Wait, how did I get here?
Let's see. My sister was sick, so like a good big sister I volunteered to donate one of my kidneys, I was prepped for surgery and now… I'm in some sort of void?
Am I dead, or maybe in a coma? That would be a pretty boring way to go, but I don't regret it. At 28 years old, I can't say I lived a long life, but I had a good time, made good friends, and read some good books. I also had some wonderful nights with some lovely ladies over the years, so all in all, I can't complain. But I do wonder if my sister's surgery went ok. It would suck if I died and she didn't even make it.
"While it is nice that you are not a whiner, it is ok to wish for more. And to answer your question, yes your sister did survive. In fact she went on to live a nice long life with a loving husband and three kids. They even named their firstborn daughter after you. She grew up into a kinky lesbian too, they liked to joke that she must be your reincarnation, although it is actually just an amusing coincidence."
It is nice to hear that it went so well for my sister, and it sounds like I would have loved to meet my niece, but oh well. Wait… who said that?! I whirl around, (which I'm not sure how I did seeing as I'm incorporeal and in a limitless void) taking in the sight of a glowing feminine figure. I can't really describe her, if I focus on any individual part of her face it looks completely normal, but something in the back of my mind keeps me from seeing her as anything other than unknowable. Something more , or other . While I try to puzzle out what it is I'm feeling, I fill the silence saying, "I think I've seen this one, are you some sort of goddess in charge of reincarnation?"
She smiles slightly, "Something like that. You died with pretty high karma, so you do qualify for placement in a paradise realm." She leans forward, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Between you and me, paradise realms are boring . It's all peace and serenity, but nothing ever happens! Which is fine for old souls who have accomplished their life's ambition, but a young lady like you would probably rather have another shot at life, right? Which brings us to option two! Reincarnation!"
I'm practically bouncing with excitement. "Yes, kind goddess lady! Actually that was rather rude of me, what's your name? Mine is…" I started to panic slightly, I could not remember my name!
"Names are quite meaningful amongst higher beings, so it is actually quite rude to ask for mine. Don't worry, I will forgive you this time." Her smile never wavered, but a feeling of dread came over me as she spoke. I felt as if a mountain was being pressed down on me, the weight of her disapproval was that strong.
"That said you can refer to me as a guide, for that is my role in your reincarnation. And do not worry about not being able to remember your name. It is easier for reincarnators if they do not cling to their past life too much. Accepting your new identity will make that easier."
"Thank you for your patience Miss Guide, so how does this work? Do I just name a type of world I would like or something?" I would love to be in a fantasy world, being able to cast spells and sleep with pretty catgirls is the dream.
"No, your new home will be selected at random based on your karma value. For example a low karma individual might be reincarnated in Game of Thrones or Warhammer 40k. The likelihood of such an individual enjoying their new life is quite low. With your karma value the worlds that you could go to are generally pleasant, but there are real threats to that peace."
"Wait, aren't those worlds fictional? Are all fictional worlds real? What about fanfics? Also why do low karma people reincarnate too?"
"What makes you think those worlds are fictional? Maybe they are real and your authors caught glimpses of them in dreams and flashes of inspiration. And also, for all you know you are from a fictional world, just a mob in someone else's story. World trees are vast things with innumerable branches for the many variations that any particular story can take. Fanfics rarely have their own branch in a world tree, but it does happen occasionally. In your new life I would suggest you avoid abusing children unless you want a drunk, half naked ice goddess to show up and ruin your day. And finally anyone can be reincarnated if a higher being chooses to let them. We generally choose those that we think might be entertaining to watch, but their karma value determines what kind of world they qualify for. Anything else?"
"No, thank you for the explanation, Miss Guide. And don't worry, I wasn't planning on abusing any children. So please, let me reincarnate."
Her face takes on a serious expression, " Are you absolutely sure you want to be reincarnated? Once the world is selected you will not be able to change your mind, and a paradise realm is still available to you right now."
Hmmm. While it is risky, I think I want to still be reincarnated. If I wanted to be safe I would choose to go to a paradise realm, but I still have some sense of adventure in me. Besides, Earth was generally pleasant with some real threats to peace. So at worst, it would be like back at home. "I choose reincarnation."
She smiles, "Very well, let us continue." A giant wheel like in game shows appeared, with the names of thousands upon thousands of worlds written down. At a glance I could see options like Harry Potter and Black Clover. The Guide let out a polite cough, "If you would spin the wheel please?" I do so, and the wheel spins far faster than I would have thought. A kaleidoscope of colors spins before me, the most important roll of the dice in my life… or afterlife? Eventually the wheel slows down and then stops. My Hero Academia.
A world where teenagers go to superhero highschool to learn how to fight bad guys and save the day. I never watched more than a handful of clips of the show, but my sister was a huge fan and would ramble on about it. Unfortunately she would mostly talk about her favorite ships, she was a big fan of enemies to lovers for some reason, so I only know the basics of the plot. Crybaby protagonist is born without a quirk, the show's term for superpowers, but wants to be a hero anyway. The world's strongest hero gives him his quirk so he can be a hero too. Meanwhile the villain bad touch guy is working for an eviler villain that can steal quirks and give them to other people.
I also am familiar with a few of the lovely ladies from the show due to some, ahem, cultured art. But that's about all I know. Well, I guess I can just look at it as not knowing any spoilers! But I hope I get a versatile quirk. I always hated how superheroes and anime mages are limited to one power. I like to be a jack of all trades, master of some, you know?
"My Hero Academia, that is quite the popular one. Now for your other spin, this time for your isekai cheat power." The wheel in front of me changed, filling with all sorts of powers that could make or break my new life. I close my eyes, I do not want to see some power that I have my heart set on only to be stuck with some lame power. Better to not know what I'm missing. I reach forward and spin the wheel. Somehow this makes me even more nervous than the world selection spin. Then the wheel finally stops, and the Guide lets out a giggle. "That is quite the power, I think you will enjoy it."
I opened my eyes to see what my new power was. The powers of Shiraori (Goddess) from So I'm a Spider, So What?! Oh that's perfect! Shiraori, aka White, is a bonafide badass! Once she became a god(lol) she could use the power of her soul to do all kinds of awesome things. Power up her body, use all sorts of magic including teleportation and elemental magic, web powers, making giant spider monsters, and even draining the life out of people with the power of her evil eyes! But wait, if I have White's powers does that mean… "Miss Guide, can I ask a few questions?"
"Sure, and to answer your first question, no. The evil God D will not appear to mess with you." Well that's a relief, in the story D is an immensely powerful goddess that enjoys watching White struggle. Even by the end of the series White doesn't stand a chance against her. But wait, how did the Guide know my question? Is she reading my mind or… "I'm reading your soul, which is much more informative than reading a mind." Gah! Well I guess that answers that, I should speak quickly if I want to actually ask any questions.
"Won't I be super overpowered? After all, White could literally destroy worlds by the end of the story if she wanted to. Her final battle with Black needed to take place in an alternate dimension so they could go all out!"
She shakes her head. "While you may indeed become overpowered over the course of your life you will have to earn that strength. Remember, White uses conjuration to turn the power of her soul into magic and effect change in the world. And the reason her soul is so strong is…"
I nerd out, "Because she ate the MA energy bomb and was able use it to become a god with D's help! But I will just have a normal human soul! So is there a way to make my soul stronger?"
"Indeed. There are numerous methods to strengthen your soul. I will even tell you two of them. First, souls naturally strengthen over time. It varies from person to person, but the average 40 year old soul will be stronger than the average 20 year old soul. The second method works best for those aware of their own soul, although anyone can use it to some extent. People can meditate on their soul to cultivate its growth." I shudder at the word cultivate. "Don't worry junior, this venerable one isn't telling you to join a sect or anything. Just do some meditation, it will come naturally." She says with a smirk.
"As for the other methods, I will let you figure them out on your own. You are also gaining some of White's memories and instincts, so you should know how to use your new powers. There may be a little personality bleed over, but it is the only practical way to teach you how to use your new powers. Some of them may work a bit differently though, so I would be careful. When in doubt, trust your instincts. Also one last bit of advice. I would avoid trying to use your annihilating evil eye for a while, because it will kill you."
I really didn't need that advice, even when White was at full power she rarely used that particular double-edged sword. A thought suddenly occurred to me, "Will the big bad be able to steal my powers?"
The Guide gives me another smirk before saying, "You actually get a choice for this last bit. You can choose to reincarnate with a random family in Japan, or you can choose to possess the body of a five year old girl who died. The reason you can do this is because her body and your soul are quite compatible. Either way the quirk you get will be effectively useless, your soul will be your primary strength." So she's just going to ignore me huh? That annoys me a bit but I supposed she has been more than patient with me. As for the question of how I want to enter the world…
"Am I going to be reborn as a male or female? And how did that girl die?"
"If you choose to be reborn then you have equal chances of being born male or female. The girl tripped and hit her head on the corner of a table. If you choose her then your soul will take over right after her's leaves and then you will heal the wound from the table. You also will receive that body's memories. Either way you will be the same age as Midorya so you can go to UA with the main cast" Hmmm. Well I think the choice is clear. I really don't want to be reborn as a male, and the body takeover thing seems about as ethically sourced as it could be. While it would be nice to get those extra five years to cultivate *shudder* I am still going to be a 28 year old soul in the body of a 5 year old, so that should still be a nice head start. Also, I REALLY do not want to experience being born, or being a baby so…
"I would like to take over for the child. I would really prefer to stay as a woman, and while I won't be the same as the child they lost, I'm sure my new parents would prefer having me over burying their daughter." The Guide's face put on a strange expression for a moment before smoothing back into her pleasant smile.
"Very well. We likely will never meet again, but you have been a pleasant soul so I wish you luck. Especially on your harem queen ambitions." She says with a wink. I let out a squeak. How did she know? Right, she can read my soul. Fricken all powerful higher beings. It's not like it is my primary goal or anything! It would just be nice is all…
Suddenly I feel a lurch, followed by a blinding pain in my forehead that slowly recedes as the wound on my head slowly heals. I hear grunting and muffled pleas. I stand up and look around, unused to seeing the world from such a small perspective. The thing that immediately grabs my attention is the angry large man, kicking a sobbing woman on the floor. There is a rush of memories as I try to figure out what is happening.
Seriously Guide? You said the girl died when she tripped and fell. You failed to mention that she was running from her prostitute mother's pimp beating said mother to death.
No Way…