Insect Tamer's Ascension Chapter 1: Reincarnated

"From what the records show, your life was the smoothest in a full century. Born to the richest family, never lifting a finger for work, forever wrapped in luxury, without tasting even a speck of hardship. Quite the feat, I admit." A voice boomed.

Sitting on a massive emerald throne, a young man who appeared no older than thirty spoke, his gaze fixed on a glowing blue screen floating right by his face.

The whole chamber overflowed with gems and treasures, enormous enough to squeeze in almost a complete soccer stadium.

A splendid staircase boasting tens of thousands of steps twisted downward from the throne, reaching deep into the room's boundless space.

Even amid the royal splendor, one thing caught the eye right at the stairs' bottom—someone who paled in comparison to the rest of the lavish throne room.

"Uhh… I guess so," the man replied while kneeling, staring up at the throne's occupant.

"Victor Kane, you perished at 29, lounging in your jacuzzi. A stealthy heart attack snuffed you out in seconds. No suffering there either, huh? Such a painless end." The man's commanding voice reverberated across the huge room that held just Victor and him.

"Given your life of ease, why not toss in a little extra joy?" The man glanced down to the final step, with Victor right in the center of his view.

Victor, gripped by doubt, couldn't shake off the sense that this endless setup was some grand hoax.

He'd only stepped into this spot minutes before, and the throne-sitter's spot-on details of his death made Victor accept it as fact.

That jacuzzi had ranked as the planet's safest haven, buried twenty levels underground in a bunker no one accessed without his say-so—not even his wife.

"Usually, I skip all this hassle," the man went on, eyes glued to the screen. "My underlings take care of it. But your unusual profile has me itching for something... fun." A chillingly flawless smile bloomed on his face.

"You love fantasy tales, right? All that time buried in books. Care to get shipped to one of my top spots, memories fully kept?" The man questioned, his stare pinning Victor's.

Despite the space separating them, Victor felt his whole self could crumble under the sheer force of that look.

"I've made up my mind," the man announced. "Rebirth comes for you, memories included, in a realm where magic rules daily life. Taming deadly beasts to gain power is commonplace there. You'll gain this too." He snapped his fingers.

Victor clamped his hands over his ears, the snap's roar threatening to shatter his eardrums.

Upon reopening his eyes, a blue screen floated before him.

_____

Victor Kane (Deceased)

Level 0

Basic Physical Attributes:

Strength: 10

Stamina: 5

Agility: 4

Vitality: 20

Intelligence: 30

Dexterity: 10

Taming Attributes:

Affinity: N/A

Taming Mastery: N/A

Charisma: N/A

Beast Command: N/A

_____

Victor absorbed it all, shivers racing across his skin.

"A-Are these… my stats?" Victor stammered.

"Fascinating, eh?" the man chuckled. "Status screens like that are standard in that world. I'll make sure you spawn in a wealthy house again. Your kickoff beats anything from Earth. Good?" He grinned.

Every instinct in Victor yelled not to buy a single word from the man.

Yet, faced with the screen and the throne figure, Victor couldn't stop questioning if this was just a hyper-detailed joke. Real or fake, it barely mattered to him anymore.

"Yes, I want all you promised," Victor blurted out without pause, regret hitting instantly, though his core sensed it fit perfectly, as if the man's words rang utterly true.

The throne man eyed him briefly, then a wide grin split his face.

"PUHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHAHHAHA!" His explosive laughter hit so hard Victor's hands flew to his ears again.

"Intriguing! Your greed runs endless!" The man kept laughing. "Very well! You get it all!" He stood, excitement so palpable that Victor grinned too.

"One small detail," the man added, grin stretching wider. "I can't let you be too blissful. Got higher-ups to please. A basic curse work?" His smile warped into pure menace.

Victor scowled, a bad vibe creeping in.

Before a single word could leave his lips, the man beside the throne jabbed a finger toward him. A beam of light hurtled at him, slower than any bullet, slamming straight into his chest.

_________

[Caution! A curse has been inflicted on the user.]

[Curse Grade: Celestial]

[Curse Description: The user is restricted to only tame insect species. Taming normal species will become impossible with this curse.]

_________

Dumbstruck, Victor gaped at the crimson alerts. His gaze flicked back to the throne's occupant, whose smirk remained firmly in place.

"You…!" Victor struggled to voice it, yet silence sealed his mouth.

"Be a good entertainment piece in my world," the man declared with an amused lilt. "You have no idea how pleased everyone above will be. Now, begone!" With a casual wave of his hand, Victor disappeared from the throne room.

'Wait!' Victor attempted to yell, but his voice seemed devoured by utter silence. He strained to lift his eyelids, only for them to weigh like lead.

TING!

A sharp chime rang through his mind, summoning a compact screen before his eyes amid the encompassing void.

_______

[Urgent Note: The user has been successfully transported to Planet Zypheria]

[User is detected to be a human infant currently]

[Due to reincarnation rules, the user will face memory loss until the age of 4]

[The sleep schedule of previous memories will last for 4 years]

[Starting in 15 seconds]

______

Despair gripped Victor as he fixed his eyes on the alert. It consumed ten seconds to scan through, by which point the countdown lingered at just 5 seconds.

He fought to thrash about or cling to wakefulness in defiance, but every effort failed. He willed words forth, though not even his lips would budge.

Five seconds later, slumber overtook him, sweeping away all the frenzy and unease.