CHAPTER 1

Prologue

I honestly can’t remember when I started reading novels for escapism. All I know is that I’ve consumed
this kind of media for as long as I can remember.

Was it because I was bullied? Or was it because my parents never paid any attention to me?

Eh, I guess it doesn’t matter.

Why? Because I’m filthy rich now!

Yes, that’s right, I have evolved from an avid reader to a light novel author. And a pretty successful one
too in fact.

‘I alone am the honored one.’ ‘Does my step-sister have feelings for me?’ ‘Leveling up in a Fantasy
World.’ and many more.

Yes, those are all novels I wrote, and they were all a hit.

Well… except one, and honestly I don’t even remember the title.

Though I’m pretty sure it’s one of the earlier novels I wrote.

But… that was all in the past.

One day as I was about to publish my new book, the company that I was contracted to suddenly cut me
off and took the rights of all my books.

Of course, I still had some money left, I was an established author after all. But like I said, that was all in
the past.

Now? I’m fucking broke, my rent was due, I’m still unemployed, and I was honestly starving.

I never finished college since I dropped out during my second year. I mean I was making big bucks with
my books, so why would I waste my time at school?

But now, I honestly regretted that choice, I have no degree and I can’t apply for any job.

What was the point of life if it didn’t treat me well to begin with?

Should I just end it all? Or well lady luck finally bless me.

That’s just wishful thinking, after all I’m not a protagonist of a novel, but it would honestly great if I were.

Well, if I were to choose one of my novels to reincarnate to, it would be ‘Does my step-sister have feelings
for me?’. I mean don’t judge me, but the main character had the time of his life there.
What am I even thinking? I have no time for this. I need to find some place to eat, something cheap.

I only have 5,000 yen with me right now.

TING-

Ah, finally the pedestrian signal turned green, that felt like forever.

I motioned to walk in the pedestrian lane and there it was, light!

I stared at the light that was coming towards me, wait… that isn’t light… It's a goddamn truck!

Holy shit what was I thinking? I needed to get away. Good thing it was still a few centimeters away.

And with that, I escaped my inevitable death. It’s funny though, in light novel tropes, that’s usually when
the main character gets hit by a truck and reincarnates in another world.

Of course, I’m not that crazy. Who would believe in something like that to begin with? Me of course.

But my survival instincts kicked in and I just had to save myself.

Suddenly I see a man rushing towards me. What does he want?

STAB-

“AGKK!”

Did I just get stabbed? Who is this guy? And why did he stab me?

Wait, he looks familiar…

Ah, it’s that guy that’s always hanging around with the editor I worked with.

I see, he must’ve been ordered to kill me just in case I’d try to go against them.

I had already tried that and it was useless, so why did they have to kill me?

It honestly hurts… I’ve never felt this kind of pain before.

But what the hell? A stabbing cliché? I at least wanted the truck one. And let me guess, after I die I’ll
suddenly wake up in a fantasy world?

“Haa…”

Once again, wishful thinking…

I lay there on the cold hard ground, I could see people around me and I could faintly hear the sirens
beeping.
Ah, this is it, this really is it. It wasn’t a bad life… well it was after the company stabbed me in the back.
Literally.

But it wasn’t a bad life, but honestly I had enough. I’m too tired, too exhausted to continue living.

And then I closed my eyes…

On this day, Hiroto Yamada had drawn his last breath.

====

[STATUS]

Name: Unknown

Level: 0

Race: Human

HP: 0/0

MP 0

Class: None

Strength: F

Intelligence: F

Dexterity: F

Charisma: F

[SKILLS]

None

====

I opened my eyes and that was the first thing I saw as I was trapped at what seems to be a void.

Ah, I’m still alive.

I felt relief knowing that, despite the fact that I did want to end the suffering, but at the same time I’m also
afraid of death.
But is this what I think it is? A system interface? Is this even real?

Honestly it’s kinda cliché. I’ve read an exact scenario like this back when I was an avid reader, and I've
also written a book like this.

“...”

After that, a bright light started to emerge within the void and engulfed me.

CHAPTER 2
Ashford Family

When the light engulfed me, my vision turned hazy and I found myself caressed in the arms of a woman.

Caressed? But how could a 26 year old man be caressed in the arms of a woman?

Well it’s because… I was a baby.

Again…

All that nagging about clichés and here I am reincarnated, transmigrated, or whatever kind of words those
novel authors use.

Anyway, back to the topic of the woman, she had jet-black hair and red gleaming eyes like a ruby.

She had the features that would make any idol back from my world put to shame.

She was indeed stunning, but to my surprise I felt no attraction to her. Is it because she was my mother?

Right now she was crying, tears of joy, maybe. After all, she had just given birth to her son.

And there to my left is a man with red auburn hair and green eyes. He might be my father since he’s the
only man present in the room.

Honestly he looked pretty average even to my standards. How did he manage to woo this stunning
woman that is my new mother?

And there, standing in the middle of the room was another woman who had similar features to my mother.
Could be my grandmother, probably.

Okay back to the system, I couldn’t open the interface again since I can’t really move my limbs properly.
After all, I was still a baby.
“That’s strange… is just me but is he not crying?” said the woman who could probably be my
grandmother.

“UWAA!” I let out a horrible cry.

How the hell can a 26 year old man act like a baby? It was honestly pretty embarrassing. Eh, bet they
don’t care, and I had to act the part.

“Happy Birthday Ezra!”

Yes, that’s right my name is now Ezra, Ezra Ashford of the noble house of Ashford. Pretty cool.

It was currently my 5th birthday and my family hosted a grand party, gathering all the cousins, aunts,
uncles, you know… that kind of party.

Oh and I have a sister now too, she’s 3 years old and her name is Luna, Luna Ashford. She’s pretty cute
and she follows me around.

I found out that this world was one of the novels I wrote, pretty cliché right?

I forgot which one, though it was pretty similar to ‘Leveling up in a Fantasy World.’

I say similar because it wasn’t exactly the same.

I bet it was one of my earlier drafts of the book.

How did I find out? It happened when I was strolling around our estate’s library, trying to hide from my
tutor.

I took any one of the books from the bookshelf, so that if my tutor were to find me, she’d see that I was
studying and not nag at me.

On the contrary, I did want to know about this world I had transmigrated into, yes I chose the word
transmigrated since reincarnation was too overrated.

When I took a quick scan of the book, I realized the history of this world was pretty similar to ‘Leveling up
in the Fantasy World.’

Only that… there were some things that were different.

Though I sound pretty chill now, when I first found out I was honestly flabbergasted. I mean who knew this
would happen?

If my suspicions were correct and that this world really was an older draft of my book.
Then who the hell is Ezra Ashford? I don’t remember writing a character like this. Doesn’t that mean I’m
an extra?

That kind of trope where the author transmigrates and becomes an extra?!

Well… the main character is probably off somewhere about to face his tragic event or something. After all,
he needed the backstory.

Anyway, back to the present.

‘System’

====

[STATUS]

Name: Ezra Ashford

Level: 1 (0/100)

Race: Human

HP: 100/100

MP 100/100

Class: None

Strength: F

Intelligence: F

Dexterity: F

Charisma: F

[SKILLS]

None

====

I now had mana, which means I could use magic now right?

Nah. I haven’t learned anything, what a waste of my 5 years of living.

Oh, and by the way, everyone else had a system interface, I wasn’t anyone special.
When I turn 16 I’ll probably be enrolled in this world’s academy, I knew the plot to my book after all and
those kinds of stories always had an academy.

Since I know the story, I know how to get a headstart, I’ll take every skill and item that the main character
would get that’d make him stronger.

I mean screw him, it’s every man for himself.

But wait, wouldn’t there be a demon king or something? Eh, I’ll just deal with it when the time comes.

“...”

“You’re growing up a handsome lad Ezra!” said a woman who could be my aunt.

“Indeed Beth, Ezra will become an amazing heir for the Ashford Family!” said a man who could be my
uncle.

I smiled an awkward smile as I scratched my cheek and said. “Thank you uncle and aunt Beth, I hope I
live up to your expectations.”

“You’ve really raised him to be so polite Camilla.” said aunt Beth as she turned to speak to my mother.

Yes, my mother, Camilla Ashford, of the noble house of Arden. And that gentleman there not too far from
us is my father, Dylan Ashford.

“I didn’t do much, it was all him.”

“Oh, don't be so modest Camilla.”

Look, I know they’re supposed to be our branch families or something. But come on, they’re clearly just
buttering up my mother.

I mean, I’m pretty sure I look average myself. The only genes I got from my not-so average mother were
my hair color and eyes.

“Happy Birthday Ezra.” A girl with red auburn hair and emerald-like green eyes approached me.

“Thank you Ava.” I said with a smile.

This lady right here is my cousin, Ava Ashford. And she’s 2 years older than me. For some reason she
didn’t share the same genes as my average father

Yes, she was beautiful. But her personality? Annoying. Nagging me and all that.

“Jeez Ezra, you’re already 5, you should learn to clean up your mess better.” Said Ava as she wipes the
table.
See what I’m telling you, I mean, come on! Can’t she see I’m still eating? I’ll clean it up later.

“Ah, sorry Ava, you can stop, I’ll clean it up myself later.”

“That’s a bad habit Ezra, as the heir of the Ashford’s main family, you should learn to be prim and proper.”

See? Annoying. Oh and did I forget to mention she was my aide?

Yes, it was a noble practice for the branch families to give their services to the main house.

But don’t get me wrong, they still get their freedom. It’s more like a part-time job. Yes, a part-time job.

There were also additional benefits. They’ll be treated like a main house family, free food and all that.

Their tuition fees will also be paid for once they enroll at the academy. Pretty sick.

Anyway, we weren’t allowed to progress with our system until we turned 10. Safety precautions and all
that you know.

But as the author of this book I knew how to get around that.

CHAPTER 3
The Elven Domain

It took a year for me to sneak out of the main house. The children of the main house weren’t allowed to
leave until we turned 6.

I was currently strolling around the city with Ava and my sister, Luna. My father was here too
accompanying us.

The city was a breathtaking sight, with crowds bustling about, buildings towering to the sky, and vendors
all around. It made me think that I really was in a different world.

I know I was the one who made this world, but it’s different when you’re actually there to witness it.

“Wow!” said Luna as she scans the surroundings.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Ava nods with pride.

Since Ava wasn’t a child of the main house, she was allowed to go to the city.

“Make sure you stick close to me kids, if something were to happen, Camilla would kill me.” said my father
with a worried look.
Did I follow his instructions? Nah, I sneaked out to the forest. I felt bad for my father, but I needed to get
something to get a head start with my system.

As an extra I needed to do something cliché. Just like in those extra novels I’ve read.

As for the item, what I needed to get was the ‘Mana Amplifier’. Mages in this world would have their mana
capped to a certain number depending on their level.

As a level 1 my mana was capped to 100, but if I were to use the item, it would be boosted significantly to
500. That’s right, a x5 boost.

It was an item that was supposed to go to the main character. Eh, don’t care, it's his fault for not being the
author.

As the author, I knew where to get this item, and it honestly isn’t that hard.

It would be situated around the forest outside the city. The problem was it’s near the elven domain.

If you were to enter the domain, you’d have to ask the elves for permission. And that’s exactly where I’m
heading.

“...”

I approached the main entrance of the elven domain.

“State your business here, child.” said the elven guard.

Of course he’d have silver hair. I was honestly pretty unoriginal when I was designing the elves…

Now how should I respond? Actually elves were a pretty gentle race. Just like the human domain, they
allowed anyone to enter their domain.

But the item I needed wasn’t something as ordinary as picking up a pebble on the street. It was in their
royal family’s home.

I needed to sneak in there somehow.

“Uhm… I’m here on the orders of the human domain.” I stuttered.

“Ah you must be the son of Baron Desmond!”

‘Who?’

“Haha? Yes that’s right.”

“You may pass, the Elf King is waiting for you in their estate.” The elf said as he gestures to the entrance.

Wasn’t that too easy? Eh, whatever.

“...”

As I stepped through the gates, my eyes widened in wonder at the sight before me.

The air was so fresh, it felt like I could bottle it up and sell it as "Elven Essence" on the black market. As
the trees stretched out their branches towards the sky with leaves rustling gently in the wind.

Flowers of every hue neatly arranged on the ground, as birds sang sweet melodies from their perches
among the branches, filling the air with their chirping.

In the distance, I could see waterfalls flowing down the mountainside. The sound of rushing water filled
the air, mingling with the gentle rustle of leaves and the chirping of the birds.

It was honestly a breathtaking scene, unlike anything I had ever seen before.

And there not so far from me was a carriage waiting for me, probably to escort me to the estate.

I was worried I’d have to walk, after all I was still in a 6 year old body. The limbs were pretty small
compared to what I was used to.

“...”

I stepped into the carriage and I was greeted, by yet again another elf with silver hair, only this time it was
a woman.

“Greetings Sir?...”

Of course I knew the names of most of the nobles in the human domain. Not.

I was the author, sure. But

I have to think of a fancy name. Hmm lets see, if the Duke was named Desmond, then…

“Damian.”

“Ah right, Sir Damian Milverton, son of Duke Desmond Milverton, correct.”

‘Who?’

“T-that’s correct, Miss…?”

“Ah, apologies, I’ve yet to introduce myself, I’m Vera Leaflet, retainer of Princess Amelia Ataraxia.”

Oh, that’s right I remember writing that character, though she was only a major character for one arc. But
for some reason she was a fan favorite.

Not sure, her character was pretty bland to me, or maybe I didn’t write her that well.
But I did get some hate, the readers kept asking me to bring her back. Didn’t care enough, it was my story
after all.

“...”

I stepped foot off the carriage and arrived at the gate of the royal elven family’s estate.

The gate was huge and golden, with carvings of animals that probably had some deep symbolic meaning.

But to me, they just looked like a bunch of fancy doodles. And of course, it opened automatically when I
approached, because why bother with regular gates when you're an elf?

Inside, it was like a scene from an elf soap opera. Everyone was prancing around like they were
auditioning for the cover of Elf Vogue. I mean seriously why are elves always so good looking?

And the buildings? Oh boy were they fancy, they probably had a butler for the butler too.

They’re filthy rich! Even as an heir to a noble household, we’d probably look dirt poor if we stood beside
them.

I went inside the mansion with Ava by my side to guide me.

“The King will meet you shortly, Sir Damian.” Ava left to go fetch the king or something.

I scanned the surroundings of the mansion, and once again my jaw dropped.

If I were to steal a single item from this place, they wouldn’t notice they lost anything, and I’d probably be
able to feed myself for the next 5 years.

“...”

Snapping me out of my thoughts I felt a cold stare from across the room.

I turned my gaze to it, and what met my line of sight was a little girl, with silver hair, and white pearlescent
eyes, peeking at me behind the door frame.

If my suspicions are correct, she must be Princess Amelia Ataraxia, the sole princess of the Elf Domain.

I mean with those descriptions, this must be her, that’s how I described her as well when I wrote her
character. Only that, she seems to be younger than when I initially introduced her in my book.

“Hello?” I said as I waved my hand awkwardly with a wry smile.

“...”

“Uhm, my name is Damian er… Milverton.”

“...”
Is she just gonna keep staring at me like that?

“Come here for a second.”

Oh never mind, thought she was a mute.

I nodded and approached her.

“Who are you?” said Amelia as she tilted her head.

“Oh you must’ve not heard me, my name is Damian Mil…er- Milverthorn.”

That was their surname right?

“Liar.”

What? Does she know?

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve met Sir Damian a few years back, and you look nothing like him.”

As she spoke those words, I felt a chill down my spine.

‘Shit’

Wait? She’s met Damian before? So did I coincidentally get the name right? Crazy.

“Don’t worry, I won’t snitch.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“Ah, thank God.”

I bet there’s a catch.

“But…”

Here it comes.

“Only if you play with me.”

I felt dumbfounded. I mean I could, but how do I play with someone mentally younger than me?

“How old are you?” she said.

“I’m currently 6 years old, but mentally I am…”

Just kidding.

“Ah, just like me! But could you tell me your name?” she said as her eyes lit up.

I pondered to myself, should I tell her? Well she is still a child and she’s bound to forget me in the future.
Probably.

“Ezra Ashford.”

“Okay, uhm… Ezra Assford?”

“...”

This damned brat. Does she even know what “ass” means? Eh, whatever.

“So what do you wanna play?”

“Come.” she took my hand and pulled me away.

CHAPTER 4
Mana Amplifier

I was pulled into a dark room with bookshelves and drawers, and… a pile of coins!

Jackpot! This was probably their treasury room, and if I’m right, the item should be here as well.

I just need to distract her for a few minutes and I can be on my way. My father must be getting kicked in
the ass right now by my mother, so I need to get back home soon so I can see it happen.

“Hey, before we start, can I ask your name?”

I knew who she was of course, but she didn't know that.

“Amelia Ata..tata..raxia.” she stuttered.

“Nice to meet you, Amelia Atataraxia.” I gestured for a handshake.

“...?” she tilts her head.

Come on, take my hand, this is getting awkward. Oh wait, maybe handshakes aren’t an elven custom?

Realizing that I put my hand down.

“So, do you want to play hide and seek?” I said.

I’m a genius, if we play that game, then she’d have to leave the room and go hide some place else right?

“Yes!” her eyes lit up.

“Okay for the first round I can be the seeker.”

“Hmm… okay.”

“I’ll start counting now. 1…2…3…4…5-”

CLICK!

She left the room to go hide.

Hehe, sucker.

I scanned my surroundings and there really were a lot of treasures.

My objective here was to get the mana amplifier but scratch that, I’ll take some coins too.

I walked towards the pile of coins and retrieved a hefty sum, putting each coin in my system’s inventory.

50 gold coins, if I take any more, they’ll probably realize someone stole from them.

After that I walked towards the chest in the corner. I mean it was probably here right? Or it could be in the
drawer.

Nope, not here.

Not here either.

Still nope.

Ah.. where the hell is it? I’m pretty sure I’m in their vault, so where’s the mana amplifier?

After that, the door clicked open.

CLICK!

“Amelia, are you here?!” said the elf worried expression.

He scans the room and he sees me with a blank expression.

“Uhm… hi?”
“You must be the Milverton boy, I’ll ask you later on how you managed to get into the royal vault. But have
you seen my daughter?”

Ah, so this guy must be the King. I’m glad I didn’t make too much of a mess here, or else I might’ve
become a criminal at 6 years old.

“Actually we were playing hide and seek, I think she’s just hiding somewhere?”

‘What?!” he screamed.

“Calm down, we were just playing, what’s the problem?”

I get that he’s looking for his daughter, but why does he have to be so dramatic about it?
“That’s the problem, you see Amelia was cursed when she was born. Every 5 hours she would suddenly
feel drowsy and sleep.”

Each word he spat left me shocked. I don’t remember writing that kind of plot line my entire life.

If that’s the case, could this world not be my book? But that’s impossible, the details were the same with
just some minor tweaks.

It was to my suspicion that this one was an older draft of my book, but is it really?

Now that I think about it, who exactly is Ezra Ashford? And why did I transmigrate as him? For what
purpose?

I’ve never questioned myself with these since I honestly didn’t care and just wanted to go with the flow.

But now after realizing it, this could be a problem.

This means that I shouldn’t trust the knowledge I had of this world.

Is the mana amplifier even here?..

I should probably take things more seriously. Haa…

What a chore.

“She must be somewhere sleeping on the cold floor, can you help me find her?” said the Elf King.

“Of course, I feel somewhat responsible for this since I suggested the game.”

Not really, after all she was just sleeping. But perhaps I could use this chance to find the mana amplifier.

After that I left the room, on a premise of looking for Amelia.

CLICK-
Not here…

Nope, not here either.

Definitely not here, but there was free food so I took a bite.

Though I am trying to find the mana amplifier and Amelia, the rooms didn’t look important enough to have
the mana amplifier and Amelia was definitely not sleeping on the floor in any of those rooms.

CLICK-

I found her.

Just like the Elf King said, she really was sleeping on the floor. And… is she drooling?

Before picking her up, I took a quick scan of the room. It was honestly pretty big, with lots of storage.

If I were the Elf King, I’d probably keep the mana amplifier here. Though I’ve started to doubt if the mana
amplifier actually exists, it wouldn’t hurt to look around.

As my doubts just kept bottling up, it was then that I found it.

“This…”

I picked up the mana amplifier, an orb-like pill. It didn’t look anything special but I could see the
abundance of mana lingering on it.

According to how I described it in the book, this was definitely it.

‘Haa… at least this detail hasn't changed.’

Thanks Amelia, if it weren’t for you, I might’ve scrammed this place without getting anything.

I lifted the mana amplifier and put it close to my mouth.

Okay here it goes, I hope it doesn’t taste too bad.

GULP!

Fuck, that tasted like rotten medicine with a tinge of fish oil.

After gulping down the mana amplifier, I couldn’t really feel any significant changes-

“AGKK!”

My head was aching in pain, and I could feel my body heat up.

My vision started to turn hazy as the colors started to fade.

And then…

I blacked out.

….

I opened my eyes and found myself resting in a fancy-looking room. Though it was not of royalty
standards. It must be the guest room or some sort.

I shifted my gaze down, and there I saw a girl sitting on the floor with her head laying on her arms that
were crossed on the bed I was currently resting on.

The pain from earlier seems to have subsided as I could feel the effects of the mana amplifier
continuously coursing within me.

‘System’

====

[STATUS]

Name: Ezra Ashford

Level: 1 (0/100)

Race: Human

HP: 100/100

MP 180/500

Class: None

Strength: F

Intelligence: F

Dexterity: F

Charisma: F

[SKILLS]

None

====

Ah, the limiter has finally increased. 180/500 huh? My mana was probably still processing the change.
But finally a breakthrough, with this, I could probably leave the main character in the dust.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, Amelia woke up.

CHAPTER 5
Six Year Old Criminal

“Hey, are you alright?” said Amelia as she lifted her head up and wiped her drool away.

“Yeah, I think so, you?”

“Yes, but why did you fall asleep too?”

“It’s because he ingested the mana amplifier.” said a man standing not so far in the corner.

I didn’t notice him when I woke up, but he was there, with his arms crossed.

‘Shit.’

I can’t believe I forgot about the effects of the mana amplifier, I shouldn’t have ingested it on the spot.

“Tell me, human, who are you? I know you aren’t Duke Desmond’s son.”

“I…”

Fuck, caught red handed too, could this get any worse?

After that Amelia stood up and stretched her hands widely, motioning to protect me. I think?

“Father, please don’t hurt him.”

“Don’t worry Amelia, I won’t, It’ll be painless.” said the Elf King as he crunched his knuckles together.

Ah, come on, give a 6 year old some slack would you?

“I apologize for sneaking in and pretending to be someone I’m not, my name is Ezra Ashford, of the noble
household of Ashford in the human domain.” I said in an apologetic tone.
Yes! Please have some sympathy. I'm just a small human boy who didn’t know any better! And hey, I
sounded pretty polite don’t you think so?

“Ezra Assford, hmm… I see.”

“...”

I’m not even gonna try to react to that.

“As per our law, it states that trespassing is a crime which would likely put you in jail for 100 years. Even
more so if it’s of a noble’s domain.” said the Elf King with a serious face.

“Not only did you illegally trespass, but you also stole a mana amplifier from the royal family’s secret
storage and ingested it.” He continued.

“As you know, mana amplifiers are the elves' sacred booster which only they should ingest.”

Yup, I knew that, didn’t care, took it anyway.

“Add that into the equation, and you’d have to serve hmm… 500 years? Give or take.”

Fuck, 500 years?! Give me 4 generations and I still wouldn’t be able to serve that kind of sentence. Is this
guy actually serious?

“But as a Father who had received a request from my daughter, I’ll shorten your sentence by 5 years,
during those 5 years, you’ll be spending your time here in the estate.”

“...”

Okay that’s not honestly not too bad, given the severity of my crime. But wouldn’t my parents be looking
for me?

“Uhm, before I accept-”

“Accepting is your only choice Assford, I’m already being generous here letting you live in the estate.” the
Elf King cuts me off.

Okay he’s right, this wasn’t even a sentence at all, it was more like a fancy vacation, but…

“I know, but you see I have a family and they would be worried about me, could I contact them first and
notify them?”

“I can accept that.” the Elf King nods in approval.

“Looks like I’ve yet to introduce myself. Standing before you is Arthur Ataraxia, King of Elvendom.”

“Pft…” I try to hold back my laughter.

Did this guy seriously introduce himself like that? What’s with that formality, it seems to me that he’s just
role playing the part of a King. Did he read too much manga or something?

“What’s so funny?” said Arthur with a furrowed brow.

“Nothing, King Arthur.” I fixed my expressions

“I’ll introduce myself formally once again, I am Ezra ‘ASH ’ford.” I said with an intonation.

I abruptly got out of the bed, took a left knee, and leaned my head downwards.

“Of the noble house of ‘ASH’ ford, son of Camilla Ashford and Dylan Ashford, please to meet your
acquaintance, King Arthur Ataraxia.”

“Pft… what is that? Is that how you humans do your customs when greeting someone of royalty?” King
Arthur places his hands on his mouth as he tries to hold back his laughter.

“Pft…” Amelia does the same.

What the hell is wrong with this father and daughter duo?

I stepped foot outside the estate and was greeted by a carriage that was waiting for me.

With Vera by my side we stepped inside the carriage.

“Haa… why couldn’t you just stay still? I told you the King would make his appearance before you.” said
Vera as let out an exasperated sigh.

“Not only that, but you had the guts to pretend you were the son of a duke and stole a mana amplifier.
Haa… you’ve given me a lot of headache with that performance of yours.”

Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do right?

But I wonder what the main character is up to right now, he’s probably done with his tragic backstory or
something. Eh, whatever.

We arrived at my family’s domain.

Stepping foot inside I was greeted by the sight of my father kneeling on the floor, clasping his hands
together on the premise of pleading with his life.

In front of him was my mother who was glaring daggers at him while shouting.

‘YOU USELESS EXCUSE FOR A HUSBAND!’

‘HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP WITHOUT BRINGING ANY GOOD NEWS?!’

‘IT’S BEEN A FULL DAY AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T FOUND HIM?!’
‘$%#%@&’

And somewhere along those lines, but they were erm… too explicit, even to my standards.

Yes mother! Show him who’s the dominant one in the relationship!

After that, her screams stopped and she shifted her gaze towards me.

“Ezra! My baby boy, where were you? I was so worried.” My mother ran towards me and locked me in a
tight embrace.

“Mother I- UGKK.” I was suffocating.

After that my mother shifted her gaze to Vera who was standing behind me. Still suffocating me.

“Oh hello, are you the person that found my son?”

“Actually, your son should explain.” said Vera as she locked her eyes with my mother.

Damned elf, I wanted to avoid doing that.

“What is she talking about Ezra?” my mother pulls away from the embrace and places her hands on my
shoulder.

“Uhm, where should I start…”

GULP!

Here’s a simple summary of what went down, it was scary. As a person who was stabbed to death in their
previous life. This was probably much scarier.

I asked Vera if I could speak to my mother privately. Can’t have Vera listening in you know?

Spoiler alert, she allowed it.

I started the explanation of my disappearance by telling her that I was separated from my father as I was
immersed in the items offered by the vendors. This was a lie.

Then, I told her that, as I was walking around on the premise of searching for my father, I suddenly found
myself lost in the forest.

You know those tales where if you found yourself lost in the forest, you should just keep moving forward
and not go the other way since you’d be even more lost. Yeah, that kind of story.
She took all my bullshitting to heart of course, why would her polite and cute 6 year old son make such a
lie?

I continued with the story where I stumbled upon the elven domain, and with my quick thinking I’d come
up with a plan to pose as Damian Milverton to guarantee my safety. Seriously, who the hell is Damian
Milverton?

It was there that I was taken to the Ataraxia’s royal estate, where I met the Elf Princess, Amelia Ataraxia.
And that she had asked me to play, so I engaged in hide and seek with her. Okay this part I wasn’t lying.

Then as I was looking for Amelia, I stumbled upon the mana amplifier. As a curious 6 year old boy, I
followed my instincts and swallowed the pill. Leading to the events that unfolded right now.

Heh, what a great story if I do say so myself.

My mother’s expressions ranged from anger, shock, worry, and shock again. She was angry at my
father’s neglect of the situation of course. Yes that’s right you are such an irresponsible father, Dylan
Ashford!

She was at first hesitant in allowing me to be away in the Elven Domain for 5 years. But after negotiating
that they’d be allowed to visit me in those 5 years, she eventually agreed.

Which brings us to today, I am currently standing in the gates of the Ataraxia’s family estate with two
briefcases in each of my hands.

Shortly after, the gates opened automatically when I ventured closer to it.

There, I was greeted by the sight of Amelia waving her hands.

This is great, there are resources in the Elven Domain I needed to further progress my system.

CHAPTER 6
The Ataraxia Estate

"Welcome back Ezra Assford!" Amelia greeted me with a wide grin as I stepped through the gates.

I rolled my eyes. As if I’m gonna let a little brat who’s barely 7 get underneath my skin. That’s right, I'm
mentally 26 after all.

But she seemed pretty lively today in comparison to earlier, where she only spoke cryptic words. Probably
because of all that sleep.
"Hello there Princess Atatatatataraxia." I purposely stuttered and smirked.

Nah, bring it on, 26 or not, I’m petty like that.

"It's Am-e-lia A-ta-rax-ia! Say it properly!" she pouted.

“Hey, that’s not how you greeted me before you know?”

“I know, but father corrected me last night.”

“Well you can’t complain when you purposely make fun of my name as well.”

“Fine… Ash…. Ashford!”

“Good, thank you Atatatataraxia.”

“Hey!”

Before she could retort, a new voice cut in.

"I see you've already started antagonizing my daughter again, Assford boy."

There was King Arthur, arms crossed and a smile on his face as he approached us.

"The great and mighty King Arthur! Forgive me, I was simply engaging in some light-hearted banter with
the princess." I said dramatically.

Amelia stuck her tongue out at me.

"You truly are a strange one," he said.

"I must admit, I was quite surprised when Lady Camilla agreed to let you stay here for the next five years.
Most noble parents would be loath to have their child away for so long."

"What can I say? My parents know I'm a good kid.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch. If my parents knew even half of the crap I got up to, they'd
probably have grounded me for life. But King Arthur didn't need to know that.

You might be wondering why I dropped the polite noble act in front of the two… or maybe not.

“...”

After that dumb conversation, I smirked and went inside the mansion with my two briefcases

"Ezra, over here!" A familiar voice called out.

I turned to see Vera motioning me over. Time to get down to business, I suppose.
"Your living quarters have been prepared. Please follow me and I shall escort you."

I gave a nod and followed her, but not before leaning over to whisper in Amelia's ear.

"I'll play with you later, Princess Atatatataraxia."

"Hmph!" She stomped off, no doubt to go pout in the corner or something.

The guest room I was being housed in was pretty fancy, though less fancier than the one I rested in after
ingesting the mana amplifier.

The room had a certain vibe to it. It’s like, yeah yeah, we get it already. The room is fancy. Yeah,
whatever.

I was currently alone, and judging from where the moon was situated, it was probably 11:00 PM… I think?
No idea, I just pulled that outta my ass to be honest.

Having nothing to do, I lay in bed and muttered to myself.

‘System’

====

[STATUS]

Name: Ezra Ashford

Level: 1 (0/100)

Race: Human

HP: 100/100

MP 450/500

Class: None

Strength: F

Intelligence: F

Dexterity: F

Charisma: F
[SKILLS]

None

====

I nodded. I think I might just be a narcissist, since whenever I had free time, I would often open the
system interface. Or maybe I was just flabbergasted by it?

After all, I came from a world without any of this magic-y system stuff you know?

After closing the system, I closed my eyes.

“...”

Then I opened them again.

Wait. How much did I deviate from the plot line? Okay no I didn’t really care. I’ll meet the main character
soon when I enroll at Astrea Academy.

Now, Astrea Academy in the Royal Capital of the human domain is known as the crème de la crème of
schools. Where promising young talents gather, not only from the human domain, but all over the world.

You know? That kind of cliché Academy in those novels.

There’d probably be lots of noble kids there, from deadbeat ones, to the typical arrogant ones.

The kind who would look down on the other kids, spewing cliché lines like: “How dare you, you
commoner!”, “Do you not know who my father is?” Yeah you get it.

After that I slept, for real this time.

A few days into my “vacation” at the Ataraxia Estate, I wandered around the royal garden on the premise
of taking in the sight of the beautiful flowers.

I say premise because there was something I needed here. “Glaze Lily”.

Glaze Lily was a flower only found in the Elven Domain, if one were to ingest it, their mana would
increase by 10. No, not 10 times but 10.

This was pretty meh, but my other fellow 6 year olds couldn’t progress their system as of yet.

Which is why, if I were to ingest it, I’d be even more on a head start.

Honestly, the elves didn’t really need this stuff, since elves were more on the magic-y side of the power
system I developed, and humans were more on the fancy shmancy sword stuff. They had magic too of
course.
Which brings us to here, glancing around to ensure the coast was clear, I quickly plucked one of the lilies,
cradling it gently in my hands as I hurried back to my quarters.

Once I was safely behind closed doors, I ate it.

Compared to what I did, elves would use this flower to make tea and all that fancy stuff.

Yes I, Ezra Ashford, mentally a 26 year old, had just eaten a flower I plucked from the ground…

“BLEGHHH!”

It was honestly disgusting, and if I didn’t stop myself, I would’ve thrown up the Glaze Lily on the spot.
I can’t fathom doing this another time, let alone nth number of times.

After that I checked my system and found my mana capped at 500/510.

Haa… this is gonna take awhile. My goal for today would be to reach 600.

What I’m doing is yet again, probably illegal. Eh, no biggie. They’ll thank me soon once I save them.

From what I remember, 8 years in the future, the elves would face a massive tragedy, shaking the entire
elf domain.

That’s how I wrote Amelia’s backstory at least, but I shouldn’t trust that knowledge of course.

Which is why I’ll deviate from the plot line and save the elf domain.

I’ve made a connection with elves after all, it’d leave a bitter taste in my mouth if I let them die, knowing
that I knew the future.

CHAPTER 7
The Extra has Transmigrated

It’s been 2 years since I began my extended "vacation" at the Ataraxia Estate. In that time, I had
discovered several choice loopholes that allowed me to bend -- nay, outright break -- the rules regarding
the system progression for us "children."

Here, let me show you. ‘System.’

====

[STATUS]
Name: Ezra Ashford

Level: 1 (0/100)

Race: Human

HP: 100/100

MP 900/900

Class: None

Strength: F

Intelligence: E ★☆

Dexterity: E ☆

Charisma: E ★

[SKILLS]

None

[PASSIVE]

[Mana Recovery]

====

Yup, what you’re seeing is real, my mana has gone up to 900. I considered that a good stopping point. I
couldn’t keep ingesting Glaze Lilies anymore.

Anymore and my ribs would’ve been visible from the amount of food I’d vomit everyday.

Let’s talk about the new passive, [Mana Recovery]. The whole time during my stay, I ingested at least
three Glaze Lilies everyday. Because of that my mana would constantly recover to fill the cap.

At first the recovery was slow, it would recover itself by 0.5 every minute. But you know, just like training
muscles, the recovery speed increased over time. It now has a steady pace of 2 every minute which gives
me 120 every hour or so.
Because of that I unlocked the [Mana Recovery] passive skill. But does this make me special when
everyone recovers their mana over time?

Yes it does make me special, a person without this skill who had just learned mana recovers their mana
by 0.1 every minute.

Initially that’s how I would have started too, but after ingesting the mana amplifier, it increased my mana
cap for my level and it multiplied the 0.1 recovery by x5.

Okay, enough of that boring stuff, let’s talk about the good stuff. Yes, that’s right my charisma was now on
the E ★ category. For some reason it just kept increasing every day, I must be such a charismatic person
for that to happen right?

Anyway, I forgot to mention that skills ranged from F to SSS, and the stars would indicate their growth.

There would be a total of 5 stars before you make a breakthrough to the next rank.

A full star ★ would mean you’re in the 1 star category, and a half star ☆ means you’re on your way to
unlocking the next star.

I don’t know why my intelligence kept increasing, it indicates your proficiency in magic mastery. But you
see in my two years, I’ve never learned a single magic skill.

But it’s a good thing since it would mean I’d learn magic at a faster rate once I get into the academy. By
now, the other 8 year olds would start their study to prepare themselves in progressing their system by
the time they turn 10.

Oh I forgot to mention. ‘Inventory’

====

[INVENTORY]

Gold Coins: 760

Glaze Lily: 3
Cards: 12

====
The whole time, I’ve been sneaking into their treasury and taking a single coin everyday. It’s not stealing,
I’d call it an investment on their part since I plan on saving the Elf Domain in the future.

You might be wondering why I have cards, it’s because I plan on doing a magic card build. Why? Because
it’s badass. I’ve always admired those joker characters whose gimmicks are throwing cards and making
schemes.

If the main character is the typical hero with the clichéd holy attribute, swinging his holy sword like an
idiot. Then I’ll be the joker character in the background.

Recently I haven’t made any progress on my magic, since I’d spend most of my time training. What kind
of training? Throwing cards of course. Before I start my joker build, I need to be proficient in throwing
cards.

Speaking of the main character, by now, he should have gotten a cheat-skill or something, what a
bastard. From what I know, the main character was at the same age by the time he met Amelia in the
story.

Which means he’d be around the same age as me. He's probably met some deity or something to
sponsor him a power up. Honestly, what a cheat right?

Where’s my deity? Where’s the beautiful bombshell of a deity that’d bless me with a cheat-like skill
spewing clichéd lines like: “Oh hero, please save this world from the demon king.”

Haa…

Okay enough of venting out my frustrations. In the span of two years that I was here, I’ve never once met
this “Damian Milverton”, does this guy even exist? Is this guy even more of an extra than me? Eh,
whatever.

Anyway, during my stay, my family would visit me every month. And today just so happens to be the day
they come to visit.

And here I am standing near the door outside the mansion waiting for their arrival. It’s time to play the part
of a polite noble son.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, a carriage stops outside the main gate. They’re here.
The gate opened automatically and they slowly approached me.

“Ezra, my sweet boy, how are you? Have you been eating properly?” said my mother as she ran towards
me.

“I'm doing great, mother.” I hugged her back with a smile.

“Mhm, that's good, where’s Amelia?” my mother looks around.

I forgot to mention but my mother and Amelia hit it off, she’s really attached to her as if she’s her own
daughter.

“Oh, she’s currently in her magic studies, which is why she isn’t here to greet you guys.”

“Oh, okay well, we don’t wanna disturb her.”

“My boy! Why are you the only one standing out here? Where’s King Arthur?” said my father.

“He’s out in the Royal Castle doing his duties, father.”

“Okay, that’s understandable, what are we waiting for? Let’s head inside.” said my father as he takes a
quick scan of everyone.

“Greetings, brother.” a little girl says as she takes a light bow.

“Greetings, Luna.” I nodded back to her.

That polite little lady there is my sister, Luna Ashford. She used to be a jolly and playful little girl, always
following me around and stuff when she was younger. Now? She’s become stoic and timid.

Do little girls gradually change that much in 3 years? I mean come on, she’s still 6, how come my little
sister is more mature than me?
Nah, that’s just how she is on the outside, a facade if you say. I know how she really acts, she's as
unhinged as me. After all, I’ve been training her since we were little.

After that, we went inside the mansion.

CHAPTER 8
Joker

The moon was high in the night sky, its pale light filtering through the rustling leaves of the forest. A
perfect evening for the upstanding citizens of the Elf Domain to be tucked up at home… Yeah you get it, it
was night.

I was standing in the balcony of my guest room, visibly observing the moon with my hands tucked in my
pocket.

CLICK-

Luna entered my room wearing a black dress that seemed to be a bit too big for her. I mean she was
pretty lacking in the height department, but it’s fine since she’s still 6, she’ll grow.

“It’s time, Luna.” I said while not looking back at her.

“Understood, Brother.” said Luna while she looked at my figure under the moonlight.

It was currently the same day that my parents came to visit me, and here I am gazing at the moon on the
balcony like a badass. All I needed was wine. But I was still too young for that.

I did try to ask Arthur about it, and he shot me a dumbfounded expression going all like, “What would an 8
year old child need wine for?”

Yeah that happened, oh and that’s right I dropped all honorifics with him. We kinda hit it off and I could
say we were pretty close now.

Calling him King would be a stretch for me since that old man was no King in my book. Yup he’s more of
an uncle than a king.
Anyway, back to the present.

“Report.” I said, still not looking back at Luna.

“Currently, the bandits are about to attack a wagon bound for the merchant’s warehouse.”

“Then we intercept.” I said, this time I look back at her.

Luna gave a curt nod, her expression as stoic as ever. On the outside, she was the spitting image of a
well-behaved noble daughter. Just like me of course.

But looks can be deceiving, like they say, still waters run deep. This little sister of mine was just as crazy
as me. The perfect little henchwoman.

How did this happen? I did say I’ve been training my little sister ever since we were even younger than we
were right now.

I’d often teach her about the little things in life and she would always pay attention to me, obedient to
every little detail. A real OG ride-or-die this little sister of mine.

After that she picked up on my behavior patterns and started her stoic polite demeanor when she turned
5.

And what about this little gimmick of ours?

Everytime they’d visit me in the Elf Domain, Luna and I would sneak out the Ataraxia Estate at night and
venture out to the elf city, often visiting the merchants station.

With disguises of course, if me and my sister’s sighting in the elf city would be reported to Arthur. Well it
would get ugly, I don’t need to elaborate further.

Just imagining my mother’s reaction if she finds out sends a chill down my spine.
In the merchants station we were able to observe every individual, from thieves, to gullible customers,
and scammy vendors.

This gave us the idea that crime would often happen there. Yes, the perfect training for us kids who aren’t
allowed to go to the dungeons until we turned 12.

What kind of training? Intercepting bandits of course. Though it was mostly me who would do all the
fighting. Luna was still 6 at the time after all.

Despite her being a little girl who would use a stool just to reach the kitchen sink to wash her hands. She
was a smart little girl, from the meticulous planning and setup of every last crooked scheme imaginable.

"Target caravan's headed this way from the eastern road, brother,” Luna reported, all prim and proper.

"Seven hostiles, standard gear. Two archers providing overwatch from the trees," Luna's cool voice
whispered from behind me.

"Got it, anything else I should know?" I asked with a grin

"Based on their deployment pattern, I'd estimate the caravan's ETA at approximately two to three minutes
out. Maybe." Her eyes narrowed as she analyzed every detail.

"Their leader seems to be the big one with the terrible mohawk and scars. Taking him out first could
demoralize the rest. Kill the archers too before they pin us down."

Good old Luna, born without a conscience, the perfect tiny criminal mastermind to handle recon while I
got my hands dirty.

You see, your average thief isn't exactly a master of long-term planning. They go around robbing and
pillaging.

But then they just blow through all their gains on booze, women, and other stereotypes you could think of.
It's only right after they pull a successful job that they've actually got anything worthwhile.
But here's the thing - treasure is treasure, no matter who's holding onto it at any given moment.

If those idiots can't be responsible with their loot, then I've got no issues relieving them of the burden.
Their riches might as well be mine right?

This is just good practical thinking on my part. Instead of wasting time and effort pulling off my own heists
and robberies, I'll stick to intercepting the bandits before they inevitably squander their latest scores.

Let them do all the dirty work of threatening innocent merchants and whatnot, I'll just kick back and wait to
swoop in for the classy part of taking their treasure from them.

But, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m dirt poor. I’m probably richer than any commoner you can find.
But I still wasn’t any bit richer than any deadbeat noble family.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, a rustle announced the bandits' arrival.

I tensed, gripping my card as they came into view near the bridge, armed and ready. From their pointed
ears, they were the crew attacking the elven caravans recently.

Okay, time to get down to business. I flicked my finger, sending the card streaking through the air to bury
itself in Mohawk's throat.

He crashed down in a spray of blood as the other bandits finally realized what was happening. Letting out
a collective roar of fury, they charged at me, blades clutched tight.

Today marks the historic day of my Joker debut. In the past I’ve never really done anything grand like that.
But today? I have to put on a stellar performance.

CHAPTER 9
Ace of Spades
The bandits charged at me like a herd of enraged bulls, swords and axes raised high and stuff. Yes, come
to me, let me farm you for levels.

I whipped another card from my sleeve, it was the ace of spades card. The razor-edged projectile
shearing through the air towards the closest thug's exposed neck.

His hands clutched at the bleeding wound as he crumpled to the ground, but his companions just
trampled over his twitching body with feral snarls. Wow how cold.

I danced back as blades slashed through the space where I'd been standing moments before. These
chumps weren't pulling any punches, that was for sure.

An overhead chop from a particularly beefy bandit forced me to throw myself into an ungainly sideways
roll, as I whipped out yet another card and flicked it towards his neck. He died.

As I scrambled back to my feet, I saw one of the archers nocking an arrow straight at my face. But before
it could hit me, I spit out a card deflecting it. Yup, just like a magic trick.

There were 4 bandits left, and they had this look of tension and shock. My performance must’ve been
sick.

“Wh-who the hell is this pipsqueak?!” said bandit number 1.

I mean, I’m only 10 years old. Like, duh. It’s only natural that I’m shorter than you guys.

“You may refer to me as Joker, and you unfortunate folks are my audience.” I said, my voice cracked. I
was nervous.

“Is this a joke?!” said bandit number 2.

Say it, not spray it jeez.

“I can assure you this isn’t a joke, let me show you a trick.”

I whipped out a card from my sleeve and flicked it upwards. It disappeared, then it reappeared in front of
bandit number 1, directly to his throat. He slumped down and died.
After that, I did the same and swiftly took out the rest of the bandits. It was fun.

Now to reap my rewards, was I doing this to help the merchants? Nope, don’t get the wrong idea I wasn’t
planning on doing anything honorable like that.

Just consider it advance payment on their part after I save them in the future.

Luna and I split half of the loot, putting mine in my inventory, and hers in her inventory.

After that, it’s time to check my progress.

‘System’

====

[STATUS]

Name: Ezra Ashford

Level: 3 (29/1000)
Race: Human
HP: 300/300
MP 3050/3400
Class: Delusion
Strength: E ★ ★ ☆
Intelligence: G ★ ★
Dexterity: G ★
Charisma: G ★ ★ ★ ★

[SKILLS]
None

[PASSIVE]
[Mana Recovery]
Enhances your ability to regenerate magical energy overtime at a fixed rate of 5.

[Ace of Spades]
Complete mastery over card control. With it, you can manipulate cards with unparalleled finesse,
executing flawless sleight of hand techniques with swift maneuver.
====

Yup, looks good. I managed to raise my level whenever Luna and I conducted this kind of operation. The
bandits were good for farming EXP after all.

In the span of 2 years of bandit hunting, I was able to raise my level to up to 3. It honestly took quite a
while.

But with all the bandits around the elf domain, I was able to farm for EXP. Honestly what’s with all the
crime here? What is Arthur doing?

Ah, that’s right, tomorrow would mark my departure from the Elf Domain. It’s been 5 years since I started
my “vacation” here, and now I’d finally be free to go back home.

It’s officially my day of departure. I was packing my stuff inside my briefcase when Amelia came into my
room.

“Do you have to go?...” she said with a sad expression.

“Yeah, I have to go back home to my family.”

She hesitates to speak up, but eventually nods.

“Okay, I understand, but come visit us sometime alright?”

During my stay, Amelia and I have gotten really close, she was like a little sister to me. Initially we’d often
exchange in banters, making fun of each other's name and stuff.

That was until we turned 7, she stopped bickering with me and became a timid and shy little girl. She was
kind of cute.
We’d often spend our time together exploring the Elf City, taking in new sights and such. And when she’d
continue her magic studies, I would go train with my cards, or sneak into town and scam some sucker
merchant.

Yup, good times, I would honestly miss this place. I should come visit next time.

“Of course I will, Arthur still has a score to settle with me after all.”

Whenever Arthur would come back to the estate from his “kingly” duties. We’d often engage in a game of
poker or black-jack with a bit of wager. Of course, he’d lose all his money to me.

It’s payment for the 2 years I spent clearing out bandits and depleting the overall crime rate of the Elf
Domain after all. Really, what is the Elf King doing?

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

I’d try at least.

“Come on Amelia, what’s with that sad look on your face? We’ll see each other once we enroll in the
academy.”

“I know, but that’s in 6 years…”

“I know, and in that time I hope to see you become stronger.”

Amelia has just started progressing in her system after all, she’s currently studying some nature, forestry
stuff kind of magic. Wow, an elf learning nature magic? Can’t get anymore cliché than that.

“Okay, see you soon.” she said.

I nodded in response.

After that, I stepped outside the mansion where I was greeted by Vera.
“Finally leaving brat.” she spat out.

“Yup, thanks for your hospitality Veravera.”

“Haa… you never change.” she let out a sigh.

After that she quickly changed her expression to a warm smile.

“Make sure you visit soon brat, it would make the Princess happy.”

“Sure.”

Like I said, I’ll try to. Don’t know why that little girl is so attached to me though.

Shortly after, Arthur opened the door and joined the farewell.

"My boy Ezra, it's been quite the journey having you here," Arthur said as he approached me.

"I must admit, when you first arrived, I thought about throwing you in the dungeon for your previous
performance.”

"Well, I'm glad you didn't go through with that idea Arthur. Where would I have practiced my “hobbies: if
you had?" I grinned.

"Hobbies? And what sort of hobbies are that?” Arthur raised his brow.

You know, sneaking out at night, clearing bandit camps, stealing from stolen caravans. The usual.

“Ones where you’d lose your money to me.”

“Haa… you were just lucky.”

Sure, I totally didn’t cheat. But wow, this guy, King of a domain, being all petty towards a 10 year old boy.

If I knew he was this quirky, I wouldn’t have-

“Ezra!” my mother called out to me from the carriage.

“Coming!”

“I’ll be expecting more from you, Ezra Assford.” said King Arthur.

“Sure, o great King of the Elf Domain, Arthur Atatatataraxia.” I said with a grin.

He furrowed his brow.

Amelia wasn’t here to send me off, she was probably off sleeping or something.

And just like that, my legendary five-year "vacation" in the Elf Domain finally drew to a close. It was pretty
fun.

But for now, I have to prepare for my admission soon in Astral Academy. After all, the main character
would be there, and he’ll eat my dust when he finds out I’m way stronger than his cheating ass. I think?

CHAPTER 10
Were they actually Bandits?

Brutus had been a respected commander of the Knights of the Round, sworn to protect King Arthur of the
Elf Domain. But he uncovered corruption among the elf nobles and confronted them.

This backfired - he was branded a traitor and thrown out. Bitter and betrayed, Brutus joined the secret
group The Order, whose goal was to overthrow the monarchs.
The corrupt elf nobles were high-ranking in The Order's elf branch. To prove his loyalty, Brutus was
tasked with safely transporting the branch's wealth to their base. Once successful, they could move
against King Arthur and seize control of the Elf Domain.

That was… until they were attacked by a masked boy who claims to be called “Joker”. Due to this, the
conspiracy was set back to 6 more years.

***

The group led by Brutus was currently accompanying the caravan as they navigate their way through the
dense forest.

“Just a bit more, and we can finally start the operation. So hurry up you idiots.” said Brutus as he leads
the group’s caravan.

“Yeah, yeah Brutus, just because you’re tasked as the head of this operation, doesn’t mean you’re better
than us okay? You’re still the newbie here.” said the man driving the caravan.

“Everything has to be perfect! So you can’t blame me for being in a rush.”

“Yeah, okay I guess you’re right. We can finally topple down the royal family after this.”

“Just remember, the blood of King Arthur will be spilled by me, you remember the deal don’t you?”

“Don’t worry, I keep my promises. You kill the King and I can sell the little princess to the leaders.”

“Good.” Brutus nods with a smirk on his face.

They would probably just be fodders in the upcoming conspiracy. After all, they were just low ranked
members of the order.

“It’s a pity though, we were held back by quite a lot due to several attacks,” said the caravan driver.

“That’s true, the attacks were done by two masked pipsqueaks. According to reports, it’s believed to be a
boy and a girl.” said Brutus.

“Which is why we had to do this operation even more discreetly.” nods the caravan driver.
They continued to navigate through the forest and made their way towards the bridge, until Brutus waved
his right hand, motioning them to stop.

“Leader, what’s wrong?” said one of the men accompanying the caravan.

“I feel like something’s wrong,” said Brutus.

“What are you talking about?”

“Men, pull out your weapons, I can sense it.”

All the men gathered to accompany the caravan did just as Brutus instructed, but of course they were
confused. “What could Brutus be trying to say?” is all they could think about.

“Just out with it already! We ain’t got more time!” said the caravan driver.

But the next words Brutus uttered, were the last words he’ll ever say.

“Bloodlust.”

“Wha-?”

From seemingly out of nowhere, a razor-sharp projectile rips through the air and makes its way to
Brutus’s throat

“UGKH!”

“BRUTUS!”

Brutus tries to stop the bleeding, clutching his hands to his neck, but it was to no avail.

THUD!
Brutus, a former commander of the Knights of the Round, former direct guard of the Elf King Arthur. Now
member of the secret conspiracy group “The Secret Order”, has ceased to exist.

“Fuck, what happened, where did it come from?!” said the caravan driver as they were all in a state of
panic.

“Hey, Vice-Leader… look… his neck…”

One of the men points towards the particular object dugged deep into Brutus’s throat.

“Is that… a card?” A a face of shock and terror is all over the caravan driver.

“Hey… just like in the reports of the previous attacks, cards were always found at the scene.” One of the
men moves back and unsheathes his sword.

“Then it should be the masked duo, keep your eyes peeled. We can’t afford to fail this operation.”

“Vice-Leader! I’ve spotted him, he’s near the bushes.” One of the archers positioned by the trees
announced.

“We all attack at once, what can 2 people do against 7 of us?” The caravan driver states.

Indeed, what can 2 people do against them? They all ranged from level 3-10, the now dead Brutus, the
highest.

“Go spread and drag him out, they’ll be at a disadvantage in open space.”

After the caravan driver’s instructions, they all charged at once, their battle cry reverberating throughout
the area.

The group of seven spread out, hoping to drag out their attacker from the bushes. Swords and bows at
the ready, they advanced viciously.

The caravan driver, acting as vice-leader, kept a watchful eye, surveying the scene for any movement.
Suddenly, a blur of motion caught his eye. A figure emerged from the bushes, clad in a black cloak with a
white mask covering their face.

In one fluid motion, the masked boy flung a handful of playing cards through the air with deadly precision.

"Incoming!" the vice-leader shouted, but it was too late.

The razor-edged cards found their marks, slicing through flesh and armor alike. Two of their comrades fell
to the ground, clutching at the wounds in their necks and chests.

"There! Get him!" The remaining men charged the cloaked figure, blades gleaming in the dappled
sunlight.

With almost supernatural agility, the masked assailant dodged and weaved, evading their strikes with
ease. A flurry of cards flew from beneath the cloak, each one a potential killing blow.

The vice-leader gritted his teeth, parrying the projectiles with his sword. "We have to take him alive! We
need answers!"

The battle raged on, the sound of metal clashing against metal echoing through the trees. The cloaked
figure seemed to anticipate their every move, always one step ahead.

The caravan guards found themselves overwhelmed by a single person, their numbers dwindling as the
masked boy effortlessly outmaneuvers them. Blood stained the forest floor, and the air was thick with the
metallic tang of battle.

And in the end it was down to one more person, the vice-leader. “This is impossible, I can tell you’re just a
level 3, how did you do all that?”

The masked boy pondered for a while before he answered. “The Joker just simply believed he could take
you all alone, that’s it, simple.”

But before the vice-leader was able to retort, the masked-boy withdrew a card from his sleeve and flicked
it to the air, disappearing. “What are you- “, then it materialized out of thin air directly piercing the
vice-leader’s throat.

…
“Luna, you can come out now,” said the masked boy as he motioned towards the caravan.

“Brother, that was an amazing performance,” Luna emerged from the bushes and hurried to her brother’s
side.

“This marks my official debut as Joker.I had to put up an extravagant performance my dear sister.”

They approached the caravan together, and there they uncovered a lifetime supply of gold.

“Luna, this… I didn’t expect this much. Those bandits must’ve been pros or something.”

“Indeed brother, I’ve never seen this much gold before.” Luna stoically examines each coin she could
grab a hold on.

“Okay, Luna let’s split 50/50, I can’t take all of this.”

“Are you sure brother?”

The masked boy nodded in response to his sister’s question.

After that they split 50/50.

 CHAPTER 11
Dungeons

Three years had passed since my departure from the Elven Domain. In that time, I definitely didn't just sit
around twiddling my thumbs like some lazy bum.

Nope, yours truly had been seriously leveling up his system by training hard in the dungeons around our
territory. Some call it "grinding", but that term is too cliché, even for me.

If the main character was off power-leveling somewhere by dragon-slaying or destined hero clichés, then
eh, do your own thing you cheat. As an extra trying to deviate from the plotline, I'd do things a
bit...shadier.

Every few nights, my little sister Luna and I would sneak out of the estate and go dungeon delving. We
brought our cousin Ava along too, because honestly? That stuck-up needed to work on getting that pole
out of her behind.

Some good old-fashioned grave robbing and monster slaying was the perfect remedy for her entitled
attitude. Plus, she made a great meat shield when the beasties got frisky.

Don't worry, all totally legal and by-the-books stuff. We were just some kids trying to earn a bit of pocket
money by clearing out pests that wandered too close to town. No biggie.

If some greedy nobles happened to have expensive family heirlooms buried alongside their corpses in
those very same underground ruins and crypts? Well, finders keepers, right?

As the eldest son of House Ashford's main line, learning to get my hands dirty raiding dungeons was
basically a rite of passage. At least, that's what I told Ava whenever she protested me dragging her along.

Nah, deep down, the thrill of cheating the system and getting filthy rich by just playing by my own rules
really got my blood pumping, you know?

Anyway, it was during one routine underground excursion when something... unexpected happened.
"Brother, ahead! Half a dozen lizard-type mobs clustered around that suspicious chest." Luna's quiet
whisper reached my ear.

"Good. Just what we've been looking for," I grinned, slowly withdrawing a handful of razor-sharp cards
from my sleeve. "Keep watching my back, okay Ava?"

"Ugh, do I have to?" she grumbled, already releasing her rapier from its sheath. "There's probably just
some rusty helm in there anyway."

"Now, now, where's your sense of adventure?" I shot back.

Okay, you might be wondering why I dropped my polite noble act, well the answer is simple. It’s Ava
afterall.

Then, not waiting for her snippy comeback, I burst around the corner and let my deck of cards fly.

My aim was precise, of course. Three of the overgrown lizards dropped immediately after getting hit by
my cards, shredding their scaly hides.

As the others reacted with shrieks, with a flick of my finger, I strummed the threads of invisible silk threads
I had already set-up.

Invisible silk threads? That’s right, just like those anime characters whose abilities are manipulating
strings. Why did I go for this build? Because it’s cool.

Luna provided covering fire with a steady stream of low-powered magic bolts, keeping the remaining
mobs focused on me so they wouldn't catch our heavy hitter Ava in a deadly flank. I had to hand it to my
sister, she knew her crowd control tactics.

Meanwhile, in a cyclone of steel and dust, I wove between the thrashing claws and maws of the huge
reptiles. Their jaws snapped shut on empty air as I feinted past, my cards lashing out to slash new
bleeding wounds with every breathtaking sidestep. I was kinda badass.

A rapid flurry of thrusts from Ava's rapier skewered the mob harrying Luna, though the older girl was
openly wincing at every solid impact against her weapon-arm.

Tsk tsk, still so frail. She needed to put on some muscle if she’s gonna continue being our meat shield.
In the span of a few more heartbeats, the remaining scaled attackers lay slumped around us in
rapidly-cooling piles. Three severed heads rolled away into the shadows, as I maneuvered the silk
threads their way.

"Clear." I announced, throwing all my cards into the air and making them vanish. A good performance was
just as important as actually winning the battle. After all, a good joker never missed a chance to wow the
audience.

Luna was already moving over to the chest the lizard mobs had been guarding, her delicate fingers
checking for any traps or other nastiness. Ava, predictably, just hung back with a look of disgust. Honestly,
what a stuck-up.

"Are you done making a mess? I'm absolutely covered in blood and spit!" she complained.

"You know how hard it is to get blood out of silk?"

"If you don't like it, then go ahead and strip." I suggested with a leer.

No, I’m not into my cousin, okay? She’s just really fun to tease.

"You degenerate bastard!" she screamed while flushing bright red. Score one for me.

“$#%$#%”

“#%$*%#”

While she was busy having an aneurysm over my casual comment, Luna slid the last lock open with a
quiet click. The lid of the chest fell open, revealing a stack of coins.

"You were right, brother. Small fortune in gold and gem." she said while ignoring Ava.

I ignored Ava too, stomping over to join Luna in rummaging through our hard-earned loot. The color of
wealth was always my favorite, so sue me.
"Excellent work today, you two. That should be enough bounty to keep us stocked for the next few
months," I declared with satisfaction.

"You aren't seriously planning to keep all that?” said Ava as she approached us.

I looked at her like she was crazy, which she probably was.

"Um, yeah? That's kind of the whole point of doing this."

"But... won't your father question where it all came from? Or my father? They'll demand to know." she
protested.

"Relax, we’ll just keep it in the inventory of our system, I don’t plan on using the wealth until I leave for the
Academy after all." I waved her off.

As if I haven’t been hoarding coins since I was 5. I’m probably as rich as those high-class nobles. But she
doesn’t need to know that.

Just to taunt her a bit though, I added, "Say, didn't you claim you wanted to open your own mage boutique
once you graduated the academy? This here is more than enough capital to get one started..."

She quieted then, though the speculative look in her eyes said it all. For all her nobility stuck-up act, at the
core she was still a money-grubbing noble like the rest of us.

Snagging a particularly juicy emerald the size of a quail egg, I tossed it to her. She reflexively snatched it
out of the air.

"Keep thinking about your dream, Ava. The Joker's always happy to lend a helping hand to family." I
smirked.

“Still on that Joker thing? Sigh, grow up Ezra.” said Ava as she lowered her eyes as she scans the
emerald.

Her eyes were already sparkling by the flawless green depths of the gem glittering in her palm. Another
easy mark hustled for the future billionaire lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Luna had gathered the last of the loot into one sack. Rising back to her feet, her own
expression stayed stoic, but the tiny quirk at the edge of her lips told a different story.

We were going to rule this world like kingpins. And the upcoming crème de la crème academy?

Just another opportunity for hustling and grubby scams on an even grander scale. I could hardly wait.

After all, why should that cheating bastard of a main character hog all the glory and the goodies for
himself? No matter what kind of cheat harem protagonist skills he rolled, this Joker and his Queens had
all the trump cards we'd ever need.

"All right Luna, Ava, let's start planning our next big score.” I declared.