"I finally sucked you dry," a soft feminine voice whispered in a man's ear.
The man, however, didn't respond, and his expression was dark and looked lifeless.
Soon, swooosh—a shadow circled the man like he's some kind of a toy and prey.
"You wasted your life for another woman, for her, to have her; I'm jealous," she said with a sultry sting, a flirtation with a threat wrapped in one smooth seductive moaning.
Woosh—Wooooosh—her shadow danced and floated above him like smoke came to life—curvy, graceful, with small bat wings.
Her eyes blazed red, glowing like embers, and her body radiated heat filled with desire.
"A pity," she said, dangerously so. "You could've studied when you still had the money and resources to raise your rank as a Mana Specialist upon awakening. But no, you chased after that woman instead. Now here you are, struggling in the academy with little to no magic crystals."
She laughed, and then she whispered, "It's too late."
Leaning in close, one could see two horns curled subtly from her head, barely visible beneath flowing black locks that shimmered with an eerie violet glow.
"Because I already drained your life away."
Her voice slithered into his ear like cold silk. Then she chuckled. Deep and amused. Like this was all nothing but a joke.
Thud.
The man's head slammed down on the desk. It echoed through the empty classroom.
She stared at his corpse for a second. Then she turned—swooosh, her smoky figure flickered as she floated through the desk rows.
The room now felt abandoned.
Dust drifted in beams of soft blue light from mana crystals in the ceiling. No students. No laughter. Just cracked walls and splintered wood.
She passed through the classroom wall like a ghost and vanished into the void beyond, leaving nothing but empty silence.
Then—suddenly—a twitch.
The lifeless man's fingers jerked.
Not long after, another finger of his moved.
Suddenly, the lifeless man's back arched. His head whipped up—swooscha!
His eyes wide open.
Suddenly, he gasped, sucking in air as if he had been pulled from drowning.
"Haaaaaah!"
He slumped back in the chair, gasping. His chest heavily heaved.
What... the hell...?
The world felt... different. The air splashing on his face was colder. He shivered. The lighting dimmed. It wasn't the same room anymore, or it didn't feel that way.
The some unknown crystals above flickered faintly.
"Where... am I?" he muttered.
His heart thudded in his chest. His fingers tingle.
Then it hit him. Not just the cold.
Memories. Flashes. One after the other.
A termination letter.
"Nolan is hereby dismissed from his position for encouraging violence on school grounds."
He remembered. That kid. The bully. The hospital.
On his first day of his job as a teacher, Nolan had told the bullied student to fight back, and when he did, both boys ended up in the hospital, with the bully in critical condition.
Worse still, the encouraged student didn't wait to get bullied; he attacked first!
First day, Nolan. Really? he'd told himself. You couldn't even last 24 hours.
Slowly, he exhaled. He always believed in a saying: "Violence is not always the answer, but it is a solution." Look where it got him!
His lips curled bitterly. "What is going on...?"
This wasn't a hospital. This wasn't jail. The air had something in it—he could feel it now. His skin tingled. His surroundings looked medieval. Wood and stone, and strange glowing glyphs carved around the room. It was like waking up inside a fantasy game—
Oh. Speaking of games…
After getting fired and knowing that the police might eventually come to him, Nolan did what any stupid adult would do—he drank.
A lot.
Games aren't fun anymore. Even his childhood favorites only brought nostalgia, not joy. And he felt alone in every single one of them. Fake people. Fake worlds. All of it… hollow.
He wanted new ones. New games. But all of them were not available yet.
So he went outside for more drinks. While he's not in jail yet.
And that's when the truck almost hit him.
Nolan winced at the memory of when he even celebrated that truck-kun didn't kill him and send him to another world.
Until the second truck.
It came from nowhere. Slammed into him like karma itself.
Miraculously, he lived again.
But fate wasn't done.
A third truck came out of a delivery zone like a damn bonus stage!
Triple combo!
That one finally blacked his vision out.
And now... Nolan's here.
Slowly, he looked around.
The room did look like a classroom. But ancient. Yeah, like medieval times. There was chalk. But the board glowed faintly. Strange runes were scribbled across it. Books hovered in place. Desks were made of dark wood. Even the shadows felt like they had a presence here—like they were watching him.
Then something inside his head entered.
A memory.
Not his.
It entered his head like water in a cup.
A young apprentice knight.
He stood tall, armored in silver and blue, holding a practice sword with shaking hands. He was in love—with a girl who smiled like sunlight.
They were close. Their love bloomed like spring flowers. But he had to go for training and duty.
He promised to return.
When he did... she was older. Different.
And already promised to another.
The man who claimed her was cruel. A Mana Knight. He mocked the apprentice knight, then challenged him.
The apprentice knight accepted.
He had no choice. He must take her back from himself.
He even made a pact—with something dark. A shadowy god who offered him dragon power in exchange for... something.
He didn't remember what.
But he lost the duel. Was completely crushed. Despite the pact, despite the strength he gained from that, he lost.
Although he was spared, he was cursed.
And still... he followed her. Even cursed and dying. Even as her figure faded into forbidden lands.
He crossed into darkness.
And there, in the void beyond borders, he awakened.
As a Mana Specialist.
Not a knight.
Not a mage.
Something else.
A guide.
A teacher of mana flow.
The pillar behind the warriors and wizards.
But he had no idea what he was doing.
No one taught him. He made mistakes.
Potions exploded.
Students got sick.
One artifact almost killed a noble's son.
His reputation collapsed.
No one came to his classes.
Without students, he couldn't gain mana crystals.
Without crystals, the curse drained him.
Until it killed him.
And now, here he was.
Nolan's eyes widened.
"…I transmigrated."
He said it out loud. No one was around to hear it.
"I'm in someone else's body."
His pulse quickened. The sensation of another life still dancing on his skin felt really weird.
Then—
BANG!
The door burst open.
Nolan jumped in his seat.
Who?
Suddenly, the old wooden door creaked open with a tired groan.
Nolan flinched.
A group of students filed in.
They wore the light, pre-armor training uniforms of the Blade Knight Academy—fitted dark-blue coats with silver linings, and high-collared shirts tucked beneath.
Each one had a sword strapped to their backs and a silver badge on their shoulders.
Apprentice Mana Knights.
They didn't speak.
Just walked straight toward him.
Click. Click. Click.
Boots echoed against the stone floor as they approached. Each of them—twelve in total—placed five shimmering mana crystals on Nolan's desk. A total of sixty. The gems pulsed faintly with inner light, casting odd glows across his expression.
Then they turned without a word, taking their seats one by one.
Nolan stared at the pile. "Uh…"
His mouth was slightly open, but no words followed.
He looked at the students. Most of them were already leaning back, arms crossed or eyes closed as if they were meditating and resting.
A minute of silence passed.
Nolan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Are… are you all the Class A apprentices?"
No one answered.
Then—one of them opened her eyes.
A girl.
She sat in the middle row but commanded attention the way a queen does. She had a voluptuous frame, but the sharpness in her eyes could cut an iron.
She leaned forward, arms on her knees. "We know who you are."
Her tone was cool but not hostile. Just final.
She gestured to the desk. "We didn't pay for your class. We paid for the silence. We're resting for the Promotion Test tomorrow. So don't say anything."
Nolan blinked. "Ah…"
Right.
Of course.
They didn't come here to learn.
They came here to avoid everyone else.
The test tomorrow—if they passed, they'd become official apprentice Mana Knights.
Not just normal in-name students anymore.
They were on the edge of the real thing.
No wonder they wanted to meditate in peace. And no wonder they chose his classroom—the most ignored one in the academy.
He gave a slow nod and leaned back in the chair.
The silence returned.
Then—his eyes dropped to the crystals again.
Mana crystals.
The same ones the original owner of this body had desperately needed. The same ones he lacked. The same reason the curse devoured him.
And now… they were sitting right here.
He couldn't help it.
Slowly and cautiously, Nolan reached his hand forward.
He touched one.
The moment his finger brushed the gem, it vanished.
Poof.
So did the others.
All twelve students still had their eyes shut, but one or two cracked an eyelid, confusion flickering across their faces, but they immediately shut their eyes again.
"What the—" Nolan jerked his hand back.
The crystals were gone.
Every single one.
In their place—hovering just above the surface of the desk—was a faint and transparent rectangle of light.
Words scrolled across it.
Loading…
Searching for an Internet connection…
"What the hell?" Nolan's jaw hung loose.
Internet?
His fingers twitched.
He looked around.
The classroom hadn't changed.
The walls were still made of weathered stone.
The windows narrow.
The ceiling was timbered.
Wooden desks, creaky chairs, and faded tapestries of mana symbols hanging along the wall.
Definitely not Earth.
Yet… the screen looked like something from his old laptop.
"Am I… still from Earth?" he whispered.
But then—he remembered. The memories flooding his mind weren't his.
The apprentice knight. The girl. The pact. The duel. The loss. The curse.
The slow, suffocating death.
It wasn't his life. But it was now his body.
His head throbbed on what was going on.
Suddenly, the door opened again.
He looked up, startled.
This time, only one person entered.
A young man with silver hair tied behind his head, wearing a more formal instructor's uniform.
He stood straight and spoke loud enough for the whole class to hear.
"Everyone, Teacher William says you can rest in his classroom for free. It's more comfortable."
The students sat up immediately.
A sultry girl with sharp eyes gave a slight nod. "Let's go."
They stood one by one, grabbed their weapons, and filed out in practiced formation. A few looked back at Nolan.
Some with amusement.
Some with indifference.
Most just didn't care.
Nolan didn't blame them.
Teacher William, according to the memories in his head, was a 9th-stage apprentice Mana Knight.
A real Combat Mana Specialist.
His reputation carried weight. He had actual skills and actual combat experience.
This body?
1st-stage Mana Specialist. No specialization. Only 6th-stage apprentice Mana Knight strength.
Basically, he was the academy's leftover scrap.
Now alone again, Nolan leaned back and exhaled slowly.
His eyes drifted back to the screen.
Still there.
Still floating.
Still glowing.
Loading…
Searching for an Internet connection…
His fingers hovered near it. He didn't dare touch it again.
"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered.
His thoughts spiraled.
Earth.
Magic.
Curse.
Mana Crystals.
This screen.
Nothing was added up.
He reached out, almost touching the display again.
Then—he froze.
Almost immediately, a silky, sultry, teasing and slithering whisper appeared behind his ears.
"I thought I already sucked you dry…"