Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
My watch still worked.
Not the clock on the wall --
the one on my wrist.
An old, scratched-up thing that doesn't even tell the right time.
Still ticks, though.
"Please. No...No..I'm sorry. Please -- don't kill me."
A man's voice.
A man's fear.
He sounded the same as the last one.
The only difference?
Tonight, he was the tenth one to die.
Bang.
Silence.
Then the soft, wet sound of a body meeting the concrete.
The smell hit next -- iron, smoke, and oil.
Familiar.
Tick.
Tock.
"No. No."
The eleventh man got out of his bounds.
Tried to run.
Bang.
Silence again.
The bullet went straight through his skull.
Blood followed the bullet.
The eleventh man was dead.
The shooter turned toward me, smoke curling from the gun.
I was next.
One minute.
Maybe less.
Maybe more.
It was my turn.
I was the twelfth man.
Tick.
Tock.
I was going to die today.
A gunshot to the head.
Pretty pathetic, wasn't it?
No -- Fitting.
A painless death, maybe.
I wasn't sure.
Never got shot in the head before.
Tick.
Maybe karma finally caught up.
Cash was always paid in full.
Organ harvester.
Body thief.
Organlegger.
Those were all the names they called me.
Not that it wasn't true.
Tick.
Tock.
The floor was cold beneath my knees.
I could smell the blood -- fresh, warm, metallic.
Somewhere behind me, a boot scraped the concrete.
A quick breath.
A click.
Tick.
Tock.
"Boss's orders," he started.
"You know how it goes."
I did.
We all did.
One betrayal.
One whisper.
One wrong word.
And suddenly, the one holding the scalpel became the one facing the barrel.
"Any last words?" he asked.
I almost laughed.
Last words?
For a man who carved out organs for a living?
Yeah, I had words.
But none worth saying.
Tick.
I closed my eyes.
I could imagine that time waited with me.
Then --
Bang.
***
"I should be dead."
I had died. I'm sure of that.
Even if I had somehow survived a gunshot wound to the head, the ceiling above me -- a simple cream plaster with gilded golden edges -- was not what I would have expected to see; at best, there should have been plain white tiles.
There was no sterile smell.
No traces of disinfectant or antiseptic.
Instead, just a pleasant flowery smell.
"Where am I?"
Fancy ceiling.
Lavish exquisite adornments.
A large, luxurious four-poster canopy bed with carved dark wood, brocade curtains, and embroidered sheets.
And, instead of the worn surgical scrubs, I was now in black pajamas.
"Did someone save me?"
That didn't make sense. If someone had saved me, wouldn't they be here to see me wake?
I had to get up.
I went slow.
I had to.
Everything in my body was aching.
I was burning up.
My throat hurt.
Either way, I made it to the edge of the bed.
I tried getting off.
Immediately --
Thump.
I fell.
Was I that weak?
Maybe.
But, that wasn't the only odd thing.
I was smaller.
At least 20 centimeters shorter than usual.
My hands.
My legs.
My arms.
My entire body shrank.
It was almost like a child's body.
"Why is my body... like this?"
This didn't make sense.
Was I dreaming?
Perhaps this was an illusion before death?
No.
It wasn't.
I was shot in the head.
No dream would last this long.
No dream would feel this real.
"What's going on?"
click.
clack.
click.
Light footsteps could be heard outside the door.
Then came a stranger's voice.
"Young Master Nereus, may I come in?"
"…"
There was no one else in the room besides me.
Obviously, the stranger wasn't referring to himself.
Was it me?
Was I Nereus?
But, that wasn't my name.
I stayed quiet.
"It seems like you're still asleep."
The sound of heels slowly retreated away from the door, and it grew fainter until there was no sound at all.
That was a relief.
I needed to find out if I was 'Nereus'.
Working under shady organizations always required a sense of awareness.
Being observant was good.
Being clueless -- not so much.
It was the same in this case.
First, I checked out the paintings.
A portrait on the wall depicted a family: a man in his late 40-50's with a notable goatee, a woman who looked far too young for the man, three children behind the couple, and a between them was a cute, chubby-cheeked child, brimming with pride.
More notably, there was a boy standing next to the family.
He had short black hair, piercing blue eyes with narrow slits at their center, a straight nose, and downturned lips. His complexion was as pale as a corpse, and his frame was frail and fragile.
Was this boy Nereus?
I turned toward a full-length mirror that was placed in the room.
His appearance matched mine.
"Is this… really me?"
My image in the mirror undoubtedly mirrored the face and body of the boy in the portrait.
I was him.
Yet, I wasn't him.
Was this some kind of parallel world paradox?
Was I ghost that possessed this boy's body?
Was it reincarnation?
There were various possibilities to consider, though none of them would aid him now.
It was more important to understand the boy more.
There were unopened letters on Nereus' desk. Potentially, I could find out the boy's full name. Although, the majority of the pile looked like correspondence from his family.
I picked a random letter, and examined it.
"The boy's name was Nereus Isidore Corvayne."
It was an aristocratic name.
A name I had never heard of before.
A name that would be mine to use.
I read more of the letters.
It seemed that his -- or in this case, my -- father held a dukedom.
Looking at the extravagant room, the quality of the letters, and the ornate furniture made it clear that this ducal family was quite wealthy.
This was excellent.
No, this was beyond excellent.
I couldn't help but smile more as I read more of the letters
In essence, the letters expanded on this same message : 'A failure and a fool, that is what you are to this family. Don't aspire to your father's position; live your life of luxury in silence.'
I could work with that.
Indeed, it was a sad fate for the former 'Nereus'.
But, I wasn't him.
Money was hard to come by in life.
Even as an organ harvester, I still owed massive debts.
To the bank.
To university.
To medical expenses.
The future seemed bright.
Living a life of luxury in exchange for silence.
However, there was always a cost for something.
I had to check the state of the room.
There were bookshelves packed tightly around the room.
It seemed like the former 'Nereus' was a vivid reader.
I skimmed through the books on the shelves.
They were all about magic.
Was the former 'Nereus' a mage?
Perhaps a strong mage?
It was fascinating to think about.
So, I opened more books -- curious about how magic worked here.
Then --
Plop.
A key fell out.
Small and unassuming.
I picked it up.
There were signs of corrosion on the metal.
It was old.
What was it for?
I inspected the bookshelves.
Nothing.
No key hole.
My next target was the desk.
At first glance, it was an ordinary desk.
But, there was a latch under it.
And, a keyhole.
I tried the key.
Scrreee.
It worked.
Inside, there was a diary.
Likely Nereus' diary.
This was good.
I could see what his memories were.
So, I read until it could be summarized into words.
'The fourth son of the Ducal Corvayne family, Nereus Isidore Corvayne, appears to have immense talent for magic purely based on his raw mana capacity exceeding a 5th Circle mage yet his ability to control such mana barely reaches the level of a 1st Circle mage. However, the rest of his siblings are prodigies with immense magical talent.
The reason behind his poor magical talent despite possessing a large quantity of mana is due to his unusual birth. Born of a union between his mother, a pure Melusine of the sea, and his father, a celebrated 9th Circle mage and knight. The fourth son's condition stems from the conflict between his inherited abilities and his human limitations. As the child of a Melusine, he possesses an extraordinary capacity to absorb mana continuously from the environment, a trait perfectly suited to an Melusine's body designed to channel and regulate vast magical flows. But his human physiology cannot properly conduct, store, or release such an overwhelming volume of mana.
As a result, mana accumulates relentlessly within his veins, muscles, and organs, creating chronic congestion that taxes every system in his body. This overload manifests as fevers, tremors, fatigue, and temporary paralysis whenever he moves or tries to exert himself. Even at rest, his body struggles to contain the excess, leaving him bedridden for years and fundamentally making him unable to use magic.
If his body ever reaches the limit of what it can endure, it will be unable to regulate the mana, and the result will be death.'
Well isn't that just lovely news.
I was on a time limit.
Well, at least I had money.
Based on the given information, the Duke had likely kept the fourth son out of the public eye because he was ashamed by his lack of magical talent.
Though, it didn't matter.
If I wanted to live longer, I needed to find a solution.
"I'll have to discard my former identity and become Nereus."
That's when a blue interface flashed before my eyes.
[ Name: Nereus Isidore Corvayne (REDACTED) ]
A system window.
A system status window.
What is this?
[ This is the Boss-Maker System. It exists to guide and aid you, for as long as your life endures. ]
That was quick.
[ The soul of the deceased has possessed the parallel world's Nereus Isidore Corvayne ]
[ The soul of Nereus Isidore Corvayne summoned you here. ]
[ Adjustment period provided for (REDACTED) : 1 month ]
(REDACTED)?
Adjustment period?
What did both of those mean?
[ REDACTED is REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTEDREDACTED. ]
What?
[ The Adjustment period is provided for you to accomplish your first quest. ]
[ Quest: Find a way to regulate your mana within 1 month. ]
[ Completion failure will result in a penalty. ]
[ Penalty: Death ]
That's great.
I get a full four weeks.
Plus, a couple of days.
Huh.
Was that supposed to be generous?
"Ah, never mind."
I just got here.
And, I was hungry.
It was a great time to call for a servant.
"Is anyone there? I require assistance."
I curious to see the Ducal estate.
Regardless my current circumstances, it was better to enjoy what I could first.
With that I would begin my 'luxurious life.'
***
A week had passed.
I was starting to get used to the place and the body
Over time, the basic knowledge of this world, and the accumulated magical knowledge of the former 'Nereus' naturally flowed into me.
On the eighth day , I was able to join the Corvayne family for a meal.
The servants guided me through the central hallway to the dining room where breakfast was served.
A white tablecloth was spread over a long table. At one end sat the Duke -- my father, Kyrian -- and at the other, my stepmother, the Duke's third wife, Helena. My younger brother, Theron, was seated beside me. The only ones absent were my three elder siblings.
Helena chatted continuously like a songbird, while the duke listened quietly.
He didn't respond to any of her words.
Nor, did it seem like he cared.
The Duke of Corvayne did not hold any love for his family.
The only affection he carried for someone was measured by your usefulness.
He was a calculative man.
A pity.
The Duchess would remain a decoration at his table.
Moments later, Helena started a conversation with me.
"It has been some time since we last dined together, Nereus. You rarely grace us with your presence -- thank you for joining us today."
"The pleasure is mine, Duchess. I thought it proper to join the family once more -- it has indeed been some time since we last dined together."
The former 'Nereus' didn't usually eat with his family due to his condition.
In fact, it was quite a struggle to get to the dining room.
I could only walk in small bursts before I was exhausted.
To the point I had to hold a servant's arm to get through the central hallway.
Moreover, my body burned -- too hot, too fast.
Even now, I was still burning up.
Despite all of that, I couldn't deny that the food served was of exceptional taste.
After brief conversation with the Duchess, I quickly diverted the conversation and went back to eating.
I took a couple of glances at my younger brother, Theron.
At ten years old, he was already acknowledged as a prodigy in magic.
It was impressive.
To be acknowledged as a genius at such a young age.
A genius.
In magic?
That's right.
No matter how brilliant one may be, there is always someone brighter.
What I needed was a tutor.
A tutor for magic.
Indeed, the former 'Nereus' wasn't able to use magic.
But things might have changed.
I possessed this body now.
Magic or not, rules were rules.
The faster you learned, the longer you live.
And, I had no intention of dying anytime soon.