"It's cold..."
Soyun whispered softly, lying motionless among the many dead bodies surrounding him before he lost his breath.
His eyes fluttered shut as he hoped for eternal slumber, never to wake up again.
But fate had different plans.
Just after what felt like a few fleeting weeks in the darkness, his eyes fluttered open once more. He tilted his head, a haze clouding his mind as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.
'Am I in hell?'
That was actually his first thought as he moved his body, feeling a bit sluggish but experiencing little to no pain, even though his body was supposedly broken beyond recognition by the people he had killed.
"No... this is not hell."
He mused aloud as his dull gray eyes scanned the peculiar room he was in, filled with bizarre sequences of silver-colored 0s and 1s floating everywhere. The only piece of furniture in the small, dimly lit space was the bed on which he lay.
Soyun sat down on the bed to better process everything, his dark hair framing his forehead as he moved, only to become even more confused by his surroundings.
Before he could try to leave the bed, a loud, cheerful mechanical voice echoed in the air.
"Dear Host, you are finally awake!"
Soyun instinctively clenched his fists at the sound of the sudden voice, his expression turning sharp and menacing.
"Who?"
The owner of the mechanical voice didn't seem to detect the underlying dark threat in Soyun's tone as it continued.
"Oh, right! Host can't see me!"
Just then, the numerous 0s and 1s in the room quivered, and a young cat with sleek, dark fur materialized out of thin air, landing gracefully on the tiled floor below. The cat stretched its body as if trying to adjust to its new form before climbing onto the bed, its ruby-red eyes sparkling with delight.
All the while, Soyun just silently observed it with caution and a hint of confusion.
'A demonic beast? Did it somehow save my body? But I am sure I died...'
His thoughts were interrupted as the cat settled on the bed and gazed at him with a beaming smile in its red eyes.
"I have yet to introduce myself, so it's completely natural for the Host to feel confused and terrified after suddenly dying and waking up in an unfamiliar place!"
Upon seeing Soyun's emotionless expression, the cat nodded, assuming the young man was simply too shocked and scared to respond. It softly thumped its chest with a proud look in its eyes.
"I am System 505! One of the many transmigration systems! Congratulations, Soyun—you have been selected as my first host. From this moment on, I will be by your side 24/7 as we travel through many worlds to save the villains by preventing them from falling in love with the main characters and facing tragic fates. By doing this, the host can accumulate points that can help you return to your world one day!"
505 delivered its entire message in one breath, gasping for air once it finished. It felt a wave of relief that the host hadn't interrupted it mid-sentence.
The system gazed at Soyun eagerly, expecting a flurry of questions. It had already interacted with numerous other systems and knew that hosts in the current era are quite knowledgeable about systems, particularly those from the human planets, where novels about Quick Transmigration and world-hopping are extremely popular among fantasy readers.
So, 505 was hoping for its host to be as excited as it was, since this would be a first magical experience for both of them.
But unfortunately, even after the system lengthy and rapid explanation, it was met with nothing but utter silence.
"...."
Soyun stared at the strange black cat—or should he call it a system?—and muttered.
"So... I am indeed dead."
505 blinked at his words, feeling a bit perplexed. This wasn't the reaction it had anticipated. 505 had heard from the other systems that usually hosts chosen by the immortals are often unfortunate souls who have lived miserable lives and always want to return to their worlds to live better lives or seek revenge. So, why the hell was this man behaving so strangely? Is he still struggling to accept that he is dead?
'Wait, maybe he is too overwhelmed by the fact that he has been chosen as the host of a transmigration system! If that's the case, then it would explain the host's behavior!'
Even though 505 had no knowledge of Soyun's past, it praised itself inwardly for understanding its host so quickly! With that, 505 looked at Soyun and nodded, this time with a hint of solemnity in its ruby eyes.
"Yes, host, you are dead in your real world. But don't worry, you can return to your world if you complete all the missions assigned to you by me and earn enough points!"
Yet, the system nearly lost its composure when it heard Soyun's next words.
"If I am dead, send me to the afterlife so I can enter the cycle of reincarnation. I have already lived enough."
505 jumped on the bed in panic. The realization that its first host wanted to die instead of live hit like a bolt of lightning!
All of a sudden, the system remembered something important, and relief flickered in its red eyes as it gazed at Soyun.
"No, Host, you can't enter the cycle of reincarnation because your soul is already bound to me. It is an automatic procedure that takes effect the moment a soul steps into the system's resting space! Now Host can only leave this place when you have accumulated enough points for a wish, which could either be to return to your previous life or..."
505 hesitated for a moment, planning to consult the other systems about what to do if its host wished to die.
"Attain eternal peace."
Soyun narrowed his eyes sharply at the black cat. He was already dead, and the thought of putting in so much effort just to enter the cycle of reincarnation felt utterly exhausting. So, he began to search for an easier way to leave this place.
"What if I die in the middle of a mission?"
Upon hearing his question, 505's panic grew, but it still managed to respond.
"There's no point in thinking about dying during the mission. If the host dies in the mission world, his soul will be sent back here to this resting space, and he will have to revisit that world repeatedly until he either complete the mission and earn points or accept failure, which results in receiving 0 points to progress to the next world."
Soyun's jaw tightened slightly. When did dying become so complicated?
Suddenly, a dark glint flickered in his gray eyes as he fixed his gaze on the cat.
"What if I were to kill you?"
505 gasped in utter shock.
Oh no, its host wanted to kill it?! What a dangerous first host it had gotten!
Instantly, 505 leaped away from the bed before Soyun could even attempt to grab it.
"No, host, you can't kill 505! We are connected; you would be destroying your own soul if you harmed me. And I can't die, because I'm made of data!"
Soyun got off the bed and attempted to grab the fleeing cat, not really caring that he would be harming his own soul by harming the cat. However, he paused when he heard 505's next words.
"Host, if you harm me, the higher-ups will learn about it through the main system and will send your soul to prison for eternity as punishment! That way, you would never be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation!"
Soyun finally gave up chasing the cat and settled back onto the bed.
He could only tiredly rub his forehead at everything that had transpired in the short time since his death.
"So, I can only enter the cycle of reincarnation after earning enough points?"
Ultimately, seeing no other choice, Soyun reluctantly agreed to the system. Anyway, he had already fulfilled the purpose of his life, and the only thing left was for him to disappear completely. Living a few more years wouldn't change anything for him; he would simply treat it as a final vacation.
505 tentatively jumped onto the bed again, a bit scared that its host would try to harm it once more, but sighed in relief when it noticed that Soyun had calmed down.
'What a scary host! But I will forgive him since he is very handsome!'
505 was startled when it heard Soyun's deep and solemn voice.
"Enter the first mission world. I want to put an end to all of this as soon as possible."