Reincarnation is when a soul is reborn into a new body, usually without memories of its past life. But in this world, you generally retain them.
But it is very rare as it happens once in 20 years.
There are only 3 of them that I know of, that have reincarnated while reading the novel. Transmigration involves a soul moving into an existing body—often with past memories intact.
My case? A mix of both.
I was supposed to reincarnate normally.
I just could have died at age 15 and then be born again in the world of IA, but without memories, which is somehow even rare, but for the sake of the mission, a ritual was performed — one that split my soul in two.
"One half was sent to the world of IA — reborn to begin a new life. The other half, the one that kept my memories of the modern world, stayed behind. That half is me — the one who remained to undergo training."
This means I'll be able to artificially recall memories from the modern world once my other half in the novel's world reaches a certain age, and we merge — in this case, twelve.
For me, it'll be like gaining a new body and a new set of memories in that world. But for my other half, it'll feel like recovering the memories of a past life.
Since the merge will happen when we are both capable of conscious thought, our personalities will mix, basically two people, I don't know how that would go well.
But I've decided to trust the old man on this one.
Why was I chosen? Because my soul was meant to be in the right place, at the right time.
That is all!
Taishi(the old man): "Are you ready for the training, kid?"
Jin: "Yes, master. I've grabbed the necessary equipment!"
I nonchalantly pulled out a massive dragon slayer great sword, taller than me.
Taishi: "Why are you holding a sword longer than you? And we won't be starting with combat."
Jin: "Why not? I can switch the weapon if that's the problem?"
Taishi: "It's not about the weapon. It's about you!
~You're weak!"~
He proceeded to give me a piercing look.
"Before we even think about combat, you need control and power. If you can't chop down a tree with one slice, you won't be able to cut down an opponent."
Jin: "One slice?"
Taishi: "Yes. Now follow me."
We start walking toward what looked like a small, simple cabin—nothing more than a shelter with axes and basic tools, no weapons were in sight.
Taishi: "This will be your equipment for now."
Jin: "A rusty axe for training? What am I supposed to do with this?"
Taishi: "Chop wood, of course."
Master grabbed a normal-sized log with one hand while holding the same type of axe as mine in the other, he threw to the air, he sliced it to 6 equal parts before the log hit the ground.
Taishi: "You need to be at least this good before moving on to the next phase of training."
I watch, my eyes wide in disbelief.
"Realistically, could someone really reach this level after 40 years of continuous cutting of wood? I just have to do as he says."
I swung the axe down, but it barely scratched the surface, bouncing off.
"Is this really how it's done?"
I mutter to myself.
I've seen actors in movies chop wood—because, of course, a boy and girl, after getting caught in the rain, having their car tires go flat, and having their cellphone die both at the same time,the next logical step is to stumble into a random cabin that clearly doesn't belong to them.And naturally, they think, "Hey, let's just go inside!"
Then, the female lead, wrapped in a blanket, watches the male lead through the window, admiring his strength as he chops wood to keep her warm.
Meanwhile, the male lead, covered in sweat, fixes his hair and throws in some brooding looks for the audience, and everyone goes, "What a hot scene!"
If a girl saw me right now, she'd probably say, "Eww, sweaty boy!" and honestly, she wouldn't be wrong.
Guess I'm just not built like them.
"let's take a break!" I muttered.
Man 1: "Grandmaster, how is the 'situation' progressing?"
Master (taishi): "It's going well. He agreed to the mission. Just started his training a few hours ago."
Man 2: "Was 100 million a month really necessary?"
Master: "Of course. If he had refused my offer and THEY approached him afterward, we needed to make sure no one could match the generosity of our offer. He'd have no choice but to return to us."
Man 1: "Well, they do have less money and control over Pangea than us!—disgusting rats."
Master: "Indeed."
Man 3: "But what if they made him a better offer? Not money, but something else we do have but can't afford to give? Assuming he refused us, of course."
A silence fell over the room, filled with 15 masters and the Grandmaster sitting in a respected position. All of them wondered why Man 3 always asked questions no one really needed answers to, despite being a master himself.
He was the most curious one among the group. The meaning behind "we can't afford to give" was easy to grasp, and everyone knew exactly what that implied.
Though his question was considered "irrelevant," all of them waited for an answer!
Master: "Let's not discuss matters that are better left in the past."
Jin was a mere five-minute walk from the location where the conversation took place. As he continued swinging the axe, sweat pouring down his face, the distant sound of voices remained unheard, his focus entirely on the task at hand.
For four and a half weeks, this was my life.
Wake up.Eat an absurd amount of food made by the panda—Baek.I don't know what he puts in it, but it tastes heavenly.Then chop wood.Eat again.Chop more.Eat.Chop.Eat.Take a bath.
Sometimes I just sit there, staring at the steam, wondering if this is what enlightenment feels like.
Then sleep.
And repeat.
Every. Single. Day.
That was it.
No breaks. Just swing after swing, meal after meal—until even my dreams smelled like woodchips and grilled fish.
Master: "Show me your progress, kid."
Jin: "Yes, Master."
I swung my axe at the logs with ease, slicing through them like butter.Six perfect cuts in six swings—just like Master had done.Though, to be fair, my logs were lying flat on the ground.
Since it was a success, I thought maybe I'd finally move on to more advanced training.But of course, that wasn't the case.
Master: "Here. This is what you'll be cutting next."
He handed me a new set of logs.But these weren't normal.They looked like wood——but they shimmered faintly, almost metallic.
The first swing made my hand go numb. The axe bounced right off.
Master: "Iron Bark. Strong as steel. Much denser. You just have to do the same as before, kid."
Despite how impossible it seemed, my time with the regular logs had given me confidence.So I nodded and got to work.
For the next four weeks, I trained relentlessly.Ten hours a day.Chopping Iron Bark like it owed me money.
I ate even more to keep up—mostly rabbit meat. Baek says it's high in protein.I pushed myself harder every day, until the motion burned itself into my muscles.Until my arms moved before I even thought.
Master: "That's enough for today!"
Jin: "Yes! Finally!"
~Ahh, the pain...
My muscles are sore as hell.Thank god for the hot spring before dinner—without it, the cramps might've actually killed me.
One thing I've noticed, aside from the insane boost in strength and stamina, is how my body's changing.Abs are starting to show.At this rate, I might be shredded by next year.Too bad I won't get to keep this body… but at least the strength I've built will stick with me.
After soaking for a while, I stepped out of the hot spring, wrapped a towel around my waist, and headed back to my room to change.Not long after, dinner was ready, and I joined the others in the main room.
There's Baek—the panda who cooks like a five-star chef.Moonsoo—the quiet human who was talking to him earlier.And, of course, Taishi—the Master.
So far, they're the only people I've seen around here. No villagers. No travelers. Just us.Still, I've heard all kinds of monsters roam the forest in this region.Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised anymore.There are flying fish in the sky, after all.
"So, kid—how's training going?" Moonsoo asked.
He's not much of a talker. We haven't spoken much before, not like I have with Baek.
"It's good. It was rough at first, but now… I actually get excited thinking about training tomorrow."
"I see," he said with a faint smile, then went quiet again.
"The food's ready!" Baek chimed in as he carried over a dangerously delicious-looking meal.
He laid out bowls of steaming ginseng chicken soup, grilled short ribs glazed in soy and garlic, stir-fried tofu with mushrooms, spicy braised fish, and roasted duck brushed with honey and herbs.A pot of multigrain rice sat in the center, surrounded by small dishes of pickled radish, kimchi, and black beans.
And it doesn't just look amazing—it tastes heavenly.
It makes the whole brutal day of training feel worth it.