My mind felt like it was being pierced by a thousand sharp needles at once. I could not process anything after the system's welcome message.
How long had I been floating like this?
The flow of time was really hard to keep track of in my current state.
'Is this really happening right now?'
'Am I finally going to experience the situation where I get to use my novel's knowledge to live a perfect life as an extra?'
These dumb thoughts were the only thing keeping me from blacking out.
Then, a moment later...
Thud.
My body felt like it hit the ground, landing on a flat surface. It was soft.
'Wait, my body?'
I slowly started feeling my body, shaking my arms and legs, making sure I had all the necessary parts working properly.
'Thank fuck. Arms, legs… still attached. For now.'
But my vision still stayed dark.
'Hellooo? System, where are you? Your host is suffering.'
A blue holographic screen flickered to life in front of my face.
[WELCOME HOST]
Wow.
This felt unreal.
Finally… no more staring at the same damn ceiling.
That thought alone reassured me, making me see through the supernatural event that had happened a few minutes back.
[YOUR SYSTEM IS ACTIVATING]
[WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF BLOODHOUND CHRONICLES]
Oh, it's so exciting.
Wait, wasn't this a depressing story? Why am I excited?
[SYSTEM ACTIVATION FAILED]
What? Wait, no. Give me a cheat skill. Give me infinite mana. Or at least an SSSS-rank skill so I could form a harem.
Bullshit. Every other novel hands out cheats on page one.
[YOUR SYSTEM IS LOCKED BEHIND A CONDITION]
'Oh, so you were expecting something from me, huh? You cheeky bastard.'
But also, I felt slight relief. I was afraid of not even getting a system to help me out in this new world.
'Just tell me what it is.'
Should I kill 100 goblins?
Should I kiss the FL?
Should I bully the protagonist?
That idea made me laugh. Because the protagonist wasn't a regular commoner in this world, unlike a few other novels I had read. He belonged to a family wealthy enough to erase half of the human capital.
Scary bastard.
[CONDITION: YOU HAVE TO DIE]
'....'
"Huh?"
While shocked by the screen in front, slowly my eyes started feeling heavy; it felt like warm light was directly flashing on my face.
I jolted up, gaining my vision, finally looking around the scenery while trying to calm my breathing. It was a polished room with furniture settled in. I was lying on a silk-woven bed, which probably cost twice the rent of my apartment.
'It seemed like I'm not inside a commoner's body.'
A stupid grin spread on my face.
It looked like I didn't have a need to scrape for food and other necessities.
Suddenly, I remembered the absurd condition that I had heard just now.
My voice sounded hoarse as I said, "Status window."
[SYSTEM LOCKED]
My face paled at the sight of it. Without power, even a child could kill me in this world. I was literally a nobody.
I stared at the screen, whispering, 'Come on… at least give me an elemental magic…' before shaking my head to focus on pressing matters.
Priorities.
Like my identity.
'Wait, what is my name?'
I stood up and walked over to the mirror to the side, which was larger than my height.
'Hmm. Red hair, handsome face. Thank you, system. You did at least one thing right.'
[...]
"Can you at least talk, or do I have to die for it?"
I waited for a few minutes, but no reply came. 'Very well. I guess it's ju-'
[YES]
'What took you so long, blue bastard?' I was angry now, a few veins popping in my head.
'Can you read my thoughts?'
[YES]
Great. Mind-reading stalker system. Fantastic.
'Okay, my honourable system. How can I unlock my status? Please guide me.'
[YOU HAVE TO DIE]
I stared blankly at the screen in front of me. Then I remembered how others from the novel I read in my world behaved when they experienced the same thing, and so I started following their footsteps.
'So, system, I have three questions to ask you before I die.'
'Do I have a family in this world?'
[YES]
'Will I get this body's memories soon?'
[YES]
'Can I go back?'
The system didn't answer right away. I even started to reflect on the life I left behind.
Was there something to get back to?
[DO YOU WANT TO?]
The screen lingered in front of my gaze. 'What do I really want?' My thoughts wandered around for a few moments.
'Well, I guess I would just go with the flow for now.'
'Anyway, system, give me the condition as an event so I can clearly understand the objective.'
The screen flashed in front of my face; reading the last line sucked the life out of me.
[EVENT CREATED: UNLOCK THE SYSTEM]
[OBJECTIVE: Experience a Near-Death situation within 24 hours to unlock the System. If you fail, you will die.]
Within 24 hours?
'You idiot. Why didn't you inform me of this sooner?'
[YOU DIDN'T ASK]
'Fuck, I already wasted an hour thinking about useless things.'
'It seemed like I didn't have any time to sit around and philosophise about why I travelled here.' I quickly started moving with a groan.
First things first, where the hell am I?"
Suddenly, the sound of plates crashing on the ground shocked me.
I looked to the side to see an old man, wearing a butler's uniform, in a horrified expression. His eyes were locked onto my figure.
"You… Young Master?"
Why is he shocked? For context, I'm wearing perfectly stitched clothes which are comfortable for sleep, so I'm not naked enough to warrant that attention.'
Also, I do not know him. I haven't read about a character like this in the novel.
"You are awake." He continued. "Thank heavens and the gods. So the seer was saying the truth."
"I'll inform the family at once!" He bolted, surprisingly fast for an old guy
But before I become all fluffy with the new family, I need to focus on the task at hand.
My gaze flicked back to the screen.
[Experience a Near-Death situation...]
Fuck me.