I opened my eyes to the cold.
My clothes were soaked, clinging heavily to my skin, and when I tried to sit up, pain exploded through my entire body. Every movement felt wrong—sharp, deep, relentless. I looked down and realized why.
Injuries covered me from head to toe.
Though the bleeding had already stopped, the damage remained. Bruises darkened my skin, gashes had crusted over, and my right leg—
It was tied.
A thick rope bound it to a massive rock beside the lake.
"…Why am I here?" I muttered hoarsely.
My throat burned as if I hadn't spoken in days.
The lake beside me was eerily calm, reflecting a pale sky that didn't look familiar at all. I forced myself to focus, gritting my teeth as I tugged at the rope. After several painful attempts, the knot finally loosened, and I collapsed forward, gasping.
Somehow, I stood.
And the moment I did, the pain vanished.
"…Huh?"
I looked down at my body again. The wounds were still there—scars and dried blood—but the agony was gone, as if it had never existed.
"So… this really is another world."
The words came out calmly, far calmer than I felt.
I wandered forward until a massive structure rose before me—a castle straight out of fantasy. Tall spires, ancient stone, and an overwhelming sense of abandonment. When I reached the entrance, my steps slowed.
The doors had been smashed open.
Inside, blood stained the floor and walls, dried dark red like remnants of a forgotten massacre. Furniture was overturned. The air was heavy.
"This looks like a crime scene…"
I frowned.
"I wonder who they were trying to kill."
Then—
I froze.
I woke up beside a lake.
I was covered in injuries.
There was no one else around.
"…No," I whispered. "It can't be."
My heartbeat quickened.
"I just reincarnated. I can't die again."
I clenched my fists.
"…Yes. It's decided."
I lifted my head, resolve hardening.
"I will live a long life."
Three years passed.
In those three years, I slowly recovered fragments of the memories belonging to the former owner of this body.
First:
My so-called "family" possessed a power—something fundamental—that I could not use.
Second:
I was completely alone here.
Third:
Ever since I reincarnated, I had not eaten a single meal.
And yet… I never starved.
I discovered the first fact on the fourth day after waking up. That was when I began to train.
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs gave out.
I did push-ups until my arms collapsed beneath me.
I squatted until my knees trembled uncontrollably.
Every single day.
After each session, I meditated.
Now I understood why manhwa protagonists always meditated—it wasn't nonsense. It was calming. Through it, I sharpened my senses beyond what they should've been, slowly pushing them to their limits.
My body changed.
I gained faint abs, though I still looked malnourished. Thin. Fragile.
But—
I was handsome.
Even with long red hair covering most of my face, even with my sunken frame, there was no denying it.
As for clothes—this place once belonged to the former owner. I wore the largest garments I could find. They hung loosely on my body, making me appear even thinner than I already was.
One morning, for the first time in what felt like forever, I sensed something.
A presence.
Someone was approaching.
A man riding a horse.
When he arrived, I was meditating in front of the broken castle doors. He dismounted and looked down at me with cold eyes.
"By the decree of your father," he said, "the leader of the Azure Palace, U Nullen has been ordered to return home. I am here to escort you."
"…Wow," I replied dryly. "I'm wanted."
My sarcasm went unnoticed.
I had been abandoned for over ten years. Not once had anyone come looking for me.
Whatever this was, it wasn't concern.
Still… returning might be useful.
"Don't get the wrong idea," the man sneered. "You're nothing important."
He stepped closer.
"You're a formless bastard. Nothing more."
Formless?
"So the power system here is based on 'form' then…?"
I stood up.
"…Am I tall," I wondered, looking down at him, "or are you just short?"
He smelled of alcohol—strong and unpleasant. Clearly drunk before coming here.
I sighed and sat beside him.
Whatever. Going home wouldn't kill me.
Probably.
The Azure Palace gates were massive.
As we entered, I saw children gathered inside the dining hall—older than me, younger than me, and some my age.
The moment they noticed me, laughter erupted.
Mockery filled the room.
For a split second, memories from my old world surfaced—how I had been laughed at, looked down on.
And strangely… memories of this body surfaced too.
He had been mocked as well.
"Announcing the Monarch and his wives!"
The room fell silent.
A man entered.
My father.
Bright crimson hair flowed behind him, his red eyes glowing with authority. He was enormous, dressed in white royal attire, a red coat draped over his shoulders. As he walked, the coat billowed as if the wind itself obeyed him.
Low-key aura farming.
Several women followed him, all dressed in red. Alongside them were an old man and another male who looked around twenty-nine.
My "father" began speaking.
I didn't listen.
It was boring.
I yawned.
Suddenly—
A massive wave of hostility surged behind me.
I turned instantly.
It vanished.
"…Was I imagining it?" I thought.
"No. Who would be stupid enough to release killing intent in front of him?"
"You may all eat," my father commanded. "I will tell you why you were summoned tonight."
This was my chance.
"FATHER," I raised my hand. "Where will I stay?"
His expression twisted.
Disgust.
I knew that gaze.
It mirrored the one my parents had once given me in my old life.
"Lock him up."
…What?
That wasn't my memory.
No—it was his.
This body's past.
"You truly are foolish," my "father" said coldly. "You can't even figure out something so simple after everything I've done for you."
"…What have you done?" I thought.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
My eyes turned cold beneath my unkempt red hair.
With nowhere to stay, I wandered the palace.
Mockery followed me everywhere.
So did "accidental" shoves and trips.
No matter the world, bullies were the same.
Eventually, I found peace in the stables.
As I slept—
"Hey. You're still alive?"
A familiar voice.
"Persistent bastard. You still didn't die."
I opened my eyes.
The trio.
More memories flooded in.
Before I could react, a slap cracked across my face. I was dragged outside, ready to be beaten again—
"Young master," a butler interrupted calmly. "The monarch expects all the children. Don't let an irrelevant speck delay you."
"Tch. Lucky," the leader muttered as they left.
"…Why don't you fight?"
A voice came from behind me.
I turned.
White hair shimmered under moonlight.
"How did she get behind me…?"
"I didn't sense her at all…"
"I can't," I replied calmly. "I have no form. And I'm weak."
She smiled.
"I know you have no form. But you aren't weak."
"…What do you mean?"
Suddenly—
Crushing hostility flooded the air.
I felt like I was about to die. My consciousness faded. My body moved on its own—one step forward.
"Hahaha!" she laughed. "I knew it."
"What do you mean, you psycho—"
She punched me.
I flew.
I landed right in front of the hall.
"…Why are there psychopaths around me," I muttered from the floor.
Inside the hall, teachers from Star Academy were evaluating potential students.
Only those recommended by a teacher could enter.
The old man chose six.
The younger man chose ten.
More than fifty children stood there, yet only sixteen were deemed worthy.
I wasn't chosen.
Expected.
"I'll just continue training," I thought.
"Sorry I'm late."
Her voice.
The psychopath.
She walked straight to my father.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, the brief flicker of shock in his eyes impossible to hide.
"This is the first time you're attending this selection," the old man said, shocked.
She smiled.
"Nullen," she said softly.
"I choose you."