Chapter 1 | Jormungandr in the Labyrinth River

When the present becomes the past, time is defined.

Dim streetlights illuminated the bustling night. A young man dragged his weary body through the crowded streets. The rain fell in a thin drizzle, creating a misty haze where the scent of steel and concrete permeated the air, adding a layer of exhaustion to the stifling summer heat.

The neon lights bled into the night, making it seem as if the darkness was never truly absolute. Instead, it was a blur of deep blues, purples, and yellows that dizzied the eyes—nothing like the deathly silence of the black nights of the past.

Trash cans along the roadside emitted a pungent stench. Electric scooters and cars jostled for space in the narrow lanes. Waiting for the green light, the boy felt no stirrings in his heart, as if he had grown used to it all. His profile was half-lit by the streetlamps and half-submerged in shadow, revealing no expression. No one cared about his mood anyway.

His messy hair had a few strands fluttering in the wind, while the rest remained tangled. His white shirt was wrinkled, his tie hung crookedly, and one pant leg was rolled up while the other slumped down to cover his shoe.

His name was Li Yu. This was his second year struggling in the big city. The last time he had gone home was for the New Year.

To be honest, he had some regrets. The distance wasn’t as beautiful as he had imagined. There were no poems here, no songs, and certainly not the future he wanted.

He currently worked in a library. It was far from the life he had anticipated, but it was relatively quiet. He just felt homesick occasionally.

Speaking of which, finding this job was the result of a strange encounter. On a day of torrential rain, he had been sprinting through the storm seeking shelter when he stumbled upon the library. It was quite large but located in a remote area. If he hadn't taken the wrong bus while looking for work, he likely never would have found it.

The owner was a girl of ethereal beauty. However, he had forgotten her exact features, remembering only the surprise in her eyes when they first met, and the long-accumulated pain buried within them.

Inside this library, he occasionally found bizarre books, like the ancient tomes mentioned in novels. They recorded fantastical magic, which he had tried to perform, though he never succeeded.

It was another rainy day, and he arrived at the library for work as usual. Very few people came here to read, so his job was extremely leisurely.

Feeling a bit bored, he pulled a strange-looking book from the shelf. It had a metal cover. The first time he had seen such an odd book was in this very library, but now he was used to it.

He opened the book and was surprised to find it was the biography of a significant figure. The title read: “Lord of the Fallen Court.”

The parchment, weathered by time, had already turned yellow, yet the content inside was entirely blank.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the girl sitting in the corner. She raised her hand, looking at the ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

“Boss, why is this book blank?” Li Yu pointed at the empty parchment.

“This is the Nth volume of my favorite book. However, I don’t like the endings of all the prequels.” Her voice was ethereal and pleasant to the ear.

“So, I want to change it.” The girl looked at Li Yu. Her gaze seemed to pierce through his body, striking his very soul. “And now, the story is beginning again.”

Li Yu froze. The scenery before him began to shift, as if he were swimming upstream against the tide. He saw a new world.

Undying warriors redeemed their lovers; graduated witches set off on their own journeys in groups; the wind carried the scent of berries; the songs of elves echoed on every side of the dark forest; the stars at night still twinkled; the stories of the wise wolf and the traveling merchant were still being told; a boy wielding a broadsword still fantasized about becoming a knight; legends of mermaids circulated in distant, unknown seas; demon kings were defeated time and again; aging heroes were buried one by one; magic apprentices walked into the marketplaces; and great mages, indifferent to worldly affairs, resided in high towers.

The tides of the era rolled forward. This was an age where civilization was still in its infancy, an age where the seeds of industry had just been planted, an age that had once existed, and an age where magic still flourished.

The gods had returned to the stars, and mortals walked the earth.

It was like waking from a long dream. He felt the sensation of sunlight stimulating his eyes once more. Having slept until he woke naturally for the first time in ages, Li Yu shielded his eyes from the sun and tried to slowly sit up.

The refreshing scent of earth drifted into his nose. He could almost imagine fertile fields, blue skies, and grass glistening with dew. Everything felt so distant in his memory, yet it was as if he had arrived right beside them.

His body hadn't felt this light in a long time, as if he had returned to his student days.

He opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings: ankle-deep green grass, brightly colored unknown plants in the distance, and a quiet forest.

Where is this? Another world? Why am I here? The memories from just now aren't very clear... I remember going to a job interview, and then? Then I took the wrong bus, and then what happened? I can't remember.

“Splash.” He heard the sound of a stream washing over rocks—crisp, melodious, and full of vitality. Unable to contain his excitement, he trotted over to the water's edge.

The current carried fish downstream, occasionally splashing against the rocks on the bank. The water was crystal clear. Li Yu looked intently, and the stream reflected an exquisitely beautiful face.

Li Yu’s body stiffened. He instinctively looked behind him, but there was nothing. The forest remained silent and still, indifferent to his shock.

He instinctively touched his cheek. The skin felt smooth and tender. His hand jerked back as if he had been electrocuted. He looked at his hand; it didn't look like his old self at all. There were no calluses on his index finger from practicing the guitar. Instead, they were fair, slender, flexible, and delicate, like swaying silver fish.

No way! My god!

He screamed internally. Trembling, he crawled to the edge of the bank, leaned down, and examined himself carefully. He had red eyes with mysterious diamond patterns within the pupils. A teardrop mole sat at the corner of his eye, adding vitality and charm to a face that otherwise looked like a porcelain doll.

Slender fingers gently brushed through the hair. Long, ink-black hair fell between the fingertips, emitting a faint fragrance.

He was dazed. The moment he realized he had traveled to another world, he thought he was the male lead. Wait, male lead!

Ignoring his surroundings, he carefully felt his body, acting as cautious as if it weren't his own.

Dammit! Even if I'm the protagonist, I'm a heroine.

He—no, she—let out a silent wail in her heart.

She began walking upstream along the river. Past experience told her that there would be signs of life in that direction.

She desperately wanted to see humans of this other world, or any life form capable of communication, to alleviate the panic and slight breakdown she was feeling.

However, after walking for a short while, she began to adapt to this world. The fear born from the unknown slowly started to fade, as if she had always belonged here.

As she walked, she felt a sense of wonder. Although she was in a forest, she wasn't afraid. It felt like a childhood spring outing, her eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, there was still no sign of people. To her delight, however, she saw a road. Although it was a dirt path, there were few weeds, likely because carriages passed through frequently.

It seems intelligent species exist in this world too. I hope humans built this.

She prayed silently. Incidentally, her speed of accepting her new identity was faster than she had expected. She thought she would be very resistant, but now she felt basically nothing, as if this body had always been hers.

She stared blankly at a leaf on a distant treetop.

“Rumble, rumble.” The sound of wheels rolling reached her from not far away, pulling her thoughts back to the present.

A carriage was speeding toward her. Excitedly, she reached out a hand and waved it rapidly. The coachman pulled the reins, and the carriage came to a stop in front of her.

A brawny hand lifted the cloth at the back of the carriage, and a head popped out.

It's a human! Li Yu cheered in her heart.

Pale blue hair covered his right eye. The man, who had a scar at the corner of his mouth, examined Li Yu with his one visible eye.

“What is it?”

“Um, I’m lost. Could you tell me where the nearest town is? Can you take me there?”

“Heh.” The man gave a cold laugh. “It’s twenty fuli from here, about a three-hour walk. Miss, you’ve wandered quite far.”

“I woke up and was just here...”

“Teleportation magic?” A woman’s voice came from inside the carriage. The man turned back, and the two of them whispered for a moment.

A moment later, the man pulled aside the curtain on one side. Li Yu could just barely make out the figure of a red-haired woman.

“Um, what is teleportation magic?” Although she knew convincing the two in front of her that she was harmless was the priority, curiosity ultimately won out.

“A spell. Without interference, the normal maximum distance is twenty fula.” The red-haired woman’s voice was melodic and soft, enough to stir one’s heart. However, Li Yu felt nothing—perhaps because her identity had changed, and by her own aesthetic standards, she felt she looked better anyway.

Wait, what am I getting proud for...

“I bet you’ve got amnesia too,” a playful voice called out from inside the carriage.

“Actually, I do.” Li Yu nodded guiltily.

A burst of laughter erupted from someone in the carriage.

“Sisyphus, listen to me, this beauty is definitely safe. Isn't this exactly the setting where the hero picks up a teammate by the roadside in Morrison's novels? Hahaha!”

“What’s your name?”

“Li...” She instinctively shut her mouth. She had just heard the name of the blue-haired man—a name that sounded very much like it belonged in another world.

Should I change my name to something that fits this world better?

“Li Yue,” she said softly. After a few seconds of silence, the woman’s voice came from the carriage again.

“She isn’t lying, including those first two sentences.”

“Are you sure?” The blue-haired man frowned.

“You don’t trust my magic?” The red-haired woman frowned back. The magical focus in her hand maintained a blue light. Li Yue guessed that lying would probably cause it to change color.

“Come on up, beauty! It’s fine!”

Li Yue pulled back the curtain and gingerly climbed into the carriage. In addition to the two she had already seen, there was the laughing orange-haired man whose skin had a sickly paleness. In the corner sat two blindfolded burly men.

Out of politeness, she moved to sit next to the red-haired woman.

“Sit over there,” the red-haired woman said sternly, pointing to the seat next to the orange-haired man.

“Rolle! Since when did you become such a gentleman?”

Rolle rolled his eyes and didn't speak.

Sisyphus examined Li Yue’s attire. At first glance, she was wearing a form-fitting black robe, but upon closer inspection, one could see fine cyan-blue armor underneath. Though he couldn't identify the material, his instincts as a warrior told him it was both flexible and extremely hard—definitely a product of magical alchemy.

Li Yue sat between the two men. Although it was a bit cramped, they both maintained a slight distance from her out of courtesy. What Li Yue didn't know was that this distance was merely so Sisyphus could draw his sword easily.

“We are planning to subjugate a deserted castle,” Sisyphus said. “We’ll drop you off in town first.”

Li Yue nodded, her expression remaining unchanged. She looked somewhat cold and enchanting, perhaps out of habit, but that didn't stop her internal monologue.

Sisyphus took out a map and discussed the plan with the others. They seemed to know the castle like the back of their hands. Li Yue listened intently—picking locks, traps, puzzles—none of it had anything to do with her.