Chapter 1: Worthless

It was still early in the morning but trouble had already found its way to this man.

"Get out of this house or I'll kill you!" bellowed a middle-aged man his voice echoing from within a large imposing house in the area.

This was no ordinary residence.

As the gates of the grand house swung open several people struggled to heave them apart forcibly ejecting a young man onto the path outside. His body tumbled uncontrollably coming to rest with a groan that was met with indifference from his ejectors.

Despite his handsome appearance the man's attractiveness was marred by his pitiful demeanor. He wore a foolish grin strangely out of place considering he had just been thrown out.

"I was kicked out," he mumbled seemingly in disbelief pondering whether this humiliating episode was reality or merely a figment of his imagination.

Lucas was the name of the man a young individual leading the life of a widower.

His consciousness was now overwhelmed with memories that were foreign to him plunging him into a sea of confusion.

He came to realize that the body he inhabited was not his own. He too was named Lucas coincidentally sharing the name with the original owner of the body he now occupied. A vivid memory lingered of Lucas playing chess with a friend in what seemed like a casual match wagering a glass of spirits. However Lucas lost the game resulting in a bizarre twist of fate where he found himself trapped in the body of another Lucas.

Upon awakening in this new reality the first sensation he experienced was a stinging slap. The person who slapped him was a man of advancing years not elderly but certainly no longer young.

Adding to his bewilderment his wife also struck him with a painful slap.

"You're useless," she scorned her words cutting through him sharply.

Lucas fell silent for a moment lost in the turmoil of his thoughts. His gaze lifted to the sky fixating on the splendid moon that now mirrored itself in his eyes.

His mind was besieged by bizarre memories unveiling a world dominated by martial arts practitioners a realm where martial prowess was so advanced that warriors could cleave mountains and redirect rivers reminiscent of figures from ancient legends.

This reality was starkly different from the one Lucas knew. In his original world the only force capable of splitting a mountain was a nuclear explosion and no sane person would dare undertake such an act.

"Haha have I been reincarnated?" Lucas murmured to himself.

He rubbed his face an ambiguous gesture that could indicate gratitude or disbelief. Yet it was evident that deep down he felt a sense of thankfulness.

His previous life had been painfully mundane. In his original world he could obtain anything with a mere mention of his name: women wealth you name it. However Lucas had always lacked one elusive element: peace of mind. He was accustomed to the constant strain of business pressures.

Now Lucas found himself married to Luna a stunning woman who was the daughter of the formidable old man. He couldn't deny that among all the women he had encountered Luna stood out in her beauty.

"Perhaps even the top four celebrities of my home world pale in comparison to her beauty" Lucas mused holding his chin as he pondered the allure of his wife.

"My memory is still fragmented," he whispered to himself.

Positioned in front of the large gate he sat down closed his eyes and began meditating focusing on his breathing. He endeavored to piece together the critical memories belonging to the original owner of the body he now inhabited.

This original Lucas was a man of vices - a gambler a drinker a womanizer often fleeing from the consequences of his actions.

"Wait...," Lucas suddenly opened his eyes.

The realization dawned on him that if the recollections in his mind were accurate the body he had assumed would be considered the lowest of the low. He reviewed the memories again realizing they were all influenced by the opinions of those who knew the original Lucas.

"So they think Lucas is a loser. Something doesn't add up here," he murmured under his breath.

As a shrewd and successful businessman his analytical mind refused to accept a simplistic narrative. The original Lucas's family fortune had been squandered - lost to gambling squandered on worthless drugs vanishing without a trace.

Lucas clicked his tongue his teeth chattering in frustration. He felt a deep sense of pity for the man who by a twist of fate shared his name.

"To have to rely on a woman for support... you really are pathetic," Lucas whispered to himself once more.

His mind was also inundated with other memories: those of the original Lucas attempting to infiltrate various martial arts sects. He would often covertly observe their practices yearning to learn their techniques. Yet each endeavor ended in failure.

The truth was harsh - the original Lucas was an untalented fool devoid of Qi. Without this vital energy what hope did he have of mastering cultivation?

His existence seemed like a cruel joke as if both heaven and earth conspired against him. Lucas's fate was perpetually fraught with misfortune as though the world sought to amplify his misery.

In essence Lucas's marriage to a woman named Luna was akin to an absurd union between a buffalo and a beautiful princess of royal descent.

Even in the role of a mere beast of burden Lucas was inadequate for he was nothing more than a buffalo.

However a saving grace existed in the form of a pact made by their grandfather a promise that had to be honored. Now at the age of eighteen Lucas found himself in this unexpected matrimonial arrangement.

But Lucas' own conduct had led to his downfall. His first grievous error was getting inebriated on his own wedding day. To add insult to injury he then proceeded to consume all the food at the celebration.

It was no surprise that Luna's father was incensed culminating in Lucas being expelled from their home. Now Lucas could do nothing but gaze at the huge gate berating the foolishness of the body's original inhabitant.

In this moment of despair Lucas shut his eyes once more. Unexpectedly a bizarre occurrence unfolded. A bright flash of lightning seemed to strike behind his eyelids.

He felt as if his body was being whisked away to an odd dimension. There a figure with a face obscured by black bandages sat regally akin to a king upon his throne. The eerie ambiance was heightened by numerous skulls surrounding the throne reinforcing the figure's intimidating presence.

"Lucas... or should I say Lucas from another world. Welcome to my realm," the bandaged figure addressed him his tone imbued with an air of ominous authority.