Death is a funny thing; it sneaks up on you, and you don't even notice. That's what happened to me. I was a twenty-year-old guy, my name was Anton Ermolov, born into a perfectly ordinary Russian family. True, I studied at a special school, even an extraordinary one, and went to China on an exchange program. There I took on the Chinese name Jiaxing Yun; it was quite fun to study there, plus I became quite proficient in Chinese. It was there that I developed a passion for reading light novels.
You might be interested in how I died. Well, it was a moment of my immense stupidity. I died in my bathtub from an electric shock when my phone, which was charging, fell into the water. The phone was old, and the insulation on the charger was damaged. I was home alone, so I wasn't saved in time. Most likely, I lost consciousness from the electric shock and shock, submerged in water, and drowned. At first, it was incredibly unpleasant; I didn't even believe it all ended like this, but the constant blackness before my eyes, otherworldly, absolute, the kind you can't see even in the darkest place during life, where no light can ever reach, the absence of sound, both quiet and deafening, and the general absence of any feelings, even a basic sense of orientation in space. I didn't know which way was down, which was up; I didn't know where my arms and legs were, or if I even had them. All this left no doubt that I was dead. An incomprehensible feeling, a mixture of fear and resentment for such a swift death. Soon, a sense of resignation came, an inner emptiness, hopelessness... I wouldn't say I lived a happy life, or that I did anything useful in the last couple of years... No, on the contrary, I sat at home and read light novels from the internet, not even going outside, using delivery. Many would say it's foolish to regret losing such a life, that I would have languished at home anyway until I died sooner or later.
But I didn't want to die; I liked my life. I enjoyed it, lived happily, at least for the last couple of years... But before that... Brr... Better not to remember... Perhaps, if I had one more chance, I could live my life the way I want! Not following someone's orders, but living for my own pleasure, enjoying every day. But now, I felt only emptiness inside, disappointment in everything that had been, and at the same time, resignation to my fate... You can't change the inevitable anyway; I'm already dead. I wish I could just sink into oblivion and forget everything, sleep forever... End my existence, full of pain and disappointment. Throughout my life, I experienced much suffering, and I also caused it to many people. I was betrayed, and I betrayed everyone around me, used their feelings to achieve my goals... Ha... I hope they've prepared a spot for me in the icy lake, closer to Lucifer... Unexpectedly, as I delved deeper into self-reflection and introspection, a bright light flashed, as if it were all existence, beautiful and unforgettable. But I only managed to see it for a moment, after which I lost consciousness. However, I don't think I'll ever be able to forget something so beautiful.
I woke up not in a hospital room as I expected, but in some alley. Not that it surprised me much, after what I had seen. Especially considering my resignation to death, it was a rather unusual feeling to be alive again, to feel smells, hear sounds, see something other than absolute darkness. Getting up, I felt that I had become shorter and weaker. A discarded mirror stood nearby, and looking into it, I saw a boy of about seven with black hair and eyes. This brought an absurd thought to my mind: "I've become a transmigrator." At least they left me as a guy, because I know how it can be. I relaxed after I confirmed this. But this didn't negate some strangeness in my sensations and the fact that I had lost everything I had earned in my past life. Although I spent all my time at home reading light novels, I regularly exercised and was in decent shape, thankfully people invented such a thing as a treadmill. And now, the body of this seven-year-old kid seemed small, weak, and absolutely helpless. Pure disappointment...
Internally laughing at my new situation, a very serious question popped into my head, without which it was impossible to move forward: where had I ended up? Looking around again, I realized I had ended up in a place that looked like an old Chinese alley. How did I know it was Chinese? Very simple, at the exit of the alley, there was a sign in Chinese. Good thing I knew it.
Taking a step, intending to leave the alley to look around and get more information, I felt something hanging around my neck. Reaching out, I found a pendant in the shape of a fang, of some animal, made of obsidian. Attached to it was a note, partly in Russian, partly in Chinese: "Success, managed to activate. This is a developing magical item in its initial stage. Unfortunately, there is no time to deliver the boy to a safe place, so if anyone finds him, please help him. If I remain alive, I will repay you a hundredfold." This alerted me. I had once read a light novel where the guy also had such a magical item, and the events were also in China. But even more so, the second part of the message didn't fit in my head: does this mean someone might come back for me? Damn, is that good or bad? No, that's not even important; the phrase: "If I remain alive," is very eloquent! Well, let's hope that the killers who left the note don't find me. Anyway, I can't do much. Go to the police? Who would believe a seven-year-old? Besides, attracting unnecessary attention is not the best idea. Moreover, it's not a fact that they are killers, although writing like that... Tearing off the upper part of the note, written in Russian, and throwing away half of it, I put the other half in my pocket. It might come in handy.
Without thinking much, I decided to walk through the city streets and try to find out where I had ended up. Staying in the alley wouldn't tell me anything. And I don't care that I was dressed in dirty white shorts and a t-shirt, and torn sneakers. Who cares? This should evoke pity! So maybe someone will help me hide. Coming out of the alley, I didn't notice anything strange; it was a normal Chinese town. But the further I walked and listened to conversations, the more I became convinced that I had ended up in the world of the light novel "Versatile Mage!" No, I didn't dislike it, quite the opposite, but I really don't like real monsters! And that's not to mention possible killers! Although this provides a sea of opportunities. There is magic in this world, and that promises to be interesting. I always wanted something like this, but I was too lazy to do it. So I wrote a couple of games for my own pleasure, although even that quickly bored me; it wasn't the same feeling, not at all.
Deciding to accept the fact of my transmigration into the world of the light novel "Versatile Mage," I moved on, trying to gather as much information as possible. However, just wandering the streets of the city made it quite difficult to determine what kind of city it was, let alone when I had arrived relative to the original plot, and this was one of the most important things. If the original plot had already begun, then there was no question of preparing for it in time! Magic is the only means of defense I know in this world against monsters, but unfortunately, without harming myself, it can only be awakened around the age of sixteen. On the way, I saw a man who looked not young, but not old either, standing by a truck and waiting for something. He looked quite thin, clearly underfed, and I could confidently say that this man looked older than his years, about thirty-five to forty. I decided to ask him for more information.
"Hello, can you tell me what city this is?" I asked, with as innocent a voice as possible. I'm seven years old; I have to use this!
"Huh? You forgot which city you're in?" the man asked, with a slight smile, in a kind and caring voice. "This is Bo City!" he said, smiling and spreading his hands.
"I see..." I mumbled, in a sad and disappointed voice, lowering my head. Bo City, huh... Not bad, or not... Everything could be just terrible! This is the city where the whole story begins! Damn... If I arrived at the wrong time, I'm probably doomed!
"What's your name? Maybe you're lost?" the man asked, solicitously and slightly frightened, looking around, seeing my saddened and upset face.
"Ah, my name is..." I paused slightly, thinking about the answer to the question, then said hesitantly. "Jiaxing Yun, but that's all I remember..."