White walls reflected the soft glow of overhead lights. The air smelled faintly of medicines and herbs, but it was also mixed with a metallic scent.
A single large window stretched across one wall, rain tapping softly against the glass, the city skyline blurred beyond it.
The bed stood at the center, sheets tucked tight with practiced precision. Silver railings framed it, polished and cold. Beside it, a sleek monitoring unit hummed quietly, its screen pulsing with a soft blue light instead of the usual green.
On the bed lay a young man. His snow-white hair was soft and messy. His eyelashes and eyebrows had the same color as his hair.
He possessed an extremely handsome face. Bandages were wrapped around his body on the parts where he was hurt.
His chest rose and fell as he breathed calmly.
He had not been unconscious for very long. A sound suddenly echoed in his brain. It was something that could not be heard by anyone else but him.
The sound was getting louder and continuous. The young man's face frowned. He shook his head slightly. His eyes twitched as he started to flutter open his eyelids. Blue, confused eyes stared upward, but it was not the white ceiling that came into his view.
A blue translucent screen was floating in front of him.
'What that?... A status window? System? Am I in another world or something like that?' Being a gamer and a novel reader, he made some assumptions.
Now everything clicked for him. How he was in the forest. There was a monster. He could even use magic.
'What world am I in?' he thought gravely.
On the screen, something was going on, making loud sounds in his brain.
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Trying to synchronize with user....0%! 0%! 0%!]
[Failed!]
[The synchronization is failing]
[Failed]
[Merging memory of Noah Eldritch with user]
The moment he read that, a sharp pain passed through his brain.
"Aargg!" He groaned in pain, holding his head with both hands. Unknown memories started to enter him.
But the pain did not remain for long as it slowly subsided. The mechanical voice was still coming. He stared back at the screen, his eyes hazy. He blinked a few times to get a clear vision. Veins bulged on his head because of the pain that had just come to him.
[Succeed! Merging memory is completed. User will get memories of Noah Eldritch slowly, so he won't feel too much strain on his brain.]
[Synchronize system with user]
[Error!]
[System cannot synchronize with user! The soul is not compatible!]
[Ding!]
[User doesn't have any knowledge of future]
[Survival chances until the end.....0%!]
[Ding!~]
[System cannot be initiated. But for poor user who has no future... We pity you!]
[System cannot work with you. Still, to help you, we will give you something. For each event you survive, you will be rewarded according to your contribution in the scenario! That's all we can do for you.]
Aron, who was now Noah. Widened his eyes. 'Wait, does that mean you won't talk to me? Or help?' he asked worriedly.
[...]
[Affirmative]
[We cannot talk with you. You will be automatically rewarded if you are involved in the storyline. In each scenario. If you are not involved, you won't get anything.]
[Best of luck, use–no. Best of luck, Extra!]
[Now bye!]
[---]
---
Just like that, everything went silent. Finally, he felt peace in his mind.
Noah kept staring, this time at the white ceiling of the hospital room.
His brain still throbbed slightly.
'I am Noah Eldritch... from Odyssey of Eternal Gods' War.'
He chuckled at his situation. How could this be possible? This situation was the worst way possible.
Just last night, he downloaded this game and read the character list, in which there was also a character named Noah. Known as an extra.
'Was this the reason why that character was on the list, despite being an extra? But why me? I haven't even played the game. I have no knowledge. Why am I transmigrated?'
"Hah," he exhaled tiredly, rubbing his temples. By some miracle, his body was not aching much. It was not very hard to move. It must be because of having magic in this world.
He could not find any reason. What impact could he have on a world where he had no future knowledge? Not having a system that could make him overpowered, what could he do here?
Sigh...
He decided to rest for a while. No need to push himself too much. He was still recovering.
'Did the original owner die in the forest... and then I transmigrated into his body?'
Despite trying his best to push these thoughts aside, he simply could not.
"Damn... what about the original me? What about my family? Am I dead or what?" he muttered in a low voice.
He closed his eyes for a moment. The thought of not being able to see them... not knowing for how long... started to make him sad.
His mother's gentle voice echoed faintly in his memory. The way she always called him during dinner. The way she complained that he worked too much and slept too late.
His father's quiet presence. The man rarely said much, but always left cut fruits on the table when Noah stayed up late working.
Noah worked hard in his previous life. As much as he stay up late night while playing games or watching series. He also used to study hard when it was needed. Studying for late night.
Not because he was ambitious, but because he wanted an easy and comfortable life. He also wanted to give his parents a comfortable life.
'Everything is gone just like that... in one single night... now I don't even know if I can meet them ever.' He clenched his fist tightly.
'I didn't even get to say goodbye if I was going to come here.'
He had always believed transmigration stories were cool. But he never wished to experience one. He was really happy with his life.
He was not a loner. He didn't have any sad past. He was not even bored with his life.
Then why did he transmigrate?
While thinking about those things, the door of the room slid open.
Noah's eyes turned in the direction of the sound. There, the same man who had saved him was standing at the door.
"Oh! You woke up." The man exclaimed with relived expression.