Rebirth

"Am I dead?" Dino muttered, his eyes slowly fluttering open. A heavy sensation weighed on his head, and a nauseous feeling gripped his stomach.

"Arg..." He grunted, grappling with the dizziness before he began to take in his surroundings. He found himself lying on a coarse, tattered bed in a room that seemed to be in a state of disrepair, with visible cracks marring the walls.

The dilapidated condition of the room raised doubts in his mind about its structural integrity. Could a gust of wind bring it all crashing down?

Dino tried to piece together the events leading up to this moment. He vividly remembered the terrifying fall from the flyover, a situation in which even divine intervention wouldn't have saved him. Yet, apart from the lingering headache, he felt remarkably intact.

"Where am I now?" he muttered, attempting to rise from the bed. His gaze swept across the room, assessing the deteriorated state of his surroundings.

However, what truly caught his attention was the mirror on one side of the room.

Approaching the mirror with a sense of trepidation, Dino stared at his own reflection, or so he expected. To his astonishment, the person in the mirror wasn't him—it was Leo. Panic surged through him, and he took a step back, struggling to make sense of the inexplicable.

"This... what the... Leo?" Dino's voice trembled as he tried to comprehend the surreal situation. He pushed aside a bizarre thought that perhaps he was in some fantastical world where one could die and become someone else.

"No, no, this can't be real," he muttered, desperately clinging to the belief that this was all a dream or some post-accident hallucination. Dino couldn't accept the implausible notion that he had transmigrated into another person's body.

As he grappled with his disorientation and disbelief, a sudden, searing pain pierced his head. It felt as though his mind was being invaded, his consciousness inundated by a deluge of foreign memories.

Dino was helpless as he experienced Leo's past, witnessing his life and struggles from a perspective that was not his own.

After what felt like an eternity of torment, Dino eventually resigned himself to the undeniable truth—he had indeed transmigrated into the body of Leo. This realization left him bewildered and conflicted.

"What a game of fate," he muttered bitterly.

Dino understood that the criticism he had offered as a film critic had driven Leo into depression instead of motivating him to rectify his mistakes.

This was not what he had intended; his goal had been to help actors and filmmakers improve and evolve.

Dino couldn't help but ponder the curious turn of events. He had never wished for the destruction of an actor's career but had hoped to guide them toward self-improvement.

Some had indeed heeded his critiques and thrived in subsequent projects, earning his praise. Others, like Leo, had spiraled into despair, seeking solace in destructive habits like drug addiction.

"Wait... three years!" Dino exclaimed as he realized the passage of time. He had critiqued Leo's movie in November 2020, but now, according to the calendar, it was September 15, 2023.

"This... Three years have passed," he murmured incredulously. If he had indeed died in 2020, how had he ended up here in 2023? Moreover, why did his memories only extend until the date of his death?

The circumstances of his transmigration were far more complex and enigmatic than he could have ever imagined.

Then, as Dino contemplated his inexplicable situation, he recalled the peculiar blue screen that had appeared before his eyes after the car crash.

"What was that?" he pondered, curiosity gnawing at him. He tried to recreate the experience by closing and reopening his eyes, hoping to see the screen again. However, his attempt was met with a sharp, shooting pain in his eyes.

"Hmm, not a good idea," he mused, rubbing his temples. Uncertain about his next steps, Dino found himself at a crossroads. This new body was his vessel now, and returning to his former life was no longer an option.

Who would believe he was the real Dino after this inexplicable transformation? It was a recipe for being labeled as a madman.

Moreover, the idea of aimlessly living in this unfamiliar body without a clear purpose doesn't align with Dino's character. He had always been driven by his passions and goals.

Just then, a ringing sound chimed in his ears, pulling his thoughts from their wandering. A smile crept across his lips as he recognized the source.

"Here it is."

DING

**[System integrating: My Bollywood superstar system]

***[Mission: Become a Bollywood superstar loved by everyone.]

****(Special note: Every action has its direct and opposite reaction. Indirectly or directly, you caused Leo's dreams to shatter. So, if you truly want to live with this body, you should complete Leo's last two wishes.)

Dino's initial instinct was to reject the mission outright. Becoming a Bollywood actor was far from his ideal career choice, as it seemed noisy and headache-inducing. However, something in the special note struck a chord deep within him.

He couldn't help but recall his father's dying words and the look of regret in his eyes.

His father had told him, "Dino, the biggest regret for an actor isn't the failure of a movie, but the inability to see it through to the end."

It was a side of his father he had never truly understood until that moment, as tears welled up in his father's eyes for the first time.

To outsiders, actors might appear to face nothing more than criticism and fan hatred, but the reality of the entertainment industry is far more grueling.

Dino had once dreamt of becoming an actor, inspired by his father, but over time, that dream had crumbled, replaced by frustration and disillusionment.

Closing his eyes briefly to banish these painful memories, Dino reopened them with renewed determination.

"I accept the mission," he declared aloud, his voice echoing in the tattered room.

As soon as he uttered those words, a screen materialized before his eyes.

[Mission initiating: Binding the host.]

[Name: Leo]

[Physical talent*]

[Mental talent*]

[System missions (Locked)]

[System inventory (Locked)]

*Remark: A pitiful little rabbit trapped in a wild forest.

His name, Leo, was displayed at the top of the screen, accompanied by four blue buttons. The first and second buttons had small red dots, indicating unread messages.

"Let's see what's in this Physical and Mental talent," Dino thought, his curiosity piqued as he selected the "Physical talent" button.