What happened? Where am I?


    I thought I was dead. I clearly remember the sharp pain in my chest, the cold rush of blood, and the sound of the gunshots as they echoed in my ears. But now... I hear voices. Voices that don''t belong to the cold, empty world of death. They sound... excited? Happy? Wait, did they save me? Did they manage to get me to a hospital in time? No, that''s impossible. They couldn''t have. They couldn''t have saved me—not with my lungs completely shredded and my body bleeding out.


    But then, why do I feel so... light? Like, really, really light. Am I floating? I don''t feel the weight of my body at all. And this... this bright, blinding white light—what is it?


    Could it be? Could I have reincarnated?


    As the light starts to fade, I hear a voice—it''s a soft, melodic voice, full of joy and excitement.


    “Caross, look! It’s a boy, just what we wanted!” The voice belongs to a woman, her tone warm and full of love.


    A man’s voice responds, deep and steady. “What should we call him, Claire?”


    "How about Samuel? Samuel Raveish," Claire says, the excitement practically bubbling through her words.


    "Samuel, you say? Hmm, I quite like that name,” Caross agrees, a hint of approval in his voice.


    Wait. What? Samuel? Is that... is that my name now?


    My vision clears, and I slowly start to open my eyes. The first thing I see are two faces leaning over me. The woman has bright, warm eyes and soft features, while the man beside her has a rugged face with a gentle smile. They both look so happy—too happy for a moment like this.


    And that’s when it hits me.


    I’m a baby.


    I don’t know how I know, but I just know. I can’t speak, I can’t move much—everything around me is strange. My arms and legs feel like they don’t belong to me, and the world looks so big. I’m so small.


    What do babies do when they’re born? What am I supposed to do now?


    I struggle to remember anything about babies from my past life. Maybe I’ve seen it in movies? But nothing comes to mind. It’s like the answer is right there in front of me, but I just can’t reach it.


    And then, like a pop-up notification in a video game, it hits me: Cry!


    I need to cry. Of course! That’s what babies do! They cry.


    I immediately start wailing, my small voice filled with as much noise as I can muster. It’s not out of fear or frustration, but out of sheer instinct, just to prove I’m a normal baby and not some weirdo. But as I cry, I can’t help but feel a tinge of embarrassment. What if I’m doing it wrong?


    “Aw, you''re a funny little baby, waby, aren’t you?” Claire coos at me, completely unfazed by my loud wails.


    A sense of relief washes over me, but I’m still a little confused. What the hell just happened? Why am I here, in this place, in this body? Why is this woman so happy to see me crying?


    And so, just like that, I was reborn into a new world.


    <hr>


    As I grew, I learned that I had been born in the small village of Ulaz, which is part of the Lankershon Federation. The village was known for many things—its picturesque scenery, its rustic charm, and its ancient myths. One of the most talked-about myths was about newborns. According to legend, babies born in Ulaz who didn’t cry immediately after birth were considered blessed by the Human Goddess and gifted with extraordinary magical talents.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was just a myth, right? Everyone knew myths were just stories. But... the idea of being chosen, of being special, lingered in the back of my mind. After all, some of the manga I read in my past life had taught me that some myths weren’t just stories—they were prophecies waiting to come true.


    Days passed, and I spent my early months doing what babies do: crawling around and making a mess. I would often find myself in trouble, especially when I managed to sneak into my mother’s underwear drawer and put one of her beautiful garments on my head. That would always send Claire into a fit of laughter, while Caross, my father, would either smirk or giggle in amusement. They were doting, loving parents, and life was simple.


    But then, at the age of two months, something unexpected happened.


    I found a book.


    It wasn’t a book for adults or even one for kids my age, but rather a strange little thing, filled with colorful illustrations. The cover seemed too bright, too gaudy for something I’d expect to be in this world. But there it was, sitting innocently on a shelf in the living room.


    I crawled over to it and slapped my foot on it, the sound startling Caross, who was nearby.


    “What is it, Sam?” Caross asked, a tone of concern in his voice. “Wait... why do you have that book? I swear, if you’ve ruined any of the pages—”


    But before he could finish, Claire came rushing over.


    Caross’s face paled as he looked at the book in my hands. “No, no, no. That book should never have been found! It’s... too embarrassing!”


    Claire raised an eyebrow. “Caross, what’s the matter? What’s wrong with it?”


    Caross hesitated before he reluctantly admitted, “It’s... my old sketches. Some of them are... well... personal. Too personal.”


    “Personal?” Claire smirked. “What, like that time you painted me naked?”


    Caross went red in the face. “It’s not like that! I... I didn’t mean to—”


    “Caross, calm down! Why don’t you show Sam some of your art from when you were younger?” Claire teased.


    “I’m not showing Sam any of those paintings!” Caross exclaimed. “If he sees them, he’ll never look at me the same again!”


    But Claire, persistent as ever, eventually convinced him to show me one or two. The moment Caross picked up the book, he shot me a warning glance.


    “Sam, listen to me,” he said, his voice more serious than I’d ever heard. “Never, and I mean never, go near that book until you''re at least ten years old. Understand?”


    The gravity in his voice made me pause. I was curious, of course—what kind of art could be so bad? But I made a mental note: one day, when I could walk, I’d figure out how to sneak a peek at that book.


    In the meantime, I spent my days crawling and trying to get on my knees, making my life just a little bit easier. But something strange was happening. One day, as I sat by myself, something popped up in my vision.


    “Welcome, player! You have unlocked the ultimate leveling system!”


    The words flashed in front of me, and I froze. What was that? A system? A leveling system? Was this some kind of curse?


    A chill ran down my spine. I had no idea what this meant. Blue notification tabs popped up, scaring me out of my mind. I felt my heart race in panic. Was I cursed? Was this some kind of trick?


    “Congratulations, you have completed the quest: Determination of the Weak,” the voice continued.


    I blinked. Determination of the Weak? What was that supposed to mean? I hadn''t done anything.


    Wait. Did this have to do with my past life? With Clinton? Could the system have been a way for me to have won that fight, to have avoided my death? I wanted to scream in frustration, but before I could, another notification flashed in front of me.


    “As a reward, you have been granted a second life—a reincarnation, if you will. This second chance was granted to you by the Supreme Being.”


    The notification ended there, but it raised more questions than answers. Why? Why had I been given a second chance? Why had this Supreme Being chosen me? It felt like a cruel joke. But at least I had the system now. At least, in this world full of magic, I had a chance to make something of myself.


    I spent the rest of the day processing what had happened. I was still trying to make sense of it all when something unexpected happened.


    That night, during dinner, I said my first words.


    “S-Shadow God...” I stammered, barely able to form the words.


    Caross and Claire froze. Their eyes went wide.


    “What did he say?” Caross asked, his voice filled with disbelief.


    “Shadow God?” Claire repeated, clearly shocked. “That’s... that’s strange for a child.”


    I didn’t know why those words came out of my mouth. But somehow, deep down, I felt like they were important. Like they meant something.


    Claire and Caross celebrated my first words, throwing a small party in my honor. They were ecstatic, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that my words had set something in motion. Something big.


    Little did I know, those words would change everything.