I came home after a tiring day at school.
I never expected my talent to be S-level, and even more than that, I never expected my spiritual creature type to be an insect...
I washed my hands, sat on the chair, and prepared myself dinner since my parents were still at work.
In this world, my parents were different from the ones I had on Earth.
My previous parents had been indifferent toward me. Every morning, they left pocket money on the table, and in the evening, I would catch a glimpse of their tired faces when they returned home from work. Once I became a teenager, they stopped paying much attention to me. They sustained me, but that was it.
At times, their cold attitude made me feel lonely, but eventually, I realized they were just doing their best to provide me with a good life. After understanding that, I stopped demanding their attention and left them be—just as they had done with me.
We were a family, yet at the same time, we weren't.
But none of that mattered now.
I had once promised myself that I would repay their efforts tenfold and that I would always be kind to them.
And yet...
Now, in this new life, I felt a little sad.
Not only had I failed to fulfill that promise, but I also didn't have any memorable moments with them. Over time, their faces—faces I had once wanted to remember forever—slowly faded from my memory.
For that reason, in this life, I was determined to create as many meaningful moments as possible with my current parents.
After finishing my dinner, I made my way to my bedroom, lay on my bed, and started thinking.
One major question occupied my mind:
"What should I bond with?"
Since my spiritual creature type was insect, I had a lot of options.
But the ones I was considering were spiders, scorpions, and wasps—all creatures known for their potent poison.
Back on Earth, scorpions weren't classified as insects, but here, on Astrivale, they fell under the insect category, meaning I could easily bond with them.
The reason I was so tempted to contract a spider, scorpion, or wasp—despite having countless other options—was simple: poison.
I remembered reading a novel called "Poison King." In that story, the main character had insane poison abilities and could kill his enemies without even fighting. He would simply poison them and watch as they struggled to survive—only to die miserably in the end.
I wasn't the type of person who liked to fight head-on, so spiders, scorpions, and wasps seemed like the best choices. With their poison, I could weaken or kill my enemies from a distance, letting them die slowly and painfully.
If I chose spiders and fused with my bonded creature, my body would undergo a complete transformation. I would gain the traits of my chosen spider, making me faster, deadlier, and more venomous.
The thought of finally becoming a Spiritborn sent a shiver of excitement down my spine.
I even imagined myself looking more spidery—yet somehow still handsome.
Once again, excitement surged through me.
However, there was a major problem with choosing spiders as my bonding creature.
As I said before, I would gain the traits of my chosen spider, meaning my entire body would change.
And that included my method of delivering poison.
My fangs would become the primary way to inject venom, meaning that if I wanted to poison someone, I would have to bite them directly.
That thought alone worried me.
Was it really worth putting my head in danger just to make my main weapon work?
Maybe I needed to consider other options.
Some creatures had unique body parts—like scorpions and wasps, which had tails with venomous stingers.
When someone bonded with a spiritual creature, they would also gain that creature's unique body parts.
Now, imagine living with a tail so lethal that a single accidental sting could kill ordinary person instantly.
It was as if the Universe had already considered this possibility.
To prevent such disasters, Spiritborns naturally awakened an ability called "Transformation."
This ability allowed Spiritborns to remove certain parts of their transformed body while outside of battle—and reform them at will. Thanks to this, they could blend in with ordinary people when needed, though their transformed features often made them stand out in a crowd.
Furthermore, a Spiritborn's fusion rate with their spiritual creature determined how much of their body could transform.
If a Spiritborn had a 100% fusion rate, they could completely transform into their spiritual creature, becoming one with it.
---
Back to the topic at hand.
If I fused with a scorpion, I would gain its tail, meaning I would attack using my stinger rather than risking my head to poison enemies. This was already a safer alternative than using my own head.
The situation was similar for wasps—but with one major difference.
In addition to a venomous stinger, I would also gain wings that would allow me to fly both in battle and while traveling.
This was a huge advantage, since not every Spiritborn could fly after transforming.
The idea of soaring across the battlefield, stinging enemies from above, and watching them perish beneath me sounded incredible.
After considering my options, I finally made my decision.
I would bond with a wasp.
It was, without a doubt, the best choice for me.
---
Later that evening, my parents finally returned home.
Seeing them safe and sound filled me with relief.
Wanting to help them relax, I rushed to the kitchen and prepared dinner for them as well.
However, when we all sat down at the dining table, something felt off.
Unlike every other night—where we would talk, laugh, and share stories—tonight, my parents were eerily silent.
I couldn't understand why.
---
[Phillip's POV]
Before coming home, I had asked my wife, Julia, about our son's talent testing.
To be honest, I had been worried about him.
Both Julia and I were ordinary humans—we didn't expect much, nor did we pressure him to become a Spiritborn.
We had agreed that we wouldn't ask him about his results unless he wanted to tell us himself.
And so, here we were—eating our meal in complete silence...
---
[Back to MC's POV]
"Dad, Mom, why are you both so quiet today?" I finally asked.
They glanced at me but said nothing.
"Is it because of my talent testing?" I pressed again.
After a brief pause, they slowly nodded.
I instantly understood.
They didn't want to pressure me into talking about it.
Or perhaps…
They were afraid to hear the answer.
After all, both of them were ordinary humans, so the chances of me inheriting any talent were incredibly slim.
I smiled warmly.
"I have great news for both of you."
They looked at me curiously.
Then, I dropped the bombshell:
"I awakened… an S-level talent."
Their jaws dropped.
"Whaaaaat?!" they both shouted in pure shock.
My father, Phillip, blinked rapidly.
"Wait… did I mishear you? Did you just say S-level?!"
I nodded proudly.
"Yes, my talent is S-level."
I paused for a moment before adding:
"And I can bond with… any insect in this world."
They sat there, stunned, trying to process what I had just told them.
After a long moment, my father's face lit up with pride and joy.
"We should celebrate this! Let's organize a grand feast for the occasion!" he declared, already preparing to rush out and tell all our neighbors.
I quickly stopped him.
"There's no need for that." I smiled.
"Let's just spend time together as a family. After all, I'll have to leave for the Academy soon—right after I bond with my spiritual creature."
Hearing that, my mother—who had been holding back tears of happiness—looked like she might jump to the skies if she could.
That evening, we spent our time together meaningfully, celebrating as a family.
I also told them about my decision to bond with a wasp, and they immediately understood the clear benefits of my choice.
That night, for the first time since my reincarnation, I felt extremely happy.