As I kept digging through the System, I noticed something new. The stars I had ignored before were now glowing in the background of the void—and they weren't just for decoration. They hid options I hadn't seen before. One of them, the questions tab, was actually a conversation log with everything I had ever said to this system. That included my life as Kenji and the time I'd spent with Fate. 'This system is more organized than my old bedroom,' I thought.
Other tabs flashed, catching my attention. Notifications, disabled by default (of course—making things easier for me would be too much to ask); skills, which were currently empty—way emptier than Kenji's wallet; and missions, a word that would've made me jump if I had a body. Notifications seemed like the key to everything, so I activated them as soon as I could. With that, the system came to life, pulsing like it was saying "finally, you're awake."
'System, I already know about the attributes and that they're being strengthened by others, but how is that strengthening calculated? And how am I supposed to tell the difference between Charm and Charisma if they use the same abbreviation? And what the hell are Soul Rank and Soul Level?' I asked, already bracing myself for an unnecessarily complicated answer.
[EXPLAINING: Soul Level is your soul's level. It will carry through all your lives unchanged, unless your soul suffers damage.]
[EXPLAINING: Soul Rank is the numerical measurement of your soul's evolution. All souls can go through a process called Awakening, also known as "evolving."]
I frowned—or imagined doing so, since I didn't have a face. 'So I'm at the lowest level and rank when it comes to the soul. But how can I raise my Level and Rank?' I asked, trying not to sound too insulted by the underwhelming explanation.
[ANSWERING: To increase your Soul Rank, you must reach at least Soul Level 10.To increase your Soul Level, it will depend on the world you're in. Some will be based on physical growth, others on intellectual or spiritual development. But the easiest way is to overcome your mortal limits and complete missions.]
'No way. The system actually gave me an answer I could understand for once,' I thought, stunned by the clarity. I decided to ride the wave and ask another question. 'Since I have an attribute panel, can I modify it now, before I'm even born?'
[ATTRIBUTE POINT DISTRIBUTION: Unavailable. Soul Level too low for permanent distribution.]
"Permanent distribution? What do you mean, system? Are you saying I'll have attributes that stay with me regardless of what world I'm in?"
[EXPLAINING: There are two types of attribute distribution.The first is temporary distribution—it only affects your current body and resets when you reincarnate.The second is permanent attribute points—classified as "bonus attributes"—which your soul can carry with it to modify and enhance your next body whenever needed.]
I was shocked to realize I could get two different types of attributes, but welcomed the idea. After this life, the next one would be easier—as long as I managed to earn some permanent stats.
But at this point, the waiting returned to swallow me. No sound. No time. Just the system, the darkness... and me.
My thoughts began to drift again. Fate, Kenji, reincarnation... 'Why me? What does Fate want from me anyway?'
As if it had been waiting for me to stop asking questions and get lost in thought, the system screen flashed, turning golden, majestic—like it had heard my doubts, which weren't even questions, just a silent cry for direction.
[AWAKENING MISSIONObjective: Multiply your base strength to 0.05 before birth.Progress: 0.00 / 0.05REWARD: Soul Level increases by 0.01]
'A mission?!' My eyes widened—or at least I imagined they did. 'Now the system responds to random thoughts too? I'll think about that later... The real question is: how am I supposed to increase my attributes without a body? And what measurement base are we using?'
[EXPLAINING: Attributes are measured based on the world you're in.In this world, the base attribute for a physically gifted adult is 10. To help you understand: in a world where people can run for miles without tiring, that adult's strength would be 2.]
[CONTINUING: For you, base attributes are always 10, regardless of the world. The only difference is the difficulty in reaching them. Here, with Strength 10, you can lift 100kg; in another world, it might require lifting 500kg to hit the same mark. In short: the difficulty varies.]
With that info, I had to reflect, using everything I'd learned so far to dissect the logic behind it. 'So the attributes are calibrated based on the world where I'll be born. A blessing… and a headache.' Suddenly, I felt something. A muffled sound, like a distant drum. 'A heartbeat? Doesn't seem like mine... Am I hearing my mother's heartbeat?' My awareness of my surroundings was becoming clearer, like I was... waking up. 'I never thought I'd be happy just to feel more of my environment, but this is progress,' I thought, a mental smile forming.
The interface flickered, as if agreeing with me.
[Do you wish to activate passive visualization of bodily development?(Y/N)]
'Do you really have to ask? Of course I do,' I replied, nearly laughing at the system's formality.
The screen changed, showing a translucent silhouette of my forming body. It wasn't pretty—'just a mess of cells, nerves, and primal shapes.' Still... it was me. 'Weird,' I thought, half fascinated, half disturbed.
'System, how many weeks along am I?'
[You are currently 2.5 weeks.]
'What?!' I was shocked. I shouldn't be this developed after just two and a half weeks. For a fetus to develop nerves to the point of hearing or feeling a mother's heartbeat, it normally takes 3 to 4 weeks. But I... 'Hey system, how am I developing so fast? It makes no sense!'
[Organic growth: Early fetal stage (2.7%).Neural development accelerated. External interference detected: Host soul influencing brain structure.]
I was struck by the revelation. 'Influencing? So... my soul is making my nervous system develop enough for me to hear my new mother's heartbeat? My soul is shaping my brain?'
[Correlation confirmed. Soul-brain synchronicity theory initiated.Accelerated development activated.Adapting brain structure to retain memories without overload...]
The weight of it hit me like a wave. I was shaping my own life before even being born. Every thought, every choice, every realization, was carving out who I would become. I wouldn't waste this chance. I wouldn't be a hollow echo like Kenji.
I closed my eyes—or tried to—and focused. Mission. Attribute. Soul. Body. Time. Fate.I was the spark. The beginning of something greater.
Deep within my consciousness, the system pulsed, scheming something I hadn't planned.
[Processing genealogical data… searching for optimal combination for enhancement...]
Weeks passed, and I became obsessed with my development. I tested the system, improved my interaction with it, and felt my body take shape. The screen updated, showing how much time had passed.
/STATUSName: (N/A)HP: 2SP: 1Sex: MaleRace: HumanAge: 4 Weeks (76 Old)Soul Rank: 1Soul Level: 1
ATTRIBUTESSTR: 0 / PER: 0AGI: 0 / RES: 0INT: 15 / CHA: 0CHA: 0 / LCK: -4DEX: 0
At four weeks, my nervous system was developed enough to sense the world around me—the pulse of liquid, the distant rhythm of my mother's heartbeat, a living presence, yet mysterious. But above all, what caught my attention was my Luck stat dropping even lower. And that was definitely not a good sign.
'Hey system, why is my luck dropping so much if I haven't even been born yet?' I had to ask. I couldn't ignore it anymore.
[EXPLAINING: Normally, no world likes reincarnators that weren't chosen by it or guided by its own fate. Under usual conditions, I could protect you from the world's influence until adulthood. However, since your soul awakened before birth and began influencing your own development, the world is rejecting your presence to preserve its natural laws.]
'So you're saying the world is going to try to stop me from being born? Then why were you searching genealogical data instead of hiding me?'
[That wasn't possible, as your soul hadn't fully fused with the body. For protection to work correctly, the soul must enter a deep sleep and be assimilated during the first two weeks. If this doesn't happen, the soul is force-fused at four weeks. From this point on, the world will no longer affect your luck before birth, since you are now hidden until you begin affecting the world's fate.]
'I see. So, if I'd just kept quiet from the start instead of exploring the system, you would've been able to protect me. But since I kept messing around, you failed. Hmph... you're not as strong as I thought you were...'
Before I could come up with any solutions, everything around me started shaking more than usual. The fluid surrounding me trembled, my mother's heartbeat sped up, and a sense of urgency gripped me.And then came the pain.
Not physical pain, like when Kenji stubbed his toe on the edge of a table. It was deeper, more devastating. It felt like my very existence was being torn apart.
The system flashed red, warning just how serious and urgent the situation was.
[ALERT: External interference detected. Bodily structure under critical stress.]
I didn't understand what was happening, but the pain worsened—a pressure that felt like it was crushing my soul against the barely-formed body. My consciousness, expanded by the soul-brain synchrony, picked up every detail with terrifying clarity.
The heartbeat—that distant, comforting sound—vanished.
In its place, I heard a machine. A deep hum. A vacuum.The fluid around me began to spin violently.I felt my tiny body being sucked in, shaken like a leaf in a storm. My membranes tore. My form started to unravel.
The process was fast, but for me, every second lasted an eternity.Yet... I was still conscious.
'No… this isn't how it ends!'
The pain intensified. I saw—no, felt—parts of me being destroyed. It started with my legs, which hadn't even finished forming. The agony of a leg being torn off ripped through me.
No matter how much I tried to move, the suction caught up and tore more pieces from me.The pain was so intense that I wanted to die just to stop feeling.But the synchronicity that my soul had formed, instead of helping, now kept me from blacking out.It was like my awareness was chained to the pain.
The physical agony was just the tip of the iceberg.The worst came from my soul, which screamed as the bond with the body I had been shaping was torn apart.It was like I was a circuit being violently unplugged, sparks of agony exploding in my awareness.
'No… Not now!'I tried to cling to the system, to my body, to the mission… but the suction was merciless.
The pain peaked, as if my very essence was being crushed in a black hole.I couldn't scream. I couldn't move.But my mind roared:
'FATE, YOU BASTARD, IS THIS FUN FOR YOU?!'
Then... everything stopped.
The fluid vanished.The shaking ceased.And I was pulled into a void even deeper than the one before.