A wave of cold air hit me, sharp enough to jolt me awake.
Before I could make sense of anything, something struck my body, and a cry escaped my mouth. It wasn't intentional — it just came out. The sound was high-pitched and weak.
My eyes opened, adjusting slowly to the light. Two blurry figures stood above me, looking down with tears in their eyes.
'What's going on?' I thought, confused. 'Wasn't I dead? Wasn't I… trapped in that darkness?'
"Look, he's looking at us!" the man said with a trembling voice.
I tried to move. My body felt strange — small, fragile. When I lifted my hand to see it, my confusion deepened. It wasn't my hand. It was tiny, soft, and pale — the hand of an infant.
"What a cutie," said the woman beside him. Her voice was soft, tired, and warm in a way that almost felt nostalgic.
I turned my gaze toward them. The man looked to be in his mid-twenties, with messy black hair and glasses. The woman had the same dark hair, long and straight, and her expression was full of love.
For a moment, I just stared. Then it clicked.
'So… it really happened,' I thought. 'I've been reborn.'
It wasn't even something I could deny. The evidence was right there — the tiny body, the crying, the couple calling me their baby.
'Well, I guess that confirms it,' I thought again, trying to stay calm. There wasn't much use panicking over something I couldn't change. 'At least I got a second chance… thank God for that.'
But before I could finish that thought, a faint ding echoed in my head, followed by a flicker of light in front of my eyes.
[...Initiating System...]
[...Hello, Host...]
A blue screen appeared out of nowhere. My first reaction wasn't fear — it was disbelief mixed with a strange kind of excitement.
'No way... this can't be real,' I thought. 'Did I really just get a system?'
I tried speaking to it, or at least thinking toward it. 'Uh, hello, system? Could you explain what's going on — what happened, how it happened, and why? I'd really appreciate it.'
Even though I had a hundred questions, my voice — or my thoughts — came out steady. I wasn't panicking, which was weird. Maybe spending so long in that dark void had changed me. Before all this, I would've freaked out, convinced I was dreaming or hallucinating.
But now, I felt calm. Detached, even.
The blue screen responded.
[Yes, Host. I will now answer your questions — at least, the ones I can.]
'So, there are some you can't answer?' I thought, interrupting before it continued.
[It is advised that the host not interrupt. These answers can only be provided once due to current system limitations.]
[Now, as for how you are here — that cannot be fully answered at this moment. The host should simply know that he has been reborn in a different world, with his memories intact, through the assistance of the system.]
[You are currently in the world known as My Hero Academia, which was considered a work of fiction in your previous life. The current year is 2155.]
[Since the host retains memories of this world, a detailed explanation is unnecessary. Correct?]
'Yeah, sure,' I thought. 'Continue.'
I had questions — hundreds of them — but for now, I just wanted to hear the rest.
[Understood. The system currently possesses three primary functions: {Status}, {Quest}, and {Shop}. Which would the host like explained first?]
'Status,' I replied immediately.
The screen shifted. Lines of text formed neatly, written in clean blue letters.
[Status]
Name: ????
Age: 0 (??)
Level: 0 (00/01)
Body: 0.1
Mind: 1
Stat Points: 2
Skill Points: 1
[Skills]
Player (MAX): Grants complete immunity to all physical diseases, poisons, and mental afflictions such as fear, stress, and trauma. All physical aspects are converted into numerical values that can be displayed. The host remains in perfect physical and mental control.
[Level]: You can increase your level by defeating opponents or completing quests. Each level grants 2 stat points and 1 skill point.
[Body]: Represents your overall physical condition — strength, agility, durability, speed, and senses. It governs every physical action and interaction with the world.
[Mind]: Represents your mental and spiritual attributes — intelligence, perception, willpower, and control over non-physical energies.
[Skill Points]: Used to level up or acquire new skills that meet certain requirements. Earned from leveling up or completing quests.
[Skills]: Can be obtained through training or awakening. Once a requirement is met, the host must spend skill points to officially acquire the skill.
I took a few seconds to read through everything.
'That explains a lot,' I thought. 'So that sense of calm in the void wasn't enlightenment — it was probably the Player skill at work.'
It was impressive — simplified, straightforward, and cleaner than most of the systems I'd seen in stories. Only two stats, no unnecessary clutter. But there was one catch: I couldn't just grab skills freely. I had to earn or unlock them through conditions.
Still, it wasn't a bad deal.
'System,' I thought after a pause, 'do I have a quirk? Or is this Player skill supposed to be my quirk?'
[Negative. The skill "Player" is not a quirk. It is a special ability granted by the system to assist the host in adapting to this world. The host's quirk will manifest naturally as per the biological development of this body.]
'So I'll still get a normal quirk later,' I thought. That was good to know.
[Would the host like an explanation of the remaining functions — {Quest} and {Shop}?]
'Sure,' I replied.
The blue screen pulsed slightly, waiting to continue. I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of calm again.
A few hours ago — or however long it had been since my death — I was just another lonely man with nothing left to lose. Now, I was… a newborn baby, in a world where heroes and villains were real, with a literal system inside my head.
If anyone had told me this would happen, I would've laughed. But now, lying in the arms of people who seemed to genuinely love me, even if I didn't know them, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time — a quiet, cautious hope.
Maybe this time, I could do things differently.
Maybe this time, I could actually live.