His breath hitched. His fingers trembled as they traced his jawline, moving over his cheek, his nose, and down to his chin. The reflection did the same, mirroring every motion with perfect precision. His heart pounded in his chest, his pulse a wild drumbeat in his ears.
Something felt… wrong.
It wasn't just the reflection—it was the way his skin felt under his touch. Thicker. Rougher. Like it belonged to someone else. His jaw was sharper, the bone structure more defined than he remembered. His hands hesitated, as if afraid to confirm what his instincts were already screaming.
This wasn't his face.
His fingers curled into a fist, and he immediately turned his head up, away from the water, as if breaking eye contact would undo what he had just seen. But deep down, he knew better. Slowly, hesitantly, he looked down again.
The reflection hadn't changed.
A cold, unsettling chill crawled up his spine.
"Well, well… whose ugly face is this?"
His own voice startled him.
It was deeper, heavier, carrying a weight and richness that didn't belong to the voice he had spoken with for more than two decades.
His breathing turned erratic. His hands, large and calloused, gripped his forearms, feeling the thick, solid muscle underneath. He pushed up his sleeve, revealing powerful, sculpted veins running along his arms. His legs, his torso—everything was massive.
This was not the frail, underfed body he had grown up with. The body that had spent years surviving on scraps, struggling against the exhaustion of daily life.
His fingers brushed against his face again. The jaw was sharper, more defined. His nose felt straighter, the cheekbones more prominent. Even his hair felt different, thicker and wavier than the brittle strands he remembered.
It was like looking at a stranger.
His mind scrambled for explanations.
Had he gone insane? Was this all just an elaborate hallucination?
No, this wasn't some trick of the water. He could feel it. The weight of his muscles, the immense strength coiled in his arms and legs—it was real.
He clenched his fists, feeling the raw power in his grip.
And then, like a dam breaking, the truth hit him.
"So I died once… and hijacked someone else's body?"
The words left his lips before he even realized he had spoken. His voice felt foreign in his own ears. The thought was absurd. But at the same time, it was the only thing that made sense.
His memories—his real memories—were those of a weak, malnourished man who had barely scraped by in life. He had never been this strong. He should never have been capable of fighting off terrifying monsters, of dodging death at every turn, of moving like a trained warrior without ever having trained.
Everything he had been through in this world proved it.
The initial hesitation, the struggle to control his own strength, the way his body moved instinctively in combat—it was all because this wasn't his original body.
A shiver ran down his spine.
Whose body was this?
Why was he here?
Did the original owner of this body die for him to take over?
Countless questions surged through his mind, but there were no answers. No clarity. Just the cold, sinking realization that he wasn't who he thought he was.
His grip tightened, nails pressing into his palm.
What did this mean for him?
A sharp ding jolted him from his thoughts.
[Time Left: 8 Minutes]
[Lotus Collected: 0/24]
"Damn it! I completely forgot about the quest!"
Pushing his thoughts aside—no matter how disturbing they were—he focused on the immediate task. He crouched by the water and carefully reached for the delicate white flowers.
Each movement was slow, precise. He handled the fragile petals like they were made of glass, plucking them without harming their stems. His hands, so accustomed to fighting, felt clumsy now, struggling to perform such a delicate action.
One by one, he placed the lotuses into the system window. The moment they touched it, they vanished, and the counter increased.
[Fairy Lotus Collected: 17/24]
Time was slipping away faster than he realized.
And then—
[Quest Failed!]
[Fairy Lotus Collected: 17/24]
[Executing Penalty: -10% HP]
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him as his HP dropped instantly.
His entire body tensed as if something had stabbed straight through his chest. His heart raced, then slowed unnaturally for a few seconds before recovering. It was like his body had just momentarily shut down.
He winced, clutching his chest.
"The system really doesn't joke about penalties," he muttered, watching his HP bar shrink.
Still, he wasn't about to waste his efforts. The quest was failed, but the reward could still be obtained.
With renewed focus, he continued collecting the rest of the lotuses.
[Quest Complete!]
[Fairy Lotus Collected: 24/24]
[Reward Obtained: Fairy Lotus Serum x3]
He exhaled, finally done.
In his inventory, three small vials appeared, each filled with a glowing, milky-white liquid. He picked up one of them, rolling it between his fingers.
"What does this even do?"
Clicking on it for more details, he was met with another annoying response.
[Need Appraisal Skill or Item to Identify Properties]
His lips twitched in frustration.
"So you can make this thing and give it to me as a reward, but you won't tell me what it actually does? What the hell is up with you, Mr. System?"
No response.
Of course.
He let out a sigh and leaned back, his gaze drifting toward the glowing ceiling of the cavern. The soft blue lights reflected on the water's surface, shimmering like stars in an alien sky.
The vials, still clutched in his hands, felt heavier now.
He had come to terms with the fact that he wasn't in his original body. But that didn't mean he understood anything about it.
He shook the vial absentmindedly.
The liquid inside pulsed.
His breath hitched.
It wasn't just glowing. It was… reacting to him.
For a moment, he just stared at it.
Deep inside him, he knew that there was still a lot to find out.