A New Beginning

"WOW... but what is cultivation? And what is this spirit root?" he exclaimed with excitement, though his voice carried the confusion of someone encountering terms they had never heard before, as he stared at the status panel in front of him.

For a moment, his curiosity was distracted by his surroundings—a rather plain room with a single bed and a table accompanied by a couple of chairs. The room wasn't anything special, just an ordinary space with minimal furnishings. Observing its simplicity, Evan sat down on one of the chairs near the bed, still pondering the meanings of "cultivation" and "spirit root."

His gaze returned to the glowing blue panel, the excitement and curiosity about the new world etched on his face. As his eyes scanned the screen, he noticed other information displayed there—details he had overlooked earlier due to his fixation on the unfamiliar terms.

Determined not to miss anything this time, he leaned closer and carefully examined his status, reading it aloud under his breath as if trying to imprint it in his mind.

"Name: EVAN SOL… So, my name in this life is Evan. But I also have a surname?" he murmured to himself. For a moment, he raised a hand to his lips, covering them as he mulled over the strange discovery.

"Is it normal for people in this time to have surnames?" he wondered aloud, tilting his head slightly in thought. Could this be something unique? The idea intrigued him, yet also left him somewhat bewildered. After all, surnames had never been part of his reality before. Looking at his current home, no one would ever guess he had one.

Then, as if triggered by the mere concept of having a last name, a wave of memories from his previous life on Earth came rushing back. Memories of growing up in an orphanage, without family, love, or even the dignity of a name to call his own. Slowly, he lowered his hand, a somber smile forming on his lips.

"In my last life, I didn't even have a surname…" he whispered, his voice tinged with sadness as he lowered his gaze to the floor, his eyes reflecting the lingering pain he carried in his heart.

As he stared at the ground, those memories from Earth continued to flash through his mind, unbidden. One, in particular, surfaced—a memory so vivid and bittersweet it left an ache in his chest.

...................

In the memory, a five-year-old child sat alone at a small table in a preschool classroom. He wasn't a particularly sweet or intelligent boy; if anything, he could be described as less than average. His hair was a dark blonde, long enough that his bangs nearly obscured his dull, tired eyes. Those eyes peeked through the gap between his small hands as he rested his head on the table, watching the other children play together in groups.

The room was alive with the sounds of joy—laughter, shrieks of delight, and the occasional playful cries of fear.

"Ehehehe," one girl giggled loudly, pointing at a boy who had just tripped over toys scattered across the floor.

The boy, now sitting on the ground, seemed dazed for a moment before realizing what had happened. His face crumpled, and he began to cry loudly. "Waaaahhhh!" He rubbed his eyes with tiny fists as tears streamed down his cheeks.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the other children, who gathered around him, forming a small circle.

Fortunately, the preschool teacher soon intervened. She crouched down and gently picked the crying boy up in her arms, soothing him with a calm, maternal voice. "Shhh, shhh… It's okay now," she said, holding him until he calmed down.

Ethan—that was his name in his previous life—watched the scene from his table, still lying motionless in the same spot he had occupied for hours. He observed everything happening in the classroom, but no one ever seemed to notice him. The teachers, the children—it was as though he didn't exist.

"Why is it like this?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible as he buried his face even further into his folded arms.

This time, however, silent tears began to fall from his eyes—the tears of a child who had no one. No one to care for him, no one to comfort him. A child abandoned to fend for himself in a world that seemed indifferent to his existence.

..................

Back in the small room, Evan's mind snapped back to the present. He shook his head slightly, trying to dispel the heavy emotions threatening to take over. But even as he sat there, staring at the glowing panel, the sorrow of his past lingered in his heart like a faint echo, reminding him of the life he once led.

He clenched his fists slightly, then took a deep breath before speaking to himself once more.

"There's no time for sadness." Though his voice still carried traces of sorrow, he knew there were more important things to focus on.

His priority now was to understand more about this world—the world he had been reborn into. About himself. And about the family of the boy whose body he now inhabited.

As he spoke those words, he began scrolling through his status panel, his finger gliding over the displayed information. Suddenly, his finger stopped.

[AGE: 9 years / 3 months / 6 days]

"Ooo... so I was right... this kid wasn't even ten years old," he muttered, his mouth slightly agape with a faint smile on his face. But then, just as suddenly, the smile vanished.

"Wtf… why did I react like that? It's like I placed a bet and won," he said with a faint look of disgust on his face, repulsed by his own thoughts.

"Alright…" This time, he spoke with less excitement and a more serious expression, as though trying not to appear heartless in front of himself. "He wasn't even ten years old," he repeated, his voice tinged with sadness and a hint of sympathy for the boy's family.

"But don't worry... as long as I'm alive, they'll never find out," he declared, lightly thumping his chest with his fist as if making a solemn promise, his expression filled with pride and conviction.

"Alright… next," he said as he resumed scrolling through the status panel. His finger soon stopped on another piece of information.

[LIFE SPAN: 79 years / 6 months / 19 days]

"Does this mean I have that much time left? Or is it how long I'm supposed to live?" he wondered aloud, resting his chin on his hand as he leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.

"Ah, whatever, it's nothing to worry about for now," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, quickly moving on to the next line of information.

[CULTIVATION: NONE]

"Cultivation… but what does that even mean?" he asked, his fingers returning to his face in a thoughtful gesture as he leaned closer to the panel.

"Hmmm… I'll ask my parents," he said, as though it were a natural thing to do, unaware of the strangeness of his own statement. Without hesitation, he moved on.

[BODY: ******]

[GRADE: |Top|low|]

[...]

"My body… does that mean it's something special?" he muttered, trying to decipher the hidden information. However, the text was obscured, leaving him frustrated.

"But why is it blurred out?... Hmmm," he mused for a moment before deciding to move on again.

"The grade… so it's ranked, and it seems like the top tier, but with a lower sub-tier," he remarked, squinting at the panel as he analyzed it. "Hmmm… but how good does that actually make it?" he asked himself, seeking answers to his question.

"If it's labeled as 'Top,' it must be pretty good, but… not the best," he admitted, disappointment flickering in his eyes. "I thought having a system meant everything would be the best… but I guess I was wrong," he added, his voice tinged with even greater disappointment.

"No matter… this system is surely amazing in its own way," he said, his expression shifting to determination. He clenched his fist, looking at the system panel with resolute eyes.

"You're amazing, aren't you, my dear little system?" he said in a playful, almost childlike tone, trying to 'pet' the system panel with an expression of care and anticipation, as though waiting for a response.

"...."

"....."

"Ahem, ahem…" With an awkward chuckle, he scratched the back of his head. "I guess this isn't one of those systems with its own AI…" he muttered sheepishly, still rubbing his head.

"Haaa… oh well, moving on then," he said, shaking off the awkwardness of the moment, even though he was alone. He resumed scrolling, his finger gliding over the screen until it stopped again.

"Hmmm… what's with these three dots?" he wondered aloud. As if responding to his question, the panel revealed additional information as his finger hovered over the ellipses.

"Wow," he whispered in awe at the newly displayed details, his eyes widening.

[...]

"A body that is in powerful harmony with the forces of the universe aids in faster cultivation and a significantly quicker understanding of the laws of the world."

[Boost: ]

[Cultivation: 7x]

[Law Comprehension: 9x]

Reading the information, his mouth opened slightly in astonishment at the incredible enhancements his body provided.

"WOW… now this is what I call a boost!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with genuine admiration. "Ohhh, you're amazing, my precious system!" he declared in that same playful tone, this time attempting to hug the status panel itself.

"Brother, is everything alri–" came a voice from the doorway.

The boy who entered stopped mid-sentence, staring at the scene before him. He didn't know how to react to what he was witnessing…