Episode 1 (Reincarnated as a Gumiho)

Evergreen's Pov.

The last thing I remember was finishing a task assigned by my boss and taking a final service call from a family who needed help fixing their broken Wi-Fi.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw were two unfamiliar things—I couldn’t even tell what they were—and then suddenly...

[System: Please choose (Yes) if you want to gain knowledge of this world.]

I was startled by a voice echoing in my head. I had no idea where it was coming from, and I found myself in a dark space. I wasn’t sure if anyone else could hear it. After thinking it through, I chose (Yes)—and in an instant, everything changed.

[System: Thank you for your choice. 

Here’s your profile. 

Name: Evergreen 

Age: 5 years old 

Origin: Fox 

Level: 12 

Skill: Shape Shift Tail

Complete Transformation– You can transform into any creature or object you desire. 

Mimicry – Copy the appearance and abilities of others for a limited time. 

Elemental Mimicry – Temporarily gain the elemental abilities of any creature you observe.

In short, you were reincarnated into this world after dying in your past life.

Cause of Death: Overwork.

You died from long hours of work at a company in the Philippines called Concentrix.

You are now a fox at Level 12 with a single tail: the Shape Shifting Tail, which has three abilities.

To level up, you need to train, kill magical beasts, and absorb their magic stones.

As your level increases, you’ll grow more tails and gain more skills until you become a full-fledged nine-tailed fox.

In this world, people have their own unique powers and abilities. To level up, everyone must defeat magical beasts and train. 

There are also gods, goddesses, and divine beings here. They’re known as the 16 Rays, the guardians of this world.

That’s all the system can tell you for now.]

Huh? I don’t understand what’s happening. So... I died from overwork and got reincarnated as a fox? What are magical beasts? Who are these gods and goddesses? I’m so confused.

[System: You’re classified as a Magical Beast. But you’re special—you’ll be able to transform into a human soon.]

"And the Gods?"

[System: System are not allowed to reveal a powerful being.]

I was shocked again by the voice. Now I was certain I was the only one who could hear it.

But what should I do now?

[System: Eat a magic stone to level up first.]

"And where exactly am I supposed to get one?" 

No reply. I gave up asking even though I was curious.

“Child, thank goodness you’re awake. Don’t ever do something like that again,” a gentle female voice said as she hugged me tightly.

She was a fox just like me—maybe my mother, sister, or cousin?

“Don’t go outside for now, son. You’re a target of the Veil Unicorns,” a male voice added.

Veil Unicorns?

[System: Report. A Veil Unicorn is a magical beast with blindfold-like barriers over its eyes. If the veil is removed, it can shoot a powerful laser that turns its target into cloth—cloth they eat.]

Wait... What?

[System: The Veil Unicorn King is targeting you. 

Profile: 

Name: Garaga 

Age: 10,000 years 

Level: 600 

Magic Stone: Legendary

If you consume his magic stone, you’ll gain two more tails and transform. His stone is powerful enough to destroy an entire village.]

What the hell? I just got reincarnated and I’m already being hunted?

The two foxes—definitely my parents—kept close to me, guarding me while I lay in a room glowing with light-crystal walls. I felt trapped, but I knew they were only trying to protect me.

As I was resting, I heard shouting outside. Soon my parents came in and spoke to me.

“Evergreen, no matter what happens, live. Be strong,” my mother said, crying as she hugged me.

I didn’t recognize them, but what they were doing for me made me feel pain and sorrow. I didn’t want to lose them.

“Take care of this weapon. I’m sorry, son, but this is all I can pass on to you,” my father said as he handed me a large object wrapped in cloth. “Don’t worry. We’ll be back,” he added as they embraced me tightly one last time.

I didn’t know what to feel, but it hurt. I couldn’t hold back the tears as they left. It felt like my heart was breaking.

Then—everything went black.

[System: Evolution succeeded! 

Name: Evergreen 

Age: 5 

Origin: Three-Tailed Fox 

Level: 32

New Tail: Elemental Tail 

Skills:

Flame Manipulation – Control fire and summon fiery storms. 

-Tidal Mastery – Control water and summon waves. 

Earthquake Generation – Control the earth and raise armies from the ground.

New Tail: Time Tail 

Skills:

Time Freeze – Stop time for one minute. 

Time Rewind – Reverse small events to fix mistakes or heal. 

Accelerated Growth – Speed up natural growth or decay.**

You also received a skill from the Goddess of Illusion. 

Golden Scythe skill unlocked: Illusion Scratch. 

Soul Scratch – No physical damage, but after three hits, the target’s soul shatters and they die.]

When I woke up, the lifeless bodies of my parents lay before me.

I didn’t feel anything at first—but tears began to fall. I screamed. I was overwhelmed by sadness and rage.

[System: Do you wish to inherit the emotions and memories of this body’s original owner? If yes, please select (Yes).]

I had no right to refuse. I was only borrowing this body. This was never meant to be my life. If it weren’t for me, maybe Evergreen could have saved his parents.

I didn’t hesitate. I chose (Yes).

I let Evergreen take full control of his body for a moment—to mourn, to grieve.

Watching him cry broke me. I couldn’t help but cry too. I felt guilty for what happened to him. I didn’t deserve this second life.

In my past life, something similar happened. A thief killed both my parents. I was too young to do anything but cry. No one helped me. Not even my own relatives. So I had to help myself.

“Please, take care of this body,” Evergreen’s last words echoed before his soul vanished with a smile.

[System: Knowledge successfully transferred.]

I cried. He even gave me all his knowledge.

From that moment on, I vowed to grow stronger and rely only on myself.

Thanks to Evergreen’s knowledge, I knew what to do. First, I buried our parents—*my* parents now—with earth magic.

As I was thinking, Earth Magic? when did I have an Earth magic?

Wait… Earth magic? When did I get that? I thought I only had Shape Shifting powers?

“System, what happened?” I asked silently.

[System: Report! While you were unconscious, your parents fed you the Veil Unicorn King’s magic stone. You evolved. That’s why you feel different.]

“Did Evergreen know?”

[System: Yes. His soul was still present when you evolved.]

So I evolved without even knowing. I even received a divine gift. A new tail and six new skills. Thankfully, Evergreen was there to witness it all.

Still… I miss him.

I traveled alone for seven years after that. I slowly grew used to this world. I memorized every shortcut and secret path.

Three years ago, I defeated a powerful man—a cruel, handsome human. I copied his appearance and memories using my mimicry ability. I’ve used his face ever since to live as a human. I only avoided his evil deeds.

No one recognized me, probably because I looked younger than he did when I defeated him. I was just eight at the time.

Since then, I haven’t evolved. I haven’t consumed any magic stones or fought magical beasts.

I avoid fighting. I know when I’m outmatched.

That man was the only one I killed because he tried to kill me first.

[System: Now that you’re 12, you’re eligible to enter a school for training.]

Good idea—but I don’t know any schools in this world.

“What schools are there?” I asked through thought-communication.

[System: Astral Academy. You’ll find it just past your workplace. Head straight, then turn left. You’ll see the gates of Astral Academy.]

Perfect. I’ll go there tomorrow to enroll.

I want to evolve. I want to witness the full potential of this body.

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