C2
Have you ever felt nauseous after a long flight? That weird, hollow feeling in your gut where your stomach's trying to rebel and you're just praying to find a bathroom before it stages a full-blown mutiny? Or how about that dizzying disorientation when you're standing on a rocking boat—your knees unsteady, the horizon swaying, and every instinct in your body telling you you're about to fall overboard?
Now imagine that, but worse.
I figured soul transmigration would be like that. You're getting flung across the cosmos, breaking through the veil of death and birth, shoved into a brand new world without a manual or a seatbelt. It should've been traumatizing. It should've been something.
But instead, I felt… fine. No soul sickness. No spiritual turbulence. No dizziness or dramatic flashes of my past life. Just—clarity.
I stood there, in the middle of an open forest, surrounded by towering trees swaying gently in the breeze. A patch of sunlight warmed my skin. Birds chirped somewhere above me, and the scent of earth and leaves filled my lungs.
"…Is this a dream?"
My voice. It was—young. Softer. Slightly higher-pitched than I remembered. Tentative, like a kid asking their first question in class.
I glanced at my hands. Small. Pale. Delicate. Then I noticed a stray lock of pale blond hair falling across my vision. It was long, messy, unkempt—like it hadn't seen a comb in years. A far cry from my old look.
Please don't be a baby, please don't be a baby, please don't be a baby—
I pinched my arm.
"Ow."
Okay, not a dream.
"Definitely not a dream," I muttered again, more to reassure myself than anything. The stinging sensation faded quickly, but my mind stayed racing. So, I've been reincarnated. New body. New world. Same memories. What now?
Should I go full lone-wolf survivalist? Be the misunderstood anti-hero who only helps others if it benefits them? Or should I be the heroic savior who fights for justice?
Eh. Probably something in between. I don't want to be an asshole, but I'm not about to let anyone walk over me either. I like my spine where it is—firm and unbent.
And then the real questions started hitting me like a freight train.
What world is this?
What's the tech level? Magic? Monsters? How do I survive?
Do I have any money? Any tools? A starter pack?
I started to hyperventilate—until I suddenly didn't.
Like a switch flipped, everything slowed down. My thoughts became quiet. The panic dulled. My heartbeat steadied.
…That felt oddly artificial.
"Status."
A transparent blue box blinked into existence in front of me like a pop-up window in an RPG.
{Status}
Name: Esther Marie
Level: 1 {Exp: 0.00%}
Age: 5
Titles: [Transmigrated Soul]
HP: 100 / 100 {Regen: 10 / min}
MP: 100 / 100 {Regen: 5 / min}
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 10
Sense: 10
Luck: 10
{Skill Points: 0}
Inventory:
[Blueprints: NieR Automata (Pods)]
Skills:
Gamer's Mind
Gamer's Body
Haki
Omega Nanite
Oh hell yes. A full gamer system.
So that weird calming effect earlier? Gamer's Mind. Knew it. And I so appreciate it. Without it, I'd probably be curled up in fetal position right now, crying about diapers and childhood trauma.
I tapped on the [Transmigrated Soul] title.
[Transmigrated Soul]
You've been transported to another world, carrying over most of your memories.
+5% EXP Gain
Sweet. A passive XP buff right off the bat. Gotta love gamer bonuses.
Still, I didn't know where I was. No map. No markers. The trees could belong to literally any fantasy world. Could be Skyrim. Could be Azeroth. Could be the background of a Studio Ghibli movie.
Time to explore later—first, I needed to understand what I was working with.
Gamer's Mind – [MAX]
Absolute Calm. Suppresses overwhelming emotions and allows for quick, logical decision-making. Immune to mind-affecting attacks. Can detect lies and manipulation.
Lie detection? Nice. That'll be a lifesaver. I've always been terrible at spotting snakes in the grass.
Gamer's Body – [MAX]
Your body functions like a game avatar. No lasting injuries or scars. Appearance changes depending on your stats. Food and water restore HP/MP but are not mandatory.
Well. Looks like fasting won't kill me. That's convenient.
Also, I can reshape my body through stat allocation? Interesting… and mildly terrifying. Imagine putting all your points into Agility and ending up looking like a stretched noodle.
Anyway, next up: the big guns.
[Haki – Lvl 1] – Willpower Weaponized
Tap into your spiritual energy to manifest devastating combat abilities.
Sub-Skills:
Armament Haki
Observation Haki
Conqueror's Haki
[Color of Arms: Busoshoku Haki]
Coat your body or weapons in hardened energy. Can harm the "true" form of enemies and block physical attacks.
+10% Offense & Defense
Cost: 100 MP for 5 minutes
So that's half my MP gone in one activation. Great.
Still, the payoff is worth it. If I can learn to emit or internally destroy with Haki, I'll be breaking boulders by the end of the month.
[Color of Observation: Kenbunshoku Haki]
Grants heightened awareness and brief glimpses into the future.
Cost: 10 MP for 30 seconds
Cheap. Efficient. Six minutes of "spidey sense" at this stage. Could be a literal lifesaver once monsters come into play.
[Color of the Supreme King: Haoshoku Haki]
Exert your will to dominate others. Can knock out weaker minds and evolve into advanced destruction techniques.
Cost: 100 MP
Trains through use, not just life-or-death
Okay, that's just unfair. It's like giving a five-year-old a nuke. But hey—I'm not complaining.
I smiled. So far, Haki was just as OP as I remembered, maybe even more with the Gamer system adapting it into skill trees.
Now for the other gift.
[Omega-1 Nanite – Lvl 1]
Shape weapons or tools using nanomachines within your body. The more complex the creation, the higher the MP cost.
No external Evo infection risk
MP cost: Variable
Basically, infinite tools as long as I have the MP and blueprints in my head. Amazing. This completely eliminated my biggest weakness: survival crafting. No more struggling to build a stick and rope shelter with zero bushcraft knowledge.
Time to test it out.
I focused on my right arm. "Let's try a gauntlet."
[Request Accepted]
Orange nanite blocks slithered across my arm, forming into layers of metal that clicked and locked into place. Within seconds, a sturdy orange gauntlet had formed over my forearm, like something straight out of Rex Salazar's arsenal.
[Gauntlet formed. Cost: 10 MP]
[Would you like to name it?]
Oh, hell yeah.
I turned toward a nearby tree. Time for the first field test.
One punch—BAM! The bark cracked, leaving a shallow dent. No pain. No recoil. Just the solid crunch of impact.
This was only the beginning.
I stared at the gauntlet, then channeled Haki into it. Darkness crawled over the orange armor like living ink, coating it in shimmering black.
I felt the power coursing through it—my power, weaponized.
Second punch—BAAAM! A hole tore through the trunk, splinters flying everywhere.
My eyes widened. "That's… That's insane."
This was just Level 1. Just the start.
My pulse quickened—not from fear, but from excitement. I could feel it. The potential within me. The system, the nanites, the Haki—it was all mine. And I'd be damned if I didn't make the most of it.
Then the screen changed again.
[Daily Quest – Road to be the Strongest: Part 1]
You have untapped potential. Complete the following to grow stronger:
50 Push-Ups
50 Sit-Ups
50 Pull-Ups
100 Punches
100 Kicks
100m Dash
Reward: +1 Stat Point, 500 XP
Failure: Penalty Dungeon
Time Limit: 24 Hours
"Of course. A Sung Jin-Woo workout regimen."
But hey, free stat points? I'll take it. I glanced around the clearing. The sun was still high, birds still chirping. No monsters yet.
I cracked my knuckles.
"Alright… let's begin the montage."