Alex died on a Tuesday.
There was nothing heroic about it.
No dramatic sacrifice.No last words.
Just a wet stair, a missed step, and the hard edge of a metal railing.
Then darkness.
When Alex opened his eyes again, he was lying on a cold stone floor.
A sharp metallic smell filled the air.
Blood.
He frowned.
His head throbbed with a dull, pulsing pain.
"…Where am I?"
His voice sounded wrong.
Younger. Lighter.
Alex pushed himself up slowly, wincing as his skull protested.
The room around him was dim, lit only by a flickering oil lamp resting on a wooden table. Rough stone walls surrounded him. The furniture looked old—too old to belong anywhere modern.
His pulse quickened.
This definitely wasn't a hospital.
Before he could think further, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him.
Memories flooded his mind.
Not his memories.
Someone else's.
Alex grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself as images flashed behind his eyes.
A boy.
Training grounds.
Servants whispering when they thought he couldn't hear.
And one word that appeared again and again.
Fool.
The Fool of the Valerian House.
Alex sucked in a slow breath.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He had transmigrated.
And not into some powerful protagonist either.
No.
He had become the laughingstock of a noble family.
The original Alex Valerian was known throughout the estate for exactly two things.
Being useless.
And being stupid.
He couldn't properly circulate Qi.
Failed every training examination.
And spent most of his days embarrassing the Valerian name.
Which explained the blood on the floor.
Alex reached up and touched the back of his head.
His fingers came away red.
Right.
More memories surfaced.
Earlier today, the original Alex had been sparring with a cousin.
The result?
A brutal beating.
Followed by humiliation.
Then unconsciousness.
Alex sighed quietly.
"So I inherited a terrible reputation."
Fantastic.
He pushed himself to his feet, testing his balance.
His body felt weak—but not broken.
Not crippled.
Which was strange.
The memories suggested Alex Valerian could barely control Qi at all.
Yet something about the body felt… different.
Then suddenly—
A strange sensation stirred inside his chest.
Warm.
Faint.
Like a quiet pulse beneath his ribs.
Alex froze.
"What… is that?"
He closed his eyes instinctively.
The feeling became clearer.
Energy.
Qi.
But mixed with something else.
Something unfamiliar.
A faint whisper brushed against his mind.
Not words.
Emotions.
Fear.
Confusion.
Embarrassment.
Alex's eyes opened slowly.
Those feelings weren't his.
They were coming from outside the room.
From people nearby.
He could sense them like faint ripples spreading through water.
"…What the hell?"
His heart started beating faster.
Was this some kind of ability?
Before he could explore the sensation further—
The door burst open.
A servant hurried inside.
The man froze the moment he saw Alex standing.
His eyes widened.
"You're awake?!"
Alex studied him silently.
The servant suddenly looked uneasy.
His hands trembled slightly.
"Y-Young Master… I thought you were still unconscious…"
Alex blinked.
The man looked strangely intimidated.
But why?
Then Alex noticed something.
The fear he sensed earlier…
It was coming from this servant.
And somehow—
The emotion was growing stronger.
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Maybe being called a fool wouldn't last much longer.... or would it?