'Finally... I can sleep...'
Dan believed he would rest well due to the anticipation of tomorrow.
But his luck seemed to have run out again, because that tomorrow never came.
"Damn, damn, damn!"
Looking at the small rectangular mirror, Dan saw a face with a neck-length, off-white colored hair and dull golden eyes.
This unfamiliar face was his.
He had become a minor side character named Jules Evanava, the Heir of the strongest clan from the novel, Aftermath of Destroyed Worlds.
Dan, or rather Jules, started complaining as he panted around his moderate-sized room.
"If you wanted to take me anywhere, why is it this world that's heading in towards its doom? I read other novels too!
"Worse thing is after giving me an ass character to possess, it's on the same day the character might die?!"
As Jules expressed his discontent, he recalled a psychiatrist's advice given to him during his treatments for the trauma he had.
Bottling up emotions can tear you down from within, release them once in a while.
Halting in place, he held all his comments in and let it out in a simple statement.
"What the freak?!"
Jules started panting as if at a loss of breath, his head still ringing slightly from the induced memory of the original's past.
"Ah..."
Jules fell flat on his bed, facing towards the ceiling.
He didn't have much regret about his past life so he immediately considered what to do to escape the suicide mission some stingy wretch within the clan had crafted for him, the Heir.
Just when Jules was finding the situation stressful, he heard a knock, and the voice that followed sent shivers down his spine.
"Darling, are you alright?"
His teeth chattered as his mind went blank, struggling to reply to his new mother.
Looking at the door with dead eyes, Jules subconsciously stood up and took a step back, eager to run away.
As the voice awaited a response, sweat welled up on Jules's forehead.
"Are you okay?" his mother asked, her voice laden with worry. "The maids heard noises from your room and I was concerned."
Jules took another step back. "M-mother…" he said, his voice barely audible.
At 19 years old, Jules didn't expect to still react to the term 'mother' like this.
After years of mental care, he could have sworn he had overcome his trauma.
He actually did… but the original Jules's memories had sparked a bit of it once more.
The good thing was that this new mother of his was very different from that bastard abuser he originally had as a mother.
And remembering who he was dealing with now, Jules tried to collect himself.
His trauma was still different from the original Jules's own, and he was already trained for situations like this.
He closed his eyes and imagined all things that soothed him… but he was interrupted by the voice again.
"Are you worried about the mission? If you don't want to go… I could beg the council to postpone your mission."
"That won't work," Opening his eyes, Jules replied instinctively. "You know it."
Positioning himself closer to the door, he tried to say calmly:
"I-I will go. I've already made it through two missions already, so I'll just start what I started."
'Aside from that, it's easier to try and escape your death when you know when it's coming.' Jules added in his heart.
Jules's mother muttered, "If I try hard enough–"
"It is okay…and I am alright. Sorry for worrying you."
Jules's mother hesitated behind the door as she heard her son's voice.
She wanted to support him…but he always avoided her support.
A mother who couldn't support her child failed at her primary responsibilities.
Biting her lip slightly, she said, "Alright, darling. I brought some equipment for today. Do you mind if I come in?"
"I mind!" Jules yelled unconsciously. "I'm not in a suitable position for you to come in. I apologize…"
A dejected look masked her face as she stood in the corridor.
"No problem. Did the potions from the last mission run out? I have a few more here. Oh, and I managed to commission a good sword for you."
Jules smiled as he heard her. "I'm grateful, ma–mother."
"Ah- Alright. I'll leave the briefcase here then."
Jules heard a small thud at the other side of the door, then his mother said, "May Noctharis be with you. Have a great day, my love."
Hearing her walk away, Jules muttered solemnly, "That damned Jules should have at least treated her well."
The idea of having a caring and nice mother was foreign yet alluring to Jules, but he had to put it aside if he wanted to survive.
After a bit, he opened his door to see a brown briefcase and brought it into his room.
As he placed it on his bed and was about to go through it, he heard a beep sound.
[System Loading Completed.]
- - -
[Status]
Name: Jules Evanava
Mana Core: Light Orange [25%]
Affinity: Water [Low-grade]
[Quests - 1]
- - -
[Successful System Integration Reward]
Pick one of the three system features below.
~Stats Allocation Feature
With this feature, you'll be able to obtain stats points from the system, granting you the ability to increase any of the available stats.
Available stats: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Dexterity.
~Inventory
Grants you a pocket dimension where you can store non-living things while preserving them.
~Title Boosts
Titles can be gained, and from them, different effects can be applied on you.
- - -
'I actually... got a system?'
Jules was taken aback, seeing the system similar to the one of the novel's protagonist.
'Did I shed my bad luck after transmigrating?' He mused as he went through the content.
"Ah... wait, I'm just less unlucky," he said self-deprecatingly before exclaiming.
"I can't believe I have to choose a feature when the protagonist has all of them! The protagonist system even had a weird guardian angel living within it!"
Jules hissed at the selfish force that failed to grant him the full package and comforted himself.
"At least using skills in this world will be easier for me."
He moved on to checking his quests.
- - -
[Quest: Survive your mission.]
You have been assigned to a mission designed for your death; survive it.
Rewards: Location of the Artifact, "Warforged" and the Archangel of War's Heart.
Failure: Death.
- - -
'These rewards...'
A smile crept onto his face as his mind raced with possibilities.