Cold. My whole body felt like it had been dunked in a bucket of ice water. The next moment, heat. Loud voices, crying, a pounding heartbeat that wasn't mine. And then—
"Waaaahhh!"
…Wait. Was that me?
I opened my mouth again, and yep. High-pitched wail. I was a baby.
> Holy. Freaking. Shit.
Out of all possible forms of reincarnation, I get the literal lowest level character model—baby edition.
I wanted to swear but the only thing coming out of my mouth was "Waaaahhh!" Not the most intimidating first impression.
Two blurry figures hovered over me. A woman with tired eyes and a man with messy brown hair. They were smiling, crying even. My new parents, huh? Great.
The woman tried to hand me to the man, but her grip slipped. For a terrifying split second, gravity took over. This is it, I'm dying twice in one day.
But just before I hit the ground, the man stumbled, foot catching the edge of a stool. He fell forward—right into me—catching me safely against his chest.
Lucky. Too lucky.
And right on cue, a metallic chime echoed inside my head.
[Passive Skill Activated: Natural Luck]
I almost laughed. Of course. Even in this world, my ridiculous luck followed me like a stalker ex.
---
Days blurred. Crying, sleeping, drinking milk I didn't order. My new family called me Renji too—same name as my old life. Coincidence? Probably not.
Then it happened. A glowing panel flickered in my vision.
[Eternal Dominion System Booting…]
[Welcome, User.]
[You have been chosen to inherit the Dominion Authority.]
A sleek, dark interface unfolded before me, nothing like the cheap game HUDs I'd seen before.
> Finally. My cheat code.
The panel displayed my name, level: 1, and a currency called [Dominion Points]. Everything else? Locked. Greyed out. The only thing accessible was a single blinking tab.
[Quest: Prove Your Right to Rule]
Objective: Survive your First Trial.
Reward: Unlock System Functions.
Failure: Death.
I stared at the words. Survive? Trial? I couldn't even survive teething!
Then a familiar sarcastic thought crossed my mind.
> "Careful, Renji. Luck may open doors… but Dominion decides who walks through them. Even you."
The system chimed one last time.
[First Trial Begins at Dawn.]
And just like that, my new life's countdown had started.
---