My head hurt.
A deep pain, as if someone were smashing my skull with a sledgehammer.
I opened my eyes.
"…Where…?"
The ceiling above me was made of dark, carved wood. The scent of old incense lingered in the air. Yellow silk curtains swayed gently in an unseen breeze.
This was not my bedroom.
Pain shot through my body. My bones felt heavy, as if I had just crawled back from death.
Before the pain could fade, suddenly—
memories.
A violent flood of images, sounds, laughter, and screams crashed into my mind. So intense that I had to clench my teeth.
And then I understood.
"…So that's how it is."
I was dead.
And reborn.
In the body of Lin Chen.
The Sixth Prince of the Lotus Empire.
A prince known across the entire continent by one name:
The Mad Prince.
Not the theatrical kind of madness.
Not political insanity.
Real madness.
The former owner's memories paraded before my eyes like open wounds.
Throwing live cats and chickens into the women's bath.
Setting a brothel on fire just to "watch the flames."
Urinating into the soldiers' food cauldrons.
Stealing noblewomen's underwear and hanging them on the city gates.
And worst of all—
as a prince, he always rode a donkey backward through the capital.
…Absolute humiliation.
I slowly exhaled.
"Damn it…"
In this world, only the strong survived.
And I had reincarnated into the body of a notorious madman, with no backing at all.
But—
A crooked smile formed on my lips.
This prince had one thing no one else did.
A fiancée.
Shi Nan.
Beautiful. Cold. Dangerous.
Commander of ten thousand cavalry.
At sixteen, she had reached the upper stage of Qi Gathering.
And unlike the others… she liked me.
Or at least, she didn't hate me.
But fate was more ruthless than that.
Her brother had been accused of plotting to assassinate the emperor and was executed.
Now, as punishment, she was being sent to the frozen northern borders.
A place where Ice Orcs lived.
A race that even devoured generals.
Ten years of exile.
And me?
I had to go with her.
While I was lost in thought, a trembling voice came from outside the room:
"Y–Your Highness, Sixth Prince? P–Princess… your fiancée has come to see you."
A palace servant.
I took a deep breath.
"I should go."
But at that very moment—
"Ding— System loading…"
My eyes narrowed.
"…Huh?"
"Ding— Gift System activated."
My heart began to race.
A system.
The legendary golden finger.
"Ding— The system offers one gift every ten years."
"Ding— First gift issued. Please request activation confirmation from the host."
Without hesitation, I said:
"Activate."
"Ding— Congratulations! You have received one drop of Godzilla's blood."
"Ding— Congratulations! You have received a pair of exclusive Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Ding— Congratulations! You have received ten billion gold coins."
…
"…What?"
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Then I laughed.
Not a normal laugh.
The laughter of a true madman.
"Hahahahahaha… I'm invincible."
Savage power surged through my veins. My muscles tightened. My bones groaned.
I quickly asked:
"System, do you have a status panel?"
"Ding— Yes."
A green holographic screen opened before my eyes.
Name: Lin Chen
Age: 18
Cultivation: Peak of the Sea of Qi
Physical Strength: 150 tons
Supernatural Abilities:
– Mangekyō Sharingan
– Godzilla's Blood
Skills: None
Cultivation Technique: None
Wealth: 1 billion gold coins
Storage Space: None
I frowned.
"System, why didn't I feel anything? When did I reach the peak of the Sea of Qi?"
"Ding— Host, you are underestimating this system."
I scoffed.
"Fine… whatever."
But one thing was clear.
If I suddenly became sane, it would cause trouble.
So—
I had to stay mad.
I walked calmly toward the servant.
Silently approached from behind and suddenly screamed:
"Yuhahahahahahaha!"
"W–Ah!"
I said in a harsh voice:
"Hehehe! Useless servant! How dare you fall in front of me? Do you want to be executed?"
"S–Sixth Prince! No! I beg you!"
He was crying. Completely broken.
…Sorry, friend. I have no choice.
At that moment, a mocking voice rang out.
"What's going on here?"
The First Prince.
A man about fifty years old, with a face younger than his age.
At the mid-stage of Qi Gathering.
Laughing, he said:
"I heard you're going to the northern border with that traitor girl. A fortress where a commander dies every three months. Hahahaha!"
I looked at him.
With mad eyes.
With a calm smile.
He paused.
"…You really are crazy."
Then, impatiently, he said:
"Take this idiot away."
The servant, full of humiliation, led me away.
But in my heart, I said:
"Brother… I hope you can still laugh next time."
When I left the palace, I saw her.
Shi Nan.
Long black hair. Silver armor. A spear with two red bells.
Mounted on a black horse.
She dismounted and softly said:
"Darling… are you okay?"
With a mad laugh, I replied:
"Amid countless corpses, I will celebrate forever! Hahaha!"
She only smiled.
She led me to the carriage.
I glanced around.
Only ten soldiers. Barely finished basic training.
My cruel father had even taken away my fiancée's army.
The carriage began to move.
For now, I had no cultivation technique.
But it didn't matter.