After the projector was done playing the video a wooden table appeared out of the thin air. On the table sat a laptop. The lid was closed.
Chen Hao was curious, and opened the laptop. The laptop was sleek and thin. Just like those laptops he saw in his life.
The screen lit up. Words appeared in bright blue.
The words hung in the air. Then more text scrolled onto the screen.
[You died from third and fourth degree burns. Plus systemic organ failure. Due to extreme heat exposure. Your body could not withstand the reactor chamber.]
Chen Hao stared at the letters.
[You are currently in a space between life and death. A waiting room. The laptop is here for your comfort. It is a tool. A form you understand.]
The next line appeared. [You have karma. This is the sum of your actions in life. A good deed adds points. A bad deed subtracts points. Your final score is here.]
[Total Karma Acquired: 152,123]
A list began to populate below the statement.
Saved 1,000,000,000 lives: +150,000
Helped neighbor Mrs. Lin carry groceries every Tuesday for 3 years: +0.845
Took extra shift so coworker could see sick child: +0.312
Gave your lunch to a stray dog: +0.076
Returned a lost wallet with money: +0.105
The list kept going.
Lied to your mother about dropping out of college: -0.101
Stole a candy bar when you were 7 years old: -0.012
Thought a cruel thing about Dr. Zhang: -0.003
It scrolled faster, a blur of small positives and tiny negatives, then stopped.
[This karma is your currency. Spend it. Buy skills. Buy abilities. Buy blessings. These will shape your next life. ]
He resumed on the laptop. Now that he had his karma balance, he was curious what he could do with it. The first thing was his gender.
There were two options: [Choose your gender: Male (1,000) / Female (1,000) / Random (Free)]
Chen Hao was angry.
Chen Hao tapped Male. The selection box turned green. He watched the number on the right of the screen.
[Karma Spent: 1,000]
[Remaining: 151,123]
The next choice appeared.
[Choose appearance options:
Random (Free),
Super Ugly (+10,000 points),
Ugly (+5,000 points),
Average (1,000 points)
Above Average (2,500 points)
Attractive (5,000 points)
Beautiful (7,500 points)
Fully Customize (10,000)]
The menu made sense now. That was why he'd looked… ordinary in his past life. He got what he paid for.
He tapped Fully Customize.
[Karma Spent: 10,000]
[Remaining: 141,123]
A 3D modeling program opened on the screen. He could adjust everything. Face shape. Jawline. Eye color. Hair. Height. Muscle definition. Skin tone.
He went to work.
He pulled the jawline slider to its strongest setting. He gave himself sharp cheekbones. He chose eyes that were a deep, clear blue. He made his hair dark and thick. He sculpted his shoulders broad, his waist narrow. He added the kind of muscles you see on statues. He made himself tall. 2 meters to be exact. He gave his skin a healthy, sun-kissed glow. He also adjusted the voice-slider, giving himself a extremely masculine and deep voice.
He was making a masterpiece.
He added a small, tasteful scar above one eyebrow. For character. He gave his lips a firm, confident curve.
He finished. He looked at his creation. It was perfect. It was the most handsome man he had ever seen.
He hit the confirm button.
[Loading Shop… 1 billion items loaded…]
The laptop's screen changed. It became a shop. A catalogue.
The list went on for infinity. He scrolled down.
Ability: Double Jump (10 Karma) – Can jump once in mid-air. Useful in very specific situations.
Trait: Night Owl (50 Karma) – Requires 1 hour less sleep per night.
Skill: Basic Cooking (25 Karma) – You won't burn water.
Bloodline: Slightly Warmer Blood (15 Karma) – You feel less cold in winter.
Ability: Minor Healing (1,000 Karma) – Heal small cuts and bruises faster.
Trait: Quick Learner (2,500 Karma) – Learn new skills 15% faster.
Skill: Professional Driving (800 Karma) – Instinctive knowledge of all ground vehicles.
Bloodline: Low-Grade Elf Ancestry (5,000 Karma) – Slightly pointed ears. Mildly better hearing.
Ability: Pyrokinesis (15,000 Karma) – Create and control small flames with your mind.
Trait: Genius-Level Intellect (25,000 Karma) – Mind operates at peak human efficiency.
Skill: Master Swordsmanship (20,000 Karma) – Wield a blade as if born with it.
Bloodline: Ancient Dragon Descendant (75,000 Karma) – Scales under skin. Increased strength and fire resistance.
Ability: Reality Warping (500,000,000 Karma) – Alter local reality to your will.
Trait: Immortal Body (1,000,000,000 Karma) – Ageless. Heals from any non-soul wound.
Skill: Omniscience (5,000,000,000 Karma) – Know all things that are, were, or could be.
Bloodline: Primordial God (10,000,000,000 Karma) – You are a fragment of the first consciousness.
His eyes skipped over the impossible numbers. Then he saw it. Not with the extremes.
Preserve Soul Skill (Passive) – 100,000 Karma
Description: Upon reincarnation, the soul is wiped clean of its memories. This skill stops that. You keep every memory. Your soul is locked. It can never be destroyed, damaged, or erased by any attack, ability, magic, or curse. You persist.
Chen Hao stopped breathing. His heart, which he didn't have anymore, seemed to clench.
Memories. His mother's face. His father's laugh. The feel of Liu Mei's hand. The searing pain of the reactor. The look on Dr. Zhang's face when he volunteered.
To lose that… to become a blank slate…
And his soul. To be safe. Forever.
He looked at his remaining karma. 141,123. Although it was expensive, it was the most obvious choice. What use of power when you don't preserve the self?
[Karma Spent: 100,000]
[Remaining: 41,123]
Chen Hao stared at the numbers. 41,123. It seemed like a fortune. Yet in the endless catalog, it felt like nothing.
He scrolled for what felt like years. He saw powers that could shatter mountains. He saw skills that could build empires. He saw bloodlines that promised godhood. All were far, far beyond his reach.
He needed something useful. Something that could work anywhere. Something that would grow.
He stopped scrolling. There it was.
Ability: Stat Steal II
Cost: 20,000 Karma
Effect: Upon delivering a killing blow to a target, you permanently steal 10% of their highest base stat (Strength, Agility, Intelligence, etc.). The stolen stat is added to your own. Works across all worlds and systems.
His mind raced. If he killed something strong, he would become stronger. If he killed something fast, he would become faster. It was a power that fed on itself. It could start small and end… anywhere.
He tapped it.
[Karma Spent: 20,000]
[Remaining: 21,123]
He scrolled again, faster now. He needed to see. To know. Knowledge was survival. His eyes landed on another entry.
Ability: Appraisal
Cost: 20,000 Karma
Effect: See the name, level, and core attributes of any living being or significant object. Gain basic insight into strengths, weaknesses, and nature. Information depth scales with your own intelligence.
Perfect. Knowledge is power!
[Karma Spent: 20,000]
[Remaining: 1,123]
He was down to scraps. He looked at the 1,123 points left. A thought struck him. What about the world itself? He hadn't chosen one yet.
He navigated back. He found the main menu. There was a section titled World Selection.
He then entered the World Selection. It was a grid of infinite tiles. He saw glimpses: steel cities, forests with two moons, worlds of pure water, worlds of ash.
Xianxia World – 5,000 Karma
Wuxia World – 3,000 Karma
Normal Modern World – 2,000 Karma
High Fantasy World – 1,000 Karma
Demon Realm World – 500 Karma
Random – Free
He had 1,123 karma. Only one option was possible. He tapped High Fantasy World.
[Karma Spent: 1,000]
[Remaining: 123]
A prompt flashed.
[Confirm reincarnation into: High Fantasy World? Yes/No]
Chen Hao took a last look at the endless white void. He thought of his new face, his powers. He tapped Yes.