It wasn't the sharp, catastrophic impact of a truck running a red light into his sports car. No, this was a dull, pervasive ache spreading through his entire frame like a severe illness, accompanied by a fatigue so profound it felt as if his very life force had been liquidated.
"Ugh..."
Heavy eyelids fluttered open. The first image to register was a concrete ceiling stained with water damage—a sight that was aesthetically offensive. The air was thick with a damp, musty odor mixed with the faint scent of cheap medicine.
Kirin frowned. This certainly wasn't the VVIP suite at the hospital where he held a premium membership.
He pushed his trembling body into a sitting position. Vertigo launched an immediate hostile takeover, forcing him to clutch his head. That was when he noticed the second anomaly... his hands. They were smaller, the skin finer and smoother, albeit unhealthily pale.
Kirin scanned his surroundings with rising panic. A narrow square room furnished with minimal assets: the rock-hard mattress he was sitting on, a small bedside table, and an old wardrobe with peeling paint.
This condition? My storage room back at the mansion was a hundred times more luxurious.
How did a successful thirty-year-old business tycoon end up in a dump like this?
The last data point he recalled was a massive impact... Shouldn't he be dead?
Just as confusion threatened to overwhelm him, a voice echoed directly inside his head. It was a deep, gentle voice, yet dripping with guilt.
[...Ahem! Attention recipient... Spirit Code 923-B... Kirin.]
Kirin flinched. "Who's there!"
[I am Spirit Guide 734. I offer my deepest apologies for the administrative error,] the voice continued rapidly. [Due to a technical glitch in the soul collection protocol, your spirit was extracted from the mortal plane prior to your actual expiration date.]
"Hold on..." Kirin's eyes narrowed, his sharp intellect beginning to process the absurdity of the situation. "In layman's terms, you're saying you liquidated my assets before the contract expired? You killed me prematurely?"
[Er... essentially, yes,] the voice hesitated. [And... as a corrective measure, I have guided your spirit into a suitable new vessel... However...]
"However what?" Kirin's heart rate began to spike.
[...There was a secondary, compounded error. You see... the dimension this body resides in is scheduled to face a cataclysmic event in 7 days. Furthermore, the body is... well... not exactly physically robust, and is classified as a... 'Special Male'.]
Kirin's eyebrow twitched. "'Compounded error'? What kind of operation are you running up there? 'Special Male'? 'End of the world'? You're telling me that aside from killing me, you've reinvested me into a dying stock within a host body I know nothing about?"
The urge to curse the ancestors of this incompetent angel rose to his throat. He was a businessman who viewed everything as an investment and negotiation. And right now... he was facing a total loss.
[Please, calm down, sir! To compensate for this double negligence, the Higher Ups have granted you a consolation package!] The voice rushed out, sounding terrified that Kirin might snap.
Suddenly, a translucent blue hologram, identical to a gaming interface, materialized before Kirin's eyes.
[Divine Compensation System]
Status Window: Displays current data and physical attributes. Inventory: Personal storage dimension. Capacity: Infinite. Blessing of Luck (Passive): Your Luck stat is significantly higher than the norm.
[And the final gift is... Insider Information. A meteor carrying the apocalypse will strike in exactly 7 days. Please prepare yourself... Alright, I must depart now. Good luck!]
"Hey! Wait! Come back and explain the sp—"
Zip!
The voice and the hologram vanished into thin air, leaving Kirin sitting dumbfounded on the bed. Suddenly, the memories of the original body's owner flooded into his brain.
This boy was also named "Kirin." He was 23 years old, an orphan who had struggled hand-to-mouth his entire life. His body was frail because he was a "Special Male"—a classification in this world defining a man capable of bearing children. He had died alone from illness just hours before the businessman took over.
"Hah... life really is stranger than fiction." Kirin let out a long sigh before forcing his weak body to walk towards a cracked mirror hanging on the wall.
The reflection showed a clean, pale face. Large, weary eyes framed by long, curling lashes, a button nose, and thin, colorless lips. It was a face that perfectly blended handsomeness with a delicate beauty, but it looked worryingly fragile.
"Well, at least the aesthetic value isn't terrible," he smirked, trying to find some humor in the worst crisis of his existence. "Alright... the old Kirin, you can rest now. I'll take over the management from here."
His relentless businessman mindset kicked into gear. His brain began analyzing the situation rapidly.
Current Scenario: The world ends in 7 days.
Assets: Knowledge from the old world, memories of this body, the System (Inventory, Luck), and Insider Information on the apocalypse.
Liabilities: Weak constitution, zero capital, zero connections, and a 'Special' gender that would likely make him a target.
"It's fine... 7 days is better than no lead time at all," he muttered to the mirror. The weariness in his eyes was replaced by the sharp, calculating gleam of a predator.
"Let's see the numbers... [Status Window]."
[Name: Kirin Warachot]
Status: Exhausted, Malnourished Strength: 5 (Avg Adult Male: 10) Durability: 4 (Avg Adult Male: 10) Agility: 7 (Avg Adult Male: 10) Unique Skill: Flora Affinity (Locked)
Kirin rubbed his temples. "What are these stats? Weaker than a high school student..."
He turned back to audit the original owner's remaining assets. There were only a few sets of old clothes and a wallet containing some crumpled banknotes and coins. The total count was... 87 Baht.
Kirin stared at the money in his hand. Silence filled the room before he let out a low, amused chuckle.
"Okay... Starting capital: 87 Baht. Physical condition: Ready to be blown away by a stiff breeze. Market condition: Impending Apocalypse."
He grinned.
"Sounds fun... You damn angel!"