Darkness swallowed him. Then... nothing. No sky. No ground. No sound. No wind. No sensation at all. An endless white void stretched in every direction.
He stood alone, a silent observer in this impossible space.
"..."
Moments passed, stretching into an eternity. His last memory was a crushing weight, a final, despairing gasp. A flicker of pain, then oblivion. This was certainly not oblivion.
A faint blue light appeared before him. It pulsed, grew brighter, larger. Lines began forming in the air. A screen. A massive translucent blue screen materialized directly in front of his gaze.
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SYSTEM
Welcome, Candidate.
You have been selected for reincarnation.
As compensation for your untimely death, you may choose one starting skill.
Choose wisely.
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Five options appeared beneath the system message, each glowing with an arcane energy.
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METEOR
Cast a meteor from the sky.
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TIME STOP
Stop time until released.
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DRAGON LORD
Command dragons.
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CREATION
Create objects from nothing.
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Treasurery
Able to get loot higher than the rank chest.
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Kieron stared at the menu. His mind struggled to process. Reincarnation? Untimely death? These abilities… they were impossibly grand. He felt a familiar knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach. A choice. Always a choice, and always the fear of choosing wrong.
"...What?" His voice, a rasp he hadn't realized he missed, echoed in the vast emptiness.
The descriptions were absurdly short. No explanation. No warning. No details. Just five abilities that sounded like the stuff of legends. As if sensing his confusion, another message appeared.
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The selected skill cannot be changed.
Your choice will define your future.
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The menu waited silently. No timer. No pressure. No guidance. Just a choice. A very important choice. His gaze drifted over the options. Meteor. Time Stop. Dragon Lord. Creation. Each promised immense power, the kind that could reshape worlds.