because of some mysterious book? He was dreaming!
"As expected, this world isn't very friendly to a guy with yellow hair, is it?"
The fact that the black book could at least show him a glimpse of his tragic future was probably the only mercy heaven was willing to grant him.
"But can't you be just a little more useful? Just a tiny bit more? At least let me know if that dream was a prophecy or something else!"
Muen shook the mysterious book—which, despite everything, felt strangely familiar—and ground his teeth.
"Even if I die, I want to die knowing why!"
The black book remained unchanged.
【Sigh.】
Just as Muen was about to give up, he heard a faint, ethereal sigh. Then, words suddenly appeared on the snow-white title page.
Words in blood-red ink.
【Do not change.】
"..."
Muen’s pupils shrank. "Do not change... what does that mean?"
"Are you warning me? That I can't change the plot, or I'll face that kind of ending?"
"But why? If I don't change anything, won't my end be miserable anyway?"
【For】
【Fate】
The words surfaced as if an invisible hand were squeezing Muen’s heart. But no matter how much he questioned it after that, the black book remained silent. It went back to being a simple, unadorned text repeater.
"So, in the end, my hopes were just a pipe dream?"
After standing dazed for a long time, Muen finally let out a bitter smile.
"To stay alive, I have to choose to walk toward my own destruction?"
Before transmigrating, he was just an ordinary office worker. He didn't have the grand ambition to fight against fate, especially in a situation where there was no visible path to victory.
He was scared. He had no choice but to be scared.
"Actually, if I think about it seriously, the ending in the original novel wasn't that bad."
At least in the original story, Muen Campbell didn't lose his life. He was just stripped of his noble status and reduced to a commoner.
"Wait... hold on."
Thinking of this, a bolt of inspiration struck Muen as he spotted a crucial detail.
"Come to think of it, why did I become a beggar in the original book?"
It wasn't explicitly mentioned, but it wasn't hard to guess.
Muen Campbell, the proud son of a Duke, was suddenly stripped of his title, turned into a commoner, and kicked out of the house. Because the order came directly from the Emperor and was strictly enforced, even the Duke and his wife couldn't help him in secret.
A pampered young master who grew up arrogant and overbearing—even if the King decreed his past crimes forgiven and forbade anyone from seeking revenge—what survival skills did he have as a commoner?
None!
Could he support himself?
Hardly! He didn't have the ability!
He probably couldn't stand the poverty and went to some loan sharks the very next day. Then, unable to pay them back, he likely had his limbs broken and was forced to become a pathetic beggar.
"But I’m different!"
Muen slapped his knee and spoke with conviction.
Who was he? He wasn't that noble waste Muen Campbell who only knew how to abuse his family's power. He was a veteran worker tempered by the fires of the modern "996" and "007" grind!
Forget becoming a commoner—even if he were turned into a sewer rat, he could survive! And he’d survive well!
"And most importantly, I can use this to escape the protagonist's influence and live a truly free life!"
Hope sparked in Muen’s eyes once more. He had already died once for no reason in his previous life; in this life, he wanted to cherish his existence.
Honestly, when he thought about it, there was nothing worth missing about being a noble.
"It’s just a privileged class built on the exploitation of the hardworking masses. As a red-blooded, socialist proletarian warrior, I can only look upon it with disdain!"