"HAHAHA! That old man actually kept his promise? Haha!" the foreign man muttered between bursts of continuous laughter. Despite the undeniable fact of transmigration, it was hard for him to believe he was lucky enough to experience it in person.
-Ding-
[Please enter your name to confirm the initialization of the system with the host.]
After waiting nearly five minutes for the host to calm down from his excitement, the voice prompted again, unwilling to waste any more time—it had already waited long enough.
"Ah, yes! It's Arlo... Arlo Beau." Completely ignoring the odd stares he was receiving from the crowd, the man replied confidently, a proud smile plastered on his lips. He cherished the name he had received from his late parents.
The system, however, was less impressed. It couldn't help but question where his confidence came from, especially after hearing his second name. It wasn't surprised by *Arlo*; with his large frame, the name meaning "fortified hill" seemed fitting. But *Beau*? Handsome? The system couldn't fathom how anyone could associate that word with him. Maybe someone with unusual preferences could find him attractive, but no sane person would.
-Ding-
[Proceeding with system initialization for individual Arlo Beau...]
Deciding to set aside its unnecessary thoughts, the system dutifully got back to work.
-Ding-
[Error: The soul of individual Arlo Beau has been rejected by the world's will... Searching for a solution... Solution found. Permission required from individual Arlo Beau to modify his soul to proceed with system binding.]
[Will individual Arlo Beau allow this?
"Modify my soul?" Arlo muttered, scratching his chin in confusion. This wasn't a plot point he had ever seen in the anime or novels he'd read during his first life.
"Is there any harm in it, system?"
The system was slightly taken aback, realizing that this man could actually use his brain and wasn't as foolish as it had initially assumed.
-Ding-
[For individual Arlo Beau's ques—]
"Stop making that annoying ding sound; it's driving me crazy," Arlo interrupted, irritation lacing his voice.
[As you wish.]
[In response to individual Arlo Beau's question: No, it does not cause any harm, aside from slight pain at the start of the procedure.]
The system responded without a hint of irritation at being interrupted, surprising Arlo, who had been ready to apologize for his rudeness.
'Hah! Systems aren't as vengeful as the stories back on Earth make them out to be,' Arlo thought, amused by the monotone response.
"If that's the case, go ahead," he said, putting aside any doubts.
[Permission acquired. Proceeding with initialization and modification of individual Arlo Beau's soul in one minute.]
"I can't believe that old man actually kept his promise," Arlo muttered, his mind wandering back to the past and his peculiar encounter with the so-called old man.
Meanwhile, the stares around him only grew. Between his unusual appearance, loud laughter, and apparent conversation with himself, it was unsurprising that most pedestrians pitied him, assuming he was insane.
"Tsk! First of all, why the hell did that damn baldie bring this body back?" Arlo grumbled as he examined his reflection. His current form was… less than ideal. The only word he could think of to describe it was fat—extremely fat.
'Guh… the pain I went through to get those six-packs!' A single tear slid down his cheek as he mourned his previous body.
"Well, what's done is done. Let's at least try to make the future better," he resolved, setting aside his regrets.
[Initialization will begin in 5 seconds.]
Arlo waited eagerly, his excitement building for the adventure that awaited him in this world.
[Proceeding with the modification of the host's soul.]
Arlo waited impatiently... but nothing happened. Ten seconds passed, and he glanced around, searching for any signs of change, his expectations reaching sky-high levels.
"Hey, system, why—AHAAA!"
Before he could finish, a searing, brain-wrenching pain shot through him, as though he were being torn apart.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING? AHAA.." Not knowing what was going on, he turned to the only entity that might have answers.
[Host, please refrain from screaming loudly; it is annoying.]
Despite Arlo's pitiful expression, the system responded with a sarcastic tone. At first, Arlo seemed confused, but after a moment of thought, everything clicked in his mind.
"Damn you, system! The stories from Earth were spot on!" he groaned through gritted teeth, taking back his earlier compliment.
[„^-^„]
A smiling face appeared on the floating panel in front of him, seemingly mocking his suffering.