Chapter 0: Echoes of the Abyss
As I plunged from the towering building, the world around me blurred into a chaotic symphony of wind and darkness. My heartbeat drummed in my ears, and the distant screams of the person I sought to save faded into an indistinct hum. Panic gripped me, and in that moment, I knew this was the end.
But just as the abyss below seemed ready to claim me, a surreal message echoed through my consciousness: "100 karma points received. Max limit reached. Loading rewards." Confusion and disbelief wrestled with the reality of my freefall. Before I could comprehend the situation, a digital interface materialized before my fading vision.
"Choose which one you would like to receive: preserve body/preserve soul." The words flickered in an ethereal glow. A weighty decision hung in the air, a choice between the tangible vessel that housed my existence or the intangible essence that defined my being. Without hesitation, I selected to preserve my soul.
"80 points used up. Rewards granted."
In an instant, the darkness enveloped me, and I found myself in a place that defied logic—a hospital room where my lifeless body lay, and yet, I remained conscious. A sense of disembodiment pervaded my being. The room seemed ordinary, but the ethereal glow lingered.
A message materialized before me, detailing a profile.
**Profile:**
- **Age:** Unknown
- **Gender:** Unknown
- **STATS:** Unknown
- **Karma points:** 20/100
-**Description:** Unknown
As I grappled with the surreal nature of my existence, a quest notification interrupted my musings: "Meet with the short-haired stranger." A memory, hazy yet persistent, surfaced—an individual whose life I intervened in just before my untimely demise.
With a sense of purpose, I embraced the quest, driven by an unseen force that guided my spectral form. The hospital room faded away, and I found myself standing on the precipice of an enigmatic journey, my ethereal quest unfolding in the realms beyond the known.