Before the name Rowan Edevane, he had another name.
Owen a name he barely remembered, just like the life he left behind.
He was just a man.
A quiet, overworked office drone who lived to work and worked until he died.
Literally.
He remembered falling asleep on a pile of paperwork.
Remembered the flickering light above his desk.
Remembered the ache in his chest.
And then... darkness.
> "Is this it?"
"No funeral? No tears? Just… collapse and delete?"
But something had answered him in that moment.
A voice like broken glass and circus bells.
> "Let's try again… but funnier this time."
---
Rowan woke up in a world of swords, magic, dragons, floating towers...
Everything he had ever read in cheap web novels and fantasy games.
He thought it was a gift.
> "This is it! A second chance!"
Except—
He had no mana core.
He couldn't cast a single spell.
Every time he tried, his stomach exploded in pain like someone had stabbed him with burning forks because of he has uncomplate mana core.
His classmates laughed.
His teachers sighed.
The world seemed to look at him and say,
"Why were you even reborn?"
"Useless.."
---
Back to the present—
Rowan sat in the academy courtyard, clutching his abdomen like a dying man.
> "So… reincarnated, humiliated, and now cursed with the world's worst stomachache."
> "Sigh... what kind Amazing life. 10 out of 10 isekai experience for heaving the same damn life." Said rowen while walking before he got his damn cheat.
He looked at his hand.
Just few hours ago, he had activated something — a strange interface, a system that didn't require mana.
A new pop-up floated in front of his eyes.
---
> [JOKER SYSTEM – ACTIVE]
Cursed Path: Trick-Based Growth Detected
Mana Core: [REJECTED]-55%
Alternate Core: [PRANK POTENTIAL CONFIRMED]
{ACTIVE SKILL}
Cursed Spell: [F Rank-Mislead]
{ PASSIVE SKILL}
[SSS Rank -100% Fixed Cursed Hit – Active]
Prank Points (PP): 10
>
---
Rowan blinked. The screen didn't go away. He could even tap on it.
> "You've got to be kidding me. A prank-based power system?"
He laughed.
Not out of joy.
Not out of pride.
But because this entire world really was one giant cosmic joke.
And now?
He was the punchline.
Rowan stood up from the bench, still clutching his side.
> "Alright, magic hates me. The world mocks me. But this system..."
"Let's see if it's real... or just another joke."
He glanced across the courtyard. A group of upperclassmen were standing by the fountain, laughing, probably at some poor fool failing basic levitation spells.
Rowan squinted.
A glint of mischief lit up in his tired eyes.
> "Let's try something simple."
He focused on the tallest one. A pompous-looking guy with a bright white robe, clearly full of himself.
Rowan whispered under his breath.
> "Mislead."
No chant. No light. No mana.
But something clicked in his stomach — like a gear turning in reverse.
The pain hit instantly.
A sharp pulse behind his eyes. A cold sweat on his back.
And then—
SPLASH!
The tall student shrieked, stumbling backwards into the fountain, flailing like he'd been shoved by a ghost.
> "WHO—?! That... that guy turned into a WRAITH! I saw it!"
Gasps echoed. Students scattered.
Rowan just stood there, still clutching his gut, barely suppressing a laugh.
---
> [Cursed Spell "Mislead" – Success]
[+5 Prank Points]
"Fear is funny. Keep going."
> [Warning: Minor migraine. Time until next curse use: 60 seconds.]
---
Rowan stumbled to a nearby pillar and leaned against it.
His head throbbed, like ice digging into his skull. But—
> "It worked."
They didn't just see something false.
They believed it.
They acted on it.
That was power.
Not the flashy kind. Not the noble, heroic kind.
But the kind that bends perception and makes people crumble under their own minds.
---
> "They always said I'd never be a real mage."
"Fine. I'll be something worse."
> "A liar they can never ignore."
---
As the sun dipped behind the spires of the Academy, Rowan walked away from the fountain, unnoticed.
He didn't need applause.
He didn't need recognition.
He just needed one more point.
And maybe, just maybe...
The world would laugh with him—
Or break trying.