1 Not a New Game+,

"Gasp!"

Gasping for breath, Lucas found himself jolted awake from his bed. With his heart racing, he quickly put a hand over his chest trying to calm it down.

In that instant, a searing pain suddenly attacked his head, as if trying to tear his mind apart. It was as though his senses was being overwhelmed, his ears were ringing, his eyes reflected nothing but pure white, and the rest of his body was numbed as no sensible information entered his brain, only noise.

In such a state, he immediately tried to stand up from his bed and pick up his glasses from where he usually put them – in the nightstand right beside a lamp.

However, much to his surprise, he couldn't find it. In fact, there wasn't even a nightstand to begin with. His hand kept grasping empty air while his visual and auditory senses were still unresponsive, as if he had just looked a stun grenade directly in the eye.

Amidst the confusion, Lucas then hits his pinky toe on what seems to be a table or shelf of some kind, causing an object to fall on the floor and subsequently shatter.

This, combined with the already throbbing pain on his head, caused him to walk barefooted on the scattered shards of marble on the floor. The broken shards cut into the soles of his feet, some a bit deeper than the others. This caused him to yelp in pain until the mysterious pang in his head finally subsided.

All of this left him in a state of confusion and anger, as he hurriedly tried to find out what's going on.

"The fuck is happeni–!?"

He fell on his butt some distance away from where he was originally standing, thankfully, there wasn't any more shards where he fell, otherwise, he might not be able to sit properly for a few days.

But by then, his feet had already earned quite a bit of fresh cuts and wounds. Looking down, he can still see small shards lodged deep into his skin, causing him immense pain. Looking just a bit further ahead, he could see the object that shattered earlier – a large, expensive looking ceramic vase which was placed on a shelf just a little bit further ahead.

The stinging sensation caused him to grit his teeth in frustration as he wondered how would he be able to walk with such wounds at his feet. He has his finals exams coming up later, and this is what happens to him?

He dedicated the entire evening to cramming as much knowledge into his head as possible, striving to absorb every bit he could. This was the result of procrastinating during an entire term. It was only last week that he decided to have the best academic comeback in all of history, trying to salvage what he could of grades that are currently just hanging by a thread.

By his calculations, he needed to get "at least" score of 98% in his final exam if he wanted to remain eligible for that scholarship offer he's trying to get his hands on. Thus, he was more pumped up than an NBA athlete in a crucial elimination game, while studying last night. Who knew that just as he was about to walk into Staples Center, aka the Exam hall, he would get an injury like this? Fuck!

With his present condition, he doubts that he could walk out of his room, let alone take a shower, take the daily commute, and climb up the stairs of the building. Just imagining how it would feel walking into the shower with these fresh wounds on his feet, and he couldn't help but shudder in fear.

Then, just as Lucas was about to feel his entire academic life collapsing, the door suddenly was opened with a bang as a man barged into his room.

"Shirv, whazooma? I blorshed noijibbs and–" Dressed impeccably in a tailored black coat with a starched white shirt and a charcoal waistcoat, the man that barged inside instantly stood upright, embodying an air of refined elegance.

His graying hair was meticulously combed back and he looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s.

There was worry in the gentleman's face as he looked at Lucas who was on the ground, but there's also a sense of reserved dignity in the way he carried himself, polished in many years of service. The confused man had only seen such professionalism from the attendants of a certain expensive hotel when Lucas accompanied his rich university friends into a hotel.

There was just one problem – Lucas couldn't understand what the fuck he was saying.

He was just about to ask the gentleman what exactly was he saying or why is he even here, when he finally got a good look of his surroundings. He hadn't noticed it earlier because he was so preoccupied with the pain in his legs and that flashbang-like sensation earlier. But now that he got a better look, he realized one important thing,

He wasn't in his bedroom!

Moreover, this room is several times larger than his own's. It was such that it made him wonder if he accidentally stumbled into a movie set. The furnishings, the ornate design, and even the gentleman's mannerisms seemed to mirror the scenes from countless films he had watched

In the midst of this surreal revelation, Lucas couldn't help but question his own sanity. How could he have been transported from his own bedroom to this extravagant chamber that seemed plucked from the silver screen? The air hung heavy with a palpable sense of grandeur, as if every piece of furniture and every decorative flourish had been meticulously selected to create an opulent tableau.

The gentleman before me, with his refined demeanor and elegant attire, appeared as if he had stepped out of the classical era. His perfectly tailored suit, complete with a pocket watch chain peeking out from his waistcoat, accentuated the illusion that Lucas had unwittingly become a participant in some elaborate period drama.

As Lucas's bewildered gaze spread around the room, a second burst of pain suddenly throbbed within his head. It felt as though as his head had become heavy and that his mind was swelling! Whatever strength that he had left in his arms was instantly gone as his body collapsed, his head hitting the carpeted floor.

In that moment, in the periphery of his vision he saw the refined stranger run over to him in a fluster, and checking his condition. It is also then that the gentleman finally saw the shattered pieces of the vase and Lucas's foot that was bleeding profusely.

In such a state, Lucas found it difficult to form any sense of coherent thought. His mind seemed foggy and any attempt at forming a logical conclusion was akin to trying to catch smoke with one's bare hands.

However, he is still able to make sense of the gentleman's urgent shouts and the frantic entry of several other people into his room. They still spoke gibberish that he couldn't understand, and he began to seriously consider if he was still dreaming or if this is the result of drinking 8 cans of iced coffee as he tried to pull an all-nighter.

As Lucas was carried back unto his bed by this group of 'strangers', his reverie slowly came to an end as his mind became clearer and clearer. As if the unrelenting white noise clogging his ears slowly lifted, he found himself being able to understand the words spoken by the people around him.

"Hold on, what happ...heard noises and–"

"Call Dr. Mehle immediately! We need to stop the bleeding!"

"Is everything okay, sir? We were concerned when we heard noises and–"

As Lucas's senses became clearer, he felt the acute pain of medicine being applied to his wounds and cotton dipped in antiseptic solutions as the people tried to clean it. From the side, he could also see another servant cleaning up the remains of the broken vase on the floor. At the same time, as he is forced to lay on the bed, he finally had the time to marvel at the room he's in.

Whether it be the lavish draperies cascaded from floor to ceiling, framing large windows that bathed the space in soft, ethereal light; The ornate candelabras adorned the walls, casting flickering shadows upon the richly patterned carpet underfoot; or the scent of polished wood and antiquity hung in the air, mingling with a hint of an expensive cologne that clung to the gentleman's presence; All of it felt like he is still inside a strange dream.

However, the pain on his foot clearly told him that that's not the case, and that he is grounded in reality.

Then, just as he was about to wonder what exactly would he call the strangers who are currently tending to him, names came up on the back of his mind. As if the memory had always been there! He looked at the refined gentleman overseeing the two female servants who are applying first-aid to his wounds and spoke,

"Ellie, June… that's enough. You may go back to what it is you're supposed to be doing. The same goes for you, Mikael. Go attend to your duties." With surprising authority, Lucas's voice came out of his throat, much deeper than he'd expected.

Seeing that their employer had finally snapped out of his daze and had seemingly gone back to normal, all of them heaved sighs of relief before excusing themselves and vacating the room. Lucas is left to ruminate on his own as the fragmented memories slowly pieced itself together and the full picture was finally made known to him.

'Did I die back on Earth?' Having read many such stories before, Lucas's mind instantly ran towards one direction – Reincarnation.

'No, that can't be. My last memory was of me sleeping some time around 4 AM as I tried to catch a wink of sleep before the final exams.' He thought to himself. So, if he hadn't died and he hadn't been reborn as a baby, a different word then came into his mind,

Transmigration... The word rung on Lucas's mind as he thought about the specifics as to why such a thing could've happened.

'If I didn't die, then was my soul suddenly snatched and put into this world? A summoning ritual? But it doesn't look like the people from earlier were summoning anything. Actually… did I overdose on caffeine? Is such a thing even possible? Maybe I was reincarnated after all'

The confusion lasted for only around 15 or so seconds before excitement suddenly welled up within him.

Having grown up reading such stories – webnovels, light novels, and the like – this was essentially a dream scenario for him! Not to mention, the bleak outlook of his future back on Earth, this is practically a free 'get-out-of-jail' card that allowed him to restart his life from scratch.

As a struggling 20 y/o university student who majored in English, tens of thousands deep in student loan debt, he honestly couldn't see a future for himself. Maybe as a barista or as McD*nalds employee there's one. But do I really want to live such a life for the rest of my life?

In fact, Lucas had come to a point where he can finally understand the Japanese obsession with pumping out endless stories of isekai 'junk food' novels. When all I have is a future that looks extremely bleak, filled with nothing but endless monotony ahead for the next few decades of my life, there is just that fantasy that grew inside me where one can't help but wish to be able to escape into a different life, one filled with thrill and adventure.

"Hmm, he's pretty rich from the looks of it…" Even without going through that much of his new memories, he was able to confirm that fact. Just one look around his new bedroom served as more than enough proof of that.

'Looks like I have a good spawn point this time, RNGesus didn't let me down.' He recalled his previous life, born to poverty and crime, it's a miracle that his mother was even able to get him a somewhat decent education.

"Now, only if I hadn't wasted her hard work on a seemingly worthless degree that only put me in overwhelming debt…" he sighed.

The thought of his mother cast a pall over his excitement, causing his spirits to dampen and enthusiasm to wane. What would she do now that he's gone? How would she even react? Would she just see his corpse lying there on his room or did his body mysteriously disappear when he transmigrated?

"I'm not sure which of those options are worse…" His mother wholeheartedly loved him and she put all her efforts into making sure that Lucas wouldn't live the life that she led and that he would have a bright future ahead of him.

"…"

Minutes of silence ensued as he felt a strange emptiness in his heart. He thought it was selfish of him to be so excited at the thought of living a new life without even considering those he had left behind.

"Well… At least my brother is still with her. He's way smarter than me anyway"

In resignation, he consoled himself by saying that at least she wouldn't be burdened by taking care of a useless son like him. She can focus on his brother who was more talented and had way better prospects in life.

He offered them a silent prayer, wishing them nothing but the best for their future. He found it somewhat ironic that he is the one who had passed on, and yet he's the one sending thoughts and prayers.

"In the bright side, I wonder what my new parents are like. I can't wait to live the rich kid life" Feeling that dwelling on those thoughts would dampen his mood even further, he forcefully sent them to the back of his mind as he tried to look at the life ahead of him.

Having read his fair share of certain reincarnation webnovels, his expectations were slight unconventional. "Will I have a hot mom? Maybe a hot older sister who'll spoil me?" he pondered with a mischievous grin.

"Being wealthy, I wonder if I'll also be blessed with good looks... That would be the perfect combination. I'll start exercising early on and, unlike before, I'll pay attention to my appearance. Styling my hair, watching my diet – all those things I never bothered with. Especially during puberty, I'll ensure plenty of sleep and nourishment to maximize my growth and be tall. And armed with my college knowledge, I'll ace every exam in the..."

His thoughts abruptly ceased as he turned to gaze at his reflection in the mirror. "W-wait, what on earth is this!? Is... is this me!?" His jaw dropped in disbelief as each carefully crafted plan shattered into a million pieces.

The person in the mirror is without a doubt good-looking. Well-defined facial features plus a jawline to boot; Deep-set, piercing eye, framed by distinguished eyebrows; Fair and healthy skin, just as you would expect from someone belonging to a rich family; Lustrous raven hair that cascaded gracefully, a few strands delicately grazing his forehead.

The aesthetics were there, and it would've been perfect if it wasn't for the fact that that the gentleman reflected in the mirror appeared to be well into his forties, shattering his visions of a youthful reincarnation.

He took a closer look at his reflection, examining the wrinkles around his eyes, the streaks of gray hair at his temples, even the stubble gracing his chin.

"W-what the hell is this!?"

Rather than a second chance at life, to start fresh with a young body and unlimited potential, he got fast-forwarded straight into uncharted territories – straight into his middle-ages!