…or so he thought.
Kael's weightless body floated through the endless expanse of darkness. His mind felt crystal clear, free of worries and struggles. Everything was perfect.
Except for the annoying light.
It pierced through his eyelids, refusing to be ignored. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, it persisted, irritating him.
Finally reaching his limit, Kael angrily opened his eyes, ready to confront whatever was disturbing his peaceful death.
And there, right in front of him, strings of text floated, glowing against the surrounding darkness.
The text read:
[Please choose your character:]
As soon as he processed the words, a screen materialized, displaying countless character profiles.
Kael was astonished. He tried to touch the screen, but his hand phased right through it. Unsure of what to do, he focused on the first profile.
It depicted a young man with tousled blond hair and striking green eyes. His face was undeniably handsome, characterized by high, well-defined cheekbones and a chiseled jawline that exuded confidence. Beneath it, a name was displayed—one that felt oddly familiar to him.
When Kael focused on it, the profile expanded:
[Profile Picture]
Name: Asher Vale
Age: 18
Karma Required: 100
Status Window: [View]
[Confirm Selection] [Cancel]
Confused, Kael pondered the situation. He had died—that much was certain. So why was this strange panel floating before him? Could it be connected to the mysterious spark he saw just before his death?
Curiosity piqued, he began to explore the system.
He tried selecting "Status Window," but the text that appeared was indecipherable. The more he focused, the more the letters blurred and twisted, becoming unreadable.
Growing frustrated, he attempted to click the [Confirm Selection] button.
[Insufficient Karma.]
Kael gritted his teeth. He switched to another profile.
[Insufficient Karma.]
He tried again.
[Insufficient Karma.]
[Insufficient Karma.]
[Insufficient Karma.]
No matter which profile he selected, the same message followed.
"This is ridiculous," Kael muttered, feeling the anger bubble up. "What even is this 'karma' thing?"
As if to answer him, a new line of text appeared.
[Karma is the summary of one's deeds. Do you wish to see yours?]
Kael thought yes, and a number showed up
[Current Karma points: 7]
"THAT'S IT? When did I even do something wrong?!"
[Showing the list of evil deeds.]
.
.
.
[Theft - Karma subtracted]
[Robbery - Karma subtracted]
[Burglary - Karma subtracted]
[Assault - Karma subtracted]
[Aggravated Assault - Karma subtracted]
[Murder - Karma subtracted]
[Manslaughter - Karma subtracted]
[Extortion - Karma subtracted]
[Kidnapping - Karma subtracted]
[Torture - Karma subtracted]
[Blackmail - Karma subtracted]
[Fraud - Karma subtracted]
.
.
.
After seeing this almost never-ending list, Kael shut his mouth. Of course, he didn't live a saint-like life, but seeing all his crimes typed out like this was a bit of a wake-up call. Of course, he would do them all again, but still...
With a defeated look, he asked, "Can you at least show me the characters I can afford then?"
[Applying karma filter. A total of 3,678,492 profiles available.]
[Applying compatibility filter; unsuitable characters will be secluded.]
[Number of profiles available: 7,428]
Kael looked at the large number and sighed. "This is going to take a while."
Ironically, time was exactly what he had plenty of now.
***
Kael had no idea how much time had passed. It could be hours, days, or even weeks. He spent all this time scrolling through the numerous profiles, finding a suitable match. Currently, he was looking at one profile, which he was considering the most.
[Profile Picture]
Name: Aiden Reed
Age: 17
Karma Required: 6
Status Window: [View]
[Confirm Selection] [Cancel]
The picture showed an average-looking guy. He could not be called ugly, nor handsome. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a face with no outstanding features. Kael didn't really give his looks much thought, though.
What he found way more interesting was the option to view the status windows he gained when viewing characters he could afford with his karma.
His read:
========== Status Window ==========
Name: Aiden Reed
Age: 17
Talents: [Mana Maniac], [Fighting Proficiency]
-------------------------------
Stats:
Strength: [G]
Agility: [F-]
Stamina: [G+]
Mana Control: [G-]
-------------------------------
Skills (Passive): None
Abilities (Active): None
Bound Relics: None
===============================
Kael, of course, still wasn't sure why he was even selecting a character, though he had his guesses. During his life, he had often wondered what followed after death. He had always believed there was no afterlife, but it seemed he had been wrong. His current situation certainly felt like a reincarnation scenario. There was also that strange feeling of déjà vu...
As he was possibly deciding his literal future, he took the task seriously and did his job thoroughly.
The reason he settled on this character was his talents. The explaining message the system had for talents was:
[Talents are something everyone is born with and can neither be lost nor obtained. They depict the expertise area of each individual. These can range from physical prowess to mental acuity.]
Most of the characters he was provided with had only one talent. Just that made Aiden an exception, as he had two; even better, both were very good.
[Mana Maniac]
This user's mana is inherently wild and unruly, requiring extra effort to control and harness effectively. However, mastering this chaotic mana grants him a vastly more powerful strengthening effect than that of traditional enhancers, resulting in heightened physical abilities and a sharper edge in combat.
[Fighting Proficiency]
This talent allows the user to learn various fighting styles and techniques more easily than others. While they become competent in many forms of combat, they lack the depth of mastery in any single style, making them versatile but not a specialist in any particular technique.
While the talents were impressive on their own, their drawbacks were equally severe. Kael was certain that the low karma cost was due precisely to those drawbacks.
Other than that, Aiden Reed was pretty mediocre. His stats, especially, were quite lackluster:
Strength - G+
This stat measures the user's physical power and ability to exert force. A higher strength stat enhances lifting capacity, increases damage dealt in physical combat, and improves overall physical performance.
Agility - F-
Agility represents the user's speed, reflexes, and ability to move with grace. A high agility stat allows for quicker dodges, faster attacks, and improved coordination in various physical activities.
Stamina - G
Stamina indicates the user's endurance and energy levels. A higher stamina stat enables prolonged activity, allowing the user to engage in battles, training, or other strenuous tasks without tiring easily.
Mana Control - G-
This stat measures how well the user can manage their mana. For Enforcers, it affects how much mana they can use, how precisely they control it, how long they can maintain it, and how powerful its strengthening effects are. For Envokers, it improves their ability to cast spells, making them more accurate, faster, and more effective overall.
Kael was not very familiar with the concept of mana, so he mostly ignored this part. For the rest—skills, abilities, and relics—Kael was not able to find much, as Aiden had none. Because of that the system had not provided him with an adequate explanation.
Checking one last time to make sure this was the right choice, Kael took in a shaky breath. He was growing bored of the endless darkness, and despite his confusion, he felt a spark of excitement for what lay ahead.
The strange déjà vu that had been bugging him for a while resurfaced, tugging at the back of his mind. But he quickly dismissed it—there was no point dwelling on it now.
Suddenly filled with resolve, Kael summoned the profile window, ready to make his final selection.
[Profile Picture]
Name: Aiden Reed
Age: 17
Karma Required: 6
Status Window: [View]
[Confirm Selection] [Cancel]
And thought, [Confirm Selection].
A ripple suddenly appeared in the void, and the window shuddered.
[Selecting character: Aiden Reed...]
[Confirming sufficient karma]
[Karma confirmed]
[Welcome to Arcane Chronicles, please enjoy your stay.]
Kael froze, his breath catching in his throat. Arcane Chronicles. The name hit him like a freight train. It was the title of the old book he'd stumbled upon as a child, the very one he had given to his mother. It was with that book she taught him how to read. The connection was impossible to ignore.
"Wait… this is the book?" Kael muttered, his voice cracking. His mind raced as pieces of the puzzle began to click into place. But before he could form a coherent thought—
[Commencing transmigration.]
A blinding gold light erupted around him, burning through the darkness. Kael instinctively raised his hands to shield his eyes, but it did little to block the radiant force. The light wrapped around him, coiling tighter, seeping into his skin as if it was rewiring his very existence.
"No, wait!" Kael shouted, panic rising in his chest. He tried to struggle against the light's embrace, but it was already too late.
[3]
[2]
[1]
With one final, searing flash, the light disappeared, swallowed by the endless black void. Silence returned, and two final messages flickered into the empty space:
[Transmigration complete.]
[Test subject number: 8,792,346,491. Overall success rate: 0%.]
But there was no one left to read them.