I lay staring at the white ceiling of my hospital room. Not long ago, I was an ordinary thirty-year-old Russian man, but now I had become a fifteen-year-old Chinese schoolboy.
"Just my luck, I can't even get drunk out of grief," I thought bitterly.
In my past life, I was no casanova, but having to endure puberty all over again as a teenager was unpleasant.
Looking back at my previous life, it was a complete disappointment. I became an orphan at twelve, but thanks to my aunt, I didn't end up in an orphanage. School followed, then university on a scholarship, but I couldn't finish it. Then came the army—nothing interesting happened there, they just taught me how to march and salute superiors. A year later, I returned to civilian life and got a job.
What kind of work awaits a person without connections or education? Providing money for those who have both, or as people say, "Working for the man."
In time, I started a family and had a child. We managed to get by, more or less.
But everything changed in an instant. My wife found someone better. Then came the divorce, the apartment went to her, followed by child support and all the other delights.
After that, I drank. I drank a lot. Debts piled up, rented apartments changed like a kaleidoscope, and old friends and relatives disappeared or were always too busy for such a fallen relative. I found an entirely different company.
Then, one not-so-good morning, I woke up covered in blood. Nearby lay two cold bodies. On the table were overturned bottles, simple snacks, and a bloody knife.
Standing up and looking at the interior of that old, smoke-filled Khrushchev-era apartment, I realized there was no point in running. Those two drunks were from my new circle. Vague memories suggested that yesterday had started with a large group of local drunks, but they eventually left. The three of us remained and began to argue. One of them, covered in tattoos and an ex-convict, loved teaching people how to live. I simply couldn't stand it when someone who had achieved nothing in life tried to lecture me. This "authority," as he considered himself, didn't like my attitude, and a fight broke out. He wasn't a formidable opponent, and I had plenty of experience from my youth. When that scum curled up on the floor, his friend grabbed a knife from the table and started shouting at me. I was struck by such rage that I grabbed another knife and plunged it into his liver area. I don't know if I hit it, but my opponent folded almost immediately.
Seeing this, the "authority" started screaming, but my drunk brain identified him as the only witness, and I finished the idiot off.
Before hiding the bodies, I decided to have another drink for courage. One, then another. I must have blacked out. Now I understand that hiding is pointless; they will find me anyway.
"Hello, what happened there?" a voice asked from the phone.
"I killed two people," I replied.
The police arrived quickly. I was taken to the station and sent "down the line."
Immediately after the trial, I signed a contract and went to war. It was difficult both psychologically and physically. One day, something exploded near me. I didn't even have time to feel anything before I woke up in a hospital bed.
I could never have imagined such a thing could happen. I would have rather been a baby in a loving family than live with all the memories of my past life; there wasn't much good there anyway. At least then, you would be a clean slate, enjoying life once more.
But I have no intention of heading for reincarnation just yet. No matter what madness happens in my life, I will keep living. As the coolest dwarf once said, "Life is a series of opportunities, and death brings the final conclusion!" I completely agree with him. Besides, from the memories inherited from the previous owner of this body, I recognized this world, and it was nothing like my old one.
In this world, humans were not the masters of nature. All of humanity was under siege, locked in cities and surrounded by powerful monsters. Social status was determined by the strength of your magic. Yes, you heard me right: the strength of magic. In this world, there was freaking MAGIC!
Of course, various officials also had their power, but it was nothing compared to an Intermediate Magician, who could dictate terms to "ordinary people."
This is a bit of an exaggeration, but that's the general gist. The previous owner of this body was about to enter Tian Lan Magic High School, located in Bo City.
Yes, this was the world of the light novel "Versatile Mage." I used to be into such things, and this work is one of the best in its category. They even made an anime, but I didn't like it. I had read the entire novel, though it was quite a while ago.
What is the main premise of this story?
Humanity, as I said, is locked in its cities, while monsters rule the wilderness. There are several types of monsters. The weakest of them are at the Servant level, but don't think they are weak for humans. Even the weakest can slaughter people in droves. Only magicians, at least at the Basic level, can stand against them.
Next come the Warrior level monsters. These are true killing machines, for whom Basic Magicians are no more dangerous than ordinary humans. A team of Intermediate Magicians is needed to exterminate them.
Next are the Commander level monsters, who are countered by Advanced Magicians.
Then comes the Ruler level, and accordingly, Super Magicians. At the peak of this hierarchy is the Emperor level, which corresponds to Forbidden Curse Magicians, of whom there are only a few in every country. The difference between these levels is conceptual; a Ruler can snap a Commander like a twig, and an Emperor wouldn't even notice the difference when facing a Ruler.
Of course, each level is divided into three sub-levels, but let's not get into details.
So, I will also become a magician. For some reason, I feel like I'll be studying alongside the main character. Of course, it's possible not to awaken magic, but I don't recall that happening in the novel. Everyone in their class awakened some form of magic. The background characters mostly awakened Light, Water, or Earth, which had no attacking spells at the Basic level. The protagonist awakened Fire and Lightning. Not only are these purely offensive elements—and Lightning is awakened by only one in a thousand—but he awakened them simultaneously, which is considered an incredible magical talent!
I looked at my hand, which was adorned with a black ring. A refugee had given it to me in exchange for a dry ration. He probably hadn't eaten normally for a long time and claimed it was a family heirloom. I would have given the ration anyway, but since he decided to pay with it, why refuse?
Looking at this ring, I wondered what awaited me. First, if this is a talisman like Mo Fan's, I might receive a natural talent during awakening, or awaken two elements at once just like him. That would be nice. But I also remember that because of this, he was hunted by a group of military scientists who discovered the Demon Element. And let's not forget the Holy City, which executes all powerful magicians, sacrificing them to a creature at the Half-Emperor level.
People never change. To hold onto their power, a bunch of powerful bastards kills other strong magicians so they cannot challenge their position. They even wanted to execute Zhang Kong's girlfriend for her disaster-level Ice talent, even though she was only at the Advanced level.
Strength isn't something to brag about in this world; otherwise, you'll end up in an experiment, a grave, or bondage.
It's decided: it's better to stay somewhere in the middle of the list and not stand out. I doubt I'll have the protagonist's luck.
The protagonist himself is quite the bastard, too. Like in any Chinese novel, it's in their mentality to climb to the top over heads. He even slept with his step-sister—disgusting.
Though, if you think about it, people in this world are just as villainous as in mine. I can fully understand Salan's desire—she is the main villain of the novel, a Cardinal of the Black Order, a local terrorist organization—to destroy all of humanity.
Maybe I should join them? At least they don't hide their nature. To hell with that! A bunch of sadists and maniacs, forget it.
I spent another month in the hospital. This body had been hit by a truck and hit its head hard, though fortunately, the truck had started braking. The doctors said I was in clinical death for several seconds; that must have been when I was transmigrated. Luckily, the knowledge in my head didn't disappear.
A month later, my mother and father picked me up. I didn't feel any special emotions toward them; I was no longer the boy Li Kai. All the previous owner's memories were depersonalized, just dry pages of text. I had to live with them for two more weeks before heading to the magic school to live in the dormitory. The main thing was not to get caught during this time. After that, it wouldn't be as scary. A boy can change a lot in a year, and it's not even certain they will survive the destruction of the city that will happen in three years. The Black Order will summon a rain that drives monsters into a frenzy, and they will destroy the city, led by the Commander level Winged Ash Wolf. It will be a terrible massacre, but I have no intention of preventing it yet; I'd only get caught in the crossfire myself.
It's better to cultivate and become stronger. Neither money nor power will help if a creature far stronger than all local magicians comes to your city. The example of two destroyed cities showed everyone that much.
So, I've arrived in my room for the next two weeks. It's quite a decent room: a bed, an early 2000s-style computer, a wardrobe with clothes, and walls covered in anime posters. The body itself is quite athletic, and I'm not ugly. Recalling the fifteen years of this body's local life, I began to understand local beauty standards. The starting conditions are not bad. I'll prepare for admission to the local magic school.