I mean, not that I dislike this kind of light novel, but...
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of people who'd be much happier to receive a summoning to another world.
And yet...
"Why...?"
My first word upon being reincarnated was a cry of despair.
"Why? Why me, and why a world like this? What is the meaning of this?!"
...I know it's a cliché, but I just couldn't help it.
I died in a car accident on my way home from the convenience store. I guess the driver who ran into me was also dead now, or whatever. I don't remember anything about the crash.
I just remember being excited to get home from my ever-so tiring mech engineering job after another 12 hour shift. Being young and new to the office means lots of overtime.
The only thing I had bought at the convenience store was some cheap alcohol, though.
"Is that the only reason you summoned me?"
The old man who was the god of this world nodded. "Correct."
I'd been hoping for some divine reasoning, but all I got was, "Well, you know. You were the only guy who bought alcohol that day.
This mysterious figure in front of me who I assume is God, had just given me the rundown- I got unlucky wasn't supposed to die yadda yadda yadda reincarnation. The issue arises when he told me WHAT kind of world I was being reincarnated to.
"Why does it have to be a fantasy world?"
"You are not allowed to return to Earth."
"Well, I guess that's fine. But why is it a fantasy world?"
"You will understand soon."
"No, I really won't. What am I supposed to do in a place like this? Are there even cars? Or basic medical technology?? You KNOW I have… stomach issues… sometimes…" Alex continued with a twinge of embarrassment .
"That's your own fault."
"Yeah, maybe. But still! That's the real reason I don't want to go. This is a whole new world! I wouldn't have a clue what to do!"
"It's simple. You are a baby."
"What if someone tries to eat me?"
"They wouldn't. And you won't get eaten."
"But like, what if I get measles. Or smallpox. Or mumps!!"
"The diseases in this world aren't the same as the ones on Earth. Also, ,most of them are not contagious, so you have no reason to worry about catching them."
"Oh... Well, how many people are there? How do they live? Are there any dangerous animals? Is the government stable?"
"If I answered every one of your questions, we'd be here for eternity."
"Maybe they're meaningful questions!"
"And maybe if you shut up and accepted things, we'd be done faster."
"That's a ridiculous idea. We're going to be here a while."
And so it went on like that, with us going back and forth about the reasons for everything.
When I'm fighting with god, am I wrong?
"Okay okay enough. I'm sending you now. Bye." It seemed even God couldn't handle the curiosity of a young engineer…
I was born again, and I regretted it immediately.
Not in the poetic, existential "what is the meaning of life" way. No. I regretted it in the "why can't I move my own damn neck" way.
Everything was dark for what felt like forever. Later, I'd find out I was basically comatose for the first two years of my new life, which seems like a cruel prank even by divine standards.
And when I finally did wake up?
I was a baby. A literal, helpless, drooling, diaper-wearing, limited-motor-function baby.
"Congratulations," God had said, before I lost consciousness after our absurd little chat. "You'll be born into a safe rural family. I've made sure you'll be well-fed."
He didn't mention I'd be born a serf.
So yeah. That's where we're at.
The first word I ever managed to say in this new world was "Why?"
It came out as "Waaaghhh," but I meant "Why?"
Why a fantasy world?
Why a poor family?
Why serfdom? Why delayed development? Why… why did I have to remember my entire old life while shitting my pants?
I didn't know much about the world yet, but I had the basics down. We lived in a small farming village called "Verdan Hollow," tucked under the rule of a barony. My parents were both born serfs. That meant we technically weren't slaves, but our land, lives, and lungs were owned by the local lord.
"Lord Felmar" was his name. Surprisingly fair, from what I overheard. Once every two years, his men came to inspect the harvest. If you met the quota, you got to keep 80%. If not, you got a warning, and then... well. Let's not get into what happens after two warnings.
My father, Arlen, was the quiet type—broad-shouldered, calloused hands, eyes like wet stone. Honest, loyal, and the kind of guy who never raises his voice unless something's on fire.
My mother, Lysa, was kind in the way only people used to hardship can be. She had tired eyes and strong arms. I once saw her lift a haybale with one arm and a crying toddler with the other.
The toddler was me.
By the time I turned three, I could walk without stumbling, and my vocabulary had expanded to something resembling speech. Not great speech. But enough.
"Mama," I said one day. "Kleo potty."
"Already? Again?" she smiled. "Good boy."
Lying was easy when people thought you were cute.
Honestly, I didn't need to pee. I just wanted a moment alone so I could inspect something I'd been noticing for weeks:
When I touched certain materials, I saw… information.
The first time it happened, I was fiddling with a wooden spoon. The second my fingers curled around it, something flickered at the edge of my vision—like a blueprint drawn in light.
[Material: Birchwood]
[Condition: Lightly worn]
[Mana Affinity: None]
[Absorb? Y/N]
I'd nearly thrown the spoon out of my tiny hands.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Maybe I had been dropped on my head too many times.
But the next day, I tested it again. This time with a rock.
Same thing.
[Material: Granite]
[Density: 2.6 g/cm³]
[Affinity: Earth]
[Absorb? Y/N]
I didn't know what "Absorb" meant. Not yet. But it sure as hell wasn't normal.
So yeah. That's when I realized: I might've been a serf, but I had a cheat.
A dumb, probably unsafe, god-given cheat that let me absorb materials and maybe, just maybe, do something with them.
Now, if only I had tools. Or a workshop. Or adult-sized fingers.
You'd think being reincarnated would fill me with wonder. New life, new possibilities, a new chance to make something of myself.
Nope. All I felt was indigestion and creeping existential dread.
Probably the aftertaste of dying with cheap alcohol in my bag.
Back on Earth, I was almost somebody. My name was Kain—Kain Azuma, 24 years old, fresh out of Harford Institute of Technology, and recently promoted to the title of "Mech Engineer That Gets Screamed At." Not the official term, but close enough.
Twelve-hour shifts, six days a week, running simulations and troubleshooting mechanical walker legs designed for battlefield logistics. Fancy stuff on paper. In practice? I was the guy who got yelled at when something jammed.
I wasn't a genius. But I wasn't dumb either. I worked hard, harder than most, because I was terrified of being ordinary.
Every project I took on, I gave it my all—right up until the day a truck turned me into modern art while I was walking home with a can of "Gin Taste Lemon Highball."
The highball didn't survive either.
What stings the most isn't dying.
It's that I died tired. I was finally going home to rest. I had ramen and a three-day weekend ahead of me. Maybe even a booty call (in my dreams). And I died on the one day I let myself stop caring about the grind.
So no, I wasn't some shut-in who longed to be summoned to another world. I didn't dream of magic swords and harems.
I wanted a raise. A quiet apartment. A better chair. And maybe someone who'd laugh at my jokes.
Now I'm here.
Waddling around a dusty cottage on legs that barely function. With a toddler's lisp and a working-class farming family who think the biggest danger in the world is rain.
My new name is Kleo. That's what they call me, anyway. I didn't get a say in it. I tried to say "Kain" once and it came out sounding like I was choking on mashed turnips.
So Kleo it is.
Kain Azuma, Mech Engineer?
Dead.
Kleo the baby serf?
Very much alive. Trapped in a world where magic exists, but plumbing doesn't.
Still, that weird menu system kept nagging at me. The "Absorb" option. The way materials flickered with data when I touched them. It was faint—like trying to read blueprints with your head underwater—but it was there.
And it felt… familiar.
Not just because of the engineering background, but deeper. Like my brain recognized it before I did. As if this system had been designed just for me.
A craftsman's instinct.
Only this time, with magic.
"Papa's gone to check the irrigation again," my mother said one evening, dabbing my nose with a damp cloth.
I just nodded.
"Such a quiet child," she said softly. "You're a good boy, Kleo. Even when you were asleep all that time, I knew you'd wake up and do something important."
I didn't know what to say to that. Or rather, I did—but my three-year-old throat didn't agree.
The sun was setting behind the hills that bordered Verdan Hollow. Chickens were being corralled. Someone's goat was still screaming. Probably a normal Tuesday.
I sat near the firepit outside, a wooden ladle in my lap, staring at it like it might answer questions.
And for once… it kind of did.
[Material: Ashwood]
[Mana Affinity: Weak – Fire/Flow]
[Absorb? Y/N]
I looked around.
Nobody nearby.
"...Yes," I whispered.
The ladle disintegrated into light and vanished into my palm. No pain. No noise. Just a ripple of heat and the sudden rush of something… raw. Like data flooding in without a UI to catch it.
Inside my head, I felt a shift. Something slotted into place.
I now had Ashwood. Whatever that meant.
[Stored Material: Ashwood (x1)]
[Essence Capacity: 1/20]
[Crafting Menu Unlocked]
I felt my heart skip. Not figuratively. Like, actually skip. I grabbed a rock.
[Material: Granite]
[Absorb? Y/N]
[Warning: Material exceeds current mana tolerance. Injury risk: Moderate.]
I put the rock down.
Very carefully.
Okay. So. I have a menu. I can absorb things. And maybe—maybe—I can make things too.
I looked at my hand. It was tiny. Soft. Still a toddler's hand.
But I remembered welding metal with gloves that burned through. I remembered late nights assembling frame supports and hex-jointed limbs. I remembered building things that worked.
If this was my cheat power...
Then fine.
I was going to build my way out of this world's mud and misery, one magical bolt at a time.