After reading the letter, Y/N felt a mix of emotions. Sadness, because he never expected his mother to blame herself for everything that had happened to him. If anyone should be blamed, it was those people, not her. But he was also relieved—glad to know that she still loved him and had waited for him.
He wiped away the small drops of tears that had fallen while reading and took a deep breath. Looking at Steve, he said, "Thank you for delivering this message to me."
Steve smiled warmly. "It's okay, kid. Now, would you like to hear your options?"
Hearing this, Y/N straightened up, his expression turning serious as he nodded.
Steve continued, "As I mentioned before, the reason you were brought here is because you have accumulated a high amount of good karma. Based on that, you have two options.
"The first option is simple—you can move on to the afterlife like everyone else. Your karma points will be used to grant you a good, peaceful life in your next reincarnation."
Y/N took a moment to process this. "And the second option?"
"The second option," Steve said with a knowing smile, "is that you can reincarnate in a different world, whether fictional or real. You'll receive three wishes, but in your case, you get an additional three."
Y/N's eyes widened in surprise. "Why do I get three extra wishes?"
Steve's expression softened. "Your mother. She had even more karma points than you. She was granted six wishes, but she only used three."
Y/N felt his chest tighten. "...What were her wishes?"
Steve exhaled lightly before answering, "Her first wish was to see you again. When she learned what happened to you, she used her second wish for a chance to apologize.
"And her third wish was to ensure that all the trusts, orphanages, and charities the two of you established would remain functional and continue to help people." He smiled faintly. "As for her remaining three wishes… she asked for them to be given to you."
A wide smile formed on Y/N's face. "Even after death, she still thinks about others..." He took a moment to calm his emotions before looking back at Steve with determination. "I've made my choice. I'll take the second option."
Steve smirked. "I figured as much. Alright, let me explain how it works:
1. You can choose to reincarnate into any fictional or real world that you know of.
2. You can decide whether to keep your memories. If you do, they will be slightly hazy at first to help you adjust to your new life.
3. Your number of wishes depends on your karma points. However, there are restrictions, so choose wisely."
Y/N nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. After careful thought, he spoke:
1. "My first wish is that the people who killed me should be punished."
2. "My second wish is for my adoptive mother to have a happy, healthy second life."
3. "My third wish is to have a high adaptability skill—but it shouldn't change my appearance."
4. "My fourth wish is to have a system that includes:
Status
Quest function (but I want the ability to reject quests, and penalties shouldn't be extreme like death or forced suffering).
Inventory
Gacha function
A shop containing items, skills, templates, and bloodlines from different multiverses."
5. "My fifth wish is to customize my own body in this second life."
6. "My sixth and final wish is that no one—regardless of their power—should be able to read or control my mind. Additionally, my existence should appear as an anomaly to universal or multiversal-level beings, preventing them from erasing me."
Steve listened carefully, then chuckled when he heard the second wish. "You don't have to worry about those responsible for your death. No one escapes karma. But since you wished for it, I'll make sure they suffer even more." His smirk turned devilish before he added, "And as for your adoptive mother, she will get a happy life, though she'll still have some ups and downs. After all, what's life without a few challenges?"
Y/N smiled, feeling grateful.
Steve then addressed the rest of the wishes. "Your adaptability skill will be granted, but it won't be something insanely overpowered at the start—don't expect to suddenly match those monstrous characters from DC or Godzilla. However, it will develop the more you use it, and eventually, it can reach a very high level."
He then continued, "As for the system, I can grant that. However, quests that involve world-threatening events or direct impacts on your survival may be mandatory. In return, I'll give you a starter pack. Also, regarding the gacha function—higher-tier rewards will have lower probabilities, but I'll set it so that doing good deeds increases your luck."
Y/N nodded in understanding. "Sounds fair."
Steve smiled. "You can customize your body. Just remember—appearance matters at first, but a person's true value is determined by their actions."
Y/N lowered his gaze briefly, then looked up and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
Steve nodded approvingly. "Your sixth wish will be granted. But know this—if you cause damage to the universe or multiverse, there may be consequences."
Y/N chuckled. "I don't plan on breaking reality. I'll behave… mostly."
Steve smirked. "Good. Now, choose your reincarnation world and timeline. Though… judging by your wishes, I think I already know."
Y/N grinned. "Yeah, I want to reincarnate into the MCU. But with some AU elements, incorporating aspects from other movies and TV shows."
Steve nodded. "That can be arranged. Now, time to design your new body." With a snap of his fingers, a holographic screen appeared. "Here, you can customize your appearance. You can also select a character template if you want to resemble someone."
Y/N looked at the screen and saw his current image—naked. In the top right corner, there was an option for gender selection, next to a [Save] button to confirm changes. On the left, there was a tab labeled [Options] with preset character appearances. Below that were sliders for hair, eyes, skin, height, and body type. There was even a tab for… well, certain measurements.
After a moment of thought, Y/N grinned. "I'll go with Sung Jin-Woo's appearance. He's got that perfect mix of badass and deadly." He selected Jin-Woo's look but added his own touch—keeping his eyes purple and adding silvery-white streaks to his hair. As for other details… well, he was already satisfied with those measurements.
Steve glanced at the finalized look and smirked. "Not bad. That suits you."
Y/N smiled. "Thanks. Alright, I'm done."
He took one last look at the screen, making sure everything was perfect. Just as he was about to press [Save], he suddenly felt a strong force slam into his back, causing him to stumble forward and smack the button.
A surge of multicolored light engulfed him, and the last thing he saw was Steve's panicked expression.
Then, he heard a female voice shouting—
"NO! WAIT—!"
And everything went black.
---
(A/N: See you in the next chapter! Adios!)