The Day I Was Reincarnated
Volume 1 – The Day I Was Reincarnated
Chapter 1 – Rebirth of Rai
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Death didn't come with a whisper.
It came with the roar of an engine, the blare of a horn, and the unbearable crunch of metal meeting flesh.
Ryu Takeda, seventeen years old, national Taekwondo champion, street brawler, rule-breaker—was dead. Just like that.
One second crossing the street, the next flat on the pavement, the warmth draining from his limbs as people screamed and phones were whipped out to record, not rescue.
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Then came the darkness.
Not peaceful. Not quiet.
Screams. Fire. Chains. Hell.
Ryu woke in a burning pit of agony, his body nonexistent but his pain all too real.
Demonic hands clawed at him, dragging his soul through rivers of fire and lakes of despair.
Then time froze.
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Out of the smoke and fire stepped a woman unlike anything he had ever seen.
Tall. Ethereal. Silver hair that shimmered like starlight. Eyes glowing with divine power.
Clad in elegant armor that pulsed with magic.
She was beautiful. Terrifying. Otherworldly.
> "You're not supposed to be here," she said with a smirk.
Ryu could barely speak, but managed a grunt.
She knelt before him.
> "Name's Elaria. Goddess of Worlds. Normally, I don't get involved with mortal souls. But you? You've got potential."
"Am I... dead?"
She chuckled.
> "Oh, very. But I'm offering you a deal.
Reincarnation. A new world—magic, martial arts, monsters—the full fantasy package.
And you?You'll be the strongest thing walking."
Ryu stared.
> "Catch is, you'll have to protect that world. From a threat even I can't stop."
He smirked.
> "Sounds fun."
"One question," he added.
"Do I still get to fight things?"
She laughed.
> "Yes. Lots of them."
> "Then yeah. I'm in."
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With a wave of her hand, she tore open a portal of light.
As Ryu's soul began to rise, she whispered under her breath:
> "But you won't be the strongest. Not even close."
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Ryu Takeda was reborn as Rai—in a poor mountain village in the southern lands of Eridahl.
His parents were humble monster hunters.
They weren't strong, but they were brave, and they loved him more than life itself.
Until the day they didn't come back.
At age seven, Rai watched as the guild dragged their bodies through the village gates.
Torn. Bloodied. Gone.
The funeral was short.
No one stayed.
No one spoke.