Rei Ardent never thought his life would end in a convenience store parking lot, of all places.
He had always imagined something dramatic. Maybe saving a kid from a truck. Maybe collapsing after solving some massive crisis. Or at the very least, something that would let people say, "He went out in a meaningful way."
Instead, he died because a stack of poorly tied delivery boxes toppled over and smashed him into the pavement.
It wasn't even a heroic death.
It wasn't even a tragic one.
It was the kind of thing that made headlines like "Man Dies in the Most Ridiculous Way Possible."
Rei groaned as darkness swallowed him.
"So that's it? That's how I go out? Seriously…?"
His voice echoed in a place that didn't feel like a body. It didn't even feel like a place.
He had no arms, no legs, no breath, no heartbeat.
Only thought.
And a strangely calm nothingness.
A light flickered in the void.
[Life Terminated.]
[Reincarnation Candidate Detected.]
"Reincarnation…? Like in those novels? I knew I should've read more of them…"
The voice—not quite robotic, not quite divine—continued without pause:
[Assigning Unique Ability.]
[Evaluating soul potential…]
Rei braced himself. Every reincarnation protagonist got something cool: elemental affinities, overpowered magic, a cheat system, maybe even a dragon form.
The light pulsed.
[Unique Skill Granted: "Avatar Creation"]
"Avatar… Creation?" Rei repeated. "Like… making characters? That sounds kind of—"
[You May Now Design Living Beings.]
[Appearance: customizable.]
[Talents: customizable.]
[Personality: customizable.]
[Evolution Potential: Unlimited.]
[All experiences and mastery gained by created Avatars will be shared with the Creator.]
Rei stared into the glowing emptiness.
"Wait. Wait. You're telling me I get to… create actual people? And they grow stronger… and I get stronger too?"
The light responded with its usual neutrality:
[Correct.]
Rei felt a rush of excitement. His boring life, his embarrassing death, all of it suddenly made sense. Maybe fate had pity on him. Maybe this was his second chance.
Maybe he was meant for something more.
One more message appeared:
[Reincarnation Initiating.]
[Prepare for transfer to the world of Arclight.]
Rei felt himself being pulled forward, or upward, or sideways—he couldn't tell. The void twisted, colors he had never seen before swirling around him.
Just before the pull consumed him completely, he whispered into the light:
"…Fine. If that world will give me a chance to create my own destiny, then I'll become something amazing this time."
[Initialization Complete.]
[Good luck, Rei Ardent.]
Light exploded around him.
And thus began the story of a man who died unnoticed, but would rise as an overlord of his own making.