What comes after death?
For me, it's a new life.
I went to bed as usual. The same routine. Dinner, brush my teeth, wank myself a couple of times, then sleep.
Bright.
I woke up in utter brightness. What was this, heaven?
I'm lucid dreaming again.
"No, you're not," someone said. The voice echoed.
Oh, my subconscious.
"No, I'm god."
Which one?
"The only one. Xarphantus!"
Yeah? Then why don't you bend over so I can-
"I wouldn't finish that thought if I were you. To give you more context," the voice was almost too casual. Too frigging bright, I couldn't keep my eyes open. No, I was probably still asleep and just- "You died in your sleep, choked in your own spit, and now can choose to reincarnate."
Oh, how cute. Choked on spit? What the hell do you take me for? This is my dream. Just fucking bend over!
"You have two choices. If you want to return to earth, you'll be a caterpillar in the Amazon rain forest."
If I don't?
"You may start a new life on Sundra."
I don't know about all that, but I'm not becoming a bug, and you're going to bend over if it's the last thing you-
Darkness.
Falling.
Thud.
"Ow… oh? My voice." I groaned awake.
Did I roll off the bed?
Soft, textured? I didn't have a mat.
So… oh, grass? Actual grass!
The hazy darkness faded to a dark brown mist. Trees all around, some glittering things in the pond. Pond?
Trees?
"Where the fuck am I?"
Another lucid dream?
But this time no self-proclaimed god came over. "Ow…" It hurt to pinch. All fingers accounted for, and while I could think about what I was doing here, I couldn't remember why I was here.
Half 'n half of lucid. No, this wasn't a lucid dream. The mist moved. Something howled. Chill spread over my damn body. The pond glittered.
Damp smell.
This was not a dream.
Wait that dream was real? Then God… I asked him to bend over… Groaning, I stomped my feet a couple of times.
The fuck had I done? Didn't I always ask God to transport me away from earth? To another world, to anywhere but there, to… anywhere.
Yet I botched it.
No, it was still too soon to be thinking about another life, reincarnation and all that crap. First of all, my body was still-
Wait, why do I… why's my skin darker? I wasn't black. I wasn't quite brown either. Rather, it was… different. Reddish dark. Crimson?
The fuck?
Lighting?
SQUEWE!!!
Close.
I kept my vision sharp. But the mist covered everything. I couldn't tell much of anything past a meter or two. Nothing at all.
God damn it, where's my princess, where's my powers, where's my damn cheat equipment! Who fuck drops a new guy in a forest in the middle of the fucking night?
"Fuck you, you asshole god," I cursed and immediately ducked.
Growl.
Barely dodged.
It hopped right back into the mist.
The fuck was that… Heart throbbed.
I hunched but something warm tickled on my cheek… red.
Blood.
Fuck!
It stung now.
God! No, fuck god!
I searched all over my body. Nothing. Not even a pen knife. Nothing!
Just rags.
Swish!
There!
Slam! I slammed my fist in the air, knocking whatever the hell that came for me. Whatever it was, squeaked, swiveled, and threw me up in the air, slamming me down on the ground.
"Ach!" Breath knocked out. Something cracked. Stinging, sizzling- "Argh!"
[Warning, HP critically low.]
Something flashed.
"Squewe!" something hopped. White. Red eyes. Big ears. Long ass legs. A fucking bunny rabbit on two legs. Two kangaroo like long ass legs, and teeth. Something between the teeth. Chewing.
A finger?
"Huh?" pain seared through my hand.
I was missing two fingers. Blood spewing.
Gritting my teeth, I forced the tears to stop. I had to, I had to… run.
Run!
Legs beckoned to crack from the pressure yet I didn't fall. I didn't swerve. I ran.
I ran fast, and avoided a tree headfirst, barely able to dodge, crashing into the damn hard ground a second later.
No sound.
Nothing.
Just my breath. My beats. My sweat. My blood.
I'm dead.
"Squewe!"
Behind.
I rolled. The last of my strength, spent.
"Grr-" it bit into my neck.
[Warning HP critically low.]
The pain burned yet the haze only got hazier.
Cold.
Cold?
Cold.
Slow darkness.
Muttering winds.
Such paltry desires.
Sigh….
[Suggestion: Use the last of your strength to puncture the enemy instead. Suggested ability: Defiance.]
What the hell was this thing even…
Whatever.
"Defa…" The words gargled up as red liquid guzzled out; my hands burned with luster and as though pre-programmed, moved on their own.
Wham!
Slamming into the thing, puncturing its chest in one fell swoop like obsidian, and then dropping.
The sudden movement left a big gash on my neck. Thud. I fell.
The chill had only gotten worse.
Vision fading.
Hearing gone.
Heart… stopping-
[Confirming kill. Confirmed! Initiating soul absorption. Mengul Stage 3 absorbed. Exp gained 1257]
[Level up X7]
The pain vanished.
Yet.
Darkness.
***
When I woke up, I was in somewhat of a dried pool, but a pool of blood regardless. The monster like thing was here too and it looked a bit small now. White fur, punctured innards, and…
It looked so cute. It made cute sounds. However, damn thing was a death sentence. It had killed-
My hand rushed to my neck. No wound.
My hand?
The fingers were all there.
The messages. Levels. Exp.
"Menu!"
Nothing happened.
"Status bar?"
Nothing happened.
"Inventory!"
Nothing.
I got excited over nothing. But I did read those messages. They were real. That move, that burning in my hand… it was all real.
So was this monster, now dead.
The mist hadn't gotten any less thick. It was still the same. The stars moved ever so slightly, or maybe it was just my imagination.
Leaves swayed, something in the distance kept howling. The pond, shimmering. Nothing had changed, really.
And yet, why the hell am I so calm?
"Squewe!?"
Goosebumps. All over.
I jumped up, ears strained.
"Squewe!"
"Defiance!" Like a juvenile, I shouted at the top of my lungs and watched as the heat that I expected, did not calm at all, and my fist powerlessly crashed against my impending death.
Wham!
Blood splattered.
But it went flying instead.
[Confirmed kill. Initiating soul absorption. Mengul Stage 2 absorbed. Exp gained 234!]
Huh.
Stage… also a lot less exp. No level up. Interesting.
Is it weak or am I stronger?
I sat down again. My vision, on the pond, but my ears everywhere else. Judging by how things were going, more were bound to come here. But without knowing where I even was, it was dangerous to move around. Despite my struggles, I'd survived so far, I could probably survive just a bit longer till dawn.
What if something comes up from the damn pond? God, I wished it didn't.
God, fuck god!
Rustle.
Was the asshole still listening to my thoughts!?
Something's on that tree… observing.
"You," voice.
Clear voice.
"I'm so sorry!" my voice betrayed my rage, coming out so clear and smooth.
"What are you doing out here? Do you have a death wish? There's a stage three Mengul-" The voice paused.
The tree. It really was something, and not my imagination.
It dropped next to me. I jerked away.
Long, humanoid, and… a woman? At least I thought her to be a woman.
"Right. I got lost. If you would just tell me which way to go, to leave, I'll be more than happy to run-"
"This is a stage 3 Mengul. Did you… by any chance, kill it?"
"Nope. It was dead when I got here."
"I see. Then would you mind sharing the corpse with me?"
"If you would tell me how to leave-"
"I'd be more than happy to take you out myself."
I'd have been more than happy myself but I couldn't trust her. Not after she mysteriously appeared only after I killed two of these things, just to get the damn corpses. Not to mention she kept observing me for who knew how long.
But I had no choice.
"Alright."
"Excellent. I'm sure we can make a lot of money from this. This would-" She took off her mask. "Jayleen."
"Quinine."
"Umm… nice meeting you Qui… nine."
Well, it was a fake name but she didn't have to rub it in like that.
"How're we moving the cor-"
Gone.
Just gone.
It fucking disappeared, even the blood was gone!
"Oh, do you not have transport magic?"
"No?"
"What travesty. Poor thing. Come, let us leave before the others take notice."
Her speech.
"Right." I walked behind her, casually. "You do sound quite human."
"Hmm? How do you mean?"
"I mean, you almost sound real."
"I don't understand."
"Me neither; I probably watched too many doppelganger videos. I'm just babbling-"
"To think, you'd figure out my disguise. You Amren truly are marvelous. Not only did you-"
What the fuck is this woman even going on about?
Her skin turned pale, milky pale; her teeth grew and two wings emerged from her back. Her rotten laugher filled the air with a damp smell. "Now, kneel before my might-"
"Oh, wow you're so pretty!" I chirped.
Yeah, I'd seen how demons or whatever the fuck she was, could be buttered up with-
It laughed. "Indeed, I Jayleen am the most beautiful among of all Zermin. And it would be your pleasure to be devoured by me."
"Sexually?"
"No? Are you confused?"
"Yes, very," I jumped back and could have sworn I heard a sound but it was just the woman and she right before me in the speck of a second. She was certainly a lot faster-
Crash!
I crashed into a tree. Something cracked, stinging searing pain spread. "Again?" I groaned.
[Warning, HP critically low.]
"Such confusion," she said.
"Well then fucking give me abilities so it doesn't get that way, okay?"
"Oh, you poor thing. Just how confused might you be? Let me ease your suffering-"
She was so close to me, so damn close. She lifted me up with one hand and cocked her head ever so slightly, smiling. Yeah, damn thing was a bit pretty.
But sadly- "Defiance!" I punched its face.
"Defiance? Oh, you mean, you'd rather rebel against my pity? Such, sadness."
Wham!
Slam!
Wham!
She giggled, and slammed me on the ground like a ragdoll, over and over again, before the last of my breath expelled.
Couldn't breathe.
Blood.
Blood pooled.
[Suggestion: Use of Secondary ability permitted. You may now sacrifice your left hand to temporarily stun the enemy. Please shout "unhand me, demon."]
Yeah, there was no doubt about it. Whatever it was, be it God or some angel thing in me, it was messing with me. Having fun.
Gritting my teeth, I flailed erect. "I will Kill you, God, and every little shit that stands in my way of a new life."
"Aww, how cute," the teeth widened, the luster in her eyes ever so shinier. "I will enjoy your splendor roasted!"
"I prefer steaks. 'Unhand me demon!"
"Huh? Wha?" she cocked her head.
Roundhouse kick. Lost balance.
Fucking idiot!
"Seriously what are you doing? It's so funny; I'm almost tempted to take you in as a pet."
"ARGHHH!!!" My left hand burned, twisted and then fell off.
Eye wide.
Mouth wider.
Huh.
[Defiance now available.]
"I hate you," the words emerged.
"Oh you hate me? That's so sad… I'm hurt; you'd make a poor pet."
"DEFIANCE!!!" I slammed my fist.
It went right through her heart.
She looked at me with disbelief before falling on her back. Dead.
No words. No mockery.
Just dead.
What the fuck even happened?
[Confirming kill. Confirmed! Initiating soul absorption. Lesser Zermin Stage 3 absorbed. Exp gained 1957]
[Level up X3!]
[State 2 reached!]
"ARGHH!!!" Pain seared through all over my body, basked in some unholy dark light. Bits of fiber stretched from my hole of a left arm, something white emerging, culminating, sending wave after wave of stinging, burning, flaring, sensation of-
I passed out.