Amid the indifferent stares of the guards, Leoric and his elder sister, Leovena, ventured into Spiritshade City. The Shadowfell knew neither sun nor moon, nor did it boast any stars; its sky was forever shrouded in gloom. Above the city, a colossal, spherical light source, conjured by magic, gradually dimmed, heralding the onset of evening.

"Today's harvest was quite bountiful," Leovena chirped cheerfully to Leoric. "Your eyes are as sharp as ever; you even spotted that elusive shadow ring snake."

"Mm," Leoric replied, his mind elsewhere, looking decidedly weary. Slung over his shoulder was a gray cloth sack, bulging with mysterious contents.

"Are you hungry?" Leovena inquired. "Let's hasten home. Mom must have dinner waiting for us."

Leoric nodded silently, trailing behind his sister and picking up the pace.

They traversed the market, turned into an alley, and continued straight ahead. As they passed the abode of the mute old man next door, Dahuang, the bald dog, emerged from the yard, barking at Leoric and Leovena.

Leovena smiled, extending her hand to beckon the dog. Dahuang trotted obediently up to her, rubbing against her legs. She gently stroked his head, and the dog closed his eyes in bliss.

Leoric absentmindedly reached out to pat Dahuang on the head before proceeding past Leovena toward their own yard. Leovena watched him with a slight frown, giving the dog another pat before following him inside.

Their mother had indeed prepared dinner and awaited the siblings. Their father sat nearby, tallying the day's accounts, his relaxed demeanor a testament to a prosperous day of business.

"You're back," their mother greeted them as she fried steaks, filling the air with an enticing aroma.

"Mm," Leoric responded softly, depositing the sack beside a chair.

Once their father finished tallying the accounts, the family of four gathered around the table for dinner. Their mother's culinary skills were exceptional, and the steak was delightful. Everyone had toiled hard all day and had a hearty appetite, except for Leoric, who seemed preoccupied despite eating well, chewing and swallowing mechanically.

Their father, being rather carefree, noticed nothing amiss, but their mother did. She glanced at Leovena questioningly, who shook her head slightly, indicating she was unsure of what troubled Leoric.

"It must have been a tiring day," their mother said gently to Leoric. "Gathering materials is arduous work."

Leoric shook his head, then nodded. "Yeah, kind of tired," he admitted. "Guess we walked too much today."

His mother nodded, reaching out to brush the hair from his face. "If you're tired, go to bed early. Tomorrow, you and your sister can rest at home."

"Huh?" Leovena looked puzzled. "Don't we need to tend to the shop tomorrow?"

"We're closing for the day," their mother said with a delighted expression. "Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary."

"Oh," Leovena smiled.

Leoric quickly finished his steak, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, "I'm a bit tired. I think I'll go rest now."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Sleep early," their mother advised. "Make sure to cover yourself with the blanket."

In their modest merchant's household, space was at a premium. The siblings shared a bedroom with bunk beds, with Leoric occupying the top bunk.

Lying on his bed, Leoric stared blankly at the ceiling.

The door creaked open, and someone entered. Leoric felt the bed vibrate slightly and saw Leovena climbing the wooden ladder to the top bunk, leaning over to gaze at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, just tired," Leoric replied.

Leovena touched his forehead, relieved to find no fever. "It must be the shock from that shadow ring snake today," she suggested. "Rest well. I'll help Mom wash the dishes."

"Okay."

Leovena carefully tucked the blanket around Leoric, knowing he had a tendency to kick it off while sleeping, then quietly descended the ladder.

"Leovena."

She turned back as she was about to leave the room.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"A few days from now, it's your birthday, right?"

"And yours too," Leovena smiled. "We're twins—you always say that. Are you secretly preparing something for me?"

"It should be you giving me a gift," Leoric joked.

"Don't worry, you won't miss out. Sleep well," Leovena chuckled softly and left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Enveloped in darkness and silence, Leoric lay alone on his bed, staring at the black ceiling, lost in thought.

A few days hence would mark his and Leovena's seventh birthday.

Unconsciously, he realized he had resided in this other world for nearly seven years now.

As a former avid reader of online novels, Leoric was no stranger to the concept of "transmigration." These days, transmigration was all the rage—one could accidentally step into an uncovered manhole and, instead of fearing injury, find oneself in another world or ancient times. There, one might descend from the heavens, crash through a roof, and land atop some villain attempting to assault a maiden, only to awaken and have the grateful maiden throw herself into one's arms.

Leoric had always possessed a strong mental fortitude, both before and after his transmigration, in his previous life and in this one.

Having good mental fortitude meant remaining calm in unexpected situations—or perhaps it could be seen as being slow to react; it amounted to the same thing, depending on one's perspective. After years of honing this skill, even if a masked robber wielding a gleaming knife suddenly appeared before him, Leoric would calmly shake hands and inquire, "How's your day going? Need any sponsorship?"

So, when he found himself abruptly transported from his computer screen to the realm of D&D, Leoric wasn't the least bit surprised.

Upon arriving in this new world, the first order of business was to assess the situation. Transmigration came in various forms: high-level transmigration involved both body and soul traveling to another time or place, effectively adding an unknown individual to the population; mid-level transmigration involved only the soul, resulting in possession; low-level transmigration involved neither body nor soul taking over, leading to reincarnation as an infant.

Unfortunately for Leoric, his physical form hadn't been robust enough to survive the journey, and his soul wasn't resilient enough to possess another body. Thus, he found himself in the lowest form of transmigration—reincarnation as an infant.

Seven years had passed.

Being an infant had its advantages—chief among them the ability to adapt slowly to the new environment without experiencing culture shock. Life was simple: eat, sleep, and let others care for everything. Compared to waking up at seven in the morning, toiling until nine, and struggling to earn a meager salary, Leoric felt he was residing in paradise rather than the mortal realm.

But children inevitably grow up.

Over these seven years, Leoric hadn't squandered his time. He listened intently to everything he could, learning about this new world. He was a quick learner.

Clearly, this was a fantastical realm teeming with deities, elves, dragons, and magic—though the first three remained uncertain as he hadn't witnessed them firsthand, the latter was undeniable.

After all, his family ran a shop selling magical components.

Today, Leoric and Leovena had spent the day outside the city gathering various materials for spells. Their customers were the wizards of Spiritshade City.

Leoric wasn't content with a mundane existence. Since his transmigration to this fantastical world, he aspired to make a name for himself. He certainly didn't want to spend his entire life as a small-time merchant like his father—it would be too lamentable.

In his previous life, he had devoured many online novels set in such worlds. With dragons, magic, and elven beauties, it was a dream come true. Leoric dreamed of becoming a legendary hero, surrounded by beautiful women.

It was a pleasant dream, but Leoric was beginning to realize that it might remain just that—a dream.