Chapter 2: A Stranger in My Skin

The forest whispered around her, leaves rustling, an owl's distant hoot, the faint ripple of a stream she couldn't see. Her crimson eyes darted to the canopy, where starlight filtered through, its brilliance shockingly sharp and vivid, a stark departure from the blurred world she'd known. Ben had lived with myopia since childhood, his world a soft-edged haze without glasses, every distant object smudged into ambiguity. He'd worn glasses since he was twelve years old, a constant reminder of his imperfection, and even switching to contact lenses when he was sixteen didn't improve his situation because of the constant discomfort he would feel, grit in his eyes, a nagging itch that made every blink a small ordeal. But now… now her vision was flawless, a clarity so piercing it felt like a violation of reality itself. She blinked, expecting the familiar fuzz or the faint sting of lenses, but the world remained vivid, each detail carved with a precision that teetered on the edge of the surreal.

The canopy above was a living mosaic, leaves interwoven with stars that burned like tiny suns, each one a blazing pinpoint she could almost reach out and touch. She could see the delicate veins of each leaf, their intricate networks pulsing with a life she'd never noticed as Ben, their edges so sharp they seemed etched by a divine hand. The sight wasn't just clear, it was overwhelming, a torrent of detail that flooded her senses and left her dizzy. A butterfly drifted past, its wings a shimmering tapestry of sapphire and amber, and she could discern every scale, every filament catching the moonlight in a dance of iridescence that felt too perfect, too unreal. Her gaze flicked to a wildflower at the hollow's edge, its crimson petals glowing with an inner fire, their subtle gradients, scarlet fading to ruby, revealing patterns so intricate they seemed to whisper secrets of the forest itself.

The clarity was staggering, but it was also an assault, deepening the fracture in her identity. As Ben, even with glasses or the grit-filled ache of contacts, the world had boundaries. Details resolved at twenty feet, maybe thirty. Leaves were green smudges, stars were soft pinpricks, a bird's feathers a blur of color. It was a human sight, imperfect but known, a filter on reality that matched the manageable limits of his ordinary life.

Now, there were no boundaries. The stars didn't just shine; they lanced into her, each a minuscule sun radiating complex coronas of light invisible to any human optic nerve. A bird perched nearby wasn't just emerald and gold; it was a living tapestry where she could trace the branching architecture of individual barbs on its feathers, see the microscopic hooks binding them like divine Velcro, perceive the subtle dilation of its obsidian eye as it met her gaze. The connection wasn't just visual; it felt like her sight could peel back layers, revealing the raw biological engine beneath the plumage. The forest vibrated with a hyper-reality that felt less like nature and more like a blueprint for creation, rendered in impossible fidelity. Every leaf vein, every dewdrop's refraction, every shifting shadow screamed her displacement. This wasn't clarity; it was revelation meant for something else. She was an intruder drowning in a beauty so intense it became terrifying. For a moment, the sheer vividness threatened to unravel her mind, a sensory tide too vast to withstand. She pressed her hands hard against her eyes, not just seeking the blur she'd once cursed, but desperately clawing for the comforting, human limitations she'd lost.

I feel so different. Like I am genuinely another person, not just in some other body. The correction was a quiet ache, a reminder that her new body, this delicate, childlike form, was reshaping her from the inside out. Her thoughts raced, too fast and sharp, as if her brain had been rewired to match this body's potential. Emotions surged unpredictably, fear spiking like a blade, awe at the forest's beauty, grief for the life she'd lost, each one hitting with the raw intensity of a child's unguarded heart. She tried to calm down, to box away the fear, how shed easily been able to do it in her previous life. But it spilled over, a child's panic that made her hands shake uncontrollably. The stability that she could always rely on was suddenly gone, replaced by a disorienting flux that left her reeling.

She shifted in the hollow, the rough bark scraping her skin, and winced at the sensation, too sharp, too immediate. Her body felt wrong in every way. Her arms were too slender, lacking the strength she'd built carrying book crates or hiking trails. Her balance was off, her center of gravity lower, making every movement a conscious effort. Even her heartbeat, steady now after the previous night's chaos, pulsed with a rhythm that wasn't hers, a child's quick, fluttering beat, not the slow thud of a grown man. How do I live like this? The question hung unanswered, a shadow in her mind as she stared at the forest beyond the hollow.

The forest was alive, its beauty both a lure and a threat. She let her gaze wander, testing the limits of her newfound vision. The trees towered above, their bark etched with grooves and whorls that seemed almost deliberate, like ancient runes carved by time. Their leaves, a deep emerald, shimmered with moonlight, each one outlined with a silvery glow. Vines draped from branches, swaying in a gentle breeze, their surfaces dappled with subtle veins that pulsed with life. Wildflowers, crimson, violet, gold, dotted the underbrush, their petals so vivid they seemed to glow in the night, each one revealing intricate patterns she'd never have noticed with the vision she had in her previous life. The sight was mesmerizing, but it was also overwhelming, a sensory deluge that made her head spin and her chest tighten.

She turned her head slowly, her fingers sinking into the soft grass, and let her eyes wander. A narrow stream wove through the trees, its surface rippling with the sky's reflection, silver fish darting beneath in flashes of light. Moss clung to rocks along its banks, a lush green that seemed to hum with vitality, while ferns unfurled in graceful arcs, their fronds swaying like dancers in a silent ballet. In the distance, a faint mist curled around the trunks, lending the forest an ethereal glow, as if it existed between worlds. The sounds were as vivid as the sights: birdsong, sharp and melodic, weaving through the air; the rustle of leaves, a soft whisper; the distant snap of a twig, jolting her into alertness. It was beautiful, yet it carried a weight, a reminder that this world was as perilous as it was enchanting.

As she was mesmerized by the scene, her mind wandering, a question gnawed at her: What am I supposed to do in this place? The thought was a spark, a plea for clarity in the chaos of her rebirth. She'd been staring at her trembling hands, willing answers from her new body, when a sudden flicker stirred, not in the forest, but inside her mind. A translucent screen shimmered into existence before her eyes, hovering like a mirage, its surface glowing with faint, golden text. She gasped, her heart lurching as she flinched back, the bark scraping her bare skin. Her crimson eyes widened, darting over the impossible display. What the hell is that?

Her breath caught, her mind racing. It looked like something straight out of the fantasy novels she'd devoured as Ben, a status panel, like the ones in isekai stories where ordinary people were whisked away to magical worlds with systems to guide them. This… this is like an isekai, she thought, a mix of disbelief and exhilaration bubbling up. Did I really get reincarnated into one of those worlds? There is no way... The idea was absurd, something she would have never believed to actually happen, not in a million years, yet here it was, floating before her, completely undeniable. I must be dreaming. She closed her eyes, but it was still in front of her somehow, hovering in her line of sight. Her pulse quickened, a child's frantic beat, as she opened her eyes again and leaned forward, the cold of the hollow forgotten. She focused, and the text sharpened, revealing a detailed panel:

--

[Status Panel]

Name: Unknown

Race: Human

Age: 10 years

Lifespan: ∞

Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)

Cultivation Level: None

Techniques: None

Divine Abilities: None

Bloodlines: None

Gifts:

- Indestructible Existence: Indestructible body, mind, and soul

- Ageless Body: Control over physical aging

- Golden Ratio Physique: Perfect proportions enhancing all attributes

- Appraisal: Identification of any living entity

Talent:

- Immortal Cultivation: 10★

- Martial Arts: 9★

- Magic: 7★

Description: Transcendental Innate Talent in All Aspects of Immortal Cultivation - Qi, Body and Soul

--

She read it twice. Then a third time, her eyes catching on details that didn't make sense. Age: 10 years. That tracked with her small body, unfortunately. Race: Human. Obvious enough.

Lifespan: ∞

She stared at that symbol until her eyes watered. "Infinite," she whispered, testing the word. It felt ridiculous saying it out loud.

Her breath stopped. The golden symbol pulsed:

∞

Infinite? My lifespan is INFINITE?

Her jaw dropped, a soft "No way…" escaping her lips before she clamped a hand over her mouth, glancing nervously at the forest.

But the panel held more. Her gaze, sharp and unwilling to miss a detail now, scanned down. Gifts.

Indestructible Existence: Indestructible body, mind, and soul. 

A cold shiver, unrelated to the night air, traced her spine. That warmth… bringing me back… The recent memory of lungs seizing, heart stuttering and then the finality of darkness slammed into her with physical force. That was death. I was definitely about to die there. She touched her chest, feeling the frantic, child's heartbeat beneath her palm. The connection clicked with terrifying certainty. This gift… it pulled me back. It stopped death. Although she did not know how far her gift would go. But as this gift also appeared to be connected to her infinite lifespan, it seemed to be more than just simple healing.

Ageless Body: Control over physical aging. 

Control? The word sparked a flicker of something besides dread. A sliver of agency. She wouldn't be trapped as this terrified ten-year-old forever? Could she choose not to age? Or could she increase or revert her age however she wanted? The questions spiraled, unanswered, but the questions would have to wait for now.

Golden Ratio Physique: Perfect proportions enhancing all attributes.

That made her glance down at her small, perfect frame, and a flush crept up her neck, Perfect proportions? Yeah, right, I'm a scrawny kid. But the description didn't lie, and she felt a strange confidence in her movements as she started to get over her initial dizziness. Also, the vision she now had seemed way beyond what she every thought could even be possible for a human and even when she had 20/20 vision when wearing glasses, now her vision was easily a hundred times sharper.

Appraisal: Identification of any living entity. 

That seems useful. I could maybe check if a plant's poisonous or if someone's dangerous. She imagined pointing at a tree or a passing bird and knowing its secrets, a lifeline in this forest where everything felt like a threat. But do plants count as living entities or not?? Hmm, I guess I'll have to find out. 

Then a thought came up. So, is this panel that I'm seeing because i accidentally used Appraisal on myself? It makes sense, 'identification of any living entity' definitely would include me, right? Her deep red eyes narrowed at the glowing text, as if it might confess its secrets. 

Immortal Cultivation: 10★

Description: Transcendental Innate Talent in All Aspects of Immortal Cultivation

The stars burned brighter than the ones in the sky. Ten stars? Transcendental? Her heart skipped, a wild, giddy rush flooding her chest. I'm a prodigy. A freaking cultivation god! She almost jumped up in joy - Get a grip. I'm completely naked in a forest in the middle of the night. But she continued shivering, lost in her fantasies. And Martial Arts 9★? Magic 7★? Even her worse talents seemed incredible.

In her past life, she had been a bookstore clerk with no grand destiny. Yet here she was, in a child's body, with gifts that could shake the heavens. Her mind circled back to the isekai idea, the stories where ordinary people became legends. If I was reincarnated and received all these cheats, there must be a catch. There's no such thing as free lunch, especially not even in my previous world and surely even less in a world that seems to focus around cultivation. 

The panel flickered and vanished, leaving her alone with the weight of its promises. The forest loomed, vast and unknowable, but hiding in this cold stripped naked was not really an option. She felt she would freeze at any moment, the small recess she was sitting in not shielding her from the night's biting chill. Her teeth chattered, a child's high-pitched clatter, and she hugged her knees tighter, the rough bark digging into her back. If I'm immortal, why am I freezing to death? Some scam this is, she thought, a bitter laugh bubbling up before she swallowed it, glancing nervously at the shadows beyond the hollow. The panel's promises, Indestructible Existence, Transcendental Innate Talent, felt like a cruel joke against her shivering, vulnerable state. No way I'm a cultivation god when I can't even stand up without tripping. She couldn't stay here, scam or not. The stream might have answers, something to keep her from freezing solid. The faint scent of water, cool and mineral, drew her forward, a promise of something tangible in the unknown. Her bare feet sank into the soft earth, the sensation grounding her as she took a tentative step toward the faint ripple of water. The forest loomed around her, both a threat and a promise, and she resolved to face it, one careful step at a time.