Chapter 1: Wait... That's How I Died?
"No. No. No. No. No!"
Elric screamed, not because of pain, but because of the sheer stupidity of the situation. He was dangling from the 13th floor, clinging to a banner that read: "Obey the Rules of Gravity!"
How did he get here? Well... it all started with one expired pudding cup, a dare, and a poorly placed trampoline. He'd explain more, but gravity finally obeyed the banner.
With a final twitch of the eye and a shout of "I REGRET NOTHING!", Elric died. Or so he thought.
When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by clouds, golden stairs, and... laughter?
A trio of glowing beings hovered above him. One facepalming, one shaking with laughter, and one flipping through a massive book titled "Reincarnation for Dummies".
"Another Earth soul... This one seems defective," the facepalming god muttered.
"Defective?! I was creative!" Elric shouted. "Also, if this is heaven, where's the WiFi?"
The laughing god wiped a tear. "You're... something else. We made a mistake. You weren't supposed to die yet, but hey, fate rolls weird dice. So, we'll make it up to you."
The book-reading god finally looked down. "Would you like a Legendary Class?"
Elric blinked. "Legendary? Like, overpowered protagonist level?"
"Exactly."
"Is it cool? Does it let me summon dragons or something?"
"Better."
A light engulfed him.
World Lore Primer
Power Hierarchies (Mortal to Divine):
F-Rank: Newbies and peasants. Most civilians.
E-Rank to C-Rank: Adventurers and trained soldiers.
B-Rank to A-Rank: Elites and war heroes.
S-Rank: Peak mortals. Can destroy towns.
SS-Rank: Can threaten nations. Often chosen by gods.
EX-Rank: Legends. Rule continents.
Divine Ranks: Minor Gods > Greater Gods > Supreme Gods > Primordial Beings.
Beast Ranks:
Common > Uncommon > Rare > Elite > Epic > Mythical > Ancient > Primordial
World Layers:
Mortal World: Where Elric begins.
Demon World: Home of corruption and infernal beasts.
Spirit World: Ethereal beings, laws of nature.
Sky Realms: Floating continents and divine domains.
Undead Wastes: Where death is never final.
Mechanical Grid: Machine-dominated world.
Insect Worlds: Hive empires ruled by queens.
Chapter 2: A Crying Baby and a Lying Grandpa
He woke again—but smaller. Much smaller. His body was tiny. Soft. Wrinkly.
"Did I just get Isekai'd as a baby?!"
He tried to shout, but only baby noises came out.
"Waaah! WAAAH!" he cried. Internally: "I'm trying to say I'm a man, not a burrito! Stop wrapping me!"
The faces above him were gentle—especially the wrinkled old man who picked him up. The man had mischievous eyes and a crooked grin.
"Hoho, this one's got spirit," the old man chuckled. "Just like me when I was robbing nobles blind."
Wait. What? Elric thought. Did Grandpa just admit to being a bandit?
The man looked down. "Welcome to the world, little shepherd."
Ding!
[System Activated: Legendary Class — Shepherd]
Welcome, Elric. Guide the lost. Command the wild. Protect your own.
Initial Summons: 0/3
Evolution Slots: Locked
Command Authority: E-Rank
And then the system voice added, almost apologetically:
Warning: You have been born into a world under siege. Good luck. You'll need it.
Chapter 3: Baby Steps & Big Plans
Over the next few years, Elric grew—slowly, hilariously, and with constant commentary from the system.
He learned to crawl while trying to chase a butterfly. He learned to walk because his grandpa bribed him with cookies. He learned to talk by mimicking his grandpa's swearing.
And every time he unlocked something in the system, it was always a surprise:
[New Skill: Summon Wild Goat (Loyalty: Questionable)]
[System Note: Your summons will not love you. They will obey. Mostly.]
But Elric didn't mind. He loved the chaos. The warmth of his weird family. The smell of food. The feel of wind from the mountains nearby. He knew something darker loomed—but for now, he just wanted to grow up, gather an army, and maybe prank the village chief.
Little did he know...
Beneath the mountains, beneath the stars, something had already begun hunting the shepherd.
And it was hungry.