When Rex first woke up, he was in a hospital. He initially thought it was some foreign Hospital, because the language spoken around him was completely unfamiliar. He tried to communicate, but no one understood him. Panicked, Rex tried to get out of bed, made quite commotion—but then a doctor approached him to calm the situation.
The doctor wore glowing gloves that appeared out of nowhere, and before Rex could react, a blue light shone from the doctor's hand.
'Magic? is that magic!?' Rex thought as he was immediately put to sleep.
The next time he woke up, it was to the sound of a ding in his mind.
Ding!
"let me sleep!, Who is ringing bell at morning?" Rex said while putting his hands on ears, There was not reply, Rex woke from sleep after getting no response and memories came rushing back, His mind started to race with different possibilities, trying to make sense of situation.
'That Doctor-'Rex thoughts shifted as he again heard sound.
Ding!
He was shock to see as a holographic screen suddenly floated in front of him. It was dark red with strange text glowing on it. As a part-time otaku, how could Rex not recognize this? The whole light novel market was flooded with it—
He had a SYSTEM!
An unknown holographic slab that appears.. when the MC transmigrates or reincarnates. Some called it a cheat. Others, a golden finger. No one truly knew its origin; most authors threw it in just to showcase the protagonist's progression. Some stories treated it as a divine gift from the world or a god; others, as a parasitic entity that would eventually kill the host.
'Does this mean I really transmigrated!?' Rex hadn't fully confirmed it yet. For all he knew, this could still be Earth. But none of that mattered now—he had a system. So, he shifted his attention to the glowing panel in front of him.
[Useless System]
[Status]
[Race : Human]
[HP : 1/1]
[Strength : 1]
[Agility : 1]
There was no additional information about anything. Rex tried clicking, tapping the air, even thinking commands in his mind, but got no response from the system.
'What a name... I guess it's one of those robotic, passive types of system... well, that's still better than nothing,' Rex thought.
After staring at the screen for some time, it suddenly flickered. It was as if he had clicked something by accident. The next moment, a surge of basic memories was injected directly into his brain, and a severe headache followed.
He learned that his current identity was Ray Mortal, who had been in a coma and hospitalized for the past three months. The cause? A critical failure during the forging of his first Soul Tool. He had used up all his Soul Fragments—vital energy required for forging—and was left in a near-death state as a result.
'Just two letter difference in our name' Rex sarcastically thought. While rubbing his forehead.
***
In this world, humans gain power by forging fragments of their soul into metaphysical tools called Soul Tools. These tools represent the user's essence.
Levels of Soulforge:
1. Shaped (Basic)
- Forge 1 tool
- Mild fatigue, emotional effects
- Example: Soul-Dagger to cut weak barriers
2. Forged (Intermediate)
- Forge 2–3 tools
- Physical or mental strain
- Example: Soul-Dagger + Soul-Cloak for stealth attacks
3. Soulwrought (Master)
- Tools affect reality
- Risk: Soulfade (death or identity loss)
- Example: Blade that severs fate itself
***
Rex also received information about the world and Skarath. This new Earth wasn't divided into countries anymore, but into districts named from A to Z. This planet was definitely not Earth—not by any means. Originally, it had been a single supercontinent with various nations. But after Skarath's initial attack, which caused the deaths of billions, the world changed into what it was today—fractured, militarized, and rebuilt into these survival-focused districts.
How—or why—he had transmigrated, Rex still didn't know. But one thing was certain: this system was created by Ray Mortal himself by sacrificing all soul fragment.
Not long after, the doctor returned to check on him. His name was Jim—a kind man with a stern face and blunt attitude. After the check up he looked trouble and wanted to say something. After taking breath he finally said.
"Rex Mortal…" Jim sighed, eyes softening. "You've got less than ten years left to live." Then, with a rare half-smile: "But if anyone can turn that into something, it's you."
He turned back to his digital tablet, tapping away as he updated the records.
"10 years left to live…" Rex mumbled, Black lines formed on his forehead—he had just finished piecing together Ray's memories, and now this news hit him like a truck.
"Oh! I almost forgot—your hospital bill's been paid by your family. Also, they asked me to pass on a message..."Jim hesitated. "You've been disowned. they Said you were a disgrace to the Mortal family." Jim said, pity clouding his gaze as he looked at Rex.
Knowing you had 10 years to live and top of that family disowning you, That's a whole new level of bad luck.
"..." Rex.
'Great. Ten years to live, no family, and I'm stuck with a system that calls itself useless.'
But deep down, something flickered. He had ten years. Ray Mortal died for this system. Maybe… just maybe, he could make it count.
He flopped back onto the bed.
"At least there's no dog shit."