Dylan's eyes shot open. His heart pounded in his chest like a drum, beating so fast he thought it might burst. He whipped his head around, scanning his surroundings frantically.
"What the fuck?" he muttered.
The last thing he remembered was the cold muzzle of a gun and the flash of light as a rival gang member executed him right there in his brothel. He had died instantly. So, how in the hell was he alive right now?
Dylan took a moment to assess his situation. He was in a dark, damp building. The walls were made of cold, humid stone, and thick metal bars stood in front of him, sealing him in. The stench of unwashed bodies and rot filled his nose, nearly making him gag.
"A dungeon. Just great," Dylan grumbled, pushing himself up from the hard floor.
As soon as he tried to stand, a flood of foreign memories slammed into his mind. They belonged to the previous owner of this body. The sharp pain was blinding, forcing Dylan back to the ground. He curled up, clutching his head in his hands as he rolled on the filthy floor. It was agony, but thankfully, it only lasted for a minute.
When the pain subsided, Dylan was left with a new understanding of the world he was now in.
"A fantasy world! No fucking way!"
It was exactly like the stories he used to read back on Earth—a realm governed by a leveling system. And his new body? He was an elf named Dillaen.
As for why he was rotting in a cell, the memories provided the answer. Dillaen had been caught having intimate relations with the elven princess. Apparently, sleeping with royalty was a privilege reserved for higher-ranked elves, not a commoner like him.
Dylan smirked despite the situation. It seemed some things never changed, no matter the world.
Dylan finally pushed himself to his feet and began running his hands along the walls, feeling for any gaps or weaknesses. There was nothing. Only solid, unforgiving stone holding him prisoner. The bars were his next target. He gripped them with both hands and strained, trying to shake them loose. Nothing happened.
"Damn it! Why does my cell have to be so damn secure?"
Dylan decided to shout, hoping someone would show up.
"Hello? Anyone there?" he called out.
After several shouts, someone finally appeared. A tall elf with golden hair. His skin was flawless, his features sharp—the picture-perfect, heartthrob look all elves seemed to possess. It was one of the reasons they did so well with women.
"Shut the hell up," the guard snapped. "You try to seduce the princess and now you want to make a racket in your cell?"
The previous owner of this body hadn't been the sharpest tool in the shed. He'd been caught with the princess at night, and from the state they were in, it was obvious something had happened. But no one actually saw them in the act. They'd just assumed it, and that assumption had landed him in this trial.
"The princess and I didn't do anything," Dylan insisted. "You saw for yourself we weren't doing anything wrong—just talking. As far as I know, under our laws, I have the right to a trial to defend myself against these false accusations."
The guard laughed. "You think we're stupid?"
"Rules are rules, my friend. The laws are written and have been followed since ancient times. Do you really think it's a good idea to break them now and risk the Mother Tree's wrath?" Dylan's words were like a siren's song, weaving into the guard's mind, making him reconsider.
"It's not up to me whether you deserve a trial or not," the guard said.
"I know it's not. But you can pass the message to the Queen."
It was Dylan's only hope.
The guard didn't reply, but his expression suggested he'd agreed with the idea. He walked away, leaving Dylan alone in the cell once more.
The body's former owner had seduced the princess, but he'd been after something else too: a secret book, buried beneath the royal palace, that no one else knew about. Dillaen, the elf, had managed to find the lost codex and hidden it in a safe place before he was caught. Dylan knew this from the lingering memories. He needed to get out of this cell to retrieve the legendary book he'd found.
For some reason, the previous owner of that body snapped, and he smashed his own head against the wall, and ended his life. Dylan still had no idea why. It was as if those memories were locked away in his mind. He knew it happened, but he didn't know the reason or what the elf had been feeling to commit such an act.
"I really hope I can get out of here… I'm not rotting in a cell in my second life."
*
Roughly two hours later, a group of guards appeared. They wore green tunics with long cloaks, weapons strapped to their backs—swords, spears, and bows.
"The Queen has permitted you a trial," one of the elves announced. "It will take place in three days. Until then, she has allowed you to return to your home."
Since the trial would be held before all the elves, Dylan couldn't show up looking malnourished and filthy. The Queen decided to grant him time at his home to make himself more presentable for the judgment in three days' time.
And it was this free time that Dylan needed to find the legendary codex he had hidden. A codex the system judged to be SSS-rank, containing precisely the skills a brothel owner like him required.
"The Legendary Ero Codex!" The name surfaced in his mind.
A mischievous grin spread across Dylan's face as he was escorted from his cell by the guards.
They led him back to his home to bathe and eat. The moment he stepped out of the dungeon, every elf in the small tribe—which wasn't many—glanced at him with looks of utter disdain. Everyone here believed he'd actually done it.
Well, deep down, he had thoroughly screwed the princess, but since no one saw anything, he could still play the innocent man.
Once they reached his small wooden house, the guards removed his manacles. "You may move freely within the village and its surroundings, but rest assured, guards will be tailing you at all times. Try to run, and we'll imprison you again. Or worse."
Dylan smiled. "Of course, of course. I get it. I'm not an idiot."
Fortunately, he had hidden the book inside his own house. He wouldn't even need to leave to find it! As soon as he entered his home and closed the door, Dylan went straight to his bed and pulled up the rug beside it. Then, he pried up the false floorboard, and there it was—the legendary book that would surely change his life.
"Hell yes."