Three months had passed since my reincarnation, and I was slowly coming to terms with my new reality.
Babies were boring.
I mean, I'd known that intellectually. I'd seen babies before in my previous life—my cousin had one during my hospital years, and she'd brought him to visit a few times. But knowing something intellectually and experiencing it firsthand were vastly different things.
My day consisted of the following:
Wake up (usually because I was hungry, wet, or both).
Cry (the only form of communication available to me, unfortunately).
Eat (embarrassing, but necessary for survival).
Stare at things (because what else was I going to do?).
Sleep (which my body demanded frequently and without mercy).
Repeat.
The monotony was driving me insane. I had the mind of a nineteen-year-old trapped in the body of a three-month-old. I couldn't speak. I couldn't walk. I couldn't even control my bladder, for crying out loud. Every day felt like an exercise in patience and humiliation.
The only saving grace was Arthur.
My twin brother was clearly in the same boat as me—a reincarnated soul trapped in an infant's body. I could tell by the way his eyes tracked things with too much intelligence, the way he seemed to understand our parents' conversations even though he couldn't respond, and the way he looked at me sometimes with an expression that clearly said, "This is absolute hell, isn't it?"
I tried to communicate with him through eye contact and facial expressions, but there was only so much you could convey without language. Mostly, we just suffered together in silent solidarity.
Our parents, Reynolds and Alice, were wonderful. Overwhelmingly so. They were attentive, loving, and endlessly patient with their twin terrors. Reynolds was a former adventurer, as per canon, and he had the build and scars to prove it. Alice was gentler, with a healer's touch and a mother's intuition that seemed almost supernatural.
They had no idea that their children were secretly planning their future domination of the magical world.
Well, Arthur was probably planning that. I was mostly just trying to figure out how to survive the next few years without dying of embarrassment.
It was during one particularly mind-numbing afternoon—lying in my crib, staring at the ceiling while Arthur babbled incomprehensibly next to me—that it happened.
[System Initialization Complete.]
The words appeared in my vision, glowing softly in a blue-white script that reminded me of computer text. I nearly choked on my own spit (a very real danger when you were three months old).
What the hell?
[Welcome, User: Elina Leywin.]
[The Adaptive System has been successfully integrated with your soul.]
[Please wait while initial setup completes...]
I stared at the floating text, my infant heart racing. This was... this was a System. Like in those Korean novels and manhwa I'd read. The ones where the protagonist got some kind of game-like interface that helped them level up, complete quests, and generally become overpowered.
Holy shit.
I have a System.
The implications crashed over me like a tidal wave. This changed everything. With a System, I could potentially keep up with Arthur despite not having his past life's combat experience. I could gain powers, complete quests, maybe even change the story's outcome without being completely useless.
But I forced myself to calm down. I needed to understand what this System actually did before getting excited. For all I knew, it could be a [System of Eating Baby Food] or [System of Crying Effectively].
[Initial setup complete.]
[Status window unlocked.]
[Would you like to view your Status?]
Yes, I thought emphatically. Obviously yes.
The blue text shifted, reorganizing itself into a new configuration:
[STATUS]
Name: Elina Leywin
Age: 3 months
Race: Human (?)
Level: 1
Title: None
HP: 50/50
MP: —/— (Mana Core not formed)
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Endurance: 2
Intelligence: 28
Wisdom: 24
Charisma: 15
Luck: 12
[Abilities:]
Reincarnator's Mind (Passive): Retain complete memories and cognitive abilities from previous life. Immune to mental regression due to age.
Adaptive System (Active): A growth-type system that evolves alongside the user. Current functions: Status display, Basic analysis, Simple information storage.
[Skills:] None
[System Functions Currently Locked:]
Quest System (Unlock requirement: Reach 1 year of age)
Shop System (Unlock requirement: Form Mana Core)
Skill Creation (Unlock requirement: Reach Level 10)
Advanced Analysis (Unlock requirement: Intelligence stat reaches 50)
And more... (Requirements not yet met to display)
I stared at the Status window, processing the information carefully.
First, the good news: my Intelligence and Wisdom stats were relatively high, which made sense given that I had a nineteen-year-old's mind. That would be a significant advantage as I grew.
The bad news: my physical stats were pathetic. Though, to be fair, I was a three-month-old baby. The fact that I had stats at all was impressive.
The really interesting part was the question mark next to my race. Human (?). What did that mean? Was I not fully human? Was it because I was a reincarnator? Or was there something else going on?
I focused on the question mark, and to my surprise, the System responded.
[Racial information incomplete. Insufficient data to determine full racial composition. Analysis will update as User grows and more information becomes available.]
Okay, that's ominous, I thought. Note to self: figure out what's up with my race later.
The Adaptive System description was also intriguing. A growth-type system meant it would become more powerful as I did. That was both exciting and slightly terrifying—it meant the System wouldn't hand me power on a silver platter. I'd have to earn it.
The locked functions were tantalizing. Quests, a Shop, Skill Creation... those could all be incredibly powerful tools. But the requirements made sense from a game balance perspective. I had to grow into the System, not just exploit it from the start.
Smart design, whoever or whatever created you, I thought.
As if responding to my thoughts, more text appeared.
[The Adaptive System was created as a support tool for User: Elina Leywin, to compensate for lacking combat experience from previous life and to provide advantages in surviving the trials ahead.]
[This System does not provide omniscience, omnipotence, or protection from consequences. All rewards must be earned. All choices have weight.]
[Use wisely.]
The last message felt almost like a warning. This wasn't a power fantasy cheat tool. It was exactly what it claimed to be: a support tool. A helping hand, but not a crutch.
I could work with that.
Actually, I preferred that. I'd read enough stories where protagonists became overpowered instantly and the plot became boring. Struggle and growth were what made stories—and lives—interesting.
Alright, System, I thought. Let's see what we can do together.
I focused on the "Basic Analysis" function mentioned in my abilities.
[Basic Analysis: Allows User to analyze objects, people, and phenomena within line of sight to gain basic information. More detailed information requires higher system levels or relevant knowledge.]
Curious, I turned my head (a motion that still took effort at three months) to look at Arthur, who was gnawing on his fist and staring at nothing in particular.
Analyze Arthur, I thought.
[Analysis: Arthur Leywin]
Age: 3 months
Race: Human (?)
Status: Healthy, Alert
Mana Core: Not formed
Notable Traits:
Exceptional cognitive ability for age (Reincarnator suspected)
Abnormal awareness and focus
[Additional information locked - Insufficient system level]
Well, that confirms it, I thought. The System recognized Arthur as a fellow reincarnator, though it didn't have enough data to give me details.
The fact that his race also showed as Human (?) was interesting. In canon, Arthur was supposed to be fully human initially, before his later transformations. So either the System was picking up on something subtle, or there was more to his reincarnation than the original story revealed.
I tested the Analysis function on a few other things—my crib (Basic wooden crib, sturdy construction), the ceiling (Standard ceiling, requires maintenance), my own hand (Part of User, cannot analyze)—and quickly realized its limitations. Without more knowledge or higher system levels, I'd only get surface-level information.
Still, it was useful. Combined with my knowledge from reading TBATE, I could potentially analyze people and situations to predict outcomes and make better decisions.
The "Simple Information Storage" function turned out to be exactly what it sounded like—a mental note-taking system that let me record and organize information more efficiently than natural memory alone. I immediately started creating categories:
Canon Plot Points (Major)
Canon Plot Points (Minor)
Deviations from Canon
People of Interest
Training Plans
Mysteries to Investigate
And, just for fun:
Embarrassing Baby Moments (Never Speak of These Again)
That last one was already filling up rapidly. Three-month-old bodies had no dignity.
As I explored my new System, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time—not even in those first hopeful days after my reincarnation.
Excitement.
True, genuine excitement for the future.
I had a second chance at life in a world of magic and adventure. I had knowledge of future events that could potentially save lives. I had a twin brother who was destined to become one of the most powerful beings in existence. And now, I had a System that would grow alongside me, supporting my journey without making it meaningless.
The road ahead would be difficult. I knew that. The TBATE world was beautiful, but it was also brutal. War, betrayal, loss—all of it was coming.
But for the first time since waking up in this tiny, useless body, I felt like I could face it.
Alright, world, I thought, a grin forming on my infant face that probably looked ridiculous. Elina Leywin is here. Let's see what we can do.
Arthur, as if sensing my thoughts, turned to look at me. His blue eyes met my purple ones, and for just a moment, I could have sworn he smiled.
We're going to be okay, I thought. Both of us. I'll make sure of it.
Even if I had to embarrass myself as a baby for a few more years first.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: First Steps]
[Reward: +1 Wisdom]
Oh, come on, I thought at the System. It's called "First Steps" but I can't even walk yet.
The System, as expected, didn't respond.
I was starting to think it had a sense of humor.
This was going to be an interesting life.