Leaving the balcony and closing the door behind him, Iske headed to the bathroom. He paused in front of the mirror, studying his reflection closely, taking in every detail of his new appearance.

His hair was a tousled mess of short, slightly wavy black strands, giving him a rugged look. His eyes, a striking blood-red, gleamed like jewels beneath long lashes, shadowed by dark circles. A tiny black mole rested under his right eye, nearly hidden by his hair. His build was lean and athletic, though not particularly muscular.

Still, there was no denying he was handsome.

'I'd say I'm lucky,' Iske thought, a self-deprecating chuckle escaping him, 'But then I remembered—I'm destined for a miserable death.'

'Though, I guess I shouldn't be too much worried. I don't need to follow the plot to my death. I'm here to find that old man. I don't care much about the changes it may happen'

'But, some things still need to be the same, firstly my meeting with Liam, the main character, to find the old man, I'll need to gather information, and knowing him, he'll probably get tangled up in the main plot'

Iske thought, nodding to himself. 'I just need to get myself involved enough to find him there. After that, I couldn't care less.'

"Then, I already know what I have to do"

'First, I need to form my Core'

In this world, certain people can manipulate mana, a type of energy that grants incredible, magical powers. People who can manipulate mana are known as mages or sorcerers.

To become a mage, I need to form a Core—the place where mana is gathered within every mage. Though, that's going to be a bit complicated.

There are three ways to form a Core. The first is to be naturally born with one already formed. These cases are very special and rare, only few individuals were born already a mage.

The second method is to form a Core by absorbing mana crystals—a type of ore that draws mana from its surroundings and takes on one of seven colors: Crimson, Onyx, Azure, Jade, Amber, Violet, or Ivory.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Each person has an affinity for one of these colors, even if they aren't a mage. Once you discover your affinity, you must absorb crystals of that specific color to form your core.

'That's the most common and efficient way, but you'll need a lot of crystal if you're not talented enough'

The third method is the most brutal—a radical and literal approach: consuming anything with mana and hoping it will work

'The second method that is, it's the most safe for me'

"I already know Iske's color, so that won't be an issue," Iske said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

'The real problem is finding enough crystals'

Absorbing mana from crystals is a slow process, and most of the energy will be lost; to fully form a Core, one needs many crystals, and that's excluding the fact that you must actually learn how to form your Core.

Iske came from a noble house, and in most cases, someone of his background would already have a fully formed core. However, being a bastard—the son of a mistress—meant he was denied the right to form one.

'Through his memories, I'm more or less how the process works. I saw a few times, as well it's described in the novel, so I guess I can manage'

'I know where to get the crystals from. I just hope I can get enough to form the core'

Iske nodded, agreeing with himself, before he let out a tired sigh, "If it was any other character, the core wouldn't be a problem"

If Iske had been any other character, forming the Core wouldn't be an issue—most would already have one by now. But Iske is a special case, and, unfortunately, he can't form his core the same way it happened in the novel.

'In the novel, Iske formed his core by absorbing a part of the soul of the ancient demon king, which completely formed his core without trouble, but also made him a vessel for the demon king.'

The Demon King is the novel's final villain—the one who took over Iske's body, killed the protagonist, and ultimately destroyed the entire world.

'I don't want to become a vessel for that guy; I'll form the Core myself,' Iske resolved, but then paused as a thought struck him. 'Wow, that's ironic. In the novel, Iske had his body stolen... and now I've done the same thing.'

Shaking those thoughts away, Iske said, "Form the Core then, and to do that I'll need the help of a certain character"

Having the knowledge of the novel, Iske has already formulated a plan to gather enough crystals to form his core.

"We're in Topaz," Iske thought, looking through the window.

'A lot of characters are here, including the protagonist, since a big part of the novel takes place in this city. One of them might be able to help me find crystals.'

'And the most likely to be able to help me is Jasper'

Jasper, the boss of Crime Alley—a skilled criminal with strong black-market connections and a knack for tracking down things that are hard to come by.

"He has to have a few crimson crystals…" Iske murmured to himself.

Iske paused as a question settled in his mind. 'How do I get him to help me?'

His eyes narrowed, focusing intently as he searched for an answer. 'Hmm… what would he want at this point in the story? And what could I offer him—something he needs but doesn't already have?'

Suddenly, clarity struck him, and his eyes widened. A mischievous smile spread across Iske's lips as he found his answer.

"Heh, I know exactly what he wants, but that can wait for now. First, I have something even more urgent to do"

'I need to discover the exact point of the novel that we are in.'

Knowing the timeline is crucial for Iske. He's certain they're at the beginning of the story since Iske is currently 19, but he's unsure how close they are to the book's major events or the incidents that will involve him directly.

'If the novel mentioned any dates, I don't remember them,' he thought, a bit regretful about not paying attention at the start of the story. 'I'll just have to go out and see things for myself. Luckily, I already know how to find out.'

"Let's go to the museum"