***
Closing my eyes...
As Ray closed his eyes, he sank into an eternal darkness.
"Where... am I...?"
Step... Step... Step...
He walked straight, following an instinct he had lost track of how long he had been in this boundless darkness.
The serene tranquility of having no thoughts at all made Ray feel extremely comfortable, as if he was embraced by warmth and love.
"This... feels... so... pleasant..."
Truly, it was the happiness he had longed for, even though he didn't know who was embracing him and giving him affection.
But as he wandered through the never-ending darkness, suddenly his attention was drawn to a shining light. "Why... is there... light here?"
Step... Step... Step...
As Ray walked toward the light, he arrived in a white room where a figure enveloped in light greeted him while pressing a bell beside them.
Ring~!!
"Congratulations, Ray! For making it here!"
Gradually, Ray's consciousness and vision started to return from the previous abyss of comfort.
Regaining consciousness...
"Who... are you?" Ray's partially restored gaze stared at the head radiating blinding light, making it hard for him to see.
Ignoring his question, the figure continued with a proud expression, "Well, even though you've always been plagued by misfortune and hardships, you always managed to overcome them and even did good deeds during your lifetime!"
"Perhaps your premature death could be seen as both misfortune and mercy for you, considering you lived with such misfortunes!"
When Ray's consciousness fully returned, he was taken aback by the words of the figure.
Considering what the figure said, he sighed wearily and murmured, "Never mind, what's done is done."
"What matters now is, who are you? Where is this place? Why am I here? And how do you know my name?" Ray asked, looking at the figure with curiosity. He had been in such pleasant comfort and tranquility before, so why was he here now?
"Oh, I... am what you commonly call an Archangel or a High Angel who guards this realm! As for this place, it's what you call the afterlife! And you've been walking here for a very long time, perhaps millions of years in your world's time!" the angel explained lightly.
"Ohhh..." Ray had no other response upon hearing this.
"The reason you're here is to determine your next life, and I know your name because I can see your life's history," the angel clarified.
"Okay, so, because you put it that way, does that mean I can live again? Does that mean I can return to my world or live in heaven?" Ray asked while pondering something.
He was familiar with the concept of life after death as he had read many novels explaining such things, even civilizations believed in transmigration and the afterlife as a very real thing. So, he knew the flow of the conversation that would follow.
"Of course not, my friend... Your life has already ended, and your merits are not enough to enter heaven--ah! However, there is another option for you to return to life..." the angel's response was interrupted by Ray's excitement, "Oh, really?!"
Nodded...
"Certainly, but in your new life, you must fulfill the tasks assigned to you in that world," the angel said with a serious tone. Despite having no expression other than the glowing light face, it felt as if it was shining brightly like a lamp.
"Hey?! This goes against the transmigration rules I've read!! Why do I have tasks when I come back to life? Why can't you handle them yourself, considering you're a 'High Angel'?!!" Ray asked, furrowing his brows, as in his view, as an angel, he should be capable of completing tasks on his own without seeking help from others. Otherwise, the title 'High Angel' was worthless!
"...!!!"
"Hey Bastard! If I could, I'd definitely do it myself! But I'm bound to this realm, and you will be given a task by my Lord if you accept it," he replied with a touch of emotion in his heart.
'How can this lowly creature dare to mock me?!'
"And what if I refuse?" Ray responded with a slightly mocking tone.
Grinned...
"Kuhuhuhh... Of course, it's fine if you refuse, but you will be randomly reborn as an animal, a plant, or even a germ. I can't guarantee you'll become a human... Just be a germ, you Bastard..." the angel spoke, making a strange smile.
Tilting his head...
"You're joking, right?" Ray asked, slightly surprised.
Grinneddddd...
"Of course, I'm not joking," the angel replied, still wearing that eerie smile.
"Tck!! Bastard!!!!"
After calming himself, he looked at the angel calmly. "Sigh... Fine, but just tasks without any rewards, that wouldn't be fair, right?" Ray stated, furrowing his brows.
"There will be rewards, but I don't know the specifics~"
"Shit... Since it's come to this, I'll accept it, but... Who is your Lord, and where is he?" Ray asked with a sigh.
"My Lord is what you call 'The Absolute,' and he is currently observing us," the angel explained as he walked closer to Ray.
"Where is he?" Ray asked, looking around. Perhaps he could meet this being called 'The Absolute' and ask another angel to interview him rather than dealing with this damned bastard.
"You won't be able to see him, but he can see you," the angel replied with a mysterious smile.
"Then, how do we communicate?" Ray asked again.
"My Lord can hear you, and he can speak to you through me," the angel continued, creating something like a bench for them to sit on.
They sat...
"You should have said that from the beginning. Now, what task will be given to me, and what's the reward?" Ray said, slightly impatient, as he sat on the bench created by the angel.
"Wait a moment, I'll ask my Lord first," the angel said, disappearing briefly.
Silence...
Srezzttt...
Shortly after, he reappeared and continued speaking, "Kuhuhuhuhhh... The task will be very easy. Since you regret not living your life better when you were about to die, your task will be enjoyable."
"Ohhooo~, what is it?"
"Well, you will be transmigrated into a novel you read, and your task in that world is to make your life as free and enjoyable as possible and also fight for that world." The angel encouraged, raising both hands up like a cheerleader.
The angel's words got Ray quite excited, but then the last part froze him, "Hahh? Fight? What do you mean?"
And the angel replied with a mischievous grin on his face, "Of course, your task may be easy, but the situation in that world after some time won't be."
"...??? What do you mean?"
Inhale... Exhale...
"Because you will be transmigrated into the novel Fantasy Apocalypse, where the world becomes a haven for zombies, and you will be transmigrated just before the Apocalypse, so you can prepare!"
Stunned...
"W-wait...! What kind of nonsense is this?!" Ray panicked, trying to interrupt.
"And why this novel out of the many I've read? Why not a harem novel?! At least, I've read some harem novels before! And what's the reason for choosing a World Apocalypse?!" he protested in annoyance, regretting in his heart for falling for all this endless nonsense spouted by the supposed High Angel, who acted like an idiotic teenager fresh out of middle school.
If only he could move more freely without some kind of energy holding him back, he would have jumped and punched this Angel for scamming him like a deceitful insurance agent swindling money from the people in his area!
Bowing his head...
After protesting with so much emotion, he lowered his head and muttered tiredly, "Besides... I just wanted to find peace in my life..."
Hearing that, the Angel felt a little sympathy for him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Don't blame me, bro. It's not me who decides, and I don't know the reasons. Besides, you'll receive a reward that might save your life in the future," the Angel said, nodding his head.
"And what's the reward?"
"You might be familiar with this," he said in a tone that piqued curiosity.
"Hahh... Enough, don't play games with me," Ray complained with a sigh. What kind of nonsense was this? He didn't care about all this gibberish anymore.
"Kuhuhuhhh, curious, aren't you? I know you must be curious. Okay, I'll tell you. Your reward is a System! Congratulations!" the Angel said gleefully.
"...!!!"
The next words froze Ray, and he became angry, "Damn it!! Are you insane?!! What's the use of that System as a reward? Besides, during the Apocalypse, won't all living creatures except single-celled organisms receive a System?!"
The Angel could only shrug and mumble with some reluctance, "Well, I can't do anything about it. Do you want to complain to me? That won't change anything. But the reward given is not just an ordinary System, it's a Special System..."
"Hahh... Special?" Ray was only left confused.
'Is there such a thing?'
"Find out for yourself because I don't know either. There are other abilities that will be granted to you as well," the Angel calmly explained.
Ray thought for a moment, then voiced his opinion, "This doesn't match what I expected. A simple task, you said?" Shaking his head with frustration, he sighed tiredly.
"What kind of nonsense is this? You damn Bastard, give me proper compensation! Or give me more compensation for this, or better yet, let me rest peacefully. I'm tired of a life full of misery. I just want to sleep in eternal darkness..." Ray grumbled, feeling angry in his heart, but also reminiscing about the past that hurt him.
"That can't be done. It's not me who holds all souls and lives, and besides, who are you? I mean, why should I give you more abilities? I don't have more authority to grant you additional abilities," the Angel explained firmly.
Snuffle...
"Then, how about adding more tasks? After all, even without tasks, I'll still have to struggle, right?" Ray requested, furrowing his eyebrows. Well, he wouldn't lie about this. In his life, he hadn't done some things that a normal person should do. At least he wanted to experience life as an ordinary human before all this happened.
When the angel listened to that, he immediately vanished to ask The Absolute. Shortly after he reappeared, he conveyed The Absolute's message, "Okay, but this won't be an easy task. It depends on whether you can accomplish it or not..."
"What's the task?" Ray asked with curiosity. To be honest, Ray was interested in the reward that awaited him...
"The first task is to establish a strong foothold on the continent before the Apocalypse," the angel revealed, and Ray responded with surprise, "Whaaat??? Establishing a foothold? The context is quite broad... Well, I understand that the task you give will be much more challenging than the first one you mentioned. However, can I do it in my own way?"
"Of course, you can. After all, your task is only to establish a strong foothold there," the angel had no other argument to counter.
Then the angel continued, "And you'll also receive the Golden Finger reward, you should be familiar with that, right?"
Eyes gleaming!
Though Ray was thrilled, he maintained his composure firmly. "Golden Finger? I'm familiar with the concept, please explain it in more detail," he replied, smiling gently.
"When you're transmigrated, you'll become the child of an influential family on the continent, a Second Generation rich kid, a true Billionaire there!" the angel explained calmly.
Hearing that, Ray's eyes slightly twitched. He didn't expect the angel to give him something quite surprising.
"Damn, is that true?" Ray asked, curious.
Nodding calmly, the angel proudly replied, "Of course. Why would a great being like me lie?"
Ray almost gagged at the narcissistic remark. But upon reflecting on it, he felt a little enthusiastic about it.
'Wow... What kind of nonsense is this? If this happened in a novel, readers would call it over-the-top, having an excessively thick plot armor, even too thick for just a story prologue, shouldn't it be like that?' Ray thought with amazement, as things like this could never happen in the real world. He had read enough novels and understood how ranking systems and reader enthusiasm worked. To be fair, he quite liked it.
Yeah, even though this is something real for him...
'But I have to be grateful that... it's something advantageous for me...'
Ray, seeing the Angel, let out a tired sigh and continued, "Sigh... Stop all this nonsense. You look like a political party member campaigning with lots of promises and empty words. So, just give me the abilities, and then send me to that world."
Ray despised unnecessary chatter, he had heard enough of it when he was a politician in his country.
"Alright then, be prepared for a little pain, as this is the fusion of your soul with the abilities I have given you," the Angel replied calmly, understanding that Ray wasn't fond of empty talk.
"Don't worry, the pain won't be a problem for me," Ray retorted as he walked towards the designated spot. Temporary pain was just a trivial sensation, far less painful than losing the people he loved one by one because of his own foolishness and weakness.
He never wanted to experience that again, never wanted to wish for it to last forever...
Ray prepared himself and sat in a lotus position, saying, "I'm ready."
Gradually, several clusters of light appeared in the Angel's hands and flew towards Ray.
Swoshh...
Swoshhhh...
Swoosshhhhh...
Then, they entered Ray's soul, causing a sensation of electric shocks that lasted for 30 minutes. Yes, it was a painful yet strangely enjoyable sensation.
"How is it? Is it done?" Ray asked, moving his body lightly.
"Okay, it's done, and you can be transferred directly now," the Angel explained, nodding.
But before that, they chatted about many things that might happen when he transmigrates, such as the possibility of already having memories of his life in that world and many other things that would be too long to mention.
After that, the Angel prepared to send him to the novel's world.
"Goodbye, hope we'll meet again," Ray said, shaking the Angel's hand while smiling.
Snuffle...
"We'll likely meet again when you die, after fighting zombies, monsters, or gods in that world," the Angel said with a slightly joking tone.
Grinned-!!
"Zombies? Fantasy monsters? Gods? Hahahaha! Nonsense! I want to enjoy my life before the Apocalypse begins!"
"Hey, you bastard!! You really underestimate me, you faceless ball of light! I will do something great, just like what I did in my world! And I will lead everyone there to surpass all limits and destroy all those bastards!!!"
"Kuhuhuhh... I really dislike empty talk, but you're the one who forced me to do this, so this is my farewell to you..."
"This is for you!!" Ray jeered loudly, laughing and giving the middle finger.
Srezzztttt-!!
Then, Ray disappeared from that place in an instant.