Then he became cold still when he reached behind his back and pulled out something black and shaped like a pistol.
John realized a second too late that it was a pistol. Then he thought of the girl behind him. He pushed her out of the way before he heard a— Nothing.
There was nothingness in the darkness. The darkness was everlasting. It was unfeeling. Unchanging. It was everywhere. And it was unending. John was a part of it now.
The nothingness. That was all there was to it, he thought dreamily. But he was wrong.
Ding! Well, I'll have to admit. Out of the many candidates I've screened so far, you've got a lot more potential than most.
You're expensive, too. I'll have to request a waiver. Hold on… there, it's sent. John saw and heard a voice speaking to him. He tried to concentrate on the words, but they slipped away from him as soon as he grasped them.
This void was messing with him. It was eating him up. The words were probably a figment of his imagination.
If that was the case, they continued playing with his head. Ding! Shame what happened in your old world.
You had a future ahead of you, kid. And that girl. Could've made for a good woman. John couldn't recall much about a girl or his future. He wasn't sure what he was doing here.
Ding! If there's a bright side, your actions changed that girl's life. Your death led her to switch from a mousey chemist to a hotshot attorney.
She would've been a great chemist, but she'll handle the law even better. She'll put away scum like that bully in her future. If you're worried about your mom and dad, they'll make it through this.
It'll be hard for them. But they'll find a way and keep your memory alive in the old world. John felt a pulse of sadness. It was short and fleeting. He tried to hold on to that feeling, but it faded away soon enough.
Ding! You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. If the higher chain approves you, we need you to dive into this new world we're sending you. Let go of the old and commit here. Because we need heroes.
Our system integration got turned upside-down by nefarious forces. And the balance is out of whack.
A little too grimdark for our taste. It'll be rough. You'll probably die again. But if you can avoid dying again, become stronger, and save the world, that'll be great.
John didn't understand any of this. System integration? Save the World? What did that have to do with him? If he was dead, then shouldn't he stay dead? For a moment, John felt overwhelmed. Something massively life-alternating was going to happen.
Ding! Just got the waiver. Lucky you. You got approved even though your value exceeds our budget margins. Investments like that are nice until they don't pan out. Desperate times, I suppose. Welcome to Urmatia, hero, and don't disappoint.
***
John Wright, Lvl 0 Race: Outerhuman,
Rank 1 Weapon Art: Heroic Blessing:
One Good Punch, Rank 1
Total AP: 0
Resilience: 0
Endurance: 0
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Perception: 0
Poise: 0
Intellect: 0
Soul: 0
Unspent: 0
Talents: [Identify, Rank 1],
[New World Linguistics, Rank 1],
[Inner Compass, Rank 1].
WA Skills: Magic Cores (Max. 2): [Ratel Rookie, MCP 0], [Brightlight Orb, MCP 0].
Available MCP: 0