"What did you just say?"
A young boy, about average in height, looks, and pretty much everything else, asked.
He was in a blank space, devoid of anything and anyone… except for a particular old man who stood in front of him.
The boy raised an eyebrow as he stared at the face of the old man in front of him, specifically his bushy white beard.
'Is he cosplaying as Santa Claus? Or maybe God?'
He could only guess.
Still, he waited for an answer to the question he had just asked.
"You heard me the first time, young man. You have died, and now it's time for you to reincarnate."
This 'young man' was only sixteen years old, not even an adult yet.
This was no way to tell a teenager, who was yet to experience the prime of his existence, that his life had come to an end.
It was downright irresponsible!
Unfortunately, the old geezer didn't seem to care at all about such trivialities.
"Dead… huh? Reincarnation too… Ahh, this is crazy."
As much as the boy wanted to argue, he could not.
Why?
Because he had read enough light novels to know how these sorts of events went. He was just surprised that such a thing was real, and it had happened to him the night after he turned sixteen.
"Um… how exactly did I die?" The boy asked.
"Huh? Why are you asking me?" The old geezer responded.
For a moment, there was silence in the blank space.
"E-eh?" Was the only word the young boy could utter.
This was a strange turn of events.
"But… you should know."
"Why should I know? It isn't my job." This old man was beginning to sound more like a grumpy office worker than the deity he often read about in his light novels.
Frankly, the young boy was a bit put off by his attitude.
"You're God, aren't you? You should know all about my death and a—"
"God? Who said I'm God?"
Once again, the boy's face warped in surprise.
"Hold on… let me get this straight. You're not God?" He asked, just to confirm.
The old man was garbed in pure white, had long white beards, and looked divine.
If he wasn't God, what was he?
"The hell are you talking about? Do you really think the Boss would waste his time meeting with someone like you?"
He didn't know why, but hearing the old man say "Someone like you" in such a condescending tone hurt his pride.
The boy didn't know when he began to frown a little.
"Tch. Brats these days… you think the almighty will make time to meet with you after you die? What makes you think you're so important? You think he doesn't have better things to do? Or do you think you've achieved enough to deserve his personal attention?"
As the old man hurled hurtful words at him, the boy could not help but agree with some of his points.
He was just sixteen, after all.
He had lived a fairly ordinary life, barely doing anything that cost him too much effort. His life was also relatively normal—not too grand, but not bad either.
He had a few friends, and while he spent most of his time reading novels and watching online videos, he still managed to live a relatively healthy life.
His only worthwhile achievement would be that he managed to get a girl to kiss him before dying prematurely.
And yes, the girl was not his mother… or aunt… or sister.
It was a classmate!
'Still, I don't think that's worth God's attention…'
Having realized the error of his ways, though he still did not like the old man's harsh tone, the boy sighed in resignation.
"I understand. So you're not God. The fact that you call him your boss means you're an Angel, right? Or am I wrong again?"
"That wasn't so hard, now was it? I swear, kids these days… with their short attention span and rotting brains. Back in my day…"
The old man kept mumbling, and the boy could not help but think he was speaking to an insufferable boomer.
Even his grandparents were more tolerable than this old fart.
"A-ahem… so, where was I?" Fortunately, the old guy was able to take the hint and finally stopped rambling on about his retirement, pension plan, and the "good ol' days"… whatever that meant.
"You were talking about my reincarnation." The boy sighed.
"Ah, yes!" Like someone who had just been reminded of the most important thing ever, the old man gasped.
Typical boomer behavior.
"The world you're heading to has already been decided. It's one of the new batches of worlds, so you'll be the first native of Earth to reincarnate there. Think of it as a… um… what's the word you kids call it…?"
The boy sighed, pretty much getting what was happening.
"A beta test?"
"Aha! A beta test! Something like that! I guess young'uns are good for something, after all."
The boy slowly rolled his eyes while smiling. He was already getting used to the old man's attitude, and he just wanted to get things over with.
'So it seems this God guy makes new worlds or something like that. I'm going to reincarnate into a world without any influence from modern Earth, huh?'
He already knew what to expect.
Something straight out of a medieval fantasy setting. A world of Swords and Magic… that sort of thing.
"Before you go, though, you'll need to go through a short survey. It's mandatory for everyone who reincarnates. Come closer."
The boy had some questions, but he felt it was unnecessary at this point.
'I'll just go with the flow…' He shrugged, drawing closer to the old man.
BZZZT!
As soon as he reached a particular distance, something suddenly buzzed, causing him to stop in his tracks.
[System Notification]
~You will now undergo Stat-Allocation, which will determine how your experience in your next life will go. It will only take a moment, so thank you for your patience.~
'What a nice System.' The boy couldn't help but think to himself.
It was far more courteous than the old man and his brutish tongue.
[Stat Allocation Window]
<10 Stat Points Remaining>
~Allocate Stat Points To The Stats Below. Maximum Stat Points Per Stat is 10, But It Is Advised To Spread Out Your Stat Points To Multiple Stats For The Most Optimal Experience~
{Note: If You Are Confused About Anything, Ask Your Guardian Angel}
"Guardian Angel? I have a Guardian Angel?!" The boy exclaimed in shock.
"Of course you do! What do you think I am? Chopped liver?"
Upon hearing the response of the old man in front of him, he pieced it all together.
'He… is my guardian Angel? Ahh… I'm fucked.'
It all made sense to him now; how he was able to die so young despite the relatively comfortable life he had led this far.
'Guardian Angel, my ass! He was probably sleeping on duty when tragedy struck! And he claims it isn't his job to know about the cause of my death!'
If he were to release all the pent-up emotions within him, he felt he would explode in rage.
'I don't know who this God guy is, but shouldn't he properly supervise his Guardian Angels? I don't know about the others, but this old man needs to be accountable!'
Still, he knew venting wouldn't solve anything. What had happened had happened, and just as the old guy said…
… God wouldn't listen to a nobody like him anyway.
"I should just get this over with. Hm…?"
As he was about to allocate the Stats, he suddenly had a thought.
"Hold on… you're telling me I get to choose how my experience in life will be before I reincarnate? Isn't that really badass? I can be whatever I want then!"
"Sure, kiddo. This ain't my first rodeo, and it isn't your first one either." The old man scoffed, shrugging.
"H-hold on… You mean I've reincarnated before?"