I see…
So this is what it feels like—to be reborn into another world.
The scent of old stone and wood filled my lungs. The faint rays of light filtering through a cracked window cast golden lines across the dusty floor. I could feel the weight of a new body—familiar, yet not. Foreign, yet somehow... mine.
Never in my life did I expect this. I used to imagine it, sure—countless times. While lying in bed late at night. In the silence of a bathroom stall during school. While helping at the shop, my mind would drift away into the stories I read. Manhwa, novels, fantasy tales—I devoured them all, each one a lifeline I clung to like oxygen.
They were my escape from a world that didn't feel built for people like me.
And now… here I am.
Reincarnated.
Did Michael send me here? Or was it God Himself?
I miss them already—my parents, my siblings. My little sister's laugh, my mother's tired smile, the calluses on my father's hands. But I'm at peace knowing they're in heaven now. Safe.
As the last wave of pain left my skull, and the memories of this body settled into the back of my mind, I started to realize something strange. Familiar.
This world... it wasn't just any fantasy setting.
It was a novel.
A damn novel I'd been reading for the past two years.
The realization hit me harder than the pain earlier.
Gods like Zeus and Hades. Magic and swords. Different races—elves, beastkin, demons. An empire ruled by power, bloodlines, and ancient secrets. The world-building had always been insane. It was one of the few stories that pulled me in and never let go.
Even though it was a harem story—something I usually hated—I stuck with it.
Why?
Because the romance hit different.
It wasn't shallow. It was messy. Slow. Painful in all the right ways. It felt real. You could feel the heartbreak building between the lines, even when the characters didn't say anything.
Now I'm in it.
Living it.
And if I remember right, the main plot doesn't even start yet.
Not for another two years.
Right now, most of the major characters are still teenagers—same as me. Fifteen. That means everything's just starting.
I stood there, gripping the edge of the well.
Knowing both the memories of this body and my own from my previous life, I understood one thing clearly
Since he's a noble he can do basic heal or something right?
> "Heal."
I said it aloud, more out of curiosity than expectation.
A soft, green glow wrapped around my body. The stinging pain in my ribs faded a little, and the dull ache in my legs began to ease.
My eyes widened.
> "It… it worked?!"
I nearly jumped in place, grinning like an idiot. The feeling was surreal—like discovering I had a cheat code in real life. Sure, it wasn't anything big, but it felt like a start.
Then—
> CRASH!
A door nearby burst open with a loud bang. A man stormed out from a crooked house, yelling at the top of his lungs.
> "Hey! You! What the hell are you doing here? Get lost, beggar!"
I flinched.
Without a word, I bolted from the well. My legs still hurt, but adrenaline kicked in. I ran down the dusty street, avoiding carts and people, not looking back.
Even as I slowed down to a walk, people kept glancing at me—whispers behind hands, sneers from vendors, cautious eyes from mothers pulling their kids aside. I probably looked like some injured thief or a vagrant who got into trouble. My clothes were torn, dried blood caked on my skin, and I hadn't slept or eaten since I woke up.
I made my way through the winding roads until I reached the city gate.
To my surprise, the guards didn't stop me.
They didn't even glance my way. One of them yawned. The other was leaning against his spear, half asleep.
No one cared about a bloodied kid walking out of the city alone.
I stepped past the gate and onto the dirt path beyond.
Out of the city.
Into open land.
It was quiet.
The sun had shifted in the sky, casting long shadows across the grassy hills. A few scattered trees swayed in the breeze, and in the distance, I saw farmland—peaceful and untouched.
Despite everything, it felt… calm.
For the first time since I woke up, I exhaled without pain.
Seeing the world beyond the city walls... it was breathtaking.
The sky stretched endlessly above, a brilliant shade of blue scattered with drifting clouds. Hills rolled across the land like waves frozen in time, dotted with trees swaying gently in the wind. The distant mountains painted the horizon with strokes of gray and silver.
> "I could get used to this…"
I've always loved views like this. Open skies. Fresh air. No noise. No crowds. Just… peace.
Since going back into the city clearly isn't an option—not while I look like this—I guess surviving in the woods is the best choice for now.
From what I remember in this body's memories and from the novel itself, the forest nearby isn't that dangerous... at least, not unless you go too deep. The outer edges are mostly harmless—just wild animals and the occasional monster. If I'm careful, I should be fine.
I started walking again, following the dirt road used by carriages. It curved gently toward the tree line, eventually leading me into the forest.
It was quiet. Calmer than I expected. Sunlight slipped through the leaves above, painting dappled patterns on the ground. Birds chirped from somewhere high in the trees. The deeper I went, the cooler the air became.
A few hours passed before I found it—a river, slow-moving and clear, cutting through the forest like a silver thread.
> "Perfect."
I used to love camping when I was a kid. My dad would take me out during summer, and I actually picked up a lot—how to build a simple shelter, start a fire, catch fish. It was one of the few times we really bonded. I didn't realize until now how much I appreciated that.
Those skills might just save my life.
"It's camping time," Aiden muttered under his breath, smirking to himself.
> "First things first—shelter, fire, and water," he muttered, slipping into survival mode.
Not far from the river, he found what looked like an old tree—massive and ancient. Its roots had twisted over time, forming a hollow alcove at the base, partially sunken into the ground. It wasn't much, but to Aiden, it was perfect.
> "Natural cover and partial insulation… Better than anything I could build in a few hours."
He cleared the space carefully—removing dry leaves, bugs, loose soil, and checking for anything dangerous hiding inside. Then, with a few large branches and thick leaves from nearby brush, he reinforced the opening to block wind and create some privacy.
Satisfied, he got to work on the fire.
He gathered dry twigs and branches—avoiding damp wood that would produce smoke—and arranged them in a classic teepee structure with a small pile of dry bark and grass as tinder in the center. Grabbing two stones with smooth edges, he struck them repeatedly, guiding the sparks into the dry tinder until it caught flame.
The fire crackled to life.