In a spacious room, beneath the soft glow of a desk lamp, a young man named Takeshi Kaito, twenty-two years old, sat with his head resting on his right arm, completely immersed in the novel before him.
"Ah~ The third volume is truly amazing~. Alright, I'll stop here and continue tomorrow since the holidays have just started."
Since he planned to head to bed, he decided to take a shower first.
As he walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes while heading down the stairs to the first floor, he yawned. After all, he had stayed up until nearly 3 AM, and it had drained him completely.
"No more staying up late, or my brain will turn to mush if I keep thi—"
Suddenly, Kaito lost his balance and fell down the stairs.
Thud!
'It's dark… What happened?'
Kaito tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. No, it was closer to… not having a body capable of responding at all.
'It's so cramped… My head, it hurts so much… Argh! My brain's going to explode! It hurts!'
Whispers. Whispers.
Voices echoed, piercing straight through him, as if trying to tell him something, but the chaos drowned out their words. Yet, amidst the noise, one voice was clearer than the rest.
???: "Reach the end of the story in your own way."
Suddenly, the darkness scattered, the pain vanished, and the voices disappeared in an instant.
A profound silence filled the space, and only Kaito's breathing remained.
He jolted upright as if waking from a nightmare, catching his breath until he finally calmed down and looked around.
A medium-sized room, with classic, carved wooden furniture. A lantern sat beside a modest desk next to a shelf filled with various books.
Kaito stood up and walked toward a mirror in the corner of the room. Staring back at him was a young man, around nineteen years old, with white hair, crimson eyes, pale skin, and a handsome face, wearing a white shirt and black trousers.
As countless questions flooded his mind, Kaito managed to answer only two of them: "I'm not in my room, and this isn't my body."
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his mind, so intense it forced Kaito to clutch his head, pulling at his hair in a desperate attempt to lessen the agony.
A distant voice echoed, and another reflection appeared in the mirror.
"Ashborn Knox," the voice repeated, over and over, as if carving itself into Kaito's consciousness.
His consciousness intertwined with Knox's, merging until they became one, as if they had always been the same person.
Through the memories now flowing within him, Knox recognized where he had awakened:
The Ashborn family estate, belonging to one of the noble families of the Loen Kingdom, located in the city of Backlund, the capital of Loen.
"I'm not in my world anymore."
After composing himself and taking a deep breath, Knox decided:
'There's no point in just standing around asking questions right now.'
Since it was around 11 o'clock, Knox dressed himself and glanced into the mirror.
'Damn, Knox, you're really handsome… No matter what I wear, it just looks good.'
Reflecting further, he sighed inwardly, remembering his old world:
'The world isn't fair. Cry.'
Knock knock.
"Sir, you're truly awake this time. You slept in today."
"I'm awake. You may come in."
A maid entered, bowing politely.
"Master and Madam have left for a meeting. Please allow me to escort you to the dining hall."
In a grand hall where the family gathered for breakfast, Knox sat at a long rectangular table, ordering his usual morning meal. Warm sunlight filtered in, filling the room with a peaceful atmosphere.
Two minutes later, an elderly butler named Ron approached, carrying a cup of tea, toast, and a plate of jam.
Knox's morning routine included physical training after breakfast.
"Old man, bring me today's newspaper, and inform the trainer to wait for me in the training hall in an hour."
"Yes, sir. Also, you have received a letter from a noble, likely an invitation."
Knox smiled as he took a sip of tea.
"Send it to my room. I'll read it later. Is my brother, Thilos, home today?"
"No, sir, he left earlier, mentioning he needed to visit the Church of Evernight."
The butler looked slightly tense; in the past, Knox was quieter and colder.
After breakfast, Knox decided to skim the newspapers.
They mentioned investment opportunities, protests over pollution from factories, and complaints from the poor in the Eastern District of Backlund about unemployment.
The date was November 8th, 1347, roughly eight months before Klein Moretti, the protagonist of Lord of the Mysteries, would arrive in this world.
'Well, that has nothing to do with me. I'll just let events run their course and live a quiet life.' Knox chuckled inwardly.
From his memories, Knox learned he was the youngest of the family, with his brother Thilos being 23 and his sister Historia 20.
His father held the title of Earl due to the family's wealth, with steady income from lands, properties, factory shares, and company investments.
Each sibling received a monthly allowance, and Knox's was 5,000 pounds—a fortune that could support a middle-class family comfortably for a lifetime.
'That's all I know for now from these memories.'
As he headed to the family's garden, Knox encountered his sister, Historia, two years older than him.
"Morning, sister," Knox greeted her, noting her equestrian attire.
"Oh, you're awake? Tch, I thought you had died, and I could celebrate today," Historia replied, shooting him a look that screamed, "You disgusting cockroach."
She was always harsh with her words.
'As sharp-tongued as ever.' Knox chuckled internally, but before he could say anything else, Historia had already walked away.
Reaching the Ashborn family's private garden, Knox took a seat at a small table, sipping a cup of lemon tea.
'In the future, I might face certain threats. In this world, there are powers beyond human limits known as Beyonders, with 22 distinct pathways. There are many options, but some are unacceptable due to their evil nature, and others simply don't suit my needs. This leaves me with a few choices:
Seer, Apprentice, Monster, Bard.
For now, my priorities are:
1. Obtain a potion for one of these pathways.
2. Learn self-defense and weapon handling.
3. Avoid unnecessary conflicts to keep myself and my family safe.'
Knox stood and headed toward the dueling training grounds.
As he opened the door, he saw a wide, quiet hall, except for the sharp sound of a sword slicing through the air.
In a corner, a man around forty-five with silver hair tied back was swinging a large sword with ease, as if it were a piece of paper.
Knox watched him in silence for over ten minutes until the old man finally noticed the young master's gaze.
"Ah, Master Knox, I apologize for not noticing you earlier. How can I assist you today?"
"It's fine. I've been here a while," Knox said calmly, "Gober, I'll get straight to the point. I want you to be my teacher."
Gober looked at Knox quietly for five seconds before sighing. "Master Knox, haven't you already been assigned a personal trainer?"
"I decide whose tutelage I take, and I've chosen you. You're a veteran who has served this family since before I was born, and you've never accepted any students, only guided them. So train me!"
Knox's crimson eyes burned with determination, his excitement clear. Over the past ten minutes, he had confirmed this man was a true combat expert.
Gober looked into Knox's eyes and, after a moment, smiled.
"My training won't be easy."
'He has the same look I had when I first began training… Hmm, you're interesting, young master.'
Under Gober's strict guidance, Knox underwent rigorous strength and endurance training. Gober, the retired warrior, had been granted a luxurious section of the Ashborn estate out of loyalty.
*'I'm going to die! I finished the training, but every bone in my body is screaming!'*
Knox collapsed on the ground, sighing in exhaustion.
Dragging himself to his room, he took a shower to wash off the sweat from training. It was around 1:15 PM, so he decided to take a short nap to recover his energy.
After two hours of sleep, Knox awoke and decided to read the letter from the noble inviting him to a tea party—a common occurrence among the aristocracy.
*'Like a casual networking event? Well, it might be a good opportunity to make some allies. After all, Knox wasn't exactly sociable.'*
The letter mentioned the gathering would take place in four days, which was perfect.
After some careful thought, Knox decided to pursue the *Wheel of Fortune* pathway, starting with Sequence 9: *Monster*.
Thanks to his knowledge of the novel, Knox knew the ingredients:
**Main Ingredients:**
- Spirit Owl's Eye
- Liver of a Three-Colored Rabbit
**Supplementary Ingredients:**
- Sap of Wild Ouija Bark
- Three Four-Leaf Plants
- Spirit-Calming Herb
The potion ingredients would cost between 40–70 pounds, equivalent to a doctor's salary for 5–8 weeks.
But with 5,000 pounds for this month and 1,200 leftover from the previous month, Knox had no issues affording it.
Kaito wept inwardly. *'The life of the rich is truly wonderful~.'*
He ordered a servant to purchase the ingredients under the pretext of conducting an experiment.
*'I'll probably get them by tomorrow. They're not exactly rare.'* Knox thought.
Since it was still early, Knox decided to take a walk around the Ashborn estate.
Thump! Thump!
The sound of Knox's heartbeat echoed through his body and soul like a scream in a deep cave.
Whispers. Whispers.
As if dozens of people were speaking at once, voices filled the air.
Knox felt as if he were being dragged downward, sinking rapidly. The world flipped, and he found himself walking upon what seemed like an endless sea, steam rising from the water's surface.
Cherry blossoms fell like snow, dancing in the air before touching the lake's surface and vanishing.
Knox looked around, unable to see the horizon as the rising mist obscured everything.
His first impression was a profound sense of peace and quiet, tinged with excitement, as words slipped unconsciously from his lips.
"Beautiful… magnificent."
*'I could sit here and watch this view for a long time.'*
Suddenly, as if the space had responded to his desire, a geometrically shaped, eight-sided table rose from the lake's surface, made of glossy ebony, reflecting light across the engraved mysterious runes and sigils.
Seven of the eight chairs surrounding the table were made from the same wood, with black metal coiling around the legs like serpents, each with silver-backed rests.
But the eighth chair stood out the most—taller than the others, with a higher back inlaid with silver lines, and black playing card symbols engraved upon its arms.
A chilling aura radiated from around the chair, as if the shadows themselves guarded it, declaring the status of whoever sat upon it.
It was as if the throne was calling to its master.
Knox felt the irresistible urge to sit.
He stepped forward, his footsteps echoing, ripples spreading across the water's surface with each step, before ascending a single raised stone platform and approaching the chair.
The moment he sat, he felt a connection form between himself and this mysterious domain.
"lake of mist "