With just this one magical word, Kirian opened a can of new possibilities.

  Status of UNNAMED

  Path: N/A

  Traits:

  [Otherworlder]

  [Minor Unveiling]

  Stats:

  Vitality 0,13

  Might 0,02

  Speed 0,03

  Perception 0,05

  Mind 0,89

  Will LOCKED

  Equipped Skills (0/7):

  Acquired Skills:

  [Sense Presence]

  Kirian would have cried if she could. Weeks of begging the glowing words to appear before her again, and they do when she finally surrenders to her fate. If only the system didn't assume she already knew what to say and do and just straight up gave her a brief rundown of its functions, maybe her mind wouldn't be in such ruin right now. Unfortunately, the system was an artificial intelligence designed to only react to specific commands, so the hours she spent trying to communicate with it were in vain.

  Good thing those days are in the past now.

  "What is this bullshit? You answer me now? After months of radio silence?" She wiggled her limbs in defiance, trying to intimidate the system by shoving her clenched fist through the screen. It didn't work. The box screen exists only in her imagination, after all.

  "Equip Skill? What does that even mean? I don't need your help. I can avoid the irritating asshole just fine by myself. Thanks for nothing, useless piece of junk."

  It seems like the promised grind wasn't meant to be. Maybe if Kirian were not so stubborn, she would have realized the system is here to help her. By refusing to interact with it, the only one she hurts is herself. She would never grow as strong as the [Hero], not even with a head start, but having a conscious mind since conception give her a huge lead over her other peers, who would just start to develop their first poop, not an impressive achievement by any means.

  But not equipping the Skill is not the end of the world. Just because she has it archived doesn't mean she can't grow by learning how to use it by herself. True, she won't get any assistance from the system, and the 25% bonus to growing her Stat is also inactive, but Rome wasn't built in a day. She still has time to get over her one-sided beef and reap the benefits when they're still hot. "Time heals all wounds", as the saying goes.

  ***

  Or maybe not. It's been 27 weeks since Kirian got reincarnated, and it's finally time to open her eyes. There wasn't much to see, but it finally confirmed what she previously assumed. She was a baby, or more accurately, a fetus. A fully conscious fetus. It was such a strange thought that she found herself hoping again that she was actually experiencing a bad trip from hitting her head too hard, and everything that happened to her so far was just a delusion created by a crumbling mind.

  Alas, the sensations felt over the last months of her life disproved that theory. There was nothing more horrifying than feeling the pain of your bones growing, trying to breathe, only to feel liquid enter your mouth, hearing sounds straight from hell, but not knowing where they come from. At least she could finally see, though calling it seeing was an overstatement. In her previous life, her sight was so bad she could barely read anything that wasn't right in front of her nose. This was so much worse. Everything was blurry, she could only perceive light that sometimes got through her mother's belly when she was changing or showering. The light wasn't what caught Kirian's interest, though. It was what was inside the womb that got her attention. She could see some... shape. She guessed the entity that tormented her for the last 14 weeks was actually her sibling. That was a sobering thought. She actively avoided it from touching her, thinking it was malicious in nature, after all.

  "I suppose it's not 'it' anymore but my brother or sister." She mused.

  "Well, it doesn't really matter. I still think you're a little shit. When the birth starts, I'll make sure I will be the older twin." If Kirian were capable of making sounds, she would have laughed maniacally at her clever plan. There wasn't a better way to show your superiority over your sibling than by being older.

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  "I hope I don't have any more siblings than you. Two is a company, three would be a crowd."

  In her previous life, Kirian was an only child, not because her parents wanted to stop at one, but because her unfaithful father got STDs and ended up infertile. His dream of having five sons was crushed completely then, but there was still hope. His wife was pregnant with their first, and it was assumed to be a boy. Imagine his surprise when, instead of a son, he got a daughter. Her father had to think of a name that sounded androgynous so the people wouldn't judge, when in reality, he named his daughter a boy's name. Kirian's mother was furious when she woke up to find the name was already approved, but she didn't fight her husband, though. The same woman who forgave her husband for fucking with his coworker when she was fully into her third trimester didn't have the spine to insist when it came to a stupid name change.

  So, Kirian stayed named Kirian. But it didn't end there. Her father not only named her like he would his son, but he also treated her like one. She was never allowed to have 'girly' things.

  A doll?

  No, how about this racecar instead?

  Can I get the pink blouse?

  No, what do you think of this pretty blue one? It's way better, isn't it?

  Can I wear a skirt to school? My friends wear skirts to school.

  No, pants are way more practical. You wouldn't want to be called names, do you?

  But... almost every girl at school I know wears skirts, and they aren't called names. Why can't I wear one?

  You're not like other girls

  ...

  Don't ask me again. I won't change my mind.

  ... Ok.

  It was painful to pretend that she was something that she wasn't. Her father groomed her to be his perfect son, and her mother never protested. She just silently went along with everything her husband did. Both of her parents disappointed her, so that's why she grew up thinking the only one she could really rely on was herself.

  Not every memory was bad, though. She genuinely enjoyed some of the things she was forced to do. She liked the athletic side of being a boy. Her father signed her up for judo classes when she was 6. She hated it at first, but in time, she started to love the rush of adrenaline and pride every time she progressed and got a new belt. After 8 years of meticulous training 4 times a week, she got her black belt. After that, she stopped training as often because it didn't feel as rewarding for her when she already climbed to the top. She would probably never stop if the belts never ended. The promise of a reward would drive her to a breaking point if it meant she could show everyone she was better than them, at least when it came to fighting.

  Her father was also an avid gun enthusiast, and growing up, Kirian often got dragged on hunts. They woke up before dawn, or more like she got forced out of bed against her will, and drove to the hunting grounds to shoot at whatever they legally could kill in season. She hated every part of it, but even an unwilling student learned something after years. Her father taught her how to track, kill, and skin a deer by herself, even before she learned how to drive a car. No wonder she turned out the way she did.

  If an outsider were to summarize Kirian in one word, it would come between ambitious and stubborn, but in her dictionary, these words are synonyms. She was a hard worker, living by the saying: 'Everything is possible if you really put your mind to it.'

  A weird sensation suddenly interrupted Kirian's emotionally charged rollercoaster of memories. The feeling was so unfamiliar that she reacted without thinking and tried to jump out of the way. She couldn't, of course, but her mother probably got startled by the sudden kick she received. Kirian had more important things on her mind than the comfort of her new parent, though. Her twin was doing something with the space around them, and it wasn't a pleasant sensation. She felt queasy, weak, like someone was trying to suck the life itself out of her. Kirian sensed that she was slowly losing consciousness and knew that there was a possibility she wouldn't wake up anymore.

  "What are you doing?!" It wouldn't answer. The words were only in her mind, after all.

  "Stop it! I don't like this feeling." Ignored, again.

  "Please..." It felt like being on the edge of sleep, fighting for her eyes to stay open and her mind sharp. If she didn't do something this instant, it might be her end.

  Good thing Kirian was not a quitter. It took an iron will to withstand mocking from pre-pubescent teens as someone who struggled with self-identity. She started to fight her exhaustion and pushed against the aura her evil twin emitted.

  There was a moment she thought that this was it. She would die before she was even born. She would die after living through literal hell and finally finding hope again. From her existential crisis pulled her out a bright flash, something gave, and the force just... stopped. Celebrations were cut short, though, when she was suddenly assaulted by notifications.

  Will Stat unlocked!

  {Unveiled information: You can now learn skills requiring control over external mana.}

  New Common Grade Skill acquired!

  [Mana Manipulation]

  Exert your will on the world {Unveiled information: Gives a 25% bonus to growing the Will Stat}

  Do you want to equip it in your Status?

  Y/N