Snow.
Pristine, untouched, a glittering sea of white stretching as far as the eye could see.
The world looked beautiful from the summit. Pure. Peaceful.
Deceptively harmless.
"Come on, Yun-Seong," I muttered under my breath, clicking my boots into the skis with a satisfying snap. "How hard can it be? Pizza slice to slow down, French fries to speed up. Easy."
Spoiler: it was not easy.
I launched myself down the slope with all the grace of a drunk giraffe on roller skates. Wind tore at my jacket, my eyes watered from the cold, and my legs immediately regretted all their life choices.
Still, I was doing it.
For about ten seconds.
Then came the low rumble.
At first, I thought it was the sound of distant thunder.
Then the ground beneath me shuddered.
A wall of white exploded from the peak above—roaring, raging, an unstoppable tsunami of ice and death.
Avalanche.
"Oh, come on!" I screamed as the snow swallowed me whole, hammering me into the mountain like a fly under a boot.
And just like that...
Blackout.
---
When I woke, I wasn't in a hospital.
There were no concerned nurses, no beeping machines.
There wasn't even ground beneath my feet.
Instead, I floated weightlessly in a vast, endless void.
The darkness was complete—not just the absence of light, but a hungry, consuming nothingness that ate sound, sensation, even time itself.
It was so empty that I was pretty sure even loneliness gave up halfway through.
I squinted into the abyss, trying to get my bearings. "Hello? Anyone? God? Satan? Santa Claus?"
Silence.
"Cool," I muttered. "Guess customer service is down."
Just as I was about to start screaming random curse words for entertainment, something shifted in the dark.
A ripple spread through the void, and a Presence took shape—massive, formless, ancient, and somehow radiating an aura of smug amusement.
> "Welcome, Jeong Yun-Seong," the Being said, its voice a hundred whispers layered over a chorus of thunder.
"Right," I said, crossing my arms. "So which department do you work for? Reincarnation? Divine Mistakes? Cosmic Pranks?"
> "You have been randomly selected for reincarnation."
I blinked. "Randomly selected. Out of how many?"
> "Approximately 7.9 billion."The being said Flatley
"Oh wow, lucky me," I deadpanned. "Do I get a T-shirt?"
> "You get something better."
The Being's amusement was almost tangible.
> "You will be allowed to choose the world you reincarnate into. Any world you know of—fictional or otherwise."
Now he had my attention.
I cocked my head. "Any world? Even the messed up ones where everything wants to kill you?"
> "Yes."
"So basically, you're giving me a golden ticket into a horror movie."
> "Only if you choose poorly."
"Great. No pressure."
The Being's 'smile' deepened somehow—no mouth, no face, but pure, smug energy.
> "You may also choose any race. It can be one that exists in fiction... or a custom variant you create. Furthermore, you may design one unique ability, crafted to your specifications,though all of thia must be kept within a certain level."
"Wait, wait, wait," I said, waving my hands. "Let me get this straight. You're letting me isekai myself, build a custom body, and slap a personal cheat code on top once its not to overpowered?"
"Correct."
"...You're either incredibly generous or extremely bored."
"Both."
I sighed dramatically. "Fine. Fine. I'll play your little cosmic game."
---
First things first: the world.
There were a lot of tempting options—One Piece? Naruto? Bleach? Too chaotic. Too many ways to get turned into scenery.
The Beginning After the End, though?
Magic, mana beasts, powerful families, ancient secrets.
The perfect playground.
"I choose The Beginning After the End," I said.
> "Accepted."
A ripple spread through the void, locking in my choice.
Now for the fun part.
"I want to be a variant of a Lunarian from One Piece," I said, grinning. "Let's call it... an Eclipse Lunarian."
> "Define the modifications."
I held up a hand and started ticking off fingers.
"First, the standard Lunarian package:
Natural generation and control of fire,
Ridiculously high durability,
Insane stamina,
Flight via those cool black wings."
The Being hummed thoughtfully.
I smirked. "But that's just the appetizer. Here's the real dish:
Super regeneration, but with a twist—it only activates in extreme darkness. Perfect for dramatic midnight comebacks.
Blood manipulation—because if I'm bleeding, might as well weaponize it.
Even greater durability—enough to tank a hit from an teenage Asura without turning into modern art at ita base level.
Wing concealment—I can fold my wings into a tattoo on my back. Stylish and stealthy.
Weak mind control—enough to 'suggest' ideas to weaker minds, not full-on brainwash.
Dead soul manipulation—I can turn dead souls into shadow soldiers under heavy restrictions. Think 'mini-necromancer,' not 'overpowered Lich King.'
Darkness affinity—I can use the darkness affinity like any other affinity
Main form transformation—after reaching a certain age, I can access my true form in this form all my abiltes are amped.
I folded my arms, satisfied. "In short: part Lunarian, part Asura, part 'try me, I dare you.'"
The Being's silence was almost reverent.
> "Excellent creativity. Now, your ability?"
"My custom ability will be called All Merger," I said proudly.
The Being rippled with curiosity.
"Here's how it works:
Whenever I look at something—an object, a spell, a technique—I gain a basic understanding of how it functions. Not full mastery, just comprehension.
When I know two things well enough, I can merge them into something new.
Spells, skills, weapons, even concepts, if I work hard enough."
I grinned. "Of course, it's not instant. There's effort, learning, experimenting involved. But once I merge something... it's permanent."
The Being pulsed warmly.
> "A versatile, powerful ability requiring effort and ingenuity. Approved."
The void around me began to warp, reality stretching thin like plastic over a fire.
> "Are you ready, Eclipse Lunarian?"
I snorted. "Ready? I've been ready since I faceplanted into that avalanche. Let's do this."
> "You shall be reborn soon. Take care—this path will not be easy."
"Yeah, yeah. Dark lords, world-ending threats, betrayal, heartbreak. I watched anime. I get it."
The Being actually chuckled—a low, resonating sound that made my very bones hum.
> "May your sarcasm be your shield,and the snow your hope."
"And may your voice lessons continue forever," I shot back.
Light exploded around me, dazzling and terrifying, wrapping around my body like molten silk. I felt myself being pulled—through layers of reality, through endless stretches of stars and shattered dreams.
I laughed as I fell, a mad, giddy sound.
"Time to set the world on fire," I thought, just before everything turned blinding white.
End of Chapter 1