Rafe had expected many things from reincarnation.An overpowered skill.A legendary sword.Maybe even a fateful encounter with a goddess.
What he didn't expect… was watery oatmeal that tasted like pure despair.
He stared at the gray sludge in his bowl.
"…God. They could've just killed me again."
The tiny kid sitting beside him — a boy with snot running down his face — snorted.
"That's what they feed us every day! You get used to it!"
Rafe gave him a deadpan look.
"I'd rather die."
"That can be arranged," a voice said behind him.
Rafe didn't need to look to recognize it.The orphanage bully.Ten years old.Twice Rafe's size.Zero brain cells.
Lovely.
The bigger boy grabbed Rafe's shoulder—and froze.
Rafe looked up slowly, eyes narrow, expression calm.
Not a scared child.Not a helpless victim.
A grown man in a small body—radiating a warning the bully couldn't understand.
"Take your hand off," Rafe said softly, "before I consider rearranging your face."
The bully blinked.
"…What?"
Rafe leaned forward slightly, still polite.
"I said:take.your.hand.off."
For a moment, confusion wrestled with instinct in the boy's head.
He stepped back.
"Tch. You're weird today."
And left.
Rafe exhaled slowly.
Good. Step one: establish dominance.He couldn't afford to be an easy target.Not if he wanted to live long enough to reach the Academy.
But the System wasn't going to carry him early.He needed strength — mental, social, physical.And fast.
DING!New Quest Unlocked:"Foundation of Survival"Objective: Improve the Host's physical condition.Reward: +1 VitalityPenalty: Increased chance of early death.
Rafe massaged his temples.
"Great. Even the System thinks I'm weak."
Still, he was practical.
Breakfast.Evaluate resources.Identify potential allies.Spot a future heroine, if possible.
Then… a soft sound caught his attention.
Footsteps.
A girl walked into the cafeteria.Dark hair tied messily in a small ponytail.Serious expression.Eyes far too sharp for someone her age.Thin, but with a straight, disciplined posture.
Rafe recognized her instantly.
Her.
One of the future heroines.In the original novel, she would survive the orphanage, enter Zenith Academy, and become an elite warrior.
But she wasn't noticed until chapter forty.
Here, she was maybe eight years old.And completely ignored.
Rafe felt a smile tug at his lips.
The first piece on the board had appeared.
He stood, grabbed his bowl of misery-mingau, and walked toward her—with the confidence of a man who had already lived a lifetime.
"Can I sit here?"
She raised a brow.
"…Why?"
Rafe smiled.
"Because you seem like the only person here who still has a functioning brain."
The girl blinked, surprised…and then a tiny, barely audible laugh escaped her.
"…You can sit."
Rafe took his seat beside her, calm and comfortable—like someone already beginning to rewrite destiny.
His childhood wouldn't be the end.It would be the beginning.