In the hushed corridors of the prestigious Moonveil family manor, servants whispered among themselves about the events of the past few days — more specifically, about one particular incident.
One of them leaned slightly closer to the others, lowering her voice to avoid being overheard.
"Have you heard? They say young master Liam has finally lost his mind…"
"I'm not surprised," another replied with a sigh. "I was there when he completely snapped. It was like he went crazy overnight."
She hesitated for a moment before adding,
"I really thought something terrible had happened to him but the chief physician said he was perfectly fine."
"Maybe young master Lucian went too far last time? Either way, neither of them compares to lady Selene's presence!"
"Shh! You know the walls have ears around here!"
While the servants murmured among themselves, a boy lay staring at the ceiling, unmoving, for several hours.
It had already been a full day since he last stepped outside his room.
Even for a brilliant mind like his, the sheer absurdity of the situation left him speechless.
"I transmigrated…" he muttered.
As unbelievable as it sounded, he had already had enough time to grasp the depth of the mess he was in.
He should have been dead. Yet instead, he had found himself inside the novel he had written back in university — an unfinished, clumsy work riddled with fantasy clichés.
And to make matters worse, he had transmigrated into the body of Liam Moonveil, the youngest son of the Moonveil family.
In a fit of frustration, he grabbed the pillow beside him and hurled it against the wall.
"Fuck… this makes no sense!" he shouted.
The worst part? There had never been a character named Liam Moonveil. The Moonveil family only had a daughter and a son — certainly not a third child. And he knew that better than anyone, since he was the one who had created this world.
"And I would never give a character my own name… damn it, this is so embarrassing!"
Despite the absurdity of it all, he managed to organize his thoughts.
First: this was definitely not a dream. Liam had truly died and reincarnated into his own novel.
Second: after inheriting the memories of this body's original owner, he understood the life this Liam had lived.
Even though he belonged to the Moonveil family — one of the ruling families of the continent — he had been utterly unlucky. He was despised and hated by his own blood.
The Moonveil family was a lineage of swordsmen, where strength was valued above all else. Yet the original Liam despised combat more than anything. He had never shown the slightest interest in battle, earning him nothing but contempt from his family.
A Moonveil with no aptitude for combat?
Trash, in their eyes.
Liam sighed, sat up on the edge of the bed, and stared at the translucent interface floating before him.
———[Status Window]———
Name: Liam Moonveil
Race: Human [Cosmic]
Talent: S
Rank: F-
Strength: E
Speed: F
Agility: F-
Stamina: G+
Mana Capacity: A
Will: ∞
Affinity: Darkness / Void
Class:
— Swordsman lvl.1 [★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆]
Combat Style: None
Skills: None
System Note: Several entities have their eyes on you. Stay alert, Master.
—————————————
"No matter how many times I see this… it still feels unreal."
An S-rank talent.
Anywhere else on the continent, such a talent would have been celebrated. But within the Moonveil family, it was nothing more than the bare minimum.
For comparison, his older brother Lucian possessed an SS-rank talent, while his older sister Selene boasted an SS+. In other words, the family's future already seemed secure.
An S-rank talent was deemed… good. Enough to avoid rejection, but hardly worthy of praise.
Liam didn't dwell on it for long.
There were far more troubling issues.
Aside from his mana capacity, his stats were downright abysmal. Not surprising, given how much the original owner of this body despised combat and training — but still disappointing.
That said, not everything was hopeless.
An A-rank mana capacity was well above average, especially for someone ranked F-. It was a significant advantage, even among a family of swordsmen.
Then his gaze stopped on a particular line.
Will: ∞
"…Will?"
A faint frown formed on his face.
"I don't remember ever writing anything about that."
And more importantly—
∞.
At best, ranking systems went up to SSS+. Even in his most exaggerated concepts, he had never imagined something this absurd.
"Infinity…"
It made no sense.
And yet, the interface didn't lie.
"To begin with… why do I even have a system? And why is it calling me 'Master'?"
What was displayed at the bottom of the interface was anything but reassuring.
System Note: Several entities have their eyes on you. Stay alert, Master.
"Entities…? Gods? Or something even worse?"
A bitter grin tugged at his lips.
"What kind of mess have I gotten myself into this time…?"
Too many things escaped his understanding.
His transmigration itself.
The true nature of the system.
Why it addressed him in such a manner.
This absurd stat called Will.
The mysterious entities watching him.
And the [Cosmic] tag attached to his human race.
Questions piled up, with no answers in sight.
But for now, something far more immediate occupied his mind — the reason he had been in such a foul mood for an entire day.
Liam slowly turned his head to the right.
Another translucent interface floated there.
[Quest: Eliminate one of the Five Generals of the Crimson Court — Malakar the Great.
Duration: 3 years
Failure: Death of Violette Saint-Claire.
Success: Obtain an SSS-rank skill.]
A sharp headache struck Liam.
To understand who the Five Generals of the Crimson Court were, one first had to understand the state of humanity itself.
Two hundred years ago, a race arrived on Earth, bringing with it a strange energy known as mana. These beings were the sanguines.
Terrifying. Powerful. Entirely dependent on blood to survive and strengthen themselves. They wasted no time in turning their fangs on humanity.
The human population, once numbering 13 billion, plummeted to a mere 300 million. Entire continents were erased. Some even collided, forming the supercontinent on which humanity now struggled to survive.
The sanguines claimed what was once North America as their territory. At first, humanity stood no chance. But by learning to wield mana, they managed to restore a fragile balance.
…But the war continues.
More violent. More brutal.
And far from over.
That is where the Crimson Court comes in.
Simply put, it is the elite military force of the sanguines — their ultimate weapon. Each of its members is a monstrous warrior, capable of annihilating entire armies alone.
At the top of this hierarchy sits the Queen, ruler of all sanguines. Beneath her stand five warriors designated as Generals — the five most powerful fighters of the entire Sanguine race, second only to the Queen herself.
In other words, these five are nearly invincible. Their names inspire terror, and each commands vast sanguine armies. Even the strongest humans would never dare face them alone.
And Malakar the Great — one of those five Generals — had just appeared in the system's quest.
A monster among monsters.
But that wasn't all.
The quest wasn't merely about eliminating a Crimson Court General. There was someone even more important tied to it —someone whose existence could shift the balance of the war itself.
Violette Saint-Claire.
Liam knew that name. How could he not? After all, she was the protagonist of his own novel.
Born of a human mother and a sanguine father — Malakar the Great himself — Violette had grown up with a single goal: to kill him. To avenge the atrocities she had endured… and above all, the death of her mother, executed by the very man who should have protected her.
An existence born of the impossible, driven by hatred and an indomitable will to survive.
Violette was the key to the war against the sanguines.
Gifted with a talent never before seen — SSS+ rank — she represented humanity's ultimate trump card. Her death wouldn't mean mere defeat…
…it would mean the outright extinction of the human race.
Liam let out a deep, irritated sigh.
"Great…"
"Not only do I have to kill Malakar the Great — the very target of Violette's vengeance — but if I fail, she dies. And if she dies… humanity is finished."
He paused, then let out a humorless laugh.
"…And along with it, me."