Sunlight was the first thing Cain felt as his consciousness began to drift back to the surface. It wasn't the soft, filtered warmth he was accustomed to feeling through his bedroom curtains; this was a heavier, more direct heat, pressing against his eyelids as if he were lying directly beneath a midday sun.
His eyes fluttered, heavy with sleep, as he fought to adjust to the intensity of the light. Blinking away the momentary confusion, he instinctively reached out to pull the curtains shut, but his hand met only empty air. A second groggy attempt resulted in another swipe at nothingness, and with a frustrated sigh, he rolled over to bury his face in his pillow.
Instead of cotton, his cheek brushed against something cool and textured.
Pushing himself up from the oddly firm bed, he forced his eyes fully open. Instead of the cluttered bedroom he'd slept in for the last four years, he was surrounded by a vast, rolling plain of emerald grass. Confusion etched deep lines across his forehead as he looked down, realizing he was lying directly on the earth rather than his mattress.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, wondering if he was hallucinating or trapped in a vivid lucid dream, before pinching the skin of his arm hard.
"Ow!" he shouted, the sharp sting of abused flesh forcing his eyes open again.
Obviously, this wasn't a dream. The pain was too distinct, too lingering. That meant he had somehow sleepwalked out of his home and found a forest clearing to collapse in. It was an absurd thought, but it was the only plausible explanation his mind could conjure.
Pushing up from the ground, he slowly got to his feet. There was no disorientation or dizziness, which ruled out a hangover. If anything, he felt better than he had in years—clear-headed and light. Extending his arms toward the sky, he groaned in satisfaction as his shoulders and spine popped and cracked, releasing tension he didn't know he was holding. Lowering his arms, he finally took a moment to properly gauge his surroundings.
The grassy plains he stood upon stretched out for a few hundred meters in one direction before meeting the edge of a dense, lush forest. In the opposite direction, the terrain rose sharply, cutting off into a steep cliff.
Taking slow, tentative steps, Cain moved toward the precipice. He wasn't quite ready to face the dark, imposing treeline just yet. Upon reaching the edge, he looked down, and the breath was punched from his lungs.
A massive lake stretched from one side of the horizon to the other, its waters crystal clear and unnervingly still. The forest from the cliffside wrapped around the water's edge like a dark ribbon, but it was the structure nestled against the far mountains that made his heart skip a beat.
"That... looks like Hogwarts?" he muttered, his voice trembling with confusion.
The castle was a behemoth of architecture, a structure he never thought he would see in reality. Towers shot toward the sky, connected by high bridges and heavy stone battlements. It boasted rich, aged brickwork that looked as though it had existed for centuries. It was imposing, magical, and undeniably real.
Blinking back his mounting panic, he sat down on the edge of the cliffside to process what he was seeing.
This isn't home... It can't be. I've never seen anything close to this forest, or better yet, a giant, perfect replica of bloody Hogwarts. I know they were talking about a TV show reboot, but no studio has the budget to build something of this scale.
He was utterly befuddled. His imagination wasn't wild enough to construct a world this detailed, and he simply couldn't find a logical explanation for how he had gone to sleep in his apartment and woken up here.
DING.
Cain's head swiveled with ferocity toward the mechanical sound that chimed right beside his ear. He scanned the grassy field, the forest, and the lake below, but there was nothing to indicate the origin of the noise.
He was growing concerned, his muscles tensing for flight, but before he could take a precautionary step back, a translucent overlay flickered into existence directly within his mind.
[Initiating System Start-Up][Nexus Key System Welcomes You, Host!]
Launching himself backward, Cain stumbled, tripping over his own feet and landing hard on the grass. He could see the screen clearly—it wasn't hovering in front of his eyes, but projecting inside his thoughts. There was nothing inherently malicious about the standard white box and black text, but the violation of his own mind terrified him.
"What the hell is going on?!" he whispered, scrambling backward before pulling himself into a cross-legged position.
[Would Host like to Begin Introduction?]
"Host?" Cain questioned, his breathing ragged. "This reminds me of those Gamer manhuas I used to read, but... weirdly different. Uh, sure, go ahead?"
At his verbal confirmation, the text dissolved, replaced instantly by a new string of words.
[Welcome to the Nexus Key System. This marks the beginning of your new life in the multiverse.]
"The multiverse? This sounds a bit... deranged," Cain said, reading the words as they shifted.
[This interface has been initialized to facilitate your displacement across the multiverse and your evolution through the selection of templates. Would you like to learn about the System's functionalities?]
Cain bit back a snarky reply. He was still trying to grasp the sudden introduction of this 'System,' but he understood enough: he was the Host, and he had been displaced. It was a terrifying reality, but he did the only reasonable thing he could do—he continued reading.
[Templates]
Template Drawing: You draw a specific character blueprint from the multiverse. This becomes your active template, and you begin to assimilate that character's essence.
Full Package: Each template contains the character's Powers (supernatural or magical), Skills (combat mastery, technical knowledge, or talents), Physiology (durability, speed, or racial traits), and Items (signature gear and artifacts).
Synchronization (Sync): You do not manifest the full package immediately. Every aspect of the character—from their physical strength to their legendary equipment—is synced over time or through active usage. As you utilize the template's logic and abilities, the package stabilizes within you.
The Stacking Rule: You are limited to one active syncing template. You may only initiate a new Template Draw once your current one reaches 100% Synchronization. Once fully synced, those powers are permanently integrated, allowing you to begin syncing a new draw in the next slot.
[Travel]
World Hopping: You are permitted to jump to a brand-new, fictional world once per calendar year.
Temporal Dilation: When you leave a world for another, time flow is significantly slowed in the world you left. This allows you to explore new realities without the concern of losing decades in your previous anchors.
Anchoring: In any world you visit, you may claim a physical property or location as an Anchor. This secures your presence and creates a fixed point for the System in that universe.
Gates: Once you have established an Anchor in two different worlds, you can link them with a Permanent Gate. This allows for seamless travel between your properties across the multiverse.
Controllable Transit: Gate access is absolute and granular. You decide exactly which specific people are permitted to pass through. To anyone without explicit permission, the Gate is a solid, impassable barrier.
[Would you like to DRAW your first template?]
Cain sat there, mouth hanging open, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as he absorbed the information the Nexus System had dumped into his lap. He wasn't angry, or even annoyed. Instead, he was doing his best not to scream in excitement.
How he loathed the daily grind—the false smiles, the bills, the crushing loneliness. And now, he was being told he could gain the powers of fictional—well, not exactly fictional anymore—people?
"I've won the lottery," he whispered, a wide smile breaking across his face. "I must have cashed in every single good deed I've ever done in all my lifetimes for this."
He stared at the blinking prompt on the panel, completely disregarding any lingering caution.
"Draw."
The panel flickered for a moment before transforming into a roulette wheel. There were so many names inscribed on the surface that Cain couldn't even distinguish the letters on each sliver. He watched as the wheel began to spin, accelerating until it was nothing but a blur of motion.
He watched for what felt like minutes as the wheel began to decelerate, the process agonizingly slow. It took another thirty seconds before the wheel came to a complete halt, and the panel shifted once again.
[Host has drawn - Merlin (Seven Deadly Sins)]
Cain stood stock-still as he read the name. He knew exactly who she was and what she could do. If the towering castle on the horizon meant anything, she was the perfect first draw. He was still shocked, blindsided by the weight of it all, but he forced himself to focus.
"Okay... Merlin. The Boar's Sin of Gluttony. One of the strongest magical beings in anime. Somewhat broken, sure, and there are others stronger than her, but I can definitely deal with that."
Cain paused his external monologue, realizing a lapse in his logic.
I can probably command this system with my thoughts, can't I? Uh, System, merge it, please.
As soon as the command formed in his mind, the merge began. Instead of the expected pain of his existence being rewritten, Cain felt nothing but a soothing warmth spreading throughout his body.
Every piece of his being began a rapid reconstruction, and Cain reveled in the sensation of vitality flooding his veins. It felt like breathing for the first time, as if his body had undergone a comprehensive maintenance cycle to optimize every cell.
Then, the world shifted.
His mind expanded. A single thought multiplied—from one to two, from two to four—running parallel tracks simultaneously. He felt sharper, smarter, as if a heavy veil had been lifted from his consciousness.
Information began to flow in like a river. Theories of magical application, spell structures, enchantments—a deeper, intuitive understanding of the fundamental laws of the world took root in his memory.
The sensation lasted for almost half an hour before Cain finally opened his eyes. The world looked starkly different. Colors that had once seemed dull were now vibrant and saturated. He could see small, shimmering particles floating in the air, drifting on the wind. Intuitively, he knew what they were: raw magic.
[Milestone: 10% Synchronization Data]Continue to utilize the 'Merlin' template to gain a faster synchronization rate (100% = Peak Merlin).(Passive Sync Rate is significantly lower.)
[Physiology & Aesthetics]
Aesthetic Shift: Male iteration of Merlin; raven-black hair, golden eyes, and a regal, commanding presence.
Chronos-Lock: Biological age frozen at 21; total immunity to aging and natural decay.
Reinforced Physiology: Superhuman cellular density; high-impact durability and inexhaustible mundane stamina.
[Cognitive & Skill Awakening]
Genius Core: Superhuman/Magical Genius intellect with triple-threaded cognitive processing and near-photographic memory.
Arcane Insight: Visual perception of raw mana and the fundamental "source code" of magic.
Apprentice Alchemy: Proficiency in molecular transmutation (precious metals) and high-tier medicinal brewing.
[Manifested Powers]
Infinity: Permanent duration for minor utility spells (e.g., lighting, climate control) at zero upkeep.
Shunkan Ido: Instantaneous teleportation within a 5-mile radius.
Apport: Instant retrieval of personal assets from sub-space to hand.
Minor Absolute Cancel: Touch-based nullification of common charms and hexes.
[Inherited Knowledge]
Arcane Fundamentals: Mastery of Britannia's magical laws, mana composition, and spell geometry.
Mastery of Basics: Veteran-level recognition of thousands of ingredients, potions, and spell structures.
Belialuin Education: Elite foundational knowledge in advanced planar physics and ancient mathematics.
Cain was gobsmacked by the benefits of a mere ten percent synchronization. He had expected to get a little smarter, maybe understand magic to an extent, but this was a fundamental rewrite of who he was.
Dismissing the mental panel, he focused for a split second, sorting through his newfound knowledge before subtly waving his hand in the air. Space didn't just sit empty; it obeyed him. A large mirror shimmered into existence—a basic application of Merlin's conjuration—and he couldn't help but be impressed by the sight.
Looking into the glass, Cain was pleasantly surprised by the changes. Rich, dark hair flowed softly around his head, and the golden eyes of Merlin shimmered like pools of molten sunlight. His face had become more angular, his features carrying a natural nobility he had never possessed before.
He looked down at his body. The physical enhancements hadn't stopped at his face. He was taller—by how much he didn't know, but the difference was obvious. His muscles hadn't grown bulky, per se, but they were defined and dense, corded with a strength he didn't know was possible to cultivate.
"Shit," he said, pausing as he realized his voice had dropped an octave, sounding deeper and more commanding. "This is going to take a moment to adjust to."
With another wave of his hand, the mirror melted away into mist.
He turned to the castle once again. With his new eyes, Cain could see the sheer volume of magic radiating from it. It was a veritable fortress of wards, layered upon each other, illuminated in his vision as a cascading aurora of rainbow colors.
"This is Harry Potter, that much is certain." Looking past the school, the one he would still need to come to terms with later, Cain spied a village nestled in the valley behind it. "Is that Hogsmeade?"
His mind began to run multiple thoughts at once, simulating scenarios and plans. After a couple of minutes of deep contemplation, Cain nodded to himself.
"I need an identity, and the best place to start would be Diagon Alley."