Satou opens his eyes, and the only thing he sees is complete darkness. It's not just the absence of light—it's a void so deep and endless that it feels like he's been swallowed whole. He tries to move, to raise his hands, but he can't feel them. Panic creeps into his voice as he mutters, "Where am I?" His words echo faintly, bouncing back at him as if the darkness itself is mocking him.
Minutes—or maybe hours—pass. Time doesn't seem to matter here. He floats aimlessly, his mind racing until it finally clicks. Memories flood back, sharp and painful. "Yes, I died," he says, his voice trembling. "And I died as a 30-year-old virgin. Damn it!" The words hang in the air, heavy with regret.
He starts talking to himself, trying to make sense of it all. "I was just doing my usual 6 to 6 job, minding my own business. Then I saw a girl being threatened with a gun. My stupid superhero instinct kicked in, and I thought I could save her. Me! Against a guy with a gun! How dumb was that?" He smacks his forehead, the sound oddly loud in the silence.
Satou looks around, though there's nothing to see. Just endless black. "So, the afterlife is real," he mutters. "But this isn't what I expected. Where's the light? The life? This is just… nothing." His voice echoes again, making him feel even more alone.
Frustration builds, and he screams at the top of his lungs, "Hello! Is anyone here? Please, say something!" His voice fades into the void, unanswered. The silence is suffocating. He starts to lose it, talking to himself more and more, creating imaginary conversations just to fill the emptiness. "Please, if there's a God, say something!" he begs, his voice cracking.
Then, out of nowhere, a feminine voice breaks the silence. "Oops, we forgot someone on the reincarnation road."
A male voice responds, "Really? Let me take a look."
"Oh, it's true. But this is bad news—we don't have anywhere to reincarnate him," the male voice says, sounding annoyed.
Satou's heart leaps. "Hello! Can you hear me? Please, get me out of here!" he shouts, desperate.
The feminine voice ignores him. "Do you hear him?"
"Yes, I do," the male voice replies.
"He said we should get him out of there. That means he'll be okay with being reincarnated as anything," the female voice says, sounding way too cheerful about it.
"I think that's what he meant. And it'll make it easier to cover up our mistake. We don't want any bad marks on our record. Promotions are on the line," the male voice adds.
"Hey! Hello! Can you hear me?" Satou shouts again, but they keep talking like he's not even there.
"Then it's decided. Let's reincarnate him as a monster. There are no normal slots left," the female voice says.
"Yeah, but we'll give him an SSS skill to make up for it. Monsters have a 90% chance of dying young, after all," the male voice adds.
"Wait, what? Did I just hear 'monster' and '90% chance of dying young'? That's way too high!" Satou yells, but they're not listening.
"Hmm, I've got the perfect skill for him," the female voice says, ignoring him completely.
"Hey! Can you hear me? Don't I get a say in this?" Satou pleads, but it's no use.
A few seconds later, his body starts glowing, and a voice booms in his head: "Skill Acquired."
"What? What's that voice? 'Skill Acquired'? What does that even mean?" Satou asks, completely lost.
"I think that's enough. Good luck in your new world," the male voice says, sounding like he's already moved on.
"Wait, wait! I have questions!" Satou shouts, but the two voices cut him off, speaking in unison. "We wish you a happy life in your new world."
Before Satou can protest, a bright light appears below him. He looks down, confused. "What is this?" he mutters.
Suddenly, the light turns into a deep hole, and it starts sucking him in. He tries to resist, but it's no use. The hole pulls him down, and as he falls, flashes of his past life replay before his eyes. "I really wasted my 30 years," he says, his voice filled with regret. "In this new life, I'll make the best of it. I'll do whatever I want."
The end of the hole grows closer, a blinding light waiting for him. As he reaches it, the light flashes so brightly that it blinds him. When he opens his eyes again, he's surrounded by darkness once more, but this time it's different. He feels a cold breeze on his face and something touching him.
"Am I alive?" he whispers, his voice shaky. He opens his eyes and looks up at the figure touching him.
What he sees makes his blood run cold. A green, ugly, disgusting creature is staring right at him, its hand on his face.
"Help me! Someone, help me, please!" Satou screams, his voice echoing into the unknown.