I Died in Shame but Reborn as a Hero in Another World

This... is how it began. I'm Ashikaga Eiji, and I'm 18 years old. I'm an introverted, twitchy, loner, nerdy, and slightly doormat with a sharp intellect. I am a tall, gangly, angular high schooler with a well-defined chin and curling, black hair. I had incredibly pale and sensitive skin, which caused me to become sunburned quickly, as well as acute, twitching-prone black eyes. I am slender, extremely weak, and have a bony, dry, skinny, and highly inflexible body, with arms so thin that they could be contained in a girl's grip yet somewhat defined pecs. My father, Ashikaga Aoyama, is the CEO of one of the largest mega-corporations in Japan. My mother, Ashikaga Aoi, is the Head Scientist of the Institute of Science and Technology, and my older brother is next in line for the succession once my father retires from his job.  I used to live in a glorious position in the family where our rise to power and fame had been dramatic. Years of hard work and some luck made us rise from the top in little more than twenty years.  We received local and international support, resulting in large investments and joint ventures. It made us some sort of a threat to many major corporations. My organizational reforms to improve the business became the cornerstone that gave us an advantage over others. My system valued the flexibility of command, a steady stream of income, and giving free initiative to others with supervision.  On the surface, I seemed to be living a glorious and prosperous life, but nothing, everything you see is what it seems. Privately, I held my father in contempt. He is focused more on his company and money than any of us. He evolved into a decadent, money-obsessed, superior-complex individual who expects you to live up to his standards. My older brother is no different; he is arrogant, boastful, and corrupt. He is notorious for his short temper, which alienated his co-workers, subordinates, and friends.  Out of my family members, the person I certainly respect and love most is my mother. She is smart, kind, and outspoken in most cases. She often looked at me and took care of me since birth. From what I recall, she is the only person who loves me unconditionally. "Wake up!!! You are good for nothing lazy!" I woke up and got out of bed when I heard my father’s stern voice.  "I’m coming!" As I went downstairs, I went to the dining room to eat breakfast and saw my father reading some business magazines while drinking coffee. I sat on my chair quietly and my father gave me this cold glare early in the morning.  "How many times do I have to tell you that you must be out of bed before I wake up?" "I’m sorry, I just didn’t wake up early because I stayed up all night studying for my exam today." "Excuses, excuses, why don’t you just admit that you won’t take responsibility? You know what? Hurry up and get out of my sight before I throw this coffee at you!" When Father's temper got the best of him, Mother stepped in to save the day. "Stop this quarrelling early in the morning at once Aoyama! Are you angry again this early in the morning?" "I just lost my appetite thanks to you woman. I’m leaving. I have something important other than you to deal with." My father stormed out of the dining room and slammed the door behind him with rage.  "Don’t worry about him; he’s just having a bad day." "Is it because of me?" "Of course not honey, he’s just stressed at work." "He's changed. He's not like this before. It seems money has blinded him. " "Your father recently became greedy and arrogant after being successful. He didn't learn how to look back at where he started and learn from his humble origins. Promise me that you won't grow up like that Eiji? " "Of course, Mom. Thanks for helping me out again. " "You should eat your breakfast, it's getting cold and you have school today right" "Oh shoot! I forgot. " I ate breakfast straight away, brushed my teeth, made myself ready for school. I was dressed in my school uniform, which consisted of a white button-up shirt with sleeves and a collar. I've always kept black pants with a pair of shoes securely buttoned. There, I said farewell to my mother. "I’m off to school." "Take care Eiji!" I left the house to go to school. On my way to school, I met my only friend Tetsuhiko Shin waiting for me at the school gate.   "Eiji! I’m glad you’re here. Let’s go! " "Sorry I took long enough, Shin. Are you prepared for this? " "Yeah… I am. I’ve been waiting for this. Do you want a bet on how I would pass this? " "I wouldn’t have to ask. If you get a perfect score, you deserve it. " "This is it!" We both entered the classroom and sat on our chairs. The class was about to start and I was hyped up for this. We stood up to greet our teacher as she spoke back to us. "Good morning class, I hope you are prepared for this midterm exam. I expect that each one of you will do your best this semester. " We all sat in our chairs and the distribution of the mid-term exams had begun. The mid-term test was tough and I didn’t expect some major changes to the questions, but I was mentally prepared for this. I studied the core subjects involved and even the slightest changes in questions won’t fool me.  "Pssst… Pssst... Eiji…. Eiji…" "What?" "This is hard. Would you mind me giving me answers? " I was surprised at Shin because I thought he was studying, but suddenly, I realized that he had told me before about going to a night-out yesterday, but I didn’t bother to come.  "No way… We’ll get caught. " "Come on, man. Do it for a friend… " "Sorry, mate… I can’t help you on that one. " I decided not to let him cheat because it’s too risky. Plus, I don’t want my scholarship for college to be in jeopardy.  I felt glad once the lesson was thorough and I trust the finish will be smooth. I walked further with Shun, but in him, I could sense simmering rage. I've been trying to maintain my distance. In the last several weeks, he has become erratic. I was frequently bullied alongside Shun, but I managed to hold out on my own. I followed the theory that ignorance is protection after being harassed for much of my childhood by a variety of individuals. As a result, I typically react to abuse by attempting to remain still, ignoring my tormentors’ eyes, shutting my heart, and watching it pass. I formed a defensive mechanism that rendered me unable to recall the names of those who bullied me. Shin was calm when we were trying to cross the street as we approached the school exit. During the red traffic, Shin shoved me on the road as a bus passed and hit me really fiercely, losing my consciousness. "Eiji!" "Are you okay? Do you hear me? " "Reporting live on the scene where an unidentified 18-year old male is..." "That’s miserable..."  "Make way! Make way! "  "We got a man down! He’s still fighting for his life. Get him to the ambulance quickly! "   Hospital, Emergency Room.    His face, body, and brain sustained severe damage. He was instantly taken to the closest hospital and critically monitored. The school immediately dispatched a call about the event to Eiji's parents. This event did not disturb his father since he was occupied with his multi-millionaire deal, whereas his brother did not spare him affection or worry. His mother was overcome by the fact that his cherished son, Eiji, appeared to die. "Miss Aoi, There seems to be… "   "What is it doc? Please tell me it’s good news! "   But Miss Aoi, there’s a slim chance that your son will survive. I am not sure if we would… "   "Don’t make a fool of me, doctor! Do everything it takes to save my precious son! Now get back in there or I will do it myself! "   Y-Yes… M-Ma'am! "   His dad did not bother to see him as he sent his wife some money to cover the hospital charges. His sibling did the same thing, but with considerably less. Ironically, his older brother celebrated that if Eiji died, he would become the only heir to all the riches of the Ashikaga family. Eiji fought in the emergency hospital for his life, but his mother stood at his side and looked at Eiji's long and terrible death but wouldn't risk losing the kid she loved.    After she realized that he was killed owing to his previous bullying accidents, she decided to drop her son out of school. Shin was not fascinated by what he was doing to his friend so that he might assimilate better without discrimination into a new society. Things started to go south immediately. After his company was on the verge of collapse when his multi-millionaire deal was rejected, his father was devastated and became addicted to alcohol.  Her wife proceeded to argue and bicker about this, but her father chose to shove it aside and would often commit physical assault on her. She started questioning her marriage as she decided what was best for her and her son, Eiji. Aoi divorced her husband due to alcohol addiction, psychological abuse, and child negligence and kidn*pped his son from the hospital so she could change him.   One year later, on one night at nine o'clock pm, Aoyoma would meet his fellow businessmen and politicians as they would discuss plans for not only increasing profits but also furthering the agendas of major politicians after agreeing to let these mega-corporations fund them in their campaigning. It was a quiet night and he arrived at his destination and saw some of the politician's bodyguards outside his place. He hoped that he could increase his profits as well to gain political connections, but not everything was not to be what I expected.   "Is this where the meeting is?"   Care to show us your invitation? "   "Here."   He then presented his invitation to the guard and allowed him to pass through.   "Mr Aoyoma. They're currently inside, waiting for you. The meeting is about to start. "   "Thank you."   He let the guard lead the way as he was escorted to the meeting place. It was an elaborate meeting where splendid and delicious food was served at the table. Men wore a variety of coats ranging from black, gold, or white. It was a private meeting but it looked like more of an elaborate party. By ten o'clock, a van carrying ten heavily armed men arrived at the meeting with psychotic smiles on their faces and fierce eyes covered by the spectre of their eyeglasses.    The van stopped in front of the main building and the guards there expected it to be one of the guests arriving. As soon as the doors of the van opened, the men started firing upon the guards with their silenced automatic weapons. The people inside didn't notice what was happening as they were busy and didn't hear the gunshots due to the suppressors' drowning the gunshot that could've alerted or scared many of the VIPs inside.    What Aoyama didn't realize was that he had indulged in this political affair so deeply that it would result in his demise. The rival of the current politician wants not only his rival dead but also the investors and his allies to leave no witnesses. As such, he hired a hitmen squad to take his rival out, but also the leaders of various mega-corporations at his side.    The hitmen stormed the place in all directions and proceeded to kill everyone, including the politician and Aoyama was surprised that all of his comrades and colleagues that were supposed to attend here lay dead, with their blood spilling on the textile floor. He was defenceless as the hitman behind him pointed his gun back at his head. What's worse, he's the only survivor that was supposed to tell the tale until he was executed so as not to have loose ends.    When Aoyama died, his company was succeeded by Eiji's elder brother, his successor, who did nothing better than that. He made a massive loan to the Yakuza Organization, aimed toward rebuilding his dad's business, and this would finally confirm his death. He revised certain invoices until he could not return the Yakuza on their agreed deadline. Shortly afterwards, he was brutally assassinated at his apartment with his fiancée.   With Eiji’s father and older brother dead, her mother, Aoi, did everything in her ability to revive and change her son, Eiji, into something they would fear. Using her knowledge of bioengineering, she altered her son into a war machine and enhanced his aggressiveness, knowledge, sense, memories, and strength.   Furthermore, she injected him with a special vaccine that allows him to slow down his aging process, giving him a much longer lifespan than regular humans. He also embedded flash training in his memories and wiped out his traumatic experiences. As a final stroke, he received flash training, a technique of using holographic flashes to instruct him during his training. The process enabled him to accumulate knowledge, skills, and competencies at an accelerated rate. Memory flashes, a variant of flash training, were used for imparting the knowledge and experience of a prime person into him.    A side effect of the memory imprints, however, was that they could destabilize a person’s mental health. Her mother made her son a product which was ahead of her time. It's the culmination of decades of research with unforgettable strength, speed, durability, and knowledge. He had classified surgical enhancements, making them somewhat "beyond human."    The intended result of the rigorous flash training was to make him far stronger, faster, and more resilient than the norm when he is in his new or repaired body. Other included specialities that were imprinted on his mind were unarmed combat, heavy weapons, demolitions, improvised weaponry, guerrilla warfare, leadership, military organization, and marksmanship. This didn’t go unnoticed for long. While Eiji was in a state of coma, her mother was working on her largest project of all; alternate dimension travel. She hoped to charter this new world in hopes of reshaping humanity, but this was rejected by the Institute of Science and Technology and many of her colleagues told her that she was crazy and out of her mind. So she decides to complete this project using her own wealth and the money from her deceased husband and son.    However, the test was doomed to fail. The only thing that she succeeded in was flash training. The process enabled him to accumulate knowledge, skills, and competencies at an accelerated rate. Memory flashes, a variant of flash training, were used for imparting the knowledge and experience of a prime person into him. She was devastated by this as Eiji died after his frail body can't withstand the modification and worsened his conditions. Eiji was reincarnated in a fantasy world shortly after, but his memories, consciousness, and the flash training he undertook in his previous life remained intact.    Fantasy-like World, Alternate Timeline.    I was hit hard but I could still clearly remember what happened to me. It seemed like everything that happened to me was just a dream. The pain, the agony... It's all gone. However, I never forgave those who had turned their back on me and I was eager to take revenge. Surprisingly, I'm still alive as my eyes are greeted with a bright light.    [Ah, so bright. Oh... I'm still alive.]   To my surprise, I found myself in an old house with A big, ordinary, blue-eyed man, with a bald head and thick, brownish, curly, bustling, side-sliding hair. His physique also had muscle, showing his manhood to others throughout the middle ages. He looked happy to see me and I didn't understand whatever they were saying.  [Who are these people? Where am I?] These questions started spinning around my head as I looked at them in visible confusion. It feels different and strange as I try to move around. I was surprised that this man was able to lift me so easily despite the fact I'm actually heavy for my size. The thing he did next was utterly disgusting as he kept smooching me and making funny faces. Moreover, I don't understand whatever languages they were speaking. Certainly not from the flash training I received in language.  Next, the man handed me over to a sleek lady with large breasts, a slender waist, a tad lower stature than her spouse. She has long wavelength black hair, which is woven around her head and fastened across her back with a black and red ribbon. She wears a one-piece robe ornamented with red and blue stripes and an overview top. I noted how incredibly youthful she was for her age.  As I learned from my surroundings and saw my reflection in a mirror, I realized that this wasn't the simple matter that I used to think. It seems that I have been reincarnated after realizing that I was a baby all along.  Elias is a big, ordinary, blue-eyed man, with a bald head, and thick, brownish, curly, bustling, side-sliding hair is my father while the sleek and beautiful woman  Hannah, is my mother.  [To be reincarnated into a new body to live out again... It's kind of weird and out there that I would've been reincarnated as an animal, or some of them just seem random and without reason, sometimes even unfair.] As time passed, It seems my name on this world is Ronald. I started to crawl and briefly stand up for a moment but my infant body was too fragile. I have also learned their language and started wondering where exactly am I? Am I still on Earth? Or in another world that many people claim in an isekai world? Normally, I deemed this impossible since there was no guaranteed study that any person would be reincarnated in the first place. In my experience, It seemed true but I couldn't say that any person could be reincarnated in real life or another world.  At this point, I am just a baby and can't do anything until half a year when I can continue to observe my surroundings freely. I have also taken the opportunity and learned about their language. I still have no idea what timeline am I until I saw something familiar. I saw a flintlock musket resting on the shelves I can reach and I climbed up on a chair to get a closer look. The place was just too rural and I assume that I may be in the past.  "Cleanse!" When I saw my mother, Hannah, using magic to instantly clean the plates that we ate. I took everything back and realized that this is an isekai world because there's no way magic would exist in the past. I was in awe when I saw it. However, Magicians would be useless if I could shoot them a few kilometres away before they would even notice.  This wasn't possible or sensible for muskets since they were sometimes inaccurate and misfires were common. The flint had to be properly maintained, as a dull or poorly knapped piece of flint would not make as much of a spark and would increase the misfire rate dramatically. Moisture was a problem since moisture on the frizzen or damp powder would prevent the weapon from firing. This meant that flintlock weapons could not be used in rainy or damp weather.  The accidental firing was also a problem for flintlocks. A burning ember left in the barrel could ignite the next powder charge as it was loaded. This could be avoided by waiting between shots for any leftover residue to completely burn. Running a lubricated cleaning patch down the barrel with the ramrod would also extinguish any embers, and would clean out some of the barrel fouling as well. Soldiers on the battlefield could not take these precautions though. They had to fire as quickly as possible, often firing three to four rounds per minute. Loading and firing at such a pace dramatically increased the risk of an accidental discharge. I still grabbed the musket and picked it up as I fired it by accident on one of the pieces of furniture.  "Oh no! Elias!" Hannah exclaimed as Elias ran inside the house panting.  "What is it?" "I told you to put away that thing! It could've killed him" "S-Sorry!" "Are you alright?" I wasn't fazed but I was delighted by it.  "Ronald's a strange boy. Usually, any baby would be afraid or cry but he isn't." I tried to reach for the gun but Hannah, the mother, carried me as Elia moved the musket into somewhere I can't reach nor find it until I reached the age of seven. By now, I am used to calling them father and mother and gradually began accepting this new life. I can hope that I could start again and make  I was given a musket specially designed by my father, Elias. It was a small version of the original but it was suitable for my size. My father was actually a former soldier who settled down as a gunsmith. My mother meanwhile was a former mage and an adventurer and both of them are in their mid-thirties. He then started teaching how to use the weapon while he was operating it.  "Listen, Ronald. You need to learn the basic when operating this weapon. You have to stand straight or in a position where you can reload it properly. Next, Bite musket ball off paper cartridge whilst retaining the ball in the mouth, pour gunpowder into the barrel, scrunch paper, insert the paper into the barrel, use the ramrod to ram paper and powder into the barrel, retrieve the ramrod, spitball into the barrel, use the ramrod to ram the ball into the barrel, retrieve ramrod, slide ramrod back on the musket, pull spring back, and then fire." He then pulls the trigger but the musket ball didn't hit the target bronze vase. He then tries to hide his embarrassment and shrugs it off easily.  "Is that meant to happen?" Well... It's a hit or miss with this thing." "Can I try?" Go ahead, Ronald." I took a precise aim on the target and predicted where my bullet would hit. After taking a long deep breath, I pulled the trigger and it was a bullseye. The vas was shattered and my father was dumbfounded at what he witnessed. He then recovers from the initial shock and hugs me very tightly. "Well done, Son! You've taken your first step and your talent on this weapon has proven it. I'll refine you to become the greatest sharpshooter so that you can even hit targets while riding on a horse saddle.  Despite my young age, I continue to train myself so that I can be as physically fit as possible. Since I am familiar with the musket, I need to increase my endurance and strength so I can fire five rounds a minute on it in any condition.    However, My best option to create a breech-loading rifle here using sophisticated materials since gunpowder here is existent. Although making a bullet in this realm seemed impossible, I could use paper cartridge cases to strike a percussion cap at the bullet base, similar to that of the Dresye Needle Gun. But that can wait. For now, I will begin this new life full of hope.