Circumstances 2

Zach, now deciding it was a good idea if he went by Erwin from now on, was trying his best to ignore the leech that kept reminding him of the previous bodies special interests.

"Young master please do not ignore me, I will allow you to wear your mother's lingrie if it is such an issue."

Erwin, who was currently sitting on the edge of the massive bed, took a moment away from his spirling thoughts to look at Charles, "Enough, I do not want to wear anything like that today, bring me some casual clothes that a man would wear."

Charles clearly wanted to retort, but the stern gaze from Erwin was telling enough that he should not. So, he nodded silently and made his way to the opposite side of the room where a walk-in closet the size of house was located.

Erwin left him to his own will, focusing back on the tantalizing fact he had transmigrated into a fictional world.

'First, I need to understand what time period it is, how long till the main line story starts, and what I am going to do from now on.'

Erwin could guess there was no going back, and without a lead then it would be nigh impossbile to do it himself. If he had met a god, at least he would be able to negotiate, or in more likely terms beg. If it was because he had an unquenchable will for a better life and or power, then that would also be a plausible reason.

However, Erwin had lived a decent life, a life where he never had thoughts of ending it early, had to starve himself to get by, live paycheck to paycheck, and he did not have a family that never loved him.

No, the most traumatic things in old Zach's life was seeing his first pet hamster fall from its cage and die, or maybe the time he witnessed a wreck downtown that left both cars totalled.

Other than that, there was not much to speak of, well besides the recent string of events that had led to him deciding a vacation was what he needed most.

The fact his Father passed away, the harsh reality of having to break up with a girl he would honestly marry, and a mother who would soon pass as well.

He was twenty one, lived with a roommate in downtown Austin, and worked at a startup tech company as a front end developer.

His life, in simple terms, was a humble one.

So it begged the question as to why he ended up in this situation. Plus, after a few seconds of trying mental commands, checking for a necklace or ring, and making sure he could not lift the entirety of the bed with little effort, it seemed he was given no benefit besides his memory of future events.

There was no system, and he was not already OP enough to just level the room he was in.

In short, he ethier met a god who wiped his memory, a portal had appeared and he conveniently was sleeping under it, he died in his sleep, or something bigger was coming into play.

Erwin needed more answers, but he was not going to get them immediately, and rushing out into the world without any foundation was asking for him to die as a ceiling of arrogance falls and crushes him.

For now, he would find out how long till the main story started, and gain some iota of strength to keep himself alive long enough to decide what his goals would be.

Such a plan started with him getting a fresh set of clothes that was not the nightgown he was currently wearing, which was very breezy and see through.

'Damn BL'

Erwin grumbled angrily as Charles appeared in the room and neatly laid out clothes for him to wear.

Getting up to grab them, he was suddenly stopped by the butler who stood in his way.

"Young Master please let me dress you to make up for my previous actions, if you mind of course."

Erwin frowned internally, wanting nothing more than to refuse, but if he acted too much out of character then surely Charles would notice.

On that note also, Erwin had no memories besides the ones he transmigrated with, so maybe going with the flow was the best option.

On second thought however, upon looking down as seeing his naked body that was clearly visible through the white gown, he decided otherwise. He could play off his current personality switch as a mood swing.

"No. I will be fine, leave me."

Charles was stunned, "Ah, I have never seen you be this assertive young master, if something is truly wrong just let me know and I will correct myself going forth."

Erwin exhaled, "It is fine, I had a very bad dream and need time to myself."

"As you wish."

Finally, he was left alone in his room, the double doors shutting and allowing Erwin to take another moment to digest everything.

Firstly, he was going to have to slowly change his personality, because he was not going to act how Erwin previously did, which from the books was a shy, quiet, and very feminine introvert.

It was not until the main character of Love and Artifacts, Hal Haywood, turned him into his lover and did certain 'things' that made canon Erwin have somewhat of a backbone.

Shivers ran down his spine just thinking that at some point if he did not take over, this body was going to be touched like that. He had skipped the scenes while he read the volumes in his tent, but anyone could take an educated guess that Erwin was a bottom.

The horror.

'I need to find a library, my knowledge of this world is surface level to some extent, not enough to be seen like a native of the human realm. I know the events, a good portion of the things that happen in the academy, and the machinations of the world.'

Luckily, the memories of the events were fresh, as not even minutes ago he had shut the last volume to Love and Artifacts. He remembered most, if not all details to some degree, so at the very least there was that.

Pushing away his thoughts for a moment, Erwin looked down at the clothes on the bed that screamed 'I am a rich young master' and could only shake his head.

He could care less about the story events, as surely without him everything would still go as it did before. Erwin only had one arc with the main cast, then was put on the back burner for little or no development. He was weak, and his expertise lies in studying mana environments with the tools he created.

Erwin was essential to the story to an extent, but not necessary that without him everything would crumble.

He could work with this, but right now he needed a library, which should be somewhere in the mansion he was in.

Every mansion had a library, it was practically a prerequisite for owning one.

Minutes passed in struggle, and after much effort to put on the clothes that dated back a few eras, Erwin was now outside of his room. A vast hallway that seemed to stretch on forever awaiting him. The left wall was lined with arched windows that had their curtains pulled away, allowing the beautiful rays of the sun to shine on the marble floor. The right had evenly spaced console tables with portraits or expensive trinkets set on them.

There were also the occasional maids and guards that cleaned or patrolled , but they would only greet Erwin briefly before continuing on.

Seeing this, he made a mental note that Erwin could possibly have close workers or friends, another obstacle he would have to deal with.

Although in the cannon Erwin was somewhat of a recluse, he was bound to have one person he was close too besides his mother.

More ideas occupied his thoughts as he ventured down the hallways of what he had previously assumed was a mansion, but upon finding a balcony and taking a curious look outside; he was very wrong.

It was a small castle nestled on the side of a cliff, a bustling town reminiscent of England with grasslands like Switzerland surrounding it. The architecture was precise and beautiful, and the tall buildings of brick and cobble created a fairly large circle inside the plains that stretched to the horizon.

Erwin knew that the canon Erwin had mentioned his hometown in a conversation with the MC. About how he was homesick, missed the many dresses that he could not take to the academy as they numbered too much, and of course his mother.

The next scene had been too spicy, so he had skipped it, and all that was known was the name of the gorgeous city of stone below.

Horris, a town on the outskirts of the province Lumebelle.

The smallest province of the five that made up the human realm that could support a stable civilization. The other non inhabited parts of the world had a special name, one that Erwin knew all too well.

The Beyond.

A place where mana was too strong for human artifacts to control, letting the bizarre possibilities of mana to show themselves in full form. Forests where the trees were made of rubber, volcanoes that spewed snow, lakes of beer, grasslands where each blade of grass was as sharp as an actual blade, rivers of living lighting, and deserts that were constantly on fire.

The Beyond was named such because the possibilities were beyond anyone's imagination, and in Love and Artifacts the main cast visited many of the previously mentioned environments.

It was the cannon Erwin's specialty, which may be a path that Zach will pursue later.

Although, it was just an idea, an idea he elaborated upon as he strolled through the hallways and chambers, passing many cliche things any castle would have.

He also would occasionally fold the ends of table clothes seemingly at random, but only after making sure that no one saw him do it.

It was only after two hours that Erwin picked up on the stench of mold, dust, and ink as he passed a big set of doors; something that obviously indicated a place where books were kept.

Erwin pushed open the looming pieces of wood, and as he did a question popped into his mind, 'Where did the soul of the previous Erwin go? Is he a spectator? Is he fighting right now to get his body back or is he simply gone?'

Erwin frowned, 'Is this world truly real, how did Love and Artifacts become a manhwa to begin with?'

"Another day." Erwin said aloud as he surveyed the expansive library before him.

The place was almost any book worms wet dream, tall bookcases of cherry pink wood, orbs of light hovering and zipping to and forth, ladders with wheels that rolled back and forth as maids put books and scrolls back, and a hexagonal wall layout that made it contrast greatly from the rest of the castle.

"Oh young master Erwin, have you come to finish your studies on mana alignments and leylines?"

A tall lady in simple clothes looked up from the papers she was writing on with a quill, her glasses hanging on the edge of her nose.

Erwin internally clicked his tongue as he realized he would need to act once again.

"I uh, no. I was going to try something new this time, too tired to read about that."

His squeaky voice came out in stutters, his eyes avoided the woman's gaze, and the tips of his index fingers played with one another as he spoke.

This is what cannon Erwin acted like before getting his pipe cleaned by the MC, so he was stuck acting like this for the time being.

"Oh, if you need any help let me know, carry on."

Erwin blushed, "Thank you…"

'I need to stay inside my room more, this is definitely one of the most embarrassing things I've ever done in my lifetime. More so than being pantsed in front of my crush first year in highschool.'

Done with this charade, Erwin quickly went forward, hoping to get away from prying eyes.

Although, he did not fail to catch the last word of the woman behind the desk.

"Cute."

On the complete other side of the entrance, Erwin found a wall to lean on as he mentally hyped himself up that no matter what he had to do he was still a man. Not even if he needed to eventually cross dress just to fit in as the character.

However, this trail of thought made him realize a way out, a ray of hope.

The academy.

If he left for the academy like in the main timeline, he would be very far away from anyone he personally knew and people that understood how he was supposed to act. He could act anyway he wanted, or at the very least himself.

Although, there were a few issues if he did.

Firstly, he would see the characters that the main story followed, characters that had danger following them like their own shadow. No one wanted to read a boring story where everything went right for the main cast, so adversity was served on their plate constantly.

He could lay low, try to hide away, and just be a true mob.

However, it did not sit right in Erwin's stomach.

Yes, his name from now on was going to be Erwin Everett, but the Zach Newgate of Earth would not just disappear. He was in a new world, where magic was common, badass battles were daily occurrences, and the landscapes of the Beyond were a breathtaking scene to behold.

No way would he miss that, especially for the fact he enjoyed the outdoors. Not enough for it to be called a hobby, but he would always feel this peace when he was away from the lands of cement, human degeneracy, and traffic.

'Who cares if I am in Love and Artifacts, I still want to do things my way.'

Erwin clenched his petite hands into fists, a determination boiling within him for the first time in a while.

This was a freaking fantasy world, and by no means was he going to pass it up to avoid affecting the timeline.

Yeah, there was a possibility that because he was in the body of one of the main cast he would be dragged into the fray no matter what, but even then, who cared?

'As long as I am in control, that is all that matters. Hah, I guess in the end I kind of understand all of those novels about this same thing.'

He did not really want to have a friendship with the MC or the others because their gate swung a certain way, and it would be more than just a curse if they tried to pursue him, but despite their sexuality they did end up becoming very powerful.

He could at least be on good terms, so if anything went down they might just help him in the future.

'I could always find friends in the mob characters…. wait. The female characters are all straight. Emeralda, Avery, Nia, Fey, and the others. They were drop dead gorgeous, but they only ever became side characters to help Hal and his harem on their journey. All the stupidly handsome men were all homo, and the men who were straight in the academy had never been seen dating the heroines or were even as good looking as the main cast.'

Erwin would also never get over the fact he was a bonafide elven out of ten now, and thanks to taking over the body and no longer being part of the fruit basket, then the female characters in the main story were all available.

'That means… All the heroines are single.'

A harem was still an unreachable goal, and Erwin was sure he would have a never ending headache if he tried it, but that was not going to stop him for shooting for one of them

He had the looks down, his body could be improved, and if he was not mistaken from what he could gleam from most BL in web novels; he was packing.

Aware of the latter, Erwin took a moment to mentally feel his body, and as a result a wide smile appeared on his face.

'Thank you BL, just this once you have blessed me in multiple departments.'

Now, Erwin just needed to focus on one particular issue, which was his strength.

He was occupying a body that was seen often in the main story, and perhaps fate would make trouble follow him because of it. If somehow it did, he needed to be ready, and he needed at least to be at the mid tier of power in this world to explore and live comfortably.

'For that, I need real knowledge, not just what I know from the story.'

So, he went to the section labeled -Systems- and began looking for any words he recognized. The power system of this world was fairly straight forward, but Erwin knew that it was also as broad as the ocean.

There were tiers to this world, but they did not determine power, but control.

It started with [Common] white, [Uncommon] green, [Rare] blue, [Epic] purple, [Legendary] orange, [Ascendant] red, [Sacred] rainbow, and the peak of the world [Sempiternal] clear.

The higher the tier of power you were on, the more versatile you were. It was also feasible to fight and win against higher tiers as shown many times in the story. In fact, lower tiers could easily kill higher tiers. Hal Haywood, the broody edge lord MC, had done so many times.

Although, he had a healthy dose of plot armor along with it, so it was going to be harder to do so like the other characters in the story that tried to

Hal had a harem of seven, Erwin being the fourth, and only he and Vex, the fifth member, were inherently not combat fighters.

Only a few of them, like the second prince Davaniel Lionsgreat, the third harem member Christoph, and the last harem member Ezekiel, could truly punch above their tiers.

All because of their classes, which was another vital part of the power system of Love and Artifacts.

They set the best path one could take, though only one trait given for classes could upgrade through the tiers, the rest forever locked at whatever rarity they had.

As if on cue, Erwin found a book labeled -The Known Classes of the Human Realm-.

He pulled out the red colored tome and headed toward one of the many tables spread amongst the library.

He opened it slowly, looking through the glossary to see what page Erwin's class was on. He knew what it was called, but cannon Erwin never went into much detail.

It did not take long though, and flipping to page three hundred and four, he found the class he would be stuck with going forth.

[ -Magical Crafter-; a class known for making the many inventions of the human realm. From cottage-carriages, indoor plumbing, mana regulators, crystal nodes, and even the legendary Time Towers located at many educational institutes. This class specializes in writing the Titan language commonly known as runes, and are able to create artifacts that have and will assist humanity for decades to come.

Basic Traits

[Uncommon Sight]

[Common Copper Skin]

[Common Heat and Cold Resistance]

Evolution Trait

[Material Control]

Rankers:

Ava D. Skyright

]

Erwin read carefully, and only after committing as much of it to memory did he close the tome and sit quietly while looking at the many floating orbs of light above him.

'I'm screwed'

He wanted to be an adventurer, and go on great journeys. Plus if he hardened his resolve enough, to also fight legendary beasts, explore the unknown, find ancient secrets, and compete to be a ranker.

However, as he once again thought over the traits of the class, he frowned.

Except for the [Uncommon Sight] and [Common Copper Skin], he had next to no combat related focuses. Traits were the slight advantages that each class would have, such as a Warrior having the [Uncommon Weapon Mastery] trait, which allowed them to have a semblance of skill with any weapon they held.

Traits was very useful, and if Erwin was going to be an actual adventurer, then he would need some sort of combat trait and or skill.

He was from Earth, so having talent in any weapon was a pipe dream, and with measly copper skin in a world where gods known as rankers roamed the land; then he was as good as dead.

If he got involved with the main story, then once again his chances of survival were looking slim.

There was always another option though, which was to take the support course for any adventurer academy. Yes, he would get his adventurer's license, but it would only be at the common tier, which would give him some discounts to the many expenses in the human realm.

Erwin could do that, but he knew from reading Love and Artifacts that most support licensed adventurers spent their time within the protection of the city walls, forever tasked with diligently doing their jobs and nothing else.

It was only the combat focused classes that got to gain better benefits with the administered licenses. Mainly for the fact they risked their lives constantly, and if they gained enough power could force instructors or anyone else to give them a higher tiered one anyways.

It was appeasement for the powerful, while the support classes were practically glorified rich slaves. Canon Erwin's Father was an example, as he depressingly mentioned the absence of the man to Hal because he was always within the guild repairing armor for the actual adventures who went to the Beyond.

Erwin liked money, who would not, but having no real choice to quench the thirst for an adventure sounded depressing.

'It is probably because I come from Earth, so magic and becoming an adventurer sounds like a dream.'

It made sense, as maybe the kids who grew up in this ever dangerous world did not mind living such a pleasant life, and the idea of magic was just another topic like mathematics or history.

Someone has to do the grunt work after all.

Erwin swabbed his chin as he thought deeper, wanting to find a way for him to enter the combat courses in the academy so he was not doomed to a certain life of servitude.

He could go down the support route, earn enough money and pay high tier adventurers to escort him around the Beyond, but he would never be able to put the full faith of his life in the hands of mercenaries or hired shields.

The idea was mute for now.

Time trickled in drops as Erwin was going over each option that would pop into his mind, hoping that he could find an answer to his recent problem.

The items that helped boost the MC's power were in areas that were far too dangerous, or required the magical luck given to them by the author to find.

Hell, Erwin did not even know the map of Albion, the world he was now stuck in. So finding a certain tree in a forest far north was not feasible like the MC did, especially because he grew up there.

He would need more information on the layout of the human realm, and probably a lot more to fit into this world which had customs not of Earth.

'Wait…Earth.' He thought slowly as pieces fit together in his mind.

Erwin, for the first time since coming to the world of Love and Artifacts, grinned gleefully.

He was so busy trying to find a way to change himself into someone of this world that he almost forgot that he could do the opposite.

Guns were not an advancement made as slinging fireballs or precise ice spikes were enough, and because of this, many modern tools were also not made. No author would add nukes to their fantasy world, because any big bad that showed up would get bombed to oblivion before they could try to cause mass destruction and speak their morals to the MC.

He could work with that, the knowledge from Earth, and thank his lucky stars english was used as the main language.

Sadly however, he never studied the particular workings of most of those things, but it was the idea itself that held their weight in gold.

Magic engines were a thing, aligned with steampunk-like inventions throughout the world of Love and Artifacts, but they were neither too advanced nor too powerful. They aided in the actual use of magic, and no one had cared enough to dive further into the technology itself.

'That, or the author never wanted it to, so magic would be the mainstay weapon, since it was much cooler watching people fight with swords and magic than sit on thrones and send warheads from afar.'

Erwin now had a few goals, or at least the foundation for what he wanted to do.

He would go to the most famous academy in the human realm, Queen's Spear Academy, get tutelage on how to become a successful adventurer, use his knowledge of future events and of Earth to survive, Meet the drop dead gorgeous heroines that were set to the side since the main characters were gay, explore the world to witness the beautiful landscapes, and see just how far he can go.

First, once again, he would need to read the most basic information of Albion. The manhwa gave him a rough idea, but it was just that, a manhwa and not a novel. The level he needed was a lot higher, so despite his immense scorn for studying and researching, Erwin would have to do just that.

He was in a new world, so the laid back, relatively lazy, hate for reading anything other than fiction, and slightly awkward Zach of the old world would need to be gone. Replaced by someone confident enough to face what lay ahead.

The Dread Dragons and their plot to sacrifice most of the world to summon their gods, Queen Laya and her prophecy, the Beast King and his unknown motives that even Erwin did not know with his future knowledge, and the potential secrets of an old ranker lurking within the academy.

It would be a long journey to survive these things, but no matter what it all started with a single step, one Erwin took as he begrudgingly got up and started searching the library once again.

This was going to be boring.

[ A/N: This story will be a slow build up for chapters 1-8, only after will things slowly pick up, and even then it will be a gradual build. I am writing this for fun, so I am in no rush, also I will be updating three chapters a week, and if I have the extra time then four. This is also a harem, so please do not complain when such elements begin to show up in the story. TY]