[You are the one choosen by and for the Empress of Domination]
[You must start from scratch and become worthy]
[And the first step to becoming worthy is to study in a well-known academy]
[Task – Increase your stats—agility, strength, stamina, and endurance to 15 or more to fulfill the requirements for preparing for the Academy]
[Enroll in Appex Academy]
[Time – 30 days remaining]
Rain blinked a few times, somehow trying to digest all of this.
'What is this even all this about...'
His thoughts felt slightly tangled, but he forced himself to stay composed.
He said casually, though still thinking deeply about everything, "Show me my stats."
[Here, hubby.]
The screen responded instantly.
The interface shifted—
And soon, it filled with a completely new kind of information.
[Name: Rain Brightwell]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 18]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Stamina: 5]
[Endurance: 7]
[Mana: 5]
[Charm: 7]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Luck: 5]
[True Core: None]
[Remaining Points – 100]
Rain thought, staring at the overall screen interface. It looked identical to the game—but somehow, it was too simplified… and different.
He said while checking his information, "It got my name right… Race—human… hmm…"
'I had some doubts about whether this world is really OG or not… but I can confirm now—it is.'
Even after all the hardcore research, it was a bit too hard for him to believe that he had transmigrated into the game he once played.
But now—
He had no doubts left.
He continued checking his information on the screen as his eyes moved.
"Age 18… so I'm 18," he murmured.
'Not bad'
Just somehow… an unwanted perfect age.
His face turned shocked as soon as his gaze landed on his stats.
"What kind of crap stats are these? And you expect me to enroll in Appex Academy with this trash?"
[You got it right, hubby.] the message appeared with a smiling expression.
His thoughts fell into utter panic.
'Forget about increasing my stats… even if I increase them, there's no way I can enroll in Appex Academy…'
Rain knew it clearly.
This was impossible thingh to do.
Even if he somehow managed to raise his stats, there was still no way he could get enrolled in Appex Academy.
Appex Academy—one of the top academies in the entire country in OG. An academy for all races, where only the most brilliant students from prestigious families studied.
And for a human like him—
With no family to speak of—
His chances were the flat as none.
And even if he somehow got a chance to take the exams, he was sure he would be swept away in the physical tests by other candidates.
After all—humans were the most populated and the weakest race, a race that relied on sheer numbers, like ants.
Rain exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down, steadying his breathing and clearing his mind.
And began thinking of every possible way to survive this task.
He clenched his fists, ready to do some intense hard labor for the sake of survival, as he asked the so-called Empress of Domination—who was merely a floating screen, "How can I increase my stats?"
[That's way too simple and easy, hubby.]
As Rain read the word "easy," his face lit up with happiness.
"Really? Tell me!"
Everybody likes the word "easy" afterall.
But sometimes… what is easy for someone can be next to impossible for others.
---
"No more… I can't run anymore!"
Rain said, huffing heavily, sweat dripping down his body as he struggled to catch his breath.
He had been running in the park for hours continuously, pushing himself nonstop with everything he had—all thanks to that "easy" method of raising his petty stats.
[Hubby you can do it! Hubby! Hubby!] the message cheered with excitement.
Rain was completely drained.
'Yeah… easy… too easy,' he thought, sarcasm dripping from every word.
'After all, how hard could it be to run for hours nonstop just to increase your stats… ha!'
Still trying to breathe properly, he said,
"Open stats."
The screen filled again with numbers.
Rain blinked once… then again.
His expression slowly turned into disbelief.
[Strength: 6]
[Agility: 6]
[Stamina: 6]
[Endurance: 8]
"What the hell!? Why did it only increase by one after everything I went through today!?"
He shouted, grabbing his head, frustration spilling out as everything hit him at once—after all that effort, after everything he had done… just one.
His teeth clenched tightly, jaw stiff, a sharp breath escaping through them as irritation and disbelief twisted together inside him.
'At this rate… it won't even reach 10… forget about 15.'
His entire body ached, muscles screaming in pain with even the slightest movement.
There was no way he could keep doing this daily.
[Hubby, see? It's easy! Just keep running and it will rise in no time.] the message replied cheerfully.
Rain had no words left.
He just laughed awkwardly.
"Hahaha… hahah… hahah…"
'Damn… if you want to kill me, just say it instead of torturing me…'
Of course, he didn't dare say that out loud.
Not in the presenc of Empress of Domination royal red demon dog.
From his laugh, everyone passing through the park caught his attention—especially the women. They were talking as they walked by.
"Is this kid lost his mind?"
"Hey, but he's kinda adorable… such a cute boy…"
"I wish I had a little brother like him…"
Rain heard all those whispers in his ears.
A realization hit him.
'Wait… kid. adorable… cute…'
He shouted at them, protesting who they were to call him "cute."
Rain had already realised something long ago about his face. When he was around this age in his previous life, his features leaned more toward soft and adorable than sharp or manly, which often led to unnecessary conflicts in his life. People underestimated him, mocked him lightly, or treated him like something harmless until they learned otherwise.
And since this body was similar to his, here it was the same case.
Around him, the people who had been passing by slowly lost interest after his sudden outburst. A few glanced in his direction once, then looked away. Conversations resumed, footsteps continued, and within moments the group that had gathered naturally drifted apart.
One by one, they left the scene as if nothing unusual had happened, the park returning to its normal flow, leaving Rain standing there in the quiet space they had cleared.
Not from afar, a woman sat on a park bench, silently watching the entire scene unfold.
She had long white hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, accented with faint red details that made her presence feel strangely refined. Her outfit was layered and elegant, mixing white, black, and warm orange tones with decorative circular ornaments that swayed slightly as she moved. She sat with a calm, composed posture, like she didn't quite belong to the ordinary world around her.
Around her, faint paper-doll-like figures drifted and shifted in slow, unnatural motions. They fluttered near her sleeves, circled her shoulders, and floated around her feet like obedient fragments of something unseen, moving without sound or weight. They bent and tilted as if responding to her presence, forming quiet, decorative patterns in the air before slowly drifting back into place.
Her eyes remained fixed on Rain as he shouted at the passing crowd, observing everything without interruption. A faint, unreadable smile lingered on her lips—neither mockery nor warmth, just quiet interest.
"…Hmm," she murmured softly, watching him like something mildly amusing… or slightly unusual enough to remember. A faint smile touched her lips as she said softly, "…how cute."
---
Rain was lying on his bed in his room, completely exhausted from all the hard work he had gone through today.
[ Hubby, well done today. Keep moving forward like this my hubie ] message with a kissing expression.
Rain thought, I can't even move and she is doing it again.
He let out a long sigh, then asked the Empress lazily, still sprawled across the bed, stretching himself fully.
"Isn't there another way to raise my stats faster?"
[There is]
Rain twitched slightly, his expression still flat.
He replied boredly, "Oh there is? Hmm...
Then suddenly his voice snapped sharper.
"WHAT!? What is it?"
[Hubby just spend on this and you might get what will help you ]
As soon as she finished, the screen interface shifted—glowing, expanding, turning into something grand and unfamiliar.
Rain froze for a second.
"Really!? In this world too!?" he said, his face twitching, unable to believe his luck.