Chapter 1: 1. Reborn
Blood.
Once again, he was vomiting blood.
And coughing violently.
The gaunt young man with pale white skin, living in a house that could more accurately be described as a dump, had vomited blood for who knows how many times over the past few days.
His name was Kaiden. A poor young man who had never once experienced the beauty of life.
"If I die now, will I have a second life that’s more pleasant? Without this life of deprivation and hunger?" Kaiden muttered with his last breath.
The young man closed his eyes, trying to endure the pain in his body.
His entire life had been one of suffering. His parents died when he was still a child; his relatives cast him aside without a shred of compassion.
From a young age, Kaiden had to scavenge through trash just to survive. Then he was adopted by a wealthy, show-offy family, gaining access to school and education, but it turned out he was being groomed to be an assassin. His adoptive parents, it turned out, ran a shadowy business—the mafia.
In addition to academic knowledge, Kaiden also learned martial arts and the skills of a professional assassin.
Though his conscience protested, he had to carry out the dirty work, because if he didn’t, he would be tortured and starved.
Exactly one month ago, Kaiden refused to kill an innocent girl. The beloved youngest daughter of the man who was Kaiden’s adoptive father’s enemy. The daughter of a conglomerate tycoon who had long been obstructing the business of Kaiden’s adoptive parents.
The 15-year-old girl was so innocent; she had Down syndrome, an extraordinarily cheerful girl.
How could Kaiden kill her?
But because of that, Kaiden was willing to be tortured, then cast out to the city outskirts. With one leg already broken, Kaiden couldn’t do much.
He had to die in such a gruesome way.
Regret? No.
Not at all.
But Kaiden hoped the girl was okay.
The young man’s final breath didn’t wipe the smile from his lips.
He left this world without regret—uh, was that really the case?
"Wake up, young man."
Kaiden tried to open his eyes, but there was only thick white fog in front of him; he couldn’t see a thing.
"Who’s there?" Kaiden muttered.
Even though he’d looked around, there was no one there except for that thick white fog.
"You will be given a second chance, and I will give you the opportunity to ask for one thing," said the voice, which had no form whatsoever.
Was it a god? Or the work of a god? Kaiden didn’t know.
Or was this just a mere dream?
Kaiden replied, "I just want to live comfortably, be able to eat whatever I want, get whatever I desire, and make money easily—that’s all," he muttered.
The formless voice burst into laughter, then asked again.
"Are you sure that’s all you’re asking for? Others usually ask for great power, good looks, wealth—"
"I just want to live in peace, and for everything I need to come easily—that’s all." Kaiden replied immediately, causing the disembodied voice to laugh again.
"Hahaha, I really love your simplicity. You’re a good person, but you have a sin because you’ve killed someone. I’ll give you what you want in a new world."
Kaiden furrowed his brow; it seemed he was about to be transported to another world.
"Wait a minute, what’s this other world like? Can’t I go back to Earth?"
Kaiden felt his voice simply vanish, and his body turned transparent; gradually, his body dissolved into ash.
The disembodied voice appeared again.
"Try again in the new world, and stay a good person! Hahaha, have fun!"
***
Kaiden opened his eyes again.
He was in a strange place.
A luxurious yet dusty room.
"Where am I?" he muttered.
[Welcome, master!]
Kaiden nearly screamed in surprise at the sight of a strange holographic screen speaking to him.
"You..."
[I am the Supermarket System who will accompany you in this new world called Ardhez]
[I will also be your guide; call me whatever you like—you can give me a name]
[Oh, by the way, your name is now Kaileon Arslan, the son of Duke Arslan by one of his concubines]
[By the way, your mother has passed away, which is why you’re in the exile pavilion]
[But this place is still behind the main castle, and it’s actually quite nice]
[It’s near a small lake and a hill—for your health, why don’t you go outside?]
Kai, who was trying to make sense of the system’s words, could only nod. He became interested when the system mentioned the lake and the hills.
Kai, who on Earth rarely—if ever—took vacations, having always been stuck in a big, polluted city, had always wanted to go on vacation. To a beautiful, green, and serene place.
"Can you tell me more about me? And how old am I? Why am I so small?" Kai asked, turning to the large, dusty mirror leaning against the wall near his bed.
In the mirror’s reflection, Kai saw himself looking like a child. But his voice sounded like a teenager’s.
He had thought he’d remain around twenty-five years old, just as he was when he died.
[You are 13 years old, almost 14, master]
Kai stood up, walked over to the mirror, and wiped it clean with a cloth lying on the floor.
Once the mirror was clean, he was utterly shocked by his appearance.
He was very handsome, but much smaller than the average 13-year-old. He was also very thin with a pale, ghostly face, like a living corpse.
Then...
"I’m hungry. As the son of a Duke, do I have a maid? Are the rules here similar to those on Earth? Regarding the nobility?" Kai asked, sitting back down on his rickety bed because he couldn’t stand for long.
[You’re alone here, master]
[There should be, but the Duchess, your stepmother, took all the servants here and left you all alone. She hopes you’ll die soon, since you’re the Duke’s first son. The rule here is that the heir to the title is a son, unless there are no sons at all, in which case a daughter might be considered. Meanwhile, the Duchess’s son is the second son, after you.]
[Noble rules are almost the same, but instead of thinking about that, how about you order some food from me first? The supermarket system!]
[The supermarket system has almost everything you could want, from meat, vegetables, spices, clothes... anything!]
[The supermarket system sells goods from Earth as well as from this world, Ardhez!]
The hologram screen expanded. A display resembling a marketplace website appeared, offering a variety of goods.
"Do I have money for this?" Kai muttered.
[You have money in the desk drawer; check it.]
Kai opened the desk drawer next to his bed and was surprised to see all the gold coins of various sizes lying there.
[Kaileon Arslan always received money for his needs every month, but since he was frequently ill and had no servants to help him, he couldn’t use it.]
Kai felt sorry for himself. Even in his new body, he suffered.
But no, he would put an end to that suffering. Unlike his situation on Earth, he now had a supermarket system at his disposal.
