Normally, when some people open their eyes in a different world, they often don't understand what's happening at first. Some even react with fear. However, when Jack opened his eyes inside the fantasy novel he had read, his first reaction was calm and composed:
"Ah, I see. So I've been transported to a fantasy world… or reincarnated."
Why did he react this way? Because in his previous world, he was a high school student who spent all his free time reading hundreds of anime, manga, and novels—so this situation didn't surprise him at all.
(Of course, he always made sure to follow the rules and never broke them while reading.)
Still, the reason he understood it so quickly wasn't just his reading habits.
He was in a room, sitting on a bed directly across from a mirror on the right wall. When he looked at the mirror, he saw his face and body. Black hair, black eyes, and a thin, average build. He stood up and walked toward the mirror. He wanted to see his face more closely. First, he touched his face, then his hair, and smiled.
Right next to the mirror was a strange window, reminiscent of medieval designs, filled with mixed, vibrant colors. He opened it—and in that exact moment, he understood everything.
He was inside the novel he had read. Dragons were flying through the sky, men dressed in old-fashioned cloaks walked the streets, and women, dressed as if they were heading to a noble's private banquet, passed by.
Suddenly, he turned back to the mirror.
"My black hair and black eyes prove I'm just an ordinary guy!"
His faint smile turned into a wide grin.
He couldn't take his eyes off the scenery outside.
What he felt was pure excitement. But the reason he was excited was different.
The fact that he would also be a plain and simple person in this reincarnated world made him happy. The biggest reason for this was the common lore he had read in fantasy novels.
If your hair color was black, you were almost always from the common folk. In this world, nobles usually had colorful hair.
But still, relying only on that one assumption might cause trouble for him.
He decided to leave the room.
Just as he stepped outside, he heard a woman's voice:
"If you didn't wake up soon, I was going to come to your room. Come on, hurry up—you're going to be late for school."
The voice was coming from the kitchen across the hallway.
Curiously, he walked to the kitchen.
There, in front of a boiling pot, was a woman cooking. When she noticed him, she gestured toward the food she had prepared.
"Come on, don't just stand there—eat your food."
He nodded in agreement, sat down, and started eating.
While eating, he was also observing the woman.
She had the same black hair and black eyes as he did.
In that moment, he thought about taking a little risk. Testing her, he said:
"Mom, I had a strange dream."
He wanted to confirm whether she was actually his mother.
The woman looked surprised and replied,
"A strange dream? What kind of dream, Alex?"
At that moment, he was sure of two things:
This woman was indeed his mother, and his new name was Alex.
"It just slipped my mind," he replied with a grin.
The woman narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You? Forget something? Alex, I know you're not a brilliant student at the magic academy, but I also know you're not the type to forget things easily."
And just like that, Alex learned something else—he was attending a magic academy.
Yawning sleepily, he said:
"Mom, maybe I didn't get enough sleep… That's probably why. Ah, right! I remember now. In my dream, I mixed up the name of my magic school."
His mother furrowed her brow, clearly annoyed.
"Are you joking with me, Alex? How can you forget that you're a first-year at the Royal Magic Academy?"
Then, in a comical way, she smacked him on the head with her ladle.
This new piece of information irritated Alex a little.
The Royal Academy would occasionally accept commoners into the school to suppress potential uprisings and spread the illusion that everyone had a chance—that the world was fair.
But of course, this so-called "opportunity" was a complete lie.
So far, no student from the common folk had ever graduated.
Clearly, Alex was just another token entry.
Though in truth, this wasn't what bothered him the most.
All of the protagonists and major characters in the book studied at the Royal Academy.
And Alex absolutely hated main characters.
He was someone who always preferred normalcy and was perfectly happy being a background character.
Even though he was a side character in this reincarnated world, studying at that academy posed a big risk.
Luckily, Alex had learned a lot from the manga and anime in his previous life.
1—Never get close to the main character!!!
2—Stay away from all the girls around the main character!!!
(Note: To avoid triggering a harem route, don't even talk to them!!!)
3—Only interact with people you're sure are side characters.
4—No matter what, never become strong. Let the protagonists and their crew save the world.
5—Never forget! You are NOT a hero! You're a plain, simple background character.
With these simple rules he created in his head, Alex left the house and started walking to school.
As he walked through the streets, he could feel the reality of the world from the wind brushing against his face.
Children ran through the streets. Dragons soared through the skies as if performing an elegant dance.
Alex suddenly thought:
"What would happen if dragons and humans weren't living in peace?"
The world he was in was far stranger than the books he'd read.
Wizards, dragons, elves, goblins, orcs, witches, vampires, werewolves… So many more species that he couldn't even recall at the moment were part of this world.
"Why did the author create a world with so many different races anyway?" he thought to himself.
While lost in thought, admiring the beauty of the dragons above, he suddenly bumped into someone.
"Ahhh!" a girl cried out as she fell, letting out a pained yelp.
Naturally, Alex also stumbled and fell to the other side from the impact.
"Hey, watch it! You look like some idiot who's never seen a dragon before, staring at the sky like that!" the girl said angrily.
When Alex looked at the girl, he immediately realized who she was.
Yes, there was no doubt.
Pink braided hair and emerald eyes like jewels…
She was Arina Sodew, the villainess who fell in love with the story's main character.
Alex knew exactly what he had to do.
"I didn't do it on purpose. I'm sorry."
He spoke so quickly that Arina barely heard him.
Arina dusted off her clothes and stood up.
"Well, judging by your uniform, I guess we go to the same school. And black hair… so you're a commoner."
"Yes, I'm a commoner. Please continue seeing me that way."
He smiled and quickly walked away.
"Is this guy seriously an idiot? Did he not get that I was insulting him?" Arina thought.
By that time, Alex had already walked far ahead, clenching his fist like he had just achieved victory.
"Yes! I dodged that one! I'll keep avoiding all the girls around the main character. And from now on, I'll never gaze at the sky in admiration again!"
Alex had arrived at the front gate of the school.
"Whoa… It looks even bigger than it did in the book…"