Far from the castle where the royal birthing home was located, Rin's tiny body reappeared in the middle of a glowing teleportation circle, nestled within a deep forest just beyond the outskirts of a remote village in the kingdom of Aurethiel.
The said kingdom is ruled by King Aurelus, which stretched far and wide but only few ventured this deep into its isolated side of the land.
The blinding light of the teleportation spell gradually faded from Rin's eyes, revealing the filtered green sunlight of the forest canopy above. The thick scent of pine and wildflowers mixed with the distant chirping of birds, offered him a peaceful offering from his chaotic birth.
As his vision cleared, a strange realization hit him: he was safe. Or at least, safer than he had been.
Unbeknownst to him, Jhorton had spent his final breath activating the teleportation spell, sending Rin away from the blood-drenched chaos that had engulfed the castle. The unfortuanate mage had paid the ultimate price—sacrificing himself so the child might live.
Now alone, settled awkwardly inside a broken laundry basket placed atop the smooth, rune-covered teleportation stone, Rin took a moment to absorb his surroundings. The base circle itself was composed of bluish-gray rock etched with golden inscriptions that shimmered faintly in the light.
Despite its magical purpose, the stone blended seamlessly with the mossy ground, as if nature herself had chosen to hide it. In fact, part of the purpose of the golden inscription is to hide the teleportation circle from unwanted eyes. Unfornately, it is a one way teleportation circle and it could not be used to go back since that kind of circle would be extremely expensive.
The said teleportation stone is actually one of Jorthon's secret personal tool that only he and a few of his trusted friends new. After all, such important tool is extremely expensive and only people like Jorthon who had been working closely with the royalty for a long time is able to afford such for his own personal use.
"Thank you, magic man. I owe you my life," Rin thought solemnly after recalling the people that were about to take him out.
Though he couldn't speak aloud, Rin wasn't naive. He had always been able to read people—even in his past life. And despite the language barrier, it had been obvious to him that the serious-looking mage who kept waving his hands was fighting on his behalf - or so he hoped.
As the ambient sounds of the forest wrapped around him—rustling leaves, creaking branches, the buzz of unseen insects—Rin mulled over the events that had just unfolded. The stench of blood, the screams, the clash of steel. He blamed himself for being so helpless.
"Dang. If only I had some starter magic, maybe I could've helped them. But nooo, that fool angel forgot to give me a cheat skill. Or maybe this is intentional? Some kind of slow-burn leveling system?"
He tried to tilt his head to look around, but the movement was feeble—his newborn body barely obeyed him. It was a miracle that he could see clearly at all. Earth babies couldn't see more than a blurry meter ahead, but here, his vision was crystal clear. No color confusion and no haziness. Just 20/20 clarity that he can only dreamed with his blurry eyes from his past life.
"Must be the genetics in this world… or maybe there's really mana in the air that's helping this body..." Rin mused.
He took a mental note of the atmosphere. The air was different—thicker, somehow alive. Unlike Earth's plain oxygen, this world's air felt like water vapor laced with cool, invisible silk. Rin could feel it moving into him—not through breathing, but through his skin, his very essence.
"Wait… am I absorbing mana? Is this a fantasy world and a cultivation world? Jackpot!"
A gurgling sound of baby excitement slipped from his lips, and his eyes lit up with wonder. But then, reality smacked him again with the harshness of his new world.
KROAAR!~
Ten meters away, a monstrous creature emerged from the underbrush, unfortunately attracted by the stinky scent coming from him. There, standing with massive fangs in his mouth, a jaguar-like beast, three meters tall, sleek and its body was covered in obsidian-black with eerie white stripes twirling down its tail. It let out a hungry snarl, its red-golden eyes locking onto the helpless newborn lying exposed in a basket.
UWAAAA!~
"Mamamiaaa!" Rin's internal scream matched his vocal one.
He wriggled desperately, trying to move—but his limbs were no match for gravity. He couldn't even lift his head!
"Why couldn't I be born in normal settings, like that lucky Rudeus guy?! Everything's trying to kill me! Am I cursed with a main character flag or what?!"
Tears formed in his eyes—not just from fear, but from pure frustration. The beast lunged, its claws gleaming like daggers ready to rip him apart. But then, just before its jaws could snap shut, a spear crackling with bluish energy came hurtling through the air.
KRAR-!
The weapon embedded itself in the beast's shoulder, forcing it to screech and tumble sideways, snarling in pain.
"Huh? What's this?"
An old man stepped from the trees, gripping a weathered garden sickle in one hand. Rin immediately noticed the man's name and title and hope started to blossom.
*************************************
Name: Robert
Level: 34
Title: Healing Potion Specialist
Class: Herbalist
************************************
He looked to be in his fifties with a solid build and skin tanned by sun and soil. Dressed in tattered gardening clothes, he didn't look like much—until you saw the way he moved. Silent. Focused. It seems that a powerful person had heeded Rin's desperation.
The man narrowed his eyes at the crying child bundled in dirty linens.
"Why did that damn Jhorton send me a baby? Is this one of his love children or something? That fool never learns."
Turning his gaze toward the wounded beast, he lifted his sickle and pointed it accusingly. "You dare attack my guest, you greedy cat?!"
Despite his humble appearance, the man radiated quiet strength. There was something unsettling about him—something deep, like still water hiding whirlpools underneath.
He had been tending his distant herb garden when he saw the brilliant flash of the teleportation spell. Knowing what that meant, he had dropped his tools and rushed toward the source. When the roar of the Night Claw echoed through the forest, he'd known Jhorton was in trouble.
KRAR-KROAAAR!
The beast roared again, furious and humiliated. Blood gushed from its wounded shoulder. It yanked the spear out with its fangs and bared its teeth at the old man. But when it saw the glowing energy swirling around the sickle, its aggression faltered.
Rin, meanwhile, watched in stunned silence.
"Plot armor! I totally have plot armor!" he cheered inside his mind. "I may not have an OP system, but I've definitely got a golden halo or something! Oraaayt!"
Seeing the hesitation in the beast's eyes, the old man stepped forward. "You scared now, huh? Come at me again and I'll roast your sorry hide. Lately, I've been thinking about some wildcat jerky. Do you volunteer?"
The beast growled but didn't attack. Its instincts screamed danger from the man before it. With a final snort, it turned tail and vanished into the trees leaving only traces of its blood on the ground.
Rin's baby eyes sparkled. 'Go, Mister OP Garden Man! Finish him while he's limping!'
The old man chuckled. "Run while you can, furball. If only your poop wasn't useful for fertilizing Uwag herbs, I'd have hunted down your whole family by now."
He turned back toward Rin and walked over, peering into the basket. The stench hit him first.
"Whew! Gods above—what did you eat, kid?" he gagged, lifting Rin gently but at arm's length.
"Alright, stinky baby. We'll figure out who you are later. For now, let's get you cleaned up before I pass out from the smell."
Cradling the child in one arm, he began walking through the woods. The path was rough but familiar to him, winding past old vulging roots, glittering insect wings, and colorful mushrooms that glowed faintly in the surroundings.
After several minutes, the forest trees opened up to reveal a breathtaking sight.
The landscape unfolded like a painting—sunlight streaming over tall, lush trees; a crystal-blue river snaking through wildflower meadows; and birds with jewel-colored feathers swooping between branches and letting out some beautiful sound from their unique-looking beaks.
In the distance, tall mountains loomed like ancient guardians, their snowy peaks kissed by clouds. A group of wyverns soared above the tallest ridge, their distant silhouettes looked regal and powerful and Rin could not help but be excited to hunt one of those when he grows.
'Who knows I might be able to tame them?' an idea popped in his mind.
The old man stopped to take it all in, holding Rin up so he could see.
"You see that?" he said, his voice softer now. "What you are looking right now is my home. It's beautiful and peaceful. That little village down there—it's called Windell. Unless that bastard Jhorton comes back to fetch you, this'll probably be your home from now on kid."
Rin might not understood a single word the man said to him but he understood that the placebefore him is where his growing up arc will begin.
"So this is my tutorial village huh..." Rin thought while appreciating that beautiful scene mixed with nature and the smell of fantasy in his senses. He could not wait to grow up and experience this life of fantasy and adventure.
Before, he could only dream about this world and never in his wildest dreams that he would get to experience the fantasy world on his own. Although his problem with his system remains a mystery, he is confident that as long as he play his cards right in this world and never stop striving to become powerful, he knew that the throne for the empire is not impossible.
'I wonder what class I am going for in this world....'
Deep in his little frame, big dreams for the future are starting to unfold and Rin is determined to see this through and who knows, he might be able to make it to his original world and meet his friends and grandma again. He might be called crazy after telling them his stories from this world but for him it doesnt matter.
'wait, since I have no class system, does that mean that I can be anything I want in this world?'
A bright idea suddenly emerged in his mind but little did he knew the mountain of troubles that was waiting ahead for him.
Just as Rin was thinking for his plans on how to survive on this world, the old man suddenly raised him before his eyes with one hand and said,
"Wait a minute. You are a weird one. Why can't I see your name and class?"