**Kuntal Rajya – Raj Mahal, in a Chamber**
The boy of fourteen years struggled to peel his heavy eyelids open.
His body felt strangely light, yet unfamiliar.
When he finally managed to lift his hand in front of his face, he froze.
These slender, bejeweled fingers… weren't his.
He rubbed his eyes furiously, once, twice.
The room came into focus.
Massive carved sandalwood pillars, silk curtains embroidered with golden peacocks, a bed so enormous it could swallow five commoners, and a blanket so soft and luxurious that it felt like touching clouds woven with silver threads.
"Is this… some movie set?" he muttered in disbelief.
Before he could process anything further, the heavy wooden door opened with a gentle creak.
A young maid in a simple yet elegant lehenga entered, bowing slightly.
"Kumara Verma, you are awake at last."
The name hit him like lightning.
**Kumara Verma.**
His mind buzzed violently.
A torrent of unfamiliar memories crashed into him all at once — names, faces, relationships, palace politics, childhood incidents, embarrassing moments of puppy love…
In mere seconds, he understood everything.
He had transmigrated.
He was now Kumara Verma, the younger brother of Queen Jayanti, who was wedded to the mighty King Jaya Varma of Kuntal Rajya.
And King Jaya Varma… had a younger sister.
**Devsena.**
The moment that name surfaced, the boy's — no, Kumara Verma's — previous self's memories flared up like a bad movie reel.
The pathetic, one-sided devotion.
The endless gifts.
The blind pursuit.
The way previous Kumara Verma had turned himself into a loyal dog following behind Devsena's shadow, only to be ignored or gently pitied.
He let out a long, tired sigh for his predecessor.
"Poor guy… what a waste."
But that was the old Kumara Verma.
The new one was different.
He still had many years before the main storyline — the tragedy, the betrayal, the fall of Kuntal — would begin.
This time, he would change everything.
His sister.
His brother-in-law.
This kingdom.
Everything.
A spark of determination lit up in his eyes.
And at that exact moment—
**[Ding!]**
**[Congratulations to the host for successfully awakening]**
**[Exchange System is now online and ready for use]**
His heart skipped a beat.
"System? You're real?" he whispered, then immediately shouted toward the empty air, "System menu! Open system! Status!"
The maid, who was arranging flowers near the window, turned around with a puzzled and slightly worried expression.
'Has Kumara Verma lost his mind today?' she thought, but of course, she didn't dare voice it.
Kumar Verma coughed awkwardly. "Ahem… maybe I was just hearing things."
He quickly stood up and began putting on his shoes — simple, embroidered cloth shoes befitting a young prince.
The moment his fingers touched the footwear—
**[Ding!]**
**[Detected exchangeable item: Embroidered cloth shoes]**
**[Would host like to exchange for random rewards?]**
His eyes widened.
Without the slightest hesitation: "Yes!"
**[Ding! Exchange successful!]**
**[Congratulations host! You have obtained: Premium Black Leather Boots (Modern design, self-cleaning, extremely durable)]**
In the blink of an eye, the cloth shoes transformed into sleek, shining black leather boots.
Fortunately, the maid still had her back turned, gazing outside.
Kumar Verma quickly hid the boots under the bed and cleared his throat.
"You may leave now."
The maid bowed. "Yes, My Prince."
She had almost reached the door when she remembered something and turned back.
"Oh! I nearly forgot. Queen Jayanti has summoned you for lunch, Prince. She wishes to dine with you today."
Kumar Verma nodded. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
After the door closed behind her, silence returned.
A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face.
He picked up a random wooden stick lying near the study table.
**[Ding! Detected exchangeable item: Ordinary wooden stick]**
"Yes."
**[Ding! Congratulations host! You have obtained: High-grade Iron Rod (reinforced, 99% unbreakable)]**
He tried again — this time a small flower pot.
**[Ding! Congratulations host! You have obtained: One pack of Instant Noodles (Masala flavor, self-heating)]**
And once more, an old rope.
**[Ding! Congratulations host! You have obtained: Genuine Leather Belt with silver buckle]**
Kumar Verma finally understood.
Completely random.
Completely dependent on luck.
But also… completely exploitable.
He had money — mountains of it.
As the queen's little brother, he received a generous monthly allowance in gold coins — an amount previous Kumar Verma had squandered trying to buy Devsena's attention.
Never again.
This time he would be smart.
He would hoard junk items.
He would exchange them in bulk.
Ten times.
A hundred times.
A thousand times if needed.
Eventually, something good — something truly valuable — would drop.
And when it did…
He would use it.
To protect the people he cared about.
To rewrite the tragic fate that awaited Kuntal Rajya.
Kumar Varma looked at another pair of old cloth shoes he found in the corner.
His stomach growled at the same time.
He chuckled.
"Ah… almost forgot about lunch."
He quickly hid the iron rod, the belt, and the pack of instant noodles.
Then, wearing his brand-new black leather boots (which he decided looked surprisingly regal in this ancient setting), he walked toward the door.
A new life.
A new Kumar Varma.
And a very dangerous, very greedy little system.
The future was going to be interesting.
Very interesting indeed.