“Could it be some sort of precognitive dream?”
Mu’en tapped on the cover of the black book, deep in thought.
After pondering for a while, this bizarre yet all-too-real dream seemed best explained by the term “precognitive dream.”
Of course, that was just one theory.
“If it’s a precognitive dream, did I do something wrong to end up with that outcome?”
Mu’en murmured, his face pale.
The painful sensation from earlier still lingered on his skin.
Anyone who learns their future might involve being shredded to bits would find it hard to stay calm.
“But who hates me so much that they would resort to such cruelty?”
Although the shadowy figure in the dream called itself “Love,” Mu’en absolutely did not consider that to be love.
What kind of love involves turning your beloved into a pin cushion? Even a twisted serial killer wouldn’t go that far!
You’d think if you wanted to play some bizarre game, you’d at least leave a whole corpse behind!
“The safest bet is to find that dark figure…”
Mu’en quickly confirmed his strategy. As long as he could track down the murderer before the deed was done, using his identity as a duke’s son would make avoiding that fate a piece of cake.
But…
“Seems… impossible.”
Cold sweat dripped from Mu’en’s forehead.
To find that shadowy figure, he’d need enough clues.
But the precognitive dream didn’t reveal anything useful. The shadow’s voice and appearance were completely indistinct; he could barely make out it was a woman.
And guessing from just that was out of the question. Mu’en Campbell had made too many enemies; even the duke’s maid might be fed up with his usual mischief and decide to take revenge.
“Honestly, it’s all your fault for messing everything up.”
Mu’en sighed; he almost felt like he should give the original host a good smack.
But that was no longer possible since he was the original host now.
The evils committed by Mu’en Campbell had to be shouldered by him.
“I have to come up with a solution. Even if it’s just one theory, I don’t want to be turned into minced meat.”
“Ah, right! The black book!”
Mu’en finally remembered the culprit behind his experience of being turned into a shish kebab.
“Eh?”
Just as he thought about finding the missing black book, a thought crossed his mind and, surprisingly, that black book appeared right in front of him.
“Wait… it entered my body?”
As he concentrated again, the book transformed into a wisp of ghostly light and zipped right into Mu’en’s existence.
He could clearly sense it was quietly waiting somewhere in his consciousness.
“How amazing?”
Mu’en beamed, “Am I saved?”
Filled with excitement, Mu’en summoned the black book and put his hands together, earnestly mumbling:
“O black book, whether I flip my fate depends on you, my esteemed one.”
“Open!”
With a loud shout, Mu’en flipped open the black book.
【Mu’en shouted loudly and opened the black book】
Mu’en: ?
Nothing happened. The book’s blank first page merely displayed the above text.
It was as if it were a diary recording every move Mu’en made.
“What the heck? That’s it?”
【Mu’en waved the black book back and forth, but nothing happened】
“No way.”
Mu’en twitched his lips, staring at the words in the book, then lifted his hand to gingerly grab a mirror nearby.
【Mu’en picked up the mirror.】
Put it down.
【Mu’en put down the mirror.】
Checked his reflection.
【Mu’en looked at himself in the mirror, still convinced he looked fabulous.】
“Are you kidding me?!”
Mu’en smashed the black book down in frustration.
Totally useless! What a letdown!
【Mu’en began a fit of impotent rage.】
“……”
Mu’en covered his face, tears streaming down in despair.
“What was I even expecting?”
The yellow-haired villain is just a yellow-haired villain.
A minor character will always be a minor character.
And here he was hoping to turn the tables with some mysterious old book?
In his dreams!
“Clearly, this world is not kind to me, the yellow-haired one!”
If the black book did anything at all, it was just a cruel reminder of his tragic future.
“But can’t you at least be a bit more useful? Just a bit more, so I can figure out if that dream was a premonition or something else?!”
Shaking the mysterious black book he oddly felt connected to, Mu’en gritted his teeth.
“I want to die with some clarity!”
The black book remained unchanged.
【Sigh.】
Just when Mu’en was about to give up, he heard a faint, ethereal sigh.
Suddenly, red text appeared on that pure white page.
【Do not change.】
“……”
Mu’en’s pupils narrowed.
“Do not change… What does that mean?”
“Are you warning me not to alter the plot, or else I’ll end up with that kind of ending?”
“But why? Doesn’t that mean I’ll end up really miserable?!”
【For】
【Destiny】
The text floated up like an invisible hand grabbing Mu’en’s heart.
But no matter how he questioned further, the black book fell silent.
It simply became a plain, unremarkable text-repeating machine.
“So in the end, were all my thoughts just wishful thinking?”
After lingering in a daze for a while, a bitter smile eventually crossed Mu’en’s face.
“To survive, I have to actively walk towards destruction?”
Before he crossed into this world, he was just an ordinary worker with no lofty aspirations of defying destiny.
Let alone in a situation where he couldn’t see any hope.
He was feeling cowardly.
And he could only feel cowardly.
“Actually, thinking back, the original book’s ending wasn’t so bad after all.”
At least in the original book, Mu’en Campbell didn’t lose his life; he was merely stripped of his noble identity and turned into a commoner.
“Wait a second.”
Thinking of this, Mu’en suddenly had a flash of insight.
“By the way, why did I become a beggar in the original story?”
It wasn’t mentioned.
But it was easy to guess.
Mu’en Campbell, the proud son of a duke, suddenly stripped of noble status, turned into a commoner, ousted from the duke’s household, and under the emperor’s direct order, with people sent to supervise him, meaning the duke and duchess could not secretly assist him.
This was a pampered young master, having grown up spoiled, who had become arrogant and domineering. Even though he’d managed to have his past mistakes wiped clean thanks to his parents’ pleading, no one could pursue revenge any longer. But suddenly being turned into a commoner, what survival skills did he possess?
None!
Could he support himself independently?
Very unlikely!
He had no ability, you know that!
Perhaps the next day he could no longer bear the poverty and seek out a gang to borrow money at high interest.
And if he couldn’t repay it, he’d end up with broken bones, inevitably becoming a pathetic beggar.
“But I’m different!”
Mu’en slapped his knee, proclaiming.
Who is he, Mu’en?
Not Mu’en Campbell, the noble waste who only knew how to exploit his family’s status.
He’s a battle-hardened worker forged in the fires of modern society’s 996 grind!
He could survive even if he became a commoner or a rat in the underground; he’d thrive!
“And most importantly, I can use this to escape the protagonist’s influence and live freely!”
Mu’en’s eyes sparkled with hope again.
Having inexplicably died once in his previous life, this time he wanted to cherish his life.
Actually, when you think about it, that so-called noble status isn’t anything worth clinging to.
“It’s just the privilege of a parasitic class that benefits from the hard work of the common folk. As a socialist warrior with deep roots, I only scoff at it!”
