I never thought my life would end with the screech of tires and the taste of blood in my mouth. One moment I was on my way to grab some ramen from the corner shop, earbuds in, playlist going hard with some old-school rock, and the next—bam. Darkness. A weird kind of silence, like the world hit the mute button.
I remember the impact more than the pain. The cold metal against my side, the brief moment of flying, like in slow motion. Then nothing. Just cold, sticky pavement and a sky that felt too far away.
People were yelling. Someone was crying. But I was already fading. No bright light. No angels. Just a nagging thought in the back of my head—I didn't get to finish that anime I started.
Figures.
Then it happened. Not a slow fade into oblivion, not some dramatic tunnel of light. Nope. Just... waking up. But not like before. Everything was off. I couldn't move my body, everything was blurry, and holy crap—I was crying.
Like, really crying. The embarrassing kind where your whole face scrunches up and snot does its thing.
"He's healthy! It's a boy!"
A voice. A man's. Deep, proud. And then another, softer one.
"Our son, Kaledon... he's beautiful."
What?
I wanted to say something—anything—but all that came out was another wail. My arms flailed like tiny wet noodles. I couldn't see properly, just colors and blobs moving around. But I felt everything. The warmth, the cool air hitting my skin, the thud of a heartbeat as someone held me close.
I was a freaking baby.
No joke. A literal baby. In someone's arms. Wrapped in something soft and smelling like herbs and smoke. Panic tried to kick in, but it was like my body had hit the reset button. I couldn't control anything. I was stuck. Watching. Listening.
Then I heard names. "Lord Portugal, your son is strong."
"He shall be named Kaledon," the man—my new father?—said with this regal tone that was almost hilarious. Like he just declared the name of a king.
Kaledon Portugal.
Fancy.
Okay, hold up. Rewind. Let's take a sec to process this.
1. I died.
2. Got hit by a car.
3. Woke up as a baby.
4. My name is now Kaledon Portugal.
5. There's a dude calling himself a Lord.
Yup. This was not Earth. This was some fantasy movie-type stuff.
Days passed. Or maybe weeks? Time was weird. My baby brain didn't sleep well, and when it did, I'd wake up to boobs in my face or someone poking my cheeks like I was the cutest damn thing on the planet.
Okay, I was kinda cute. I peeked at my reflection once. Big green eyes. Messy dark hair. Cute baby nose. Total heartbreaker material. Just saying.
The place I was in? Big. Like castle-big. Stone walls, wooden beams, fire-lit hallways. No electricity. No phones. No ramen shops. Instead, I got to watch knights walking around in armor like it was totally normal. My mom—Lady Portugal, I guess—was always dressed in these elegant gowns and had a voice like silk. My dad looked like he ate battles for breakfast—broad shoulders, a beard sharp enough to cut glass, and eyes that could probably make grown men cry.
But when he looked at me? Dude turned to mush. He'd hold me with this weird mix of pride and fear, like I was both treasure and bomb.
I listened. I watched. I learned.
Turns out I was born into nobility. Lucky, right? My parents were kind, the staff adored me, and the crib was more luxurious than my old studio apartment.
Still, I couldn't shake the weirdness of it all. This wasn't a dream. It felt too real. Too vivid. There were books—actual handwritten books—and I caught glimpses of maps with places like "Draylund Mountains" and "Faymere Forest" and "The Ashen Isles." Classic fantasy stuff.
And then came the magic.
I was maybe a few months old when I first saw it. A servant girl dropped a tray, and instead of it shattering, she mumbled something and waved her hand. The tray hovered mid-air, spun a little, and landed gently on the table.
I nearly choked on my own spit. She just smiled and kept going like it was Tuesday.
Magic. Real-deal, spell-slinging, glowy-hand magic.
And it wasn't just her. Everyone seemed to have some kind of ability. One guy lit candles with a snap of his fingers. Another made water float into glasses from a jug across the room.
That's when the screen popped up. Right in front of me. Transparent, glowing blue, floating like it belonged there.
[Magical System Activated]
[Welcome, Kaledon Portugal]
[You may now access the Magical Store and System Functions]
I gurgled. Loudly. Probably drooled a bit. No one else reacted, which meant the screen was mine alone.
[Note: Gold Coins Required for Purchases]
[Experience Points (EXP) will be earned upon defeating monsters.]
[Stat Points awarded upon Level Up: +5 per level]
[Available Stats: Strength | Agility | Mana | Luck]
I stared at it, my baby brain short-circuiting.
I had a system. A full-blown RPG-style system.
Buy anything with gold? Check. Level up by killing monsters? Check. Stat points? Freakin' check.
This was better than any game I ever played. Better than any isekai anime I binged.
And I had it from day one.
As my parents tucked me in that night, whispering sweet things and calling me their miracle, I just stared at the ceiling with a stupid grin on my baby face.
"Let's do this," I whispered—well, tried to whisper, but it came out as a burble.
Whatever.
The adventure had already begun.
And I was gonna break this world.
To be continued...