I sat on the edge of my bed.
Two minutes had passed since I woke up in this new body.
My body?
Still didn't feel like mine.
My mind raced through theories — isekai? Transmigration? Coma dream?
Nothing really fit.
Death was the most likely trigger. I remembered my last breath.
And now I was here.
In a sunlit dorm that smelled faintly of old books and ink.
As I stood, the wooden floor creaked softly beneath my bare feet.
The golden light pouring through the windows felt real.
Warm.
Comforting.
Too real to be anything artificial.
I walked toward the desk.
It was cluttered — chaotic, even — stacked with notes, sketches, and mechanical parts.
I could recognize some of them: basic blueprints for ammo, shell cartridges, ignition stones.
And... guns?
That couldn't be right.
From what I gathered, I was a student. This was way beyond student level.
But here... these schematics? They weren't amateur work. Whoever drew them was borderline genius—or completely unhinged.
Nestled among the mess, a sleek black tablet caught my eye.
I picked it up.
A soft hum. A faint blue glow. Then—
> [Unlocking device... Scanning facial features... Matching iris...]
[User unlock successful!]
A ripple passed through the air.
A translucent interface unfolded in front of me like some next-gen hologram.
> [Hello, user. Welcome to Hero Academy.]
[Loading information... 1%... 60%... 88%... 100%]
[STUDENT PROFILE LOADED]
→ Name: Axel Calford
→ Rank: 1509 / 2250
→ Class: A-1
→ Course: Crafting, Basic Combat
→ Profession: Marksman - Swordsman Hybrid
→ Potential: C Rank
→ Current: E Rank
There it was.
The moment of confirmation.
This was Hero Chronicles.
But...
> Axel Calford.
That name.
I knew every character in the game. Main quests, side quests, even the flavor text from random lore NPCs.
Axel wasn't one of them.
I would've remembered a name like that.
I would've remembered that face in the mirror.
I mean, come on—he looked like a cute porcelain doll.
The fandom would've gone feral over him.
And yet... nothing.
Not a forum post.
Not a wiki mention.
Not even a buggy placeholder sprite.
It was as if Axel had never existed.
...Which meant I had become a nonexistent character in the world I once knew inside and out.
"Great," I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. "I got transmigrated into cut content."
I glanced back at the tablet.
> Rank: 1509 / 2250.
Trash.
I wasn't even average.
Just another nameless extra...
A disposable name on a long list of forgettables.
I gave a dry, joyless chuckle.
"So even in reincarnation, I'm bottom of the barrel. Guess equality really is a scam."
The question rang again in my head.
Are we equal?
No.
Some people get reincarnated as protagonists.
Others get reborn with cheat skills.
And then there's me.
The debug file. But that's not to say that I want to be a protagonists. I mean who would want to become a human danger magnet? Not me thank you very much. But I am jealous of his would be harem...
And his stats... I would need stats like those if I ever want to survive the demon invasion.
I slid open one of the desk drawers, hoping for more clues about who Axel was.
Inside, I found a strange object.
It looked like a Rubik's cube — but it clicked with smooth, unnatural precision. Not plastic. Metal. Polished matte black and crimson edges. Each face etched with glowing symbols.
The moment I touched it, the system flickered to life again.
> [Item obtained: Multi-tool Rubik's Cube]
→ An invention by Axel Calford.
→ A puzzle-tool capable of shifting forms based on solution codes.
Current registered forms:
•Handgun
•Cannon
Huh. Useful.
Then the screen shifted again.
> [Ruby AI integrating... 10%... 68%... 100%]
Ruby AI?
[Ruby AI initialized.]
"Hiya, creator! Ruby online and operational!"
A small red light blinked on the cube. It morphed, pieces folding outward until a tiny mechanical creature hovered in front of me — like a mini drone with a pair of digital eyes and a pixelated mouth.
It looked... absurdly cute. Like one of those mini desk robots you see on Tiktok edits.
"…What the hell are you?"
> "I'm Ruby! Your assistant, weapon calibration manager, personal reminder system!"
I stared blankly. "Do I get a return policy?"
> "Nope! You made me, remember? We're stuck together for life."
That last line seemed like a threat.
So Axel was the kind of guy who made anime AI's for fun?
Actually… that tracked.
The schematics. The tools. The personalized weaponry.
This wasn't just a hobbyist.
Whoever Axel had been — if he ever existed — he was something else.
Background character? Maybe.
But definitely brilliant.
And if this cube was any indication, he had talent. Maybe even potential to break out of that E-Rank box he'd been shoved into.
I sat down and began to sort through the desk.
One thing was clear now:
This was going to be a hard year.
The game I once mastered had rules I never knew about.
Hidden systems. Forgotten characters.
And I was one of them.
A variable in the code.
The kind of person the world doesn't notice… until they rewrite the script.
"Sigh, so when do classes start?" I threw that question into the air.
>"Classes start in three days at 08:00! Would you like me to set an alarm?"
Ruby the ever helpful AI assistant chirped excitedly. Seriously that thing is way too cute.
"Yeah, an alarm would be helpful thanks."