In a dimly lit room, a young man eagerly sat at his desk, his hands trembling with excitement. The most anticipated virtual reality game of the year, "Divine Journey," was about to launch. This VRMMO promised a fully immersive experience in a cultivation world where players could live out their dreams of becoming powerful cultivators.
As he donned the sleek VR headset, he took a deep breath.
"Here goes nothing," he whispered, activating the game. The world around him flashed, and then darkness befell him. He felt a strange sensation, as if he was being pulled into another realm.
Suddenly, he found himself in a different world, surrounded by towering mountains and lush forests.
The game interface materialized before him, offering him the chance to create his character. After tweaking various settings, he settled on his appearance: dark skin, black hair, and hazel eyes. He selected his starting background, choosing to be born into a poor family, determined to rise from humble beginnings. He always liked reading web novels about characters who started from a poor class but soon rose through the ranks to become well-known and revered.
As soon as he confirmed his choices, the screen flashed, and a message appeared: "Welcome to Divine Journey."
The protagonist opened his eyes to find himself in a small, modest hut. The smell of cooking filled the air, and he could hear the soft murmurs of conversation. He realized he was no longer in his room but had been reborn as a baby in this new world.
When he woke up, the first thing he felt was his eyes being dazzled by the light. As his vision adjusted, he found a beautiful dark-skinned woman gazing at him. Her eyes, a hazel chestnut color, were soothing and elegant.
Who is this? he thought to himself.
As he looked around the room, he saw a man sitting near her bedside. The man seemed to be of similar age to the woman, with brown hair and a bulky, lumberjack-like build. Despite his imposing appearance, he had a soft smile on his face, giving off a fatherly aura.
The woman cracked a smile as she watched him and said something. Even though he was a baby, he was surprisingly able to understand her words.
"Isn't he so cute? He looks a lot like you, doesn't he?"
The man replied with a gentle expression, "Really? I thought he looked a lot like you. But if you say he looks like me, I won't fight against it. He looks just like his father."
A voice rang in his ears, "Well, Charlotte, Tim, your boy is as healthy as one can be for a newborn baby.
If you have any issues, please come to my clinic. If you have no other questions, then I'll leave, take care of your newborn."
As the echoing steps of the midwife slowly disappeared and the door slammed shut, he knew she was gone.
From what he just saw and heard; he concluded that something was definitely wrong with this game. There was nothing like this in the manual. This is just too real. The smells, the feel, the warmth of her arms, the humidityâit's impossible with the tech that I own.
What's going on? He tried to speak, but only groans came out.
He noticed he couldn't move his body at all, feeling sensations in his fingers and wrists but unable to control them. As he was thinking, he was interrupted by the woman reaching towards him and gently picking him up.
"Oh honey, look at this, he's not even that heavy."
"Tim, you know that you're just super strong, right? Just having him on my chest makes it hard to breathe.
He's a least twelve pounds. He's definitely healthy, honey."
The man laughed heartily. "You're right, Charlotte. He's going to be strong like his father."
Despite his muscular strength, the man handled him with the most tenderness and softness, even compared to the woman.
As they conversed, he drifted back into his thoughts.
This has to be a joke, right? Or a dream? Or maybe I'm in a coma. This is just too crazy.
As he thought more, he felt sleepier and sleepier until silence took over.
... A month passed, and he came to the conclusion that he was reincarnated. He realized this after much consideration. He had become a baby. He confirmed it when he was carried, and his head was supported on a small, chubby body.
I don't know why this happened, but at least I have my past memories intact, he thought. He tried to access the system, but there was no avail.
I've been here for a month. I should've been forced to log out of the game by now if that was the case. But I wasn't. This leads me to my conclusion in the first place.
But I don't think I'm delusional. This is my new reality.
He remembered his life before: losing his parents, having no family to rely on, living alone, and escaping into video games and novels. This might be a chance to make up for all those years of wasted potential and live a wholesome life here.
If I do find a way back, that's cool. I miss watching TV, my favorite snacks, and playing video games.
But since I've been here, it hasn't been all that bad. Especially since I'm still a baby, I don't have to work hard. I receive a lot of love from both my parents, reminding me of the old times when I was younger.
His new parents were definitely in their late twenties. They were cool and caring. He was only fifteen when he lost both of his parents in his previous life. No one claimed him, so he was put into a foster home until he could prove he could work on his own. By sixteen, he was already working as a beta tester, earning enough recognition enrollment into becoming this game's first VR game.
Never did he expect to end up in this situation after all that hard work. As he thought about this, tears slowly ran down his faceâa waterfall of emotions.
His parents' attire was that of traditional Chinese farmers.
His father would come back at sunset with a straw hat and clothes dirty with mud. If this is a Chinese setting, does that mean I am in an Asian country? Or maybe I am in a cultivation world similar to Divine Journey?
A year and a half passed by. Listening to his parents' conversations during this time, he started to understand things bit by bit. He was able to crawl at a year old, and moving around was wonderful. You kind of forget how special it is when you're older. He couldn't run yet, but he could walk in strides at least.
"Look at him, he's on the run again, he's trying to get out of the house. I keep moving him away from the door, but he just keeps going back," his mother said, laughing.
"Well, Charlotte, it's a good thing he's active. I was so worried he didn't cry at all when he was born. Even though he doesn't cry now, he's definitely healthy," his father replied.
He never cried in their presence but made noises when he was hungry or wanted to get out of his crib. Through their conversations, he learned his family wasn't as poor as he initially thought. His father, a farmer, brought back a lot of money from selling in the city. They lived in a village surrounded by mountains, with beautiful landscapes and a quiet, rural lifestyle.
He missed electronics, but with nothing else to do, he often stood in his crib, gazing out the window and listening to his mother read stories.
"Vaughn, you've been so quiet. At least you look excited to hear your mother read you a story," his mother said, approaching with a book.
She told him a story about a legendary cultivator known throughout the land as the Saint Swordsman. He was renowned for his mastery of any type of sword, revered as a hero who fought ferocious beasts and protected villages and cities. The story always ended with the Saint Swordsman prevailing over evil, but Vaughn felt there was more to the story.
As his father entered the home, he announced, "I'm back, Charlotte. How's little Vaughn doing?"
"Same as always, dazzled by my storytelling. I was just telling him about the Saint Swordsman."
"You're still telling those old stories, huh?"
"Well, you know how Vaughn is. These are the only stories that catch his attention. Want to help before he falls asleep?"
Vaughn listened intently, feeling a sense of warmth and belonging. Despite the challenges of his new life, he found comfort in the love and care of his new parents. Little did he know, this was just the beginning of his journey in the cultivation world.
The next day, Vaughn was thinking about his favorite TV show. The seven mystic orbs that could summon a dragon to grant a wish and the hero who saved the day from villains. But once he grew bored of that, with nothing else to do, he climbed onto a chair as usual to admire the field scenery. When he looked out, he was shocked. Instead of a farming tool in his father's hand, there was a sword.
Does he even know how to use that thing? Vaughn thought, watching his father wave the sword around.
Shocked, he fell from the chair. He grabbed the chair handle, but it couldn't support his body, and he hit the ground, the back of his head taking a brunt blow.
"Vaughn!" His mother screamed just as he hit the floor.
His mother dropped a glass vase from her hands, rushing over to him in a panic, her face pale. "Vaughn, are you okay?"
She scooped him up to her chest, her eyes scanning his whole body to make sure he was alright. Once she checked everything, she looked relieved.
"He seems fine," she said in a relieved manner.
Their friend, who was in the house, came over and gave some advice.
"Charlotte, it's better not to move someone who hit their head. He might have a concussion."
Vaughn felt a throbbing pain on the back of his head, but at least grabbing the chair had slowed his fall. His mother, despite her worry, seemed reassured by the lack of blood, thinking it was just a bump.
She took another look at his head, her hands glowing with a light he had never seen before.
"To be safe, I'll use a little bit of Qi to heal his wound."
The glow was natural, and the energy flowed into him like water. Vaughn was confused. He thought his family was supposed to be poor. For the past year, they never seemed like they could use martial arts or Qi.
But in minutes, the pain slowly diminished until it was gone, like it was never there.
"See, your mom healed you, so it shouldn't hurt anymore, okay, Vaughn?" she said, smiling.
"I didn't tell you a story about myself yet, have I? You know the Sword Saint I always talk about? Well, he's actually your father. Isn't that cool? You met him after the big fight against the dark forces. I was his healer, well-known for my healing capabilities."
"So if you ever get hurt again, your mom's goanna heal you right up, so you don't have to worry about a thing, okay, baby?"
Vaughn was plunged into great confusion. What was that just now? What did she just say? Something is definitely wrong here.
He looked out the window. His father was outside, sweaty as if he had been swinging his sword for hours. As his dad entered the room, he listened to his mother's explanation.
His father's roaring laugh echoed throughout the house. "Ha ha ha! Well, it's not good if a boy isn't active, Charlotte. You know, when I was his age, my father told me I was holding a wooden sword before I even turned two."
His mother, slightly worried, watched as Vaughn's father didn't seem to care that he had almost hurt himself.
This really seems like a novel story, Vaughn thought. I've read a lot.
He watched as his mother and father moved him to the next room to sleep. They moved upstairs, starting on the task of making a new sibling. They could have been a little quieter, though.
Later on, Vaughn started paying attention to the conversations between his parents and their friends. From their conversations, he learned a lot about how this world works and how he should speak. He learned the names of countries, districts, and various other locationsâplaces he had never heard of before.
This place is definitely another world.
But even coming to this conclusion again made him think he might have a chance to be something rather than a nobody everyone saw but ignored. Maybe he could be recognized as something greater and better.
This world is a cultivation world with swords and magic, unlike my previous life.
To live a normal life here, I have to work hard. I want to be something better, something greater. I don't want to be stepped on like a bug; I want to be the one stepping on bugs.
With the knowledge of my previous life and the experiences I've had, perhaps I can really do it. I can be the king of this new world.