The moment after the impact, the MC saw a flash of light, and when his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a strange, white void. In the distance stood a figure radiating divine energy—a being surrounded by light, with a halo reminiscent of angels and long, wavy blonde hair cascading down. The aura of divinity surrounding the figure was unmistakable, though whether it was a god or goddess, the MC couldn't be sure.
But one thing he was sure of: this was the reincarnation he'd always dreamed of.
The setup was perfect—an impossible speeding truck, a little girl saved, and now, a celestial figure awaiting him. His heart raced with excitement.
"Hahaha! I knew it! I knew saving that girl would pay off!" He exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. With that, he began walking toward the divine figure, confidently proclaiming, "I'm coming, goddess!"
But after several minutes of walking, nothing changed. The distance between him and the goddess-like figure remained frustratingly the same. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes. Still, he didn't seem to get any closer.
"What the hell?" he muttered, confused. "Is this hell? An eternal suffering where I see what I want but can never reach it?" The excitement drained from his face as he slumped to the ground, feeling defeated.
Suddenly, a gentle voice broke through the silence. "Child, wait. I'm expecting more souls to gather. This is indeed the reincarnation you've been waiting for, so be patient."
The MC perked up, the goddess's soft, feminine voice confirming what he had hoped all along. His eyes gleamed with excitement once more. But then a thought dawned on him: 'So I'm not going to be the main character, huh? There are others who'll be reincarnated with me.'
The goddess seemed to notice his peculiar behavior—his lack of confusion or fear, and the strange happiness on his face. She observed him with curiosity, wondering why he was so unfazed by death.
Moments later, with a gentle swoosh, other people began appearing around him, emerging 10 to 20 meters away. Unlike him, they reacted in more predictable ways. Most were disoriented, confused, or terrified by their sudden arrival. Two young guys nearby were visibly panicking, while another, a senior man, quietly sighed as if resigning himself to his fate.
The MC found their reactions amusing. 'How typical,' he thought, watching the others struggle with their new reality. As more and more people appeared—men and women of all ages, some crying, others angry—he noted that none shared his strange sense of excitement.
Thirty minutes passed, and more souls continued to emerge into the void. Some gathered in small groups, talking about their final moments. Many recalled seeing a truck before their death—whether on the road, on TV, or on their phones. A few were angry about the unfairness of their deaths, while others cried silently.
The MC, however, was deep in thought, planning out what skills he would ask from the goddess. He noticed that everyone spoke English, even the foreigners. 'Guess I won't need translation magic,' he mused. 'Better focus on survival skills. Something that'll guarantee I live long in my next life… with an ideal body, of course.'
After an hour of waiting, the goddess finally spoke again, her voice echoing directly in everyone's minds. "Welcome, everyone. I am Goddess Tyriel, the one who summoned your souls here." Her voice was gentle yet commanding, as though speaking telepathically to each person individually.
"All of you are given a chance to return to your lives five years before your deaths, but only after you save my world from destruction. Some of your deaths were my doing, but most were natural." She bowed her head slightly, a gesture of apology. "I'm sorry for those of you who passed before your time, but you were all carefully chosen. Each of you carries a deep desire to live a happier life, though cruel fate prevented it."
As she spoke, translucent screens appeared in front of each soul, showing a glimpse of their past lives. Everyone murmured in awe, some even shedding tears as they relived their final moments.
"Once you have saved my world, you will return to your own with a guaranteed five-year rewind. However, if you perform exceptionally well, the amount of time rewound may increase."
The crowd began murmuring again, some discussing how they might use the rewind to change their lives, while others frowned at the thought of being thrust into another world with the daunting task of fighting a "Demon Overlord."
It wasn't just any Demon Lord, but a Demon Overlord—far more powerful than what most isekai stories contained. Worse, the term implied that there could be many such overlords in this new world.
"Do not fret, my children," the goddess reassured them. "Each of you will be granted abilities that will aid in your survival and success. These abilities will not only help you survive but will also give you the strength needed to bring peace to my world."
With a soft swoosh, status windows materialized in front of each person, their transparent forms detailing each individual's unique stats and abilities.
The MC's status window caught his eye immediately. He saw an "edit" button on it, unlike the others, which made him smirk.
Name: ?
Rank: F - normal human
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 14
Stamina: 6
Vitality: 7
Intelligence: 16
Abilities:
Calm Mind - B Rank: The ability to remain calm in any situation.
Unhinged - SS Rank: A twisted mind immune to any SS-rank or lower mind debuffs, as well as any SS-rank or lower mind-reading or control abilities.
Reader - A Rank: Can read and comprehend most texts with ease.
Casuality Points: 100
He quickly changed his name to "Rain" and immediately began experimenting with the stats, trying to max everything out to 100. But, to his dismay, he wasn't allowed to make such drastic edits.
Meanwhile, the goddess, still watching him, seemed surprised by how comfortable he was with the system. Most of the other souls hesitated to even touch their status screens, still trying to comprehend the situation, but the MC was already making changes without a second thought.
"You may all view and edit your stats and abilities," Tyriel announced, displaying a larger status window for everyone to see. "The abilities you see are what you carried from your previous lives. Your casualty points will allow you to adjust and upgrade these as needed." The screen shimmered as she demonstrated how to make edits.
The MC grinned, already deep in his plan to craft the perfect body and skills for his reincarnation.