Marcus Hale was having a perfectly normal day.
Which, in hindsight, was probably the universe's way of setting him up for something ridiculous.
The late afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky as Marcus stepped out of the small convenience store near his apartment building. A plastic bag dangled from his hand, holding nothing more exciting than instant noodles, bottled water, and a bag of chips.
Dinner of champions.
He stretched his shoulders as he walked across the quiet parking lot.
At six feet tall with a muscular build from years of hauling boxes at a warehouse job, Marcus looked like the type of guy who worked out religiously.
He didn't.
Lifting heavy things for ten hours a day just sort of did that to you.
Marcus popped a chip into his mouth and looked up at the sky.
"Man… today was brutal."
A long shift. Annoying boss. Broken forklift.
Classic Monday.
He sighed and shook his head.
"At least tomorrow can't possibly be worse."
The universe heard that.
And decided to prove him wrong in the most dramatic way possible.
High above the Earth, something burned through the atmosphere.
A tiny fragment of stone—barely the size of a golf ball—had broken away from a much larger asteroid somewhere in the vast emptiness of space.
Most space debris burns up completely before reaching the ground.
This one did not.
It streaked across the sky like a microscopic meteor, traveling faster than a rifle bullet.
Marcus was still chewing his chip.
Still looking up.
Still completely unaware that the worst luck in human history was about to occur.
The meteor fell.
And fell.
And fell.
Until—
Thunk.
Marcus froze.
For exactly half a second.
Then his world went black.
Marcus opened his eyes.
Which was strange.
Because the last thing he remembered was being in a parking lot eating chips.
Now he was… floating?
He sat up quickly.
Or at least he tried to.
His body moved strangely, as if gravity had forgotten how it was supposed to work.
All around him stretched an endless white space.
No walls.
No floor.
No ceiling.
Just pure white.
Marcus blinked.
"...Okay."
He rubbed the back of his head.
"Either I hit my head really hard…"
He looked around again.
"...or I'm dead."
A soft laugh echoed through the empty space.
Marcus nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Correct."
The voice was warm.
Gentle.
Motherly.
Marcus slowly turned around.
And immediately realized two things.
First—
The woman standing behind him was nearly ten feet tall.
Second—
She might be the most beautiful being he had ever seen in his life.
Long golden-blonde hair flowed down her back like liquid sunlight. Her emerald green eyes glowed softly with a light that seemed both powerful and comforting.
She wore a flowing golden dress that shimmered faintly, as if tiny stars were woven into the fabric.
Marcus stared.
Then blinked.
Then stared again.
"...Huh."
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"You seem calmer than most mortals when they discover they've died."
Marcus scratched his cheek.
"Well… depends."
"On what?"
He looked at her carefully.
"Are you an angel?"
She smiled gently.
"Something like that."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Okay, cool."
He crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Then I probably died."
The woman laughed again, clearly amused.
Marcus sighed.
"Alright. I guess I should ask."
He pointed upward.
"Car crash?"
The woman shook her head.
Marcus tried again.
"Plane crash?"
"No."
"...Lightning?"
"No."
Marcus frowned.
"Okay now I'm curious."
The woman covered her mouth slightly, trying—and failing—to hide a smile.
"You were struck by a meteor."
Marcus stared at her.
Silence filled the white void.
"...A meteor."
"Yes."
Marcus blinked slowly.
"Like… space rock?"
"Correct."
He rubbed his face.
"How big?"
The woman paused.
Then said gently:
"About the size of a golf ball."
Marcus stood there for a long moment.
Processing that.
Finally he sighed.
"You know what?"
He threw his hands up.
"I feel like statistically that shouldn't even be possible."
The tall woman laughed again.
"You are correct. The odds were… astronomically small."
Marcus groaned.
"Great. I die because the universe rolled a one in a trillion dice."
The woman stepped forward.
Despite her enormous height, her presence felt strangely comforting.
Like standing near someone who cared about you.
"Because your death was so unfair… I decided to give you another chance."
Marcus blinked.
"Another chance?"
She nodded.
"I oversee a world where mortals are given the opportunity to start again."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"A second life?"
"Yes."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Okay… what's the catch?"
Her smile widened just a little.
"There is no catch."
Marcus stared at her suspiciously.
"That's exactly what someone hiding a catch would say."
The woman laughed softly.
"You are amusing, Marcus."
He froze.
"You know my name?"
"I know many things."
She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
The warmth that spread through him felt strangely comforting.
"You will be reborn in a new world."
"A world of monsters… magic… and opportunity."
Marcus blinked.
"So like… fantasy world stuff?"
"Precisely."
He scratched his head.
"Do I get powers?"
The woman smiled.
"You may choose one talent… and one starting ability."
Marcus's eyes lit up.
"Oh."
"Oh this is gonna be fun."
The goddess chuckled softly.
"Choose carefully."
Marcus thought for a moment.
Then grinned.
"Alright."
"If I only get one talent… I want something broken."
Her emerald eyes sparkled.
"What do you have in mind?"
Marcus snapped his fingers.
"Simple."
"I want a 100% drop rate."
The goddess blinked.
Then laughed.
"A greedy choice."
Marcus shrugged.
"If I'm gonna fight monsters, I want their stuff."
The goddess nodded slowly.
"Very well."
Golden light surrounded him.
Talent Granted: SSS Rank – 100% Drop Rate
Marcus grinned.
"Nice."
He rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, now the ability."
He looked up thoughtfully.
Then suddenly started laughing.
The goddess tilted her head.
"What is amusing?"
Marcus pointed upward.
"If I died from a meteor…"
His grin widened.
"...I think it would be hilarious if I could drop meteors on things."
For the first time, the goddess looked genuinely surprised.
Then she laughed.
A warm, delighted laugh.
"Very well."
Golden light exploded around him again.
Skill Granted: S Rank – Meteor
Marcus pumped his fist.
"Oh this is gonna be awesome."
The goddess placed a gentle hand on his head.
"Good luck, my child."
The white void began to fade.
Marcus blinked.
"Wait—"
He pointed at her.
"You never told me your name!"
She smiled softly.
"My name…"
Her emerald eyes gleamed with ancient power.
"...is Lucifer."
And then the world disappeared.