Ren's body was shutting down.
Not metaphorically. Not in the dramatic "I can't go on" way. His consciousness was splintering, nerve signals flickering like dying embers. The aftershock of killing a god—whatever that meant—was too much. He wasn't built for this.
Then he heard her.
A voice, soft and melodic, like wind through cathedral glass. It rang in his ears, warm and strange.
"Oh, great hero… You have achieved an impossible feat."
Warmth flooded through his limbs, starting from his chest and spreading outward like anesthetic in reverse. His blood stopped boiling. His skull stopped screaming. The weight in his spine lifted, just enough for him to breathe again.
He opened his eyes.
White.
Endless, immaculate white. No sky. No floor. Just space so blank it almost hummed.
And at the center of it stood a woman.
She was beautiful in the textbook, divine kind of way—impossibly symmetrical features, long silver hair that moved like it had its own gravity, and a pair of feathery white wings unfurled behind her back like she'd stepped out of an expensive fantasy MMO cutscene. Her robe shimmered, glowing faintly, though there wasn't a single visible light source in the entire dimension.
Ren blinked. "Okay. So either I died again or someone's very committed to the aesthetic."
The woman smiled. "Oh great hero, one blessed with unimaginable potential… may I ask where you come from?"
Ren squinted. His head was still pounding. He pushed himself upright slowly, his tentacles twitching behind him before retracting into his back with several slick, reluctant pops.
He stood.
Barely.
"May I ask who you are first?"
The woman dipped her head. "I am Loren. Goddess of Balance. I serve as one of the World Defense Systems. It is an honor to meet you."
Ren frowned. "Wait. You're the one who summoned me, then?"
Loren tilted her head, confusion flickering across her perfect face. "No, great hero. I am not the one who brought you here. I merely sensed your presence once you arrived."
He opened his mouth to ask another question—but stopped.
Because the System pinged.
[Host. Do not reveal this conversation.]
Ren tensed and responded silently. Why?
[Because the one who summoned you isn't her. It's the Master of All Systems. The one above all. This is classified.]
Ren's eyebrow twitched. Classified? You didn't mention any of this before.
[Correct. Because you didn't ask.]
Of course I didn't ask! No one asks if they've been dragged across dimensions by a bug in divine infrastructure!
[Regardless. It is advised that you keep your interactions with me confidential. This is not a standard reincarnation.]
Ren exhaled slowly. Aloud, he said, "Right. So… Loren. I appreciate the welcome, I guess. But, uh, how exactly did I end up here if you weren't the one behind it?"
Loren looked truly baffled now, which was unsettling given her supposed godhood. "You are… a lost soul, perhaps? Your arrival bypassed all protocols."
Ren didn't answer right away. In his head, he hissed: System. You want to fill in the blanks?
The reply came immediately.
[Normally, a very very very small number of souls who die an early death are selected to reincarnate into another world. Each is given a support system designed to help them grow and change the world they're sent to.]
Right. Like a generic Isekai stories. Got it.
[Correct. And your assigned system was supposed to be the Divine Doctor System.]
Ren blinked. Doctor? Seriously?
[Yes. Because you were close to being a doctor before you died. That system was tailored to your background.]
Ren ran a hand through his hair. Okay. Fine. But why… He paused, glancing briefly at the void. Why the hell did I get the "Doctor of the Ruin Gospel" horror show instead?
There was a silence.
Then:
[It was… the result of a bug.]
Ren stared.
Then blinked.
Then rubbed his face with both hands.
I died. Got shoved into an eldritch horror universe. And was handed a monster system because of a bug?*
[Yes.]
Like… a software error?
[Correct.]
He lowered his hands and took a long, slow breath.
"Fuck."
Loren blinked innocently. "Pardon?"
"Nothing." Ren forced a smile. "Just thinking about my… potential."
Inside, he was screaming.
The System helpfully added:
[You are currently the only known user of the corrupted Doctor of Gospel system. You may consider yourself a pioneer.]
Ren didn't reply.
He just stared at the endless white and wondered if he could ask for a refund on reality.