CHAPTER 1: Reborn! My Name is Marcus!
Ugh... my head...
Marcus opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he noticed was that everything was blurry. And everything looked... huge.
"Where am I? Is this heaven?"
He tried to move his arms, but they felt heavy and weak. He looked down...
"!!!"
His eyes went wide! Those weren't adult hands! They were tiny, chubby little fists!
"No way... Am I... a baby?!"
He tried to shout, but the sound that came out was:
"Wahhh! Wahhh! Wahhh!"
It was the sound of crying! He couldn't speak properly! His brain was PANICKING!
"What is happening?! I was just driving home from work! I was an adult! How did I turn into a little baby?! Did I get hit by a car?! Is this a dream?! Wake up! Wake up!!"
He was sweating, his heart beating fast. He was terrified!
Just then, a soft warm hand touched his face. A beautiful woman with gentle eyes picked him up and held him close to her chest.
"Oh, my little angel, you're awake! You were sleeping for so long, Mommy was so worried!"
Her voice was like music. She smelled nice and warm. Marcus felt safe instantly, but he was still confused.
Next to her, a big strong man with a beard looked down, his eyes full of love. "Haha! Look at him! He's staring at us! What a strong boy!"
Mom... Dad...
Marcus looked at them. Even though he knew he was from another world, his heart felt warm. But he was still shaking inside.
"So this is real... I really died... and I was born again..."
Suddenly, a flood of information rushed into his mind.
- This world is called Aethelgard.
- This body is also named Marcus.
- He is now 1 year old!
- His family runs a small Inn called "Green Leaf Inn".
"Wow... so I really started over... From zero..." Marcus thought to himself, still in shock.
But then, he frowned deeply.
"Wait... wait a minute! This is bad! Really bad! I am just a baby! I can't walk! I can't eat! I can't do anything by myself! What if I get sick? What if something happens? How am I supposed to survive like this?! This is way too scary!!"
He was really panicking now !
As if hearing his thoughts, a mechanical voice suddenly rang inside his head!
[ Ding! ]
[ Hero System Activated! ]
[ Welcome to your new Beginning, Host Marcus! ]
Marcus's baby eyes went wide!
"System? What is that? Is that... something that can help me?!"
[ Mission Received: Grow up healthy and strong! ]
[ Reward: Stat Points + Lucky Draw! ]
The woman kissed Marcus on the forehead. "From today on, your name is Marcus. Okay, my baby?"
Marcus looked at his tiny hands, then looked at the ceiling, his eyes full of determination.
"This is a completely new world... I don't know what's going to happen... I don't know what dangers are waiting for me... But I can't stay weak forever!
I have to find a way to survive! I have to become strong! And I have to figure out what I am going to do with this new life! No matter what, I have to keep moving forward!"
A new life. A new world.
The story of Marcus begins now!