Ren Adler stared at the ceiling with an empty, distant expression, his eyes unfocused as if they were looking far beyond the small room surrounding him. His body lay there quietly, yet his mind was somewhere else entirely, drifting through fragments of memories that did not belong to this world. In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an orphan, a boy who had grown up without warmth, without family, and without the simple comforts most people took for granted. Life had never been kind to him, and from a young age he had already learned that survival often meant enduring hardships in silence.
When he was fifteen years old, the fragile balance of his life completely shattered the day he learned the truth about his illness. Cancer. The word alone had felt heavy enough to crush what little hope he still carried in his heart. Yet the cruelest part of that reality was not the disease itself, but the fact that treatment was far beyond his reach. Without money, without support, and without anyone willing or able to help him, Ren had no choice but to accept the slow and inevitable approach of death. While others his age dreamed about their future, he could only watch his own fade away day by day.
When he finally turned eighteen, the orphanage that had been his only shelter informed him that he had to leave. He had become an adult in the eyes of the world, and with that came the harsh expectation that he would now survive on his own. That day, carrying almost nothing with him, Ren stepped out into the world with nowhere to go and no one waiting for him. As night fell, the cold air wrapped around him like a silent reminder of how alone he truly was. With no home and no destination, he eventually sat down on a quiet park bench beneath the dim glow of a streetlight.
That night, exhausted both in body and soul, Ren slowly drifted into sleep on that lonely bench, unaware that those quiet moments beneath the open sky would become the final memory of his previous life. Somewhere between that fading consciousness and the silence of death, the story of his first life came to an end…
When Ren slowly opened his eyes again, a faint confusion immediately surfaced within his mind. His gaze remained still for a moment as an unfamiliar sensation spread through his thoughts. Memories countless fragments of them began appearing inside his head one after another, vivid and clear, yet they did not belong to him. They were not the memories of the lonely orphan who had spent his previous life struggling to survive. These memories belonged to someone else.
Within those memories, he saw the image of a father: a hardworking English man who had always been busy with work, someone who rarely showed his emotions but quietly carried the responsibility of the family on his shoulders. Alongside that image appeared the gentle presence of a mother a kind Japanese woman who had spent most of her days caring for their home, filling it with warmth, patience, and a quiet sense of peace. Even though the memories were simple, they carried a feeling of warmth that Ren had never experienced in his previous life.
For someone who had grown up as an orphan, the concept of having parents at all felt strangely unfamiliar. It was a foreign feeling, almost unreal. Yet as these memories continued to settle inside his mind, Ren slowly realized that the warmth they carried was genuine.
However, those memories did not last forever.
The happiness within them eventually gave way to a darker chapter. The memories revealed that both of his parents had died because of a mysterious illness spreading through the world something people referred to as Honkai. To the ordinary public, the true nature of Honkai was barely understood. Most civilians only knew fragments of information, vague rumors about strange disasters and deadly outbreaks that occasionally appeared across different cities.
Even though Ren had never truly met those people with his own eyes, the emotions carried within those memories felt real. As he lay there quietly, staring ahead, an unfamiliar emptiness formed deep inside his chest. It was a strange and complicated feeling something between grief and loss.
For a boy who had never known what it meant to have a family, realizing that he had lost one before he could even meet them left behind a quiet, lingering void within his heart.
As Ren's new memories slowly settled into place within his mind, the ones related to his mother stood out more clearly than the rest. She had been Japanese and deeply proud of her heritage, a woman who held strong respect for her culture and traditions. Her greatest wish had always been for her son to grow up under the Japanese education system. Because of this, even though their family had lived in England, Ren had been enrolled in a school in Japan since he was young and attended his classes through remote learning. At the time it had felt somewhat unusual, but now those memories carried a gentle warmth especially the image of his mother smiling with quiet pride whenever she spoke about his future.
However, that peaceful routine had not lasted forever. After both of his parents died from the mysterious illness linked to Honkai, everything in this new life changed. The home he once lived in, the quiet family moments, and the warmth within those memories all became things of the past. Wanting to distance himself from those painful memories and start somewhere new, Ren eventually came to Japan and chose to settle in Nagazora City.
His family had never been extraordinarily wealthy, but they had been comfortable enough to live well. Before their deaths, they left Ren with a modest inheritance. It was not the kind of fortune that could build an empire, but it was more than enough for a young person to live independently without worry. In practical terms, Ren could even be considered a small millionaire.
Because of this, he was able to rent a small but decent room in Nagazora. The place was not luxurious, yet it was comfortable and clean. It had a small kitchen, a private bathroom, and everything he needed to live alone. Most importantly, it was entirely his own space. To Ren, it felt like a quiet but genuine beginning to his second life.
Today, however, was not an ordinary day.
Today was the first day Ren would officially attend Chiba Academy.
Located in Nagazora City, this academy was known as one of the most elite and prestigious schools in the area. Most of the students who studied there came from wealthy or influential families. With its modern campus, strict academic standards, and towering gates, Chiba Academy had built a powerful reputation throughout the city.
Sitting quietly on the edge of his bed, Ren remained silent for a moment as he looked ahead.
At that exact moment, a strange sound suddenly echoed inside Ren's mind.
Beep.
Before he could even react, the sound rang out again, clear and mechanical, as if something invisible had just awakened.
[Player System Activated]
Ren blinked in surprise. For a brief moment he thought he had imagined it, but before he could properly process what had just happened, a faint light flickered in the air in front of him. Then, as if projected from nowhere, a translucent panel slowly appeared before his eyes.
The floating interface hovered quietly in front of him, its pale blue light reflecting in his pupils.
[System]
[Name: Ren Adler]
[Title: None]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Innate Statistics]
[Intelligence: 76 / 100]
(You are not exactly a world-class scientist, but you can certainly be considered a genius in your own right.)
[Luck: 11 / 100]
(Honestly… I don't even want to know what kind of sins you committed in your previous life.)
[Comprehension: 93 / 100]
(With enough time and effort, you could master even the most difficult things.)
[Willpower: 86 / 100]
(You normally wouldn't possess such high willpower, but the fusion of two souls has strengthened it.)
[Charm: 98 / 100]
(Was your mother the Goddess of Beauty? How does someone even look like this?)
[Honkai Affinity: ??? / 100]
(Even I don't know the answer to that. Don't ask.)
[Basic Statistics]
[Strength: 0.8] (Average human: 1)
[Speed: 1] (Average human: 1)
[Defense: 1] (Average human: 1)
[Soul Rank: Mortal]
[Honkai Energy: 0.01] (Average human: 0)
[Stat Points: 0]
[Skills]
[Cooking: E] (Average)
[Calligraphy: C+] (Not bad)
Ren stared at the panel in stunned silence.
Although reading novels or manga had been a luxury he could rarely afford in his previous life, the concept of a "System" was still something he had heard about through popular culture.
Even so…
Seeing something like this appear right in front of his own eyes was a completely different experience.
For a moment, Ren simply sat there, staring at the floating interface, trying to convince himself that he was not dreaming.