**Chapter 1:
Wish for a Good Ending**
Tap tap tap…
The rapid tapping of my phone echoed through my room—
a small, dim space that felt more like a forgotten cave than a bedroom.
Clothes were scattered on a chair, textbooks piled in a corner, and I lay on a worn-out couch that served as my bed.
The only source of light came from the bright glowing screen in my hands.
My eyes moved rapidly across the text displayed on my phone.
This continued for a while until I couldn't hold it in anymore.
I started laughing.
"Hehehehe, I finally caught up to the recent chapter."
Stretching my tired body, I pushed myself off the couch and checked the time.
'Mom is still not back… must be working another night shift.
Better eat something.'
I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge—only to find it empty.
'No food, huh… I guess it's departmental food then.'
With a sigh, I put on my shoes and stepped out of the house, heading toward the nearby departmental store.
After walking some distance, I stopped at the roadside to cross.
At the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl around my age, fully absorbed in her phone as she stepped onto the road.
She was too distracted to see the truck speeding straight toward her.
I didn't think.
Not for a second.
I dashed forward and shoved her out of the way.
She escaped her fate.
But I couldn't escape my decision.
The truck slammed into me, crushing my head and killing me instantly.
…
I found myself floating in a void.
A place where light and matter didn't exist—only endless darkness.
'Was this my ending…?'
I, Damien Cross, was always a story enthusiast.
My favorites were the ones with good endings.
And yet…
I never got mine.
I used to wonder how it would feel—to have a good ending.
To be satisfied with life.
To be happy.
To finally be at peace.
Like those webnovel protagonists who always get their shining heroic smiles in the end.
'I wanted that too…
Sorry, Mom. I couldn't give you a good ending either.'
As I whispered my final thoughts, my consciousness faded.
Everything went blank.
…
Then suddenly, I smelled something.
Fishy?
Warm sunlight brushed against my skin and I felt something solid beneath me—wood?
I slowly opened my eyes.
What greeted me was breathtaking.
An open sea stretching endlessly to the horizon.
Waves shimmering under the brilliant sun.
A salty breeze brushing my face.
'Where… am I?'
Before I could process the sight, a sharp needle-like pain exploded in my head, as if someone was hammering knowledge directly into my brain.
The pain lasted a full minute… then stopped.
And everything clicked together like a final puzzle piece.
I had been transmigrated into a newly released webnovel everyone was hyped about.
I muttered under my breath,
"Skyborn… I'm in the world of Skyborn."
A Week Later
"Hey, old man! Where should I put these ropes?"
I shouted to a rough-looking man wearing a white shirt and leather jacket.
"Ah, my boy! Put those inside the warehouse!" he replied.
I nodded and headed toward the storage room.
In the span of a week, I had successfully adapted to my new environment—and my new identity.
I was an orphan named Damien whose memories I received during that mind-splitting headache.
He shared the same name as me, ironically.
I wasn't all that different in this world, either—just younger (around eighteen), much stronger thanks to physical labor, with jet-black hair and sky-blue eyes instead of my original black hair and brown eyes.
Other than that, our personalities were mostly the same:
A love for stories.
Weak communication skills.
A quiet existence.
I had transmigrated right in the middle of work—tasked with participating in a trade exchange between Torry Island and Rosemary Island.
'Hope everything goes smoothly '
To be continued…