I woke up to the sound of bells ringing somewhere in the distance, which was weird because I lived in a studio apartment in downtown Seoul, and the only bells I usually heard were from my alarm clock. But this wasn't my alarm clock. This was something else entirely, something that sounded like it came from a medieval fantasy movie.
I sat up and immediately knew something was very, very wrong. The bed I was lying on wasn't my cheap IKEA mattress. It was a four-poster bed with heavy curtains and sheets that felt like actual silk. The room around me looked like it belonged in some rich kid's boarding school, complete with stone walls, tall windows, and furniture that probably cost more than my entire apartment back home.
But the weirdest part wasn't the room. It was the floating blue screen hovering right in front of my face.
[Welcome to the Absolute Domination System]
[Host Integration Complete]
[Current Identity: Marcus Vale, Age 17]
[Current Location: Aethermoor Academy, Dormitory Room 247]
[System Status: Fully Operational]
I blinked hard, thinking maybe I was still dreaming, but the screen didn't disappear. If anything, it seemed to get clearer, like my eyes were adjusting to see it better.
"What the hell is this?" I said out loud, and nearly jumped at the sound of my own voice. It was different. Deeper, smoother, with an accent I'd never had before. I touched my throat, confused, then scrambled out of bed to find a mirror.
The face staring back at me wasn't mine. Where I used to have a round, typically Korean face with glasses and perpetually tired eyes, I now saw sharp cheekbones, dark hair that looked like it had been styled by a professional, and bright green eyes that seemed almost unnatural. I was taller too, probably by at least six inches, and my body felt different. Stronger. More coordinated.
"Marcus Vale," I whispered, and the name hit me like a truck.
I knew that name. I'd read it dozens of times in a web novel called "The Hero's Academy Chronicles." Marcus Vale was a background character, one of those extras who existed just to fill up classroom scenes and occasionally get beaten up by bullies to show how tough the real characters were. He was from a minor noble family, had barely any magical talent, and was so forgettable that even the author seemed to lose track of him after the first few arcs.
But that wasn't the most important thing about Marcus Vale. The most important thing was that he died. Specifically, he died in three days during a monster attack on the academy grounds, torn apart by a Crimson Wolf while trying to run away. His death was mentioned in exactly one sentence: "Among the casualties was Marcus Vale, a second-year student whose family would later withdraw their remaining donations to the academy."
I was living in the body of a dead man walking.
"Okay," I said to my reflection, trying to stay calm. "Okay, this is fine. This is totally fine. I'm just in a web novel I used to read, in the body of a character who's going to die in three days. No big deal."
The system screen flickered, and new text appeared.
[Tutorial Quest Activated]
[Objective: Survive the Crimson Wolf Attack]
[Time Remaining: 71 hours, 42 minutes, 18 seconds]
[Reward: Full System Access]
[Failure: Death]
[Additional Note: Host knowledge of future events detected. Adjusting parameters accordingly.]
I stared at the screen, then started laughing. Not because anything was funny, but because the alternative was probably screaming, and I didn't want to explain to whoever might come running why the quiet background character was having a mental breakdown at six in the morning.
"Full system access," I read aloud. "So what do I have access to now?"
The screen changed, showing what looked like a video game interface.
[Current System Functions:]
[Skill Acquisition: Instantly learn any technique or ability]
[Power Amplification: Enhance any learned skill beyond normal limits]
[Status Display: View detailed information about yourself and others]
[Quest Generation: Receive objectives with corresponding rewards]
[Available Skills for Immediate Learning:]
[Basic Swordsmanship - Academy Standard]
[Elementary Fire Magic - Academy Standard]
[Physical Enhancement - Academy Standard]
[Combat Awareness - Academy Standard]
[Note: Unlike normal system limitations, the Absolute Domination System has no cooldowns, no energy costs, and no failure rates. If the host decides to learn something, it will be learned perfectly.]
I sat down heavily on the bed, trying to process this information. In the original novel, Marcus Vale had been struggling with basic swordsmanship for two years and could barely cast a spark of fire magic. He was weak, unremarkable, and destined to die because he couldn't defend himself.
But now I had a system that could apparently make me learn anything instantly, with no limitations. And I knew everything that was going to happen in this world for at least the next several years, assuming the timeline stayed the same.
"Learn Basic Swordsmanship," I said experimentally.
[Skill Acquired: Basic Swordsmanship - Mastery Level Achieved]
[Host combat capabilities increased]
The moment the notification appeared, my brain exploded with information. Not painfully, but like someone had just downloaded an entire textbook directly into my head. I knew every basic sword stance, every fundamental technique, every principle of balance and timing. More than that, my body knew it too. My muscles remembered movements I'd never made, my hands itched to hold a sword they'd never touched.
I stood up and moved through a basic practice form, and it felt as natural as breathing. Perfect posture, flawless technique, movements so smooth they probably looked like I'd been training for years.
"Learn Elementary Fire Magic."
[Skill Acquired: Elementary Fire Magic - Mastery Level Achieved]
[Magical capacity expanded]
Another download of information, and suddenly I understood the theory behind magical energy manipulation, the proper breathing techniques, the mental focus required to shape flames. I held out my hand and concentrated, and a ball of fire appeared in my palm, steady and controlled.
This was insane. In the original story, it took the protagonist Ace Luminhart months of training to get his fire magic this stable. I'd just done it in seconds.
"Learn Physical Enhancement."
[Skill Acquired: Physical Enhancement - Mastery Level Achieved]
[Host physical capabilities dramatically increased]
My body tingled as new knowledge settled in. I understood how to reinforce my muscles with magical energy, how to increase my speed and strength, how to make my reflexes faster than any normal human's. I felt power flowing through me, and when I tested it by jumping, I cleared half the room in a single leap.
"Learn Combat Awareness."
[Skill Acquired: Combat Awareness - Mastery Level Achieved]
[Threat detection and battle instincts enhanced]
This one was different. Instead of techniques or theories, it was more like gaining a new sense. I could feel the space around me in a way I never had before, could sense movement and threats, could predict where attacks might come from. Even alone in my room, I felt hyperaware of every shadow, every sound, every possible danger.
I walked back to the mirror and looked at myself again. Same face, same body, but something was different now. The way I stood, the way I moved, even the way I looked at my own reflection. There was confidence there that hadn't existed five minutes ago.
Marcus Vale was supposed to be weak and forgettable. But I wasn't Marcus Vale, not really. I was someone else wearing his face, and I had power he was never supposed to have.
The system screen appeared again, showing me a new message.
[Tutorial Complete]
[All basic functions now available]
[Advanced functions will unlock as host grows stronger]
[Warning: Host presence is already affecting the world timeline]
[Recommendation: Embrace the chaos]
I looked at that last line and grinned. In the original novel, all the interesting stuff happened around the main characters while people like Marcus Vale sat in the background, unnoticed and unimportant. But that was the old Marcus Vale.
I wasn't planning to hide in the background. I wasn't planning to stay weak and forgettable. And I definitely wasn't planning to die in three days.
If my presence was going to change things, then I might as well change them in my favor.