In a dirty basement apartment. Kang Hyunwoo laid on his bed reading a novel on his phone.
"This damn world. Why can't my life be like this main character's. Why is my life so pathetic" Hyunwoo whined as if the universe would bend to his pathetic complaint.
Suddenly he grasped his chest as he squirmed, grabbing his chest as if he could stop it with his futile attempt. His chest felt as if it was on fire. His breathe hitched as his lungs failed him. Just like that, in an old basement room. Hyunwoo breathed his final breath in his room with nothing to his name.
Hyunwoo opened his eyes again, he looked around at his surroundings with panic. The world around him was different, unlike his room, his surroundings was dirty and rundown. houses looked as if they were on their last limbs. The entire area looked as if they were made of scraps, the people dressed in dirty clothes, more like rags if anything.
"RANO" a voice yelled from the distance; the source of the voice was a kid.
The kid ran waving their hand with a smile. even in this sad rundown area they still smiled while running towards him which confused Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo turned around assuming the kid was speaking to someone behind him, but it was just a wall. As Hyunwoo turned back he glanced at his reflection in a muddy puddle.
He gasped at his reflection, instead of a middle-aged Asian man with bags under his age he looked like he was around the age of ten to twelve. His hair was still the same black, but his eyes were a blood red instead of his old hazel eyes.
Hyunwoo snapped out of it when the kid that was calling out grabbed his shoulder and dragged him away alarmingly fast.
"Rano, we have to hurry!" the kid exclaimed while they dragged Hyunwoo "We'll miss the Star Festival if we don't hurry!'
Hyunwoo's eyes widened as he finally came to the conclusion this was the novel he was just reading before, he passed out. He pinched himself hoping it was just a bad dream but the sharp pain in his proved him wrong.
Hyunwoo wasn't particulary sad, he had no one in his old life. What was on his mind was who was Rano.
'Rano? who's that?" Hyunwoo though 'he's definitely part of the main cast. Maybe a side character'
Hyunwoo looked at the kid and asked him "Uhm hey what planet are we on?"
The kid turned around, their features now clear to him. Blond hair that shined like gold and blue eyes like diamonds.
"Rano are you okay? it's me, Evelyne."
Evelyne looked at Hyunwoo with a confused look. Hyunwoo eyes widened again as he realized that he wasn't even a side character he was the first villain.
'You got to be fucking kidding me! Rano Duskbane? FUCK. God damn it I'd rather be reborn as a random side character not the damn first villain to get killed by the main character. He doesn't even die peacefully.' Hyunwoo, now Rano, screamed in frustration in his head as he feared the outcome he might face if things progress like in the story.
"Rano?" Evelyne called out with a worried tone.
"Huh? oh, sorry I just have a massive headache" Rano reassured Evelyne
The two continued to run to the festival after the awkward moment. However, Rano was still thinking about what to do.
'What should I do? Rano Duskbane was a venom blade strand at the start of the story. Should I follow the same path? maybe it'll work since my soul is different from the original Rano. Even if it works, I don't know what strand to follow let alone which one's are compatible.'
Rano tried to think of a solution to his predicament, but he came up with nothing. Suddenly Evelyne called out.
"Rano look!" Evelyne exclaimed as she directed Rano's attention toward a platform surrounded by large white pillars. In the middle of the construct was a pedestal with a gem atop it, the gem looked as if it contained a galaxy filled with stars.
Rano's eyes widened, in his entire life he had never seen something so beautiful. A life filled with regret and despair, no matter what he did he always ended at rock bottom.
"Is that the Rite of Passage?" Rano asked, his hand shaking from excitement as he pointed at the platform.
"Yeah! Isn't it great? We'll be able to participate in it next year." Evelyne smiled, her eyes were filled with the excitement as she imagined herself on the platform.
"..." Rano stood silent before he asked, "what strand will you be trying to connect with Evelyne?"
"Hmm, I think the Solar Roar strand"
Rano's eyes widened as he thought to himself 'I'm fucked, the main character already regressed. If this was before his regression Evelyne would've said Hidden Loom, it's only after the main character points out that she would fit Solar roar more after saving her that she chooses that strand'
Rano's eyes darted around the area as he spotted the main character of this world, Lucius von Blackbane, sitting with his parents.
'Tsk, even the heavens want to mock me with this chance. reincarnating me into the weakest villain and the first villain to die in the novel. What a joke, I'm sure that fucking brat is already planning on how to kill me without losing favor with Evelyne.'
Rano turned back to face the rite but in the corner of his eyes he spots something darting around. He quickly chases after it, leaving Evelyne in the crowd, Evelyne tried to follow but Rano told her/
"I'll meet you back at the orphanage Evelyne"
With those words, Rano ran full speed after the shadow. Through the streets and alleys until he chased it into a dead end.
The shadow turned around to reveal a person, at least it was a person. The thing that stood before Rano looked like an amalgamation of tentacles and multiple demonic animals into a human body.
"Shit, it's an abyss walker. I thought you were the fucking blood panther that lucius caught as a cub. Damn it"
The abyss walker roars, it's scream deafening, as it charges at the defenseless Rano with scary precision.