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"Mmm…"

Feeling suffocated, a moan of despair escaped my lips.

I tried to stand. Though I could feel my leg muscles twitch and tighten, my body showed no sign of getting up.

Frustrated with how stiff and confined everything felt, I opened my eyes.

"Uh... my head..."

My head throbbed painfully.

I rubbed my forehead with heavy hands that felt like sponges soaked in water. My arms were stiff to move as well.

I wasn't feeling well… was it a hangover?

'Did I get drunk?'

I didn't drink last night. I returned home and read the novel, right?

Why was my body like this?

"No, that's not the problem..."

I scanned my surroundings, but something seemed off.

This wasn't the familiar studio I was accustomed to. The ceiling was too high, for one.

As my sense of feeling gradually returned, I was able to lift my upper body.

A thick blanket slipped off my body.

Was it because of the blanket that I felt suffocated?

That didn't matter now. What was more important was that I was in a place I had never been before.

This room was larger than your typical living room.

'Is this a film set...?'

It was so well-decorated that it could have been. The antique furniture and glossy ornaments were dazzling my eyes.

"What is this, seriously?"

I was definitely reading a book in my studio before falling asleep.

Is this a dream?

No, this was absolutely not a dream.

The sensations I felt were too vivid to be dismissed as a dream. The feeling of the blanket and clothes brushing against my skin was genuine.

This could be a dream?

No, it was impossible.

My next thought was to wonder if this was a hidden camera prank.

But that, too, didn't make sense. There wasn't anyone who would do this.

'Why would anyone even do this to me? It would be too costly.'

So, what was it really?

I was confused, so I kept looking around. The big room had all kinds of stuff.

There’s a desk, books, and a wardrobe. Why are there so many doors?

There were three doors.

'I don't even know which one is the exit.'

I got out of bed and walked to the desk on the other side of the room. I was wondering if there was anything there I could get information from.

The only things occupying the empty tabletop were a petite notepad and a slender pen, resting atop it like sentries on duty.

I opened it carefully.

The shape was a little different than what I was accustomed to, but it was familiar enough. Just as I was about to read what was written on it, there was a knock at one of the doors. 

"Young Master, it is Alice. May I enter?" 

My body stiffened, but my mouth moved on its own. 

"Y-Yeah. Come in." 

I was taken aback by the automatic answer, but I kept a straight face.

Click. 

The door opened with a slight sound.

In the next moment, a woman dressed as a maid stepped inside.

"..."

I closed my mouth.

The room had an old-fashioned decor, but I hadn't expected an actual maid to appear.

She regarded me with a hint of surprise.

"You're up early today, Young Master."

"Ah... yeah."

It was my first time experiencing something like this, so I nodded awkwardly.

I couldn't help but feel awkward.

After losing consciousness while reading, I opened my eyes to a place I had never seen before... It didn't make sense.

Plus... a woman dressed as a maid was standing right there. It was only natural that my confusion would increase.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"Huh? No. I'm fine."

I shook my head.

Maybe it was because I was flustered, but whenever I answered, I added a 'huh' without even realizing it.

"You don't look well... are you really okay? Did you drink too much last night…?"

"I'm fine. More importantly."

"Yes?"

I was about to ask her why she was there, but I closed my mouth.

It would be strange to ask that out of nowhere.

"Never mind."

Shaking my head, I acted as if it was nothing.

Fortunately, one of the things I did best was acting.

As I pretended things were fine, I carefully inspected the maid in front of me.

She was very pretty, but what was her name again?

'Was it Alice?'

The name had a familiar ring.

Was it because she shared a name with the famous fairy tale heroine?

Then I suddenly realized that the name matched an extra in the novel 'The Ruler of Talent.’

The Extra, Alice.

To be blunt, it was a minor role.

At the start of the novel, there was a character that got in the main character's way, allowing him to demonstrate his capabilities.

Raymond Millennium, the reprehensible scumbag son of the illustrious Wizard household of Count Millennium.

In typical fashion, Raymond acted like a complete scumbag and challenged the main character, only to suffer defeat and have his power taken away in an instant.

'Alice is…'

She was Raymond’s maid.

It was etched into my memory, either because I had read each word carefully or because it was the scene where the main character committed murder for the first time.

"I will help you change, Young Master."

I followed Alice without saying a word. She showed me three outfits and asked.

"Which one…?"

I picked one randomly, thinking it would get awkward if I took too much time.

"That one."

I didn't know why, but choosing that set felt very natural.

As if I had done it all my life.

"That's a good choice. As expected of Master Raymond..."

My body jolted to a halt as Alice spoke.

I couldn't even process what she said next. My mind went blank.

I parted my lips, my voice trembling.

"Alice."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"What did you just say…?"

"Hm? I said that, as expected, Master Raymond has a good eye for choosing clothes."

I couldn't hear anything else except Raymond's name.

Oh, God. I squeezed my eyes shut.

A crazy idea suddenly came to me, then vanished. Then it came back.

Somehow… why?

The ridiculous thought…

‘It makes sense.'

Something huge had happened.

***

It took ten days before I admitted that I had entered the novel 'The Ruler of Talent.'

At first, I denied it, saying it was nonsense. But after living as 'Raymond Millennium' instead of 'Lee Sung-hyuk' for ten days, I started to accept the reality.

More than that, I was getting accustomed to the life of Raymond Millennium bit by bit, and the name Lee Sung-hyuk faded to the back of my mind.

Ten days was enough time for me to realize that I had stepped into a novel.

And it was enough time for me to decide which path I would take.

Knock, knock.

"Young Master."

"Come in."

I responded to Alice's knock right away.

At first, it was really uncomfortable and I thought I was going to lose it, but I eventually got used to it.

To be exact, I got used to ‘acting’ the role of Raymond Millennium.

Click.

Alice entered a moment later as she always did.

Before she could say anything, I chose the most comfortable of the three sets of clothes she had brought.

The most challenging thing about living as Raymond was getting used to his clothes.

Most of the outfits had too many accessories and were so flashy that it was difficult for me, used to a modern style, to wear.

"That one for today."

"An excellent pick."

Alice nodded lightly and helped me change.

"Alice."

"Yes, Young Master."

"What are the rumors these days?"

During these past ten days, I did my best to figure out my situation by comparing how similar this place was to the novel I read and whether there were any differences.

The conclusion was...

'It's exactly the same.'

In the novel, Raymond Millennium was an incompetent idiot.

He had been a wild child, partly in denial of the trauma caused by his mother’s death when he was very young.

"...It's the same as always."

"Really?"

"But, from what I feel… the Young Master has changed a little."

"I did. A lot."

I answered, interrupting Alice.

She paused for a moment. When I finished changing, Alice stepped back and spoke.

"You have definitely changed. The Count and the other Tower Masters will feel the same when they see you, Young Master."

"Still, I don't have the slightest talent for magic."

Alice flinched at the casually thrown words and did not respond.

The Millennium Household was one of the four families that backed the Magic Tower.

In other words, it was a renowned Wizard family. And Raymond, their only son, had no aptitude for magic.

From birth to his seventeenth year, Raymond was still at the 1st Circle when most of the children of the other three households had reached the 3rd.

"That's not the Young Master's fault."

"...Let's go. Today is 'that day.'"

I scratched my cheek at her attempt to comfort me.

Once a month, there was a class in which students from the 1st and 2nd Circles would gather.

This particular lecture taught the basics of magic.

The Magic Tower held the class because it was of great help to the apprentice wizards.

"Are you going straight to the Magic Tower?"

"Yes. I'm going alone, so you can head back."

"Very well. Then I will guide you to the Gate."

Alice accepted my order without hesitation.

For the past ten days, I had done everything through Alice.

Apparently, I acted strange from the beginning, so no one found it odd that I wouldn’t leave my room.

'I wonder if it'll be okay.'

I was a little nervous because it was my first time going to the Magic Tower and meeting other people since my arrival.

It was also partly because there was almost no description of this aspect of the world in the novel.

'The Ruler of Talent' revolved around the main character, so it never went into detail about the other characters' lives.

I followed Alice's footsteps to the Gate connected to the Magic Tower.

It was a device that made it possible to travel a distance that would take days on foot in seconds.

As a famous Wizard Household, a Gate was installed on the grounds.

"There seem to be other people already here."

Alice said as she took notice of the two apprentice wizards standing in front of the Gate. They were apprentice wizards of the 2nd Circle raised by Millennium.

"Hello."

"Oh, it's been a while, Young Master Raymond."

The apprentice wizards smiled and greeted me, but there wasn’t an ounce of kindness in their expressions.

"I guess the Young Master is also attending this class."

"..."

"You've been attending for nearly ten years already… I hope you gain enlightenment this time and rise to the 2nd Circle."

The two apprentice wizards pretended to encourage me, all while snickering behind their raised hands.

They were nothing more than words meant to belittle me.

The old Raymond wouldn't have responded. He would have just vented his rage at the maids and servants later.

'Look at these bastards.'

However, I had no intention of allowing myself to be looked down on.

After living here for ten days, I decided how I should live.

I didn't intend to remain as worthless trash.

Trash also has ranks. If I had to live my life as trash anyway, it was better to be proper trash.

And to do that, I shouldn't stay still in this situation.

I took a deep breath.

I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them.

"Look at these crazy bastards!"

Saying that, I smirked.

Now it was time to ‘act' like real trash.

['The Unknown God' glistens in anticipation of your talents blooming.]