"What deal are you talking about?" I asked, not fully understanding where I was.

"Don't ask unnecessary questions and waste my time. You'd better think about which world to choose while your time is still running out."

Letting out a sigh and frowning, I continued staring at the being before me. I couldn't make out any facial features or body shape, only a pure white glow surrounding the emptiness around me. The words echoed in my head: Hitogami? Apocalypse? Dystonia? The Underwater Kingdom?

"You should choose a simpler world, not one of those, if you plan to live peacefully."

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise as it read my thoughts.

"For your next reincarnation, you can choose where you want to go and get a couple of wishes as well."

"How sweet!" I thought, remembering my past life on Earth. Could this really be a gift from the gods after my first life? Another question arose. Was this really my first life? What if after every death, I was reincarnated with new memories?

"Don't ask foolish questions that you'll never get an answer to. You have two minutes left to choose."

"So where should I go?"

"Up to you," the being, which would be more fittingly called a God, shrugged as if indifferent.

"Wow, any world I want?"

"Just hurry up and choose, I have my own problems to deal with."

Smiling at the irritated tone of the God, I thought. My first life was quite fun, but filled with boredom and ordinariness. I definitely wanted to enter a world with magic... but on the other hand, I didn't want to give up advanced technology.

Memories of my previous life resurfaced in my mind. I was an ordinary human on a planet called Earth: family, school, university, first job, death. By social standards, I had died fairly young, not even reaching my fourth decade.

In my world, technology was amazing, especially anime and manga. And now, I had the chance to enter one of those anime worlds I had always dreamed of being in.

"Alright, I've made my choice. Definitely a world of magic. But which one? Black Clover, Fairy Tail, Overlord... or The Beginning After The End?"

Settling on the last world, I gathered my courage and nodded.

"Do you really want to live your second life there?" The God dimmed as if taking on a doubtful expression.

"Yeah!"

He sighed.

"Anyway, let's get this over with. Do you want to be born at the same time as Arthur?"

I discarded the idea.

"No, better be a few years older."

"Alright. You also asked for a triple core with mana, ether, and anti-magic, right?"

"Yes."

The God fell silent for a moment.

"Unfortunately, I can't grant that request. It would change the balance of the world too much. You can only choose one core: mana, ether, or anti-magic."

"If you choose ether, you'll follow Arthur's fate. Your soul will move into that child's body, but under the weight of fate, your soul will be suppressed like in the case of Tess and Cecilia, and you'll simply become Gray's inner voice. If you choose mana, you'll end up in the body of a Legacy. Although judging by your thoughts, that option doesn't suit you. And if you choose anti-magic..."

He paused as if seeing something before him.

"Those who possess anti-magic are on the brink of death. If your soul is strong enough, you can survive and master the new power of the beast that absorbs mana. Otherwise, you'll simply die."

"Simply?" I chuckled with a strained smile. Did his words mean I'd meet him again after death?

"And as for your special body shape, I can't grant that wish either. At least not directly. But rather than that, I'd do something else. I can increase your potential instead."

Despite my disappointment, I was grateful for the chance to enhance my abilities. The light of the God suddenly dimmed, and a humanoid figure with delicate features appeared before me.

"So, this is how you imagined me," he commented, examining himself.

"Well, yeah, something like that," I shrugged, astonished by his appearance. Couldn't he have transformed from the start instead of making me squint?

"Unfortunately not. This body projection is only necessary for the ritual, and everyone has their own. I'm not a handsome god blessed by Aphrodite for you, though my sister's tastes are, of course, questionable."

At that moment, he waved his left hand, and a ripple appeared in space before us, as if the fabric of reality itself was tensing under an invisible pressure. In the center of the emptiness, where a second ago there was nothing, a thin, barely noticeable crack in space appeared. From it burst a faint, shimmering light, like the first ray of dawn piercing through the mist.

The crack gradually widened, and with each movement, the air trembled as if from a quiet hum, invisible to the eye but perceptible to the skin. The light inside became brighter and colder, shimmering in all shades of white and purple. Whirls of energy began flowing toward the newly formed rift, pulling themselves inside as if the universe itself were pulling itself back, restoring balance.

Finally, with a muffled sound, more felt than heard, the crack split open, becoming a purple abyss surrounded by pulsating rings of light. The emptiness around me shook, and the platform beneath my feet slightly gave way, as if the earth had momentarily lost its solidity. An unnatural cold emanated from within, touching my skin and freezing my blood.

"One piece of advice: don't try to change the events of this world too much. If you do, the consequences will be much worse than you expect."

I felt cold shivers run down my body, making my skin tremble with involuntary fear. The unpleasant premonition grew with every passing second, as if the very space around me was filling with something wrong, foreign. Worse? But by sending me here, aren't you already interfering with the course of events, disrupting their natural order?

"Yes, perhaps so. I just want to make sure you feel the boundary. Know this, the fate of this world won't be particularly kind to you. This boy was supposed to die. Sending you here is just my selfish desire..."

For him, this was nothing more than a game. Though perhaps behind these verbal slip-ups lay something deeper than just a god's whim?

"Then I have another request," I interrupted, clenching my fists. "I want to keep my memories."

The God remained silent.

"You want to keep your original identity?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. If you think that knowing about this world will help you, then fine."

He waved his hand, and suddenly I was pulled toward the purple abyss, and an endless darkness covered my eyes. My consciousness drowned, disappearing like in water that engulfed me. In this pitch-black void, there was no light, no spark of hope. Everything was gone. Everything, except for one thing—an oppressive sense of growing danger.

Soon came the realization: breathing became nearly impossible. My heart raced as if I were still alive. Something was stirring inside me, something wild and eager for my destruction. It wasn't just a presence—it was a beast—hidden yet real. I could feel it. And its will was clear: to seize the glowing orb in the center of my chest. The orb was dark red, and the beast was drawn to something in it. In that moment, I realized it was my core.

My life force trembled as if it were gripped by the clawed paws of a predator. This will, like black liquid, slowly but relentlessly seeped toward me, trying to devour my magical core, destroy everything I had so far. It was close—the growl of ancient power, unknown and mighty, pushed through my mental defenses.

My mind exploded with pain. I felt my magical core trembling under its pressure. Like chains, this unknown force squeezed it, ready to tear it apart. It was unstoppable; its desire to destroy my magic was boundless.

"No!" I screamed, not so much aloud as inside myself. The beast's will seemed to laugh at me, its fury and destructive power piercing through me.

Part of me didn't want to yield to this destructive force, and I wasn't going to give up if this wasn't a dream. Gathering all my will and determination, I thought of a power capable of resisting this uncontrollable might. And suddenly, a barrier began to form near me. Inside, I imagined a high, sturdy wall. This wall became the only thing separating me from total consumption. I saw how the black will of the beast was pushed back by this wall and it hit it, unable to break through immediately.

A translucent wall. It shone with a bluish light, contrasting with the black, greedy will that tried to destroy it. I felt the wave of dark energy strike the barrier, slowly devouring it, causing cracks, but I strengthened it with all my might, as if I had control. With each second, my will grew stronger, and I didn't allow the beast to advance.

"Go to hell," I rasped. With every strike, the beast grew more furious, but I continued fighting, defending the wall again, reinforcing it with new layers of protection.

But I subconsciously understood—it was a temporary measure. The power of this creature was unimaginable, and the beast didn't give up. My core was too strained, pulsing as if saying goodbye, but I couldn't let it perish. The clash of forces was at its limit; each of us fought for dominance.

The beast did not retreat, and I knew it was only the beginning of an even more dangerous battle to come.

But for now, though barely hanging on, I remained alive, and my magical core was protected.

With a sudden gasp, I opened my eyes. My heart was pounding wildly, and I instantly felt the cold, sticky sweat covering my entire body. I was alive. The oppressive darkness inside me had retreated, though it hadn't vanished completely. The beast was still there, deep within my soul, waiting for another chance. This time, I managed to control it, but I had a dreadful feeling that it would be harder the next time.

Looking around, I realized I wasn't in a void but in a clearing surrounded by dense trees. The sounds of nature—the rustling of leaves, the chirping of grasshoppers—felt almost unreal after what I had just endured.

My body felt weak, but I was alive. I had been saved from death, though I could still feel a lingering tension in my chest, as if a battle was still raging inside. The wind played with my hair, bringing a coolness that provided momentary relief. I sat up, breathing heavily, and ran a hand across my forehead, wiping away the sweat.

"Where am I…?" I mumbled, trying to gather my thoughts. Everything around me felt so distant and foreign. A strange feeling, as if I had entered another world… but this wasn't a dream. Was I really in another world?

My gaze fell on my hands—small, strong, sinewy, but weakened after the internal struggle. I was no longer who I used to be. I was a child.

Suddenly, something in the distance caught my attention. A few dozen feet away, among thick bushes and tree branches, lay several bodies. Corpses, pierced and mutilated to the point that even from this distance, I could sense their foul stench. Blood flowed in thick streams from the bodies, turning the ground into a crimson swamp. The smell of death and decay was so overwhelming, it seemed to saturate the very air around me.

Struggling to my feet, I took a few steps forward, my heart tightening in horror at the sight before me. Bile rose in my throat. I stood among the dead—men, women, mages, and warriors, all brutally slaughtered. Their limbs were twisted, and their bodies were pierced by claws or teeth with such fury that the sight alone was enough to make one sick.

And at the center of all this bloody chaos, I dared to assume, lay the killer. It was dead. A creature of enormous size, its body covered in black, scaly plates that gleamed faintly in the dim light. The scales resembled those typically associated with dragons, but the creature's form was more serpentine. Its body was long and flexible, as if woven from muscle and malicious energy.

"Asura…" I whispered, guessing what kind of monster lay before me. A beast I certainly couldn't have defeated on my own, and clearly, neither could these people.

Its eyes, even in death, still instilled a deep fear within me, and its teeth, stained with dried blood, looked as though they were ready to tear apart anyone who dared to come too close.