{Not mandatory, but you can check out the Prologue Chapter. Shows a bit of the MC’s previous life before the transmigration}

Chop, chop, chop.

The sound of the knife’s sharp edges cutting against a board echoed in the small room as Nicholas swiftly sliced the vegetables.

"Brother, when did you become so fast!" The little girl’s eyes beamed in amazement as she saw his quick hand movement.

Nicholas didn’t bother with the voice by his side, fully focused on the task in front of him, but even then his thoughts couldn’t help but ponder the little girl’s question. How was he supposed to explain to her that her brother died while going a tenth round on his one-hand calisthenics and that he had transmigrated into his body from another world? A glorious welcome to his new life.

Or was he to skip that part and tell her that her brother was a hitman who killed people for a living? That wouldn’t make sense since they were still poor. The apartment was barely large enough for the three of them. One room, peeling walls, and a tiny kitchen, everything Marina could afford with her bartender salary about $4,200 a month.

He could make that in an hour or even seconds as a hitman! Such a lie wasn’t feasible. That was too small to cover all their expenses through the month. Basically, they were living from hand to mouth, with barely any savings whatsoever.

’This is such a hassle,’ Nicholas let out a sigh.

"Brother, teach me!" The little girl squealed in amazement as her hands shot forward in an attempt to get the knife from her brother, however, her excitement froze when the blade was just a hair’s breadth from her finger.

Her eyes widened, her hair stood on end, and cold washed over her. She yelled out instinctively, locking her eyes tightly.

A second passed, yet she felt no pain.

Nicholas ruffled her short black hair. "Katherine, you have to be careful. You almost lost a finger there."

Katherine peeped from one eye; her fingers were still intact, the knife placed gently by the side.

"What’s going on here?" Marina quickly strode into the kitchen wearing a thin white dress, her eyes filled with worry as she scanned the scenery.

Nicholas casually told her everything that happened.

"Katherine! You don’t play with someone who’s with a sharp object!" Marina scolded.

Katherine’s round brown eyes puffed out and her lips shaped into a pout.

"Wahhhh!"

She burst into tears, her voice filling the room. She raised her small fingers, pointing it toward Nicholas. "It was big brother’s fault! He said he was going to teach me how to cut it fast like he was!"

’Wow, so now it’s my fault? When did I say that?’ Nicholas stood in bewilderment, astonished by the little girl’s ability to cook up a lie on the spot.

"Stop crying, Katie. Nick! You should be careful too!"

Nicholas didn’t bother to defend himself, though. He already knew the little girl would pull off a dirty stunt. She was a mischievous little girl.

"I’ll take her out so you can finish up with the cooking. Also, you’ve been quiet lately. I hope you’re fine," Marina asked calmly, her gaze filled with worry. She picked Kate up, pulling her into a tight hug to calm her down.

"..."

Nicholas’ lips parted, but words failed him. A small wry smile cut across his face. ’It’ll take a while to get accustomed to this.’

"I’m fine, don’t worry."

"Sorry, big brother. I won’t play around when you’re using a knife again." Katherine said with a little voice, a downcast expression on her small face.

"Don’t worry. Big brother’s not angry with you," Nicholas said with a much more genuine smile.

Katherine beamed. "Thank you, big brother!"

The two quickly left the kitchen while Nicholas watched their backs.

He never had a family in his previous life, and he died unable to even make one, so waking up into one felt rather foreign. It had been about three days since his transmigration, but through that time the genuine affection and care he had gotten from these two made him grow attached. This was his second life, a second chance, and all he wanted to do this time was to live a happy and normal life.

"Back to what I was doing." He turned back to continue with his cooking, but he felt a sharp pang through his head.

He grimaced upon feeling the sharp pain. ’The headache’s worsening. Not only did I get a welcome in the toilet, but this brat left me with a headache, and it’s only been getting worse,’ Nicholas thought, rubbing his forehead. Thankfully, the pain didn’t last and he managed to push through it.

[BBC HUB]

[We’ve been flooded with so many stories this morning, so give us a bit of your time and get the gist of what’s going on. Earlier this morning, there was an outbreak at the zoo. Several animals had been infected, turning into impures. Thankfully, we had our valiant hero, Negton. None of the impures caused any casualties.]

Marina and Katherine had their eyes glued to the TV screen, watching several monsters flood the streets in their numbers. A figure wearing a complete white suit floated above the horde of impure beasts, his cape fluttering under the intense wind.

He raised his hands casually and brought them down in a single practiced motion, like a ritual he had done more times than he could count. The horde of beasts paused in their tracks as though held by some powerful force. Then slowly, almost as though an invisible hand came over them, they couldn’t resist as their bodies were pressed to the floor.

All the people in the scene burst into cheers, applauding the great hero.

"Sis Mari! I want to be a hero!" Katie jumped from the bed, raising her hands up to the ceiling.

Marina laughed. "Well, that’ll be awesome. It’ll really help us a lot if you were."

The aroma of food permeated the room. The pleasant smell of beef stew and rice was enough to make any passerby stop.

"Brother is done cooking!" Katherine jumped off the bed, bolting toward the kitchen.

"Hey, be careful! Don’t run like that!" Marina’s warning was left in the air as the little girl had long since entered the kitchen.

"This girl will be my death." Marina let out a light chuckle, then a sigh, as she stood from the bed, the voice from the TV, instantly caught her attention.

[It seems the plague is growing. It’s hard to tell if this is good or bad... Reports say this could potentially lead to the rise of more heroes, but could also lead to more impures roaming around! So be careful.]

"I should turn that off," Marina muttered as she turned off the TV.

It was time to eat.

"Why are you two so quiet, aren’t you done yet?" They had been too quiet, even Kate’s earlier excitement seemed to have vanished, it made her wonder what happened, "Why are you standing there?" she raised a brow in confusion surprised to see Katie standing by the kitchen door.

She quickened her pace, "Katie what’s..." her voice trailed off as she looked inside the kitchen, eyes wide petrified by the sight before her.