Darkness.
It wasn't the absence of light—it was something deeper. Like even the concept of light had been erased. No time. No sound. No body.
And yet… consciousness remained.
> [Initializing System... Synchronizing Skill Core... All permissions granted. Activating Soul Link Protocol.]
A quiet chime echoed in the void. Then, a pulse of something—reality—rippled through the nothingness.
> [Welcome, Rei Ardent. Reincarnation process complete. All skills initialized at Level 999. Enjoy your journey.]
---
When Rei opened his eyes, he was lying on soft soil beneath a twilight sky—violet clouds drifting slowly across two moons.
He didn't move. Not yet.
The first thing he noticed was the silence. Not just quiet, but sterile. No birdsong, no wind, no footsteps. As if the world were holding its breath.
Then came the sensation.
His body felt... foreign. It responded too fast, too strong. Like every cell had been overwritten with something better—smarter, faster, beyond human.
"...So this is the new life?"
His voice was smoother than he remembered. More controlled.
Rei sat up and immediately, his vision adjusted. A translucent interface flickered to life before his eyes.
---
[Status Interface – Public Mode]
Name: Rei Ardent
Race: Human (Ascended)
Title: The Reinitialized
Level: ???
HP: ∞
MP: ∞
Skills:
[Universal Magic Mastery – Lv.999]
[Dimensional Traversal – Lv.999]
[Skill Creation – Lv.999]
[System Override – Lv.999]
[Emotion Suppression – Lv.999]
…and 482 more.
---
Rei blinked once. Then twice.
"Well, that's... overkill."
There was no shock. Just calm recognition. He had read about power fantasies. Now, he was one.
But something didn't sit right.
> If everything is maxed... what's left to grow?
His eyes scanned the empty horizon. Rolling plains. Cracked ruins of what looked like an ancient city in the distance. And beyond that—nothing. Like the world itself had yet to finish rendering.
He stood.
No fatigue. No stiffness. The wind finally began to move—perhaps responding to his presence.
That's when he noticed the girl.
She stood several meters away, staff in hand, cloak fluttering. Long silver hair caught in the breeze. Her stance: wary. Magical energy pulsed faintly around her. Not weak, but clearly... mortal.
"You're not from here," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"And you are?"
"I'm Lyra. This is a forbidden zone. Only the dead end up here."
Rei smiled faintly. "Then I suppose I'm already breaking the rules."
He took a step forward—and instantly, her staff sparked with crimson light. A threat.
"Move again, and I'll blast you into vapor."
That made him pause.
It wasn't fear. It was… curiosity.
This world had laws. Rules. Even people who could challenge him—if only by intent.
> Maybe this won't be as boring as I thought.
He raised both hands peacefully. "Easy. I'm not here to fight. Honestly... I just woke up."
Lyra didn't lower her staff. But her eyes flicked to his interface—still glowing faintly.
She blanched.
"...Lv. 999?" she whispered. "That's impossible. No one has ever—!"
Rei turned slightly, gazing up at the alien moons.
"Maybe I'm not someone who 'ever' existed."
And with that, the sky rumbled.
A pulse spread across the land like a silent explosion. Trees bent. Stones trembled. And deep beneath the earth, something ancient stirred.
Welcome to the new world, Rei Ardent.
This was only the beginning.