So there I was, Alexander Solheart, second prince of the Solarius Kingdom. Strongest nation this side of, well... anywhere. Rich, powerful, majestic—the works. And yet, here I am, exiled to the outskirts, banished to the farthest reaches of civilization. Why? Oh, I’ll tell you why.

Turns out, I was born into a game. Yes, you heard that right: *a game*. A fantasy game called *Light of Solarius*. And to make things worse? I wasn’t even the hero. Oh no. I was one of the early-game villains, doomed to play second fiddle to the *actual* main character—my perfect, shining older brother, the First Prince.

Now, if this were just any ordinary game, I might have handled it. But no, this game went all out. The developers decided to give my character all the charm of a damp potato sack and an ego the size of the kingdom itself. And the worst part? They made me overweight. *Comically* overweight. Really, did they have to go that far?

But I digress. As it happens in games, my life was destined to be short, unimportant, and honestly, rather pathetic. In *Light of Solarius*, my character serves one purpose: to be the bumbling, pompous foil to my heroic brother. In the game, I antagonize him, ruin my public image, and inevitably, get what’s coming to me.

Now here I am, the fat prince exiled to the edge of the kingdom, where even the birds sound judgmental. It’s almost like the developers wanted me to stew in my own failure.

I woke up in this sorry excuse of a body, a far cry from the peak physical form I once possessed. It seems I'd spent my past life as a full-blown jerk, a bully who thought he was hot shit. A real piece of work, I tell you. The nerve of me, trying to assault my own brother's fiancée! Talk about a low point.

My brother, the ever-virtuous hero, laid the smackdown on me. A well-deserved beating, if you ask me. I’m still sore, the bastard hit me harder than a troll. I’m lucky I didn’t end up a vegetable.

Now, here I am, exiled to the outskirts. A former prince, reduced to a pathetic excuse for a human. The irony is thick. I, the once-mighty villain, am now a powerless nobody.

“Hey, fatty! Out of the carriage!” a guard snarls.

I’d love to give him a piece of my mind, but I’m too weak to even lift a finger. So, I do the only thing I can: I fall out of the carriage.

As I lie there, nursing my wounds, I hear the distant sounds of revelry. A party, they say. A “Bye Bye Pig” party, no less. A celebration of pork, the ultimate taboo in my former life.

What a world, huh? A world where I, the once-mighty villain, am now a lowly outcast. But you know what? I’m ready for a change.

This is it. A second chance. A chance to rewrite my destiny. A chance to be the hero of my own story.

This body, despite its current state, has potential. It held off a squad of elite warriors, for God’s sake! Imagine what it could do once I get it in shape.

First things first, I need to remember the timeline. A few years after my exile, a demonic invasion will threaten the world. My brother, the hero, will rise to the occasion, but I have a feeling he won’t be enough.

That’s where I come in. I’ll be the wildcard. The third force. The one who will tip the scales of power. It’s going to be epic. I can feel it.

The Demons v/s My Brother v/s Me

But before I can conquer the world, I need to conquer my body. I need to get stronger, faster, and more powerful.

“Alright, let’s do this,” I mutter to myself, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.

Status open

***beep**

[ Abilities and Level in 100 ]

Name: Alexander Solheart

Level: 50

Age: 18

Class : Exiled Prince

Mana: 90

Strength: 7

Special Skill: Gluttony ( Locked )

"Level 50, huh? Not bad, kid. Not bad at all," I muttered, a smirk playing on my lips. A wave of satisfaction washed over me as I glanced at my stats. My mana pool, a deep, bottomless well of energy, had reached a staggering 90. No wonder I could hold my own against those powerful foes.

But then, my eyes fell upon my strength stat. A measly 7. "Seven?!" I exclaimed, incredulous. "Is this a joke? Even a toddler could probably bench press more than that! What kind of hero am I, a frail bookworm?"

My thoughts drifted back to the countless battles I'd fought. I'd faced off against giants, sorcerers. How could I have possibly won with such pathetic strength? It must be my mana, I reasoned. My overwhelming magical power must have compensated for my physical weakness.

And then, there was my class. "Exiled Prince?" What the hell kind of class is that? I'm not even royalty! Or at least, I don't think I am. Maybe it's some kind of joke, a cruel twist of fate.

But as I pondered my strange circumstances, a new notification appeared on my screen. "Special Skill: Gluttony (Locked)." Gluttony? Seriously? Is this some kind of sick joke? I'm not a glutton! I just enjoy a good meal, that's all.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. This whole situation was ridiculous. I needed a break, a long break. Maybe I'd just go back to sleep and hope this was all a bad dream. But as I closed my eyes, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of a wild and crazy adventure.

In this world, leveling up isn’t your standard grind. Nah, here it’s all about *barriers*, big ones. Each milestone—levels 25, 50, 75, and the holy grail, 100—comes with a mandatory dungeon trial. No shortcuts, no cheat codes. If you want to go higher, you’ve got to prove yourself worthy in a place that’s basically the game’s way of saying, “Welcome to hell.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

So here’s the deal:

- **The Labyrinth of the Mind:** a crazy maze full of illusions and puzzles designed to mess with your head.

- **The Crucible of the Body:** a living inferno meant to test every last shred of physical endurance you’ve got.

- **The Temple of the Soul:** where you confront all your inner crap, your demons, your weaknesses—basically, a therapy session from hell.

- **The Citadel of the Gods:** a showdown with something *divine* or *god-killing* level powerful. Like a dragon or a god, maybe both.

And guess which dungeon I’m supposed to clear to cross Level 50? Yep. **The Crucible of the Body.** I was supposed to strut in there and flex… with a grand total of *seven* strength.

But if I wanted to survive that, I needed a hell of a boost. First, I had to find a way to pump my stats. And that special skill of mine—*Gluttony*—sounded like it could be useful if I could just figure out how to unlock it. No idea what it does, but it can’t be worse than floundering around as a mana-soaked weakling with no plan.

I shook my head, determined to get moving. No one’s going to save me out here, and I sure as hell can’t count on a warm bed in my current “Exiled Prince” status. I spotted a forest in the distance. There had to be shelter in there somewhere—a cave, an old ruin, anything to keep me from sleeping under the stars.

“Alright, forest. Let’s see if you’ve got a hole I can call home.”

I stomped forward, ready to find my first shelter and maybe, just maybe, a way to survive this insane world.

After about an hour of stumbling around in the forest, I was done. Completely and utterly wiped out. This body? It’s *too damn fat* to move fast, and every step felt like running a marathon with weights strapped to my legs. How the hell was I supposed to survive out here if just *walking* left me ready to keel over?

Panting, I dropped under a tree, ready to just lie there for a minute. Or an hour. Or forever, honestly. And before I knew it, I’d passed out.

**Drip… drip…**

I woke up to a cold splash on my face. Groggily, I blinked up, and—

Oh. Hell. No.

Right above me was a red bear, massive and clearly starving, drool practically spilling from its snarling maw. My heart went into overdrive, pounding like it was about to leap out of my chest. This thing was easily twice my size, all muscle and claws, looking at me like I was a freaking buffet.

"FUCK," I gasped, scrambling backward. "Of all times—now? When I’m not even battle ready? Fuck my life!"

The bear growled, taking a slow step toward me. I could practically feel its breath, hot and sour, and it was definitely looking to make me its next meal.

Wait. I’m Alexander Solheart! *I know magic.*

I pushed down the panic, focusing my mana, and pointed a shaky hand at the bear. “Alright, big guy. Hope you’re hungry for a fireball!”

**[Fireball]**

A blazing orb shot from my hand, slamming right into the bear’s chest. The force knocked it back a good few feet, singeing its fur and drawing an angry, pain-filled roar.

I grinned, adrenaline flooding through me as I got back up. “Hell yeah! That’s what you get for trying to make me lunch!”

The bear wasn’t down yet, but at least it was pissed. I still had mana to spare, and if it wanted a fight, it was going to get one.

**Beep**

A screen pops

Practically slapping me in the face with info like it thinks I’m supposed to read all of it in one go.

Fire Magic

1. Ember Magic: Basic control over fire, igniting objects and creating small flames.

2. Inferno Magic: Mastery over larger flames, creating firestorms and controlling existing fires.

3. Pyrokinesis: Manipulation of fire at a molecular level, creating and shaping fire at will.

4. Solar Flare Magic: Harnessing the power of the sun, capable of devastating firestorms and solar energy blasts.

Water Magic

1. Mist Magic: Control over water vapor, creating fog and mist.

2. Hydro Magic: Manipulation of liquid water, controlling its flow and creating water constructs.

3. Thalassokinesis: Domination over large bodies of water, controlling oceans and tides.

4. Aquakinesis: Molecular manipulation of water, creating and shaping water at will.

Earth Magic

1. Terra Magic: Basic control over earth, moving rocks and soil.

2. Geokinesis: Manipulation of the earth's crust, creating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

3. Petrology: Control over minerals and stones, creating and shaping objects from rock.

4. Gaia Magic: Harnessing the power of the Earth itself, capable of controlling plant life and natural disasters.

Air Magic

1. Zephyr Magic: Control over wind and air currents.

2. Aerokinesis: Manipulation of air pressure, creating powerful gusts and windstorms.

3. Atmospheric Magic: Control over weather patterns, summoning storms and altering the climate.

4. Cosmic Magic: Harnessing the power of the cosmos, capable of controlling celestial bodies and interdimensional travel.

“Holy shit,” I muttered, blinking at the screen. This whole list was staring back at me like, “Yeah, all of this can be yours… if you figure out how not to die first.”

So I’ve got access to all these elements—fire, water, earth, air—and they’re each divided into four stages of sheer power. That means I could technically use any of these types, even if right now I’m only tapping into the beginner-level stuff.

I grinned like an idiot, not even caring that I was still panting from my showdown with that bear. “Alright, new world. You’ve got some fancy tricks. But so do I.”

I won’t just survive. I’ll be unstoppable.

Alright, so I was feeling pretty damn confident. Here I am, practically drooling over my magic menu and thinking, *Why not go all out?* Why hold back, right? Let’s skip straight to the top-level stuff.

So, with every ounce of ego and reckless bravado I had, I raised my hand and shouted:

**[Solar Flare]!**

The air crackled, heavy with raw, unfiltered power, and then—*BOOM.*

A massive explosion erupted right in front of me, blasting straight into that red bear with enough force to turn the whole forest into a fireworks show. It was chaos. Flames everywhere. The ground shook. A huge crater—*like, city-leveling huge*—was now right where the bear used to be.

“Hell yeah!” I shouted, grinning like a maniac. That bear was toast. *Literally.* This power? I could get used to this! Only…

That’s when I felt it.

My hand—*oh god, my hand!* The surge of raw magic turned on me, backfiring like an out-of-control rocket. Pain shot through my arm like I’d been hit with a sledgehammer, and my hand twisted at an angle that… wasn’t right. I’d *definitely* broken it.

“Shit, shit, shit—” I stammered, staggering back. I couldn’t control it. I’d thrown out too much power at once, and now my own magic was tearing me apart.

Dizziness hit me like a truck. My vision went fuzzy, the whole world spun, and before I knew it, I was on the ground. Everything started to fade, and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, my last thought something like, *Guess I overdid it…*

When I opened my eyes again, it was pitch black. The air was cold, my hand throbbed with a dull, agonizing pain, and all I could think was: *I survived?*

But with a power like that… barely.

By the time I came to, it was already night, and I was in rough shape. My hand? Completely busted from that reckless spell, throbbing with a pain that felt like fire itself. My supplies? Absolutely trashed, just a shredded mess of burned rations. And my stomach? Empty as hell, growling so loud it was practically screaming, *Feed me, idiot!*

Dragging myself over to the charred remains of the red bear I’d nuked, I took a deep breath. I was hungry enough to eat just about anything, even a bear roasted extra crispy. So, with no time to think twice, I bit into it.

“Agh!” The meat was tough, charred to the point of tasting like I’d just bit into a campfire. But, hey, it was food, and right now I didn’t give a damn about taste.

As I chewed through the burnt bear meat, a familiar **beep** interrupted me, and yet another screen popped up in front of my face.

**[Gluttony skill is about to be unlocked. Defeat strong monsters and eat them to level it up.]**

I stared at the message, wiping the grease from my mouth. “So… this is how Gluttony works? I eat monsters and power up?” Talk about a skill that was practically made for a bottomless pit like me.

Now, it made sense why I hadn’t unlocked it before. The old me must’ve been too self-absorbed to try eating the creatures he defeated. His loss, my gain.

But now that I’d taken care of the food situation, I still needed shelter. The plan was to find a cave, but that was before I remembered—*I know Earth magic!* Why settle for some damp, moldy cave when I could just make my own place?

“Alright, let’s give this a shot.”

**[Earth Shaping]**

With a wave of my good hand, the ground shifted, and slowly but surely, a small hut formed from the earth. It was basic, sure—just walls, a roof, and enough space to lie down—but considering my busted hand and the fact that I was drained of mana, it was all I could manage. I crafted a makeshift plaster with Earth magic, wrapping it around my hand to keep it in place.

“Not bad, huh?” I mumbled, feeling a bit of pride at my first magical DIY project.

Tomorrow, I’d start training for real. For now? I had a hut, I had food, and I was ready to pass out. With a full stomach and a new skill to unlock, I drifted off, ready to take on this crazy world one day at a time.