My name is Ryu.

  I’m only twenty years old, yet my life is already nearing its end.

  A complicated illness has been eating away at my body, and even the doctors refuse to give me false hope.

  “Six months.”

  That was the sentence they gave me. Six months to live. Six months to wait for death.

  Since that day, I almost never left my room. I had no dreams anymore, no plans for the future.

  There was only one thing I did every day. Watching anime.

  Day after day passed like that. Episode after episode became my escape from reality.

  Until one day, I looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.

  Five months had already passed.

  Which meant… I only had one month left to live. I let out a bitter laugh.

  “So that’s it, huh…”

  That night, I watched my favorite anime again, trying to forget the fear slowly swallowing my mind.

  But suddenly, it felt like something slammed into my chest. Pain spread from my heart. I clutched my chest.

  “Ugh!”

  The pain grew worse. Much worse than usual. Breathing became difficult. My vision began to fade.

  Before I realized it

  My world sank into darkness.

  When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was a tall wooden ceiling decorated with elegant carvings.

  I blinked several times.

  “…Huh?”

  This clearly wasn’t my room. I slowly sat up from a bed that felt far too large for my body. The room was spacious. The walls were decorated with expensive ornaments.

  Long curtains hung beside a large window. This place looked like the bedroom of a noble. With hesitant steps, I walked toward a large mirror in the corner of the room.

  Then I saw my reflection. A small body. A young face.

  A boy around eleven years old stared back at me from the mirror. His black hair fell messily over his eyes.

  I froze.

  “…What the hell is this?”

  Without thinking, I muttered a word.

  “System.”

  As if responding to my voice, a transparent panel suddenly appeared before my eyes.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Name : Cleo Valerius

  Age : 11

  Mana : 20

  Stamina : 10

  Power : 5

  Swordsmanship : Rookie

  Skill : Anime Knowledge

  I stared at the panel for a long moment. Then,

  “WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE TRASH STATS?!”

  Power five? Stamina ten? This was even weaker than a random NPC in a game!

  “How can a kid live with stats like this?!”

  But after a moment, my frustration slowly faded. Because I realized something.

  This body…

  Wasn’t sick. There was no pain in my chest. No difficulty breathing. This body was healthy.

  I clenched my fists.

  “…At least I won’t die in six months.”

  Suddenly, my head throbbed as if something had struck it from the inside. A flood of memories that didn’t belong to me rushed into my mind. Memories belonging to the original owner of this body.

  His name was Cleo Valerius. He was the ninth child of the Valerius family. The Valerius family was one of the Five Pillars of the Kingdom of Luvonia.

  However, Cleo was not a respected child. His mother was nothing more than a commoner. A woman who had once caught the attention of the patriarch.

  As a result, Cleo was born as an illegitimate child. Since childhood, he had always been looked down upon. His older siblings treated him like trash.

  Even the servants didn’t bother hiding their mockery.

  In this enormous mansion…

  Cleo was nothing more than an unwanted child.

  I closed my eyes.

  According to these memories, Cleo eventually did something desperate. He used forbidden magic. A spell meant to replace his exhausted soul with another one.

  And that soul…

  Was me.

  I stared at the black-haired boy in the mirror.

  “…Your life was truly miserable.”

  I took a slow breath.

  “Thank you for this body.”

  “I promise I won’t waste it.”

  “Rest peacefully.”

  While I was changing clothes, the door to the room suddenly opened. A maid walked in carrying a tray of food.

  Her name was Melinda. According to Cleo’s memories, she was the only person who had ever treated him kindly.

  “Young Master Cleo,” she said gently.

  “I brought your breakfast.”

  On the tray were only simple bread and meat. Far from what a noble should eat. But I still ate it eagerly.

  After a moment, Melinda spoke again.

  “Young Master… are you ready for today’s duel?”

  I stopped chewing.

  “…Duel?”

  Melinda looked confused.

  “Have you forgotten, Young Master?”

  “You accepted a duel challenge from Young Master Martin last week.”

  That name immediately triggered another memory.

  Martin Valerius.

  The seventh son of the patriarch’s fourth concubine. The person who bullied Cleo the most. Panic instantly filled my mind.

  Damn you, Cleo!

  Why did I have to transmigrate into your body right before a duel?!

  With stats like these…

  There was no way I could win. But then my eyes drifted back to the status panel.

  Skill : Anime Knowledge

  I let out a long sigh.

  “…At least I have this.”

  I tried speaking hesitantly.

  “O-of course I remember… but maybe the duel could—”

  Melinda suddenly cut me off.

  “Thank goodness.”

  “I thought you might back out.”

  “After all, the duel will be watched directly by the Patriarch.”

  I froze.

  “…Huh?”

  The Patriarch was watching too?! Now I really had no way to back out.

  Not long after that, Melinda led me to the Valerius family’s duel arena. The place was already crowded. Family soldiers. The patriarch’s concubines. Several nobles.

  And on the highest seat. Sat a man whose aura alone seemed to weigh down the entire arena.

  The Patriarch of the Valerius family.

  Standing in the center of the arena was a boy with a mocking grin.

  Martin Valerius.

  He looked at me like a predator staring at weak prey.

  I swallowed nervously.

  “…Alright.”

  If this world works like an anime…

  Then there must be a way to turn this situation around. I just need to find the cheat.