Initially, I often wondered about the purpose of my birth.
My name is Cross Titan.
I was born into one of the richest and most powerful families in the country. The Titan family owned corporations, political influence, and entire districts worth more money than most people would see in ten lifetimes.
Yet for someone born into such privilege, my life was strangely empty.
The world loathed me.
Or maybe it simply didn't care.
After my parents died when I was young, the rest of my family treated me like an inconvenience. An unwanted stain on the Titan name. My relatives only spoke to me when cameras were present or when they needed a convenient heir to maintain appearances.
And friends?
Those were even worse.
Every person who approached me had the same hollow smile.
"Cross, your family is incredible."
"You're so lucky."
"Let's hang out sometime."
But their eyes never looked at me.
They looked through me… straight toward the wealth behind my name.
Eventually, I stopped trying to make friends altogether.
Loneliness slowly became normal.
And after a while… it became unbearable.
I tried ending my life.
Once. Twice. Then again.
Each time I failed.
How much more useless could I possibly be?
Sigh…
My gaze drifted upward toward the plain white ceiling above me.
Then down toward the white hospital clothing covering my body.
White walls.
White lights.
White floors.
Everything in this place was white.
It had been six years since my family placed me in this mental hospital. I was only 15 years old when they sent me here.
Their official statement was that I needed "treatment."
But everyone knew the truth.
They wanted to get rid of me.
The heir of the Titan family attempting suicide was bad for public image.
So they locked me away somewhere the public couldn't see.
Out of sight.
Out of mind.
I was 21 years old now.
And sometimes I wondered how much longer the world would allow someone like me to exist.
Over the years inside this hospital, I had a lot of time to think.
Too much time.
Eventually, I reached a strange conclusion.
Maybe people hated me because of how I looked.
I had long black hair that reached past my shoulders.
My eyes were darker than most people's—so dark they almost looked like an abyss staring back at you.
Nurses sometimes avoided direct eye contact.
Other patients said my stare made them uncomfortable.
But the biggest problem was something else.
I couldn't express emotions.
It wasn't that I didn't feel them.
I did.
Pain. Loneliness. Frustration. Even happiness, sometimes.
But my face never changed.
No smile. No anger. No sadness. Just a blank expression.
Like a doll.
Or a corpse.
People found it disturbing.
There was one thing I was good at though.
Reading people.
Because my own expressions never changed, I grew used to carefully observing everyone else's.
Tiny movements.
Shifts in tone.
Body language.
Breathing patterns.
The direction someone's eyes moved while speaking.
From those small details, I could understand what someone was thinking almost instantly.
Ironically, this ability made it even harder to connect with people.
Because the moment someone spoke to me…
I already knew if they were lying.
Books became my only companions.
Thick novels.
History books.
Philosophy texts.
I read everything the hospital library had.
And when I finished those, I started rereading them.
My memory helped a lot.
Anything I read once stays in my mind almost perfectly.
Like photographs stored in a library.
Tonight was no different.
I lay on my narrow hospital bed with a book resting on my chest.
But this time, I decided to try something different.
A fantasy novel.
Normally I didn't enjoy fantasy stories.
Most of them were predictable.
The strongest character wins.
The weak characters struggle.
Eventually, the protagonist becomes the most powerful person in existence.
But this particular novel had been incredibly popular online.
The title was ridiculous.
"Returned 100 Years to the Past, to Become Unbeatable."
I sighed.
"…This is definitely one of those stories."
Still, curiosity won.
I flipped open the first page.
Several hours passed.
"…Damn it."
Why was this so entertaining?
The plot wasn't complicated.
A man died in the future and returned to the past with all his knowledge. Using that information, he slowly rose to power and crushed every enemy who stood in his path.
Simple.
Yet strangely satisfying.
Maybe it was because I relate to the main character.
He also had no real attachments.
No friends.
No family.
Only ambition.
Only survival.
For the first time in a while, I felt something close to excitement.
If only…
If only I could live in a different world too.
A world where I wasn't just the unwanted heir of a family that abandoned me.
A world where I could start over.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The loud bell echoed through the hospital hallway.
"Lights are going out. Bedtime everyone."
I glanced toward the door.
A nurse stood there briefly before closing it again.
Oh.
I hadn't even noticed she had entered.
"…I should sleep."
I closed the book and placed it beside the bed.
The room darkened as the lights shut off.
Within minutes, silence returned.
Then something strange happened.
A distant sound echoed in the darkness.
Broken.
Distorted.
Like a radio signal trying to connect.
...…..lll...…llll...…..connection.....confirmed....
Contact with the soul has been established.
A double-soul human has been found.
Initiating the homecoming process.
A gentle feminine voice followed.
Warm, Ancient, and Powerful.
(So this is the son of the great Ruin).
(How interesting).
(I, Gaia, will care for your soul and body for eternity).
(Sleep well, my child of Ruin).
Darkness swallowed everything.
A sudden chill ran through my body.
"Brr…"
Why was it so cold?
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I noticed was the moon.
It hung unnaturally close in the sky.
Much larger than Earth's moon.
The second thing I noticed was the grass beneath my feet.
Cold.
Wet.
Sharp.
I immediately sat up.
"…What?"
This wasn't my hospital room.
Tall black trees surrounded me.
The forest was thick and shadowy, illuminated only by pale moonlight.
A cold wind rustled the leaves overhead.
My clothes were still the same hospital outfit.
Thin robe.
White pants.
No shoes.
"…Where am I?"
Did someone kidnap me?
But why?
And how?
Before I could think further, a voice spoke inside my head.
Fully merged with the user's soul.
I,
My body froze.
"…Who's there?!"
The voice continued calmly.
This location is the Great Forest of Bahamut.
It is located on the continent of Ilmanter near the Kingdom of Manter.
You have not been kidnapped.
You were teleported here due to Manara while you were sleeping.
My heart pounded.
"…A voice in my head?"
Was I hallucinating?
Maybe I had finally lost my sanity.
But the cold grass felt too real.
The wind.
The smells.
Everything felt real.
"…Wait."
A continent?
A kingdom?
This sounded suspiciously like the fantasy novel I had just read.
But something was different.
That novel never mentioned a place called Ilmanter.
Nor something called Manara.
"Stay calm," I muttered.
If this really was another world, panicking would only get me killed.
"…Hey. Voice."
Yes, user.
"I have questions."
Answering the user's questions.
"First… What are skills?"
Skills are special abilities hidden within every person.
However, they remain dormant.
They can only awaken when an individual achieves something considered impossible.
Interesting.
So abilities exist here.
"Then what is the 'World System'?"
The World System: GAIA observes all life within Genesis.
When it encounters individuals whose ambition and potential are intriguing, it may unlock their abilities.
These abilities are known as Skills.
Each skill is unique.
They cannot be copied.
Although some may possess similar effects.
Genesis.
So that was the world's name.
"Then… tell me about this world."
This world is called Genesis.
There are five continents ruled by divine beings known as the Aetherians.
Ilmanter — the central continent.
Asgardaya — the northern continent.
Wanowara — the eastern continent.
Faltoria — the western continent.
Hespara — the southern continent.
Five continents ruled by gods.
That sounded dangerously complicated.
"Okay…"
I rubbed my temple.
"Last question."
"Why was I teleported here?"
The voice paused.
Error.
My current power level is insufficient to access that information.
Please wait until I reach a higher level.
"…Of course."
So the most important question couldn't be answered.
Typical.
"Fine."
"Then tell me about my skill."
If I wanted to survive in a strange world, understanding my abilities was the first step.
User.
You have been favored by the World System.
You possess two passive Skills.
Two?
"What are they?"
Skill One:
This skill allows analysis of the world and assists the user in growing stronger.
That explained the voice.
"And the second?"
Skill Two:
This skill greatly reduces the chance of immediate death.
It also grants exceptional affinity with Manara, Spirits, and Fairies.
"…Wait."
I blinked.
"These two skills sound powerful."
Correct.
Throughout recorded history, only two individuals have ever awakened three skills.
So two skills already placed me among extremely rare people.
"…Not bad."
Even if I had been dragged into another world against my will, at least I wasn't starting completely powerless.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Yes, user.
"Stop calling me 'user.'"
"My name is Cross."
Acknowledged.
User Cross.
"…That didn't change anything."
The forest rustled quietly around me.
Reality slowly settled in.
I was barefoot.
Wearing hospital clothes.
Standing in a dark forest in another world.
"…Fantastic."
Step one.
Survive the night.
"Nexus."
Yes, user Cross.
"Can you locate the nearest village?"
If I stayed here too long, something dangerous would eventually appear.
Scanning the surrounding Manara.
Searching for settlements.
Processing…
A moment later—
Village detected.
Distance: approximately four kilometers.
Direction: East.
Please follow my guidance.
"…Good."
At least I wouldn't wander blindly.
I took my first step through the cold grass.
The forest remained silent.
Almost too silent.
"This skill really hears my thoughts, huh…"
Creepy.
But useful.
As I walked east under the strange oversized moon, a quiet thought surfaced in my mind.
Mom.
Dad.
I don't know if souls exist.
Or if you can see me from wherever you are.
But if you can…
I hope you're watching.
Because your son has somehow ended up in another world.
And for the first time in my life…
I might finally get a chance to start over.
I glanced toward the moon above Genesis.
"…But don't worry."
I whispered.
"I'll find a way to see you again someday."
Even if that meant reaching the afterlife itself.
For now though…
I looked ahead into the dark forest path.
"…Let's see what kind of world this is."
A new world.
A new beginning.