Armand had just stepped out of the office building where he worked—a tall structure with large glass windows reflecting the city sky, now darkening as evening approached. He took a deep breath, trying to ease some of the pressure from the daily grind that was becoming increasingly suffocating. As a modern office worker, he had a relatively stable career. His coworkers were kind, his salary sufficient to meet his needs, and his life was no less fortunate than many others. Yet, amidst all this busyness, there was an emptiness that constantly haunted him.
The tight routines, endless meetings, and never-ending targets made Armand feel trapped. Entertainment was his only escape—movies he hadn't had time to watch, music he hadn't had a chance to enjoy, anime and manga collecting dust on his shelves, and video games that always served as his stress relief. These were his small joys in a world that spun at a pace he could never quite keep up with.
Still, he harbored a lingering regret: he had never truly enjoyed the entertainment he loved. In his busyness, he kept postponing. Life moved so quickly, and now—after the accident—he realized he might never get to enjoy them again.
As he walked home through the quiet night, a car suddenly sped toward him. In an instant, excruciating pain overwhelmed his body, and the world went dark. Armand didn't know if he had lost consciousness or died. He only felt the pain fading, as though he were falling into an endless void.
But reality turned out to be far stranger than anything he could have imagined.
When Armand opened his eyes, something felt different. It wasn't the night sky of the city or any familiar sight. He woke up in an unfamiliar place—not his home, not a hospital. His vision blurred momentarily, but what stood out the most was the fact that he was lying on a luxurious, soft bed. The room around him looked like something straight out of a history book, with classic wooden furniture, stone walls, and the warm glow of light fixtures lining the space.
He stared at the high ceiling adorned with intricate wooden carvings, the atmosphere ancient and alien. Everything seemed medieval—a world of swords and magic he'd only ever read about.
"Where… am I?" he whispered hoarsely, his voice trembling with confusion and fear.
Armand tried to rise, but his body felt strange, heavier than he expected. As he lifted his hand, he noticed the clothes he wore—a dark robe adorned with a royal emblem on the chest. These were not the ordinary clothes he had worn in his modern world. His head spun, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"I'm… still alive?" he murmured, though doubt clouded his heart.
Before he could search for answers, a strange voice echoed in his head. The voice was clear, as if coming from within his mind, yet he couldn't trace its source.
"Welcome to the Hero of Entertainment System, Eldric Carval."
Startled, Armand nearly fell out of the bed. Eldric Carval? He frowned. The name was unfamiliar, foreign, and heavy on his ears. But before he could process it, an overwhelming surge of memories flooded his mind. The name Eldric Carval wasn't just a random title—it was his new identity. Memories of who he was, his family, and how he belonged to this world unfolded in an instant.
He was no longer Armand, an ordinary man from the modern world working in an office. He was now a Duke in a medieval kingdom rife with magic and political intrigue. He was Eldric Carval, heir to wealth, land, and power.
His head swirled. How is this possible? he thought in panic. How did I end up in someone else's body, in a completely different world?
"System?" Armand—or rather Eldric—spoke in a shaky voice, trying to voice his confusion. "What is happening? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?"
The voice responded calmly, "As the Hero of Entertainment, your mission is to introduce modern entertainment to this world, which remains trapped in the limitations of a medieval age. Starting with the first phase: introduce manga."
"Introduce manga?" Eldric froze, his confusion deepening. What could that even mean? This world was full of swords and magic—how could they possibly understand something as modern as manga?
But the voice didn't offer further explanation.
"This is the mission assigned to you," the voice continued. "You must begin by bringing new entertainment to this world. The first phase is introducing manga—a form of entertainment that will open their minds and spark change. If you succeed, you will advance to the next phase."
Eldric—formerly Armand—sat in stunned silence. Manga? How could he even begin to explain it to people in this world? Yet, the system seemed unwavering in its seriousness. The mission was set, and there was no turning back.
He looked around the room, so foreign yet undeniably signaling that he now belonged to a different reality—a world both primitive and full of untapped potential. As Eldric, now trapped in the body of a Duke, he knew he had to embrace this mission.
With a mix of confusion, fear, and a flicker of excitement, he prepared to embark on this unexpected journey.