Imagine this. You're peacefully floating through near-absolute nothingness as a soul, contemplating the transience of existence. It's kind of... pleasant, in a way. I say "near-absolute nothingness" because I'm still here — a man named Andrey, who probably died about twenty seconds ago.
Here, in this void, it's hard to perceive time. There isn't even such a concept as "time" here. You can't tell if a minute has passed or a million years. Though, I still don't understand how I managed to count those twenty seconds since my death.
I'm dead — that much is clear. But what intrigues me is something else. How did I fall out of the cycle of reincarnation? Am I an anomaly? Why am I here? I doubt anyone will answer these questions.
"Well... Hmm... Aha! Found you!" After these words, which somehow resonated in two languages simultaneously, I felt something grab me and gently place me on solid ground.
"Well, hello there, what did you call yourself? 'Anomaly'?" said the being that had just brought me here.
"G-good day?" I stammered, as I looked at my new companion.
And there was quite a lot to take in: the creature standing before me looked like a man in his thirties, with a neatly trimmed beard and chiseled cheekbones like some kind of gigachad. He was dressed in a beach shirt with green flowers and shorts with a similar design. On his feet were blue Crocs in "sport mode." I might have thought he was just an ordinary guy if not for the overwhelming aura of power that literally pressed me into the floor. It felt as though I was standing before God.
"All right, mortal, you've been summo— ugh, wrong script. Anyway, you're dead, and now you're out of here. My job is to give you some perks and all that jazz. Got any questions?" He seemed... too strange. Far too cheerful. Something about him unsettled me deeply.
"Y-yes, excuse me, but how did I die?" That was the main question bothering me the most.
"Well, heh, you're definitely getting a Darwin Award for this one. How did you die? You stubbed your pinky toe on a nightstand and died from the pain shock before you even realized it. Any other questions?"
"N-no..." I winced. My death was so... pathetic. Stubbing a pinky toe on a nightstand — could anything be more undignified?
"Great! Let's get started. You need to pick four perks and a world to be sent to. Got it?" I nodded.
"Perfect. Take your time deciding."
I started thinking, pondering intensely. It felt like about thirty minutes passed (time here was somewhat easier to perceive).
I need a world with a balanced level of power, so "Dragon Ball," "One Punch Man," and "Bleach" are out. But I also want a world where I can achieve success and make the most of my abilities.
"I've made my choice," I said, trying to regain the confidence I'd lost when I first laid eyes on this strange god.
"All right, let's hear it," he replied cheerfully, sending chills down my spine, even though I apparently no longer had a body.
"First: an Absolute Solver with the ability to influence other hosts of this virus.
Second: absolute matter manipulation, like IC-0n's, but without the restriction on creating organic matter.
Third: atomic restructuring — the ability to transform, for example, organic material into metal, and then metal into gas, and so on. It completely eliminates all the drawbacks of absolute matter manipulation.
Fourth: Void Mastery — the ability to do anything I want with absolute Nothingness. (The Void corrodes everything it touches, so resistance to such a powerful primordial element will come in handy)."
"Well, aren't you ambitious..." he muttered, then mumbled under his breath:
"Especially Void Mastery... Although most people just ask for basic stuff like Saitama's strength, so your choices are pretty original. All right, pick your world."
"The World of Murder Drones," I answered without much hesitation.
"Excellent! Farewell!" With those words, my consciousness plunged into darkness.