The screen flickered, a grotesque maw of teeth and shadow lunging from the darkness. Beelzebub's heart jolted—too fast, too hard. The crypto jackpot of 15.5 million Union Coins still buzzed in his mind, a fortune he'd never taste. A 21-year-old college dropout, he'd spent his last night hunched over a horror game, chasing one more scare. The jumpscare hit. His chest seized. Darkness swallowed him.
Two hours later, his eyes snapped open.
Beelzebub blinked, the ceiling above him unfamiliar—vaulted, sleek, modern. His body felt… off. Same wiry frame, same unremarkable face, same calloused gamer hands, yet something thrummed beneath his skin, alien and alive. He sat up on a plush bed, a flood of memories crashing in—not his, but his. Another Beelzebub, this world's version: a loner, no family, a gaming addict who'd struck it rich on memecoins through dumb luck. 15.5 million UN, same as him. The sync was seamless—two lives, one mind.
"What the hell?" His voice rasped, confident yet edged with disbelief. He swung his legs off the bed, catching his reflection in a nearby mirror. Normal. Not handsome, not ugly—just a guy. But his smirk was new, a flicker of Anos-like pride curling his lips. "Transmigration? Seriously?"
The room—a villa, he realized—hummed with tech. A sleek terminal on the wall blinked with news: "Eternal Realms launches in three days! Government urges all citizens to join the VRMMORPG revolution!" Beelzebub's pulse quickened. A game. His domain. He scrolled through his counterpart's accounts—15.5 million UN, untouched. With a few taps, he ordered an Ultra pod, a month's nutrient supplements, and this villa outright. Delivery drones buzzed outside within hours.
Three days later, the pod gleamed in his living room—silver, ergonomic, a nutrient tube coiled beside it. Beelzebub ran a hand over its surface, his smirk widening. "Time to flex."
He climbed in, the lid sealing with a hiss. Darkness enveloped him, then light exploded—a login screen. "Welcome to Eternal Realms. Choose your bloodline." Options scrolled: Elf, Vampire, Dragon Newt. He paused at Human. Basic, unassuming. Perfect for a nobody about to become everything. Selected.
"Assigning talent…" The screen glitched, static tearing across it. Beelzebub frowned. Then: "Talent Assigned: Gluttony (Error). No stat gains from leveling. Absorb all attributes, skills, bloodlines, and blessings from defeated beings. Duplicates enhance mastery. Attributes start at 1."
He laughed, cold and sharp. "A glitch? The game's already bowing to me."
The world loaded—a sprawling beginner village, wooden huts nestled between rolling hills. Players materialized around him, clad in identical gray tunics, chattering excitedly. Beelzebub's HUD flared to life:
Level: 1 Attributes: Strength: 1 | Speed: 1 | Defense: 1 | Mana: 1 | Luck: 1 | Charisma: 1
Pathetic. A normal player started at 10 across the board. He flexed his fingers, feeling the weakness, but his mind churned with plans. "Trash stats, infinite potential. Let's see what I can devour."
A quest pinged: "Kill 5 Horned Rabbits. Reward: 10 EXP, 5 Copper." Beelzebub sneered. "Busywork for ants." Still, he trudged toward the fields, the sun glaring overhead. Players jostled past, some laughing, others sizing him up. One—a bulky guy with an Elf bloodline—shoved him aside. "Outta the way, Human trash."
Beelzebub's eyes narrowed, his voice a low growl. "You dare disrespect me?" The Elf laughed, already gone. "Soon," Beelzebub muttered, "you'll bow or break."
The fields teemed with Horned Rabbits—small, vicious things with spiked horns. He had no weapon, just fists. A rabbit charged, horn glinting. He dodged—barely, his Speed at 1—and slammed a clumsy punch into its skull. It squealed, retaliating with a gash across his arm. Pain flared, but he grinned, feral. Another punch. Then another. The rabbit collapsed, dead.
"Ding! Horned Rabbit defeated. Absorbed: Strength +2, Speed +1, Horned Dash (Skill)."
His HUD updated:
Strength: 3 Speed: 2 Skills: Horned Dash (Charge forward with horn-like force, Mastery: 1/10)
The rush hit him—power, raw and stolen. "This is it," he breathed, aura flickering faintly around him. Four more rabbits fell, each kill stacking stats: Strength to 9, Speed to 5, Defense to 3. Horned Dash's mastery ticked to 5/10 as he absorbed duplicates. His tunic was bloodstained, his smirk unshakable.
Nearby, two players watched—a pair of twins, lithe and sharp-eyed, their HUDs marking them as Half-Elves. The shorter one, Lia, whispered, "He's… different. That aura." Her sister, Mira, nodded, gripping her dagger. "Let's keep an eye on him."
Beelzebub turned in their direction, catching their stares. He winked, voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "Like what you see, ladies? Stick around—I'm just getting started." Lia flushed; Mira scoffed, but both lingered.
A new quest flashed: "Defeat the Field Alpha: Horned Rabbit King. Reward: 50 EXP, 20 Copper, Random Loot." Players scattered, some teaming up. Beelzebub strode forward alone, his aura thickening—cold, oppressive, a promise of dominance. The Rabbit King loomed ahead, triple the size of its kin, horns gleaming like daggers.
"Bow," he said, stepping closer, "or break."
POV Shift: The Elf Player
Kael, the Elf who'd shoved Beelzebub, watched from a hilltop, smirking as the Human approached the Rabbit King. "Idiot's gonna die solo," he muttered, his own stats at 15 Strength from his bloodline. "Humans are fodder." But as Beelzebub's aura flared—dark, suffocating—Kael's smirk faltered. "What… is that?"
Beelzebub lunged, Horned Dash propelling him into the beast's flank. His fists hammered its hide, each blow heavier than the last. The Rabbit King roared, slashing with its horns, but he danced aside, Speed at 5 barely enough. Blood sprayed—his, then its. A final punch cracked its skull. It crumpled.
"Ding! Horned Rabbit King defeated. Absorbed: Strength +10, Speed +5, Defense +5, Mana +3, King's Roar (Skill). Loot: Iron Dagger x1, Copper x50."
Strength: 19 Speed: 10 Defense: 8 Mana: 4 Skills: Horned Dash (5/10), King's Roar (Intimidate foes, Mastery: 1/10)
He picked up the dagger, twirling it. His aura surged, crushing the grass around him. Players froze, staring. The twins edged closer, Mira muttering, "He's insane." Lia smiled faintly. "Insanely strong."
Beelzebub turned, locking eyes with Kael on the hill. "Trash," he called, voice carrying like a blade. "Next time, you're mine."
Tracker
Stats: Strength: 19 | Speed: 10 | Defense: 8 | Mana: 4 | Luck: 1 | Charisma: 1
Powers/Skills: Horned Dash (5/10), King's Roar (1/10)
Bloodlines: Human
Harem: No bonds yet (Twins Lia and Mira intrigued)
Recent Gains: Strength +18, Speed +9, Defense +8, Mana +3, 2 Skills
Loot Drops: Iron Dagger x1, Copper x50