Klein floated in an endless sea of nothing.
There was no up or down, no light or dark—just weightless drifting through a void that stretched forever. It felt like lying in a bathtub that went on for eternity, except without water, warmth, or a body.
'So this is death, huh,' he thought. 'Kind of boring. Where's the harp music? The pearly gates? At least give me a menu screen or something.'
He tried to move, but there was no "move." His thoughts simply echoed in every direction.
'Wait. If this is the afterlife, does that mean Truck-kun actually got me? Damn, that thing had commitment.'
A voice suddenly boomed through the emptiness.
Except it wasn't majestic or divine. It sounded more like someone fumbling with a microphone during karaoke night.
"Hello? Hello? Testing—uh, can you hear me?"
Klein blinked—or tried to. "Who said that?"
"Oh! Good, it worked! You can hear me! Great!" The voice brightened. "Hi there, uh… Klein, right? Welcome to the, uh, Reincarnation Processing Department! I'll be your—um—case handler today!"
'Case handler?' Klein thought. 'Did I die or apply for a mortgage?'
"Right," the voice continued, "so… funny story. You're my first assignment. The, uh, main guy's on vacation, and I sort of volunteered because I thought it would be easy. You don't mind being my practice run, do you?"
Klein floated in silence. Then, slowly: "Wait. You mean I got hit by a truck and ended up with a rookie?"
"Well, yes, but don't worry! I've read the manuals! Mostly."
"Mostly?!"
"Okay, like… half. But don't panic! I've seen how this works. I even practiced the whole 'mysterious voice of destiny' thing in the mirror."
Klein sighed. "Fantastic. I get the intern god."
"Hey, give me a little credit!" the voice said, sounding offended. "I passed the entrance exam! Sure, I may have failed the multiple-choice section about soul stabilization, but you seem fine, right?"
"I can't feel my body."
"See? That's normal!"
Klein groaned. "Alright, rookie. Just tell me what happens now. Am I going to heaven? Hell? Or the truck dimension?"
"Actually," the voice said cheerfully, "you're getting reincarnated! Lucky you! You'll be sent to a world of magic, mana, and… wait, what was the third one? Oh right—cultivation! Everyone loves that one."
"Reincarnated?" Klein perked up. "Like, new world, new body, all that?"
"Exactly! You'll get ten spins on our patented Wheel of Destiny to determine your starting gifts! Treasures, abilities, blessings—whatever the wheel lands on, you keep!"
"That… sounds kind of awesome."
"Right? I told management this system was fun. The previous model used dice, but people kept rolling 'Lifelong Bad Luck,' so we switched to wheels."
"Alright," Klein said, grinning in the void. "Let's spin this thing. I want to see what kind of cheat I get."
There was a faint hum. Space rippled ahead of him, and suddenly a massive glowing wheel appeared out of nothing. It had twenty colorful sectors, each with strange symbols and names written in a script that somehow made sense the longer he looked at it. Floating lights surrounded it like fireflies.
"Behold!" the voice announced dramatically. "The Wheel of Destiny! Every spin can change your fate forever! …I think."
Klein squinted. "You think?"
"Look, man, I told you—it's my first day!"
The wheel shimmered invitingly, its sectors glowing in turn as if teasing him. Some read things like "Wyrmforged Blade," "Eternal Phoenix Heart," "Mask of Whispering Souls," and others simply said "???". Klein's heart raced with excitement.
"Alright," the voice said. "Whenever you're ready, just say the word."
Klein smirked. "Spin number one!"
The wheel whirled into motion, spinning faster and faster until the colors blurred together. Then, with a deep ringing sound, it stopped.
A spark of light shot out and hovered before Klein, forming into a small silver orb that burst into a holographic text.
[First Spin Result: Mantle of the Silent Tempest]
[Description: A cloak woven from the winds of vanished storms. Grants the wearer complete silence when in motion and immunity to detection-based magic.]
Klein whistled. "That's… actually pretty cool."
"Right?" the voice said proudly. "I told you this thing works! Not bad for a first pull!"
"Does it come with a hood?"
"Uh, it's a cloak, so probably?"
"Nice. I've always wanted to look mysterious while being lazy."
The voice laughed awkwardly. "Well, you'll definitely be mysterious. Alright, ready for spin number two?"
Klein nodded. "Hit me."
The wheel began to spin again. This time, faint echoes of thunder and whispers followed its motion, like the universe itself was watching. It slowed, trembled, and stopped.
Another orb appeared.
[Second Spin Result: Heart of the Iron Drake]
[Description: A crystallized core from a primordial drake. Grants immense physical resilience, minor fire resistance, and slow regeneration. May cause chest warmth and occasional growling.]
"Whoa," Klein said. "Did you say drake? Like, dragon?"
"More like… off-brand dragon," the voice said. "Still cool, though."
Klein grinned. "I'll take it. Between this and the cloak, I'm basically halfway to being a superhero."
"Exactly the spirit!" the voice said happily. "You're a natural at this reincarnation thing. Maybe I should request to handle more humans."
"Sure," Klein said dryly. "Just don't turn any of them into frogs by accident."
"That only happened once!" the voice protested. "And it was a misunderstanding."
"Right. Anyway, third spin."
The wheel began to turn once more, slower this time, as if savoring the moment. The lights dimmed, the void hummed, and Klein could almost feel the anticipation building.
He watched it click past "Ring of Stars," "Divine Anvil," "Curse of Shadows," and finally land on a faintly glowing sector at the very edge.
The wheel stopped.
A single golden light drifted toward him, unfolding like petals.
[Third Spin Result: Whisperfang]
[Description: A blade forged from the fang of a spectral serpent. Weightless, unbreakable, and able to strike without sound. Its edge cuts through both flesh and spirit.]
Klein's jaw dropped. "That sounds… terrifyingly awesome."
"I know, right?" the voice said, almost squealing. "That's a rare-tier pull! One in fifty thousand chance!"
Klein chuckled. "So basically, I'm lucky."
"Or the system glitched again," the voice muttered under its breath.
"What?"
"Nothing! Congratulations! You've got a cloak, a dragon heart, and a spectral blade! Not bad for your first three!"
Klein's grin widened. "If the next seven are this good, I'll be unstoppable."
The voice hesitated. "About that… I probably shouldn't mention this, but the Wheel occasionally balances strong pulls with, um… less useful ones."
"Less useful how?"
"Well, one guy got a 'Bottomless Spoon of Eternal Soup.'"
"What's wrong with that?"
"The soup never stops."
"...Oh."
A small, awkward silence passed.
"Anyway!" the voice said quickly, "Three spins down, seven to go! You're doing great! Next up, maybe you'll get something majestic. Like a Pegasus. Or an existential crisis. You never know!"
Klein chuckled softly. For the first time since his death, he felt excitement bubbling in his chest. He wasn't scared anymore. He was curious—thrilled, even.
'So this is what it feels like,' he thought. 'Starting over from nothing. Maybe this isn't such a bad deal after all.'
The void shimmered faintly, as if agreeing with him.
"Alright, Klein," the voice said. "Ready for the fourth spin?"
Klein smirked. "Born ready."
The wheel began to glow again—slowly, beautifully—its colors swirling into the dark like galaxies in motion.
But before it could spin, a faint tremor rippled through the void. The light flickered. The voice hesitated.
"Uh-oh," it murmured. "That's… not supposed to happen."
Klein frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I, uh… might've overloaded the energy channel. Don't worry! Probably nothing catastrophic!"
"Probably?!"
The wheel pulsed, then froze in place. Everything went silent.
And just like that, the void cracked open with a flash of blinding white.
Then—nothing.