Chapter 3: Reincarnated in a Novel

Laughing, Wang Feng patted my shoulder, promising to protect me in future battles.

Inwardly, I acknowledged my desire to fight alongside him, but I knew he was already designated for the 'Protagonist.'

….

The homeroom teacher then made an announcement that left the entire class buzzing with excitement.

He revealed that all of us had awakened our 'Talent' and acquired our 'Profession,' which meant we could now activate the 'World System.' 

With an air of anticipation, he went on to disclose the distribution of Talent grades: three students had achieved the higher-grade 'Talent,' while fifty of us fell into the middle-grade category, leaving the rest with lower grades.

Satisfied with this distribution, the homeroom teacher concluded the Talent awakening ceremony.

He emphasized the significance of hard work and skill improvement and then dropped another bombshell – the opening of a newbie dungeon copies in Province Xth.

This meant all of us could now partake in actual combat upgrades, a prospect that thrilled us.

For those students pursuing life professions, the school had arranged a life skills hall where we could master various life skills.

This news was greeted with enthusiasm, knowing it would help us in our journeys.

The information about the newbie upgrade copy garnered widespread approval, given its lower difficulty and greater safety compared to the wilds of Province Xth.

The challenges of life and death in the wild would have to be faced by the students themselves.

As the school day drew to a close, I heard Butler's voice calling my name, and I knew he was looking for me.

"Young Master, how did the event go today?" he inquired.

I replied calmly, "Nothing to worry about, Uncle. Everything went smoothly, and I awakened with an 'S grade Talent,' becoming a 'Necromancer.'"

Butler's joy was palpable, and he couldn't help but think about how pleased Sir and Madam would have been had they been present. Engaging in conversation, we made our way back to the villa.

"I'm going to my room, Uncle," I informed the butler, heading toward my destination.

"Very well," the butler acknowledged.

Upon reaching my room, I placed my school bag on the study table and collapsed onto my bed.

As I lay there, my mind filled with reflections on the events of the 'Talent Awakening.'

A whirlwind of memories enveloped me, from awakening an 'EX grade Talent'—an unprecedented occurrence in my 14 years of life—to receiving an invitation to bind with another System. 

Curious and determined, I decided to delve into the flood of memories that rushed into my mind.

Settling into a meditation pose, I focused my attention on the fragments of memories that emerged. 

Thirty minutes later, I was deeply shaken to my core.

These fragments were not just random memories—they were remnants of my past life on Earth.

It dawned on me that I had lived a previous life on Earth before being reincarnated into the world of the novel, "Return as Strongest Player."

My memories had been sealed since birth and had awakened during a Talent Awakening event.

Coming to terms with the realization that I had reincarnated into the world of "Return as Strongest Player," I was dumbfounded and suddenly gripped by panic.

The "Novel World" I found myself in was far from simple or benign.

History

I remembered my name was Sam.

My mother had died during childbirth, and shortly after, my father succumbed to depression, leaving me a vast inheritance managed by a butler and some maids.

According to my awakened memories, I had been living on "Blue Star," a world akin to Earth, for 500 years.

However, everything changed one day when a prompt echoed across the land: "Dungeons will descend on Blue Star 543 in a week."

The announcement threw the entire population into chaos.

Criminal activities such as rape, theft, and murder skyrocketed as panic gripped the citizens.

People protested against the military, politicians, and businessmen, demanding protection.

Emergency alerts were issued by the ruling party, forcing every country to take drastic measures.

On the fourth day, portals opened, and hordes of D-rank monsters started descending on Blue Star in every country.

Within just one week, half of the population was annihilated by these monsters.…

After yet another week, a resounding prompt echoed in the ears of every individual:

"A talent and System will be rewarded for humanity's perseverance."

- Ding!

[Announcement for all of humanity!]

Here is the comprehensive information regarding the Status Window and System!

**PLAYER**

- From this moment forth, you shall be known as a 'Player.'

**STATUS WINDOW**

- You can access your own "Status Window" by uttering it aloud or simply within your mind.

- The Status Window provides you with essential information about yourself. Here is an example of the Status Window:

STATUS WINDOW

Name: XXX YYY

Health Points: XX

Mana Points: YY

Rank: ???

Profession/s: ???

– STATS:

Strength: ???

Constitution: ???

Intelligence: ???

Spirit: ???

– Talent: ???

– Skills: ???

– Trait: ???

– Authority: ???

**SYSTEM**

The System serves as a conduit for providing information regarding various circumstances. Its functionality may vary based on your rank, ranging from F- to SSS+.

**HUMAN REALM RANKING LIST** according to the SYSTEM:

F-, F, F+

E-, E, E+

D-, D, D+

C-, C, C+

B-, B, B+

A-, A, A+

S-, S, S+

SS-, SS, SS+

SSS-, SSS, SSS+

F- is the lowest, while SSS+ stands as the highest attainable rank. Some even speculate that there might exist realms beyond SSS+, although no known human has ever achieved such a feat.

**TOWERS**

Gigantic Towers materialized seemingly out of thin air during the Emergence of Races. The exact number of these Towers remains unknown, as modern satellites that could have provided this information were destroyed during Earth's expansion.

**DUNGEONS**

Dungeons can be found both within the Towers, where Chaos-infested monsters reside, and outside the Towers. The existence of a dungeon core is essential to keep the external dungeons accessible; without it, these dungeons automatically seal shut.

Following the prompt, every citizen has been bestowed with a Talent and the 'System.' The Chaos and Dungeons that plagued humanity began to be subdued by these newfound 'Players.'

However, once the chaos subsided, the population of every country plummeted by half.