"Where am I?"
Confusion filled Klaus's mind as he slowly opened his eyes.
Instead of the familiar ceiling of his room, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling illuminated by warm sunlight. The room was strangely large, and the scent of fresh flowers drifted through the air.
He blinked several times.
I just went to sleep… didn't I?
Before he could process what was happening, a translucent blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
[Check Attributes?]
Klaus froze.
"...Yes."
Another screen unfolded before him.
[Host Attributes]
Name: Klaus Richardson
Age: ?
Bloodline: Human (Adjustable)
Mana: Unawakened
Level: 1 (0/100)
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Defense: 1
Perception: 1
Stamina: 5
Soul Points: 0
Stat Points: 0
Functions Available:
[Shop] [Quest]
"What?!"
His eyes widened.
"Where are my soul points? All that stress for nothing!"
Creeeak.
The sound of the door interrupted his thoughts.
A beautiful woman with chestnut hair entered the room. Behind her stood a handsome man with black hair and gentle eyes.
The man's face lit up with joy.
"Isn't he adorable?" Mark said with a bright smile.
He stretched a finger toward the crib.
Klaus stared at the finger before shifting his gaze to the smiling man.
Father?
Remaining silent, he grabbed the finger to avoid raising suspicion.
To his surprise, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over him.
His eyelids grew heavy.
Before he knew it, darkness swallowed him.
Two months passed.
By then, Klaus had adapted to his strange circumstances.
He had discovered one important thing.
He was weak.
Painfully weak.
Not only was he trapped in the body of a baby, but even maintaining clear thoughts was exhausting.
And worst of all—
He had no soul points.
"Today, we mourn the tragic loss of another citizen who fell victim to a brutal assassination."
The voice from the television echoed through the living room.
Klaus looked toward the screen.
His pupils contracted.
The scene shown was horrifying.
A man's body lay mutilated beyond recognition.
Blood stained the pavement.
Even the reporters struggled to maintain their composure.
Klaus shuddered.
But what frightened him even more—
Was Mark.
Just moments earlier, his father had been making silly faces to entertain him.
Now—
His smile had vanished.
His expression had become frighteningly cold.
His black eyes seemed endless.
Like a dark abyss that swallowed everything.
For a moment, Klaus felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Mark turned toward Anna.
She lowered her head.
Without a word, she stood up and quietly left the room.
Mark followed behind her.
Klaus's curiosity was instantly piqued.
Inside the kitchen, Anna's hands trembled.
"They're getting closer," she whispered.
Mark remained silent.
"I took care of everyone who knew about me," he said quietly.
"But…"
His voice softened.
"I want a different life for him."
Anna's eyes reddened.
"He will have that."
Mark gently held her trembling hands.
"I promise."
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Anna buried her face against his chest.
Mark embraced her and softly stroked her hair.
The next morning, Anna carefully dressed Klaus in a tiny blue outfit.
"We're going to meet the neighbors today," she said with a warm smile.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a house.
Anna raised her hand toward the door.
But suddenly—
She froze.
Her fingers trembled.
Mark noticed immediately.
Without saying a word, he took her hand and smiled reassuringly.
"It'll be alright."
Taking a deep breath, Anna nodded.
The door opened.
A cheerful man greeted them.
"I'm so glad you came!"
His face beamed with excitement.
"Quick! Come see my Rosie!"
He proudly brought forward a little girl with beautiful red hair and sparkling blue eyes.
She looked slightly older than Klaus.
And she was unbelievably cute.
The little girl blinked curiously before her eyes landed on Klaus.
Then—
To everyone's surprise—
Rosie smiled.
And for some reason...
Klaus felt as though those blue eyes had seen straight through him.
Klaus sighed inwardly as his parents carefully placed him inside the spacious kiddies' pen.
Soft toys were scattered around the floor, and colorful wooden blocks lay piled up in one corner. The area was surrounded by a small white fence, ensuring the babies couldn't crawl away.
Babysitting prison…
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
His parents had gone off to chat with the adults, leaving him among the other infants.
Four pairs of curious eyes turned toward him.
Well…
Three.
Rosie had already caught his attention when he first arrived.
With her soft red hair and sparkling blue eyes, she looked like one of those dolls people bought to show off. Compared to the other babies, she was much more energetic.
The little girl was currently chewing on a plush rabbit while staring at him with an expression that seemed oddly serious.
I've already seen her.
Klaus shifted his attention toward the remaining babies.
They were twins.
Both boys had brown hair and matching brown eyes. Even their expressions were identical.
One of them was busy trying to eat a toy block.
The other had somehow managed to remove one of his socks and was studying it with great concentration.
Looking around, Klaus couldn't help but notice the difference.
Rosie had red hair and blue eyes.
The twins had brown hair and brown eyes.
Then there was him.
White hair.
Red eyes.
Even among babies, he stood out like a sore thumb.
Am I the black sheep here?
He inwardly sighed.
At least I look cool.
As though sensing his gaze, one of the twins suddenly looked up.
The two babies stared at each other.
The twin blinked.
Klaus blinked.
The baby smiled foolishly.
Then, with surprising speed, the little boy began crawling toward him.
Incoming.
The other twin immediately followed.
Within seconds, the two brothers surrounded him.
One grabbed his arm.
The other touched his hair.
"Ba!"
"Ga!"
Klaus resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Yes, yes. Amazing. White hair. Never seen that before?
The twins giggled happily.
Unexpectedly, Rosie frowned.
Her little face puffed up.
She tossed aside the plush rabbit and began crawling toward the group with determination.
Her speed was surprisingly impressive.
Arriving beside Klaus, she slapped away one of the twins' hands.
"Da!"
The twin looked stunned.
Rosie glared fiercely.
"Da!"
Klaus froze.
What…?
The twin seemed offended.
He responded with an equally angry "Ba!"
Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense.
Klaus stared at the three babies.
No way…
Are these idiots arguing?
Meanwhile, the adults were too busy talking to notice.
"Mark, I'm sure you are also shocked when you saw the news yesterday, I am starting to think this neighborhood is getting unsafe" Rosie's father asked.
Mark smiled calmly.
"We can never be too sure"
Anna quietly lowered her eyes.
"But not completely," she said softly.
Rosie's father nodded.
"We've heard about the recent assassinations."
Mark's smile faded slightly.
"People talk too much."
The room grew quiet.
Even Rosie's cheerful mother sensed the change in atmosphere and quickly changed the topic.
"Oh, enough gloomy matters!" she said with a smile.
"Our children should grow up happily."
Mark's expression softened as he looked toward the kiddies' pen.
His cold eyes melted into warmth.
"That's all I want."
Anna smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, the battle between Rosie and the twins had intensified.
One twin held onto Klaus's sleeve.
Rosie grabbed the other side.
The second twin joined in.
Klaus was caught in the middle.
What is wrong with these children?!
The next second—
"Waah!"
One of the twins burst into tears.
Silence filled the room.
Every adult turned toward the pen.
Rosie's mother gasped.
"Theodore!"
His brother immediately joined in.
"Waahhh!"
Rosie looked around in confusion.
Then, perhaps feeling left out, she also started crying.
"Uwaaah!"
Three crying babies.
Absolute chaos.
Only Klaus remained calm.
Mark stared.
Rosie's father stared.
The mothers stared.
And in the middle of the crying disaster sat Klaus.
Silent.
Expressionless.
Looking deeply disappointed in humanity.
Mark's lips twitched.
Rosie's father burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Look at him!"
"He looks like he's questioning his life!"
Even Anna couldn't help but laugh.
Klaus's tiny face darkened.
I am questioning my life.
I fought deadlines, sleepless nights, and stress in my previous life…
And this is my reward?
Babysitting duty?
Just then—
Rosie stopped crying.
Her blue eyes stared directly into Klaus's red ones.
Then she smiled.
The twins stopped crying as well.
Both boys crawled closer.
Before Klaus could react—
Rosie hugged him.
One twin held his arm.
The other leaned against his shoulder.
Klaus froze.
The adults' eyes widened.
Rosie's mother covered her mouth.
"Oh my…"
Mark and Anna exchanged surprised glances.
For the first time since his reincarnation—
He felt like punching a baby