I've Been Reincarnated...

My head was spinning in overwhelming dizziness. I didn't know where I was, how much time had passed, or even had a clear sense of myself.

Little by little, I regained my senses and started to feel my body again.

My mind was still completely foggy, like when you sleep for twelve hours straight and wake up groggy, not knowing where you are or what happened.

Slowly, I began to recover. My eyelids, as heavy as stones, finally opened, and my blurry vision revealed an unfamiliar environment.

Suddenly, a memory hit me like a bolt of lightning.

"Shit, I missed the alarm again!"

"Damn it, now I'll have to listen to my superior rambling about commitment and discipline again. What a pain!"

My mood instantly soured.

I tried to move abruptly to grab my phone and check the time, but that's when I noticed something strange. My body felt heavy. Too heavy. I had no control over it.

"What?!"

"Why can't I move?!"

My mind started racing, considering every horrible possibility—a stroke, a serious illness, an extremely bad flu…

"Shit… ugh!"

"Well, at least I don't have to go to work today."

"If I can't even get out of bed, no one can blame me for skipping."

I decided to try sleeping a little more to see if I'd feel better—at least enough to grab my phone and call for help. But then, something made me freeze.

My eyes, now a bit less blurry, caught sight of something strange.

"Where… am I?!"

What I saw around me was not my room. The walls seemed to be made of yellowish earth. On the ceiling, some burned-out candles left soot marks.

There was a window—or rather, a square hole with twigs serving as bars. Through the gap, a faint light suggested it was morning.

As I looked around, shock took over me. This wasn't my apartment.

"Am I dreaming? If this is a dream, it's way too realistic!"

My desire to sleep disappeared. Fear took its place.

Waking up in an unknown place, unable to move, was definitely on my list of terrifying scenarios.

"Damn it, what was I doing last night?!"

My mind went into a frenzy, desperately trying to recall anything that could explain my situation.

"Was I kidnapped and drugged?!"

"But I've never been anywhere this strange! And I've never made enemies who would do something like this to me!"

My vision finally cleared completely. What I saw next left me speechless.

"Oh… I can finally move a little. Wait… why is my hand so small… and red?"

I stared at my own hand. Pale. Reddish. Too small.

At first, I refused to believe it, but after a few minutes of wiggling my fingers, an unsettling truth began to form in my mind.

"What the hell is this? What kind of bizarre dream is this?"

That's when a memory flooded my mind.

"Oh… right. I wasn't kidnapped. And actually…"

A wry smile formed on my lips.

"I'll never have to go to that shitty job again… hehe."

"After all… I died."

---

That's right.

The night before, I had been drinking with my college friends. I was completely wasted.

After saying goodbye to them, I stumbled my way home. But I was so out of it that I didn't notice the red light and started crossing the street.

The last thing I remember is the deafening sound of a horn, way too close.

Time seemed to slow down. I turned my head and saw a truck just inches from my face.

After that, a dull thud.

And darkness.

Nothing but emptiness.

'Wait…'

'I think I talked to someone during that time…?'

'Or did I?'

No matter how hard I tried to remember, my memory was a blur.

After a while, I gave up trying to understand it. What mattered now was the present.

'Well… I guess there's no denying it anymore.'

'I've been reincarnated.'

---

One month later

It's been a month since I came to this world. After countless existential crises about life and death, I finally accepted reality—I had been reincarnated.

Of course, I still have some regrets from my past life, but the truth is, I've faced death before. I lost important people early on. And I was already accustomed to the idea that, sooner or later, my time would come too.

In the end, there's no point dwelling on it.

Now, what matters is living this new life.

And honestly?

I'm starting to get excited.

In my past life, I was a huge fan of this kind of story. I know very well the advantages of being reincarnated.

'Well, now that I've gotten over my depression about dying, I need to figure out where I am and what I am.'

First thing: I'm a baby. Probably a newborn.

Second thing: My skin has a reddish hue, and after a month of exploring my own body, I realized I have two small horns growing on my forehead.

I'm probably some kind of humanoid race. Maybe a demon?

Thankfully, I don't have a spade-tipped tail, or I'd already be worried.

As for where I am…

I believe this is an orphanage.

And how do I know that?

Well…

"Waaaah! Waaaanh!"

A baby's cry echoed beside me.

"Uoohhh! Uooohhh!"

Soon, two more joined in.

But something was strange. Some of those cries… didn't sound human.

I was definitely not in a human society.

We were all in a room, lying in straw baskets. In total, I counted four babies, including myself.

After a while, a woman entered the room.

She seemed to be in her thirties, with pale green skin, golden eyes, and long, slightly messy brown hair. She wore a simple black dress, worn but well cared for.

A few older children accompanied her and started calming the babies.

"Zrii tik! Sha miira! Ka tik-tik!!"

I didn't understand a single word.

'Great. No automatic translation, no status window… nothing.'

I definitely wasn't blessed with any special powers like other reincarnators. I had already tested…

'Guess I'm in hard mode.'

---

'Ugh, looks like it's feeding time.'

Suddenly, a child about twelve years old appeared in front of me, making me jump in surprise.

After all, she wasn't an ordinary child. Her face resembled an ant's, and her hands were a mix of insectoid limbs and human fingers.

She said something, her voice cheerful, but to me, it was just a jumble of meaningless sounds:

"Here, little Kurt, time for your food!" ~

The child held a small bowl and pointed a spoon in my direction.

'Yeah, still don't understand a thing… But judging by the tone, I think it's a girl… maybe?'

I sighed internally. I still wasn't used to these appearances. Every time I saw someone like this, it gave me a shock…

Resigned, I opened my mouth and took the milk she offered. At least I wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment of drinking directly from a mother, like other reincarnated babies. A definite plus, in my book.

Meanwhile, another voice chimed in beside us:

— "Aunt Mia, Kurt never cries. Isn't that strange?"

— "I already checked, Junah. He's healthy, just a bit quieter than the others. It might be something about his race."

— "Hmmm, okay..."

The ant-girl waved the spoon at me again.

'I'm full, enough, go away!'

I turned my head and shot her an annoyed look, making it clear I didn't want any more.

Junah blinked, surprised, and looked at Aunt Mia.

— "See? Isn't that weird?!"

The woman chuckled softly.

— "He just has a strong personality. Keep taking good care of him."

He didn't know it, but his actions only made him even more unusual and amusing to them.

But for now, that didn't matter.

First, he needed to figure out where exactly he was!