I saw nothing.
An endless void stretched around me, silent and unmoving, like the vastness of space without the stars. Was this the so-called 'afterlife' that religious people believed in? If such a thing even existed.
Rationally, I had never put faith in the unseen, in ideas that lacked tangible proof. And yet—here I was, existing in a space where logic no longer applied. Strange, how I could still think, still question. Perhaps there was some truth to the concept of an afterlife after all.
With nothing but my thoughts to occupy me, my mind wandered. First to my past, then to abstract ideas, the kind that scholars and philosophers debated endlessly. Truth, equality, the nature of human existence.
What is truth?
For example, the truth is far more complex in nature than one might assume.
If you were to pull out a dictionary, you would get simplistic answers. The truth is factual or in accordance with reality. In every language, truth is often ascribed to things that aim to represent actuality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, propositions, and declarative sentences.
Falsehood is normally seen as the polar opposite of truth. Truth is argued in a variety of situations, including philosophy, art, theology, and science. Most human activities depend upon the concept where its nature as a concept is assumed rather than being a subject of discussion; examples include most sciences, law, journalism, and everyday life.
Some philosophers believe that the concept of truth is fundamental and that it can not be articulated in terms that are more understandable than the concept of truth itself. The most prevalent interpretation of truth is that it is the connection of language or idea to the mind-independent universe.
The correspondence of truth is the name for this approach.
Various theories and views of truth continue to be debated among scholars, philosophers, and theologians. There are many different questions about the nature of truth, which are still the subject of contemporary debates such as:
How do we define truth?
Is it even possible to give an informative definition of truth?
What things are truth-bearers and are therefore capable of being true or false?
Are truth and falsehood bivalent, or are they're other truth values?
What are the criteria that allow us to identify it and distinguish it from falsehood?
What role does truth play in constituting knowledge?
And is truth always absolute, or can it be relative to one's own perspective?
For generations, there has been on what is truly good and what is truly wrong. Many conservatives still think that truth is pure reality with no room for deception. Others contrastingly feel that truth is relative - that is to say, an individual's own perception of ideals and decisions.
As a result, truth varies among people due to their differing viewpoints. However, the truth is something that everyone believes to be correct. Hence, it is heavily reliant on what a person believes to be real. On the other hand, truth uttered with malice can be far more damaging than a regular old lie. Therefore, truth is defined as a statement that is consistent with reality and enjoyment.
The more I thought, the deeper I sank into the endless spiral of questions with no answers. Until—
A glow.
A brilliant, golden radiance split through the void, searing into what I assumed were my retinas—if I even had eyes anymore. It was warm, overwhelming, almost tangible. The presence within it was powerful, vast in a way I couldn't quite comprehend.
Then, from within the light—
A voice.
"Well, well, it seems my presence has caused you some confusion."
The glow receded, revealing a woman.
She was… breathtaking. Ethereal.
Long, silky crimson hair cascaded down her back like liquid fire, and her silver eyes gleamed with an inner radiance. Tiny golden star-like symbols adorned her pupils, glimmering as though holding the cosmos within them.
She wore a flowing, iridescent gown, its fabric shifting through soft gradients of purple, pink, orange, and blue as if woven from the colors of dusk and dawn. Delicate embroidery ran across the fabric—three symbols: an ouroboros, phoenix feathers, and a blooming lotus flower. The very cycle of life, stitched into her being.
Around her waist, a belt of shimmering stardust cinched the gown, its central buckle an hourglass, the sands within swirling in a never-ending flow. Her sandals, woven from living vines, bore tiny charms—flowers in bloom for spring, lush leaves for summer, rich autumn hues, and frost-kissed silver for winter.
A necklace rested against her collarbone, its pendant depicting the phases of the moon, with a glowing pearl at its center—perhaps symbolizing the soul itself. Spiral-shaped earrings of gold and silver adorned her ears, and her wrists bore interlocking bangles inscribed with symbols I did not recognize, yet instinctively understood to mean life and death.
Atop her head sat a circlet, a delicate weaving of branches, leaves, and flowers. And at its heart was a single, luminous moonstone.
This was no ordinary being.
"If I'm not mistaken," I spoke at last, my voice steady, despite the strangeness of the situation. "You are a goddess."
She smiled, the expression both knowing and amused.
"Why, yes, I am," she confirmed, her voice like the melody of a distant, eternal song. "Specifically, I am a Goddess of Reincarnation. And you, Sumire, have been chosen to undergo reincarnation.."
I did not react outwardly, but inwardly, I processed her words carefully.
So, reincarnation was real. That explained… quite a bit, actually.
"Right now, let's get down to business."
With a light clap of her hands—three times in perfect rhythm—golden lights flickered into existence, each taking shape as objects materialized before us. A green chair. A yellow chair. A mahogany table.
"Take a seat," she said, gesturing with graceful ease. "We have much to discuss."
I hesitated only a moment before complying, lowering myself onto the chair. The moment I sat, the sensation of gravity, of weight, returned to me—familiar yet foreign in this strange space.
A thought surfaced in my mind, one I could not ignore.
"May I inquire," I began, unable to restrain my curiosity, "if my supposition regarding the presence of an intricate procedure guiding the phenomenon of reincarnation is accurate?"
I wanted to test her knowledge, so I deliberately made my word choice hard to understand.
The goddess laughed softly, a sound like the rustling of leaves in a summer breeze.
"Oh, my dear," she mused, tilting her head slightly, silver eyes twinkling with amusement. "You are an interesting one, aren't you?"
"It only seems logical that that is the reason for having a chat when a person is being reincarnated in the first place."
"Certainly. Anyways I'll begin my explanation if you have any questions just ask okay."
I nodded my head as I chose to listen to her.
"You are being reborn, as I mentioned earlier. But before that, we need to go through the process of utilizing KP—Karmic Points. KP is essentially karma accumulated from your past life. The good you've done and the suffering you've endured both contribute to it." She paused, making sure I was following, "Some actions that are normally seen as 'bad'—such as crimes—can still grant KP if done for purely selfless reasons. Likewise, if your job involves taking lives, like being in the military, your KP remains unaffected if you minimize unnecessary deaths. However, killing excessively or without cause will decrease your KP. Likewise performing good deeds increases KP. This includes Charity."
"So steal from the rich and give to the poor kinda thing." I vocalized my thoughts without meaning too.
"Yes," She said, and then thought about something. "KP is used by those who are undergoing reincarnation to be given access to perks that affect their next life. We actually use a booklet that changes based on the world the person is reincarnating into displaying KP and the perks. Now based on the fact that you have a high KP score you are also allowed to choose an advanced perk for free."
Wait, was my final sacrifice that rewarding?
"Yes." She said as if reading my mind. "You have… 25000 KP, for the life you were forced to endure, and for saving the lives of many people. Though you lost out on 30000 by killing 5 people, you regained 10% of what you lost when you saved those peoples lives."
She then looked at me, her tone becoming more serious, "This makes you eligible for the Dimensional exploration too."
"Dimensional exploration?" I asked, already forming a hypothesis, though I lacked concrete data. "You imply movement beyond the confines of a single multiverse."
The goddess smiled knowingly. "Exactly. You see, most reincarnations occur within a singular multiversal structure—a collection of universes bound by common rules. However, you have been granted access to something beyond that. You will be able to traverse multiple multiverses, unrestricted by a single set of fundamental laws."
That was… interesting. If true, it meant the ability to interact with entirely different cosmological frameworks, diverging power systems, and unique laws of physics. It meant freedom.
"Due to your exceptional KP, you're eligible for this privilege," she continued. "Though, I must clarify—it will not be easy. The more you travel, the greater the challenges you will face. Universes are not meant to be tampered with freely. Some will reject foreign elements, and others will actively seek to eliminate anomalies."
"A system of resistance," I noted. "Designed to preserve internal consistency."
She nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Your journey will not be without risk. But you are not without power."
She waved a hand, and suddenly, a translucent screen materialized in front of me.
[Name: ?
Age: 16
Race: ?
Level: 1
EXP: 0/100]
[HP: ?
MP: ?]
[Stats:
Strength: ?
Agility:?
Vitality: ?
Intelligence: 350
Wisdom: 1500
Luck: ?
Faith: 0?]
[Stat Points: 0]
[Affiliations: ?]
[Occupations: ?]
[Drawbacks: ?]
"Why are these stats question marks?" I asked, looking over them.
"Since you are being reborn, your physical body will regress. And some stats are affected by Perks here."
That was… simple to understand.
I nodded, taking in the explanation. "So, once I finalize my perks, the system will adjust my stats accordingly?"
The goddess smiled. "Exactly. Your intelligence and wisdom remain high due to Axiom Memory and your unique cognitive abilities, but your physical attributes will need to be rebuilt from the ground up. Your body may be 16, but it won't have the same conditioning as your old one."
That was expected. The White Room had pushed my physical training to the extreme, but now I would need to reestablish that foundation. A minor inconvenience.
I turned back to the screen. "And Faith?"
"That stat is related to divine influence. You currently have no faith-based abilities or affiliations, so it remains at zero. It may change depending on future choices—whether you become a god, gain followers, or interact with divine beings."
"Noted." I shifted my attention to the next important aspect. "Let's move on to the perks."
I had known that why my name was question marked was because different Races had different naming conventions and there was a Perk for that.
She clapped her hands again, this time though a notebook, a book containing what looked to be 10,000 pages and a pen. The second shorter book appeared in front of me instantly. This one contained 4 pages.
"Look through that, and you'll see what comes up."
Only 1 caught my eye. And that was because of what I was planning.
[Limit Breaker (EX):
This ability removes the natural limitations placed on the user, allowing for unrestricted growth and evolution. The user is no longer bound by conventional constraints, allowing for unrestrained growth of stats and skills. Meaning that you can level your skills up very quickly.]
This skill was perfect for my plan. And that is if it went well.
With it being added I looked over my skills and realised something…
My skills reflected stuff from my past life with the added Limit Breaker skill.
[Item Skills:]
[Musical Mastery (C): You are a master in all forms of musical instruments. Using this ability, they gain immediate understanding and mastery at using any instrument and all forms of music. You can replicate any song heard or described and have both perfect pitch and the ability to produce any note/tone with any instrument or your own voice.]
[Passive Skills:]
[Gamers Affinity (EX):
Chakra, Qi, Ki, Mana, Cursed Energy, Magicules, Aura, all of them possess unique characteristics however they all embody the same concept of Energy. This skill is granted to the Gamer to have all of these Energies be represented in a singular stat, MP. This means you, the Gamer, can proficiently harness and manipulate any form of Energy. It's noted that the user is granted mastery over these Energies. So long as you have the Skill for these, you can use them.]
[Axiom Memory (EX):
Axiom Memory is a rare and terrifyingly advanced cognitive ability that grants the user a flawless, structured memory system, functioning as an optimized archive of absolute recall. Unlike conventional memory, which is fragmented, fallible, and prone to decay, this ability ensures perfect encoding and instant retrieval of all sensory input, knowledge, and learned information. Where most humans inefficiently store memories, filtering and distorting details over time, the user of Axiom Memory retains everything with precision, allowing for flawless learning, rapid adaptation, and superhuman analytical capacity—elevating them into an intellectual entity beyond ordinary comprehension.]
[Limit Breaker (EX):
This ability removes the natural limitations placed on the user, allowing for unrestricted growth and evolution. The user is no longer bound by conventional constraints, allowing for unrestrained growth of stats and skills. Meaning that you can level your skills up very quickly.]
[Hybrid Skills:]
[Master of Martial Arts (A)
This skill represents a martial artist who has transcended the limits of conventional human combat but has not yet reached the divine level. The user has attained profound expertise in multiple martial arts beyond black belt level, integrating them seamlessly into their combat style.]
I noted the brackets. Ranks.
Well that did not matter as the book vanished. The advanced perks disappeared and the main larger book floated into my hands, and the notebook.
I had chosen 1 already.
Race Selection: I could choose my Race.
I found it… 5,000 KP cost,
20,000 left.
After that, I went back, starting from square 1.
This was going to take a while.
———————————
After several hours, like 15 hours of straight up reading. Even my mimetic condition had a hard time keeping up with the raw information. But it kept up enough to let me note the perks I wanted in the book onto the notebook.
The Goddess had vanished–potentially doing her job–as soon as I started reading the book.
Starting off I brought the skill: Omnilingualism.
I had learned Japanese, English, Spanish, Hindu, Russian, French, Chinese, Mandarin, Arabic, Portuguese and many many others back in the White Room. I had learned to read, write and speak them as fluently as a native speaker.
Buying a skill that lets me pick up more languages with ease was… the logical choice.
It was around 2,500 points so it wasn't a big dent in my resources.
What was odd was that it formed a skill.
[Omnilingualism (A-):
You can learn to understand and speak any language mere seconds after learning it, including ancient, lost, alien, even divine dialects.]
So I was right in that some of these would become Skills.
The next I picked helped with the luck Stat.
Fortune: Start with 2x the Luck of a normal Human with good luck.
That was 500 points.
So I had around 17,000 left.
With that, I took one named Gambler's Spirit.
It gave me five Common Gems which would randomly give me an item when used.
That was around 1000 points. Potentially because of the good rewards I could get.
After that came I chose a perk which made a skill, like what happened with the Omnilingualism one.
[Gamers Mind (EX):
A powerful mental fortification that grants you an unshakable, calculating mindset, immune to emotional instability and mental interference. This skill provides total resistance to fear, stress, mind control, illusions, and all forms of psychological and emotional manipulation. Even supernatural attempts to invade, alter, or influence your thoughts are outright nullified.]
I wasn't picking up Gamers Body because it would be a massive waste. might have to have visible wounds, maybe lose an arm, but that would heal.
Anyways that puts me down to 11,000 Kp.
I chose another Perk that went into a skill.
[Natural Regeneration (A):
Your body heals from injuries at an astonishing rate, even during combat. Wounds that would take days or weeks to recover from for a normal person are repaired within minutes or seconds.]
After seeing all of that, I added a combat enhancement perk, Though it was only so I could simulate a certain technique before I learned it.
[Mana Burst (A+):
A powerful technique that converts mana into pure force, momentarily amplifying the user's physical capabilities beyond natural limits. By expending Mana (MP), you gain an immense boost to strength, agility, and durability. The magnitude and duration of the enhancement depend on the amount of mana consumed. When it is activated an Aura bursts outwards from your body.]
Going down to 7000.
I realised it, I was going to be completely overpowered when I was reborn.
To fit with the Mana Burst, I picked…
[Mana Absorption (A+):
You constantly absorb mana from your surroundings, passively refueling you. Allowing you to regenerate your energy rapidly, making it almost impossible for you to tire in battle or intense situations.]
That put me at the perfect amount of 3500.
The next perk was:
[Sixth Sense (B+):
You have a heightened, supernatural awareness that allows you to perceive hidden threats, unseen entities, and impending danger without relying on the conventional senses. This ability grants an instinctual understanding of one's surroundings, enabling you to detect hostile intent, traps, ambushes, and even distortions in reality.]
That was 1500.
The last 2 I got added 5 Healing Potions to my [Items] alongside one… very powerful healing item.
I needed that in case things got tough and I needed a quick power up.
You can probably tell I was choosing Saiyan now.
I closed the notebook with a soft thud, exhaling as I leaned back in my chair. Even with my Axiom Memory, going through thousands of perks had been a daunting task. The sheer volume of choices, the nuances of each ability, the potential interactions between them—it had been a meticulous process.
Yet now, after fifteen straight hours, I was finally done.
I had optimized everything to perfection. I had enough power to thrive, enough versatility to adapt, and enough contingencies in place for unexpected developments.
And as I finished my selection, the space around me shifted.
The void pulsed, as though reacting to my decision. A familiar warmth returned—golden light flooding the darkness, illuminating everything in its path. And then, as before, she appeared.
The Goddess of Reincarnation stood before me once again, her presence as otherworldly and majestic as before. The ethereal glow of her silver eyes, the cascading crimson hair, the very air around her seemed to shimmer with power.
She smiled, satisfied.
"Oh my, I leave for a little while and you're already done? I must say, Sumire, you're… efficient."
She didn't even sound surprised—just amused.
"I assume everything is in order?" I asked, keeping my tone level.
She clapped her hands once. The notebook and book vanished. The air rippled as a translucent screen appeared in front of me.
[Finalized Perks and Abilities Selected]
[Omnilingualism (A-) – Instantly learn and understand any language.]
[Fortune – Starts with double the Luck of an average human with good fortune.]
[Gambler's Spirit – Grants five Common Gems, which contain randomized items.]
[Gamer's Mind (EX) – Complete immunity to mental interference and emotional instability.]
[Regeneration (A) – Rapid healing, even in combat.]
[Mana Burst (A+) – Converts mana into pure force, boosting physical stats.]
[Mana Absorption (A+) – Passively regenerates mana, making exhaustion difficult.]
[Sixth Sense (B+) – Heightened perception of threats and hidden dangers.]
[Healing Potions – Restores 5% HP instantly upon use.
[Senzu Beans – A powerful healing item with unknown effects.
[Remaining KP: 0]
I nodded. "It looks correct."
She hummed, stepping forward with a curious tilt of her head. "You made some… interesting choices. You didn't take Gamer's Body, but you did take Mana Burst and Regeneration. You plan to experience real combat, don't you?"
I met her gaze. "Of course."
I wasn't about to throw away my understanding of battle. Pain was a teacher. Gamer's Body would have dulled that. It might have given me an advantage in durability, but I wouldn't truly feel the fight. I wouldn't learn from every cut, every bruise, every mistake.
The Goddess grinned. "You really are an interesting one."
She waved a hand, and another screen appeared.
[Final Confirmation: Race Selection]
[Saiyan – Chosen.]
[Name Update: Sumire → Kaelith]
I stared at the new name.
Kaelith.
That… wasn't something I chose.
I glanced up at the Goddess, silently demanding an explanation.
She chuckled, amusement dancing in her celestial gaze. "It is part of the rebirth process. Your name aligns with your chosen race. 'Kaelith' fits your new identity better than 'Sumire' ever could."
I frowned slightly. "I see."
It made sense. Different races had different naming conventions. My former name had Japanese origins, but now that I was Saiyan, a name shift was inevitable.
Kaelith.
It felt foreign, yet oddly natural.
Kale + Lillith, huh?
I supposed I could get used to it.
The Goddess clapped her hands one last time. This time, the world shuddered.
The void rippled, bending and distorting. The chairs and table disappeared, dissolving into golden dust. The once-empty expanse became unstable, as though reality itself was preparing to eject me.
"This is it," she said, stepping closer. "Your new journey begins now, Kaelith."
The way she said it, so naturally, solidified it in my mind. I was Kaelith now.
No longer Sumire.
No longer the girl forged in the White Room.
No longer bound by the past.
Although… I would miss Mei dearly, and my 2 best friends, this was true freedom from the chains of my past.
The Goddess reached forward, placing a single finger against my forehead.
"You will awaken soon," she murmured. "Good luck."
The world exploded into light.