CHAPTER 2: RESOURCE GATHERING.

Gasp!

He suddenly opened his eyes.

’What the hell?’

He glanced to the right.

There, he could see the open wooden window, along with the green curtain fluttering as the silent breeze blew against it.

Then, he saw the blazing red sun, its light reflecting directly on his body.

Quickly acting, he sat upright.

’Ow! My head hurts a lot,’ he whispered to himself, grabbing his head.

Now seated, he could fully see the interior design of the room.

The multiple pictures of some ugly man and his parents hung on the wall, the bed was scattered with empty bottles of alcohol and dirty clothes, and finally, there was the shattered mirror on the wall.

’Eh? Just where am I?’

Looking down at his body, he could see the clothes he had on.

’This is not a suit, yo,’ he grabbed his white shirt. ’Wait, hold on a sec, I remember now. I got sucked into that portal, and then that god spoke about... Umm... Yeah, me transmigrating or something... wait, so I transmigrated?’

Ding!

’Uhn?’

His eyes moved to the floating screen displayed in front of him.

[Congratulations on your reincarnation.]

[You are now in the body of Dorian Aurelian.]

’Body of who now?’

He stood up.

’I was right! That damn statue threw me into another world, inside this body.’

[Yeah, I just said that.]

His face turned blue; if he could, he would puke right where he was.

Instead, he sprinted towards the shattered mirror.

Once there, he got a good glimpse of what he looked like.

The man in the mirror looked nothing like Jacob.

Unlike Jacob, who had long black hair, this individual had silver hair and eyes. But that wasn’t the worst part; he generally looked poor.

As though he had not eaten for days.

His clothes were dirty and torn; one could easily mistake him for being homeless.

’Dorian Aurelian.’

A sharp pain shot through his head as memories of the former owner began flooding his mind.

Apparently, he was the son of the baron, James Aurelian, and the baroness, Stella Aurelian, both of whom were poor.

The reason for this was an event Dorian had caused in the past, which led them all to incur serious debt, and they have never been able to recover since.

To make matters worse, Dorian himself was a total dick.

He was the village’s primary nuisance and debtor, especially at the local gambling pub. He would also often borrow money from other villagers.

Many people knew him, especially for that, and, as such, they all avoided him.

’Eh? You’re joking, right? I reincarnated as this asshole?’ Dorian sat on the bed, visibly in deep thought.

’I have memories of this body, so I know one thing at least: he regrets what he did so much that he actually drugged himself to die. Was that the opening that gave me access to his body? Still, reincarnating poor? Might as well just put me up for adoption.’

Thinking more about it, he recalled one of the threats the pub master told the original Dorian that actually led him to commit suicide.

"If you don’t give me my money by the end of the week, I promise I’ll sue you to the government."

If that were to happen, not only would Dorian be sentenced to jail, but his family might lose their noble title of Baron.

’Argh, this piece of shit, dude, man, why gamble so hard when you know you don’t have any money? Fuck!’

Dorian fell flat on the bed.

’1000 gold pieces, huh... Where am I supposed to find that kind of money? I am both broke and unemployed in this world.’

An idea suddenly bounced in his head.

’Oi! System, aren’t you cheating me right now?’

[...]

’A friend of mine reads a lot of web novels, so I know I am supposed to get some kind of skill after your damn announcement. Are you holding out on me?’

[That is correct; you do have a starter skill. You were reflecting on your situation, and I didn’t want to interrupt your emotional moment.]

Dorian frowned a bit.

’Yeah, sure, just tell me what the skill is. Hopefully, it is something that can get me out of this predicament.’

[You have a new skill.]

[Resource Gathering]

Description: This skill actively allows you to search for resources you need, from the smallest coin to the biggest treasure chest.

Note: You can only use this skill once a day, and you need a clear image and understanding of whatever you are looking for.

As soon as he saw the message, Dorian sprang up, sitting upright.

’A skill that can find resources? Isn’t this too convenient? With a skill like this, I just need to find something valuable worth selling and I can clear my debt.’

The excitement on his face cleared as quickly as it came.

’It isn’t that easy though. I have to think about the fact that whatever I find might not be mine to begin with and then also the fact I need a clear image of the material as well.’

He stared at the ground for a while.

Suddenly, he remembered something from his former world. Yes, when he and Yahoshi went on a date, they found a weird item at the beach that cost them over five thousand dollars when sold.

"Iron ore."

[The needed resource has been registered.]

[5 Resources found nearby.]

[4 km away, underneath the ground, 9 ft deep.]

’It actually worked?’

He was so excited that he tried to grab the glowing screen.

’4 km? That is near the pub, give or take. This is good; I can get it if I start digging now. I might be able to sell it and clear my debt. My first priority is to take care of that.’

Excited at the grand opportunity, he sprinted straight for the door.

Upon reaching there, he opened it, but to his surprise, someone was waiting there for him.

His mother, Stella Aurelian.

She was dressed in a beautiful yellow dress, her eyes swollen as though she had just finished crying.

Actually, it looked as though she was about to cry as well.

Gripping her dress, with a frown on her face, she uttered—

"Dorian, where are you heading to? Don’t tell me you are going to gamble again."

Dorian stared at her for a while.

"Don’t tell me you’re heading out to gamble again," Stella said with a small frown on her face, a sad frown.

Seeing her face, it was as though he was just seeing her for the first time.

The woman before him was Dorian’s mother, no doubt about it.

For years she had been the pillar of the family, taking care of most of the tasks, since the servants they had were very few.

Despite the debt that had accumulated, mainly because of her foolish son, she never once stepped back or showed any sign of weakness.

All she asked from Dorian, her irresponsible son, was simple:

"Please, Dorian, for once listen to me; your father and I are going through so much already; please stop this," she uttered, her voice cracking.

Dorian could only stand there, stunned and speechless.

He remembered everything: how many times he had disrespected his mother and how many times she would drag his drunk self from the pub while villagers looked down at her because of it.

The sharp pain in his chest only grew, watching his mother desperately try to hold back her tears.

Like she always does.

’Dorian, you never liked what you were, did you? Good, I’ll do the one thing you were never able to do.’

Placing both arms in front of him, Dorian bowed his head.

This action caught Stella off guard.

"W-what?" she leaned back a bit. "Are you still drunk? Why are you suddenly bowing your head?"

"Because this is the best way I can think of to apologize."

"..."

"As my mother, I took advantage of your love and patience too many times. Honestly, it’s a shock you haven’t sold me to another family."

Each word he said prompted a thought in his mind.

’Dorian, is this not what you wanted?’

His mother, Stella, shocked at the sudden turn in events, could only stand there, listening.

Her son’s words continued to echo in her ears.

"I am truly sorry; I know I am a horrible son. If I could, I would change the past and give you a son you are worthy of. Unfortunately, that is impossible. As such, I will use this present time and truly give you what you deserve; I will quit gambling, drinking, and asking for loans. All I ask, Mother, is not your forgiveness but your trust right now; I ask nothing more."

Reaching his final words, he whispered to himself,

’Was that too much? Was I able to convey my feelings well?’

Upon raising his head, he could see his mother bawling her eyes out.

Though, she still maintained a calm expression, trying to mask her sadness as well as she could.

"I—I never thought I’d hear those words from you. My own son, apologizing—heck, I don’t even know what to say."

Dorian stood upright; the scene before him was unbearable for some reason.

Even if it was just for a bit, he understood why the original Dorian felt guilty of his ways.

Not only was he a disappointment, but he would have to wake up every morning, getting the very same sad look from his mother.

Isn’t that every man’s weakness?

Chances are, he was being the entire transmigration just so he could run away from it all.

Dorian sighed.

"You don’t have to say anything, Mother. I can understand your confusion right now. Still, as I said, all I want is your forgiveness and blessing. I, Dorian Aurelian, intend on bringing this family to its former glory. Do I...have your blessing, Mother?"

Stella calmly used the back of her hand to wipe her tears.

"Y-yes, how could I stay angry at my own son? You have my blessing, all my blessing. However, what exactly are you planning on doing?"

Dorian smiled.

"First, set things straight; second, clear this debt we have under our name. Please excuse me; I may be late for dinner."

Saying those words, he walked away.