"…My Lord, it's time to wake up."
"…Lord?"
I thought I was in a deep, sweet sleep. Maybe that's why? Despite someone persistently shaking me, I kept brushing off their hand and tried to sink back into my slumber.
I just want to sleep more. I really do.
But then, a surprisingly rational thought popped into my head. It was about where I had last fallen asleep.
"Damn it, I was working overtime at the office!"
I shot up. I was sure I had fallen asleep at my desk in the corner of the office. Overtime was routine at this awful company with its heavy workload. That part was fine. But while all my colleagues were working overtime sober, I was the only one sleeping soundly? Impossible. If anyone found out, it would definitely lead to bad rumors. So I hurriedly tried to get up.
"Huh?"
Something was off. Really off. I had fallen asleep on a creaky old chair. But now, I was lying on a very cozy and soft bed. And someone was standing there, holding a tray, staring at me. On the tray was a glass of water and a towel that seemed slightly damp.
My first reaction was to deny reality.
"What is this, a dream?"
"My Lord, what are you saying?"
I asked if it was a dream, and the response was "My Lord." What do they mean by "My Lord"? I'm Shin Taepung, a low-level employee at Jeonhan Trading. Not a lord.
Just then, "Ugh!" My head hurt like crazy. It was just a moment, but it felt like someone was forcefully opening my head and stuffing all sorts of knowledge and realizations inside. It was like cramming things into a space with no room left. It was extremely unpleasant and painful. But there was nothing I could do. The pain continued against my will, and with it, countless bits of information and facts were embedded in my mind.
At that moment, I naturally realized that this place wasn't Earth, where I lived, and I wasn't on the office chair where I had fallen asleep.
"…Did I die from overwork? Is this real?"
My life flashed before my eyes. The life I lived as Shin Taepung, the office worker, had suddenly become my "past life." Yes, my past life had ended. I died from overwork. Falling asleep while working overtime was the last moment of my life.
"Wow, I died at thirty-four without ever having a relationship?"
I wanted to deny it, but the realization in my head made it clear. I wasn't Shin Taepung anymore. He was just a fragment of a past life that ended in death. I got it, I got it, but I needed some time to calm down and adjust.
"My Lord, did you have a nightmare?"
Now I could clearly see who had woken me up. It was Hayes, one of the maids working under me. How did I know her name right away? Because all the memories had naturally merged together. The memories of my past life and present life.
"It's okay, Hayes. Don't worry about it and go. I'll call you if I need anything."
"Yes, My Lord."
With that, Hayes left without a word. Now, I was alone in the room, allowing me to focus more rationally on the situation.
I got up. I knew it wasn't my past body, but I couldn't remember what my current body was like. It had been a long time since I looked in a mirror, so I only remembered my younger self from about ten years ago. Why? Thinking back, I was quite good-looking at least ten years ago. But now, I had no memory.
I needed to check how my body had changed over the years. So I looked for a full-length mirror. But something was strange. Usually, mirrors are placed where they're most visible in a room. But for some reason, the mirror was far away, tucked in a corner, covered in dust and cobwebs.
I wiped the dust off with a towel I found nearby and stood confidently in front of the full-length mirror.
And then, "Whoa."
A pig was standing there. What stood out in the mirror wasn't a sharp body or a handsome face, but a belly that jiggled and sagged, with a belly button like a black hole. The pajama's belly area was noticeably worn out, probably because of this damn belly fat.
Jesus Christ. This must be a dream, it has to be. I pinched my cheek, but all I got was a bitter pain.
"No way, even if I was lazy with exercise in this life, how could I be this fat?"
I was dumbfounded. In movies, dramas, and novels, when someone reincarnates, they usually become a handsome, cool guy who lives a luxurious life! This was the worst luck ever. My past life was better. Even though I was a 34-year-old single guy who never dated, I still had a decent body from exercising occasionally. But my current body was a complete mess. My face was covered in fat, making it look completely different from ten years ago.
"First, first… status."
I unconsciously said this. It was a shortcut I learned from the realization process that came with the headache earlier. Then, as if waiting, a status window appeared before me.
[Jared – Lv. 1]
[Strength: 5]
[Stamina: 5]
[Magic: 75]
[Wisdom: 15]
[Agility: 5]
[Charm: 0]
[Physical Defense: 5]
[Magic Defense: 5]
[Remaining Stats: 0]
[*Warning: The status condition 'Severe Obesity' is applied. While 'Severe Obesity' is active, the charm stat is fixed at 0.]
[*Warning: The 'Severe Obesity' condition has been maintained for 10 years. Life expectancy is reduced by 20 years.]
"What, my life expectancy is reduced by 20 years?"
My eyes were drawn to the red warning message. I was shocked as soon as I read it. I was already mad about reincarnating into this body, and now my life expectancy is reduced by 20 years! What kind of nonsense is this?
"Phew."
I let out a sigh without realizing it and looked up to see the date at the top of the status window.
[Nas Continent Year 1414, January 1st]
"Wait, this… it's the same continent name and year I used in the game <Paradiso>! Not just that, other things too."
I was so flustered that I quickly recalled my present life's memories, which I had momentarily forgotten. The first thing that came to mind was the gods of this world. The gods of transcendence. Higher, middle, and lower gods. It's a mistake to think of gods as only solemn. Some gods love playing very nasty pranks. So sometimes, they bring people like me and swap their souls. It wouldn't have been difficult for a middle god to do something like this. Because they're gods. There's nothing impossible for an absolute being.
"The problem is that this knowledge about the gods matches the world of the game <Paradiso>."
The scattered fragments of memory began to come together. And it wasn't hard to recall. It was that.
"The game <Paradiso> that I enjoyed for a long time since I was young has become my present life. I don't know why, but anyway."
I don't know the reason. Whether it's a god's prank, a dream, or if there's really a parallel universe like this. But what's certain is that I've perfectly entered the world of <Paradiso>. Not only that, but during the realization process just now, all the memories of my past life were stored in my head. So recalling information about <Paradiso> from my past life memories wasn't difficult.
"1424, March 4th. It's the day the Holy Demon War breaks out on the Nas Continent. The day the main quest of <Paradiso> begins. The day the protagonist starts their great journey."
I had memorized the dates, so I immediately recalled the major event. The current date, 1414, January 1st. The quest start date, 1424, March 4th.
In 10 years, the spark of the great war, the Holy Demon War, will ignite in this world. It's a racial war where the deaths of hundreds of thousands, even millions, are nothing. At this time, the protagonist of <Paradiso> appears to fight against the Demon King and his army.
The player's story begins then. After that, you can see the true ending by either protecting the Nas Continent from the Demon King's clutches or conquering the entire continent to become a ruler.
Of course, <Paradiso> is a game, so it's about fighting fiercely within the framework of virtual reality. But here, it's different. It's the real world, not a game. It's just secretly wearing the guise of a game world. The people of this world wouldn't know that this is a game world. To them, it's reality. Of course, it's a harsh reality for me too. If I lose or die, everything ends. I die in the past life, and I die in the present life. I die twice!
"If so, where I start is really important."
I tried to stay as calm and logical as possible, going over things one by one. <Paradiso> is a typical RPG game, but it also has elements of a strategy simulation. In other words, it's a game where you grow yourself while managing a territory and expanding your power. So it was really hard and challenging. It was natural to pour a lot of time into the game.
"Then now is 10 years before the main story, so it's the era of 5 Empires and 16 Kingdoms."
Looking at the date in the Nas Continent calendar, it's the time closest to the Warring States period. Five great empires and sixteen kingdoms are competing and fighting with each other. And five years from now, speaking in terms of the main quest story of <Paradiso>, five years before.
In Nas Continent Year 1419, a great war breaks out. It's an internal war known as the Nas Great War. The reason is simple.
Because of food, which is the foundation and essential element of a country, and sometimes everything. Droughts and great famines. Volcanic activity and earthquakes.
The pandemic of infectious diseases. These three great disasters occur on the Nas Continent, leading to a continent-wide food shortage. Naturally, the emperors and kings in the game had to wage war to seize each other's stockpiled food.
Otherwise, they couldn't secure the power to run their countries. The Nas Great War involves all countries and territories. In other words, as a lord, I can't avoid it.
This means the importance of the territory becomes even greater.
Much greater.
"Hayes called me 'My Lord' earlier, right? That means I have a territory somewhere."
Where could the territory managed by this body, Lord Jared, be? What's certain is that I have no memory of a user named Jared. In other words, he was never a named character.
Maybe he was an unfortunate lord who disappeared from the world of <Paradiso> before the main quest started. For one thing, the body is a mess. Basically, lord users put a lot of effort into grooming themselves.
So it was rare to see a user with such a hopeless body. No, it should have been nonexistent. But it seems there was an abnormal one.
How badly did he manage himself?
"Please."
I hadn't confirmed anything yet, but my hands came together unconsciously. I naturally began to pray. Please don't let it be the worst. I checked the territory window. Then a name appeared.
[Crivia Territory – Small Territory]
"What is this unknown territory?"
I remembered quite a few territory names, but Crivia Territory didn't ring a bell at all. Moreover, I realized there was one more serious problem.
"Damn, my stats."
I was so distracted by the severe obesity status condition that I had brushed past the status window. The stats were all filled with the number 5, as if by agreement. Only magic and wisdom were slightly higher, but that was just barely meeting the qualifications of a lord.
"4th-class wizard. And even that, with a magic stat so low that it's hard to cast a 4th-class spell requiring 40 magic more than twice. This is my reality."
My expression naturally darkened. 4th-class or higher wizards are all over the Nas Continent, so it's nothing special. And except for the magic and wisdom stats, the rest of the stats were practically a disaster. Moreover, even the relatively high magic and wisdom stats weren't normal. Considering the class, the stats should be ten times higher than they are now, but they're much lower.
So my overall judgment is, "C-grade, low-grade, no, at this level, it's a trash-grade warrior! Garbage, total garbage!"
Yes, I was a lord in name only, with stats that were practically trash, reincarnated into this life. With a lousy body as a bonus. I was reborn not as a king, emperor, or duke who would be in the spotlight in this world… but as a complete nobody, an extra lord.