The world disappeared in a flash of pain.
One moment, Gu Ye had been stepping around the piles of construction debris, sunlight warm on his skin. The next, a massive steel rebar slammed down, crushing him before his mind could even scream.
Darkness swallowed him instantly, and the weight of his body vanished like it had never existed.
When he opened his eyes, there was nothing. Absolute nothing. No ground, no sky, no light—just an endless void that pressed against his senses in a way he couldn't name. It wasn't cold. It wasn't hot. It simply was, and it made breathing feel heavy, even though he had no lungs.
"Where… am I?" His voice echoed faintly, distant, as if the void itself hesitated to carry sound.
A shimmer of light appeared in the distance. At first, he thought it was a star, but it grew, expanding into a presence that was simultaneously weightless and immense. It had no clear form—more a radiance of awareness, a consciousness that seemed older than time itself.
"You have arrived," a calm voice said, resonating inside his mind as much as his ears. "Not many reach this place without… exceptional circumstances."
Gu Ye swallowed, his mind racing. "I… died, didn't I?"
"Yes," the being replied, neutral and steady.
"But your death was… unusual. That is why you are here."
"Why… me?" Gu Ye asked, his voice trembling despite himself.
The presence pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
"You are… special. Unique among mortals, among reincarnations, among the countless threads of life. You are someone who will break the rules of ordinary existence."
Gu Ye's chest tightened. His mind swirled with everything he had ever lived: the pond, her laugh, the mud, the promise; middle school classrooms, lonely rooftops, high school awards, the hollow weight of waiting; and finally, the accident that ended it all.
"Special… how?" he whispered.
The presence emitted a soft warmth, not cruel, but impartial. "You have been offered three things: wishes, a growth system, and the choice of where—and how—to live again. Choose wisely, for all will follow your decision."
Three wishes. A system. A world to reincarnate into. He could have a family, a life, or even power beyond imagination. The possibilities were infinite.
He thought first of power. He had waited his whole life to never be powerless again. Then he thought of life—he didn't need comfort, he didn't need wealth, he didn't need recognition. He needed freedom, ability, and the chance to find her again, or at least survive a world that had taken everything from him once.
The choices formed in his mind, deliberate, precise:
World: DxD. A place of devils, angels, and gods—a battlefield, a chance to grow stronger than anyone.
Family: Orphan. No attachments that could distract or limit him.
System: Growth system. Accelerated, efficient, capable of cross-world training, capable of turning every trial into measurable progress.
"Done," he said finally, voice steady. A sense of calm settled over him, a sharp contrast to the chaos of life and death he had just left behind.
The void pulsed once, then folded around him. Colors, smells, textures, sensations—all rushed into him at once. Pain, warmth, cold, hunger, air, gravity: everything he had known and never known. His body remade itself, bones bending, muscles forming, senses awakening.
He gasped instinctively, heart beating as though it had always been there but had never truly lived.
"You are ready," the godlike presence said, almost whispering. "Do not fail yourself."
Then the void collapsed entirely.
Gu Ye opened his eyes to a new world, the faintest scent of soil and sky brushing his senses. He did not yet know where he was, but he felt the system awaken inside him like a living thing, calculating, observing, waiting.
A new life had begun—and with it, the chance to finally take control of everything he had lost.