The Reincarnation Base was louder than usual.
Not because of alarms or Dark Beings—those were far away, beyond the shield—but because of voices. Excited ones. Nervous ones. Voices pretending not to be afraid.
Lin Yu stood near the edge of Platform 37, hands in his pockets, listening.
"…I heard Zhao Wen bought an A-rank Background Package."
"No way. That thing costs more than a small house."
"My cousin got a Minor Noble Identity last year. Spawned as a baron's heir. Easy B-rank."
"Lucky bastard. My family only managed to get me a Language Mastery and a Stable Birth bonus."
The words drifted past him like needles.
Background packages. Talent preloads. Fate modifiers.
All of them purchasable.
All of them expensive.
Lin Yu didn't need to look at the glowing billboards floating above the plaza to know the prices. He had checked them long ago—back when he still foolishly hoped he could afford something.
He couldn't.
He was an orphan.
His parents had died during a Dark Being breach years ago, when one of the outer bases fell. Compensation money existed, yes—but survival took priority over investment. Food. Shelter. School fees. By the time he reached high school, there was nothing left to convert into Reincarnation credits.
No rich relatives.
No corporate sponsorship.
No gambling luck.
Just the default package.
Lin Yu exhaled slowly.
So this is how the world works.
Humanity lived clustered around the Reincarnation Towers, hiding behind shields powered by unknown principles. Outside, Dark Beings prowled endlessly, eroding the borders of reality. Inside, society revolved around one truth:
Only Reincarnators mattered.
They were soldiers, explorers, saviors. They reincarnated into lower worlds, grew stronger through lived lives, and returned with power to fight back the darkness. Everyone else existed to support them.
That included people like Lin Yu—until today.
"Attention," a calm mechanical voice echoed. "All first-time Reincarnators, prepare for transfer."
The chatter died instantly.
Platforms began to glow.
Lin Yu felt the familiar weight in his chest—the fear everyone tried to hide. Three chances. That was all anyone got. Fail to reach C-grade, and the Tower would never respond to you again.
One life could decide everything.
The platform beneath his feet vibrated.
Light rose upward like mist, swallowing him whole.
The world blinked out.
Lin Yu found himself standing alone in a vast white space.
No tower. No students. No instructors.
This was the Personal Reincarnation Space—the place where fate was assigned.
A translucent screen unfolded before him.
[Reincarnation Initialization]
Name: Lin Yu
Status: First Descent
Background Modifiers: None
Purchased Enhancements: None
Talent Awakening: In Progress…
He clenched his fists.
Come on.
For people who had prepared, this moment decided whether they would soar—or struggle slightly less. Bloodline talents. Combat instincts. Magical affinity.
For him?
The screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then new words appeared.
[Unique Talent Detected]
Authority: Falsehood Becomes Truth
Description: When a false statement is believed by others, it will gradually manifest as reality.
Note: Effect strength is proportional to belief quantity and quality.
Lin Yu froze.
"…What?"
No dazzling light. No pressure. No sense of overwhelming power.
Just a line of text.
He reread it.
Again.
And again.
If people believe a lie… it becomes real?
His heartbeat quickened.
This wasn't a simple enhancement. It wasn't strength or talent or skill.
It was something far more dangerous.
Before he could think further, the space trembled.
[World Selection Initiated]
Images flashed past him—fantasy continents, burning wastelands, primitive tribes, strange civilizations.
Then it stopped.
[Lower World Confirmed]
World Type: Modern Civilization
Technology Level: Comparable to Pre-Descent Humanity
Extraordinary Factors: Low
Disaster Level: Low
Identity Allocation: In Progress…
Lin Yu frowned.
A modern world?
No magic. No cultivation. No monsters.
This was… unexpected.
The screen continued.
[Memory Seal Applied]
Advanced technological details: Sealed
Core personal memories: Retained
General conceptual knowledge: Retained
Note: Subject will retain awareness of technological concepts but lack detailed implementation knowledge.
Understanding settled in immediately.
He would know what a phone was—but not how to build one.
He would understand what the internet did—but not its architecture.
No easy technological domination.
Fair.
Almost too fair.
Light surged around him.
Warmth.
Sound.
A rhythmic beating.
Then—
Pain.
A sharp, suffocating pressure as his consciousness was forced into something small. Fragile.
He couldn't open his eyes.
Couldn't move his limbs.
But he could hear.
Crying.
Not around him.
From him.
A woman's exhausted sob turned into laughter. A man's shaky voice followed, thick with disbelief and joy.
"It's a boy," the man said. "He's alive. He's healthy."
Arms wrapped around him.
Safe.
Lin Yu drifted in and out of awareness, thoughts sluggish but intact.
A family…
Not a king.
Not an orphan.
Not a hero.
Just a baby in a normal modern world.
As darkness gently claimed him, a single clear thought surfaced.
So this is my first life.
And somewhere deep within his soul, the authority he had awakened lay dormant—silent, waiting.
After all…
In a world built on information, trust, and belief—
Lies spread faster than anything else.