Getting sent to another world—these days, who hasn’t fantasized about it at least once?

Becoming the main character in your favorite novel, the villainess, a random background extra, or even a talking animal… That kind of thing used to be thrilling, but now? Total cliché.

Sure, I’ve read my fair share of those fantasy webnovels. But actually experiencing it myself?

No thanks.

Those situations are only fun when I’m reading about them safely from the other side of the screen. If it happened for real? That’d be a nightmare.

What about my life back home?!

If time flows the same in this world as it does in mine… then as far as everyone there’s concerned, I just disappeared.

Poof. Gone.

My parents, my friends, our family dog Poppy —what are they supposed to do without me?

It happened so fast, I couldn’t even blink.

I’d just been taking a nap… but when I opened my eyes, I was in some unfamiliar room, wearing what looked like a knock-off fantasy school uniform.

The weirdest part? I was standing up, but my field of view felt… oddly low.

“Ari, why are you just standing there like a zombie? If we don’t leave in five minutes, we’re gonna be late!”

A tiny girl—apparently my roommate—grabbed my wrist and dragged me out the door.

At first, I figured this had to be a dream.

But something felt off. Time wasn’t skipping around like in normal dreams. I sat through hours of boring magic lectures and even a literature class.

Like, actual hours.

Every. Single. Minute.

Without a skip button in sight.

There’s no way this is a dream.

My brain could never make up all this stuff in so much detail.

Eventually, I hit my limit.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

In the middle of class, I just straight-up walked out.

The professor—who kept shouting this name I assumed was mine, Aria—yelled at me to come back, but I didn’t even look back.

All the other students stared.

Yeah, it was embarrassing. But honestly? I had bigger things to worry about.

If this was all a dream, I’d wake up eventually, no matter what nonsense I pulled.

And if I’d really been thrown into another world, then I sure as hell wasn’t going to waste time sitting in class.

I bolted out of the building. The halls and courtyards were quiet—everyone else was still stuck in lectures.

Okay. Think.

I’ve read enough isekai to know the usual ways people get back:

1. Defeat the Demon Lord and save the world.
   
   

2. Die here = wake up there.
   
   

3. Don’t go back. Just live out your life in the new world.
   
   

Option 1? Nope. That’s for heroes who were summoned here. I wasn’t summoned—I think I possessed someone.

Option 3? Hell no. My life back home was fine. I’m not an orphan or some tragic soul. Why would I throw all that away?

If I just settle down here like nothing happened, what about my parents? I’m an only child. I’d be breaking their hearts.

So that leaves… option 2.

And look at that—there’s the training yard.

Broken wooden swords scattered all over, but no one else around.

Between them, something shiny catches my eye. A real sword.

Who just leaves a live blade lying around like that?

Well, works for me.

I walk over, grab the sword, turn the blade toward my left chest, and—

without hesitation, shove.

I feel the tip pierce skin.

But… it won’t go deeper.

Weird.

I look up—and freeze.

There’s a hand gripping the hilt.

Someone’s stopping me.

Our eyes meet.

“…What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Wait—what?!

There was no one here a second ago!

Where did he come from?!