The sound of clinking cutlery faded into the heavy air of the Von Heirn dining hall.
Servants moved quietly, like shadows, refilling crystal glasses and clearing empty plates. At the head of the long table sat Duke Darius Von Heirn, reading through a stack of documents. The faint scrape of his fork was the only sound Leon could hear.
Every bite felt heavy, awkward. He didn't belong here — not in this family, not in this world.
Finally, when the last dish was taken away, Leon set down his utensils, wiped his lips with a napkin, and stood.
"Thank you for the meal," he said softly.
The Duke gave a faint nod without looking up. His mother smiled gently, the only warmth in the entire room. Leon bowed politely, just as nobles did in the game he once spent years memorizing.
Then he turned and walked away.
His steps echoed faintly on the marble floor, fading under the high, arching ceiling.
As soon as he exited the hall, he let out a quiet breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
The corridor beyond was vast and drenched in morning light. Chandeliers glittered like hanging constellations. Sunlight spilled through tall windows, painting streaks of gold across the polished tiles.
Beside him, his maid Clara followed silently, her presence light but precise — like a melody keeping pace with him.
He glanced sideways at her. If this really is the world of Eternal Abyss, I need to confirm the time.
"Clara," he began casually, pretending not to think much of it. "What day is it?"
She blinked at the odd question. "It's the twelfth day of the Third Sun, Year 923 of the Empire, young master."
His eyes widened slightly. He knew that number — the game's main story started in Year 925, when the player arrived at Solheim Academy.
Two years before the game begins.
His heart gave a small, sharp beat. That meant the hero hadn't appeared yet.
He could prepare.
"And… how old am I again?" he asked next, feigning nonchalance.
Clara gave him a strange look. "You're sixteen, young master. Have you perhaps forgotten your own birthday?"
He gave an awkward laugh. "Guess my mind's still waking up."
She sighed quietly, like a mother scolding a mischievous child. "You truly should sleep earlier."
As they reached his door, Leon turned slightly. "I'd like to be alone for a while, Clara."
"As you wish, young master." She curtsied gracefully, her skirt fluttering like a petal. "Call if you need anything."
When the door clicked shut, silence filled the room.
Leon stood in the middle of his chamber — sunlight spilling across the bed, the polished desk, the mirror that reflected a stranger's young face.
He walked slowly toward the window, looking out over the Von Heirn estate. Green hills rolled endlessly beneath a cloudless sky. The same landscape he'd seen hundreds of times through a computer screen.
But this wasn't pixels anymore. He could feel the warmth of the light. The faint breeze through the curtains.
"This is real…" he whispered.
He turned and sat on the bed, burying his face in his hands. "Two years before the player arrives".
He lifted his head. "Then I can prepare. Change the story. Change everything."
A flicker of determination passed through his eyes.
In the game, power came from one thing — the Status System.
Without it, you were powerless. With it, you could reshape fate.
If it existed here too…
"Status," he said aloud. Nothing happened.
"Menu."
"Character window."
Still nothing.
He frowned. "Okay… maybe it's voice-locked."
He raised a hand dramatically, as if striking a pose. "STATUS OPEN!"
Silence.
He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "Maybe NPCs can't use it. Figures."
A pause.
Then he closed his eyes and focused.
In Eternal Abyss, everything obeyed the player's will — thought and intent, not voice.
He steadied his breathing, lowering his heart rate.
Status.
Ding.
A faint blue light shimmered in the air before him, expanding like a curtain of glass.
Leon's breath caught.
> [Status Window]
Name: Leon Von Heirn
Age: 16
Level: 1
Class: —
EXP: 0 / 100
Strength: 6
Endurance: 7
Agility: 8
Vitality: 5
Mana: 3
Perception: 6
He stared at it, wide-eyed. "It worked…"
The letters glowed softly, drifting like particles of light.
He reached out — his hand passed through it like water, ripples spreading across the surface.
A grin crept across his face. "I actually did it."
His stats were weak — frail and unimpressive — but that didn't matter. The system was real.
Then—
Ding.
A second sound rang out.
Leon blinked, confused. The first window flickered slightly, and another one appeared beside it — identical in color and shape.
His eyes narrowed as he read the header.
> [System β Activated]
User Recognized: Han Jaeho
Level: 1
Status: Synced
Time seemed to stop.
His breath hitched. The name — Han Jaeho. His real name.
The man who had died in front of his computer, bleeding out regret and exhaustion.
"No way…"
Two glowing panels hovered before him — one tied to the body of Leon Von Heirn, and one to the soul of Han Jaeho.
He reached out, trembling. Both windows responded.
Twin pulses of light echoed through the room, casting blue reflections on his face.
He felt it — the strange resonance between them. Like two heartbeats, two worlds trying to synchronize.
His eyes widened as the edges of the windows flickered, briefly connecting with thin threads of energy before separating again.
A shiver crawled up his spine.
"This shouldn't exist," he whispered. "Two systems… in one person."
He stood there, breath unsteady, as the blue light shimmered across his eyes.
But then… slowly, a smile began to form.
If this world gave him a second chance…
If he truly had two systems…
Then he wasn't just another background character.
He was a bug in the world's code.
A walking error.
A miracle.
And this time — this time, he would win.