Chapter 1

It has been the third day since the穿越.

Standing by the window, Marvin watched the bustling street at dusk, where a voluptuous woman at the entrance of Diagon Alley was giving him a flirtatious look.

This was the best room in the Wild Horse Inn, from where he could directly see the landmark of Riverbank City—the Silver Hourglass, the headquarters of the Silver Church.

Not far away, a thief stole a wealthy man's waist pouch. His movements were very agile, at least that of a thief with three professional levels.

Everything before his eyes was exactly the same as the real world.

The only difference was Marvin himself.

"Attribute panel," he muttered to himself.

A series of data appeared before his eyes:

Name: Marvin

Race: Human/?

Attributes: Strength 11, Agility 16, Constitution 9, Intelligence 14, Perception 14, Charisma 13 (+1)

Profession: Noble 3 (150/200)

Adventure Profession: None

Health: 10/26 (Fever)

[Weakness Penalty: Attributes reduced by 70%]

Experience: 40 (Noble) [Unassigned]

Skill Points: None

Attribute Points: None

Professional Skills:

— Noble (Baron): Dignity 25, Management 31, Observation 16, Negotiation 19, Accounting 28, Horsemanship 30...

...

Apart from these data similar to the game from his previous life, the world Marvin saw after waking up was no different from the real world.

He couldn't understand it, but after three days of inquiries and adaptation, he could basically confirm the following three things:

First, he had indeed traveled through time, to the game "Fernan Continent" he was obsessed with on Earth.

Second, apart from the fact that he could see the same system as in the game, this was a real world. Every life was vivid and familiar to him.

Third, he was in trouble. And it was a big trouble.

If his memory served him right, he had traveled to the eve of the "Great Cataclysm." Soon, the peaceful world before his eyes would undergo a tremendous change. The fourth era of Fernan, ruled by wizards, was about to end. The gods united to destroy the Cosmic Magic Pool and began to lay claim to this fertile land.

For that thing.

"The fourth Fate Tablet. My God..." Marvin rubbed his temples hard, trying to clear his thoughts.

Actually, this wasn't the biggest trouble at the moment. The Great Cataclysm would happen in half a year, and the Age of Chaos was about to begin, but he still had time.

As a legendary player who was familiar with this world, half a year, though tight, was enough for him to gain the strength to protect himself.

The key was the present.

His fever hadn't subsided, and with his current weak template (attributes), he could die from a simple cold at any moment.

This left Marvin speechless. After three days of merging the memories of the fourteen-year-old boy, Marvin sadly discovered that not only was his body weak, but he was also a destitute noble who had just lost his fief—a month ago, a group of werewolves attacked his territory, occupying his castle and mines, forcing him to seek refuge with the mayor of Riverbank City, hoping the mayor would send troops to clear out those unusual werewolves.

During the escape from his territory to Riverbank City, the poor boy caught a cold and eventually died from a severe illness, giving Marvin the opportunity. Whether it was fate or not, the boy he merged with was also named Marvin. Their wills merged, with the will of the Earth's Marvin taking the lead, creating a new soul.

The process of the new soul's birth was very painful and complicated. Marvin had to work hard to convince the residual soul in this body to give up control, and the price was that he swore to protect what the poor boy wanted to protect.

His fief, his brother, and a woman.

These were the things he cherished most, and he had to protect them with his life. The two sets of memories merged, and so did the emotions. Even if Marvin wanted to break his promise, it would be impossible.

So, while the Great Cataclysm was terrifying, for Marvin, it was more important to reclaim his fief within a month.

Otherwise, the residual soul of the boy would curse him, and his already weak attributes would be further weakened, which Marvin was very unwilling to see.

After all, in the game, the thief who eventually advanced to the Dark Night Overlord had a total of 100 points in the initial six attributes!

His agility was an incredible 20 points!

This meant that at level one, he could master an additional agility trait—[Wall Walking].

[Wall Walking]: An agility trait with an extended reward. You can walk swiftly on vertical walls for a short time, ignoring the effects of gravity.

It was this super-strong agility trait that made him a Dark Night Overlord. When Marvin traveled through time, there were eleven players in the game who successfully ascended to godhood, and he was one of them.

But now, this body...

Marvin almost couldn't bear to look at it.

Forget werewolves, even a goblin could take him down one-on-one, right?

Who would have thought that he hadn't chosen any combat profession, just a pampered, useless noble. Those life skills, except for negotiation and horsemanship, had nothing to do with an adventurer's life.

But Marvin was also relieved that this guy hadn't chosen a profession recklessly. If he had been a useless wizard template, it would have been even worse.

After all, in half a year, the Cosmic Magic Pool would be destroyed, and all wizards below the legendary level would be forcibly demoted by one level (5th level). The rule of wizards in Fernan Continent would be completely ended, and other professions would begin to rise. Various gods' churches would start to spread their doctrines, and wars would be ignited, causing suffering to all.

And wizards would be the most miserable group, losing their ability to participate in the war before it even began.

...

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A knock on the door.

"Come in," Marvin walked back to the bedside.

A brown-haired girl, about twenty years old, entered. She looked a bit tired, and her clean leather armor had a few new knife marks. Her ears were slightly pointed, but she wasn't a pure elf.

This was Marvin's female housekeeper and bodyguard, the only person who had stood by his side through his destitution. He remembered the night the barn was burned down, when this woman had bravely pulled him out of the werewolves' hands, saving his life. On the journey from White River Valley to Riverbank City, she had carried him for miles.

Her name was Anna, a half-elf. Limited by her lack of detection skills, Marvin couldn't see her attributes, but based on the past three days of observation, Anna was probably a first-level adventurer with four or five professional levels. She was more likely a warrior than a ranger, as he rarely remembered her using bows or traps.

Her weapon was a sword, as old and worn as her leather armor—due to a lack of maintenance.

"Master, I went to the town hall today, and the officials gave the same response..."

Anna put her longsword aside, her beautiful face looking a bit tired. "But at least I earned twenty silver coins today, so we don't have to worry about next week's rent. And I can cook you some soup tonight."

"Anna, how much money do we have left?" Marvin suddenly asked.

Anna's face showed a hint of surprise. This was the first time Marvin had spoken to her since he woke up from his fever.

She didn't hesitate and quickly answered, "29 silver coins."

"29 silver coins? Not enough." Marvin frowned. "What about the jewelry box my mother left behind?"

Anna was first taken aback, then angry. "Master Marvin? Do you want to sell your mother's keepsakes?"

Marvin nodded, his eyes calm. "I remember there was a necklace in it, which should be worth some money."

Anna looked at Marvin in disbelief, her eyes filled with deep disappointment. "Do you want to go to the casino again?"

Marvin was taken aback, not expecting Anna to misunderstand him. He searched his memory and found that the original owner of this body had some money when he first arrived in Riverbank City, but was deceived by a "friend" and taken to a casino.

Naturally, he lost a lot of money. After that, the boy, who had been slightly recovering, became even more ill.

Clearly, that so-called friend was a casino shill, specifically targeting guys like Marvin who had some money but no background.

"I won't give it to you. Master Marvin, if you need money, I will earn it," Anna said stubbornly. "But I won't let you act recklessly. You should know that Master Vinnie already owes the Wizard's Guild two months of tuition. If he doesn't continue paying, he will be forced to drop out of Margor College."

"We don't have much money left, and we can't afford to waste it again!"

Marvin laughed wryly and said softly, "Anna, I want that necklace not for gambling, but to cure my body."

"Cure your body?" Anna was taken aback.

"My body hasn't been getting better, and this can't go on. I know a priest of the Silver God. If I give him money, he will cast the lowest-level [Disease Removal] and [Healing] on me, and my body will return to normal," Marvin explained. "I can't be a weak noble anymore."

"I need training and combat. I need to reclaim our fief. I also need to protect the things I cherish."

He stood up from the bedside, changed into a new set of clothes, and looked more spirited.

"Trust me, Anna."

He looked at the half-elf housekeeper.

Anna bit her lip and finally took out the jewelry box from the bottom of the suitcase. Inside was indeed a pearl necklace.

"I'll go with you, so you don't get cheated again..."

"No need," Marvin took the jewelry box, his expression serious.

"Anna, you've been busy all day, you should rest. I might not come back tonight, so be careful. I heard two local thugs talking about you in the hallway today."

"They probably have bad intentions. Although you are a first-level adventurer, some gangs are very powerful. We need to be careful."

Until Marvin left, Anna sat there in a daze.

For some reason, today's Marvin seemed different. He was very different from the kind but weak boy he used to be.

He even looked a bit... domineering, like his father.

It was a kind of dignity unique to nobles.

Outside the door, Marvin looked at the data record and shook his head.

"Feeling a bit guilty about using a skill on Anna... well, this will be the last time."

[Data Record]:

"Dignity (25) activated..."

"Target making a will check..."

"Skill activation successful..."

The page turned, and the AD began.

The page turned, and the AD ended.