It all happened so fast—too fast for his liking. One moment, he was watching videos while having breakfast, and the next, he lost consciousness. Just seconds later, he opened his eyes again.
A blank space. Pure white. Infinite. It was just him and his thoughts—or so he wanted to believe.
"You're wondering where you are," came a deep, melodic voice from behind him, reminiscent of a kind, fatherly tone. He turned around and saw an old man watching him with interest. "Hello there. As you've probably guessed, this is the limbo. I brought you here," the man said calmly, gesturing around.
"This is… Limbo. So I'm between life and death?" He thought quickly based on what he'd just heard, coming to a conclusion: he was either half-dead or half-alive—whichever made more sense.
"No, you're neither half-dead nor half-alive," the old man replied bluntly. "Like I said, I brought you here. Which means… you've already died. Cardiac arrest, specifically." With that, the old man popped the bubble of hope that maybe he was still alive.
"Well then, let's get to the point—or rather, your point," he continued casually. "You might've figured it out already, but if not—allow me to introduce myself. I'm God. Not the one from any particular religion or mythology, just… God. Or maybe one of the gods. Doesn't really matter." Despite having suspected it, the confirmation that this was God—and that there were more than one—surprised him. Even more so was the claim that there was something he was involved in. As far as he remembered, he owed this God nothing.
"No, no, you don't owe me anything," God said as if reading his thoughts. "I brought you here simply to offer you a proposal." He smiled gently. "You see, I'm bored. And I figured—what better entertainment than watching a human become the hero of a story? Thing is, there are no real heroes in today's world. And while you're not exactly a hero either… I had an idea: what if I sent someone to another world?"
"Another world?" he asked, more to himself than to the deity in front of him. "Like those fanfics I used to read when I was younger?" This time, the question was directed at God, who simply nodded.
"And what's the catch?" he asked, knowing full well offers like this never came without a price.
"As I said, I'm just bored and looking for some fun. The deal is simple—you get three wishes and choose the world you'll go to." It really was that simple. A one-of-a-kind chance he wasn't about to pass up—especially since, well, he was already dead. He looked God in the eye and said, "I accept. Just one last question—are there any restrictions on the wishes?"
God smiled at the confirmation. "Only two: you can't wish for something that makes you the strongest from the get-go, and no major changes to the world you're going to." With that, he gave him time to think about the world and the wishes.
After about five minutes, Kael looked him in the eye and said clearly what he wanted. "I'd like to reincarnate in the world of Danmachi. For my first wish, I want to customize my body—things like race, height, eye color, etc. For my second wish, I'd like to have special eyes. I'll let you choose the type. And for my third wish, I want to be a master of two weapons—one primary and one secondary. Again, I'll leave it to you which ones."
God hummed thoughtfully, then granted the first wish. A panel appeared in front of him, filled with customization options.
"I'll grant all your wishes. First, customize your body. I'll give you the other two after that," God said with no objections.
Kael focused, diving into shaping his new body.
Half an hour later...
"Alright, that should do it. I'll be a Felinari—a panther-man. Lean but muscular, built more for speed. I'll be 185 cm tall for a better reach, with black hair and fair skin," he listed while looking at his newly crafted form on the screen.
[Image not found — couldn't find one with panther ears]
[Clothing he'll wear]
"Nicely done," God said with approval, peeking from behind. "It's a great body for a fast warrior."
"As for your eyes... Since you chose to be a panther-man, I'll give you the Eyes of the Beast. They'll grant you heightened perception, night vision, and the ability to spot weak points. Against someone your level or lower, you'll even be able to predict their movements. Just don't overuse them—they consume mana. If you push it, you'll suffer temporary blindness. Rest or replenish your mana to recover." Kael nodded, grateful for the explanation.
"And the last wish?" he asked, a bit anxious.
"Let's go with the classics," God said, snapping his fingers. A katana and a dagger appeared in the white space.
"Katana and dagger. You'll be fast and deadly at both mid and close range. These weapons are tailored to you, but nothing special. They'll be good until around Floor 17. After that, you should either find better ones or hire a blacksmith," he explained briefly.
Then God paused and stared at him for a moment.
"Something wrong?" Kael asked, a little nervous.
"I did say three wishes, and nothing that would throw off the balance of the world… but honestly, your choices were pretty modest. So, I'll throw in some magic. What kind would you like?" God asked, clearly amused.
"Wow, thanks. Um… how about lightning magic?" he answered without much thought, aiming for something offensive.
"Alright. I'll give you lightning magic—but don't expect to blow up buildings from the start. At first, it'll just enhance your attacks a bit. Whether it becomes something powerful depends on you." God granted the magic and gave a clear warning not to rely on it too much.
In the blink of an eye, Kael felt the change. He was younger, taller, slimmer, faster. He had entered his new body. He looked at God and said:
"Thanks again for the opportunity. I'm ready for my new world—for Orario."
He closed his eyes—and when he opened them again, he saw massive walls and a long line of people. He figured this had to be Orario. Alright… time to give it my all, he thought, clenching his fists with excitement.
After a few minutes, he reached the gates, where a guard was stationed.
"Name and reason for coming to Orario," the guard said flatly, clearly bored.
"Kael Raitō. I've come to become an adventurer," he replied calmly. The guard gave a slight nod and let him pass, so he walked in at a steady pace.
Alright. Now I need to find a god to join their familia. I also want to know where in the timeline I've landed—but that can wait. For now, I'll head to the Guild and ask about familias accepting new members, he planned as he walked forward with calm determination… or so he thought. After walking for a while, he got completely lost. So he approached a group of merchants and, after some directions and ten minutes of walking, he finally arrived.
He walked through the Guild doors. It wasn't too crowded, so he headed straight to the front desk—where he recognized an elf from the anime: Eina Tulle, Bell's advisor.
He cleared his throat and spoke. "Hi, I'm Kael Raitō. I'm new in Orario, and I'd like to know which familias are currently looking for members."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Eina Tulle, a Guild advisor. Head to the tables in the back—I'll bring you the list shortly." She pointed him to the seating area. He sat down and waited. Two minutes later, Eina came by and quickly dropped off the pages before returning to the counter.
Alright then, let's see what familias are available, he thought, diving into the sheets, determined to find the one that called to him.
[Sorry if it doesn't make much sense, English is not my native language, I'm using a translator.]