That Time I Got Turned Into a Dragonoid Arthur Mathew (1)

New York, Arica, 2031-32

The city was loud and full of people, but no one really cared about anyone else. Everyone was just busy—working, walking, shouting, rushing. And in the middle of all that, there was . Just trying to survive in a tiny, cheap apartnt that I could barely pay for.

I sat on the floor with my back resting against the couch, staring at the TV. The news was on.

“Congratulations, Daniel, for clearing another S-rank dungeon! You really are the world’s strongest hunter!” the reporter said with a bright smile.

All I could do was give a tired grin at the screen. My eyes had dark circles under them, and I looked like I hadn’t slept properly in days.

“Damn… I wish that was ,” I muttered, knowing very well it never would be.

I slowly laid down on the cold floor, staring at the ceiling. “I’m a hunter… yeah, just in na. Rank E hunter, Arthur Mathew… useless,” I said with a bitter laugh.

And why wouldn’t I feel that way?

Everyone who awakened got their powers after passing the first trial. That’s how it always worked. If you passed, you were chosen. You had talent. You could grow stronger and clear dungeons.

But ? For so reason, I never went through the starting trial. It just… didn’t happen. I got a weak star rating and never had a chance to fix it. No trial ant no starting buff. Just a broken beginning.

But what was the point in crying over sothing that happened more than ten years ago?

I sat up and looked around the room. Empty bottles of cheap booze were lying all over the floor. The place slled like alcohol and dust. I slowly got up and walked over to the only mirror in my apartnt—a big wall mirror that ca with the place. Maybe the only good thing about this place.

I looked at myself.

A 35-year-old man. Tired eyes. Long, ssy beard. Skin pale from staying indoors too much. I looked more like a holess guy than a hunter.

I ran my fingers through my beard and whispered, “It’s been over ten years since I beca a hunter… sigh.”

I sighed again, this ti deeper.

“Better go kill so slis in an E-rank dungeon and pay this month’s rent,” I said to myself with a half-smile. “Thank God the guild gives us a discount or I’d be holess by now.”

I turned around and walked toward my old, beaten-up hunter suit. It was full of scratches and patches. My weapon, just a cracked blade, rested beside it.

But just as I reached for it, my foot stepped on one of the empty bottles.

“Huh—?”

My balance slipped. Everything happened too fast. I couldn’t even react.

I stumbled backward—and the next thing I knew, my head hit the corner of the drawer near the wall mirror.

BAM!

A sharp pain exploded in my head. Then… darkness.

Everything faded. My mind went completely blank.

---------------------

After what felt like falling through an endless, dark tunnel, my mind slowly started to wake up.

My eyes were heavy, and my head felt like it had been split open. I groaned and rubbed my temples, trying to ease the pain. My vision was blurry at first, but soon everything beca clear.

A book.

That was the first thing I saw. A book lying right in front of .

Then I looked around.

Books… to my right. Books to my left. Books above . Books below . Books everywhere. Tall shelves stretched all the way up, like they were touching the sky. There was no wall in sight, just more and more books.

“What is this place…? The world of books?” I muttered, slowly sitting up.

That’s when I saw her.

My eyes widened.

It wasn’t a human. It couldn’t be. Her whole body looked like it was made of glowing light, like she was shaped from pure energy. A female figure, shining like the sun, yet soft and calm. She looked young—like a teenage girl—but sohow, it also felt like she was older than ti itself.

She was sitting there, reading a book.

I gulped. My voice trembled as I asked, “Who are you…?”

She slowly looked up and smiled.

“So you’re finally awake!” she said. Her voice was sweet and beautiful—more beautiful than any singer or actress I’d ever heard. It felt like music that touched your soul.

Sothing inside already knew the answer. “Are… are you a god? The Creator?”

She paused, tilting her head slightly. Then, she let out a soft chuckle.

“Well, of course I’m a god. But not the Creator. That’s my big brother. I’m just… well, let’s say I’m in charge of this world.”

I blinked in confusion.

She smiled brightly and clapped her hands together. “Anyway! Let’s get to the point. I want to give you a reward!”

“A reward?” I repeated, still trying to understand anything that was happening.

She looked a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of her head. “You see… this is actually the first world I’ve ever managed. And, um… I kinda forgot to give you your starting trial.”

“…What?”

“Yup!” she said with a sheepish grin. “That’s why you ended up as a weak hunter with no chance to grow. My bad!”

My jaw dropped. I didn’t even know how to react to that.

“But!” she suddenly stood up proudly, placing a hand on her chest. “To fix that, I’m choosing you to be the protagonist of my world!”

I stared at her, completely shocked.

“Protagonist? You an like… the main character? The hero?”

She nodded cheerfully. “Exactly!”

It sounded too good to be true. I wanted to jump with excitent… but I still had doubts. I raised my voice a little, trying not to sound too rude. “Wait… are you really doing this just because you feel guilty?”

Her smile changed. It beca a bit darker… more playful.

“Of course not,” she said, grinning mischievously. “I have two reasons.”

“First,” she started pacing like a dramatic actress on stage, “my brother controls Everything, From an insect to Infinite Construct, but he never lets manage even one world, Always treating like a kid!”

She pouted. “But I whined and begged to second brother and he gave this one. This world is mine now. And I want it to be entertaining.”

She turned back to and raised a finger.

“Second,” she said with sparkly eyes, “I love stories. I love writing. I’m a real author at heart! And I want to write your journey in my book",

I didn’t know what to say. My mind was spinning. I had so many questions… but none of them could co out. I was too scared to annoy a god who could erase with a snap.

So I just nodded.

“Good!” she said with a bright smile. “Now, every cool protagonist needs a special skill!”

She began walking back and forth, thinking aloud. “Hmm… my powers are all related to ti and space…”

Then suddenly she stopped and snapped her fingers.

“I got it!” she said excitedly. “How about this—every ti you die, you go back 24 hours in ti!”

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Silence.

Total silence. Like the world had suddenly stopped.

Just a mont ago, I was standing in front of that glowing goddess, her eyes full of mischief and light. But in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

Now… I was back in my room.

In front of the mirror.

Staring at my reflection.

My heart was racing. My mouth felt dry. I looked at my face—sa ssy hair, sa tired eyes, sa dull apartnt behind .

“…Was it all a dream?” I whispered to myself.

But then, with shaking hands, I opened my system panel.

And that’s when I saw it.

“What the…? So it really happened?” I muttered, my eyes wide. My heart skipped a beat.

Then, a sudden thought hit like lightning.

The date.

I grabbed my phone and unlocked it as fast as I could. The screen lit up.

24th July.

“Wait… wasn’t today the 25th?” I gasped, feeling a cold sweat form on my back. My hands started to tremble.

I… I had gone back in ti.

A smile slowly spread across my face.

Not just any smile. A wild smile.

“This is real… It’s real!”

Without wasting a second, I rushed to the kitchen, grabbed the sharpest knife from the drawer, and stared at it.

“One way to find out,” I said with a grin. “My life is trash anyway.”

And without even hesitating—

I stabbed the knife deep into my neck.

Everything went dark.

I opened my eyes again. My body jolted upright.

Sa room. Sa mirror.

But now the date said 23rd July.

I did it.

I really did it!

“I’m the protagonist,” I said breathlessly, my chest rising and falling fast. “I’m the hero of this story.”

My heart was pounding in excitent. I could feel sothing burning inside .

I didn’t even think—just ran toward the balcony.

Without stopping, I jumped.

Glass shattered everywhere.

People scread from below.

“Soone call the police!”

“Is he crazy?!”

“Stop him!”

But I was laughing.

Laughing like a madman.

Because I knew—this wasn’t the end.

BAM!

My body smashed into the ground. Blood. Bones. Everything a ss.

Again.

I woke up in my apartnt.

Now the date was 22nd July.

And then it began.

Stabbing.

Jumping.

Running into traffic.

Laying on train tracks.

Drinking poison.

Again… and again… and again.

I felt no pain—my skill kept numb.

There were no screams. No fear.

Only death.

And then—