The scent of wet stone and horse manure filled Vincent’s nose as he stared out the window, sightseeing.

His blonde attendant sat beside with her eyes closed, seemingly in deep thought.

The carriage’s wheel passed through small puddles on the cobblestone path, piercing through the thin mist of the capital’s evening.

Markets slowly closed, workers returned home while the sun set and darkness slowly settled.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang, slow and deliberate like it belonged to something older than the city itself.

The carriage soon rolled into a polished gravel. The streets narrowed and the buildings rose higher. Behind those black iron balconies were stained glass windows, flickering within which were weak amber halos of the gas lamps.

Vincent saw soot and dust from coal burning get less as he moved further into the noble district.

Very soon, carved stone facades of gargoyles and floral decay motifs frequented more in numbers.

At last came the tall iron gates, opening slowly as the carriage neared it.

"We’re here..." Anastasia said without opening her eyes.

Before Vincent could wonder how she could figure out without looking, the carriage went inside Duke Leurox’s mansion gates and a notification rang inside his head.

[Ding!]

[Starter Pack Unlock Condition Progressed: 3/3]

[Opening the Starter Pack...]

The system did not stop speaking inside his head or the line of texts stopped in front of his vision.

’Shit. Stop it. Not now, not now!’ Vincent thought, but darkness soon engulfed his vision as the starter pack opened up.

...

There was no sound. No sight. No smell. Only awareness.

It was until—

A voice, ancient and mechanical, spoke without sound.

Lines of blood red text appeared in Vincent’s vision.

[Condition met.]

[Candidate identified.]

[Open Soul detected.]

[Karmic Imprint: Negative.]

[Searching new candidate...]

[Candidate identified.]

[Open Soul detected.]

[Karmic Imprint: Positive.]

[Searching new candidate...]

.

.

.

Time had passed.

Not years. Not centuries.

Five hundred years.

Searching. Waiting. Rejecting.

Until now.

[Candidate identified.]

[Open Soul detected.]

[Karmic Imprint: None]

[Fate Anchor: None]

A vessel unbound by past or destiny.

Rare to the point of impossibility.

Suitable.

.

.

.

It was the edge of a cliff.

The summer breeze was warm and the ocean waves crashed gently against the rocks.

A slender man in white daoist robes stood staring at the waves, his hair gently swaying in the breeze.

Vincent wasn’t sure when he had arrived.

Or how.

"No need to stand, child."

The man spoke without turning.

’What’s happening?’ Vincent lowered himself onto the soft grass.

"If you’re here then it means my predictions have come true."

Vincent stared at the man’s back and listened quietly. He did not understand cryptic messages so he waited until he elaborated.

Silence followed. The man stroked his beard.

"This is a long tale but there isn’t enough time to explain everything. You will find out everything with time."

"That is... if you survive."

The old daoist turned around.

His face was obscured, leaving only the faint gleam of his white beard and hair visible.

"This world is old. Older than kingdoms, older than empires."

"It birthed monsters."

The old man looked up.

"Geniuses who rose without reason, without pattern—breaking the limits of heaven itself."

He turned around again.

"They threatened all and were threatened by all."

"After a long tug-of-war, those geniuses were weary... and tired."

"They banded together and came to two conclusions."

The old man raised one finger.

"The first was to seal themselves off from the rest."

A second finger rose.

"The other..."

The old man took a pause, contemplating whether to reveal this information or not.

He looked up and let out a deep sigh.

"...was to defy the heavens."

Darkness began enveloping the sky and slowly descended down. Time was running out.

The old man’s shadowy face turned to Vincent again.

"Child from outside... your existence in this world states the failure of the first conclusion."

"Despite strict measures, the world seal was broken."

The old man walked closer to Vincent and sat before him in a lotus position.

"The ones who believed in the second conclusion may or may not exist anymore, but you are the wait of us all."

"You are someone who can interfere and look into that which cannot be looked at."

The darkness had engulfed almost everything by now.

Vincent could only see a few meters around the old man now.

"Child, you may not possess anything for now, but you represent endless possibilities and limitless potential."

The darkness engulfed the old man’s lower half.

"Never..."

The darkness sped up at his torso and neck.

"...forget..."

The darkness completely engulfed the old man.

"...this."

These were the last words that resounded in Vincent’s ears before everything turned pitch black once again.

.

.

.

Red line of texts appeared before Vincent’s eyes again.

[System re-engaged.]

[Legacy transmission complete.]

[Open Soul: Active]

[Removed: Anomaly Condition]

[Fate Deviation System: Online]

[Entanglement System: Online]

[All Starter Pack reward conditions met.]

[Opening reward...]

[Ding!]

[Please select one skill from below.]

[Time limit: 15 minutes]

+

[Skill 1: Fate Resonance (Variant Locked)]Rank: ???

The host forms resonance with fate-bound entities, acting as a conduit through which power, potential, and intent may be shared, amplified... or overwritten.

–Borrow abilities through connection

–Amplify output beyond original limits

–Blend multiple sources into a single execution

[Variant: Chaotic]

–Can overdraw power far beyond source capacity

–Can stack multiple resonances simultaneously

–Can produce results the original user cannot achieve

Cost:

–Severe Fate backlash

–Misfortune(non-fatal)

–Sudden incompetence in trivial actions

[Variant: Neutral]

–Stable resonance

–Moderate amplification

–Limited multi-source usage

Cost:

–Moderate Fate backlash

–Hard cap on output

–Cannot exceed source potential

[Variant: Harmonic]

–Perfect compatibility with others

–Extremely efficient dual cultivation

–Smooth energy flow, no backlash

Cost:

–Cannot overdraw power

–Cannot distort or break limits

–All output is normalized and stabilized

[Note:]

–Power is not yours.

–It is taken, shared, and forced into alignment.

+

[Skill 2: Apex Cognition]Rank: ???

The host’s comprehension surpasses all natural limits.

–Instantly understands techniques, concepts, and Dao principles

–Near-perfect decision making

–Can master any path independently

Cost:

–No growth through others

–Emotional detachment increases over time

–Bonds provide negligible benefit

[Note:]

–You will understand everything.

–You will need no one.

+

[Skill 3: Immortal Vessel]Rank: ???

The host’s body continuously regenerates and adapts beyond mortal limits.

–Extreme durability and recovery

–Resistance to damage, poison, and decay

–Physical evolution under stress

Cost:

–Growth tied strictly to combat

–No amplification from external sources

–Poor compatibility with refined techniques

[Note:]

–You will not fall.

–But neither will you rise beyond yourself.

+[Skill 4: Chrono Fracture]Rank: ???

The host can perceive and manipulate fragments of time within a limited scope

–Short rewinds / delayed outcomes

–Reaction advantage in all encounters

–Can "correct" fatal mistakes

Cost:

–Severe mental strain

–Timeline instability

–Memories desynchronize over time

[Note:]

–You may fix every mistake.

–But you will be the only one who remembers them.

+

[Skill 5: Sovereign Devouring]Rank: ???

The host absorbs essence, talent, and cultivation from defeated targets.

–Explosive growth speed

–Can steal abilities and traits

–No reliance on training or guidance

Cost:

–Increasing instability of self

–Targets hostility from fate

[Note:]

Everything you take becomes you.

Until nothing of you remains

+

’So many choices...’ Vincent felt his head spin from the constant spam of red texts in front of his eyes and the mechanical voice speaking in his head directly.

There were a lot of choices for a starter pack, and too little time to actually select.

If it wasn’t for Vincent being a shut-in ramen-ravaged previously, he would’ve had a hard time selecting a skill.

’Let’s see... the first skill has three sub choices and the remaining four skills sound just as overpowered as the first. Which to choose...’

As Vincent thought and contemplated, the system’s voice rang out again as a new line of text appeared before him.

[The skill selection is irreversible.]

[The skill is exclusive to host, meaning it will be permanent and will be lost if the host dies.]

’You lil shit, are you cursing me?’ Vincent clicked his tongue.

[Negative. The system only thinks in the host’s best interests.]

Vincent clicked his tongue again and didn’t bother arguing. Time was running out once again.

’Let’s see again... skill 1 is Fate Resonance... this one is too big to read so I’ll read the rest first.’

’Apex Cognition... wow, it basically makes me super intelligent, but then that...’

[...Emotional detachment increases over time...]

’Yeah no, I’ll become a lifeless husk if I take it. No doubt I’ll be the mightiest genius but what point will it be if I don’t even feel joy? Moving on...’

Vincent eliminated the second skill.

In another life, maybe if he didn’t wish for emotions and just wanted to achieve his goals, he would’ve selected that. But, he was someone who wanted to experience life now that he had a second chance. No emotions was a big no-no for this sole reason.

’Immortal Vessel... hmm... this one is basically brute forcing my way to the top and becoming super op. Although there isn’t an issue with losing emotions, there is an issue of being constantly in combat and having no time for other things. This is basically the path of a barbarian... not for me.’

Vincent moved on to the fourth skill.

’Chrono Fracture... oh wow, this is actual time manipulation! But wait... I’ll be the only one who remembers it? Isn’t this the entire plot of Re:Z*ro?’

’Tsk. If I keep rewinding time again and again, I’d get numb by the end and no relation will be as meaningful. I would just become a villain and mess around as much as I could. Not for me...’

The anime and many other regression novels had left a deep impression on Vincent. Isolation wasn’t the best option, he had learnt through them.

The urge to have a wife and start a family was strong with the former fapper fatty.

’Sovereign Devouring... gluttony... one of the seven sins. It might not be the best...’

Just as Vincent thought of it, he stopped scanning the good part of it and immediately went to the cost.

Such skills which gave extreme powers often had the worst cost imaginable.

[...Increasing instability of self... Targets hostility from fate...]

’So basically I’d still become a lifeless husk here with the added bonus of a bounty on my head by lady fate herself. Interesting...’

Having read the pros and cons of the four skills, Vincent jumped to the first one again.

’Fate Resonance... has three variants which are chaotic, neutral, and harmonic...’

As he read through the skills, he immediately thought, ’Aha! Isn’t this the same skill as that copy ninja from that one anime with the toxic fanbase?’

Although he thought as such, there was a major difference.

’No, it’s a little different...’

Vincent read a little further.

’No, it’s a LOT more than it is different. Copy ninja could see, store, and execute someone’s skill perfectly but this one... I can use the skill of someone I have fate entanglement with. Meaning I need to form relationships with people, and after that...’

Vincent went through the three variants and finally thought,

’...I can actually use the powers, amplify and even overclock them like a CPU!’

’The only downside is that...’

[Severe Fate backlash]

’And well... won’t this backlash kill me?’

[Negative. Fate’s backlash simply means fate will resist the change with greater intensity.]

’What?’

[The host can think of fate as a wire which needs bending with bare hands.]

[The material of the wire changes depending on the skill selection.]

’Oh...’

Vincent had some understanding regarding fate. It wasn’t there to kill him, it was there only to let things flow the way they were destined to.

’Then this means my life won’t be in danger?’

[Fatality is not a direct consequence of skill usage.]

’What does that even mean?’ Vincent knitted his brows.

The system did not answer. Instead,

[02:37]

[02:36]

[02:35]

’...’

’This accursed system...’ Vincent stopped entertaining it and focused on the skills.

’Right. I’ve eliminated four out of five options. Meaning there’s only one I need to take. And this one doesn’t turn me into a barbarian or a lifeless husk. The only downside is the fate stuff and...’

[Misfortune(non-fatal)]

[Sudden incompetence in trivial actions]

’...hmm... well... if it isn’t fatal and if there’s incompetency in trivial matters only then...’

’...yeah, I don’t think I have a problem. But wait, let me see the other two variants...’

Vincent saw the three Fate Resonance variants and immediately realized the Harmonic one was actually a trap option.

’Tsk. If I select this, I’d become a dog of others and I can never progress on my own. Forget it.

He then saw the second variant which was neutral and felt it wasn’t as powerful. The cost was negligible on it and honestly the best cost compared to other skills and variants, but it just wasn’t as powerful.

’This chaotic variant... this is what sounds overpowered. For me personally, I’ll go with this. It’s because—’

[00:01]

[00:00]

[Ding!]

[Selection complete.]

[Starter Pack Status: Given]

[Returning...]

Everything in Vincent’s vision turned dark again.

He felt everything happened too fast. He was just contemplating but the skill got force selected on its own.

This dogshit system was just playing with him at this point!