"Marcus Manfred, welcome to the afterlife."
The voice came from a woman with an angelic voice.
He observed his surroundings and saw a pure white room around him.
"Unfortunately, you have died. It might have been short but your life is now over."
He turned his head towards the source of that voice and there he saw the person speaking. She was sitting behind the desk and her beauty was nothing compared to the actresses and models he had seen in his real life.
She had long silky golden hair, with a well-endowed body. She seemed to be about his age, which is eighteen.
He immediately thought of what happened moments ago. He remembered taking a driverless ride-hailing app to the recruitment center as he planned on joining the United States Army.
The reason? Well, aside from the huge benefits, he wanted to serve his country. After watching Hollywood movies depicting US soldiers fighting for their lives in a heated battle coupled with their hardware such as helicopters and tanks, an essence of patriotism swelled in his heart.
So the moment he turned eighteen, he had decided to pursue a career in the military.
But along the way, something happened. A truck came out of nowhere and crashed into the car and everything went black momentarily.
When he opened his eyes, he was in this place, which the girl claimed to be afterlife, and told him that he died.
"No, this can't be…I can't die like this. I just turned eighteen…there's a life ahead of me…"
"I know this is hard to take in but it's the reality, you have died due to a car accident," the woman said once more.
"But I am still alive! Look, I can still see my body. I can speak, I can feel! I haven't died yet!" Marcus protested as he ran his hands along his body.
The lady shook her head. "That is astral projection, your soul. Your physical body has died in your world but your essence remains."
"Is this some sort of an elaborate prank? Is this room made out of CGI? Ohh…I see, you must be one of those youtubers pulling some hidden camera stunt, right?" Marcus said. "You'll tell me to look over there and a guy with a mic pops out. Stop this already…this is not fu—"
His words paused the moment the lady he was talking to disappeared, and reappeared in front of him. And then she reached out to him as if to touch but her hands simply phased through him.
"Tell me, can your technology do this?" she asked, her hands still phasing in his chest.
"Impossible…" Marcus saw it and was beginning to believe it himself.
"I am a Goddess, I do not lie," she stated with a serious tone.
She pulled back her hand and flickered back to her seat. "Now, let's discuss your future."
"My future?" he repeated. "What do you mean? I will be judged if I will be sent to heaven or hell?"
"Technically, you'd be sent to either of those two but there is another path you can take," she said and continued. "Reincarnation. I'm sure you are familiar with it since you watched anime and read webnovels?"
Marcus knew exactly what the girl who proclaimed herself as Goddess was implying. Reincarnation, it's one of the popular subgenres of fantasy where a main character dies and was reborn in another world with overpowered cheats.
"Yeah, I'm familiar with it. You are saying that you as a Goddess would reincarnate me to another world and give me cheat abilities too?"
The Goddess nodded her head in confirmation.
"Why?"
"Because you are a random lucky guy. In the media, do they even tell the main characters why they were given cheat skills?"
"Some do, others don't," he replied. "There are times where they were given that cheat in exchange for a purpose. Like defeating the demon king. Do I get the same task?"
The Goddess shook her head. "No, you can do whatever you like in your new world."
"I see, so I am to find out my purpose there," Marcus chuckled inwardly. "What about my cheats?"
"Your cheat will be based on what you wanted in your previous life. You want to work as a soldier, correct? Then your cheats will revolve around being a soldier. You'll get a system where you can access military hardware. Be it a tank, fighter jets, aircraft carrier, submarines, and many more."
"A military weapon system? Instead of magic I get to summon modern weapons in a fantasy medieval world…is that what you are saying?"
"Correct."
"Can I even bring a nuke in that world?" he asked.
"Yes, everything!"
"That's not a bad cheat, but I'll be vulnerable. I'm still a human right? Meaning I can die from severe injuries."
"That is correct. You don't see soldiers in your world being immortal right?"
Marcus sighed. "I can deal with it. So, how does the system work?"
The Goddess flicked her fingers and then a holographic interface appeared before him.
[Military Weapon System:
Weapons:
Vehicles:
Aircrafts:
Naval Ships:
Miscellaneous:
Inventory:
]
Marcus looked at the interface and then backed to the Goddess.
"Wait, that's it?" Marcus asked.
"That's the whole system. Though I won't really call that a system since there's no leveling feature or a mission feature since that'll defeat the idea of you being free to do whatever you want," explained the Goddess.
She continued. "In that system, you can access anything from those tabs. For weapons you can access small to heavy arms from pistols to heavy machine guns, from rocket launchers to artillery pieces.
Under Vehicles, you can deploy armored transports, tanks, engineering units. Aircrafts include helicopters, fighters, and bombers. Naval Ships range from patrol boats to carriers. Inventory is where you can store items and miscellaneous is where you can buy ammunition, supplies, oil, everything."
Marcus listened without interrupting.
"Everything is there," she said. "But access requires payment."
"Payment?" he asked.
The interface shifted. New text appeared beneath each category.
[Military Credits: 0]
[Conversion Rate: Local Currency → Military Credits]
Marcus blinked.
"So I don't just summon an Abrams tank and go on a rampage."
"No. You must acquire funds in your new world. Once obtained, the system converts value into credits."
"I see, so this is how you'll balance me huh so I don't be too overpowered. I'm sure I'd get a beginner's package when I'm in that world soon right?"
"Yes."
"Well, not that I'm complaining or anything. I'd say it's best if not everything is handed from the start. It's going to get boring. So when are you going to transport me to my new world?"
"Once you are ready. Do you have any questions from me?"
"I have none, it's all clear to me."
"If there's no question then I'll begin the process," the Goddess said.
A magic circle formed beneath Marcus's feet.
Lines of light spread outward in precise patterns. Symbols rotated along the edges, locking into place one after another. The white room faded into the background as the circle grew brighter.
Marcus felt pressure against his chest.
"Last chance to ask," she said.
"I'm good," he replied.
The light surged upward.
His body dissolved into particles. The desk, the white floor, the Goddess—everything stretched and shattered into streaks of color.
Then—
Cold air slammed into his lungs.
He dropped onto hard ground.
Dirt pressed against his palms. Grass brushed his arms. The smell of wet soil filled his nose.
Marcus pushed himself up slowly.
The white room was gone.
He stood in a forest clearing under a dark sky. Tall trees ringed the area and the cacophonous sounds of insects filled the air around him.
"I'm really in another world huh?" he said, looking up to the sky where there is a bright full moon illuminating the area around him.
"She could have transported me when it's day at least," Marcus grumbled and then an interface appeared before his eyes.
[You have received a Goddess Gift! You can open it by going to your Inventory Tab.]
"Inventory tab," he repeated and so he navigated through his system and tapped the Inventory Tab. There, a glowing gold chest icon pulsated in the first grid.
He tapped it and then a new interface appeared.
[Congratulations! You have received:
— M4A1 Carbine (5.56×45mm NATO)
— 7x 30-Round STANAG Magazines (5.56mm Ball)
— M17 Modular Handgun System (9×19mm)
— 3x 17-Round M17 Magazines
— M67 Fragmentation Grenade x2
— KA-BAR USMC Fighting Knife
— Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV), OCP Pattern
— Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH), OCP Cover
— AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device
— AN/PEQ-15 ATPIAL (Laser/IR Aiming Module)
— M68 Close Combat Optic (Aimpoint CompM4)
— SureFire M600 Scout Weapon Light
— AN/PRC-152 Multiband Handheld Radio
— Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK)
— CamelBak Hydration System (3L)
— MOLLE Assault Pack
— 24-Hour MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) x2
— Entrenching Tool (E-Tool)
— Combat Gloves (Nomex)
— OCP Combat Uniform Set
— Belleville Combat Boots]
"Ooh sweet…so this is like the standard-issue equipment of the US Army," he whistled as he read the list.
Then there's another.
[Congratulations! You have received:
— Weapon Handling Max Proficiency
— Vehicle Operation Max Proficiency
— Aircraft Operation Max Proficiency
— Naval Operation Max Proficiency]
And another.
[Congratulations! You have received:
— 100,000 Military Credits]
"This is a lot," Marcus said to himself.
[Would you like to equip your new equipment?] the system asked.
"Yeah why not," Marcus replied, granting the system permission.
Suddenly, he found himself wearing all the equipment he had received from the system. From an outside perspective, he'd look like a deployed soldier.
His weapons, the M4 Carbine fitted with M68 Close Combat Optic and SureFire M600 and AN/PEQ-15 ATPIAL was slung over his shoulder, the M17 Glock was in its holster. The grenades were secured to the front of his vest. The KA-BAR sat on his belt, angled for a quick draw. The IOTV fit tight across his torso. And the ACH rested firm on his head.
The AN/PVS-14 hung flipped up over his right eye. The AN/PRC-152 radio was clipped to his chest rig, and the Molle hung behind his back and it felt that it contained something, possibly the MREs, the tools, first aid kit, and the CamelBak Hydration System.
He doesn't feel constricted as everything fit perfectly around his frame, and it doesn't feel heavy as he was accustomed to lifting such weights. After all, he conditioned his body by exercising and signing-up for martial arts school to prepare for the demanding physical task of a soldier.
He then asked himself another question. What to do now?
Well, it's already night time so it's dangerous to be out at night. Thanks to the system's gift, he doesn't feel naked and he could exterminate small to medium threats but he wouldn't be foolish enough to just walk around vulnerably in the middle of the forest. He needed to set up a camp.
For sure the system has those in the Miscellaneous Tab.
He opened the miscellaneous tab and a new interface expanded in front of him.
[Miscellaneous:
— Ammunition & Resupply.
— Field Rations.
— Fuel & Power.
— Engineering & Construction.
— Survival & Camping.
— Medical Supplies.
— Communications Equipment.
— Logistics Packages.
]
Marcus selected Survival & Camping.
The list scrolled down in organized categories.
[Survival & Camping:
— USGI Modular Sleep System (MSS) – 1,200 Credits
— Improved Combat Shelter Tent (1–2 Man) – 2,500 Credits
— Litefighter 1 Individual Shelter System – 3,200 Credits
— Eureka! TCOP Two-Man Combat Tent – 4,100 Credits
— Kelty Tactical Field Shelter – 2,800 Credits
— Military Folding Cot (Aluminum Frame) – 900 Credits
— Therm-a-Rest Military Sleeping Pad – 350 Credits
— Coleman Peak 1 Single Burner Stove – 300 Credits
— Jetboil Flash Cooking System – 450 Credits
— Military Field Mess Kit (Stainless) – 150 Credits
— Gerber StrongArm Camp Knife – 180 Credits
— Military-Grade LED Lantern (Rechargeable) – 220 Credits
— 100m 550 Paracord – 80 Credits
— Collapsible Water Container (10L) – 120 Credits
— Portable Solar Charging Panel (120W Tactical Foldable) – 1,500 Credits
— Goal Zero Yeti 500X Portable Power Station – 2,200 Credits
— Field Camouflage Netting (3x3m) – 600 Credits
— Claymore-Style Early Warning Alarm System (Non-Lethal Trip Alarm) – 900 Credits
— Motion Sensor Perimeter Alarm Kit – 1,100 Credits
…]
Marcus scrolled slowly, there's a lot of them, and it all comes with pictures.
He checked his current balance.
[Military Credits: 100,000].
It's still a lot so there's no harm in spending for having a safe place to spend the night.
However, just as he was about to make his purchase.
"Arghhhh!"
He heard a scream not far away from him.