(Un)expected Rebirth

When I opened my eyes, I saw blood on my hands.

And a stiff, lifeless body lying right in front of me.

A distinct mechanical voice echoed.

[The Protagonist has died!]

[The story will be forcibly terminated.]

[Warning! World-Destroying Sequence initialized. Remaining time: 365 days.]

---

I sat cross-legged, staring at the corpse that was already beginning to rot. His hair was jet black. His skin, now paling, must have once been a warm bronze. His wide-open eyes glimmered with a faint violet hue.

The interface warning wasn’t lying. That was Leon D’Arville—the protagonist of Irregular Academy Genius.

And he was dead. I didn’t know who killed him—most likely me (or whoever this body belonged to before).

But that didn’t matter. Leon was gone, and the interface warning now made sense.

What awaited this world was a tragic end. From bloody conflicts between noble houses to super-cosmic threats that could shake the heavens. All of that could have been resolved—if Leon were still alive.

But now, he wasn’t.

So who would take his place? Me? I guess the responsibility falls on my shoulders now. After all, I’m the only one who knows about this world’s future. After all, I’m the one who transmigrated here.

After all, I’m the author who created this world.

Tch. Fuck it. When I hanged myself, I wished for eternal nothingness.

Not this joke of a world.

Now I had to deal with an apocalypse in a failed story I once abandoned? Give me a break.

My eyes drifted to the dagger lying within reach. Its blade was stained with dried blood. Maybe Leon’s. Maybe mine. Maybe someone else’s.

I rose and picked it up. The blade was sharp, gleaming faintly. The handle fit perfectly in my palm.

It was the finest dagger I had ever seen in my life.

I raised it, pressing the tip against my throat, and—

“Stop right there.”

A voice cut me off.

It came from behind, accompanied by careful, deliberate footsteps.

I sighed. This was stupid. I should’ve just ignored the voice, shoved the blade deeper, and ended it.

But curiosity got the better of me. “And what will you do if I don’t stop? Help me make it quicker?”

“If you insist on killing yourself, you’ll just wake up in the same place in this world. But the deadline will shrink.”

I frowned. “And when the deadline comes, and this world is truly destroyed?”

“You’ll be sent to another world. One far worse. One where you may not even have information to rely on.”

It took me almost a full minute to decide before I let out a breath and dropped the dagger.

I turned with irritation to face the voice—and froze.

The same violet eyes. The same jet-black hair. And most striking of all: the crimson dragon birthmark stretching across her exposed neck.

But her chest had a small curve now. Her features were softer than the corpse on the ground. Her once-short hair now cascaded down her back.

“Are you a skinwalker or something?”

“I’m here to make sure you don’t run away from your responsibility.”

“So what are you then? A messenger of heaven? Sent by God, or some deity, to watch me?”

The girl closed her eyes. “I’m not obligated to answer that.”

“Oh, of course. Just like you’re not obligated to make my life worth living for even a single second. You divine bastards and your fanatical followers, always preaching about the sanctity of life and how suicide is an unforgivable sin.”

Despite my rambling, testing her patience, she just stood there. Watching. Silent.

Like talking to a wall.

I clicked my tongue, digging a finger into my ear. “You know, this job isn’t easy—if not impossible. That poor protagonist over there had something called a cheat. With it, he could solve anything and save the world. What do I have?”

“You have information. That is the greatest cheat of all.”

“Oh wow, of course. Since I know everything about this world, I’ll just solve everything like Leon did. How blessed I am.”

She kept staring, unblinking. Either she didn’t get sarcasm, or she didn’t care.

“Fine. I’ll cut you some slack. At least give me one basic Blessing.”

“Blessing?”

“Yes. If you went through all this trouble to bring me here, you should at least know the foundations of my story.”

She frowned slightly. “We do. But you’re in no position to demand anything.”

Hah? “So that’s how you play it, huh.” I sat back down, crossing my arms.

“What are you doing?”

“Guilt-tripping you.”

Her frown deepened.

“I’ll sit here until the deadline runs out. Screw your threats. Let the world end, I’ll die in it again. And when you throw me into another world, I’ll do the same thing.”

“If you sit there for 365 days, you’ll starve to death long before the world ends.”

“Starvation, apocalypse—dead is dead.”

She sighed, then snapped her fingers.

The same notification chime rang out.

[Nemesis Protocol Engaged]

I cracked open an eye. “Huh?”

—

[General Information]

Name: Havel Maggaelhaeiss

Level: 1

Class: – (Not Chosen)

Blessing: – (Unavailable)

Title: [Enemy of the Story]

Nemesis Index (NI): 14.7% (Minor Threat)

World Rejection: Dormant

—

[STATS]

Strength: 5

Vitality: 5

Agility: 10

Luck: 2

Sense: 10

Intelligence: 10

—

[Skills]

–

–

(Tip: Tap on any panel for more details)

—

I propped my chin on my hand. “So? Am I supposed to be impressed by this incredible cheat—being able to see my own stats?”

“If you look closer, you’ll realize just how incredible that is.”

Oh. “So you do understand sarcasm.”

She folded her arms, huffing, clearly annoyed that I got under her skin.

But honestly, one detail caught my eye—the body I had possessed.

Havel Maggaelhaeiss.

The name carried bitter memories.

A character I wrote based on someone I hated in real life. An arrogant young master who constantly tormented Leon, backed by sycophants who worshiped him blindly.

In the story, he was the first villain to die—and his death was the most pathetic.

And now, I was him. How original.

But some parts of the stats weren’t things I had written.

“So, this Nemesis Index and World Rejection—are these supposed to be my cheats? Because they look more like curses.”

“Isn’t there a tip at the bottom that might answer that?”

Sure, I’d read it. But hey. “Explaining it properly is part of your job, isn’t it? Don’t just sit there collecting divine paychecks.”

She rolled her eyes. “You really don’t know when to shut up, do you.”

“Everyone I meet says that. Welcome to the club.”

She huffed. “My task here is done.”

“Wait. What? I thought you were going to be my overseer. Now what? You people can’t even keep your own word?”

“I’ll still be watching over you. Just not up close. For both our sakes.” She turned away, her voice fading to a whisper. “See you around.”

Smoke swirled where she stood.

I coughed, waving it away. By the time it cleared, she was gone.

Damn it.

…Now what?