The rain came down in sheets, soaking Alex through his thin hoodie. He didn't bother pulling the hood over his head. What was the point? He was already drenched, just like every other part of his life—gray, cold, and worn out.
The office lights still burned behind him, though his shift had ended over an hour ago. Overtime. Again. No extra pay. Again.
He passed the convenience store, then the old bookstore he used to visit as a kid. The windows were dark now. Closed. Gone, like most of his childhood dreams. His bag felt heavier than it should have, weighed down by papers no one would read and numbers no one cared about.
Then came the alley.
He took it every night—shorter than the main road, and usually safe enough.
Not tonight.
A sound—a low hum—buzzed in the air. Like static. Like the world was glitching.
Alex stopped. He looked around. No one.
Then the lights went out.
Not just in the alley. Everywhere. The streetlights. The distant buildings. Even the stars overhead seemed to blink out one by one.
"What the—?"
The air grew thick, pressing down on him. His knees buckled. Pain lanced through his skull, bright and searing. His vision went white. Then black.
He wasn't falling.
He was floating.
Time stretched. Or maybe it stopped.
Whispers echoed around him, but not in any language he understood. Symbols flickered past like fireflies—glowing gold, red, blue. They danced in the void, swirling, converging.
And then—
A voice.
Clear. Calm. Inhuman.
> [Reincarnation Complete.]
[Genius System Installed.]
Welcome, User. Prepare for Synchronization.
Wait. What?
Alex tried to speak, but his mouth didn't work. He had no mouth. No body. Just… thought.
> Initiating Memory Lockdown... Partial Knowledge Transfer Authorized.
World Assignment: Eridale – Magic Level: High. Conflict Rating: 7.8.
You have been chosen. Live well, Genius.
His lungs burned.
A gasp. Then a scream. Not his. Dozens of voices, muffled and distant.
Light—blinding, harsh, and too real—flooded his senses. He was cold. Wet. Tiny.
Tiny?
He moved—or tried to. Limbs wriggled weakly. A hand the size of a plum brushed his face.
A woman's voice wept softly nearby.
Someone shouted, "It's a boy! He's breathing!"
And just like that, Alex—no, this newborn body—began to cry.
System Notification
> Welcome, Alex. You have been reincarnated.
[Genius System] Active.
Intelligence-Based Growth Mode Enabled.
Your journey begins now.