The glass tube trembled slightly, the bluish-green liquid reflecting the neon light. Dozens of papers filled with formulas were scattered across the iron table. In that cramped room, a man with messy hair and sunken eyes wrote with trembling hands.
Dr. Ethan Crowe, Ph.D
A young scientist, a genius, and insane because of his obsession.
"If this equation is correct…" he muttered, his eyes gleaming. "Then transmutation is not just a theory. I can… bring the dead back to life."
On his computer screen, chemical symbols, complex formulas, mixed with ancient notes about alchemy and mystical books. The boundary between science and myth almost disappeared in his hands. Ethan was deeply obsessed with alchemy. Something considered a myth by modern scientists.
He had been researching alchemy for five years without rest. His ambition to prove to other scientists that alchemy was real was immense. His ego did not allow him to stop or give up.
For the world, alchemy was nothing but a myth. For Ethan, alchemy was a forgotten science—and he swore to prove it.
"I believe that the soul is a collection of particles that can move from one place to another. When those particles are forced to move and enter larger particles, then both will merge and eventually soul transfer is not impossible," he said with passion.
Of course, his hypothesis had been rejected by other scientists, but Ethan did not give up. He only became more obsessed with his own hypothesis.
"If this can be done, then… creating a time machine is no longer just a fantasy," he added.
For five full years, he sacrificed sleep, health, even his sanity for one thing: to prove that his hypothesis was true.
**
In the middle of his room, a fresh corpse lay. A young man, pale body, still wearing hospital clothes. His hands and face were stiff. The man's body was muscular, he was a fitness trainer when he was alive.
Ethan stared at him without hesitation. There was no pity. For him, a corpse was only an object of research.
With chalk mixed with silver powder, he drew a massive circle pattern on the cement floor. Complex symbols forming a design that looked like both a machine circuit and an ancient spell were carved into the floor of his room.
After that, he began taking what he had prepared for days. At the four corners of the circle, he placed strange objects. First was a black bone, a dark red crystal he called the Philosopher's Fragment, a Grimoire made of human skin, and lastly a small glass tube containing blue liquid that kept trembling as if alive.
This was not pure alchemy, but a fusion between alchemy and cultism.
He connected a power generator to the circle. Cables stretched like veins of metal. The machine hummed softly, filling the room with a sound that made his hair stand on end.
Ethan stood inside the circle, facing the corpse directly. His pale face was illuminated by neon light.
"There is no God here," he whispered. "Only me… and laws that must bow before me."
When the generator reached its peak, the symbols on the floor glowed red. Lines of light crept, alive, pulsing like blood. Ethan, seeing that, grinned widely. He had repeated experiments many times and this time he was sure it would succeed.
The air suddenly grew heavy. As if thousands of whispers filled the room. Strange words, layered, echoed in Ethan's head.
He clenched his teeth. "Come on… come on… succeed! Show me!" he shouted.
His body trembled. He felt something pulling his soul out from within him. An invisible force, cold, tearing him from the inside. It hurt terribly, but instead of fear, Ethan only smiled wider.
Blood flowed from his nose and ears, but his eyes still shone. The corpse in front of him trembled. Stiff fingers slowly moved.
"YES!" Ethan shouted. "IT WORKED! I WAS RIGHT! Those bastards will be ashamed when they see this!" he screamed louder.
But something Ethan did not expect happened. Suddenly the light beneath his body went out. The generator suddenly roared loudly. That made his ears bleed even more and… the generator suddenly stopped.
The room turned dark and silent. As Ethan tried to reach for something, suddenly he felt tired, and finally his eyes closed in silence.
***
When he opened his eyes, Ethan stayed still for a few seconds while observing his surroundings. A place so strange. Something he had never seen in his entire life.
He found himself in a gigantic, empty room. Bookshelves towered high, covered in dust. The air smelled of mold and old paper. Blue flames on the walls kept burning, the only source of light.
Ethan looked down—and froze.
What he saw was no longer human hands. But white bones. The tips of his fingers were just a hard skeleton moving without flesh.
He touched his face—an empty cavity, without skin, without flesh.
A hoarse voice echoed from within him. "I-it can't be…"
Dr. Ethan Crowe, Ph.D., the scientist who wanted to conquer death, now awoke inside the body of a living skeleton in a foreign world full of magic.
"Is this real?" he said in a small voice.
Tringgg!
[System activated]
[loading...]
Ethan furrowed his brows. A screen appeared in front of him out of nowhere.
Name : Ethan Crowe
Race : Human
Level : 1
Class : Necromancer
Starting Skills:
[Necrotic Grasp — A melee attack that drains life energy from the enemy.]
[Alchemy I — Increases success rate in crafting potions, medicine, or simple alchemical materials.]
[Book Inventory — Can remember everything that has been read.]
[Boost Up I — Doubles the amount of Exp gained.]
Ethan was confused and bewildered. "What is this?"