When my life changed overnight, I started to think that everything was a dream.
Suddenly, people began to develop special abilities. There were even those who walked down the streets with animal features, as if it were the most normal thing in the world!
It wasn't until my mind was flooded by an avalanche of memories that didn't belong to me that I understood.
This was not my world.
For some reason, I had traveled to a parallel universe. My body was still the same and my life seemed unchanged, but the outside world was unrecognizable.
I was still William Battaglia, an 18-year-old high school senior with mediocre grades.
This world was similar to mine in many aspects, at least in historical terms, but an event that happened ten years ago had altered the course of everything.
A decade ago, something known as the 'Reincarnation Space' appeared.
The 'Reincarnation Space' is a world apart, a kind of virtual reality, that only people between 18 and 35 years old can access.
However, those who have already entered before turning 35 can continue participating, even after exceeding the age limit.
In this space, people can explore different worlds, known as dungeons, complete missions, and earn reincarnation points. These points allow them to improve strength and acquire special abilities.
The most surprising thing of all is that the abilities gained within the 'Reincarnation Space' can manifest and be used in the real world.
Through the foreign memories that are now a part of me, I discovered that many of the dungeons in that space are inspired by movies, anime, video games, and other fictional universes that I knew well... even though those worlds didn't exist on this Earth.
Within the 'Reincarnation Space' there is a place known as the 'Safe Zone'.
Here are the training dungeons, specially designed for novices who have just entered. In this controlled environment, beginners can practice and adapt to their new abilities without any real risk of death.
However, for those who are more experienced, there is another much more dangerous destination: the Tower of Trials.
Unlike the 'Safe Zone', in the Tower, death is real. Each floor represents a great challenge, where a small mistake can mean the end of your life, both in the 'Reincarnation Space' and in the real world.
So far, no one has managed to overcome Floor 29. The difficulty becomes unbearable from that point on, and not even the Number 1 Ranker—known for being the only one to reach S rank—has been able to advance further.
"But I..." William thought as he looked at the clock on the wall, whose seconds seemed to stretch before marking the end of class. "...I can be different. I can go further."
With the vast knowledge he had about all those worlds, William knew what the best route was to complete the missions in the Tower of Trials.
If he tried hard enough, he could even surpass the Number 1 in the world!
Every time you overcome a dungeon, you are given a rating based on your performance. This rating determines not only the amount of reincarnation points you receive but also the quality of the rewards you get.
So far, the highest rating recorded was obtained on Floor 19, by the one who is now known as the Number 1: Shiva, from India.
In the Reincarnation Space, no one uses their true appearance or real name. Doing so could bring problems in everyday life.
The best example is the Number 1, who uses the nickname Shiva, the god of creation and destruction from the Hindu Pantheon.
Within the Space, you have the possibility to customize the appearance of your avatar, and before I arrived in this world, the previous owner of my body had already accessed that place. Although he had never left the Safe Zone, he already had a defined nickname and appearance.
My avatar is that of a young man with long, blonde hair that falls loosely over his shoulders. His eyes are an intense blue, and he is dressed completely in black. Half of his face is covered by black cloth, like a ninja's mask.
My nickname in the 'Reincarnation Space' is Seth, the god of chaos and rebellion, from the Egyptian Pantheon.
The former owner of this body chose this name for a reason. He didn't want anyone to know he was from the United States, so he opted for a foreign name. Also, he liked the way it sounded.
He also decided to choose a god's name since the first ones in the world ranking used names of gods for their avatars.
It is said that Shiva is from India, due to his nickname, but the truth is that no one knows for sure where he comes from.
In the Reincarnation Space, real identities are hidden behind carefully chosen names and avatars, and Shiva was no exception.
No matter what language you speak in the real world; in the Reincarnation Space, everyone understands and communicates as if they spoke the same language.
Suddenly the school bell rang, and without waiting a second longer, I was the first to get up and leave the classroom.
I must access the Reincarnation Space immediately. I need to find out if everything I know will really be useful in this world.
So far, no one has achieved a rating higher than S when completing an instance. No one knows if there are higher ranks...
"It's time to find out," I murmured to myself, drawing a small smile of excitement.
...
Upon arriving home, I found it empty, as always.
I have lived alone with my father, Benjamin, since I was five years old, when my mother died in a car accident.
Since then, my father has struggled to raise me, dedicating himself almost completely to work, since all the expenses depend on him.
I understood this, so I made sure he didn't have to do anything when he returned home.
But that day was special... my father would understand.
I dropped my backpack at the entrance and ran to my room. I closed the door behind me and sat on the bed, feeling the usual silence that filled the house.
Rolling up my shirt sleeve, I came across an E-shaped tattoo on my forearm, which began to glow intensely.
This tattoo appears anywhere on the body upon turning 18, and it is, basically, the entry key to the Reincarnation Space.
The letter E represents my current rank.
There are different ranks in the Reincarnation Space, organized from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, A, and S.
As I mentioned before, no one knows for sure if there are ranks higher than S, but since Shiva has reached Floor 29 already being an S Rank, it is reasonable to think that there are even higher levels.
After all, the Tower of Reincarnation has 100 floors.
Entering the Reincarnation Space is surprisingly simple. As I recall, I just need to keep the tattoo pressed for five seconds.
Unfortunately, according to what I remember reading in forums, it is not possible to enter the Reincarnation Space when you are in dangerous situations or in the middle of a fight in real life.
That means that, in critical moments, you are on your own.
Ignoring that fact, I kept the tattoo pressed for a few seconds, and in a blink of an eye, my surroundings completely changed...