Golden Spoon

[You have died!]

[GAME OVER]

...

[Please select your race.]

[Human

Elf

Half-Elf

Orc

Gnome

Dwarf

Demon

...

Beast-kin]

****

I was stunned by what I was seeing, I had died, but in real life. I remembered being stabbed through the stomach during a mugging. I had a bitter feeling because not only had I complied and given them my money promptly, I even tried to talk them into not hurting me. I figured they would agree because there was no reason to actually kill me during a mugging, but in the end they ran me through while they had a crazed look in their eyes.

'Words are useless... Only strength matters in the end.'

Such bitter thoughts, however I tried focusing on the screens before me to alleviate my grief. It seemed like I was being given a chance to reincarnate, much like the novels I would read back on Earth, but it was displayed much like a video game for me. 

I was familiar with the concept of racial benefits so I read through the long list of available races as well as their descriptions. The descriptions were more detailed than in games, for these told me about the races' standings in the world as well. 

After careful consideration, I chose the race of Siren. They had two forms, a human form and a mermaid form. They would be able to breathe underwater, and they had incredibly long lives. A rather neutral race, even if I were to be discovered, no one would really be hostile towards me. I did have to worry about trafficking however. It was a real problem in this world because the ultra wealthy would keep sirens as living record players. 

However I was able to use mental magic, a type of Magic that erodes the willpower of those who hear it, influencing them in a myriad of ways. I chose this for the simple reason that I didn't want to physically fight. 

After making my selection, I went through the process of choosing a starting perk. Perks were something akin to a natural talent or gift that would give me an edge in this new world, ranging from perks that would make me destined to become a Hero, or even the Saintess perk. Some were simpler, such as Parallel Thought, allowing someone to have two streams of thought at once, useful for magic but also other applications of multitasking. 

I chose one that fit the fighting style I imagined in my mind.

[Perk: Eyes of Madness has been obtained.]

[Eyes of Madness]

You incite madness with just your stare. The longer you stare at someone, the more madness they receive. Short term exposure makes targets go berserk, while long term exposure can lead to permanent psychosis.

An incredible perk when combined with my bewitching voice that allows me to immobilize people. Sirens also had other applications of their magic, such as being able to empower my allies or even heal wounds. 

I then waited for a while after my selection, because no new screens appeared after I made my two selections, making me believe I was simply to wait.

As if hearing my thoughts, I then felt as though my consciousness was pulled across the dimensions, and my vision blacked.

***

When I woke up, I inspected my body as soon as possible, and noticed I was in the body of a teen. I was in a room, a normal room that was not underwater, which made me look around to try and figure out what I was really doing here. 

After rummaging through a nearby desk, I eventually found a few papers of admission to a place called the Academy of Heroes, along with a letter from my supposed guardian.

From the letter I gathered that I was an orphan, who was accepted into the academy for my unique magic application of the Siren's song. I was one of the only people who used a type of mental Manipulation magic, making me sought after by the Academy. The unknown guardian was apparently glad to get rid of me, someone who only seemed to feel burdened by my existence after my parents passed, so I wasn't interested in finding the sender anytime soon. 

I continued looking around but didn't find anything useful other than a personal cell phone. The technology in this world seemed fairly modern, only that the mainstream weapons were all classical weapons. Swords, spears, bows, and others. Guns were used, however because of the strain on materials to be able to handle mana, they were not popular. 

I was not interested in weapons personally, I simply wanted to use my magic to manipulate people on the battlefield, so I wasn't interested about that strange aspect of this modern world. 

I navigated the phone to see what my past self was like, but he simply seemed like a normal teenager who spent all his money on food. He didn't seem to have any friends, but only the Academy knew of his race so he must be new in town. I also wasn't currently at the Academy, today was admission day meaning I was to head there and then be given a dorm. 

I gathered my belongings, and headed to the address with the help of my phone GPS. The whole way there, I was enjoying the scenery. 

This world was beautiful. The lack of popularization of fossil fuels led to the air being clean, with magic artifacts that were capable of completely recycling waste, there was no filth in this large city. The buildings retained a modern medieval style, which made me feel as though I was exploring ancient cities. As I made my way through the streets, I heard a commotion from up ahead. 

"I'll kill you if you lay a finger on her!"

A feminine voice rang out. Out of curiosity, I made my way closer, trying to get a view of what was going on. When I finally pushed through the crowd, I saw a teenage girl who was standing in front of another girl, while a skinny boy stood opposite them. I was able to see that the girl being protected was holding her cheek, crying.

"She's just a filthy commoner, why do you keep trying to play hero, Ariel? Do the members of the Strode house really have nothing better to do than play hero for the common folk?"

The boy sneered at the girl standing in his way. I compared his physique with the girl named Ariel Strode, and found that she was much better built than him. She was tall, and had broad shoulders. She must be someone who was a close range fighter, just based on her build that emphasized physical strength. The boy opposite must be some sort of Mage, otherwise he was incredibly foolish for stay in her face like that. 

Ariel bared her teeth to the noble boy. Her fists were clenched and teeth grinding.

'She's going to charge him... How reckless. In front of all these people they will get into a physical fight over something that can easily be resolved behind closed doors... Nobles in this world are perhaps the shortsighted types...' 

I began to walk away as I heard a fight break out behind me. The girl named Ariel had indeed charged the young man, and some nearby guards rushed in to break the two up. 

I shook my head and continued forward. I didn't run into anything else exciting, but I still got to see a lot of notable things. I was able to see some restaurants that featured food that resembled food I used to love. Such as a fancy restaurant that served steaks. 

I would have to go here as soon as I got some money. I found myself now, before a large metal gate, past which I could see large fields and hug buildings. These were the Academy Gates, they were guarded by several active heroes, most of which were probably alumni of the school. They were greeting and letting in other students, so I joined the queue and waited until I was let in. They checked my luggage and then gave me a name tag that had my personal information. It also listed my dormitory, which I found with the help of signs along the way. 

When I got to my dorm, I opened the door and found it was a single, which made me incredibly happy because if I had to share a room with a teenager I might have lost my mind. As I unpacked, I began to look over my Status page, which after looking up I found was unique to me. I knew immediately this was my ticket to success.