Reincarnated Jester: Taming Players

All he could see was a smile. It wasn't your average smirk that anyone could replicate. That honest expression of emotions was one of a kind, calling it irresistible would be an understatement.

Jung had a hard time remembering her smell, voice, or even face, but that laugh never left his memory.

It happened in his first life, the girl he loved was everything to him, but against overwhelming fate, he—a mere human—was powerless. Jung knew it was a dream, a remnant of a world he'd left behind, yet its echoes still haunted his mind.

Seeing her smile one more time was the only reason he could sleep peacefully. But his heavy breaths were brutally interrupted.

"Brother, wake up! It's morning," Elara shouted as she dropped onto his stomach.

That wasn't a pleasant experience. Jung jumped up from his bed and caught his sister, striking her forehead.

His dream left his recollection, but the feelings were still present.

His misty eyes were proof of that. Jung thought it was because of the pain his almost six-year-old sister inflicted.

"Elara, how many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn't act like that?" The boy scolded the girl, expressing his irritation.

"But brother… there is no one to play with me!" Elara informed, grinning widely.

Two years went by after Jung had that conversation with his parents. Their stance remained the same, no matter how many times he tried to change their minds.

He was eight years old and still without an archetype. All he could do was train his body. It was a rewarding experience as every piece of progress he made felt marvellous.

Lisa and Baki weren't against his actions. As long as he didn't push himself too far, they were fine with that.

Jung had other plans. He couldn't just sit still and wait until he was old enough. Time wasn't on his side, and who knew when Elara would Unleash her archetype?

That was why he made preparations. Jung was to sneak out of his home, beat any monster he could encounter, and slay it, gaining his first abilities—all to convince his parents.

The second part of the plan was the hardest. It wasn't guaranteed, but he couldn't delay any longer.

Jung had to wait for the night. Leaving Elara alone wasn't part of his goals, yet escaping the house with his parents in it was going to be hard, but not impossible.

Thus, he waited. It took a couple of hours for his busy father and mother to come back.

Jung had to stand by more than that. He made sure his parents were asleep and left his room without making any excess sounds.

After leading so many diverse lives, controlling his body to near perfection was the least he could do.

Stealing the sword Baki hid in his room would be pushing it. The only weapons he could take with him were knives. They were ordinary kitchen blades that looked nothing like a sword for killing.

For Jung, using his left or right hand made no difference. He could easily wield knives with both of his hands and was intending to do that.

Controlling his rhythm and steadying his breathing, he left his home.

Inbox City was full of an enchanting glow, especially at night. Jung never strolled the streets alone, and his first examination proved how peaceful everything felt. The entire vibe wasn't something unique to him.

He was in a magical world for the first time, and everything looked captivating, yes, but not majestic.

Jung chose the road carefully. His destination was the forest near the city walls. Sneaking past guards wasn't something that could hinder him.

Even if his body was eight years old, he didn't find that task particularly hard to achieve.

Beyond the city walls, he jogged, hurrying to reach his targeted place, and by the time he found the forest, he was out of breath. "I am still a kiddo," he said to himself and rested for less than five minutes.

'Here we go.' Entering the forest was the start of his new adventure. According to the books he read, finding monsters near the city walls might be hard but not unheard of.

While studying, Jung got all the information about monsters he could find.

He was confident in defeating first- and second-tier monsters. His explorer and rebel sides stirred inside him.

Looking through tracks, he went after them, it was hard to decipher what left them, but since the size wasn't too big, he followed it.

Jung listened and looked around. Trying to find any trace, he paid attention to all his surroundings.

The trees were enormous, and it felt like they could even touch the stars and bring them to him, but after walking a bit more, he found a sign of life.

It was small, wounded, and gasped in rapid succession.

It was a rabbit. A pink one at that. The animal had a hard time moving, and the gash looked deadly. 'Who did this and why didn't they finish it?'

The boy got closer to the creature, kneeled before it, and saw the Mark he was looking for.

A sign was blue in the shape of soil and a little plant. "Caregiver!" the boy immediately called out with a fixed gaze. Living as a caregiver was rough for him, containing terrible experiences because there was no one he cared for.

But it was in the past. His current situation was quite different. His ongoing action was a product of his care.

The only reason he risked his last life was to help his sister. Jung was content leading his current life in solitude, as long as he had his current family.

With the knives in his hand, he was about to finish the pink rabbit and get his first archetype. Abruptly, he jumped, leaving the creature alone.

In his place, a wolf came crashing into the animal and killing it instantly. Jung lost his first chance to obtain the archetype, and it was because of this wild beast.

If he were even one step late, his new and last life would have come to an end. "That was a close call. My sorry ass almost died there," he said, shaking his head with laughter. Jung squinted his eyes, bared his teeth, and called out to the animal.

"No one eats my prey and lives to bark the tale like the dog you are." Anger and disappointment were evident in his voice. "Let me teach you what happened to dogs in the last kingdom I lived in."

Jung came here expecting to face monsters, but instead, all he got was a stupid wolf that looked like a hungry puppy. There was a Mark above its face. It was the black skull, representing a Rebel archetype. 'This is why it is all alone?' the boy concluded and switched his posture.

Jung waited for the hungry beast to charge at him, but the animal wasn't willing to linger.

The wolf ran in his direction, though he wasn't far away and was within its reach. Yet the boy was ready. He ducked his head and slashed at the monster, targeting its throat.

The aim was off, but not too much. Jung cut the creature, making it bleed and scream in pain. He wasn't done, and the wolf shared the same intent.

Instead of jumping at it, the animal tried to bite his head off.

It was against the child and its pride and hunger wouldn't allow it to lose this battle. Unfortunately for the pitiful wolf, Jung wasn't an ordinary kid.

His senses were keen, his movements were calculated, and he didn't feel any fear.

The beast couldn't touch the target, no matter how many times it tried. The only thing that changed was the accumulated wounds the animal sustained. "Bleed to death, you archetype stealer!" yelled Jung after successfully dodging claws and stabbing the creature.

He didn't stop there. He repeated the same thing five more times and made sure that he got his first kill.

[You Slayed Tier I Wolf.]

[There Is No Archetype In Your Possession.]

[You Unleashed Your First Archetype!]

[Quest Completed! You Get Bonus Skill]

[Check Your Status!]

'Finally, moments of truth.'

««Archetype System V1.5»

««Reward: Bonus Skill Based On Your Archetype.»»

[Tier I Rebel Pill Is In Your Inventory.]

'Ha! Ha! Ha! Are you for real? Now I even get inventory and shit?' Jung was delighted, but he was pressed for time.

He ran straight to the home as he watched the wolf's body dissolve into fragments. 'That's what you get when you cross the great rebel.'

He was in a good mood. As much as he wanted to check his skills and their description, he was in a hurry, and that exquisite moment had to wait. Jung was unique, people only got one skill per tier, but he was getting two.

The reason remained unknown, and he could even possess more than one archetype. After running and jogging for more than 15 minutes, he reached home.

'Why are the lights on?' Jung had a bad feeling about that. 'Damn, Baki is going to beat my ass when he sees me.' He went inside, but the picture he saw was bizarre, nothing like what he was waiting for.

The house was a mess, things were lying around, the table was overturned, and most importantly, the parents were crying in fear.

Then they saw Jung and ran towards him like madmen, hugging and weeping. "Mom, Dad, what's going on? What happened here, and where is Elara?"

Parents who should have been a pillar of strength were crumbling before him. They took time, but Jung wasn't patient enough.

He climbed the stairs and checked the room. There were no signs of Elara as if she wasn't even there.

But where could a five-year-old child be?

"You won't find her!" said Baki as he sobbed in front of him. For Jung, it was easy to remember how happy Baki had been when his daughter was born.

There was no trace of such emotions on his face. He, alongside Lisa, looked like a child, desperate and overwhelmed.

"Where is Elara?" Jung repeated, this time, his voice was a hushed whisper.

Lisa had a hard time speaking, but she still found the courage to say it. "She Unleashed her Archetype, and they took her away from us!"