My consciousness returned slowly. My head was still throbbing, a remnant of the journey that felt like it shattered every atom in my body. I opened my eyes.
It wasn't the sky of Etheria I saw, but a plain white ceiling. I was lying on a cold, gray ceramic floor. I immediately propped myself up, and my eyes scanned the room. It was an empty room. Completely empty. No windows, no doors, just white walls that seemed endless. The light came from everywhere with no clear source, illuminating the room without shadows.
Amidst the strangeness, one thing immediately caught my attention—and calmed my still-jittery nerves: a simple wooden desk. On it was a water dispenser with a full bottle, three packs of cigarettes (luckily not the cheap kind), several sachets of instant coffee, a mug, and most importantly: an old laptop that was still on.
"At least there's coffee and cigarettes," I mumbled to myself, my voice hoarse. My legs were still trembling as I walked to the desk. The ritual was automatic: pour coffee, hot water, light a cigarette. Nicotine and caffeine flowed through my blood, slightly dispelling the panic that was starting to set in. This is fine. I was used to dealing with error-ridden code, and this was just a… very strange environment.
Once my breathing steadied, my eyes turned to the laptop. Its screen was on, displaying a very simple interface with a title at the top: \[Preparation System - Etheria\].
"Hah, so this is the 'learning opportunity'?" I muttered cynically. My finger was already dancing on the trackpad.
The interface was clean. There were only two large shortcuts:
1. Data Library: History, Politics, & Culture of Etheria
2. Identity Generator
"Okay, Remiel, let's see what you've got," I said to the empty room, as if the god could hear me.
Click. I opened the Data Library.
The digital book opened. Once again, Remiel's promise held true. Even though the letters were foreign, my mind instantly processed and translated them. I dove in, devouring information voraciously. My knowledge of hundreds of isekai manga plots suddenly became valuable context. Etheria was a complex and conflict-ridden world. Three superpowers—the Solaris Empire, the Eldoria Kingdom, the Veritas Republic—were locked in a tiresome cold war. Between them, fifteen smaller kingdoms struggled to survive.
Then, my eyes stopped on one name: the Valoria Kingdom.
"Valoria Kingdom. Once prosperous. A coup twelve years ago by Duke Mordred. The king and queen killed. The crown prince, Prince Arthur Valoria, aged 12, declared missing and presumed dead. Mordred rules with an iron fist. The people suffer."
To others, it might just be a sad paragraph in a history book. But to a programmer whose brain was trained to look for patterns and loopholes, it was a glaring bug. A gap in the system. An entry point.
"Declared missing and presumed dead." That meant no solid evidence. That meant there was room for a claim.
My mind immediately raced, analyzing it like a technical problem. If the goal was "improving civilization," then I needed authority and resources. The fastest way was to become a leader.
But a shadow crept into my mind. Laras. Alya. Andi. How were they? Was Remiel really keeping his promise? A deep anxiety gripped me. I had made this crazy choice for them. If I couldn't ensure they were okay… what was this all for?
As if sensing my doubt, a new dialog box suddenly appeared on the laptop screen.
\*\*\*\*Warning: Transfer will commence shortly. Do you require Support Equipment? (Y/N)\*\*\*\*
With a pounding heart, I pressed Y.
The screen changed. An illustration of an object resembling a futuristic watch with a small hologram projector appeared, along with its specifications.
\*\*\*\*Support Device: Personal Companion (PC) Hologram - 'Oculus'\*\*\*\*
· Function 1: Data Search & Analysis (Connected to Etheria Data Library). ·Function 2: Origin Dimension Monitoring (Read-Only Access. Can only monitor public activity broadcast by target's electronic devices). ·Note: Accessing the origin dimension is severely limited and consumes significant mana energy. Use wisely.
Monitoring Targets (Saved):
1. Laraswati (Wife) - \[Linked to: \*GramSosmed\* Account, \*FacePage\* Account\]
2. Alya (Child) - \[Linked to: \*ShortVid\* Account (Anonymous Viewer Mode)\]
3. Andi (Child) - \[Linked to: \*ViewTube\* Watch History (Anonymous)\]
Tears welled up in my eyes. Remiel… he was keeping his promise. He wasn't just protecting them; he was giving me a way to see them. Even if it was just read-only and through social media, it was more than enough. It was the most precious antidote to longing and worry.
"This… this is what I need the most," I whispered, my voice raspy. I immediately selected the Oculus as my support equipment. The guilt of leaving them was slightly alleviated by this small window into their lives.
With a new, burning purpose—to one day make them proud and maybe even find a way to help them from here—I felt more ready.
I opened the Identity Generator menu. It wasn't a list of pre-made characters, but more like a character creator in an RPG game. I had to fill in the details myself.
"Remiel gave me the power to choose a vessel and identity… And I choose this one."
With renewed vigor, my fingers danced across the keyboard.
Name: Arthur Valoria Age:17 Lineage:Crown prince of the Valoria Kingdom, survivor of the coup. Backstory:Saved by a loyal servant and hid for 5 years. The servant was killed by a monster a year ago, leaving Arthur alone to survive on the border. His original body (aged 17) just died from a venomous snake bite in Arun Cave, waiting for the right soul to inhabit it. Spawn Location:Arun Cave, Valoria border (next to Arthur's original corpse).
I also used the minor customization feature to adjust the appearance. I made his body a bit more muscular and his face more defined compared to the image of a spoiled prince.
Then, my eyes fell on the Height option. Initial data showed this Arthur's body was 168 cm tall. Back in my old world, I was only about 165 cm, something that always made me feel insecure, especially when dealing with clients or even my own family.
"Now's the chance," I whispered to myself. "New world. New beginning. No one will know."
With a mix of guilt and excitement, my finger dragged the Height slider far to the right. I didn't want to overdo it and become a giant, but enough to give him the confidence he had always longed for.
Height: 168 cm -> 175 cm
"175 cm. Ideal," I murmured contentedly, imagining the relief of seeing the world from a higher perspective. "Tall enough to be authoritative, not too tall to make finding armor difficult. Efficiency." Once again, I wrapped a personal desire in practical reasoning.
I also made sure to include features that could be claimed as "royal family birthmarks," based on data from the library.
Then, I saw a tab labeled \[Basic Statistics\]. Curious, I clicked it.
A simple panel appeared, displaying cold, objective numbers about the body I was about to inhabit.
\[BASIC STATISTICS - AVAILABLE VESSEL\]
· Body: Male, 17 Years Old, Condition: Dying (Snake Venom) ·STR (Strength): 14 ·AGI (Agility): 18 ·VIT (Vitality): 11 (Drastically Decreasing) ·INT (Intelligence): 30 ·MEN (Mental Fortitude): 35 ·MP (Mana Pool): 25 ·LCK (Luck): 5
Note: The average healthy Etherian youth has STATs ranging from 15-20. INT 30 indicates average intelligence. LCK 5 reflects the misfortune experienced.
"Fifteen? Eighteen?" I mumbled. "This kid had a hard life, so he's somewhat strong and agile, but… LCK only 5? No wonder he died from a snake bite." INT 30 was also quite disappointing. I needed a sharper brain to execute my plan.
I looked for an option to change them. Ah, there it was! There were small sliders next to each stat. But there was a big warning:
\*\*\*\*WARNING: Modifying STATs beyond reasonable limits may cause mind-body instability, rejection by the world, or other unforeseen consequences. Anomalies will attract unwanted attention. Only MINOR adjustments are recommended.\*\*\*\*
"Hmm, 'mind-body instability'. Sounds like a bug waiting to happen," I thought as a programmer. Forcing an overclock on unsupported hardware is a recipe for a crash.
I decided to be careful. I only slightly increased the stats most critical to my plan:
· INT (Intelligence): 30 -> 45 (Slightly above average, for faster learning and analysis, not suspiciously genius) ·MEN (Mental Fortitude): 35 -> 50 (Worried Arthur's traumatic memories would affect me, needed a stable mind) ·LCK (Luck): 5 -> 15 (Slightly increased from 'very unlucky' to 'standard unlucky'. I didn't want his bad luck to rub off on me.)
I left STR, AGI, and VIT as they were. This body was already naturally trained by a hard life. Changing it could ruin its muscle memory. I also left MP alone since I didn't understand magic yet.
"Minor adjustments. For stability and functionality," I reasoned to myself.
Then, I saw an advanced option. Advanced Customization. My finger itched to click it. I had lost everything in the old world; at least in this new world, I could get a little upgrade.
<
I scrolled down. There were options to adjust everything from bone density to iris color. And then, I saw it.
Physique & Vitality Adjustments:
I didn't need to be muscular. That would be suspicious. But…
· Stamina Recovery: Increased slightly. (So I can pull all-nighters if needed.) ·Toxin Processing: Increased significantly. (So I can drink cheap Etherian beer without getting too drunk. And maybe gain mild poison resistance.) ·Nicotine Metabolism: Adjusted. (So Etherian cigarettes pack a punch and don't make me cough. This is a priority.)
And then, at the very bottom… hidden like an easter egg.
…Genetic Legacy (Dimorphic Characteristics):
Hmm. "Genetic Legacy". Sounded scientific. I opened it.
Phenotypic Expression:
· Option 1: Default (Based on selected lineage and age) ·Option 2: Custom…
I clicked Custom. A slider appeared with a very technical label: Androgen Receptor Sensitivity (Generalized).
"Hah, a weird option," I thought. But as a programmer, I knew the term androgen. It was related to… "manhood."
A wry smile spread across my face. In my old world, with my life in shambles and my body aging, certain things had started to make me insecure. This was a fantasy world. Why not? This was for confidence. And who knows, it might be useful for attracting certain allies at court later. Strategy, of course. Purely strategy.
With a slight sense of guilt (and a lot of curiosity), my finger dragged the slider slightly to the right. Not much, just enough to provide… a worthy "genetic legacy" for a prince, maybe around 18cm. Efficiency is key. No need to overdo it to the point of making horseback riding or fighting difficult.
"You're an idiot, Arya," I scolded myself with a chuckle. "Where is your mind going?" But my finger had already pressed Save Changes.
This was no longer just Arya. This was an avatar I was deliberately building, complete with its own weaknesses and guilty pleasures. A persona designed to survive and win the game of thrones, yet still bearing the pathetic touch of humanity (or lust) from a failed programmer.
Finally, before clicking Confirm & Transfer, I opened Valoria's history again, trying to memorize the names of nobles, geography, and conflicts. I needed this as provisions. Knowledge was my only real weapon.
My finger hovered over the button. This was the point of no return. Arya, the loser programmer, would disappear for a while. What would be born in Etheria was Arthur Valoria, a claimant to the throne with a mountain of problems, a crazy mission, and… a slightly upgraded genetic legacy.
"For Laras, Alya, and Andi," I whispered, lighting my last cigarette as Arya. "And for… ah, never mind."
Click.
Instantly, the room shook violently. The laptop, the desk, the dispenser—everything began to melt as if swallowed by white light. It felt like not just my body was being pulled, but my consciousness was being crushed and crammed into a narrow, cold vessel.
Pain.
Excruciating pain. Not from the journey, but from every limb. I felt paralyzing thirst, a chilling cold, and a burning heat spreading from my leg.
The image… snake…
"Mother… Father…"
"Run, Arthur! Run!"
Darkness. Cold. Alone.
Echoes of memories not my own crowded my head. A child's fear. The bitterness of betrayal. The suffering of five years in hiding. And a lonely end from snake venom in a dark cave.
Arya… I was still Arya. But I was also… Arthur.
I opened my eyes (or did these eyes open?). Darkness. The smell of damp earth and iron (blood?) filled my nose. This body… young, naturally strong from a hard life, but dying from poison. But something was changing. The poison was slowly but surely being neutralized by a foreign energy flooding this body's cells—energy from Remiel's "transfer"? Or the strength of an adult soul merging with a young body?
I—Arthur—struggled to sit up. Next to me lay another body similar to mine, but pale and stiff. The original Arthur's corpse.
My hand reflexively grabbed its left wrist. A light, cold metal object was attached. The Oculus. It was real.
Trembling, my finger pressed its thin side. A small blue holographic screen, the size of a smartphone, projected above my wrist.
Its interface was simple. Two large options: \[Etheria Database\] and \[Dimensional Watch\].
My finger touched \[Dimensional Watch\]. A small feed appeared. I saw three thumbnails: Laras, Alya, Andi.
Holding my breath, I touched Laras's thumbnail. Her GramSosmed feed opened. The latest photo was uploaded 12 hours ago. She and my children were having a picnic in the park. She was smiling, but her eyes… her eyes still looked tired, yet there was a slight peace there, like someone who had accepted fate and was trying hard for her children. The caption read: "A sunny day for precious little things. Keep going, kids!"
I touched the holographic screen, tears finally flowing. They were okay. They were dreaming well as Remiel had promised.
That gave me strength more than anything else. I turned off the hologram. My mana felt drastically reduced from just those few seconds. But it was worth it.
I stood up; the body, now 175 cm tall, felt light even though it was still weak. My goal was now clear: claim the throne, fix Valoria, save its people, and one day, use all the resources I gain to ensure my wife and children in the other world want for nothing.
Arthur Valoria had risen. Not just a returning prince, but a father fighting from another dimension.