"I'm sorry. Looks like I'm going to be leaving you all alone." An old man said weakly, his voice barely above a whisper as his equally old wife held his hand tightly, her fingers trembling against his palm. Silent tears flowed down her weathered face, each one a testament to a lifetime together, for she understood exactly what he meant beneath those simple words.
He didn't want to die and leave her all alone in this world they had built together, not wanting her to live out the rest of her days without him by her side, facing the empty silence that would follow his absence.
"Rest, don't have your last moments be filled with this." She said softly, her voice catching in her throat even as she tried to stay strong for him. The old man smiled lightly at her words, a gentle expression that softened his tired features, unable to help but recall his past with her, the memories flooding back in vivid detail.
From how she had stupidly walked across the road all those decades ago, not looking both ways like a distracted fool, and was nearly hit by a speeding truck bearing down on her, but he had pushed her out of the way with all his strength, saving her life without a second thought for his own safety.
But he had been hit instead, taking the full impact and suffering injuries that had left him hospitalized for weeks, his body battered and broken. Out of guilt for the sacrifice he'd made, she came to visit every single day, and that's how they became friends initially, an unlikely connection born from tragedy. They quickly bonded over anime since that's what he had been watching on his laptop every single time she came to visit, their shared enthusiasm bridging the gap between strangers.
Even after he finally left the hospital, his body healed but bearing new scars, they remained in close touch, meeting regularly and talking for hours. Before long, their friendship naturally evolved, and they began dating, falling into a comfortable rhythm together.
They had been together through so much hardship and triumph, be it when he joined the army and served his country, or during the intense period when he was recruited into the elite special forces, where he proved himself among the best.
He had his fun throughout his life, doing boxing competitively, playing soccer with passion, dominating on the basketball court, and even taking a serious shot at being a doctor before ultimately quitting when the pressure and stress became too overwhelming for him to bear.
He did many remarkable things that many people would never even attempt in their entire lifetime, living with an enthusiasm that was infectious. The extensive list of jobs he had held over the years ranged from driving for DoorDash and Uber, to becoming a professional boxer who fought in sanctioned matches, working as a race car driver who competed at high speeds, serving as an airplane pilot who flew commercial routes, and so many more diverse careers that each taught him something valuable.
He had even seriously tried to become an astronaut, but since she had not liked the idea of him going into space and being so far away from her, the thought was reluctantly thrown out of the window, sacrificed for their relationship.
Pretty much, he had lived what anyone would call the perfect life, experiencing more than most ever would. Sure, he had no biological children of his own, but that really never mattered to him or diminished his happiness, as he had successfully run an orphanage for many years, dedicating himself to those in need, so he was effectively the father figure to literally hundreds of children who had no one else in the world.
"It was a wonderful life… and you made it perfect." He said weakly, his voice fading as his strength left him, for if he had done everything he did in this life and was all alone through it all… it would just be wonderful, nothing more. But with the love of his life by his side through every moment, through all the hardship and joy they'd shared together… well, it made everything perfect, transforming the wonderful into something transcendent. No, it would be truly perfect if he didn't have to leave her alone now, if he could stay with her just a little longer.
For he knew his wife was a crybaby at heart, someone who felt emotions deeply and wore them on her sleeve, and leaving her alone to face the world without him was the main reason that over the years, as time passed and they grew older together, he began gradually moving away from dangerous pursuits and risky endeavors… but to think that in the end, despite all his precautions and careful planning, he would still leave her all alone, abandoned by the simple cruelty of mortality.
So, he died, his consciousness fading as he breathed his last breath and said goodbye to his perfect life, the memories of decades flashing before his eyes in those final moments… but life wasn't the end, at least that's what he found out with sudden shock upon finding himself standing before a red-haired young man, someone who appeared ageless and otherworldly, sitting casually before a polished desk while holding a thick folder which contained his information, his entire existence documented within its pages.
"For someone as selfish as yourself to have such a vast amount of good karma is rare." The red-haired man said while pulling his glasses down to look at him directly over the frames, his gaze piercing and analytical.
Unlike his old, withered self from moments ago, he was now in his youth once more, fully restored, and was a black-haired man in what appeared to be his prime. As the name printed clearly on the folder's tab indicated, his name was Levi.
"Really? I don't recall really doing much; it was my wife who did the good stuff." Levi said softly, his tone humble and honest as he reflected on his past actions. He recognized the truth about himself—he was a selfish person at his core.
Sure, he had run an orphanage that helped countless children, but his wife was the one who actually built it from the ground up and looked after it day by day with genuine care. Sure, he played with those kids when the mood struck him, but he normally avoided them whenever possible since… well, hundreds of energetic, needy kids were honestly a pain to deal with, demanding constant attention and energy he didn't always want to give.
"Wife… anyways, your karmic points are over 100,000. Normally, it's that every 1,000 karmic points equals 1 wish… we're not giving you 100 wishes." The red-haired man said dismissively, waving his hand as if brushing aside the topic of Levi's wife, leaving Levi stunned and speechless by the huge number
"Instead, those 100 wishes would be translated into 5 wishes that have just about no limit.. Well, there would be some, but you get the point." The red-haired man said casually, as if he were discussing something mundane rather than reality-altering power, leaving Levi in deep thought as he processed this information carefully and put together a clear wish in his mind, considering the possibilities.
"What is the limit of power I can ask for? For example, if I wish to become as powerful as I could be, how far would that take me?" Levi asked cautiously, wanting to understand the full scope of what was being offered before making any decisions.
"12-dimensional. The best way to comprehend that is to picture an infinite-sized universe, which is 3rd dimensional. Above that is an infinite-sized multiverse, which is 4th-dimensional. Picture an infinite number of infinite-size multiverses, and that's 5th-dimensional. Keep doing this pattern until you reach 12 dimensions." He said calmly, his tone matter-of-fact as if explaining simple mathematics, to which Levi nodded slowly in understanding, trying to wrap his mind around the incomprehensible scale being described. But the red-haired man wasn't done with his explanation yet, raising a finger to indicate there was more.
"But in different verses, this is different. For example, in some worlds, one universe has an infinite number of dimensions, realities, and so on. Meaning a world, a simple universe is 4th or higher dimensional, which increases the scale of the other dimension." The red-haired man said softly, adding another layer of complexity to the cosmological structure he was describing.
"What if I asked for the highest level of talent… or potential? How would they be different?" Levi asked curiously.
"Talent is how fast one's growth is. Picture Itachi, Itachi's talent is unmatched, but his potential is limited. Potential is how far one can go. Picture Sasuke, although Sasuke isn't as talented as Itachi, his potential outclasses Itachi." The red-haired man said calmly, using familiar examples to illustrate the crucial difference between the two attributes in a way that Levi would immediately grasp.
"If you wish for the highest possible potential, you could become an infinite, infinite-dimensional being. Meaning, you have the potential to become a 13th-dimensional being, a 50th-dimensional being, or even a trillion-dimensional being. To infinity." The red-haired man said with emphasis, his words left Levi confused and struggling to fully comprehend the sheer magnitude of what was being described to him.
"Above this are the outerveral beings, beings who transcend all levels of infinite dimensions." Levi nodded slowly upon hearing this revelation, his expression thoughtful, for he had heard that phrase being thrown around in various discussions and forums before; he just never truly understood what it meant or the significance it carried until now.
"A little warning, as you become a higher-dimensional being, you lose your form and slowly become a concept. In other words, if you wish for strength, we would give you strength, which would, in turn, limit or even hinder you from being a concept. So, it's best you wish for too many things and focus on a single path, which you could embody in the future." He explained seriously, his tone carrying a note of caution, leaving Levi in deep thought as he processed this important warning and considered its implications for whatever wishes he might make.
"Let's say I go around the anime verses, gain the strength and powers from there, before stepping into a cultivation world?" he asked softly, testing out a potential path forward.
"Then your strength would simply be translated into cultivation. For example, the Naruto verse ninja system can simply be translated into a cultivation system. Chakra is Qi, and taijutsu is body cultivation. I will recommend you refrain from doing this if you wish to be like those MC who can skip levels. You have the potential laid before you to one day skip hundreds of levels until you reach a realm of cultivation worthy of whatever wish you make." The man explained calmly,
"I don't understand? Are you saying someone like Goku would not be able to skip levels?" he asked in confusion, his brow furrowing as he tried to reconcile what he was being told with his expectations of how power scaling should work across different fictional universes.
"That is if depending on what point in time he enters the cultivation world. Goku, at the end of Dragon Ball Super, would have all of his Ki and such translated into the cultivation realm, meaning his strength would be at the cultivation realm equally his strength, making it harder for him to skip levels. But Goku, when he was a kid, could cultivate until he reached the Dragon Ball Super counterpart in strength, but he would have a lesser cultivation, and simply skip levels. All of this is, of course, ignoring transformations and such." He explained patiently, breaking down the complex mechanics step by step.
"Before you make your wish, plan out your future. Once you have a clear picture of what your future would be like, the more ready you will be to step forward toward your journey." He explained wisely, and so Levi took his time to carefully list out his wishes in his mind, weighing each option against the others and considering the long-term ramifications of every choice he could make.