River watched her disappear before releasing a long breath.
For several moments, he remained seated on the bed, staring at the closed door while attempting to process everything that had happened.
Then he slowly leaned backward and collapsed against the mattress.
"Holy shit…"
He had actually reincarnated.
Not into some ordinary medieval world, but into a genuine fantasy realm filled with magic, monsters, mythical races, and powerful beings capable of destroying entire cities.
And somehow, he had ended up becoming a talentless elf with a reputation so terrible that even the village children apparently knew about his ridiculous behavior.
River covered his face with both hands.
"Couldn't I have reincarnated as a prince or something? Hell, I would've even settled for being the son of some rich merchant."
Unfortunately, complaining wouldn't change his circumstances.
After spending several minutes organizing the unfamiliar memories inside his head, River finally began to understand the world he had entered.
The continent of Eldoria was divided among numerous kingdoms and territories, each inhabited by different races.
Humans occupied the central plains, dwarves controlled the northern mountains, beastkin inhabited the eastern wilderness, and demons ruled several dangerous territories beyond the southern wastelands.
Elves, meanwhile, lived primarily within the enormous forests scattered across the western continent.
They were naturally gifted in magic, possessed extraordinarily long lifespans, and maintained a society where magical talent determined almost everything.
Those born with exceptional abilities could become nobles, military commanders, or powerful archmages, while those without talent were often condemned to spend their entire lives performing ordinary labor.
And River belonged firmly to the second category.
His original body's magical aptitude was so poor that even the village's elderly herbalist possessed greater magical reserves than him.
Wonderful. I'm basically a background character in a fantasy novel.
River sat upright and glanced toward the small mirror hanging beside his wardrobe.
A handsome young man stared back at him.
He possessed long silver-white hair, sharp facial features, pale skin, and a pair of striking golden eyes.
His pointed ears confirmed his new identity, while his slender but well-proportioned physique gave him an appearance that would probably have been considered extremely attractive back on Earth.
River examined his reflection with growing satisfaction.
"Well, at least I didn't lose the genetic lottery," he muttered, brushing several strands of silver hair away from his face. "Actually, I look pretty damn good. If I had this face back on Earth, I probably wouldn't have spent so many weekends alone."
He admired his reflection for another moment before remembering that good looks alone wouldn't keep him alive in a world where powerful monsters could tear ordinary people apart.
He needed strength.
And if the memories he had inherited were accurate, tomorrow's Talent Awakening Ceremony represented his final opportunity to obtain it.
Every elf underwent a formal awakening at nineteen, during which their latent abilities were evaluated by an ancient magical artifact.
Most awakened ordinary talents related to archery, nature magic, healing, or elemental manipulation.
Exceptional individuals could awaken rare talents that placed them far above their peers.
However, there were also those who awakened absolutely nothing.
Considering the original River's miserable magical aptitude, the possibility of becoming one of those unfortunate individuals was extremely high.
River frowned as he considered his situation.
"Come on, don't tell me I reincarnated into a fantasy world just to become a farmer. At least give me some decent magic or something."
As though responding to his complaint, a strange blue light suddenly flickered before his eyes.
River froze.
A translucent rectangular window appeared in the air, hovering directly in front of his face.
[Ding!]
[Foreign Soul Successfully Integrated!]
[Analyzing Host's Physical Constitution…]
[Race: Wood Elf]
[Age: 19]
[Bloodline Purity: 12%]
[Magical Aptitude: Extremely Poor]
[Physical Potential: Below Average]
[Evaluating Soul Compatibility…]
River stared at the floating messages, his golden eyes widening with every passing second.
For a moment, he wondered whether the strange headache from earlier had damaged his brain, but the translucent window remained perfectly visible even after he blinked several times.
He cautiously reached forward, attempting to touch the glowing interface, only for his fingers to pass straight through it.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"No way… Don't tell me this is what I think it is."
Another notification appeared before he could finish speaking.
[Soul Compatibility Confirmed!]
[Anomalous Bloodline Detected!]
[Hidden Talent Awakening Initiated!]
River's heart began beating faster.
He had read enough fantasy novels during his previous life to recognize what was happening.
A system.
He had actually received a system!
"Hahaha! I knew it!" River exclaimed, jumping from the bed with excitement. "There's no way someone reincarnates into another world without getting some kind of cheat! I was starting to think I'd been scammed!"
He laughed for several seconds before forcing himself to calm down.
After all, simply receiving a system didn't necessarily mean he would become powerful.
For all he knew, it might turn out to be something completely useless.
Unfortunately, his excitement was interrupted when the interface suddenly flashed red.
[Warning!]
[The Host's Current Bloodline Is Insufficient to Support Full Talent Manifestation!]
[Attempting Alternative Awakening Method…]
[Analyzing Host's Soul…]
[Analyzing Host's Desires…]
[Analyzing Host's Compatibility With Primordial Bloodline…]
River blinked, his expression becoming slightly strange as he read the notifications.
"Wait a minute. Why the hell are you analyzing my desires? Shouldn't you be checking my magical aptitude or something?"
The system ignored his question.
Several seconds passed before another message appeared.
[Analysis Complete!]
[Congratulations! You Have Awakened An SSS-Rank Talent!]
[Talent Name: Divine Progenitor]
[Classification: Primordial Bloodline Talent]
[Rank: SSS]
River's mouth fell open.
"SSS-Rank?!"
He stared at the notification in disbelief, wondering whether he had somehow misunderstood what he was seeing.
According to the memories he had inherited, even an A-Rank talent was considered exceptionally rare among ordinary elves.
Those who awakened S-Rank talents were regarded as geniuses capable of eventually becoming powerful figures within the kingdom.
SS-Rank talents were so rare that only a handful of individuals throughout Sylvaria's recorded history had possessed them.
As for SSS-Rank talents, River couldn't recall a single documented example.
Yet somehow, he had awakened one.
His excitement only increased when the system displayed the talent's description.
[Divine Progenitor — SSS-Rank Talent]
[You possess the dormant bloodline of the Primordial Elves, an ancient race believed to have disappeared from existence.]
[Your bloodline can evolve by establishing intimate bonds with compatible individuals.]
[Each successful bond allows the host to acquire permanent attribute bonuses, improve bloodline purity, and potentially inherit unique racial abilities.]
[Compatible partners may also experience bloodline awakenings and improvements to their natural talents.]
[Additional abilities will become available as the host's bloodline evolves.]
River read the description once.
Then twice.
By the third time, an enormous grin had spread across his face.
"Hold on… You're telling me I can become stronger by getting beautiful women to fall for me?"
[Affirmative.]
"And they get stronger too?"
[Affirmative.]
River stared at the interface for several seconds before slowly raising both hands toward the ceiling.
"Hahahaha! This is ridiculous! What kind of overpowered talent is this?!"
He couldn't believe his luck.
He had been expecting something like an extraordinary swordsmanship talent or perhaps a legendary magical affinity.
Instead, he had received something far more suited to his interests.
A talent that rewarded him for building intimate relationships with beautiful women.
Better yet, those women would also benefit from their connection, potentially awakening powerful abilities and improving their natural talents.
Now that's what I call a second chance at life!
River could already imagine the possibilities.
Elven princesses, powerful sorceresses, dragonkin, demonesses, and countless other beautiful women existed throughout this enormous fantasy world.
And unlike his previous life, where he had spent most of his time working and barely earning enough to survive, he now possessed an ability that could potentially transform him into one of the most powerful beings alive.
Of course, he would still need to convince those women to become his partners.
But with his appearance, knowledge, and newly awakened talent, River felt considerably more optimistic about his future.
However, before he could celebrate any further, another notification appeared.
[Warning: Divine Progenitor Is Currently Incomplete.]
[Bloodline Purity: 12%]
[Current Evolution Stage: Dormant Wood Elf]
[To Unlock Your First Bloodline Evolution, Establish A Divine Bond With A Compatible Partner.]
[Scanning Surroundings For Compatible Individuals…]
River watched curiously as several lines of information began appearing.
[Scanning…]
[Scanning…]
[Compatible Individual Located!]
[Name: Elara Moonwhisper]
[Race: High Elf]
[Age: 24]
[Bloodline Purity: 87%]
[Compatibility: 96%]
[Potential Reward: High-Grade Nature Affinity]
[Potential Bloodline Evolution Progress: +15%]
River's smile slowly disappeared.
"Elara?"
He stared at the familiar name before recalling the beautiful silver-haired woman who had nearly murdered him with a wooden stool.
Of all the women in the village, the system had apparently selected the one who currently wanted nothing to do with him.
River scratched his cheek, suddenly feeling that his supposedly perfect talent might be considerably more troublesome than he had initially imagined.
"Well, that's going to be difficult. That woman practically wants to strangle me whenever she sees my face."
He wasn't exaggerating either.
Although Elara genuinely cared about his well-being, years of dealing with the original River's ridiculous behavior had clearly exhausted her patience.
Trying to pursue her romantically right now would probably result in another violent confrontation.
And I would rather not get beaten to death before I even learn my first spell.
Still, the compatibility percentage was surprisingly high.
Ninety-six percent.
River didn't know exactly how the system calculated compatibility, but he doubted such an extraordinary number was meaningless.
As if confirming his suspicions, another notification appeared beneath Elara's information.
[Special Compatibility Bonus Detected!]
[Target Possesses A Dormant Ancient Elven Bloodline!]
[Establishing A Divine Bond With This Individual May Unlock A Unique Evolutionary Path!]
[Recommended Priority: Extremely High]
River stared at the information for several seconds, his expression gradually becoming thoughtful.
"An ancient elven bloodline, huh? Now that's interesting."
He hadn't expected Elara to possess anything particularly unusual.
According to the memories he had inherited, she was simply a talented High Elf who worked as a village magic instructor.
Although her magical abilities were impressive compared to ordinary villagers, she wasn't considered some legendary genius or extraordinary figure within the kingdom.
Yet the system apparently believed that her bloodline possessed something special.
Does she even know about it?
River doubted it.
If Elara were aware that she possessed an ancient bloodline, she probably wouldn't be spending her days teaching basic magic in a remote village.
Then again, perhaps there was more to her background than the original River had ever bothered to discover.
He leaned back against the bed, considering the possibilities.
Winning Elara's affection would undoubtedly be difficult, but River wasn't particularly discouraged.
After all, he had an entire second life ahead of him.
There was no reason to rush things, especially when his current reputation was already terrible enough.
If he wanted her to see him differently, he would first need to prove that he wasn't the same shameless troublemaker she had known for years.
And considering how stubborn Elara appeared to be, that might take quite some time.
Just as River was considering how to approach tomorrow's awakening ceremony, the system suddenly released another notification.
[New Quest Generated!]
[Quest Name: The First Step Of A Progenitor]
[Objective: Successfully Awaken Your Talent During Tomorrow's Ceremony Without Revealing Its True Nature.]
[Reward: Primordial Eye — An Ability That Allows The Host To Examine Hidden Bloodlines, Talents, And Compatibility.]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
River raised an eyebrow.
"Hide my talent?"
The system responded immediately.
[Warning: Divine Progenitor Is A Forbidden Primordial Talent.]
[Publicly Revealing Its Existence May Attract The Attention Of Powerful Individuals And Organizations.]
[Host's Current Strength Is Insufficient To Guarantee Survival.]
River's expression gradually became serious as he considered the warning.
He hadn't thought about that possibility.
In a world where strength determined status, an unprecedented talent would undoubtedly attract attention.
And attention wasn't always a good thing.
Powerful nobles might attempt to recruit him, while others could decide that someone possessing such an extraordinary ability represented a threat.
Considering his current weakness, revealing everything would be incredibly foolish.
"Alright, I get it." River nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep my talent hidden for now. No point announcing to the entire kingdom that I've awakened something ridiculous when I can't even defend myself properly."
The system's interface flickered once before disappearing.
River remained seated for several moments, organizing everything he had learned.
Tomorrow would be the annual Talent Awakening Ceremony.
The entire village would gather to witness the younger generation's awakening, and representatives from the kingdom would reportedly attend to identify promising individuals.
For someone like the original River, the ceremony would have been nothing more than another opportunity for public humiliation.
But things were different now.
River slowly rose from the bed and walked toward the window.
Beyond the glass, the Evergreen Forest stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon sunlight, its enormous trees rising toward the sky while colorful magical creatures fluttered between their branches.
Somewhere beyond those trees lay vast kingdoms, dangerous dungeons, legendary treasures, and countless beautiful women belonging to races he had only encountered in fantasy stories.
A completely new world was waiting for him.
And this time, he possessed the means to enjoy everything it had to offer.
River smiled as he rested one hand against the windowsill, imagining what his future might look like once he had mastered his strange new talent.
"An SSS-Rank talent that makes me stronger through beautiful women, huh? Whoever designed this thing must have known exactly what kind of person I am."
He chuckled softly before turning away from the window.
"Looks like being a perverted elf isn't such a bad thing after all."
[Ding!]
[Hidden Condition Fulfilled!]
[Host Has Accepted The Path Of The Divine Progenitor!]
[Primordial Bloodline Synchronization: 1%]
[A New Evolutionary Path Has Been Unlocked!]
[Evolution Path: Primordial Elven Sovereign]
[Final Evolution Requirements: Unknown.]
River stared at the final notification, his golden eyes shining with excitement.
He had no idea how far this strange talent would eventually take him, nor did he know what kind of dangers awaited him beyond the peaceful borders of the Evergreen Forest.
However, one thing was certain.
He had been given a second chance at life, and he had absolutely no intention of wasting it.
Tomorrow, he would attend the Talent Awakening Ceremony, discover what his new abilities were truly capable of, and begin taking his first steps toward becoming something far greater than an ordinary wood elf.
And if his journey happened to involve plenty of beautiful women along the way?
Well, River certainly wasn't going to complain.