On my day off, I went to the city with my friends to have some fun, and that's the last thing I remember. More precisely, the last thing I remember is a sudden bright flash of light. It was so bright that I wanted to tear my eyes out from the pain.
The light enveloped my entire being as I floated in this endless space. Everything around me was white, so much so that I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. But none of that mattered. It was so warm and comfortable here, so quiet and peaceful. It felt like I had arrived in paradise, although it wasn't quite what I had imagined it to be.
I was floating peacefully when suddenly I heard a sound. When it reached me, I heard a gentle female voice. I can only say that my ears have never heard a voice more beautiful in my entire life.
I really am in paradise.
[Greetings, Klaus.]
And I greet you, stranger with the beautiful voice.
[You are dead.]
I could indeed die from your beautiful voice... Excuse me?
Oh ho ho, lady, we are not close enough to joke about such things. And anyway, from which crack does this voice come? More importantly, how can I hear it when I don't even have ears right now? I'm just a clump of light floating in this endless white space.
Well, since you say I've kicked the bucket, is this heaven? Well, it's quite comfortable and peaceful here, but I don't think I want to stay here forever. Maybe you could take me back to earth? I kind of have... exams.
[Your body is no longer able to sustain life. You will soon wake up in another world to live a new life]
I see. Wonderful! I hope I'll live in a wealthy family, where I can live a carefree and easy life. Maybe I'll be chosen as the hero who must defeat the Lord of Darkness and save a beautiful girl from the clutches of this monster... And save the world at the same time, of course. Although, what's the point of the world if there are no beautiful women? Heh heh, I'm so spoiled. You'd never guess I'm twenty. I act like a child.
[Your rebirth will occur in:]
[3]
[2]
[1]
...
Oops. Where did all the light go?! Suddenly it became so dark, and then this cold began to surround me, penetrating inside. Can you take me back to my paradise, I don't like it here?
[Rebirth successful.]
[Welcome to the world of Krasndor.]
[You have been assigned the race: Dark Ether.]
[Your status:
Level: 1.
Name: Klaus (Dark Ether).
Strength: 5.
Defence: 5.
Intelligence: 60.
Willpower: 20.
Life Energy: 20.
Magic Energy: 30.
Active Skills:
Lineage — Level 1.
Passive Skills:
Core Absorption — Level 1.]
For some reason, all my stats are low except for intelligence. That's not surprising, because I'm very smart. I'm happy to see the skills, especially the ability to absorb cores, which sounds powerful. But there's one thing that bothers me here, and it's not even the presence of this system like in video games, but the fact that I'm not human! Why?! Who is this Dark Ether?! Give me back my beautiful body!
How difficult everything is. Okay, Klaus, calm down. Pull yourself together and focus. You may no longer be human, but all human knowledge is stored in your head. A new life? Yes, I will live a new life and enjoy it to the fullest. I don't have a family waiting for me anyway.
Eeeee... What is this feeling? My body began to glow in this dark and cold place, emitting warmth. Like some kind of liquid, my body began to change shape, and I feel no pain.
Over time, my body began to shrink and decrease in size. I don't like it. Maybe everyone in this world is small?
My body continued to shrink until it was half the size of a human pinky finger. In the name of the Creator, why am I being punished like this?
All my life I lived as a normal guy, kind and friendly, loved by everyone. And then I just died. Oh well, you might think, I lost my life, maybe they sent me to heaven or something.
Sigh. What a stress, even after death.
The only thing I regret is that I didn't confess my feelings to her, the one I'm madly in love with. We were quite close, but I didn't dare confess to her because I was afraid of losing her if she didn't feel the same way. Of course, it's too late to think about that now, but still.
Okay, okay. Calm down, Klaus, focus on the present. What do we have right now? A new life... and nothing else. Thank God I'm at least alive. But the question is, what do I do next?
Right now, my body looks more like a dark purple diamond-shaped crystal. It's a nightmare. Why?! What am I supposed to do when I don't even have arms or legs? I'm just a rock... Although a rather beautiful and expensive-looking one.
I am amazed that even without eyes, I can see my body... or rather, feel it. I can feel every part of my new crystal-like body. How is this possible?
What baffles me even more is that I can sense my entire surroundings. I can't see anything, but I know what's around me, and I can also feel the temperature. It's like something out of science fiction, but I like it!
Right now, I'm in some kind of dark place... Maybe it's a cave? The ground is damp, with patches of bright green grass growing here and there. There's also this sound, creating faint vibrations in the air... the sound of water droplets slowly dripping from the cave ceiling. There are also small stones scattered around.
And most importantly, this whole place is imbued with something that I feel close to me, and it doesn't seem foreign to me. It creates a warm feeling, pleasant and comfortable. I think it's because of this that I can feel everything around me and my body, because it's also imbued with it.
Well, it's time to think about the "status" that I have acquired after entering this new, wonderful world...
As it was written, I now belong to the "Dark Ether" race. Perhaps this is some kind of living miner inhabiting this world, and judging by its characteristics, they are quite weak... although their intelligence is quite high, but this is most likely due to the human mind entering the body of this crystal.
Something else is interesting. My power is equal to 5... And how do you want me to use my power? Everything is so complicated and confusing. It seems that I will have to figure everything out in order, and it will take a lot of time.