It happened so fast.
Too fast for him to react, too fast for his mind to process.
Just a moment ago, everything was fine—panels blinking, monitors displaying the expected readings, the low hum of the Collider filling the entire Collider Hall.
Then the next, chaos.
"...ev..n.. Umm... Steven." Steven (MC) was too focused on his work that he haven't noticed someone calling him.
"You sure are really working hard man. Come on, let's take a short break," his friend and coworker Ethan said.
"Yeah sure, I'm done with this part anyway," He replied to him.
[ Shutdown? ]
A dialogue message written on the screen.
~ Outside the lab, in front of the vending machine ~
"Here man." Ethan passed him a canned coffee.
"Thanks." He responded.
"Hey, you two. Come on guys, we're about to do the last test run of the Collider," a female coworker who worked at the administration which was just as invested as they were in the project called them.
"Yeah, we'll be there." Steven replied while nodding.
When they got back, they proceeded with the collider test and prepared to go home. But before leaving, they did a small celebration for the official run of the collider.
One of their coworkers, Maya, saw something strange a while ago when they operated the Collider—a little spark in one of the rings were power was unleashed right before the collider was turned off.
She hesitated but didn't want to ruin the mood, so she remained silent about it.
But she wasn't the only one who noticed it.
During the final diagnostics, Ethan frowned at the monitor. "That's weird... Did you guys didn't notice a sudden spike in energy just before the shutdown?" He muttered, mostly to himself.
He glanced toward the collider chamber with a feeling of unease crossing his face before shaking his head. "Maybe just a miscalculation."
Maya hesitated when she heard it. Her fingers tightened around her glass. She wanted to speak up, but laughter and congratulations filled the entire room, drowning out her thoughts.
'It was nothing… right?' She convinced herself.
With that, they all went home, got some rest, and returned to work the next day.
That was when the horrific incident happened.
[ERROR] [ERROR]
Steven's breath hitched.
The red warning messages flickered across the main screen, a clear sign of an impending disaster.
"What is happening?!" He shouted, his voice barely cutting through the rising panic.
"There's an unknown error occurring in the collider!" a coworker responded, frantically typing away at his console.
"We need to shut it down!" another coworker yelled, his hands were trembling.
Then, an unknown energy surged.
Bzzztt...
A blinding burst of light swallowed the room. Electricity crackled through the air.
Steven's ears rang as a deafening roar filled the lab. He barely had time to shield his face before the explosion tore through everything.
He gasped, choking on the thick, unpleasant smell of the smoke. The stench of burnt metal and something… worse clung to the air. His head pounded, and hi vision warped as he struggled to push his body up.
"Guys! Are you okay?!" Steven's voice wavered with fear.
Silence answered him.
His chest tightened. His hands trembled as he reached out in the dim light.
Bodies. Twisted, unmoving forms.
The same coworkers who had been shouting just moments ago. Dead.
Cough. Cough.
Steven coughed again, his breath shaky. "Did the space inside the testing chamber collapse?" His thoughts raced. "The collider—I need to shut it down."
He forced himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest.
But then…
A chill ran down his spine as the world around him seemed to slow. No, not slow—it seemed like the time suddenly stopped.
The smoke hung motionless in the air. The flickering lights froze mid-blink.
His own heartbeat sounded distant, sluggish.
'Huh? What's happening?'
His gaze snapped to the center of the room. A void had taken shape at the place where the collider once stood. A black sphere darker than the deepest abyss, pulsed mysteriously.
It wasn't just still—it devoured motion, light.
Everything...
And it was growing. It was pulling everything in.
The void pulsed again, and Steven felt it—an undeniable force dragging him into that sphere.
His limbs stiffened as if invisible hands were dragging him forward. His boots screeched against the shattered tiles.
But resistance was meaningless...
The darkness was swallowing everything, and he was next.
He opened his mouth to scream. But no sound came out.
The air thinned. His thoughts blurred.
Then, everything—sight, sound, feeling—vanished.
Nothingness.
There was no pain, no sensation—only an endless abyss stretching in all directions. He couldn't tell if he even existed, yet something was there, breaking the void.
'Huh, where am I?'
Ttrrring...
A screen.
It floated before him, glowing faintly in the darkness. Its presence was absolute, undeniable, the only thing anchoring him in this emptiness.
〔 System Initialization… 〕
〔 Analyzing Neural Patterns… 〕
A strange sensation tingled through Steven's mind, as if something were thoroughly examining his memories, organizing them like files in a database. He wasn't just recalling his past—He was being dissected, his thoughts laid bare.
Flashes of his past life surfaced, disjointed and scattered.
Science, logic, technology—everything that had defined him—began intertwining with concepts he couldn't understand. Flow, manipulation, essence. A new foundation was being laid, merging seamlessly with what he once knew.
〔 Adaptation Process: 3%... 12%... 27%... 〕
The numbers climbed steadily. The deeper they went, the more alien yet familiar the knowledge became. This was something beyond Earth, beyond the realm of physics he had studied. A force that dictated existence itself.
〔 Adaptation Complete. 〕
Without warning, a force pulled him forward, overwhelming and absolute. A sudden rush of sensation flooded in—heat, movement, weight. The suffocating blackness shattered, replaced by blinding light.
"Wahh... wahh..."
A piercing cry echoed in the air—his own. His lungs burned as he gasped for breath, his body weak yet alive. Blurred figures loomed over him, their forms are massive, their voices unfamiliar yet strangely comprehensible.
His vision adjusted slowly, taking in the lavish surroundings—ornate carvings on the walls, shimmering chandeliers, and the richly embroidered fabrics.
Nothing resembled the sterile labs and technology he once knew. Everything was unfamiliar, yet strangely warm.
Then, a gentle touch cradled him, and he turned his gaze toward a beautiful woman with a golden hair and kind blue eyes filled with warmth. Her expression radiated love, and beside her, a tall man with an auburn hair, ember eyes, and a proud yet tender smile watched him with joy.
"Our son..." the woman whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "He is finally here."
The man chuckled softly, his eyes shining with pride. "He's so cute. He has your eyes."
"And your hair and nose," the woman added playfully, gently caressing the baby's tiny hands. "I can already tell he's going to be strong."
They decided to call him Vincent.
Vincent (formerly Steven, MC) tried to move, but his body was weak and unresponsive. His mind, however, was racing. 'Where am I? And more importantly, who were these people?'
A new voice entered the room, firm yet respectful. "My lord, my lady, may I enter?"
"Come in, Velius," the man—Lord Aldric—said, his tone commanding yet warm.
A tall figure with a brown hair, emerald eyes, and was clad in deep blue robe stepped forward, bowing slightly. His sharp eyes studied Vincent with a mix of curiosity and reverence. "A healthy boy. Congratulations, Lord Aldric, Lady Clara."
"Thank you, Velius," Vincent's mother—Lady Clara—responded. "We have long awaited this day."
Aldric nodded, his expression softening as he gazed down at Vincent. "No matter what, he is our son first and foremost. That is what matters."
Velius hesitated for a moment. "My lord, the astrologers have spoken of the stars aligning in a rare formation on the night of his birth. Some believe it signifies a great change."
Aldric scoffed lightly, shaking his head. "The astrologers always find something to say. Give them silver, and they'll tell you he is destined for glory. Give them gold, and suddenly, he is to become a king."
Clara frowned slightly. "Still, there is a pattern in their readings..."
Aldric sighed. "I will not deny that some forces exist beyond our understanding, but I will not let fate alone decide his future. He will become who he chooses to be, shaped by his own will."
Velius chuckled, bowing slightly. "A wise stance, my lord."
Aldric smirked. "Now, let us not fill this room with old men's ramblings. Our son is here, and that is all that matters."
Clara smiled, her grip on him tightening ever so slightly. "Whatever the future holds, you are our child, and we will love you always."
Vincent could feel his consciousness fading once more, the warmth of his mother's embrace lulling him into sleep.
As the days passed, He began to understand his new world better. His parents, Lord Aldric and Lady Clara, were nobles—powerful ones at that. The term "essence" occasionally appeared in their conversations, spoken in hushed tones.
One evening, as Vincent lay in his cradle, Clara spoke to Aldric in a low voice. "Do you truly believe there is something special about him?"
Aldric exhaled slowly. "I do not know. But I have seen how the very air shifts around him. We cannot ignore it."
Clara looked down at Vincent, her expression torn between love and concern. "Then we must prepare him. We must give him the strength to decide his own path."
Their words lingered in his mind as sleep overtook him once more.
Strength. Power. Destiny.
'Whether or not I was fated for something great, one thing was clear—I would not be a passive observer in this life.' A steely resolve burned within him. 'I would carve my own path, forge my destiny with my own hands, and—'
"Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah."
Ttrrring...
〔 Skill Acquired: Baby Babble (Lv. 1) 〕
'Wait. What?'
Another screen popped up in front of him, nearly causing him to choke on his own spit.
〔 Baby Babble (Lv. 1) – Your attempts at coherent speech result in adorable nonsense. Mildly effective at manipulating caretakers. 〕
'I… I was ready to defy fate, and this is what I get?!'
Determined, He tried again, focusing every ounce of his will into saying something profound.
"Gwah!"
〔 Baby Babble (Lv. 2) – Increased adorableness detected. Caretakers are now 5% more likely to grant requests. 〕
'Oh, you've got to be kidding me.'
Clara beamed down at him. "Oh, my sweet little one! He's trying to talk!"
Aldric chuckled. "With that enthusiasm, he might be a great orator someday."
Vincent felt an existential crisis creeping in. A legendary figure in the making… reduced to weaponized cuteness.
'Fine. If this was my fate, I would use it to my advantage. Time to grind skills.'
Days turned into weeks, and he dedicated his self to the art of babyhood with newfound determination.
First, physical training. Wiggling the fingers? Check. Kicking with his feet? Maximum effort. Rolling over? A challenge worthy of a warrior.
〔 Skill Acquired: Roll Over (Lv. 1) – You have conquered gravity. Barely. 〕
Next, social manipulation. Staring into his mother's eyes with the biggest, saddest baby expression he could muster? Instant cuddles. Crying strategically? Summoned servants in record time.
〔 Skill Acquired: Tearful Appeal (Lv. 1) – Your cries now have a 10% chance to evoke immediate response from caretakers. 〕
The system was a blessing and a curse, feeding his absurd growth while mocking him at every turn. But he wouldn't let it break into him. 'No, I had a goal now. If I was stuck in this world, I will try to master it.'
And so, he trained.
Every coo, every flail, every adorable giggle—honed to perfection. His parents thought they were raising a normal child, but in reality, he was building the foundation of something far greater.
〔 System integration: 0.3% 〕
By the time he could crawl, he had a plan.
Step one: Get stronger. Step two: Learn about this unknown energy that this Screen said to him. Step three: Take over the world. Probably?
With the strategy set, he gazed at the ornate ceiling, fists clenched in determination.
This world wasn't ready for him.