Gao Lao/Gaun Leyhart

Kingdom of Fiorell or the Kingdom of Wizards.

Full of wizards that can wield magic while in conflict against goblins, ghouls, dragons, elves and other magical species.

In a Lanlorm territory of Marquis, in a tower that's twinkling of magic aura. Inside the office of the Marquis.

"Marquis sire."

A butler greeted a man sitting at a desk full of papers and books.

"Report."

The marquis sitting at a table said as he looked straight without emotion to the door of the gloomy medieval-looking room.

"This time, it's one of fourteen sons of the Spring Duke, Gaun Leyhart, 17 years old. Ran away from their territory and applied as a cleaner of a chamber of artifacts.

"He didn't possess Mana core and only used an outrageous amount of money to get here, so we let him in as we needed him to."

The butler explained carefully. The marquis sitting at the table furrowed his brow. His beard and his eyes shone red light.

"Duke Liquid or Raymond Leyhart, the water devil. He is a noble of a surviving Liquid bloodline or water wizards.

"He is an 8th-ranked 3rd step wizard known for his savagery and probably, there's also a monster sleeping inside their territory if we ever offend in a way. They might- What should we do?"

The butler bowed as a sign that he was agreeing and hoping that the Marquis would make a decision.

The sacrifice this time is a son of Duke, a higher ranked noble than them.

However, he did not finish what he was saying as a sign of respect toward the man in front of him.

Also for them, a sleeping monsters or ancestors were bad news.

If they happen to kill one of the ancestors or monsters favorite descendants, they would wake up from their deep sleep.

"If the sleeping monsters in the Duke Territory were active, they would probably cause a scene but knowing that it's just a descendant that can't form Mana core and can't perform magic or knight aura, I'm sure that they wouldn't care."

Mana core, the core foundation of wielding, performing or creating elements out of thin air.

Those who do not have Mana core won't be able to gain Knights aura, won't become a Wizard or or another classes that can use Mana.

The butler did not say anything and only nodded slightly.

"That kid is smart, he knew that he would likely end up and die in the frontline compared to this place..."

Suddenly, the Marquis smiled with a flashing red light as his veins bulged in anger.

"But isn't he a little arrogant? Thinking that we won't know anything about him?"

"Thinking that he could sneak into this palace anytime? Is my territory a backyard where anyone could go for their safety!?"

The butler lowered his head, waiting for the last command.

The Marquis was still red and did not speak for a long time.

Soon after a lot of contemplation, he finally calmed himself down and opened his mouth.

"I will let him slide this time for his disrespect and his cowardice."

"If he managed to survive as a cleaner, then keep him for now. It's been years since someone cleaned that chamber without turning it into a corpse."

"Maybe it's his fortune of not forming a Mana core."

The butler could only nod.

He knew that the Marquis was just putting up a show; all the old ancestors of their house died due to the unknown creature that killed them inside the chamber of artifacts.

The old monsters or old ancestors are the people who are sleeping in their territories. They are the core foundation of the Kingdom whose hiding to protect their respective territories.

Thus, they could not offend especially a Duke who had old monsters sleeping in their territories. 

"If he dies, then he's dead."

"If he managed to survive, then keep him. However, if the Duke wanted him back, just give him. We can't afford to provoke anyone or let any territories about our condition."

...

"Phew!!"

A man in his twenties swiped his sweaty forehead while walking to the hallway.

'I finally got this shitty job in this marquis territory as a cleaner of artifacts.'

'It's better than being a son of a duke whose life would turn into a soldier that would surely die in the hands of those demons.'

The man could only mumble with a helpless and worried look on his face.

'After ending up in this fantasy world full of magical creatures and powers, I am still useless as I am on planet earth...'

The man mumbled.

'Sigh, it's better here... As long as I don't get caught. I, the outstanding Gao Lao, will be alright.'

His body was shaking as he tried to persuade himself. However, his expression contradicts what's on his mind. And finally, Ga Lao blurted in his conscious thinking.

'Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! I shouldn't think like this... I shouldn't!'

Gao Lao cursed in his head.

He was thinking of going back to his father's territory, but he knew he will end up as a normal corpse in the faraway battleground against the swarm of magical beasts that were terrorizing the kingdom of Fiorell.  

'Why am I like this? In my last life, I was a useless ant and of society too. No proper job and too arrogant to find a simple job like picking up cherries.'

'Too arrogant to learn anything until I reached the age of 26... And now? In this magical world, I have become noble but still useless!'

Gao Lao was a 26 years old gaming addict from Earth who died from electrocution on his gaming pod before he could play his favorite cultivation novel that turned into a game.

Reborn in this magical fantasy world as one of the fourteen male offspring of a not-so-famous noble, a duke.

'No! No! I am an adult! I shouldn't be thinking like this... '

'I need to somehow look for anything that can help me triumph over the challenge and become a future duke, so I would be safe in the long run.'

While walking, Gao Lao suddenly stopped and put his hands on the wall beside him.

His face was lifeless and hopeless.

He knew that no matter what he thought and tried to persuade himself, he could only admit that this world is not what he thought it was.

'What should I do!? I underestimated this world. Learning its language was so hard. I thought I would master it in time but the language barrier...'

'My mind was so used to my past life's languages that I couldn't communicate with the world's mana.'

'It's also the reason I couldn't create my own Mana core... I'm not talented or born with it like my brothers.'

Gao Lao could only slap himself with his fate.

At the end of it all, he couldn't afford to go back to his family.

Because he must participate even if he couldn't use Mana to perform magic or knight's aura. 

'I should stay here.'

'Losing in the duke's competition means I'll become a pawn or a simple Mana-less soldier that would surely die in the front line.

'Maybe if I survive and manage to climb up my status, I would get treasures full of concentrated mana, then I'll finally create a Mana core.'

Gao Lao knew he would lose all his privileges as a noble, no matter what he did, so he wanted to try it here.

Even if it's dangerous if they caught him as a runaway noble. To him, it's better to gamble in this place.

'It's dangerous if they find out about my origin, but it's better than the front line.'

'I may have run away from home and responsibility like a coward, but it's better than to experience death a second time.'

Chills ran down Gao Lao's back as he remembered those feelings.

Shaking his head, Gao Lao stepped forward toward the chamber of the old artifacts.

Soon Gao Lao saw a butler in front of him beside a large door with cleaning tools at his side.

He immediately saluted and shouted.

"Head butler sire, Gao Lao would like to proceed!"

Gao Lao immediately panicked inside.

'Sh*t! I forgot the formalities between nobles.'

'I'm not used to this kind of stuff.'

The head butler did not change his expression.

It pretended not to notice something and slightly nodded.

"You are not in the military, Gaun Leyhart. Do your job properly or we will send you to the frontline ourselves."

Gao Lao sweated. He forgot that the butler is a 7th-stage Knight, almost as strong as his 8th-stage apprentice wizard father.

The butler probably discovered his secrets and chose to threaten him about them.

"Yes, head butler."

Gao Lao nodded, faking a neutral expression.

As long as they don't send him in the front line, everything's fine about it.

The head butler did not say anything more and passed through him.

Gao Lao waited for the head butler to disappear before he went inside with the tools for cleaning.

"So this was it."

Gao Lao felt relieved that he wouldn't be sent to the front line as long as he executed his job perfectly.

Holding the tools in his hands, he started cleaning.

1 hour... 

2 hours... 

3 hours... 

Suddenly, out of the corner, when Gao Lao was about to move from one place to another to clean, he became dumbfounded. 

His mind flashes of memories that he thought he would forget someday because of the thing in front of him.

The upper dome section is motorized and rotates up and down to allow easy access to the pod.

The ergonomic reclining seat offers six-way lumbar adjustment and a headrest, and the speakers are integrated, offering 2.1 surround sound.

The screen mounts on the upper dome allow for up to three 27-inch displays or one 49-inch UltraWide (and ideally curved) display.

A compartment on the back of the pod behind the seat hides a sliding tray where one can position either a gaming rig or games console or both.

This thing also allows all the cables to be hidden away but also keeps noise to a minimum.

"A Gaming pod?"

Gao Lao looked at it from a different angle. 

'It looks like my gaming pod. But what's it doing here?'

Gao Lao happily thought in his mind.

He tried touching it to make sure that it was the gaming pod that he once knew.

However, soon his face changed.

'I remember, this is like the gaming pod that stupidly killed me...'

'Even when I'm sure that nothing would make it malfunction...

'Connected properly...'

'Wire insertion...'

'Now I'm reborn here without any talent, to begin with, why did you throw me into this fantasy world?'

'You should've given me the typical scenario where I have a pathetic life, and suddenly reincarnated to a world that would give me luck and blessings that keep coming upon me where I became one of the tops in a matter of days…'

'However, why am I still a loser now? Not having been born or couldn't create a Mana core!?'

Gao Lao had a game addiction in his past life, all his salary was all for gaming, only he didn't even sleep for weeks and saved money just for this gaming pod.

However, it was also the one that killed him in the end.

Now he is having mixed feelings.

With anger on his face, Gao Lao decided to calm down.

"Sigh… You've become old."

"I don't know why you ended up here or even if you are not my gaming pod, I would at least clean you."

The moment or a thing of his past and he respects the melancholy state that this gaming pod is giving to him. 

All of a sudden, the gaming pod turned on!

Gao Lao couldn't help but feel an uneasy sense of foreboding from his gaming pod.

'What's going on!?'

Suddenly, the lights around the chamber turned off as if a massive shadow were coming up to him.

He couldn't remember or know what it was, but his vision only turned into pitch-black darkness!