[T/N: Only this chapter is 1st POV]
[A Chaotic Region]
No up, down, left, or right.
No time or space.
Only a thick, writhing darkness, like something not yet civilized.
“Where the hell is this?
It’s dark as hell…”
“No way… I just used a plane video to help me sleep, and I directly freaking died?”
Consciousness drifted through the void, making confused complaints.
Right then, two indescribable “presences” lit up this chaos like stars.
One voice sounded out, ethereal and holy, as if it came with built-in purification effects and sacred background music, [“He has already fused with the ‘Fragment of Radiance.’ His soul bears the mark.
Naturally, he belongs to my world.”]
Another voice immediately snapped back, overbearing and forceful, carrying the attitude of “I make the rules” [“Oh, shut it.
What version are you people even running over there?
Peaceful development, calm and stable days!”]
[“My world’s about to enter the damn ‘underworld patch’!
Cursed spirits everywhere, lunatics all over the place!
This is exactly when we need people!”]
The holy voice replied unhappily, [“I have already granted him the gift of ‘Radiance.’ Naturally, he is mine.”]
The overbearing voice sneered.
[“Gift?
That tiny little beginner tutorial package?
Stingy.”]
He spoke rapidly, like someone trying to grab a limited-edition figure before it sold out, [“I’m giving him a full-level ‘Heavenly Restriction’ experience card!
Cheat-level physical potential, got it?”]
[“And I’ll throw in the signature skill from that ‘Shadow Monarch’ in your world too.
A youth edition of ‘Shadow Extraction’!”]
[“Starting with dual talents!
Pretty generous, right?!”]
The holy voice seemed like it wanted to argue more.
The overbearing voice directly cut it off and roared impatiently, [“The hell are you yapping to me for?
You think I’m discussing this with you?”]
[“Get lost!”]
[“Kid, off you go!”]
Me: “Wait…!”
An irresistible force violently wrapped around my consciousness.
Like being shoved into some hyperspace spin dryer, spinning, pulling, squeezing me apart.
Pain?
Numbness?
Or the feeling of my soul being ripped into a QR code?
Couldn’t tell anymore.
My final thought was, ‘This reincarnation service sucks.
I’m leaving a bad review!’
Then my consciousness completely fell into darkness.
[The Zenin Family]
Deep inside a suffocating Japanese-style estate, in a delivery room.
The sharp smell of disinfectant mixed with the scent of old tatami mats rushed into my nose.
‘Who am I…?’
‘Where am I…?’
‘Just now… were there two ‘gods’ arguing over me?
Fighting to take me?’
‘I just used something to help me sleep before bed… why is this dream so long and ridiculous?
Why haven’t I woken up yet?’
My consciousness slowly gathered together, like rusty gears starting to turn.
My vision was blurry, shadows and light swaying around.
Figures in white coats moved before my eyes.
I tried hard to raise my hand…
What entered my sight was a pink, tiny, chubby… baby paw.
Me: “…”
Silence filled the Zenin household tonight.
Alright.
Case solved.
This wasn’t a dream.
I’d caught the final train of the insanely competitive “transmigration/reincarnation” trend.
And it was the kind where I kept memories from my past life without drinking Meng Po soup.
Though most of those memories were useless junk.
No idea whether that counted as lucky or unlucky.
“Hmph.”
A cold snort full of disgust came from nearby.
It belonged to an old man in a traditional kimono with a harsh-looking face.
He glanced at me after I’d been roughly cleaned off, his eyes like he was looking at non-burnable trash.
“Another one… without cursed energy.
Useless trash.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it spread clearly through the quiet delivery room.
The surrounding medical staff lowered their heads and didn’t dare speak.
The old man waved his hand, his tone full of annoyance at dealing with trouble, “Handle it according to the rules.
Throw him to Zenin Toji.”
“Trash should stay with trash.”
‘Hm?’
‘Toji?’
That name… sounded familiar.
In an instant, fragments of memory stirred.
I wanted to open my mouth, make a sound, ask something.
But a baby’s vocal cords could only produce meaningless babbling.
At the same time, a sharp stabbing pain suddenly erupted deep in my mind!
It felt like some cold, tyrannical force was forcibly branding itself into the depths of my soul, merging with me.
The pain made my vision go dark, and the consciousness I had just gathered scattered again.
Who knew how long passed.
When my senses finally became clear again, I was already being held in someone’s arms.
The person holding me was a ridiculously tall young man.
Short black hair.
A scar at the corner of his mouth.
A worn-out look in his eyes mixed with a beast-like viciousness.
He wore a simple black tight-fitting outfit.
His muscles were smooth and explosive, like a lazy black panther that could suddenly spring up at any moment.
Zenin Toji.
The “other piece of trash” the harsh old man had just mentioned.
Right now, he was lowering his head, examining me with those lifeless eyes.
The old man from before stood nearby, his attitude even worse than how he treated garbage, “There.
He’s yours.
Same as you, a worthless thing without cursed energy.”
“The family won’t give him any resources.
Raise him, or…”
The old man pulled out a cold, inhuman smile:
“Kill him now and save the Zenin family the embarrassment later.”
Me: “???”
‘No, old man!
I just got here a few minutes ago!
My name’s barely even on the family register yet!’
‘And we’re already speedrunning to the “recommended disposal” phase?’
‘Is the Zenin family beginner village always this hardcore?!’
After speaking, the old man turned around and quickly left, like he was afraid bad luck would stick to him.
Only me and the young Toji holding me remained in the room.
I tried hard to turn my tiny neck and blinked curiously at this “big bro.”
So this was… the legendary “Heavenly Tyrant” in his younger days?
He really did look worn out, but this build, this faint pressure coming off him…
He looked at me.
I looked at him.
The air stayed quiet for several seconds.
Suddenly, he tugged at the corner of his mouth.
On that worn-out face appeared an extremely complicated expression.
Mockery, bitterness, and a sarcastic sense of shared misery.
“Heh…”
He spoke softly, his voice hoarse, “Those idiots… their eyes only see cursed energy.”
“They don’t understand at all…”
He lightly bounced my tiny bundle in his arms.
Deep in his eyes, a faint light seemed to ignite.
Or maybe it was just stubborn refusal to give up.
“How strong Heavenly Restriction really is…”
“A bunch of stubborn old fools blinded by ‘talent.'”
He took a deep breath, as if making some kind of decision, and pulled me slightly closer into his arms.
The movement wasn’t gentle.
It was even a little clumsy.
But he controlled the force carefully.
“They don’t want you…”
Toji looked into my eyes and said word by word, like a declaration, “I’ll raise you.”
Then he frowned, as if he’d just remembered something, “Right… that old bastard didn’t even leave you a name?”
“What a pitiful little guy.”
Holding me, he tilted his head and thought hard.
On that face that screamed “don’t mess with me,” there appeared a kind of awkward honesty completely unsuited to his temperament.
His expression amused me, or maybe it was just baby instinct.
I opened my toothless mouth and laughed with a “gaga” sound.
[T/N: Bro missed the ‘googoo’ and went straight to ‘gaga’]
Toji froze for a moment when he saw me laugh.
Then he grinned too, showing a smile that wasn’t handsome, but felt unusually real.
“Damn, your nerves are pretty solid.
You can still laugh at a time like this.”
“Then I’ll call you…”
He thought for two seconds, then decided, “Yukio.”
“Zenin Yukio.”
“I’m not asking for much.
I just hope you little brat can live a life a bit more carefree than mine.”
‘Zenin Yukio?’
‘So that’s my name now.’
I silently complained inside, ‘Big bro, your naming skills are inversely proportional to your muscle mass, huh?’
‘That’s way too lazy of a name!’
‘But… whatever.’
‘Considering you’re a future super-potential stock, and right now my only guardian and long-term meal ticket…’
‘A lame name is fine.’
‘Definitely not because I can’t beat you right now!’
‘Definitely not because I’m afraid you’d slap me into baby paste!’
After finishing my internal complaints, I started trying to organize my current mess of a situation.
Past-life memories, chaotic.
The weird conversation in that chaotic region.
The mysterious power I’d apparently just obtained.
The Zenin family’s hostility.
And this young “Heavenly Tyrant” big bro in front of me…
That was a lot of information.
I needed to sort through it carefully.
Should’ve watched more stuff back then.
There were tons of things I couldn’t even remember clearly anymore.
Too much flying had ruined my memory.
I needed to think about how to survive in this high-risk jujutsu world, while also firmly hugging this future golden thigh in front of me…
Just as my baby brain CPU began overclocking…
A familiar, warm, impossible-to-ignore flow…
burst out from my lower half.
Zenin Yukio: “…”
Zenin Toji: “…Tch.”
A subtle smell spread through the air.
The veins near Toji’s forehead seemed to twitch, but he still accepted his fate with a sigh and stiffly started looking for diapers or something.
I lay in the swaddling cloth and gave up thinking, staring at the ceiling.
‘Alright.’
‘Looks like considering those “long-term strategies”…’
‘Was a little too early for a baby body that couldn’t even control its own bladder yet.’
‘Current top priorities…’
‘Stay alive.’
‘And… stop peeing my pants…’