I was a 16-year-old boy living in Japan, a quiet life that didn't attract attention.
My name was Kaito.
Every day was the same. In the mornings, even if I didn't want to, I went to school—my family forced me to. I spent most of my day there, but school was just a place I had to pass through.
There was nothing there that belonged to me.
I had no friends.
People knew me as "introverted" and "antisocial." Some even called me a "creep" behind my back. No one even tried to talk to me.
Honestly… I didn't care.
Because I didn't care about them either.
After school, I would go straight home, lock myself in my room, and spend hours playing games and watching anime. That was where real life felt like it existed for me.
Simple. Peaceful. Problem-free.
…at least, that's what I thought.
Until the day that destroyed everything.
One day, I suddenly found out I had been diagnosed with a serious illness. Everything happened too fast. Hospitals, treatments, pain…
And then…
It ended.
Two months before I turned 17, I died.
Darkness.
A completely empty and endless darkness.
There was no sound, no feeling, no concept of time.
"…Where am I?"
Even my voice sounded unfamiliar.
Suddenly, a faint light appeared above the darkness. It slowly expanded, illuminating the space in front of me.
And there…
Someone was sitting.
A man with white hair and a long beard.
He was calmly waiting for me.
"…Who are you?" I asked cautiously.
The man slowly lifted his head.
"Come closer, Kaito. Don't be afraid."
His voice was strangely calm and heavy.
"We are currently outside of space and time. That's why you feel this way. Just… direct yourself here."
I did as he said. As I stepped forward, the darkness slowly receded.
When I reached him, a light suddenly appeared in front of him and formed a simple chair.
"Sit," he said.
After I sat down, he continued:
"You probably want to know where you are and who I am."
I nodded.
"I am the god of death," he said calmly.
I froze for a moment.
A black-robed figure with a scythe immediately came to my mind.
The man smiled slightly.
"That is just an image created by fearful humans."
My eyes widened.
"…You can hear me?"
"Yes," he said. "Even your thoughts."
I took a deep breath.
"My name is Alfio."
He continued:
"Since you died today, it is my duty to receive you and send you to the other world. There, you can live in endless peace. Rest in a world without time."
I thought for a moment.
This life… strangely sounded meaningless.
Alfio looked directly at me.
"I know every second of your previous life."
It felt like I was supposed to continue the sentence.
"…it was kind of wasted," I whispered.
"Yes," he said. "But you didn't mind it."
"…no."
A short silence followed.
Then he leaned forward.
"What if I gave you another chance?"
I looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"I sometimes make exceptions," he said. "For souls like you—young people who died too early and didn't truly live their lives."
My heart started beating faster.
"I can give you a new life. In a different world."
Without thinking for even a second, I said:
"Like in anime? Going to another world, becoming strong, defeating a demon lord like a hero?"
Alfio chuckled lightly.
"Don't dream too much."
Then he added:
"In the world you'll go to, your soul will be different. Because of that, you won't be that strong."
My hope broke a little.
"But," he said, "I can give you something that will help you."
I immediately started thinking.
"A sword…? Armor…? Or magic power…?"
Alfio shook his head.
"No."
He slowly raised his hand.
"I will give you a skill."
"A skill?"
"You will be able to obtain information about any person you want."
I froze.
"…What does that mean?"
"Their strength, abilities, weaknesses… even their favorite foods and colors."
His voice was calm, but what he said was deep.
"So… everything?"
"Yes. Everything. Just say the name of the person you want to know about."
It felt like the decision had already been made.
Alfio stood up.
"Your time is up."
"Wait, I—"
I couldn't finish my sentence.
The chair I was sitting on suddenly disappeared.
My body fell into emptiness.
I began to fall rapidly, as if into an endless abyss.
And so…
I started falling toward the beginning of my second life.
Even though I didn't fully admit it…
Alfio already knew I had agreed.
But still… he could have at least let me ask a few questions.
With my head lowered, I continued falling through the darkness. I had no body, yet I could still feel myself falling.
There was no sense of time again.
Suddenly…
The darkness slowly began to fade.
Everything around me turned white.
Light.
A bright light covering everything.
And then—
I opened my eyes.
But… something was wrong.
I couldn't feel my body.
My arms… my legs…
I couldn't control anything.
What is this feeling…?
My vision was blurry, but it slowly became clearer.
A man was standing in front of me.
Tall, with a serious appearance. A strange calm pride on his face. He wore elegant clothes decorated with fine patterns.
This… was not an ordinary person.
The man looked at me and said gently:
"Welcome… my son."
After a short pause, he added:
"Welcome, Lucius Tyrio Valerius."
Lucius…?
Is that my new name…?
I tried to think, but my mind was slow.
Suddenly, another voice was heard.
A woman's voice.
"Give him to me."
The man carefully lifted me and handed me over.
The next moment…
I found myself in a warm, soft embrace.
In front of me was a woman with teary eyes, smiling with joy.
"Ahh… my little baby…"
Her voice trembled.
"Welcome, Lucius."
The happiness on her face…
Strangely, it touched my heart.
What is this feeling…?
And suddenly—
I started crying.
Without wanting to.
I couldn't stop it.
My voice was small, weak, completely uncontrollable.
Stop… stop…!
But no.
I couldn't control anything.
At that moment, I realized.
I… was truly a baby.
The woman hugged me tighter and gently rocked me.
"Shhh… it's okay…"
The man stood beside us, silently watching.
There was pride in his eyes.
And also… relief.
And I…
Was trapped in this new body.
It seemed… I wouldn't be able to control anything for a while.
But my mind was still working.
And I could only think one thing:
So… this is the beginning of my second life.
The early years were not easy.
My body was weak both physically and mentally. Even moving was sometimes difficult. I had thoughts, but expressing them… was impossible.
It was as if a strong consciousness was trapped inside a weak body.
But over time, everything began to change.
As I grew, my body strengthened, my thoughts became clearer, and finally… I began to understand this world.
At first, I could only listen.
My parents' conversations… the servants' whispers…
That's how I gathered my first knowledge about this world.
By the age of five, I could already walk freely inside the house.
I still remember that day.
The first time I walked alone…
It feels like yesterday.
How fast time passes…
During this time, I also got to know my family better.
My father—Arieon Valerius.
26 years old, lord of the city of Sinhka.
Brown hair, brown eyes, around 1.80 meters tall. Always serious-looking, but with a calm presence that inspired trust.
My mother—Elara Valerius.
25 years old, around 1.60 meters, black hair and black eyes.
She was the daughter of Aleric Vane, the lord of the neighboring city of Tuyri. So… I was born not only into wealth, but also into a noble family.
And there was also…
My older sister by two years.
Marcella Valerius.
She resembled my father a lot in appearance. She had a strong and confident aura.
Since my father was the lord of Sinhka city, as expected, we were wealthy.
We lived in a large mansion.
Servants were everywhere.
Unlike my previous life…
In this life, there were no financial problems.
Ahh… if only I had had this money before…
Who knows how many games I would have bought…
When I was seven, I was finally allowed to go outside into the yard.
But I wasn't alone.
My butler Alfredo and my personal servant Eliot were always by my side. They never left me alone for even a moment.
It was a kind of… mix of freedom and restriction.
The city of Sinhka belonged to the human kingdom of Luvonia.
Which meant… the world was far bigger than I had imagined.
At night…
The most interesting part began.
Before sleeping, Alfredo would tell me stories.
At first, I thought they were just fairy tales.
But over time, I realized…
These were not just stories.
They were the reality of this world.
In this world:
— Elves existed.
— Dwarves existed.
— And… magic existed.
Magic… huh?
A strange curiosity awakened inside me.
At the age of eight, Alfredo taught me how to read and write.
That opened a new door for me.
I could now go to the large library in the mansion.
I spent hours there, learning more about this world.
To be honest…
As a lazy person, I didn't want to do it.
But…
At the very least, I had to understand the world I had fallen into.
According to what I read, this continent was called Thidor.
And there were several major powers here:
Two human kingdoms: Luvonia and Vandemar
One elven kingdom: Elowen
One dwarf kingdom: Khor Modan
And a mysterious, dangerous place not belonging to any kingdom: The Umbra Forests
This world…
Was no less than the games and anime from my previous life.
Maybe even more…
When I turned ten, a new stage of my life began.
My parents noticed that I was spending most of my time in the library. Because of this, my father ordered Alfredo to teach me.
At least… until my magic teacher arrived.
So my daily life changed.
Alfredo started teaching me not only reading and writing, but also deeper knowledge about this world.
History, kingdoms, racial differences…
And most importantly—
Power.
There were two main paths of power in this world.
The first was physical strength.
These were people who strengthened themselves through training their bodies. Long years of practice, combat experience, and endurance made them stronger.
They resembled knights of the old age.
The second was—
Magic.
Mages could sense and gather mana from their surroundings to create various spells. This required not only power, but also talent and control.
There were four main elemental types of magic in this world:
— Air
— Water
— Earth
— Fire
In addition to these, there were subtypes and rare forms of magic.
So… a classic fantasy system.
When I turned twelve, my life changed again.
This time, my father directly intervened.
He hired a sword master for me.
Although I was more likely to become a mage in the future, my father still believed combat skills were important.
"Power is not only magic," he had said.
"You must be able to protect yourself."
So…
My days became even harder.
Mornings with Alfredo—studying theory.
Afternoons—sword training.
Evenings—extra reading in the library.
Sometimes it was tiring.
Sometimes it was… extremely tiring.
But I still continued. At least at this age, I had no right to refuse.
And so, time passed quickly.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.
And without realizing it—
I had already turned 15.
During this time, I learned many things…
At 15, a new change began in my life.
And today…
It was my first official lesson day.
I woke up in the morning and quickly got dressed. I was still half asleep when I heard a voice from downstairs.
It was my father's voice.
"Lucius, come downstairs. Meet your teacher."
I took a deep breath and went down.
When I entered the hall, I saw my father and mother.
They were sitting at the table, drinking tea.
And in front of them…
A woman was sitting.
Arieon said calmly:
"Lucius, this is your teacher for the next year. Asteria Iris."
When I looked at her more closely, I realized she wasn't a stranger.
Asteria.
She was half-elf, half-human.
In this world, such bloodlines were rare. Especially those carrying elven blood… they were known for both beauty and mana compatibility.
She had long, light-colored hair. Her delicate facial features and calm, deep gaze… made her almost naturally respected by anyone.
Moreover…
She had also taught my sister.
I stepped forward.
"I'm pleased to meet you."
My voice came out a bit formal, but I continued:
"I am Lucius. I will do my best during this year. I will try to make my parents and you proud."
Asteria looked at me calmly.
Then she gently nodded.
"That is good to hear."
Her voice was soft, but it carried a strange sense of strength.
My father smiled slightly.
"You're tired today. The servants will take you to your room."
Then he added:
"You may can start lessons whenever you want.Whatever you need, don't hesitate. This house is already your home."
Asteria stood up.
"Thank you very much."
Then she looked at me.
"Lucius… tomorrow will be our first lesson. Be ready."