The rain wouldn't stop.
Cold, heavy, unrelenting — it fell like the world itself was crying for him.
Rayan Kael sat alone on the curb, soaked to the bone, his phone glowing weakly in the darkness. The message on the screen was simple:
"I'm sorry. There's nothing more we can do."
Another rejection. Another failed project. Another dream slipping away.
He laughed quietly — a sound too empty to be called laughter.
For thirty-two years, Rayan had lived the same in gray cycle: build, fail, rebuild. Every idea he touched—apps, devices, even a small robotics startup—crumbled before it could bloom.
He wasn't lazy. He wasn't stupid. Just… unlucky.
And tonight, fate decided to finish the joke.
A truck horn blared. Bright light.
The world twisted.
Impact.
And then — silence.
When Rayan opened his eyes again, there was no pain. Only light. Endless, blinding light.
"...Am I dead?" he muttered.
"Yes."
The voice came from everywhere — gentle, calm, ancient.
Rayan turned. Before him stood a woman in white robes, hair flowing like mist, eyes filled with galaxies.
"I am the Custodian of Transition," she said. "You've reached the boundary between worlds."
Rayan blinked. "So this is… the afterlife?"
"Not quite. Your soul has been chosen for transference."
"Trans… what now?"
The woman smiled. "Reincarnation. Into another realm. A world where mana flows, monsters roam, and gods walk unseen."
Rayan's jaw dropped. "You mean like… an RPG world?"
"In your terms, yes."
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to process. "Okay… but why me? I didn't exactly save anyone or cure cancer."
The woman's expression softened. "Not all souls are chosen for their deeds. Some are chosen for their potential. The world you go to needs balance. Power has tipped too far to chaos."
"So you're giving me power?"
"Yes, though the measure of it will depend on—"
She paused. Her expression flickered. Her form shimmered, unstable.
"Wait—what's happening?" Rayan asked.
"An interference… another entity is—!"
Before she could finish, a golden surge erupted between them. The light engulfed Rayan's soul, burning brighter than the stars.
The Custodian's voice echoed faintly:
"Impossible… the Divine Core is merging—Stop—!"
And then everything collapsed.
When Rayan awoke, he wasn't on a curb, nor surrounded by light. He was lying in a wooden bed under a rough blanket, staring at a wooden ceiling.
"...What the hell?"
His body felt smaller. His voice — higher. His limbs — thinner.
He scrambled to a cracked mirror nearby and froze.
A boy of around fifteen stared back. Dark hair, pale skin, gray eyes glowing faintly with silver threads.
Before panic could set in, a digital chime echoed in his mind:
[System Initialization Complete]
Welcome, User: Rayan Kael
World: Eltarion (Tier IV Dimensional Plane)
Primary Class: ???
Sub-Class: None
Skill Sync: 0%
"What—what the—this is a system?!" Rayan yelped.
A translucent blue screen appeared before him, lines of code and runes floating in the air.
Status
Name: Rayan Kael
Level: 1
HP: 100 / 100
MP: ∞ / ∞
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 10
Divine Energy: [LOCKED]
Title: [None]
He blinked. "Okay, everything looks normal except—"
He frowned. "Wait. MP says infinite."
The screen pulsed faintly, as if acknowledging him.
System Message: "No errors detected."
He laughed nervously. "Yeah, right. Infinite mana? Sure."
Still, he tried a test. "Uh… Status, open skill list?"
Skill List:
• [Analyze] — Passive
• [System Access] — Active
• [Temporal Root Access] — [Locked]
• [Admin Authority] — [Hidden]
"'Admin Authority'? What does that even mean?"
The screen stayed silent.
He sighed and looked around the small cabin. Dusty shelves, a wooden table, a cracked window showing rolling green hills beyond. It looked like a peaceful countryside