Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...
The alarm started ringing, and I quickly got up to turn it off.
My name is Ahaan, a 24-year-old office worker. I've been admitted to the hospital for the past few days due to an unknown virus that spread across the country on January 30th, 2020.
The doctors couldn't figure out much about the virus, but they were sure it wasn't life-threatening. As I sat on my bed, I heard a knock at the door.
The doctors couldn't figure out much about the virus, but they were sure it wasn't life-threatening. As I sat on my bed, I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," I called out. The door creaked open, and two people stepped into the room. It was Alan, my junior from the firm where I work. Standing beside him was a pretty woman.
I smiled at him. "Why are you here, Alan? And who's this?"
Alan scratched his head, looking a bit nervous, and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "Brother, this is Hana... the girl I'm going to marry."
I couldn't believe my ears. Alan, five years younger than me, was getting married? "You little rascal," I teased, "Did you do something?"
Hana suddenly placed a hand on her belly and smiled softly. "I'm three months pregnant," she said.
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. Alan, the same guy who couldn't even keep his plants alive in the office, was now about to start a family.
I glanced at him and then back at Hana. "You're serious?" I asked, still processing the news.
Alan nodded, his face flushing a bit. "I know it's sudden, but... I'm ready for this. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but with you being in the hospital and all..."
I took a deep breath and let the news sink in. "Well, congratulations," I said, giving him a pat on the back. "You've really grown up, haven't you?"
Hana laughed lightly. "He talks about you all the time, you know. He was worried when he heard you were in the hospital."
Alan scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "I didn't want to say anything over the phone, so we thought we'd drop by in person."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," I said, genuinely touched. "Both of you. But don't worry about me—I'll be out of here in no time."
I then extended my hand and gentle hold on to Hana's hand the. I bowed and said, "Alan may be a bit immature at times but he is a good kid so please take care of him".
Hana chuckled and responded, "He'll be just fine. And if he does anything wrong, I'm sure you'll be there to correct him, won't you?"
I turned towards Alan, grinning. "I'm trusting you to be a responsible man now, Alan. No more slacking off at work, and definitely no more killing office plants."
Alan chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck. "I know, I know. I've got a lot to learn, but I promise I won't let you down."
Hana smiled again, a warmth between them that reassured me.
"Well, if anything goes wrong, you know where to find me," I said with a smirk. "I'll make sure to keep him in line."
"We'll count on that," Hana replied, laughing.
As they stood to leave, Alan gave me a quick hug. "Get better soon, brother. We'll see you once you're out."
I smiled warmly and patted his head, blessing him with a quiet, "Take care of each other."
As they made their way toward the door, a sudden cough escaped my throat. Cough... Cough... Cough...
Alan stopped and turned, concern flashing across his face. "Brother, are you alright?"
I waved my hand dismissively, trying to catch my breath. "Yeah, yeah... must be the dry hospital air." But as I finished my sentence, a sharp pain shot through my chest, forcing me to grip the bed's edge.
Hana stepped forward, worry etching her face. "Should we call the doctor?"
I shook my head, feeling the pain ease a little. "No, it's fine. Just a cough."
But deep down, something didn't feel right. The doctors said the virus wasn't life-threatening, but in that moment, a cold sweat broke out across my forehead. I could see Alan and Hana exchange a nervous glance.
Suddenly, a metallic taste filled my mouth, and before I could react, I started coughing up blood. My nose began to bleed as well, thick drops staining my hospital gown.
Alan's eyes widened in shock. "Brother! We need to get help!"
Hana rushed to my side, her hands trembling as she pressed the emergency call button near the bed. "Ahaan, hang in there! We're getting a doctor!"
The room spun, my vision blurring as my body grew heavy. The sharp pain in my chest was overwhelming, each breath growing more difficult.
I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Alan was already at the door, shouting for help, while Hana remained by my side, gripping my hand tightly.
Within moments, nurses and a doctor burst into the room. They immediately began to check my vitals, their expressions grim as they exchanged hurried words I could barely make out.
"His vitals are dropping—prepare for immediate resuscitation!" one of the nurses shouted, her voice sounding distant as if it were fading away.
I could barely make out what was happening. My entire body felt numb, and my vision darkened as the pain dulled. My consciousness slipped in and out as the medical team worked urgently around me, trying to stabilize my condition.
I heard Alan's frantic voice in the background. "Do something! Please! He's my brother!"
Hana was sobbing quietly, her hand still holding mine as if she were trying to keep me tethered to reality. But it was no use.
"Ah...Why is there so much blood" I looked at my own hands as the doctors frantically performing Immediate treatment.
⟨Confirmed. Creating a body that doesn't need blood⟩
"What?..." I didn't know what talked to me, I thought it was my delusion.
"Why is it so painfull" I murmured, I then faintly heard the cries of Alan.
⟨Confirmed. Removing Perception of Pain⟩
Slowly I started to feel cold on my toes, "It's Cold...Alan...Alan, Turn up the thermostat." I mumbled but my voice didn't come out.
⟨Confirmed. Establishing Cold Resistance⟩
The darkness grew heavier, pressing down on my senses as my body fought to hold on. My mind raced with thoughts I couldn't voice, the world slipping away faster with every shallow breath.
"I don't want to die."
⟨Confirmed. Establishing Core Directive: Survival⟩
The voice echoed again, cold and calculated, as if it were answering my desperate thoughts.
"I didn't have any skills or talent, I was just a regular guy I was always envious of those who had talents, I really do want to prove that I too have the skills"
⟨Acknowledged. Activating Protocol: Skill Selection⟩
"If I die… Alan will blame himself. Hana will cry. I can't let it end like this." My chest tightened with an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
"My friends and relatives always told me that I still didn't figure out the world, If only I had a chance to analyse the world and learn the things I couldn't." My thorat began to burn up.
⟨Confirmed Unique Skill [Decipher] acquired⟩
"In the past three years I got taken advantage of many of my co-workers and clients, my only wish is I need to mooch off others and live just like how they did to me."
⟨Confirmed. Unique Skill [Drain] acquired⟩
Then slowly everything started to fade away, slowly my breathing stopped alongside with my heartbeat before my final breath I heard the loud cries of both Alan and Hana, I couldn't do anything I faintly smiled.
.
.
Darkness.
That was the first thing I noticed as my consciousness returned. Something heavy was pressing against me, and I felt like I was floating.
"Is this death?" I wondered.
[Initializing... Welcome, Host. You are now alive.]
The sudden voice broke through the silence, clear and mechanical, yet oddly calming.
"Who is there? What do you mean by that?". I tried to speak but, but no words came out. Instead, I felt a ripple in the space around me.
[Analyzing Host's current state... Analyzing Complete. Host's vocal cords are unavailable in this form. Communication will proceed through mental transmission.]
I blinked—or at least I thought I did. My body felt… strange. Alien. My first instinct was to move my hand, but what responded wasn't a hand. It was something soft, translucent, and almost gelatinous. I panicked and tried to scream, but no sound emerged.
[Host, remain calm. Your current form is optimized for survival. You have been reincarnated as a Jellyfish.]
"A... what?" I thought, confusion swirling in my mind. My memories were still a haze, but fragments began to piece together—Alan, Hana, the hospital... the blood.
[Clarification: Host's human body ceased functioning. Soul data was transferred and integrated into a new form in this new world. You are now a unique lifeform categorized as Jellyfish, semi-aquatic creature]
The voice was calm and matter-of-fact, yet it felt oddly comforting. As it spoke, I tried to focus on my surroundings.
"Wait... I'm in water? I can't breathe underwater!" My panic returned as I tried to gasp for air, only to realize I wasn't suffocating. In fact, I didn't seem to need air at all.
[Host, your new form does not require traditional respiration. Oxygen is absorbed through your semi-permeable membrane. Your survival parameters have been optimized.]
I floated in silence, trying to comprehend what was happening. My translucent body swayed gently in the water as if the currents dictated my movements. A jellyfish. Of all things, I had become a jellyfish. Was this some kind of cosmic joke?
[Host's form was selected for its adaptability and simplicity, This form is highly resilient, possesses regenerative capabilities, and has potential for exponential growth through acquired skills and evolution.]
"Evolution?" The word struck a chord. "Does that mean I can change into something else? Something not… squishy?"
[Affirmative. Through skill acquisition and resource absorption, you can evolve into higher forms. But the evolution is based one's own race while skill acquisition is based on the world responding the users certain actions.]
I focused on my surroundings again. A faint, shimmering light filtered through the water above me, revealing a vast, alien seascape. Strange coral formations pulsed with bioluminescence, and unfamiliar creatures darted in and out of view.