Luke had never liked his life, but he had accepted it, always quiet, repetitive, buried in books that felt more real than anything he actually lived, and that night was no different as he walked home with a novel still in his hand, barely paying attention to the road ahead.
"Man… this is so boring," he muttered under his breath, his expression dull, eyes half-lidded with the same tired look he always carried, completely unaware of the headlights rushing toward him until it was too late.
A sharp screech cut through the air. "Huh—?"
His head snapped up, eyes widening in confusion more than fear, and then the car hit him.
His body slammed into the ground, pain exploding through him as the book slipped from his fingers and skidded across the road.
Voices echoed around him, distant and panicked. "Oh my God, someone call an ambulance!"
"He's bleeding—hey! Can you hear me?!" Luke's vision blurred, his breathing shallow and uneven as he stared blankly at the night sky, lips parting slightly.
"…Seriously…?" he whispered faintly, a weak, almost bitter sound leaving him, his expression caught between disbelief and quiet frustration. "Just like that…?" No answer came, only the growing silence as everything slowly faded, his eyes dimming until they finally closed.
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"…Hey… are you awake?" A voice pulled him back.
Luke's eyes opened slowly, blinking once, then twice, his brows knitting together as he stared up at a plain white ceiling.
"…Where… am I?" His voice was hoarse, unfamiliar even to his own ears. He turned his head slightly, noticing the curtain beside him and the faint movement of people beyond it, his expression shifting into confusion.
The nurse stepped closer, giving him a quick look. "You're finally awake. Don't move too much, you were out for a while." Luke frowned faintly, pushing himself up despite that, his movements stiff.
"Out…? No, I—" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes dropping to his hands, his expression freezing for a second before tightening. "…These aren't mine."
The nurse blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?" But Luke wasn't listening anymore, his gaze sharpening as his mind raced.
He remembered it clearly, the road, the speed of the car sending him crashing, the cold feeling of dying.
He let out a slow breath, his face settling into something more serious, more focused than before. "…I died." The words were quiet, but certain.
The room felt different now, heavier, unfamiliar in a way he couldn't ignore. He looked around once more, eyes narrowing slightly. "…So how am I still alive?.
Luke was still trying to understand where he was when the curtain beside him was suddenly pulled open.
A boy rushed in, slightly out of breath, his face full of worry as his eyes quickly scanned Luke's body. "Luke! You're awake? Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Can you move? Do you remember what happened?" he asked without stopping, his voice fast and restless.
Luke blinked slowly, staring at him without answering, but the boy didn't notice and kept going.
"You just collapsed like that and didn't wake up, the doctor said it might take longer but I came anyway and—"
Luke's expression slowly turned blank as he listened, or at least tried to. The voice kept going, nonstop, like a mosquito buzzing right inside his ears.
It was irritating. "…Why is he talking so much?" Luke muttered quietly, his brows pulling together a little.
The boy paused for a second and frowned. "Hey, are you even listening to me?" he asked, leaning closer.
Luke looked at him again, properly this time, but before he could say anything, a sudden pain hit his head. His face tightened immediately as he grabbed it. "Ah—!"
The pain wasn't normal, it came with something else. Memories. Not his… but also his. Images flashed through his mind one after another, voices, names, moments he had never lived but somehow understood. The boy in front of him, his name came first. "…Ethan…" Luke said slowly, his voice unsure.
The boy froze, surprised. "Huh? Yeah, that's me. You good?" he asked, now looking even more concerned. But Luke didn't answer right away. His breathing steadied as the memories continued to settle, filling the gaps in his mind. His name… was Luke.
The same name, but not the same life. This body belonged to someone else, someone weak, someone who was looked down on, a guy who was considered useless.
Then a scene played in his head which happened a day ago, the day the freshman signed up for the academy and that was were he met Ethan, they were both looked down, with that similarities they both became friends.
Luke and Ethan were at the bottom. Weak, poor, with no backing. Easy targets. The strong ones made sure they knew their place every day.
The memories showed it clearly. Laughter. Mockery. Hands pushing him around. Voices filled with contempt. Ethan trying to speak up and getting shoved aside. Luke enduring it again and again, until something in him finally snapped that day.
"I'm not doing this anymore," the old Luke had said, his voice shaking but loud enough to be heard. His face was tense, fear clear in his eyes, but there was also anger, the kind that had been building for too long.
That only made things worse. "Oh? The weakling wants to fight back now?" one of them said, he was a freshman just like Luke but the difference was he was far more stronger than Luke, stepping forward with a grin full of ridicule. The others laughed, already expecting entertainment.
Luke raised his hand, forcing himself to stand straight despite his fear. He then brought out his sword, challenging the guy who was taller and more built than him.
"Fine," Karl said coldly. "I'll show you what real power looks like."
Then Karl veins popped out as if he was trying to bring out some from within him, he poured his mana to his fist and fire surrounded his fist, and then he charged at Luke who barely knew anything about his magic.
In less than two minutes, Karl was mercilessly beating him like trash, Luke's eyes widened, shock freezing his body. The next moment, he was hit, Karl punched his stomach and turned raising his leg to hit Luke head, which made him lose consciousness in an instant.
His body slammed into the ground, breath knocked out of him. His vision blurred as laughter echoed around him, but this time, it sounded distant.
The memories settled. Back in the present, Luke slowly lowered his hand from his head, his expression calm but serious now. He understood everything.
This body, this life, this world. He was an orphan, with no one to rely on. Weak. And useless, he really died but just that he transmigrated into the body.
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A/N: I hope you like this opening chapter, and don't forget to add book to your library.