Time loses meaning in the womb.
There is no light. No night or day. Only the ever-present heartbeat—thump, thump—like a distant war drum. He floats in warmth and darkness, curled into himself, his thoughts sharper than they ever were in youth.
He is no longer just a soul. He has a body now, albeit fragile. But that doesn't matter. Weakness can be trained. Time, effort, repetition—that's all he needs. And now, he has a tool unlike anything this world possesses.
> [Proficiency Panel Activated]
> Skill detected: Mana Perception - Lv 1 (4/100)
> Skill detected: Mana Control - Lv 1 (71/100)
Even here, in this confined space, mana pulses faintly. A sea of untapped energy just outside the veil of flesh and bone. Most babies in this world aren't aware of it until years later—when guided by a teacher, a master, or a system-assisted awakening.
But he? He was already breathing mana like air.
In his past life, it had taken him decades to understand what he now did instinctively. That mana is not controlled through force—but through understanding. Through flow.
With every inhale—he feels. With every exhale—he guides.
And with every cycle…
> [Mana Control - Lv 1 (98/100)]
> [Mana Control - Lv 2 Unlocked]
There is no dramatic burst. No fireworks. Just a subtle shift. Like slipping from sand into silk. The control becomes easier, more precise. His body, though minuscule, becomes a better conduit.
The system speaks in silence, but its message is clear:
Progress is earned.
Growth is real.
And this world will not know what it has invited.
---
He continues like this—day after day, week after week. The heartbeat becomes background music. The muffled sounds of his mother's voice, the thrum of footsteps from the world outside, they flicker in and out like dreams.
He ignores them. Not because he doesn't care—but because he must.
Every ounce of mana he gathers, every whisper of a skill refined, brings him closer to the foundation he needs.
He tries shaping the mana into patterns. Slowly at first. Clumsily. But his past life's memories act like blueprints. Eventually, it becomes smoother.
> [Skill Acquired: Mana Threading - Lv 1 (3/100)]
Thread by thread, he weaves it across the walls of his womb. He cannot cast yet, not without a proper circuit or channel, but he can feel the structure. He can simulate.
And simulation is everything.
> [Mana Threading - Lv 1 (89/100)]
> [Mana Threading - Lv 2 Unlocked]
He smiles—not with lips, for they are still undeveloped—but with soul.
---
Weeks pass. Perhaps months.
He gains another skill without trying.
> [Skill Acquired: Meditation - Lv 1 (1/100)]
Ah, yes. He forgot how natural it feels. His soul, shaped by a hundred lifetimes of cultivation, slips into meditation without guidance.
> [Meditation - Lv 1 (54/100)]
> [Meditation - Lv 2 Unlocked]
> [Meditation - Lv 3 Unlocked]
His mind clears even as his body forms. Thoughts become crisp. Memories of his old world become more organized, categorized. Things that once required conscious recall now come like muscle memory.
Tactics. Formations. Theories of mana infusion. Battle arts. Economic strategies. Languages. Even ancient magical arrays from the ruined Indian temple where he found the Proficiency Panel in the first place—all of it returns, piece by piece.
This is no cheat.
This is legacy.
---
And as time rolls on, he begins testing something more ambitious.
He compresses mana. Forces it to rotate. He recalls the way his old body used to create inner cores—a technique not known in this world.
Too soon. His infantile body trembles. His energy disperses, chaotic.
He nearly faints.
But he learns.
> [Skill Acquired: Mana Compression - Lv 1 (1/100)]
And so he starts again. Gently this time. A slow spin. Like stirring syrup with a thread of silk.
> [Mana Compression - Lv 1 (12/100)]
He will not rush.
He cannot afford to.
---
Then, one day—he feels something change.
A ripple of mana outside the womb. A bright presence. A warmth deeper than the fluid that surrounds him.
And then—pressure.
A tightening.
It's time.
Labor has begun.
He calms himself even as the world begins to tremble. His mother's heartbeat accelerates. Her mana flickers with stress and instinctive protective spells.
He listens—not with ears, but with awareness.
Voices. Excitement. A surge of emotions. Power flares in bursts—likely his father or the family guards responding.
And all the while, the Proficiency Panel hums softly.
His stats haven't changed. His body is still weak. But within his soul lies something older than this world.
He takes one final deep breath of amniotic mana, weaving it around himself like a cocoon.
And as light pierces his vision for the first time, he hears the system one more time:
> [Rebirth Phase Complete]
> Welcome to the World, Host.
> Begin: Path of Ascension
The cries of a newborn echo through the Arkanveil estate.
But this is no ordinary birth.
This is the return of a legend—
—disguised as a child