A woman's silhouette, blurred and wavering, stood bathed in sunlight.. For some reason, a strange sense of familiarity stirred within me, along with emotions I couldn't understand as I looked at her.
"...She's beautiful….."
But why was my chest tightening like this? Why were tears streaming down my face? Why did that scene gradually blur, only to be swallowed by darkness?
"Why...."
Darkness engulfed everything—a silent, suffocating void. My vision ceased to exist, the surroundings of my body felt like a concept that had never been there to begin with. No sensations, no sound—only a faint awareness of reality.
A stream of tangible energy cut across my consciousness. A blinding sensation struck, followed by a pain so real it felt as if my nerves were about to snap, as though my head would split in two. Immediately after, a dry, mechanical voice echoed, shattering the stillness of the void.
[ Synchronizing the "Player" soul into a suitable vessel... ][ Integration complete. Welcome to the prologue of Yggdrasil. ]
My consciousness gradually became clearer. As I opened my eyes, I experienced the first traces of light as something entirely new.
A soft golden glow from the crystal chandeliers above dazzled my vision.
The sensations around me slowly sharpened, yet something still felt… off.
My body was stiff, difficult to move—or rather, I felt pitifully small.
The space around me was overwhelmingly vast, and I was surrounded by enormous wooden barriers that felt almost terrifying.
I wanted to shout and ask where this was, but the only thing that came out of my throat were meaningless babbles.
Through my blurry vision, a faint fluorescent screen appeared.
It wasn't on a wall—it floated directly within my retina.
And somehow, I could understand the text displayed on it.
Cyan Von Velton (Lv 1)Hp: 636Def: 36.6Spd: 0.5….Mana: 18.36(-10 after 1 day)...
"Cyan… along with the Velton surname…"
A strangely familiar feeling welled up inside me.
After a brief moment of thought, I remembered where I had seen it.
"Cyan Von Velton is a character in a game I once played."
Memories began to surface more clearly.
Just minutes ago, I had been sitting in front of my computer screen, my trembling fingers pressing the key to finish Chapter 1 of Yggdrasil.
The first "Perfect Clear" record in the world after 10 years. That excitement should have made my blood boil—but why… did everything feel so cold?
My memories were fragmented, as if I had forgotten quite a lot, which left me feeling uneasy.
More importantly, the world I was currently in—or rather, the world I had just arrived in—was Yggdrasia.
Yggdrasia is the world within the game Yggdrasil, a 10-chapter game that follows the journey of a commoner named Vikir in a fantasy world, as he opposes the resurrection plan of the Demon King orchestrated by the Ten Archdukes of Demons and strives to protect the world.
That world is filled with fantasy creatures, world monsters, and countless mysteries waiting for players to uncover.
It was also the game I had just perfectly cleared Chapter 1 of a few minutes ago.
Even though I hadn't played the later chapters on higher difficulties, this was still an unprecedented record for a 10-year-old game.
And yet now, it seemed I had entered that very game—and not even as the protagonist, the one blessed by the gods with innate talent.
The body I had possessed belonged to Cyan Von Velton, the third son of the most powerful lightning mage family in the nation of Leonhart—one of the four great noble houses of this land.
It sounded fortunate, but this guy was truly a complete waste in the storyline I once played.
Looking at the system before me, the information was easy to read.
Innate Talents
___________________________
Divine Lightning Authority: A talent for lightning magic flowing through the bloodline of the Velton family. As the name suggests, it allows the user to easily learn lightning magic and reach higher levels. It also attracts lightning spirits and enables the user to equip and utilize lightning-based weapons with ease.Provides 40% resistance to lightning attacks, and 20% resistance to attacks from lightning sub-branches, as well as light and dark magic.
(Limitation: Takes 1.2x damage from earth-based attacks.)
_______________________________
Infinite Law: When mana falls below 10%, total mana increases by 0.125%, resets after mana is fully replenished..
Grants proficiency in most non-elemental magic.
When total mana reaches 100k, can learn Distortion and Magic Resistance (activation costs 0 mana, up to 3 times per 6 days; each skill requires about 2 days to recharge).
(Limitation: Mana cannot be increased through leveling or any conventional methods.)
________________________________
Atomic Mastery: Allows alteration of molecular structure at the cost of 100 mana per molecule (requires direct contact).
Spatial transformation depends on size, requiring varying amounts of mana, with a minimum of 100 million mana (1 use per week).
(Healing effects on self are reduced by 1.3x.)
________________________________
"This guy has three talents?"
"Divine Lightning Authority, Infinite Law, and Atomic Mastery…"
"At first glance, they don't seem bad if you think about the distant future. Just reading these lines made me dream of a brilliant future, almost like the protagonist…"
But in this game, aside from the protagonist, the geniuses of Cyan's generation were unbelievably strong.
On top of that, there was a massive gap in development time compared to the previous generation.
Even if the protagonist wasn't played well, losing to dozens of people by the end of Chapter 1 within this very country was completely normal.
It was easy to see that even if I constantly drained my mana using these talents, they would only truly begin to show potential after the age of 30. Before that, they were nearly impossible to use effectively.
For someone born into a grand noble family, such a "pure late-game" talent was practically worthless.
Even the mana recovery speed took a full day for beginners (reduced by 1.36 times every 10 levels).
In other words, my mana would deplete every day, and I would spend the entire day unconscious.
And it wasn't that simple—according to the game's hidden notes, continuously exhausting mana would consume lifespan and damage health.
Each instance of mana depletion also brought a sensation as if all strength was being drained from the body.
To make matters worse, this guy was eventually exploited by an 8th-ranked Demon Archduke, who seized his body and turned him into a mid-to-high-level boss in the storyline I once played.
Hard to develop and likely to be targeted by powerful entities… what a perfect choice for reincarnation.
At this moment, all those rosy reincarnation stories I used to watch felt like ironic comedies mocking my life.
But it wasn't completely hopeless.
Right now, I was just a newborn child—unlike the original Cyan or other normal children who only began half-hearted training at the age of 3 or 4.
"I can start training now—and change a fate that was supposedly set in stone."
This family also provides Cyan with a high-grade potion: +10 mana for one day (non-stackable).
For adults, it's basically trash.
But for infants, it helps develop the body.
Because mana is the source of life—more mana means more energy for daily activity.
Even better… it stacks with my talent.
And since this potion is only given until the age of five—before the aptitude test—
"I need to try my best until then."
"With this tiny amount of mana, I need to quickly form a mana core."
"Otherwise, my mana will keep leaking out, and I won't be able to fully utilize my talents."
"But this isn't a game."
"I can't just click a few buttons and be done with it."
"Feel the flow of mana…"
"Maybe I should try something like meditation…"
"…Haah. Three hours have passed. I still can't feel anything."
"Honestly, I can sense a mosquito nearby more easily than this."
"Why is it so hard… what am I doing wrong?"
Suddenly, the door opened.
A figure with platinum hair walked in… and picked me up.
-Jwewuqrgqhrqirq…
No mistake.
That appearance.
She's Elysia Von Velton.
"A major character in the story… and Cyan's older sister."
"Someone who will, in the future, be manipulated by a demon simply because she pitied her younger brother."
"What is she even saying… I can't understand a thing."
"She seems… happy."
"…But seriously, she's been pinching my cheeks for five minutes now."
"What is she doing here? Just visiting me?"
"She's the second child of the main family, already ten years old—normally she should be staying in the main estate."
"But… something feels strange."
I slowly closed my eyes.
And then.
I felt it.
A flowing current, gently weaving around me.
"…Is this what they call the flow of mana?"
"It feels… denser around my cheeks."
"This purple current… must be my sister's lightning mana."
"I see now."
"This is the nursery. The ambient mana here is extremely thin—only maids from other families come in."
"But with her presence…"
"Even the restrained mana leaking from her body is enough for me to perceive the flow."
"Though… while this is great…"
"My dear sister doesn't look like she's planning to stop pampering me anytime soon."
So I did the only thing I could.
I started crying.
-Sob… Sob…!
"…Damn, this is way too embarrassing for an 18-year-old."
But she still didn't stop.
-wurhnwnrjfrnfn…
"She actually looks even happier now…"
"As expected of one of the monsters of this family—to enjoy a crying baby this much."
"This is outrageous…"
After ten minutes, she gently said something to Cyan again.
soft, affectionate…
-bruhannelmaolmaoiwijajfdma…
"I still couldn't understand."
"But from her gentle… yet slightly sorrowful eyes"
"I could tell."
"It felt like a farewell."
"This must be when she's ten years old…"
"The time she leaves for the royal academy, following my older brother—Leon Von Velton—to become a royal mage."
"When I played the game, she always felt cold toward Taylor…"
"But maybe… toward her baby brother…"
"She was always kind."
Eventually, Elysia left.
After showering me with affection… and that bittersweet goodbye.
But that doesn't matter now.
Because—
Cyan can feel mana.
"The faint traces she left behind… along with the little that remained in the room"
"I slowly gathered them."
"From every part of my body"
"I guided them inward…"
twisting…
compressing—
"into my heart."
"…I did it."
"A mana core… is formed."
"So I have 18.36 mana now… not bad."
"What I need next…"
"is a spell that consumes around 18 mana."
"A basic lightning spell… that shouldn't be too hard."
"At its core, it's just channeling mana from the heart to the hand…"
"And adding the command to release it…"
"…which will completely drain me."
"Whatever."
"I don't remember any spell that uses exactly 18 mana…"
"But 18.36 should be enough for this one."
"Even if it's just the minimum to fire it one meter."
I focused again.
Guiding the flow from my heart—
through my body—
into my arm—
to my fingertip.
A faint purple glow appeared.
"Release."
A tiny lightning orb shot out from my finger—
flew past the cradle—
and dissipated into the air.
Cyan's face now radiated joy.
"It wasn't even a real attack."
"But…"
"It felt incredible."
"More beautiful than fireworks."
But then—
A crushing pressure surged from my heart.
My body lost all strength.
"Of course."
"I had completely exhausted my mana."
Slowly—
my consciousness faded away.