Chapter 1+ prologue
"My life was a contradiction—miserable yet strangely fulfilling."
I never knew the warmth of a mother's embrace or the guidance of a father's hand. My mother passed away giving birth to me, and my father followed her the very next day in a tragic plane crash, all because of poor maintenance. From the very beginning, fate seemed intent on making me an orphan.
But fate wasn't entirely cruel.
I was adopted by a 15-year-old girl named Natalie—a girl who had already lost her parents at the age of eleven. She hadn't planned on taking in a child; she was only at the hospital to visit her ailing aunt, who happened to be in the same ward as my mother. Before passing, her aunt asked her to look after me, and despite her reluctance, she agreed.
I never understood why. Was it pity? Kindness? Obligation?
Whatever the reason, that day became my luckiest. Because Natalie—my "one and only" sister—became the person who raised me, protected me, and gave my meaningless existence a purpose.
She worked tirelessly to support us both, and even when I was old enough to understand how exhausted she was, I couldn't do much to help. I wasn't good at studying—I was just an average student. I wasn't good at sports—except for gymnastics and parkour, but I saw no value in them. I had no social skills, no friends, no real talents. I was nothing more than dead weight.
Yet, Natalie never complained.
She would always smile and say, "I don't care about your grades or achievements, Jim. I'm just happy to see you grow up."
An angel—that's what she was. And I? I was just a useless, pathetic burden.
Or so I thought.
Because there was "one" thing I kept hidden from Natalie and the rest of the world—one secret talent that set me apart.
I "never"missed a target.
It started with a simple slingshot. I used to shoot at crows that stole food from street vendors. I thought I'd need practice, but every shot landed "exactly" where I aimed. No deviation. No miscalculations. A perfect, clean hit every single time. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was born with an unnatural gift—an innate talent for marksmanship.
That's when the thought struck me.
"Maybe I could join the military."
I wanted to help Natalie, to ease her burdens, and this was the only thing I was good at. But when I casually brought it up during dinner, her reaction was instant and fierce.
"Don't even "think"about it, Jim."
I had never seen her so angry before. The conversation ended right there.
Even if I wanted to help her, I couldn't bring myself to disobey her.
The First Kill and The Last Shot
One day, while we were out shopping, chaos erupted.
A gang of armed robbers, chased by the police, began firing wildly into the crowd. Natalie and I ran for cover, but fate was cruel—we ended up directly in their escape path. Before I could react, one of them shoved me aside and grabbed Natalie, pressing a gun to her head as a human shield.
Something inside me snapped.
I wasn't going to let them take her.
My eyes locked onto a fallen handgun on the ground—dropped by one of the robbers. Without hesitation, I grabbed it, aimed, and fired.
A perfect headshot.
The robber dropped instantly, releasing Natalie. Relief flooded through me—but it was short-lived.
A deafening "BANG!"
Pain exploded in my chest.
I looked down. Blood. So much blood. Another robber had shot me from behind, and as my body crumpled to the ground, the last thing I saw was Natalie's tear-streaked face.
I wanted to say something.
I wanted to tell her I was sorry.
But darkness swallowed me before I could.
Rebirth in A new world:
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in a hospital. I wasn't even in my city.
I was lying under a massive tree, surrounded by towering foliage and unfamiliar sounds. A dense jungle stretched out before me.
And this time I was lucky Why? Because I was right next to a cliff.
I bolted upright, hands instinctively clutching my chest—but there was no bullet wound. No pain. It was as if I had never been shot.
Confusion settled in, followed by realization.
"I… was reborn?"
As the shock wore off, a new question surfaced—*What the hell am I supposed to do now?*
I had no idea where I was, no supplies, no direction. I was completely alone.
But then, something clicked in my mind. An instinct. A hidden knowledge buried deep in my consciousness. Almost as if responding to my thoughts, a glowing interface appeared before my eyes.
[STATUS]
Strength: 10. Stamina:10
Defence:10. Mana:10
IQ: 5
I scanned the screen, eyes widening as I read through the information.
SKILLS:
- Weapon Summoning – The ability to summon and control firearms.
- Target Seeker – Automatically highlights an enemy's weak spots.
- Absorption - Allows to absorb energy from a defeated opponent.
- Limiter Release– Temporarily removes all physical limitations, boosting all stats by 50%.
I took a shaky breath.
"So… I can summon guns?"
To test it, I thought of a weapon. A familiar weight materialized in my hands—sleek, heavy, deadly.
A Desert Eagle.
I gripped it tightly, my mind racing. If this world was anything like the fantasy stories I had read, then I needed to test my abilities on "something".
Moving carefully, I crept through the jungle, hiding in the bushes. Soon, I spotted a strange, oversized bird—something that looked like a horned chicken.
Perfect target.
I steadied my aim, exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger.
"BANG!"
A clean headshot. The creature collapsed instantly.
Cautiously, I approached its corpse and poked it a few times, confirming it was truly dead. With no knife, I picked and used a sharp rock nearby to butcher the bird, thinking it would serve as my first meal.
But as I cut through, I found something strange inside its body—a smooth, glowing stone where its heart should have been.
Curious, I Used my Skill Absorption on it.
Instantly, a surge of energy rushed through me. My muscles felt stronger, my body lighter. I quickly checked my status again.
[All Stats Increased By 5%]
My eyes widened. "So Absorbing these gives me power?"
That was good to know.
I ate my meal in silence, reflecting on everything that had happened. This wasn't just a second chance at life. This was something far greater.
I had the skills. I had the weapons. I had the means to survive.
Night Came and looking into the sky I took an oath.
That from this moment forward, I was going to carve my own path in this world—one bullet at a time.
With that thought, I climbed a tree for shelter and drifted off to sleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.