Chapter 21: Ashen Kairn
In truth, Ashen Karin, once known as Ethan, did not belong to this world.
He had once been a citizen of America, the son of loving parents who owned a small restaurant. However, tragedy struck early in his life; at the age of fifteen, he lost both of his parents in a terrible accident. Afterward, his uncle took him in and also took over the management of the restaurant.
Despite the hardships, Ethan found solace in cooking. At the age of twenty-one, he achieved the impossible: he won the prestigious Bocuse d'Or international cooking competition held in France. But fate was cruel. Soon after his victory, he was diagnosed with cancer.
During his hospital stay, to escape the endless boredom and pain, Ethan immersed himself in movies, anime, and web novels. These stories became his escape from reality.
After struggling bravely for four long years, he passed away at the age of twenty-five.
"I remember... I was reading a novel (Rise of the Demon Emperor) before my final surgery. I guess... it didn't go well, and I died, huh," Ashen muttered in a quiet voice.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar world in the body of a lowly servant named Ashen Karin, someone who served Lauren.
As memories of this new body flooded his mind, he quickly realized the shocking truth.
He had been reborn inside a novel [ Rise of the Demon Emperor ] not as a protagonist or a powerful side character, but as an extra. A servant. A background character tied to Lauren, who was a close ally of the main character, Raven, during the early arcs. Together, Raven and Lauren were supposed to fight against the first major villain, Kaal Kilvis.