Tangtang easily accepted that he had already died and transmigrated. This situation is actually much better than continuing to stay on Earth loathed by the people he once treated as friends. If he only had the ability to restart his life, he already did a long time ago.
He still thinks that he is lucky enough that his death wasn't a painful one.
Even if he doesn't have a sense of belonging there, he will miss some people, like Grandma Wang, Uncle Chen, and Ah-Yan. He will also miss his collection of books and hard-earned brand new cellphone, but that doesn't mean he will want to return. After all, he doesn't have any reason to.
Tangtang's grandmother sacrificed a lot for him, even giving up medication just for him to live a little bit better for a day. If only he wouldn't feel ashamed to face her in the afterlife for not achieving anything, he already followed her not long after. That's why, even when exhausted, he continues to live an unfulfilling and monotonous life.
Now that he has been given a second chance, he will try to become happy and fulfill his grandmother's last wish for him.
Clear-headed, Tangtang notices that his body is quite different from before. His hands are soft and white. The wounds and calluses accumulated from doing odd jobs for years are now gone.
He is also wearing branded clothes that he would never afford with his meager salary.
"Am I occupying someone else's body?" he asked.
Just thinking that he was occupying someone's body, Tangtang felt uncomfortable, as if he were robbing that person's life.
"No, this is your own body. Time is too tight—only enough to save your soul. Your body was also severely burned. That's why they just created a new vessel for you," Phi answered honestly.
"Tangtang's new body is very outstanding and perfectly crafted. It is also already adjusted for this world physique, so you don't have anything to worry about," Ero added, full of enthusiasm.
He sighs in relief.
But if Tangtang is given a chance to choose, he much prefers if his appearance is not too outstanding, like Ero has said, because he knows the trouble that comes with it.
"Do you want to see yourself, Tangtang?" Gae asked.
Before he could answer, a blue screen-like mirror already appeared in front of him, reflecting a young man who seems to be eighteen years old with far more delicate and charming facial features, bearing a resemblance to his previous appearance by 80%.
The young man possesses porcelain and clear skin in contrast with his long, straight, ink-black hair, which makes him appear paler. His beautiful peach blossom eyes have long and curly lashes, and the red teardrop mole under his left eye gave him an indescribable charm.
Tangtang touched his bow-shaped lips, which appeared redder after being rubbed, then his perfectly straight nose bridge. This appearance is clearly effeminate and otherworldly, a perfect combination of innocence and alluring charm.
Staring at his own reflection, Tangtang was in a daze for a while. Then he felt an impending headache. His current face is much more beautiful than his previous one, and it will surely bring more problems.
"Do you like it?" Ero asked, his small movements full of anticipation.
Even though they were not the ones who created Tangtang's new body, at least they were the ones that chose his attire that highlighted his beauty. They were all waiting to be praised for being useful guardians.
Tangtang feels conflicted.
His fingers lingered on the familiar teardrop mole. He hesitantly asked. "Is there any chance that I can change bodies?"
Tangtang can't see the expression of the four fluff balls, but he can feel that they became unhappy from their slightly dimmed fur.
"Don't you like your new body, Tangtang?" Ero rubbed his cheeks. His voice is low and soft. "We should have made more effort, but time is too limited. Your soul will not last long without a vessel," he explained.
"We can try to ask the higher-ups if you're not really satisfied with this, but it may take time," Phi chimed in.
Tangtang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he didn't explain it clearly, these little fluff balls might think that his standard is too high for not being satisfied with his current appearance.
"It's not that I don't like it, but most of the problems in my previous life were caused by my appearance. Even the cause of my death was because of my face. So I think it is much better if my looks don't stand out too much this time," Tangtang explained patiently, hoping that the four fluff balls would understand and help him change his body.
Gae moves his body up and down, gesturing that he understands.
Of course they know every detail of Tangtang's life from the time he was born up until his last moments, which were clearly recorded in the Akashic records.
It is also now being analyzed for an investigation, but even without the final conclusion, they were sure that it was not solely because of Tangtang's appearance, but they couldn't disclose it to him right now.
"You want to be ugly?" Ero asked in surprise.
"No, no. That's not it," Tangtang hurriedly denied, afraid that they would misunderstand again.
"Don't mind him, Tangtang." Gae cut in as he strongly bumped into Ero, making the latter bounce a few meters.
"Hey!"
Gae ignored his brother and floated in front of Tangtang as if making eye contact. His childlike voice was full of seriousness.
"Tangtang, like Phi said earlier, we can request to change your body. If that time comes, you can choose any type of body you like, but the process of extracting the soul from a completely functioning body is said to be very painful. It is 100x more painful than giving birth."
Tangtang didn't know if Gae was just bluffing to scare him or saying the truth, but just thinking that his soul would be sucked out of his body made him feel uncomfortable.
Even though Tangtang doesn't seem to believe what he says, Gae continues. "If you want to be fat, slim, tall, or short, it is possible, but your appearance will still bear resemblance to your current."
Tangtang furrowed. "Why?"
Then, in front of Tangtang, another blue screen with various types of individuals appeared. "Your face is a mirror of your soul, which is carried by your body."
These individuals vary in height, weight, gender, and skin color, but what really creeps Tangtang out is that none of them have faces.
"Humans are free to modify their look, but it shouldn't deviate too much from who they were. Otherwise, they would crumble and distort like a paper mask in an attempt to blend in."
"I see," Tangtang nodded in understanding. "So this is what my soul really looks like?"
"Yes! You are naturally so beautiful," Phi said, rubbing his neck. His fur makes him ticklish.
Ero, feeling a little dizzy after rolling for a while, chimed in. "We are the ones who chose your clothes." Still not giving up to be praised.
Tangtang smiled wearily as he looked again in the mirror.
He is wearing a white v-neck, loose poplin shirt with ruffled wide sleeves, exposing his delicate white neck and collarbone. Tuck in to black, high-waisted, pleated, straight-leg pants.
He will look like a prince from a western fairytale if not for the pink fluffy rabbit shoes.
"Pfft. It's cute."
"Nia chose that. It ruins the whole outfit," Eros grumbled.
"Sorry," Nia whispered.
"Hahaha. It's fine. I like everything. Thank you very much." Tangtang laughs, then rubs each fluff ball. "You called yourselves guardians earlier. Will you guys accompany me in this world?" he asked.
Phi: Yes. At least two of us will accompany you every day.
Gae: As a guardian, we will help you in any possible way we can. We will also give you rewards once you complete a task.
Tangtang's face brightens as he remembers how a system became the cheat of the main character in those transmigration novels he read. "Like those systems I read in novels, you can also give me rewards once I complete a task," he mumbled.
Ero: Hmmp. Don't compare us to those copycats. They were just an imitation of us, created by those greedy civilizations to act like gods.
Phi: Tangtang, don't believe them. Systems are not as good as they are portrayed in the novels. They actually cause more harm to their chosen hosts than good.
Nia: Like parasites.
Gae: Systems trick their hosts into thinking they are benefiting from one another, while in reality, they are being exploited indefinitely.
Ero: Those shitty systems can't compare to even a single strand of our fur.
Tangtang sensed the guardians' enmity after mentioning the systems. The reason was unclear, but if they claimed to be different, then there was no need to argue about it. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Gae: No need for apologies.
Ero: Yeah! This isn't the first time that the scheme of those presumptuous people behind them has led to us being mistaken as a system.
Ero and Phi simultaneously rant on how annoying and harmful those artificial intelligences that were made of bothersome sets of numbers are, as if they were having a duet, until Gae gets tired and changes the subject.
Gae: Forget about it, Tangtang. Let me send you the details concerning this world instead.
"Yes, please." Tangtang instantly agreed.
Whatever the scheme of those individuals, it doesn't have to do with him.
Tangtang was far more curious about this world that he will be living in from now on.
[Sending information...]
[Completed!]
Several pieces of information slowly flowed to Tangtang's brain, as if this knowledge were inherently known to him.
This realm is one of the worlds under the rule of the Beast God Cernunnos, with one archipelago called Gaia. The population is divided into three genders: beast, female, and sub-beast.
People that have the ability to freely change from human to their genetically inherited animal form are called beasts. They are all men with powerful fighting abilities. It was their responsibility to hunt food for their tribe.
The beast also exudes pheromones that intimidate other beasts and, at the same time, can entice females and sub-beasts for mating.
Females were assigned to do menial chores, like cooking and gathering edible plants. Unlike the beast, they can only transform partially and don't have any pheromones that cause their low fertility.
The Beast God created Gaia and granted its people intelligence as well as the power to transform in order to protect themselves. Unfortunately, this development has made females weaker and almost extinct.
To protect the females and aid in the next generation's reproduction, the Beast God created the sub-beasts. Sub-beasts were cherished and given special attention because of their high fertility. Even they were male, they cannot transform and are much weaker than the females, but the pheromones they exude can calm and enhance the beast's abilities.
Tangtang frowned.
The more he learned about this world, the gloomier he became.
Tangtang thought he was already prepared for the worst possible situation, but he had no idea how much worse it might get to transmigrate in a primitive world. Where there's no electricity, houses, transportation, or internet, you even need to hunt for your own food.
As a man from the 21st century, how can he survive in a place that is full of ferocious monsters?
Monsters are the main food sources for people in this world, but they are not easy to hunt. The strength of a monster can be determined by the number of its horns.
The large, fat rabbit he had previously seen was called a one-horned monster.
Most of the one-horned monsters were herbivores and weak. They will not attack people unless they feel threatened, but they are incredibly nimble and challenging to capture.
If people hunt monsters as their main food source, some powerful and vicious monsters also hunt humans to obtain nourishment.
The phrase "survival of the fittest" best defines this realm.
After taking in all the information Gae sent about this world, Tangtang finally asked. "Can I request a refund for this transmigration?"