Reborn with my SSS-Class Innate Talent

Kyle returned to his room, his mind already weaving together a plan on how to proceed.

If he wanted to survive—no, thrive—in this new world, he needed two things above all else:

Power and fame.

Power would ensure his survival and fame would cement his status and ensure that no one would dare underestimate him again.

Unfortunately, both of those things were far from his grasp at the current moment.

"Those gods sure played an effective trap on me. I cannot believe I am stuck in my current form. Looks like I will have to work even harder now."

Kyle knew that his current body had a terrible reputation—one of weakness and incompetence. 

It wasn't just a matter of proving himself once; he would have to consistently show his worth, time and time again, until his new reality was accepted as truth.

And that meant work.

A lot of it.

Kyle sat cross-legged on the floor, taking a deep breath as he focused inward.

The first step was correcting the flow of mana inside his body.

As he concentrated, he could feel it—the erratic, unstable energy coursing through his veins. It was like a tangled, knotted rope, flowing in the wrong directions, leaking out instead of strengthening him.

'No wonder this body is so useless. Whoever was in here before didn't even try to regulate his own energy. I have to force my energy to flow in the correct direction.' 

Kyle thought, frowning. 

Slowly, methodically, he began to redirect and correct the flow.

Every adjustment was like fixing a broken circuit, forcing the mana to move properly, strengthening his muscles, his nerves, his very bones.

Hours passed.

Sweat dripped down his brow, but he did not stop.

And then—

Something clicked.

A rush of power surged through him, and for the first time since arriving in this world, Kyle felt a connection to his true self.

His powers had begun to awaken. The mana was finally flowing through his veins in the correct manner. But it also made Kyle feel a stabbing pain.

Kyle exhaled, feeling lighter, more in tune with himself. It felt like progress, but he needed a proper gauge of his growth.

In his previous life, the standard method of measuring progress was through a system—a physical manifestation of one's progress, serving as a guiding tool to track development.

He decided to create one.

Gathering his mana, Kyle concentrated on manifesting an entity that would serve as his system. The energy twisted and shifted, condensing into a form—

A bright panel of glowing letters appeared before him, floating in the air.

Kyle's gaze swept over the information it displayed:

[System Initialized. Checking Body status- Body Fitness: 5%- Body Awakening: 1%Current abilities: Mana Awakening: Stage 1Innate Ability: SSS-Grade Mana, Special Adaptability]

Kyle grimaced.

'Pathetic.'

Just looking at those numbers made him want to punch something.

He had never seen a number so low in his life. Even the weakest trainees back in his world would have had at least 30% fitness at their lowest point.

Besides, there was no skill Kyle had that was related to sword. The only consolation he had was the fact that he still had his Innate Ability from his past life.

'It's fine. This is just the starting point.' 

Kyle told himself. 

He closed his eyes, calming his emotions.

Tomorrow, he would wake up early and begin training in earnest.

There was no time to waste.

The first light of dawn had barely crept over the horizon when Kyle slipped out of the Armstrong estate and made his way toward the woods.

He wanted peace and quiet—somewhere he could train without being disturbed or spied on.

______

Back at the Armstrong estate—

Panic broke out.

The moment the servants realized that Kyle was gone, the entire household fell into disarray.

"Where is he?! The Young Master never leaves his room this early!"

"We should report this to Lord Armstrong immediately—"

"No! If the Lord finds out that the Young Master went missing under our watch, he'll have our heads!"

A secret search effort began, with the estate's staff desperately trying to locate Kyle before the Lord or Christan noticed.

But outside the estate—

The rumors spread like wildfire.

By midday, whispers had already circulated through the city—

"The useless Armstrong heir is missing?"

"Did he run away out of shame?"

"Maybe his father finally kicked him out!"

These rumors eventually reached the wrong ears.

A small but notorious group of mercenaries known as 'The Ashen Blades' heard the whispers of Kyle Armstrong's disappearance.

They weren't a large organization, nor were they particularly famous, but they were known for one thing—

Targeting weak nobles for ransom.

"The Armstrong brat is missing? And no one knows where he is?" 

One of the mercenaries mused, leaning back in his chair with an amused smirk. 

"This might be a golden opportunity." 

Another chuckled.

The leader of the group, a man with a long scar running across his jaw, tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought.

"Think about it. A noble's kid, alone, with no guards around?"

He said. 

The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling in.

They all knew what he was implying.

They could take him.

Hold him for ransom.

Maybe even sell him off to a rival family for a hefty price.

"Alright. Gather the men. We're going hunting." 

The leader said, standing up. 

______

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Kyle had no idea that people were already hunting him.

He stood in the clearing, shirt soaked in sweat, muscles aching from exertion.

His progress was slow, but he could feel it—

His mana was flowing better.

His body was adapting.

His power was returning.

He took a deep breath, stabilizing his stance, preparing for another round of intense training—

And then—

He felt it.

The subtle shift in the air.

The presence of unfamiliar people.

Kyle's lips curled into a small smirk as he lowered his stance, preparing himself.

'Looks like today's training session just got a little more interesting.'