Gilbert, a middle-aged man with his loose, faded t-shirt hanging awkwardly over his shoulders and his worn sweatpants bunched up around his waist, sat in front of his newly assembled computer, a mixture of excitement and trepidation coursing through him.

The sleek machine, the result of hours spent meticulously piecing together components, hummed quietly as it booted up. He wiped his hands on his pants, a habit formed from years of tinkering with gadgets, and opened the browser to download the coding program he'd been eager to start using.

The interface seemed straightforward, but as he navigated through the installation steps, a wave of uncertainty hit him. Lines of technical jargon and options he didn't fully understand began to appear, causing him to hesitate, wondering if he was missing something crucial.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard, pausing as he recalled the simpler days when coding was more about logic and less about configuration. Determined, he pushed on, carefully reading each prompt and cross-referencing instructions with online forums.

Despite the challenges, there was a sense of satisfaction in the process—this was a new beginning, a way to reignite an old passion in a modern world, and he was ready to embrace it.

Suddenly, the CPU emitted a series of alarming beeps, and the LED screen flashed erratically before going dark. Panic surged as he frantically tried troubleshooting, but the computer was unresponsive. Without warning, a loud pop and a blinding flash erupted from the CPU, sending electricity through the room.

Gilbert's body convulsed, his heart racing uncontrollably as he collapsed onto the floor. The room fell eerily silent, save for the faint crackling of the damaged circuitry. In the dim light, the once-promising machine lay smoking and lifeless, its malfunction tragically claiming its creator.

**********

''Where am I? Am I in the hospital? Did I survive somehow?''

Gilbert mumbled as he blinked his eyes, trying his best to open them. He felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

'It's so soft. Way softer than my bed.'

He found himself on the massive bed with a canopy draped in rich, velvet fabric, feeling the softness of the thick, embroidered linens beneath him.

''Wow''

He looked around and the room around him was unlike anything he had ever seen—a sprawling chamber with high ceilings adorned with ornate chandeliers, walls lined with regal tapestries, tall, elegant furniture, including a carved oak desk and an ornate wardrobe, added to the grandeur of the space.

Inhales

The air smelled fresh and heavy giving him a new sense of feeling. He noticed a window on the right side of his bed, through which weak rays of morning light filtered in, illuminating the room's corners.

Confusion washed over him as he tried to remember how he got here, but his memories were fuzzy, like a half-forgotten dream. Suddenly, a realization hit him—this wasn't his room, this wasn't his home. He had been reincarnated, the life he knew was gone, replaced by his small messy room filled with electric components.

His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to understand this new reality, feeling both fear and a strange sense of wonder at the current sight.

''Where in the world am I?''

He asked himself in his head while trying to remain calm and composed but it wasn't much help.

''The last thing I remember was using a computer at home and then there was a sound of alarm. Was there a fire? No that can't be or I would have remembered that. But something did malfunction which led to my death.''

He couldn't remember much past that point. But now the crucial issue was his location and what he was doing here. He tried to get up from the bed where he was lying down.

''Wh…What i-is th…this?''

Gilbert said out loud as he couldn't describe what he was feeling at that time. The words barely came out of his mouth as he looked at his small and slender legs. They were pretty small considering his age. He looked at his hands which were shorter and smaller than the last time he had seen them.

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''Wait!''

''Is that my voice?''

Gilbert spoke out loud once again trying to discern the source of the sound.

''That is my voice but why is it sooo... childish?''

He touched his face and to his astonishment, he couldn't feel any wrinkles on his face. Those wrinkles were the proof that he was getting old and wasn't as he used to be in his prime. His current face had fat on it which was quite shocking.

''Am I really in someone else's body? Or have I gone back in time? No, the latter can't be possible as I have never seen this place in my whole life. So, the only option is that this is not my body.''

Gilbert looked toward the wardrobe to his right side where a mirror was attached, due to the light illuminating his room he could see his face clearly from afar.

''No way''

Gilbert's eyes shot open as he saw his face clearly in the mirror. He walked off the bed and came close to the mirror slowly with his heart pounding in his chest once again. He could even feel the strong heartbeats resounding in his chest. The vibrations kept sending jolts to his entire being.

''Is that me now?''

In the mirror stood a 10-year-old boy with light skin and striking, jet-black eyes. His hair was a bright, golden blonde, slightly tousled, giving him a playful look. He was dressed casually, wearing a loose, sky-blue t-shirt with short sleeves, complementing his relaxed vibe.

His pajama shorts were simple and comfortable, likely a soft fabric, falling just above his knees. The outfit gave off an easygoing, at-home feel, perfect for lounging or playing around the house. His youthful energy and unique contrast between his black eyes and golden hair made him stand out.

''I look handsome?''

Gilbert kept looking at his face for a few seconds. His shock was vivid on his face, etched deeply. It was true. He had reincarnated into a new body, probably even in a different world. Though he was not sure about the latter, he could now confirm that he was dead and had reincarnated.

He looked around the room. The only thing he was able to say was elegant. That was the definition of the room. Only now he had gotten the time to admire everything around the room properly.

''Am I some sort of prince or what? I don't know if this is a good blessing or a disaster.''

It was right for him to be worried as he had no idea, what sort of trouble he had gotten himself. He couldn't remember anything about the body he was occupying. Yeah, occupying. That felt like the right word to describe his current predicament.

He went back to his bed and sat down and started thinking about the future and his past life. He had no idea what his future had stored for him. Truth be told he was not sad about his death. Why? He had no one to go back to. He was a bachelor through and through.

He spent all his time in pursuing his passion. The passion of technology. That was the main reason he had two PhDs, one in mechanics and the other in computer engineering. He tried to learn everything that would help him achieve his dreams.

He had built a lot of gadgets which were stored in his workshop, the last place he could remember before waking up in this body. He was setting up his hand-made computer. Calling it hand-made looked a bit far-fetched but at least he had assembled almost all the parts himself.

It had cost him a lot. Actually, he wanted to work on his new project but it looked like something went wrong along the way which led him to unforeseen death. Suddenly, something struck him.

''How can I forget about that?''

Gilbert slapped his forehead for forgetting one of the important things. But he was not to be blamed as he was not in his right mind. He had read a lot of novels and played games so he was obviously familiar with his current scenario.

According to the script, this was the time to activate his cheat. Yes, that's right. System. Almost every person who was reincarnated had a system with him, which was his cheat in the new and foreign world. Though it was not 100% certain but he was sure he wouldn't be that unlucky.

''System''

He called out loud and waited for a few seconds but nothing came. There was no voice in his head nor there was a blue screen flashing before his eyes. This was the exact opposite of what he had thought.

''System''

''Activate''

''Hello, New World?''

He tried to use a few more words but it was all for naught. He was among those people who weren't able to receive any cheat after traveling to a different world. He didn't know anything about the world. Was it magical? Or was it just a normal world?

One thing was sure, this wasn't any world with a Sci-fi background as he couldn't see any kinds of electrical instruments. But looking above he realized that this world might have magic. How did he come to this conclusion?

That was because there were no lamps of oil or fire torches but still those ornate chandeliers were radiating with a small amount of light but there was no wire attached to it. So, the only truth was that either this world had magic or the power of alchemy.

Was he excited? That he was. Why? Because anybody loved magic and the mysterious power of alchemy from the Alchemist Brotherhood. Slowly he was getting excited but suddenly a cold feeling washed over him which made him calm down once again which was pretty weird to be exact.

''How did I calm down so fast? The same thing had happened before. One moment my heart was pounding like a drum in my chest and the next moment it was back to normal like it never happened in the first place.''

Gilbert started pondering on the new issue that had arisen out of nowhere. He realized that he could think pretty fast and he remembered all the details of his past like he was watching a movie where he could go to any point in his life and recall everything.

''Is this a skill of mine after coming to this world? Or a trait of this body?''

He started thinking and another information from his past struck him once again.

''Skill, stats, attributes. YES. That's it. Status''

Just as the last word came out of his mouth something changed in front of him. A light came and a screen started to formalize right in front of his eyes.