Chapter 1 “Woke Up as Weak Son-In-Law”

“The rights units in the right place and at the right time.”

** **

General Arthur Troce was convinced that his strategy would lead his nation to triumph. It was the key to ending the relentless war between Hermit and Gavor.

Equipped with the latest technology in weapons and machinery, he planned a surprise attack that would catch the enemy off guard, giving them no chance to set up a defense. This was a plan he had carefully developed over the past few weeks. But then…

“General! We have a situation! The enemy’s forces were prepared for our attack! They’ve anticipated our moves!” a frantic report came to the military base.

“What?!” Arthur exclaimed.

He had been so certain that his plan was foolproof!

‘There’s no way the enemy could have known! There has to be a traitor in my ranks!’

There was a spy was hiding among his troops. And yet, he couldn’t waste time dwelling on betrayal. Arthur had to act fast and devise a new plan to shift the momentum back in their favor.

“Move to base two,” Arthur commanded, gripping his rifle tightly. “We need to reassess our strategies and…”

Just as he was about to issue further instructions, a searing pain shot through his abdomen.

“Ugh!”

He doubled over, blood spilling from his lips.

“General! Are you alright?!”

Using his rifle for support, Arthur struggled against the oppressive weight of gravity. Yet, the agony was overwhelming, forcing even a seasoned warrior like him to kneel on the ground.

‘No! I’ve faced countless battles. I won’t surrender without a fight!’ he thought fiercely.

He was determined to die with honor, to ensure peace for the country he cherished above all. If he were to die, he wished it to be amidst the chaos of war. But the poison had already spread through his body!

“It was the water,” he whispered as he crumpled to the icy floor.

He recalled the moment he drank the water from the barracks while being unaware of the deadly secret it held. It was poisoned with a malice that aimed to take his life. “Whoever did this, I swear I’ll…”

Coughing seized him and more blood spilled out.

“General! Someone gets the doctor! The General is coughing up blood!”

As chaos erupted around him, Arthur’s mind spiraled into a dark pit, consumed by the betrayal that had brought him here. He looked at the faces of his men: the Lieutenant, Major, Colonel, and Captain.

Their faces were twisted in fear and desperation as if the very air around them buzzed with the terror of losing their leader.

Yet, Arthur was no fool. He could feel the betrayal simmering around him. Probably, the traitor was secretly enjoying his pain.

‘In my next life, I’ll track you down,’ he promised to himself as he breathed his last.

** ** **

‘What just happened? I could have sworn I had died.’

Arthur's thoughts were a total jumble. Just a little while ago, everything had gone dark, but now, his mind was buzzing back to life.

Had he really come back from the brink of death?

He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the low light as he took in his surroundings.

“This isn’t the military base. Where the heck am I?”

With a lot of effort, he pushed himself up, every part of his body was screaming in pain.

“Ugh,” he whimpered.

At first, he thought the pain was just from the poison he had ingested. But as he looked at his body, he saw a mess of bruises and cuts.

“What the hell happened to me?” he muttered, staring at his battered arms.

Not only was he covered in marks, but he was also shocked to realize how much weight he had lost; he felt weak, almost like a shadow of himself.

Breath caught in his throat, and he took in the space around him. It felt oddly familiar yet completely foreign. He was in a library, but the decor was nothing like he had ever seen before.

Looking down, he noticed that the surface he had been lying on wasn’t a bed but just the cold, hard floor.

Arthur was lost.

As he tried to figure out what was going on, he heard footsteps approaching. Trusting his gut, he pushed himself up on his shaky legs.

His gaze was locked on the library entrance when the door swung open. Instead of a soldier from an enemy nation, a stunning woman with blonde hair and bright red lipstick walked in. She was probably the most beautiful woman Arthur had ever laid eyes on.

“You idiot! Are you really going to embarrass me in front of everyone?” she exclaimed. “I was already mortified to bring a useless husband like you to my grandma’s birthday! You promised you’d do something special for her, so I brought you along! But you didn’t even bother to show up at the party!”

Arthur frowned, completely baffled.

‘Who is this woman? Why is she calling me her husband? And I definitely don’t have time for some old lady’s party,’ he thought.

He pulled away, ready to ask who she was. Just then, two guys walked into the library, looking a lot like the blonde woman.

“Hey, loser, did you wake up from your nap?” one of them joked.

“I can’t believe he’s still on his feet after all that. You know what they say, grass doesn’t die easily,” the other added.

The woman shot them a look and said, “Is this your fault? Did you guys beat up Arthur again?!”

“Chill out, sis. We’re just having some brotherly fun with our brother-in-law.”

“Arthur was just weak. I barely touched him, and he was crawling on the floor like a sad puppy, pfft…!”

“Andrew, Mark! You’re going to regret this!” she exclaimed, looking like she was ready to defend him.

“Well, you won’t be saying much after this. Mr. Chain just showed up at the mansion. He said he’s your guest and brought a present for Grandma.”

“What? No way! Mr. Chain is actually here!” the woman exclaimed.

She flashed a big grin but quickly shifted to a look of disgust when she saw her husband’s state.

“Ugh! I shouldn’t have come with you. Just head home and get some sleep, you idiot!” she cursed. With her arms crossed, she stormed out, leaving Arthur standing there with her brothers.

Arthur was still trying to wrap his head around everything, when the woman’s brothers began to approach him.

“Now that my sister’s ditched you, we’ve got all the time in the world,” one said.

Arthur squinted at them. With his fighting skills as the great General, he noticed plenty of openings with the two guys. He could take them down in just a couple of moves.

 “You ready, bro? Here we g—”

But before he could finish, Arthur’s fist flew out, landing right on his jaw.

“Ugh!” He stumbled back, holding his nose like it was about to fall off.

“Wow, dude! Arthur just took you down! Ha!” the other guy laughed, clearly enjoying the scene.

But for Arthur, it wasn’t funny at all. That punch should’ve knocked the guy off his feet, but he just stood there, hardly affected.

Arthur looked at his hand and said quietly, “I became weak.”

It was something he couldn’t just accept. He trained so hard to be the strongest man alive! But now, he was vulnerable against two spoiled brats who had nothing to do but bully anyone.

“You b*stard!” the guy yelled. “You’ll pay for that!” He lunged at Arthur, throwing a quick punch that sent Arthur crashing backward.

His back hit the towering shelves hard, causing a shower of books to crash to the floor as he crumpled down. The shelves wobbled dangerously, and a few more books fell. Dazed, he shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but the shelf loomed overhead, threatening to come down on him.

“Die, you sh*t!”

Instead of helping him, the two just stood there. And someone even shouted, “Die! You worthless dog!”

Arthur realized too late that there was no way to dodge the shelf’s weight.

The heavy wooden structure came crashing down, hitting his head with brutal force. As he fell, his blood trickled from his head and darkness began to envelop him.

At that brief moment, memories rushed through his mind.

‘These aren’t my memories,’ he thought, confused.

The vivid images belonged to a guy named Arthur Dwight, the son-in-law of the Shawn family, a man who had faced ridicule from both his in-laws and his wife.

“And now, I’ve turned into that pathetic fool,” the General laughed bitterly.

While he was learning the situation sink in, he heard voices from the side.

“Andrew! Are you out of your mind?! We can’t just let that guy die! He’s still our sister’s husband!”

“Who gives a damn about that leech?! He’s been living off our family’s generosity! Better off dead!”

“Damn it! Quit arguing and help me get him off the shelf!”

Feeling utterly drained, Arthur pressed his palm against the ground and pushed himself up. As the shelf shifted, the two men turned their attention forward.

Arthur emerged, his face smeared with blood, a haunting figure as he shoved the shelf aside and stood before them.

Gasping for air, he locked eyes with Andrew and Mark, his brother-in-laws, who had always taken pleasure in tormenting him.

Therefore, the righteous general, who hates injustice, made his first vow as Arthur Dwight.

“YOU WILL REGRET EVERYTHING YOU DID,” he whispered his remark.

 It wasn't just them but everyone who made fun of him.