My name is Kawasaki Ryuji. I am just an ordinary high school student—the kind who stays invisible, has no friends, and prefers to be alone. If I had to describe myself, I would say I am like a shadow in a room dominated by darkness: always lonely, perpetually depressed, and lead a boring existence.
I have a history of being bullied at school. It's a memory I can't quite shake. One day, while I was sitting alone at my desk, a guy named Sanoji walked past me. I happened to glance at him by accident, and he barked, "What are you looking at? You want to die?" Before I could react, he struck me, knocking me to the floor. As I lay there, his friends joined in, kicking me while I was down.
In their eyes, I was just a boring, pathetic loser. Honestly, I hated my life too. Inside, I was just a boy desperately longing for adventure and a chance to escape this reality.
It was a summer evening during the school break. I was sitting alone in the park, as usual, thinking to myself, "If only I had powers... if only I could go on an adventure, life would be so much better." At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning struck me out of nowhere. As darkness took over, my final thought was: "Is this really how my life ends?"
A moment later, I found myself in the middle of a vast white room. There was a man sitting on a white throne; he looked pure and radiant—the total opposite of me. He looked at me and introduced himself.
"I am Instinct, the Creator of Earth."
Stunned, I stammered, "Are you... God? Am I dead?"
"Yes, you are dead," he replied. "I am what your world calls God. And... I am truly sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" I asked, confused.
"I accidentally struck you with lightning," he admitted.
Seeing how calm I remained, he looked surprised. "Aren't you upset? You died because of my mistake."
I looked at him and answered indifferently, "I had nothing to live for anyway. What's done is done."
Moved by my reaction, he made an offer. "As an apology, I will allow you to be reincarnated on another planet called Aster."
"Reincarnation? Are there powers and monsters in that world?" I asked, my interest finally piqued.
"Of course," he smiled. "There are countless adventures waiting for you. What do you think? Does that interest you?"
"I'd love to," I answered, feeling a spark of excitement for the first time.
"Then, I grant you these blessings: Adaptive Learning, the Inventory system, and Eternal Youth," he declared.
"May you find happiness on Aster, the world created by my friend Asto," he said, reaching out to touch my soul—which, I should mention, had been a glowing ball of light since I arrived here.
The next thing I knew, I was staring at a ceiling. People around me were smiling, calling me "Sable Kaelo." I looked down at my hands and realized I had been reborn as a baby.