Funozaki Private High School.
A little past three in the afternoon.
It was already the last class of the day, and many students seemed to have burned themselves out. They either stared blankly at the blackboard or slumped over their desks, like dried-up salted fish.
What's even more outrageous is that some people were actually sleeping.
From the podium,桐须真冬 (Kirisu Madoka) took in the scene, her brows furrowed, and her gaze sharpened.
Being listless was one thing, but sleeping in class was unacceptable.
Other teachers wouldn't bother with such things. As long as they didn't disrupt others, students could do whatever they wanted.
But 桐须真冬 (Kirisu Madoka) was a new teacher, and she had a strong sense of responsibility. Naturally, she couldn't let this slide.
It was precisely because of her strict and uncompromising style, along with her cold demeanor, that she had earned the nickname "Ice Queen" in the school.
Just then, time stopped.
A figure suddenly appeared not far away. The newcomer was dressed in casual clothes, tall and handsome, in his early twenties, carrying a plastic bag containing a large watermelon. Seeing the scene before him, he was bewildered.
"Where am I?"
Lu Li looked around, confused. He had just gone out to buy a watermelon, but in the blink of an eye, he found himself in what appeared to be a classroom.
Moreover, what was with this scene where time seemed to have stopped?
Had he somehow stumbled into some extraordinary situation?
As he was pondering this, he saw the student slumped on the desk turn into a stream of light, like lightning, flying towards him. It merged into his body, and his clothes instantly transformed from casual wear into the uniform of Funozaki, his appearance also becoming younger. He transitioned from a handsome, sunny adult into a slightly awkward youth.
Even his position shifted abruptly, abruptly placing him in the student's original seat.
In a flash.
After merging with the stream of light, Lu Li's eyes changed from confusion to clarity.
"I'm gradually understanding everything!"
Everything seemed complicated, but it was just a convergence of timelines. He had merged and replaced his counterpart in this world, inheriting everything from his otherworldly counterpart.
To put it simply, it was an existential replacement.
From now on, no one would be able to tell the difference, neither in anyone's memory nor in the river of time.
It's worth mentioning that his counterpart in this world also shared the same name, Lu Li, his parents were deceased, and he was a Chinese exchange student and a member of the In-House Club.
The reason for the convergence was simple—Lu Li in this world often stayed up late playing games. Although he appeared to be slumped on the desk, he had actually passed out.
Time resumed its flow, and the entire campus became lively again.
桐须真冬 (Kirisu Madoka) looked at Lu Li, seeing him sitting upright, she felt pleased and continued her lesson.
"Indeed, students who are as diligent as Lu Li are much more reassuring."
Due to the replacement, she was completely unaware of her intention to confront Lu Li a moment ago. Instead, her thoughts had naturally shifted.
"Not good!"
Lu Li absorbed the memories of his counterpart in his mind, and his gaze accidentally caught sight of something outside the window, making him stunned.
Perhaps because of merging with his counterpart in this world, his status had slightly elevated. The world he saw was vastly different from the world seen by ordinary people.
In the air, black energy filled the atmosphere, twisted and terrifying figures flitted through the heavens and earth, emitting ear-piercing sounds, like the end of the world.
"Right, my classmate has someone named Yotsuya Miyo. This world probably has Yotsuya Miyo!"
Now that he could also see the evil spirits, he immediately understood Yotsuya Miyo's pain.
Humans and ghosts co-existed, constantly harassed by ghosts, with constant danger to life. It was terrifying!
Although he had now merged with his counterpart in this world, and his physical abilities, mental strength, and status had improved, he was still an ordinary person after all, with no means to deal with the evil spirits.
"Where is my cheat code?"
Lu Li felt a surge of anxiety in his heart and called out for it, but he got nothing until the school bell rang.
The cheat code must be dead!
"Kato, see you tomorrow!"
Lu Li got up and casually greeted the girl sitting next to him.
The girl next to him paused in packing her bag and tilted her head, looking at Lu Li: "It's strange that Lu Li-san actually called me by my name today!"
"Is it strange?" Lu Li looked at Kato Megumi, a smile playing on his lips, naturally teasing her, "Should I just call you Kana-san instead?"
Kato Megumi puffed out her cheeks: "Don't! Lu Li-san, please call me by my name properly."
Even though they were neighbors, he had been calling her Kana-san for half a year.
Apart from that, the two had no other interaction.
This was unavoidable.
After all, both Lu Li and she were members of the In-House Club. Besides greeting each other at school, they had nothing else to say to each other.
Lu Li chuckled: "Got it, Kato Megumi-san, see you."
He picked up his bag and his watermelon from the original world and left school.
Kato Megumi watched Lu Li walk away: "I have a feeling that Lu Li-san is a bit different today!"
…
"There are way too many evil spirits in this world!"
Walking down the street, Lu Li's expression was calm, but his heart was actually racing.
The hurried salarymen, the convenience store clerks, the running schoolchildren, they could all turn into evil spirits, it was simply impossible to guard against them.
He could only arm himself with indifference and not react to anyone.
Even in his own home, there were some weak evil spirits.
In the refrigerator, an evil spirit with only a head muttered softly, like a grim reaper: "Can you see me?"
Lu Li remained expressionless, cut the watermelon in half, covered it with plastic wrap and froze it, washed his face, and calmed down.
Looking at the bathroom mirror, he saw that his appearance was like a high school student in his youth, but he had a more outstanding aura, as if he came from a wealthy family, raised in luxury from childhood, with a hint of the bearing of a wealthy young master.
This was probably a change brought about by his elevated status.
Besides that, his strength and intelligence had significantly changed, as if he had been reborn.
After pondering for a moment, unable to find a solution to the evil spirits, Lu Li sighed and began cleaning his living space.
Even if he couldn't deal with the evil spirits, he still had to live his life. He couldn't let his little nest get messy.
It was a one-bedroom apartment, only about twenty square meters, with a monthly rent of 80,000 yen. In terms of domestic prices, it was incredibly expensive, but in Tokyo, it was quite cheap.
There were very few items in the room, and it wasn't cluttered, so it was easy to clean. Within ten minutes, the entire room was clean and tidy.
As he cleaned, Lu Li also mentally tallied his assets.
"My parents' inheritance is only two million, which is 40 million yen. It should last me until I graduate from college."
"Besides that, there's a villa in my hometown in the countryside. Rural houses are basically unsaleable except for self-occupation, but it's a fallback option."
Thinking about this, Lu Li couldn't help but frown.
Consumerism in developed countries was truly terrifying compared to developing countries.
Now, he had a choice—end his exchange student life, return to China, and live in the countryside. Two million would last him a long time.
But he wasn't willing to give up.
After replacing his counterpart in this world, he was only a teenager.
It was too lazy to start living a retirement life at this age.
Moreover, this world was a world of anime, full of excitement. How could he miss it?
Of course, if there were no evil spirits back in China, then that's a different story.
Compared to a life filled with excitement, his life was more important.
"Forget it, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'll go back to China during the holidays and check things out."
He adjusted his mood, cooked a simple meal with the ingredients in the fridge, and studied for a while, feeling increasingly sleepy.
After washing up, Lu Li lay in bed, a strong desire rising in his heart—he hoped to find a way to deal with the evil spirits and live a carefree life of eating, drinking, and sleeping.
Before his transmigration, he could only be an ordinary worker. Even after transmigrating, he was still working. Hadn't he transmigrated in vain?
…
The next day.
"What is this?"
Lu Li woke up early the next morning at six because he had slept too early.
As he opened his eyes, a screen appeared before him.
Lu Li
Race: Deity
Divine Power: None
Authority: None
Faith: 0
眷族: 0
Skills: 【Grace】【One-Time Certification】
As if by instinct, when his eyes fell upon the screen, he immediately understood its function.
Overnight, he had become a three-no wild deity—no divine power, no authority, no faith.
As for Grace, it was the Grace system used by deities in the Danmachi world. It could recruit眷族 (Ken'zoku), unlock their potential, and level them up step by step.
"So, I became a wild deity to have a way to deal with evil spirits. And I got the Grace system to live a carefree life. Is this the world's response, or is it my system?"
Lu Li was puzzled. He got up, washed up, and as if by chance, squeezed the evil spirit with only a head while grabbing something from the fridge.
The evil spirit, which had previously seemed ethereal, was crushed into dust with a light squeeze.
"As expected, even a wild deity is something ordinary evil spirits can't resist." Lu Li felt relieved. "Now, all I need is a眷族 (Ken'zoku). Recruit a眷族 (Ken'zoku) to work and earn money. The divine life of Danmachi deities is simply wonderful."
PS: New book launching, looking for all kinds of data.
PS: The original protagonist is not here, it means he's not in the story!