LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Someone once said that reincarnation is like a roulette wheel.
You could end up as a human, a dog, or even a cockroach crawling on the floor.
So, just being born as a human means you’ve survived this cruel gacha game.
To get straight to the point, I did survive this game of luck.
Up until this point, things were quite hopeful.
Compared to my previous life, where I collapsed from overwork and died in a tragic accident.
But, unfortunately…
I messed up terribly with the rest of my luck.
The place where I opened my eyes was neither the familiar South Korea nor anywhere else on the Earth…
Because it was a scene from the bleak novel I was reading.
Well, I could accept that much.
They say it’s better to be alive, even if you’re rolling in a pile of dung; at least this wasn’t the afterlife.
But then…
“Why on earth… did it have to be Han Siha?!”
I ended up possessing an extra villain in this bleak novel, one with an abysmally low survival rate.
Moreover, it was a one-time villain who gets brutally murdered in the first chapter.
At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder about that ‘someone.’
“…Is this really good luck?”
* * *
The Smart Academy Life.
A fantasy series known by the abbreviated name “Smart Academy.”
Even though it frequently went on hiatus during its long serialization spanning hundreds of chapters, it always maintained its position as the number one bestseller.
With a perfect buildup of satisfying revenge and spicy bleakness, the story was so engrossing that once you picked it up, you’d be drawn in until the latest chapter.
Even when I was struggling as a veterinary student, preparing for the national exams.
Even during the moment I collapsed from overwork and died as an intern after graduation.
I was always with that novel.
“It was really fun, it really was.”
The problem was…
“If only the damn author hadn’t disappeared.”
A long notice starting with “Sorry…” announcing the hiatus.
The hiatus notice, which said they’d be back in a few months, became a sign of perpetual suspension.
The author never showed up again, even as the comment section exploded with rage.
It was a novel that could have been a masterpiece, setting a milestone in fantasy literature, but it ended without a conclusion.
Despite this, I had followed it for years, hoping that one day it would return.
There were countless unresolved plot points, and the last chapter ended in such a cliffhanger that it drove me crazy.
But then…
You know that cliché, right?
Where someone writes a long rant about a suspended novel, sends a scathing email to the author, and then ends up being possessed by a character in that very novel.
That kind of obvious cliché.
If it had been something like that, I could understand.
But I can swear, I never left a single malicious comment or critical remark.
During all the hundreds of chapters I read, the most I ever said was “Thanks for the great read.”
Even in the chapter where the hiatus began.
But…
“Why me…?”
I ended up being possessed in “Smart Academy.”
“Sure, the novel is good… possession is good…”
“But why on earth this guy?”
Someone like me, who had lived a life completely opposite to a protagonist’s, might have dreamed at least once of becoming the ‘protagonist’ in a scene from a novel.
In the end, I did stand on the stage of that scene.
On the receiving end of a beating.
“…”
Ding-.
[Character Han Siha, starting review.]
A talentless F-Class Tamer.
On the brink of flunking. Has a keen interest in black magic and is conducting research.
With a petty temper, unable to control his anger, he eventually dies as an extra.
Magic Power: 45
Health: 13
Intelligence: 20
Senses: 17
Charm: 4
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Apart from the name, there was really nothing about this guy that resembled me.
“…Did I do something wrong?”
This message window flickering before my eyes confirmed that I had indeed been possessed in “Smart Academy.”
Look at that terrifying character introduction.
An incompetent Tamer who couldn’t even control his own rising magic power.
Even though he initially drew attention at the Academy’s entrance due to his innate magic, that was all.
He was ostracized for being unable to properly handle the monsters he summoned, eventually turning to black magic in despair.
He ended up being a minion for black mages, cursing the protagonist, only to be miserably beaten and killed.
“Ugh.”
This is horrible.
Why did it have to be this kind of character I possessed?
Just thinking about the miserable end of Han Siha gives me the chills.
And…
Considering my current situation, my legs start trembling uncontrollably.
A cold gaze, paired with a face too intimidating to look at, glanced in my direction and spoke.
“Who is it?”
“A student from Ardel Academy asking to be let in just this once.”
Drip, drip.
Chilling droplets fell from the ceiling, echoing loudly in the cave with every word.
It would have been ten times better to fall into a dungeon teeming with monsters.
Because…
This was a subsidiary facility of the black mages.
And not just any place, but the reception area where new recruits are processed.
A place so secretive that it was nearly impossible to find unless you delved deeply.
Quickly scanning the area with my eyes, I realized what was happening.
Of all times…
I happened to possess him at this very moment.
From the perspective of Han Siha, a first-year student who was despised as a failure, seeking out the black mages.
He had meticulously searched through various forbidden books and asked around, finally discovering the subsidiary facility.
On his own. With his own two feet.
“…”
Ah.
This is seriously messed up.
* * *
A mage with his face hidden by a robe spoke in a low voice.
It was a voice so unpleasant that it sent chills down my spine just hearing it.
“Ardel Academy?”
“…”
“Keep him alive. He might be of some use.”
“Yes, understood.”
If it had been any other intruder, they would have been sent straight to the afterlife the moment they stepped in.
The man, who nodded at the mention of Ardel Academy, quickly walked away.
Clomp, clomp.
Even just hearing his receding footsteps felt like it was shaving years off my life.
Only then did I try to clear my head by taking a deep breath.
Well, I had survived for now, but it still wasn’t a particularly positive situation.
“We’ll ask for your name once we’re inside.”
“Yes, understood.”
The man spoke calmly.
Here, surface-level information like names or ages doesn’t matter.
Through a blood oath, I would soon be permanently bound to this organization.
“Follow me.”
After a brief conversation, if they found me to be a useful talent, they’d let me live; if not, I’d be killed right here.
Of course, Han Siha was the former.
He was a lousy Tamer who couldn’t even properly control his magic, but he had a fair amount of talent in black magic.
Ordinary people could never enter this place.
The fact that I found this place on my own despite the barriers meant I had at least some basic talent for black magic.
Am I really getting sucked into this mess?
My mind goes blank.
Even if I don’t die here today, it’s obvious that I’ll eventually be killed by the righteous protagonists.
The genre of “Smart Academy Life” was bleak, after all.
The title might suggest a somewhat romantic academy life, but the reality was different.
And the reason this novel turned bleak was undoubtedly because of this organization.
The main conflict in the story revolved around the pure-hearted protagonists and their friends, constantly under attack by the black mages.
The black mages, who had lost their power compared to the past, secretly grew their strength underground before finally emerging to take over Ardel Academy, only to be wiped out by the protagonist and his allies.
But there’s no need to think too far ahead.
In truth, Han Siha was just a one-time villain who dies long before that happens.
How depressing.
But this is not the way.
Even if I manage to survive this crisis, staying here will certainly lead to my death.
“…”
I was quietly muttering to myself, trying to gauge the situation.
Screeeech!
A shrill scream, like that of a pig being slaughtered, pierced my ears.
The man in the black robe who was guiding me spoke up.
“It’s worse than usual today. We should set up a soundproof barrier.”
His voice continued, calm yet chilling.
In this place, where the sound of a pig being slaughtered serves as a basic background noise like ASMR.
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, frantically thinking.
“Haha…”
“To have come all the way here recklessly, I must commend your courage. Do you know the procedure for joining?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then, let’s proceed that way.”
His face was half-covered by cloth.
I swallowed hard, barely managing to keep a straight face as his icy words grew more intense.
Once the blood is drawn and the oath is made, there’s no way to escape this place.
I need to decide.
If I try to run now, what’s the chance they’ll discover my true identity? Maybe fifty-fifty?
I’m in a situation where I have to gamble with my life.
They say if you keep your wits about you, you can survive even in a tiger’s den.
No matter how close to death I am, I should never have set foot in this place.
The black mages’ organization that was utterly destroyed by the righteous protagonists.
If I stay with them, my fate won’t change much either.
I must escape.
Without looking back.
But how?
How on earth do I escape?!
If they were going to throw me into a bleak story without any explanation, the least they could have done was put me in at a safer point. Even games have tutorials, but this life starts right off with the real thing.
Then again, if I were destined to die right after entering, I wouldn’t have been possessed in the first place.
I haven’t yet let go of the slim hope that if I keep my wits about me, I might survive this tiger’s den.
“Whew.”
Is there a way out?
As I quickly scanned the cave’s interior, which was connected like a complex maze, that slaughtered scream echoed again, even more painful than before.
Screeeech!
At that sound, the robed man’s face briefly stiffened.
“Is there a problem?”
“…!”
“Wait here for a moment. It seems there’s an issue in the basement.”
Swoosh.
He frowned as he took out his crooked staff.
Quickly turning to check the problem, he walked away.
Could this be…
As I cautiously observed and let my eyes gleam, an unexpected notification popped up.
Ding-.
A blue status window different from before appeared in front of me.
[Syncing the story to Han Siha’s perspective.]
[Syncing 10 percent.]
[Syncing 70 percent….]
[Sync complete.]
What is this…
[Recommendation: Escape from the black mages.]
This is my chance.