The weight of my situation pressed down on me.
Thalvoria.
The world of Arcadia.
I had spent years playing it, memorizing its systems, quests, and the paths the story would take.
But now, I was no longer controlling events from a distance. I was here, living through them.
I took a deep breath. The scent of aged wood and faint traces of herbal tea lingered in the air.
The wooden floor felt solid beneath my feet, the cool air brushing against my skin, it all "so this really isn't a dream."
The words slipped out before I could stop them, but they felt hollow.
Dreams didn't have this level of detail, the grain of the wooden floorboards, the faint creak of the house settling, the distant chirping of birds outside. No, this was real.
I scanned the room, trying to get a grasp of my situation. My eyes landed on a picture hanging on the wall.
Two people stood beside me in the image, their smiles bright and warm. I examined it closer.
"This must be his family."
My gaze then shifted to a table nearby, where another framed photograph stood.
This one featured a beautiful young girl with crimson-red hair and striking green eyes.
Her features were elegant, her body graceful, and her fair skin almost glowing.
She stood beside him, her body pressed close, one hand draped over his neck in a way that suggested both familiarity and deep intimacy.
A sudden thought crossed my mind. Who was she? A flood of possibilities ran through my head.
'His girlfriend?'
"Umm, nah." She looked older than me, that didn't seem right.
'His relative?'
"Maybe."
I'd figure it out later. For now, I had to focus on my current situation.
A realization struck me.
If this really was a game, then every person.
no matter how minor, had a status window displaying their abilities.
I exhaled and muttered the familiar command.
"Status."
My vision flickered, and a transparent screen materialized before me.
========STATUS========
Name: Lucion Everhart
Rank: Mortal [★★★]
Aptitude: Bright Star
Profession: Farmer
======================
I stared blankly at the screen.
"So I really did transmigrate into the game..."
Strangely, I felt calm. Maybe it was because I had already gone through multiple shocks by now. As I thought, I knew this world...
My eyes drifted back to the status screen. But before I could even complete my sentence, the words caught in my throat.
"Wait... what?"
Just when I thought I couldn't be shocked anymore, another wave of disbelief hit me.
"Farmer?! Lucion Everhart?!"
Forget the name, what shocked me the most was the profession. A farmer? Me?
I slumped onto the bed, my head in my hands. A sigh escaped my lips as a flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.
'Who was Lucion Everhart?'
'Why was I in his body?'
'And why, of all things, was I a farmer?'
I racked my brain, trying to recall any mention of this name in the game.
But no matter how hard I searched my memory, I came up empty.
I had played Arcadia extensively, yet I had never encountered this name before.
A 3-Star Mortal farmer with no skills or techniques. Just barely above a normal person. I wasn't even awakened yet.
The glowing screen hovered before me, its words etching themselves into my mind.
A farmer.
A three-star mortal.
A name I had never heard of.
I exhaled slowly, my fingers tightening into a fist.
I had spent years mastering Arcadia, and yet, here I was stripped of everything, thrown into this world with nothing but my memories.
I closed my eyes.
Calm down. Process everything. Piece it together.
The silence of the room stretched, broken only by the steady rhythm of my heartbeat.
This was real. I was here.
No system. No protagonist aura. No grand destiny.
No fate tying me to war and ruin.
I let out a slow breath and, to my own surprise, I laughed.
It wasn't a bitter laugh, nor a crazed one. Just a soft, almost amused chuckle.
In Arcadia, the protagonists were calamity magnets.
Every single one of them. If it wasn't some kingdom-ending war, it was a divine curse, a world-shattering conspiracy, or some arrogant noble dragging them into a blood feud.
And the worst part? They could never escape it.
No matter how hard they fought, destiny always caught up.
But me? I wasn't a protagonist.
I exhaled, a small smirk tugging at my lips.
'I was safe.'
...Or so I thought.
In my old world, I never truly lived freely.
After my mother left, it was just me and my father, clinging to whatever scraps of happiness we could find.
And when he died, just another name in a car accident report, what did I have left?
Nothing.
No family. No dreams worth chasing.
Just an endless cycle of stress, loneliness, and empty days.
Even when I played Arcadia, I never really felt joy. It was just another screen between me and the world I couldn't touch.
But now...
Now, something stirred inside me, a feeling I'd almost forgotten: excitement.
This world was not like my own.
Magic lived here, real and tangible, woven into every stone, every breath of air.
Techniques, skills, powers things that once flickered on my screen were alive, right before my eyes.
For the first time, I could truly live.
But the question still hung over me.
'Why?'
'Why was I here?'
If I was just an NPC..., why had I been thrown into this world?
Why not someone with a grand destiny?
A sharp knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts.
My pulse quickened
'Who could it be?'
Clank...
The door creaked open, and a voice rang out, full of energy.
"Dear!"
Before I could react, a woman burst into the room and wrapped me in an embrace.
My body tensed at the sudden contact, but she pulled away quickly, her amber eyes shimmering with relief.
"You're finally awake! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she scolded, her voice laced with warmth.
I blinked.
She looked to be in her thirties, with chestnut-brown hair cascading past her shoulders in loose waves, catching the light and shimmering like silk.
Her features were soft yet refined high cheekbones, a delicate jawline, and full lips that always seemed to hold a gentle smile.
But it was the concern in her eyes that struck me most vibrant amber eyes filled with warmth and care.
Her beauty wasn't just in her appearance, but in the way she moved, the way she carried herself. Graceful, confident, yet undeniably motherly.
This woman cared about me.
She was Lucion's mother.
"I'm fine," I muttered, trying to sound convincing. "Just a little lightheaded."
She sighed, placing a hand on her hip.
"You've been overworking yourself again, haven't you? Skipping meals, pushing yourself too hard..."
She clicked her tongue, shaking her head.
"You need to take better care of yourself."
I hesitated. 'Was Lucion a workaholic? That... might explain why my body felt so drained.'
"Come on, let's get you something to eat," she urged, pulling me toward the hallway.
I followed her without a word.
The house was modest but warm. Cozy. It wasn't the sprawling mansion of a noble family or the hardened barracks of a warrior. Just a simple, well-kept home.
Soon, we reached the dining table. She gestured for me to sit.
I sank into my chair, my mind still tangled in thoughts.
This wasn't the grand adventure of a chosen hero.
I was just... ordinary.
The thought should have comforted me. And it did. But another feeling crept up alongside it uncertainty.
'Why was I here?'
A soft voice echoed in my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Luci?"
To be continued...