The spinning in my head and the urge to gag were the first things I felt. Then, like a massive wave, the rest of my senses hit me all at once. I finally snapped out of it and opened my eyes.
It took me a split second to process: one breath to scan the room, another to realize this wasn't my dusty, cramped apartment. My heart started racing, and a greasy, skin-crawling horror washed over me. As a total shut-in who hadn't left his comfort zone in years, just imagining a situation like this used to paralyze me. My body moved on autopilot, springing off the bed while I felt a frantic tremor deep in my bones. The world spun even harder, but a massive adrenaline dump kept me from faceplanting on the floor.
I looked around, trying to keep it together. The vibe was insane: a massive king-sized bed with silk sheets, marble floors etched with trippy patterns, fine art, tapestries, and enough high-end silver plate to make a museum jealous. Suddenly, a knock echoed from behind me, and the door swung open. A fresh wave of panic hit me even harder.
"Young Master? You're awake?"
A raspy, old-man voice made me jump. It was a miracle I didn't let out a high-pitched "little girl" scream. My mind was doing 100 mph: "Young Master? Is this a prank? Am I being punked?"
"Young Master, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"
"No, I'm good. Get out, Bao Lin," I snapped, not even looking back.
I was frantically downloading the situation. Bao Lin—that was the butler's name. And me? I was Tian Lin, the "young" heir of the Lin family. Looking down at my forty-five-year-old "professional otaku" body, which wasn't much different from my old one, it was hard to believe I'd actually been isekai'd. Old memories and new ones blurred together in a painful, disorienting glitch. The butler bowed out, the door clicked shut, and the room went dead silent.
The first thing I did was flop onto the bed and ugly-cry. Tears streamed down my face, dripping onto the expensive marble. My real mom and dad... they're probably losing it right now, trying to wake up their deadbeat son who's just a lifeless husk hugging a Miku dakimakura. The thought was a toxic mix of rage, fear, and weird curiosity.
Then, a cold calm set in. The old me is dead. Only the current me is alive. The sheer will to survive became my fuel, and I stood up.
Looting the room actually paid off: a cultivation manual, a magic scroll, a few greatswords, and a bunch of other cultivator gear. The Lin family ruled a Level 5 city on the edge of the Dragon Empire, right by the Great Ocean. People called it "Fish Head." It was a booming spot thanks to deep-sea energy crystal mining and massive fish farms. The world was this wild mashup of medieval vibes and modern tech, but with a magical twist. It was a high-fantasy world on a scale that was low-key terrifying. My city had nearly two million people—back home, that's a megapolis; here, it was just a "Level 5" backwater on the edge of nowhere.
Despite the magic-powered medicine and the fact that extreme poverty was mostly gone, this world was toxic and unfair. The wealth gap was disgusting. I had a literal mansion with its own forest and lake, even though I was just one of dozens of heirs thirsty for power. Society was stuck in the Middle Ages: the rulers had absolute power to look the other way for any atrocity. The "Golden Children" of these rulers could kill, loot, or take whatever they wanted. It all came down to the "Imperial Token"—the ultimate hall pass that gave you the right to rule and tax. Everyone was gunning for it.
I walked down to the hall, lost in thought. The stairs were lit up by energy crystals and glowing rune-circuits. Crystals and runes were the WiFi and electricity of this civilization.
"Bao Lin!" I called out.
A second later, he was there: tall, bald, white mustache, total poker face. According to my "downloads," he'd raised me since I was a kid. He taught me everything—manners, reading, etiquette. He was basically the dad I never had. I wasn't the main heir and I couldn't cultivate for sh*t. If there was a "Biggest Loser" award in the family, I'd be the undisputed champ.
"Yes, Young Master?"
"Bring me some tea and something sweet. I'm eating here today."
The old man's eyebrow twitched for a fraction of a second, but he just bowed and left. I sat there wondering: What now? Just vibe and be rich? In ten years, they'll pick a new City Lord, and the first thing that guy will do is "delete" all his rivals. But still, the luxury was intoxicating.
After breakfast, I went back to my room and checked the mirror. It wasn't great. Even at forty-five, I looked younger than my age, but the body was... well, "plus-sized." A total unit. Not exactly the main-character energy I wanted for this isekai.
Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps in the hall. The door slammed open—it was Bao Lin, and he looked shaken. His "calm butler" mask was completely gone.
"Young Master, get ready. We're bugging out. Now."
"What? What's the move, Bao Lin? Explain."
"Master... your father has been assassinated."
My stomach dropped. My dad was a high-tier cultivator, a guy who could literally bend the elements to his will. How could he be dead? While I was glitching out, Bao Lin was frantically shoving gold coins into a spatial ring and pressed it into my hand.
"That's cap! He could slice mountains and sink fleets! Who could even touch him?!"
"Master... the Demons have breached the Dragon Empire."
My hands started shaking. Demons hadn't been seen in ten thousand years. This had to be a joke.
"What are you even say—"
I didn't finish. A massive explosion rocked the world. In the distance, a pillar of fire shot into the sky. It was pitch black, like a void, and it was literally eating the landscape. My body moved on instinct—I bolted. Bao Lin grabbed me, and the world became a blur of high-speed movement. A second later, we were at the flying carriage.
"The city is cooked," the old man said, shoving me inside. "The demons are going to wipe everything. You're a high-value target. Head north to the City of Grey Knights. It's a Level 2 fortress. One of the ministers there was tight with your father; he'll look out for you. As for me... I'm going to do my duty as a warrior and your father's brother-in-arms."
I saw tears streaming down the old warrior's face. He hugged me and handed me his own cultivation technique. The carriage took off, and a shimmering energy shield wrapped around it.
"Why?! How is this happening?!" I clutched my head, spiraling.
The last demon invasion ten thousand years ago deleted a third of the population and reset humanity's progress by centuries. And now...
"HUMANKIND..."
A thunderous voice, made of a thousand distorted screams, filled my brain. I looked out the window. In the sky, a massive, fleshy demon was projecting a literal hologram. The thing in the projection looked like a cube made of eyes, ears, and mouths, circled by two floating diamonds made of black feathers.
"Do you hear that cracking sound? It's not thunder. It's the fabric of your arrogant existence snapping. Destruction is your only future. This is the end of your story..."
"Oh my god..." I prayed, watching the world crumble. "Not like this. I don't want to get eaten!"
[ SYSTEM ACTIVATED ]