[!Ding! Congratulations, host, for reincarnating! Your all-friendly system is now online.]
"Ugh… ahhh…"
A young man, appearing to be around 17 or 18, groaned as he sat up from the ground. His body felt strange, unfamiliar. He blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings a dense green forest, towering trees that seemed to stretch 200 to 300 meters into the sky, with giant rocks and patches of wild grass scattered around. The eerie sounds of distant monsters echoed through the foliage.
"Wait… where am I?" he muttered, standing up on shaky legs, his gaze darting around the unfamiliar landscape.
The forest's vastness and the ominous growls from unseen creatures made it clear: he was deep within some untamed wilderness.
"My voice…" He paused, realizing it sounded different. "This isn't my voice."
He looked down at his hands, rough and thin, and then at his clothes cheap, coarse fabric that felt foreign against his skin.
"This body… it's disgustingly weak. Pathetic. I've never felt anything like this before. Even the weakest where I was from weren't this frail."
A chilling thought crossed his mind. "Wait… could it be? Is reincarnation real?"
He quickly glanced down at his hands again, then touched his face, a flicker of disbelief flashing across his eyes. "These aren't my hands. This isn't my face."
The realization hit him hard. "No… it's not reincarnation. This must be transmigration."
His eyes narrowed. "But whose body is this?"
Suddenly, a torrent of memories flooded his mind. Fragments of another life merged with his own, offering glimpses of someone else's existence.
"This body… the name is Larry Kane? Just an ordinary student from Earth, a planet filled with mundane, pointless routines. He attended something called Howard School, where they don't even learn to fight?" Ray snorted. "How dumb. Education without power? What kind of foolishness is that?"
Disappointment etched across his face as he sifted through the memories. "This Larry was just a normal human, boring and weak. But somehow, by sheer luck or misfortune I've taken over his body in this place."
Ray smirked. "Well, that's fortunate for me."
He shook his head, muttering to himself as he processed the knowledge. "So, Larry Kane just transmigrated here, in the middle of this jungle… and I've taken his place."
How hilarious, Ray thought, the faintest hint of amusement curling his lips. In his world, it would be a colossal embarrassment for a transmigrator to die just after arriving. A pathetic end.
Ray stretched his limbs, still feeling the weakness in this new body. "And… no cultivation. No physique, no meridians, no roots. Nothing." His voice grew quieter, more contemplative. "So, it's true. After the forbidden ritual, there's no cultivation left for me."
He glanced around, his expression thoughtful. "Where am I now?" He adjusted the strange clothes that clung to him, clearly designed for a world far different from the one he knew.
"Tuxedo, huh?" Ray mused, recalling the term from Larry's memories. "A rich man's attire. Larry must have been at some high-society event before he was pulled through that portal."
With a dismissive wave, Ray brushed off the lingering fragments of Larry's memories. "None of that matters now."
Ray tilted his head back, his black hair catching the sunlight as he gazed up at the bright sky. The sun's warmth felt foreign, harsh against his eyes.
"I wish you happiness, Ember," he whispered, his voice low but steady. "You went so far to betray me, seeking whatever it was you needed. I've paid my price. I've given my parting gift. So forgive me… I won't be with you."
A faint sadness crept into his tone, though his expression remained stoic. "It saddens me, but I've already let go. Enjoy what you've taken, Ember."
Ray closed his eyes, feeling the sun's harsh light against his lids.
"F! My eyes!" he cursed, rubbing them as the brightness overwhelmed him. "This body is too weak. Can't even look at the sun without pain."
He sighed, lowering his hand from his face. "I'll have to deal with this… one step at a time."
I took a deep breath, the crisp forest air filling my lungs, and straightened my posture. "I am no longer Ray Whiterose," I declared, my voice laced with an arrogance that felt like second nature. "From this moment, I shall be known as Ray Darkrose."
The wind picked up, whipping through the trees and brushing against my skin. My shoulders shuddered involuntarily.
"Ugh, fkkkk! So cold," I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself. This body was disgusting frail and weak. The chill cut through me like a blade.
I frowned, my mind racing back to when I first woke up. I'd heard something, hadn't I? A voice? My ears were never wrong. No, I definitely heard it.
I turned slowly, scanning the endless sea of green around me. Trees towered high above, their canopies swaying gently in the breeze. Rocks and wild grass stretched across the vast landscape, but there was nothing else just endless forest.
Then, it came again.
[!Ding! Congratulations, host, for reincarnating! Your all-friendly system is now online.]
"Huh? A system?" I blinked, the words sinking in. "Wait, wait… isn't this the same thing from that guy's memories?"
I crossed my arms, tilting my head slightly as I contemplated. "Yeah… the novels he used to read. They always had some kind of cheat ability after transmigration, didn't they?"
A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips. "Oh yes, yes indeed. This could be interesting."
But a thought nagged at the back of my mind, sobering me. "Will it be enough, though? Didn't I want to just live a normal life? Wasn't that the reason I died and used that forbidden ritual?"
I shook my head, the memories of that final moment flooding back. "No… maybe it was because I thought rebirth was a lie. If reincarnation were real, wouldn't there be top powerhouses jumping from life to life?"
I let out a short, bitter laugh. "I never saw any. Yup, it was all bullshit."
Still, the reality hit me I had no cultivation talent now. Not after what I did.
I clenched my fists, then slowly relaxed. "Actually… what I wanted wasn't just a normal life. It was to enjoy life like normal people. To have friends. Lovers. But for someone like me, born into the primordial imperial clan, that was impossible."
I sighed, the weight of my past life pressing down on me. "All day, it was cultivation, struggling, grinding. Everyone serious, cunning. It was so… boring."
A smile crept back onto my face, softer this time. "Well, whatever. I'm going to enjoy this life. Mortal or not, I won't complain. I'll live without holding back, maybe even make actual friends."
I paused, a sudden realization striking me. "Wait… how the hell am I feeling emotions this freely?"
My eyes widened, my hand flying to my chest. "It's not my real body…"
The truth hit me like a wave, and I almost cried. "Oh… fkkkk! Finally! I'm free from that curse!"
A laugh burst from my lips, wild and unrestrained. "HA! HAHAHA!"
The weight I'd carried for so long the cold, emotionless temperament forced upon me by my physique was gone. I was free to feel, to laugh, to cry.
I let out a breath, my chest heaving with newfound freedom. "Wait…" I said, glancing around, "What were your functions again, system?"
SYSTEM!!!!!!!
A grin spread across my face. "Don't leave anything out. Tell me everything."
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