I, Ari Smyth, died a horrible death.
One second, I'm walking across the street reading my light novels, and the next thing I know, I'm one with the pavement beneath truck-san's tires.
Next thing I know, I'm in an endless expanse of space, floating freely while small orbs of lights swirled around each other.
Some vanished into the distance while others just flickered out of existence.
Looking down, I finally understood the gravity of my situation.
'Where's my body, I don't wanna be a ball of light!?' I mentally screamed aloud before a soft chuckle reached my ears.
[Fear not, I am what you may call the Originator, for all things originally came from me.]
I stopped screaming, then looked around, yet I saw nothing but words that appeared before my eyes.
[You won't find me no matter how hard you look, so let's get to the business at hand, I need you to reincarnate with your memories intact.]
I was confused as I doubt it needed my permission, and hell, I'd love to keep my memories.
'I accept!' I practically shouted in my mind, yet the line of text didn't fade, it shifted into a new sentence.
[I knew you'd accept, you can ask for three wishes, and if they don't upset the balance of the world you'll transmigrate to, it'll be acceptable.]
'Can I wish for more wishes?'
[No.]
'Fine, I wish to know where I'll end up, what world I'll find myself in.'
[Granted. You'll transmigrate to the Immortal World, where the immortals reside.]
'Okay, give me the best cultivation manual in existence!]
[Denied. I can give you a cultivation manual suitable for you. It's a Celestial Grade Technique.]
'I'll take it, wait how will I recieve my gifts? Amazon, UPS?'
[And for your third wish?]
'I read a lot of Xianxia novels in my last life, and the protagonist is constantly embroiled in conflict, so give me something that will protect me when I'm weak.'
[Granted. I give to you, one Celestial Grade Shield Artifact. All wishes have been granted so, now begone.]
'Wait! At least give me one more wish! There's something I need to change really bad!'
[What is it?]
'My race of course! Make me something other than human please, like a demon, or a horse, or a dragon, yea how about a dragon?'
[Granted. You have successfully undergone a racial change. Also binding a system to ensure you don't slack off.]
[Goodbye, and good luck.]
'Eh, bye, I guess?' My soul shattered into fragments and then I lost consciousness, but not before hearing:
[I hope you achieve the Mission.]
---
When I woke, my surroundings were totally different as a cold pressing sensation constantly encroached my body.
'Wait, though I wasn't a soul long, I couldn't feel anything when I was a soul, so now I should be in my new body! Hell yea, I'm finally not human!'
'I got a system... I GOT A SYSTEM?!' My heartbeat accelerated as a panted in joy.
Wait, that's not right, I didn't pant, nor did my heart rate increase, I remained the same physically.
'How odd, what on earth am I?' I tried to look around, yet I could see a thing, all I could feel was a wet cold sensation pressing on my body.
I tried to move my limbs, if I had any and felt dozens of little protrusions moving all over my body.
'Er... I'm in the water, and I have so many limbs, please don't tell me I'm a sea cucumber.' I shivered thinking of all the things I'd seen done to sea cucumbers.
'However, my limbs are a bit different from them as I feel they're longer.'
I waved the little protrusions and felt little resistance.
'Guess I am a sea creature, but what type am I?' I sat and pondered for a while, and then I clapped my hands together, not physically of course, but you get the idea, and smiled raidiantly.
'I'm a sea urchin! Right?'
If I had a human body, my face would've turned beet red.
'Status.'
{ Name : Ari
Race : Common Sea Urchin
Title : Lazy Ass
Cultivation : N/A
Skills : Walk }
'That's it? Where's my Celestial Shield and Cultivation Technique, I know what I am already!'
'Moving a foot means I'm somewhat capable? I'll show you somewhat capable. I'll move ten feet!'
I tried to move to the left, however my anticipated move never happened, instead I got washed away.
I settled down on the corner of something, as I could see a thing, I could only feel that I was lodged somewhere a tad tricky.
Now, the edge of whatever I was on was most certainly there, but I didn't have the coordination to move to either side.
'Frick, why is walking so hard?' I nearly got lifted off the edge, but my feet held on for dear life.
Soon, I could feel a blurry scene that rushed into my mind.
'Status.'
{ Name : Ari
Race : Demon Sea Urchin
Title : Lazy Ass
Cultivation : N/A
Skills : Walk, Float, Sight }
I nodded, figuratively, and walked to the left, but having so many tiny feet made it a bit difficult.
After walking for what felt like an hour, I finally got a notification.
Mentally clicking yes, information shot into my brain while lights agglomerated and formed a ring that hung on one of his spines.
'How I saw that, I have no clue, but I just knew it was there.'
I stopped, and called up the Celestial Technique mentally.
"In the beginning, there was boundless seas, and from them came all of existence. The first primordial element was time and after it came water. Cultivating with this technique gives you the basic water roots necessary to cultivate a water attributed technique. Cultivate : Y/N"
'The basic roots?' Redirecting a belly full of anger, I bottled it up and clicked yes.
I suddenly received instructions on how to circulate the faint Qi in my body and had nigh immediate results.
---
'What the heck? What happened to the slow and gradual process the main leads in all the novels I read go through? Wait, is my foundation steady?' I mentally started sweating.
'The fuck? Wait I just remembered, why is my title lazy ass?'
'Sure?'
'Huh, lucky me?'