My name's Ash Morales. And I'm dead.
Well—I was dead.
It's kind of a weird thing to say out loud, even after a week of… existing again. One moment, I was crossing a street in Manila with my earphones in, daydreaming about how I'd finally finish the last season of my favourite fantasy webnovel when I got home.
The next thing—boom! Truck. Lights. Pain. Then nothing.
Too young to drink, too young to vote, and too young to sleep around, but apparently just old enough to get run over by a careless driver with a bad sense of timing. The memory of it still feels unreal sometimes.
I remember dying and thinking in regret, I've never even had a girlfriend, I've never had sex. Why did It have to be me.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't on a hospital bed. No sirens. No crying nurses. Just… trees. Lots and lots of trees. A blue sky so clear it hurt to look at. And a voice that wasn't mine, a woman's voice, though a bit mechanical, whispering in my ear, Welcome to Athellion, host.
That was a week ago.
Since then, I've had plenty of time to think. About dying, about this new world, about the fact that—holy hell—I actually got isekai'd. I used to read those stories nonstop back on Earth: "teen dies, gets powers, saves kingdom, wins lots of girls." I never really thought it would happen to me. But I guess the universe decided to give me the cliché full-course meal.
And honestly? I'm not complaining.
Right now, I'm sitting at the back of a merchant's carriage, the wooden wheels clattering against cobblestone as we rumble down a long winding road bordered by rolling fields. The air smells faintly of wet grass and horse sweat. It's not exactly comfortable—these wooden benches are murder on my backside—but after everything that's happened, I'll take it.
We've been traveling for two days already. The carriage creaks like it's ready to fall apart at every bump, but somehow it keeps going. Ahead of us, the driver—a burly man with a thick beard and even thicker accent—hums some country tune, occasionally shouting at the horses. Around me, there are four other passengers: two men who look like they work for the merchant, an old woman snoring softly in her corner, and a young lady sitting diagonally across from me.
She's probably around twenty, maybe twenty-one. Long chestnut hair tied neatly with a ribbon, a traveling cloak over her shoulders, and eyes that seem to flicker my way every few minutes before darting off somewhere else like she got caught doing something she shouldn't.
Yeah, she's been stealing glances at me since yesterday.
I'm not saying that to sound narcissistic or anything—but, well, my reflection in the river back in town didn't lie. My new face is ridiculously handsome. Pale skin, a sharp jawline, silver-gray eyes that look like moonlight, and hair so dark it almost looks blue under sunlight.
I'm quite tall to boot, around six fit feet two inches. My body's lean but athletic too. Not too muscular, but every line looks like it was sketched by a bored god who thought, You know what, let's make this one pretty.
If this were still Earth, I'd look like one of those K-drama leads people swoon over on TikTok. Even then, I'd still wipe the floor with them by quite a margin.
So yeah, I don't blame her for the glances.
Not that I know what to do with them. I may look like a heartthrob, but inside I'm still the same dork who used to spend Saturday nights arguing on online forums about which cultivation system was more overpowered.
And well, she's not so bad herself. She could also pass for a famous celebrity back on earth. Not that I was planning on doing anything about it at the moment.
Speaking of systems…
Yeah. I got one. A very questionable one though. By questionable, I mean, it looks like this system was made by a pervert.
Like any other reincarnated protagonist worth his salt, I didn't come here empty-handed. A few minutes after I woke up under that oak tree, I heard a faint ding! in my head, and a translucent blue screen appeared before me.
[Primordial Lust System Activation Complete]
Welcome To Athellion, Host Ash Morales.
World Integration Level: 1%
[Status Window]
Name: Ash Morales
Age: 16
Race: Human, ???
Talent:★
Constitution: Lust God's Primordial Body (★) [5000 Lust points required to upgrade to (★★)]
Lust points: 0
Class: N/A
Level: 1
Unique Skills: [Absolute Copy(★★★★★★★★★★-10-star ability): Copy the abilities, talent, and constitution of any woman you have sex with.] [Basic Perception ★★]
Unique Title: Reincarnated Soul
Passive skills: N/A
Active skills: N/A
Health: 54
Mana: 46
Strength: 9
Agility: 7
Vitality: 13
INT: 14
Luck: 190
Charm: 100
Dimensional Storage: [Radiant Lord's Sword] [Enchanted Midnight Cloak] [5 gold, 59 Silver, 89 Bronze]
[System store: Restricted (50 Lust points required to unlock)]
[Note: Lust Points earning metric depends largely on your partner's level, talent, and constitution]
So yeah, this was the system as I had come to know it.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Then I tried touching it—and my hand actually passed through it, like it was made of light. It responded to thought commands, too. Mental interface, check. Skill slots, check. Status screen, check. The works.
So yeah, a lust system. Basically, It looks like I'm going to fuck my way up this world. Not what I was expecting when the system activated, but hey, I'm not complaining right. This is any man's dream, hehe. Who wouldn't want a cheat Lust system, that helps you get stronger by fucking women.
Any man's fucking dream to be fucking honest. And so, I am going to be building my very own harem it seems. My status is kind of pitiful right now though. My talent is trash, my stats are average at best. But I am not worried.
I do have a cheat ability, I just need to bang some powerful women hehe. Which should not be a problem with my godly looks. And there is a few outliers in my stats.
Yeah, my luck and charm are off the charts. After using the inspect skill on a number of people, It looks like an average person's stats would be in and around the 10 point mark, so I was as average as they came, but because of the Lust system, things are looking up!
So yeah, a well rounded cheat system.
I don't know how powerful it really is yet. Everything sounds cool, but I haven't exactly had the chance to experiment properly, and well, I can't go around asking women to have sex with me, or can I? The first few days, I was too busy trying not to starve to think about it.
When I stumbled into the nearest town—Tarenwood, I think it was called—I quickly realized I didn't know anything about this world. No map, no currency, no idea what counted as normal. I didn't even know the language until the System apparently decided to "auto-translate" for me after I wished it would. Yeah, that's right—just wished. Guess cheat systems come with customer service now.
Anyway, after a few awkward conversations and several bowls of questionable soup at the local tavern, I learned two important things.
First, this world—Athellion—is a high-fantasy mess straight out of every webnovel I've ever read. Magic is real. Monsters roam forests. Nobles rule kingdoms. The gods are very much alive and like meddling in mortal affairs.
Second, the Royal Academy in the capital city of Elaris was apparently about to open enrollment for new students. It's the place where young people go to learn magic, swordsmanship, alchemy, you name it. Noble heirs, talented commoners, and even foreigners gather there every year.
So naturally, my first thought was—"Perfect. Main character school arc, here I come."
I mean, come on. A reincarnated teen with a Lust system? Attending a prestigious academy filled with nobles, geniuses, and probably a princess or two? It was destiny.
So I scraped together a a decent amount of coins doing odd jobs—mostly hauling crates for merchants—and managed to buy myself a spot on this carriage heading to the capital, leaving me with some gold coins to spare. The driver, a guy named Bronn, was kind enough to let me tag along for a small fee and some help carrying his wares.
That was two days ago.
Now, as the carriage rattles along, I lean back and let my head rest against the wooden wall. The rhythmic clatter of wheels and the gentle sway of the ride have a sort of hypnotic rhythm to them. Outside, I can hear birds calling from the trees lining the road. The sun filters through the leaves, painting dappled patterns of gold across the path.
It's peaceful. Almost too peaceful.
Oh, I can feel the mana in the air, it feels like this thin, viscous liquid when I draw it into my body, empowering me. My body feels more durable. Of course, I tried to cast some spells, to no avail. After a few embarrassing attempts, the system decided to finally tell me that I actually need skills to cast the most basic of spells, like a fireball. Skills I did not have.
And why I don't have any skills even though I have a system you may ask. Turns out, I can get skills in the system store, which is currently restricted.
"You look deep in thought, young man," the merchant sitting next to the driver calls back, catching my gaze. He's a plump fellow with a shiny bald spot and a friendly smile. "First time traveling to the capital?"
I nod. "Yeah. You could say that."
"Exciting, isn't it? The heart of the kingdom! You'll see towers taller than mountains and streets paved with white marble." His eyes gleam with pride. "They say even the poorest beggar there has a better view than a baron in the countryside."
"That so?" I reply with a grin. "Sounds like a place worth seeing."
The merchant chuckles and goes back to chatting with the driver, leaving me to my thoughts again.
I glance at the girl across from me. Her face is turned away, but I catch the faintest hint of pink on her cheeks when our eyes meet. She quickly pretends to study the scenery outside.
Cute.
I look away before she notices my smile.
It's strange, really. Despite everything—dying, waking up in a strange world, living among people I barely know—I don't feel lost. If anything, I feel… alive.
Maybe it's the fresh air. Maybe it's the thrill of adventure. Or maybe it's because, deep down, this is exactly what I used to dream about.
Back on Earth, life was gray. School, part-time jobs, deadlines, arguments with my mom about my "addiction" to webnovels. She used to say, Ash, you can't live inside those stories forever.
Turns out, I can. Haha...
I can't help but think about her now. Did she mourn for me after I died? Yeah she definitely did. My heart tightens at the thought of having caused her pain by dying, and leaving her alone. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss her already. After all, it was just me and her in our small apartment.
I chuckle quietly to myself. If she could see me now, she'd probably scold me for dying so carelessly before fainting at the sight of a floating blue System screen.
My fingers twitch slightly, and the familiar interface appears before my eyes.
[Status Window]
Name: Ash Morales
Age: 16
Race: Human, ???
Title: Reincarnated Soul
Level: 1
[System store: Restricted]
My thoughts were already churning with all the endless possibilities of what I could buy from system store. Objects and abilities. Unfortunately, that was not possible right now. Yeah, that "Restricted" part annoys me. It looks like I will have to get those Lust points sooner rather than later.
The road stretches endlessly ahead, shimmering under the afternoon sun. Somewhere beyond the hills lies the royal capital—Elaris. My new beginning.
And I can't wait.
The girl across from me fidgets, stealing another glance. This time, I meet her eyes and offer a small smile. She looks startled for a moment, then hurriedly tucks a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear and looks down, pretending to be very interested in her boots.
I try not to laugh.
Yeah, I know. Not very gentlemanly of me. But come on—she's the first person to actually look flustered around me since I got here. And after sixteen years of being invisible on Earth, that does something to a guy's ego.
Not that I plan to act on it. I've got bigger things to worry about. Like how to survive in a world where people throw fireballs for fun.
Still, it's… nice.
For the next few minutes, I just sit there, watching the landscape roll by. We pass through fields of golden wheat, dotted with farmers guiding oxen. In the distance, I can see the faint silhouette of a watchtower rising against the horizon. Every now and then, a small village appears, smoke curling lazily from chimneys as children run along dirt paths.
It's all so vivid. So real.
On Earth, I used to stare at screens for hours imagining what places like these would look like. Now, I'm here. Living it. Breathing it.
The merchant suddenly calls out again, pointing ahead. "Look! You can already see the outer spires!"
I squint, and sure enough—faint but unmistakable—tall, gleaming structures rise in the distance, piercing the clouds like silver needles.
The capital.
My heart races a little. For the first time since waking up here, it really hits me: this isn't a dream. This world is real, and I'm a part of it now.
I don't know what waits for me there—friends, rivals, monsters, maybe even gods—but whatever it is, I'm ready.
After all, I didn't die just to live an ordinary life again.
This is my second chance. My story. My adventure.
And I intend to make it legendary.