"John!"
"My son!"
"Brother!"
Sobbing could be heard from inside the small wooden house while the two guards, clad in armor, looked fiercely at the family.
"Let's move! Bring him with the rest!"
The guards couldn't wait any longer and began pushing the young man toward the horse-drawn carriage.
The young man had silver hair, deep black eyes, and a very thin frame. However, his height seemed taller compared to others his age.
The boy looked back at his family—his parents, his younger sister, and his youngest brother—and spoke softly with a smile, "Don't worry, I will be okay."
He began walking, though inwardly, he felt grim, uncertain of what lay ahead.
The guards led him away and settled him in the carriage with the others. When those inside saw him, they shook their heads in sympathy. John ignored their stares and instead closed his eyes.
He whispered in his mind, "System!"
…
Three days ago, John's situation hadn't been as grim. He had been back in his own world, sitting comfortably in his small studio with his fat hamster, studying for his first-year exams. On his desk, books on constitutional law, criminal law, and controls were piled up.
Suddenly, the walls and floor began to shake, and his books fell from the table. Startled, he looked around and stood up.
"What the heck is happening!" he shouted. Then, a deafening sound reverberated through his room.
"BOOM!"
John clutched his ears. A blinding white light suddenly filled the room, illuminating everything. Without much choice, he closed his eyes. He felt dizzy and weightless, as if in a dream—conscious, yet not conscious.
This sense of powerlessness lasted for a long time.
…
Suddenly, a soft pain forced John to open his eyes.
"Ouch!" He realized someone was pinching him. Opening his eyes, he saw a small silver-haired child looking at him with teary eyes.
"Brother, I kept calling you. You didn't answer! I was afraid you wouldn't wake up!"
John was dumbfounded, unsure how to respond. He had no idea this child considered him a brother.
At the same time, he heard a womanly voice crying out, "John!"
She appeared to be between 40 and 50 years old with black hair. The woman ran to him and hugged him tightly, repeating, "Thank the heavens!" multiple times.
John didn't know how to react. He didn't respond. Looking around, he realized he was no longer in his apartment but in an unfamiliar place. He tried to recall what had happened and remembered the shaking and the blinding light.
Then, across from him was a simple mirror. He saw a young boy with a pale complexion, around 10–12 years old, with silver hair and green eyes, moving just as he did. Confused at first, realization struck him.
His eyes widened as he thought, "Mothertrucker, did I die?"
…
Later that day, after speaking with his family and pretending to have some memory loss, they patiently explained their situation. Listening to his so-called mom, he realized he might indeed have died and transmigrated to this new place.
He discovered his family were farmers with three children. He was the oldest. They weren't exactly poor, but because John had been sick his whole life, most of the money went to his treatment.
He couldn't help but grumble, "When people get transported to another world, don't they become like a prince or something?"
Then a thought struck him, "I should have something too, right?"
"Please, please, please!"
He closed his eyes and hesitantly said, "System?"
A blue interface appeared in his mind. Within it, large red text read, "ERROR!"
He was about to curse when the words, "System Initializing 21%" appeared.
"Whew!"
Seeing that, he felt a huge relief and slowly calmed his nerves.
He didn't have time to explore further when a knock came at the door. His mom opened it and hugged him, soon followed by his siblings.
John, who had transmigrated, hadn't received any memories from this family.
Feeling a headache, he scratched his head, thinking of telling the truth: "Hello everyone, your son is probably dead, and I took over his body. I came from a different world. So don't mind me."
Before he could say anything, his supposed father saw him standing there, pale. He slowly walked over and hugged him.
"Son! You are awake," he cried.
John, unsure how to feel, awkwardly blurted out in a slightly high-pitched voice, "Yes, father! Your son is awake!"
His father, puzzled, assumed John had just recovered from a bad fever and his head wasn't fully right yet.
…
Three days passed. John pretended to be weak and have trouble speaking. Though he tried to help, his body was still too frail. The family didn't mind; they were just grateful he was awake.
John, meanwhile, tried to adapt but found it extremely challenging. Massaging his aching back, he muttered, "The bed is too hard. The food is bland. The bread is too little and too hard."
He sighed.
Yet he remembered the family's interactions and smiled. They were good people. Though unfamiliar, he felt they truly cared for their children, even for him.
At night, everyone prepared for bed.
John remained wide awake, checking the system's progress. It was not at 98%. He was too anxious to sleep, curious about what the system could offer in his situation.
Then, just as the candlelight was about to be extinguished, a heavy knock woke everyone. John heard shouting from outside and sprang up.
"OPEN UP!" the voice bellowed over the banging on the door.
John's father slightly opened the door and saw two armored soldiers—one holding a torch, the other a parchment.
"OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR! Otherwise, you will be charged with treason!"
Anxiously, John's father asked, "What can I do for you?"
The guard holding the parchment spoke loudly, "By the order of His Majesty, due to the sudden outbreak of war, able men must help defend the southern castle. Each family must send one male above 16 to be conscripted into the army."
John's father was startled and spoke grimly, "I am the only able man in the house! If I leave, my family won't survive!"
The guard's face remained cold. "It is not our problem. All families in this village are accounted for. If you do not comply, your family will be stripped of all possessions, thrown in jail, and branded as traitors. This was officially announced by Southern Viscount Adolf."
John's father was terrified. He foresaw the consequences: his wife couldn't feed the family alone, his son needed treatment, and daily food would be scarce. Yet if he didn't comply, his family could be enslaved—or worse, executed.
Reluctantly, he decided. Tears streamed as he looked at his family: his wife, the two young children, and finally at John.
When their eyes met, John felt a profound sadness and sorrow for his supposed father.
Before his father could speak, John said loudly, "Dad, I am 16 years old. I will go."