A sudden thump disturbed the teenager's slumber. The young boy jolted awake and immediately noticed that his surroundings had changed. He squinted his emerald green eyes again and again, trying to confirm whether this was still the dream from last night. To his surprise—it wasn't.
.....
"Ah!!"
"Ah!!"
He attempted to stand, but his body was so weak that he immediately collapsed onto the floor. The first thing that came to mind was that he hadn't woken up from the dream yet. He slapped his face with his small palm, again and again, until it swelled—but no matter how much he hit himself, he still hadn't returned to his world.
That's when the thought hit him:Maybe... maybe he was trapped!
Just as he was about to panic, a crisp ding rang out, bringing him back to his senses as it was followed by a monotonous voice:
[ Greetings, Host ]
The guy almost cried.
"What do you mean, host? What happened to me? Where am I? And who are you?" His voice trembled slightly. He wasn't a fool. He knew this place wasn't somewhere that existed in the real world. But the most confusing part was—why was he here? Sure, he read books during his free time, but never fantasy novels. Definitely not transmigration ones.
[ The system brought your soul into this world to fulfill a mission. ]
His brows furrowed as he tried to digest the situation. Finally, a realization dawned on him—his eyes widened.
"You... did you just kidnap me?!"A surge of strength came from nowhere, allowing him to stand. But in his panic, he didn't hear the last part of the system's message.
"How—how could you?! You're kidnapping random souls for what?! To… to… you—"He paused, thinking deeply.
Maybe transmigrating into another world wasn't so bad after all.After all, in his previous world, he had countless debts and bills to pay—not to mention the pathetic salary he earned every month, which wasn't even enough for daily necessities. Unlike here… here, he could hide from all of it and start fresh!
BWAHAHAHAHA!!
But when he looked around, the situation didn't seem any better. In fact, it was worse than his old home. He didn't even have a proper bed. The place lacked materials, furniture—anything really. And, more terrifyingly, he was wearing some kind of robe?!
At first, he thought, "Am I a girl? Why am I wearing a dress?"But after closer inspection, he realized—it wasn't.
Suddenly, the system spoke again.
[ The purpose of your transmigration is for you, the host, to fulfill a certain task. ]
His conflicted expression was instantly replaced by a bright smile.
"Oh~ a task, hmm… so you'll give me a salary?" His grin widened hopefully.
[ No. However, the host may receive a reward if the mission is accomplished. ]
His smile froze.
He lazily propped his cheek on his palm as he sat on the cold floor."Then… how am I supposed to survive in this unfamiliar world with nothing?" he mumbled, not really expecting a response.
[ As a beginner, the system will naturally provide the client with one week's worth of supplies. The host must survive until the deadline. ]
The guy brightened up—at least the system that had ruthlessly kidnapped him had the decency to provide food.And for someone born into poverty, surviving on minimal food wasn't exactly a challenge.
Though… he didn't quite understand what "deadline" meant in this context.
"So, what's my mission? When do I start? Is there some kind of interview?"
The system replied:
[ The host must fulfill his mission as cannon fodder or a stepping stone for both the villain and the protagonist. ]
The guy coughed violently, clutching his throbbing chest. He remembered that whenever he had free time or got his hands on a borrowed book, he'd read to escape reality. So, of course, he knew what cannon fodder was—and even more, what a stepping stone meant.
But this?This sounded far more dangerous than the cannon fodder roles in the modern novels he had read.
Tears streamed down his pretty face as he held his round cheeks.
"System… what do you mean by that?"
[ Your task is to wait for the villain and the protagonist to grow and unleash their strengths. Until then, you, as cannon fodder, must find a way to create a grudge and misunderstanding between the two. ]
The system paused—enough time for him to breathe, but not process.
[ Once you're done, you must be slain by either the villain or the protagonist for the world to progress. ]
Q ∆ Q
"Wait—!"
[ Please note that all of this must be done without the knowledge of the people involved. ]