The last thing Marcus remembered was the creaking groan of timber supports and someone screaming his name.
Then darkness.
Then... softness?
Marcus's eyes snapped open to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Not the water-stained drywall of his rented room back in Ashford, but actual carved wood beams decorated with what looked like gold leaf. Sunlight streamed through gauzy curtains that probably cost more than his last paycheck.
He sat up fast—too fast—and immediately regretted it as his head spun.
"What the hell?"
The voice that came out wasn't quite his own. Similar, but smoother somehow. Less ravaged by coal dust and cheap cigarettes. He looked down at his hands. Slender. Uncalloused. The hands of someone who'd never swung a pickaxe in their life.
I died, he thought with surprising clarity. The mine collapsed. I felt it.
So this was... what? Heaven? It didn't match any of the descriptions from the church his mother used to drag him to. And he was pretty sure heaven wouldn't have the faint smell of incense and perfume hanging in the air, or the silk sheets that were currently pooling around his waist.
Marcus threw off the covers and stood, his legs wobbling slightly. He was wearing some kind of loose silk robe that barely qualified as clothing. Across the room hung a full-length mirror with an ornate golden frame.
The man staring back at him was a stranger.
Early twenties, maybe. Dark hair that fell in artful waves to his shoulders. Sharp cheekbones, full lips, eyes the color of amber. He was beautiful in a way that made Marcus uncomfortable—not because of the beauty itself, but because he'd spent thirty-two years looking like a guy who shoveled coal for a living. Which he had been.
"Okay," he said aloud, watching the stranger's mouth move with his words. "Okay. So I'm dead, I'm in someone else's body, and—"
A sound like a bell chimed inside his skull, and suddenly glowing text appeared in his vision:
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
Welcome, User Marcus Chen (Soul Transfer Confirmed)
New Identity: Lucien Ashvale
Occupation: Courtesan, Rank: Novice
Current Status: Destitute
Marcus—Lucien?—stumbled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet. "What the—"
More text scrolled across his vision like some kind of video game interface:
[Congratulations! You have been granted the Harem Hero System!]
Objective: Rise from poverty to power through the ancient art of pleasure
Current Stats:
- Charisma: 12/100
- Technique: 3/100
- Stamina: 15/100
- Magical Power: 1/100
Warning: Original Lucien Ashvale had ZERO satisfied clients. You have inherited his debts and terrible reputation.
"Harem... Hero... System?" Marcus read aloud, his brain struggling to process. He'd read enough isekai web novels during his lunch breaks to recognize the tropes. Truck-kun. Mysterious systems. Overpowered abilities. But those protagonists usually became knights or mages or—
Not... courtesans.
Another chime:
[URGENT QUEST AVAILABLE]
Quest: First Steps
Objective: Successfully satisfy your first client within 48 hours
Reward: +5 Charisma, +10 Technique, Basic Skill: "Attentive Touch," 50 silver coins
Failure: Eviction from current residence, -10 Reputation, debt collectors will be notified of your location
Time Remaining: 47:58:32
"You've got to be kidding me."
Marcus ran his hands through his unfamiliar hair, trying to organize his thoughts. He'd died in a mine collapse. Somehow, his soul had been transferred into the body of a male escort in what appeared to be a fantasy world. And now some kind of system was telling him he had to sleep with someone in the next two days or he'd end up homeless.
He looked around the room with fresh eyes. It was nice—too nice for someone described as "destitute." Which meant it probably wasn't his for much longer. On a small desk in the corner, he spotted a stack of papers. Bills, by the look of them, all stamped with angry red ink.
Marcus walked over and picked one up. The writing was in a flowing script that he somehow could read despite never having seen the language before:
FINAL NOTICE: Rent arrears - 3 months. Payment of 500 silver coins required within one week or eviction proceedings will commence.
Another paper: Outstanding debt to Madam Celestine's finishing school: 2,000 gold coins.
And another: Promissory note to House Merchant Guildmaster Theron: 1,500 gold coins, interest compounding monthly.
"Holy shit," Marcus breathed. "This guy was drowning in debt."
[Correct. The previous Lucien Ashvale had expensive tastes but no talent. He trained at the most prestigious courtesan academy in the capital, borrowed heavily to maintain appearances, and failed to satisfy a single client. Most believe he only graduated due to his looks.]
"Great. Just great." Marcus slumped into the chair. "I go from breaking my back in a coal mine to breaking my back as the world's worst escort."
[Correction: You will be the world's BEST escort. That is the purpose of this system.]
A bitter laugh escaped him. "And what makes you think I have any idea how to—" He gestured vaguely. "I worked twelve-hour shifts six days a week. My last relationship ended three years ago because I was too tired to even have a conversation."
[Your previous life's hardships have prepared you in ways you don't yet understand. Stamina. Resilience. The ability to read what people need. These will serve you well.]
[Besides, you have no choice. Succeed, or return to the void.]
The text hung in his vision, stark and uncompromising.
Marcus—Lucien—whoever the hell he was now, sat in silence for a long moment. Then he stood up and looked at himself in the mirror again. The beautiful stranger stared back, amber eyes uncertain.
"Alright," he said quietly. "If this is my second chance, I guess I'd better not waste it."
[Wise decision. Tutorial quest available: Would you like to learn the basics?]
He took a deep breath. "Yeah. Show me what I need to know."
[Excellent. Step One: Leave your room and explore. You must understand your new world before you can conquer it.]
Lucien found actual clothes in an ornate wardrobe—fitted trousers, a silk shirt, and a long coat that probably cost more than his entire previous wardrobe combined. As he dressed, he caught sight of himself again.
A beautiful face. A system that promised power. And two days to figure out how to use both before everything came crashing down.
Well, he thought, at least it's not shoveling coal.
He opened the door and stepped out into his new life.