I didn't expect to die that day. Actually, I didn't expect to die any day soon. My grand plan was simple: survive college, beat the new RPG I just downloaded, and maybe just maybe get a girlfriend before turning thirty.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
"Oi, Yuto, get off your ass and buy dinner before the convenience store closes!" My roommate's voice echoed from across the room.
"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, peeling my face off the desk. My laptop was still running the game I'd been grinding for hours. My eyes stung, and my stomach was crying for food, but hey who cares about real life when your character's about to reach level 50?
Still, I shuffled out, wallet in hand, and headed to the street. The night air was cool, the vending machines glowed like divine beacons, and the world seemed… pretty normal. That should have been a red flag. Normal days always turn tragic in anime logic.
I crossed the street, humming the opening of an isekai anime, when ..
HONK!
Headlights. Tires screeched. My heart froze.
A truck. A damn truck.
"Wait, no, cliché! Not like this !"
BAM.
Everything went dark.
---
When I opened my eyes again, I was floating in a vast, starry void. No body. No ground. Just me, drifting like a lost balloon.
"…Did I just get Truck-kun'd? Is this real?"
A calm, monotone voice answered, right inside my head.
[Correction: You were not struck by a truck. Your death was caused by your own idiocy. You failed to check the traffic light before crossing.]
I blinked or, well, imagined blinking. "Excuse me?"
[Your file states: 'Cause of Death Reckless jaywalking. Secondary factor complete lack of common sense.']
"…Who the hell are you?"
[Designation: Advisor. I am your Unique Skill. My function is to guide you. Unfortunately, guiding idiots is not in my job description.]
"…Did you just call me an idiot?"
[Affirmative.]
I clenched my… well, I had no hands, but if I did, I'd clench them. "Okay, so I'm dead. What now? Reincarnation? Tell me I get something cool at least."
[Correction: You already have something cool. Me. The Advisor System.]
I wanted to cry. My reincarnation cheat was a system with a mouth bigger than mine.
"Fine, Advisor, what am I now? A hero? A dragon? A handsome demon lord with abs?"
[Negative. Your current form: Primordial Spirit Core. Description : a glowing orb of condensed mana. Appearance: cute, but utterly unimpressive.]
"…I'm a glowing marble?"
[Correction: A glowing idiot marble.]
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME AGAIN?!"
[No. You manage that perfectly on your own.]
Before I could scream further, the void collapsed into blinding light. The next moment, I was lying well, floating in a forest. Towering trees, glowing mushrooms, and an atmosphere so heavy with mana I could almost taste it.
I glanced at myself or rather, my reflection in a nearby pond. A small, round, glowing orb hovered over the water.
"…I really am a marble."
[Correction: An idiot marble.]
I swear, if I ever gain hands, the first thing I'm doing is strangling this damn system.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled. Heavy footsteps echoed. My orb-body trembled. Out stepped a hulking beast twice the size of a bear, with green skin, tusks, and a club.
An ogre.
"Oh no, nope, nope, I'm not ready for this! Advisor, do something!"
[Recommendation: Run.]
"I don't even have legs!"
[Then float faster.]
The ogre's bloodshot eyes locked onto me. It roared, swinging its club down with earth-shaking force.
BOOM.
I zipped to the side just in time, my orb-body bouncing through the air.
"Advisor, skills! Give me something, anything!"
[Analyzing… complete. You have unlocked your first ability: Absorption.]
The ogre lunged. I panicked. My glowing body slammed into its arm by accident—
And the ogre screamed.
Its flesh dissolved where I touched it. Energy poured into me like electricity into a battery.
I froze. "Wait… did I just eat his arm?"
[Affirmative. You are now capable of absorbing organic matter and converting it into energy or skills.]
"That's… actually kinda awesome."
[Correction: That's the first useful thing you've done since dying.]
The ogre roared in fury, clutching its dissolving limb. Its club rose again, higher, deadlier. My core quivered, panic surging.
"Advisor! Please, I don't wanna die again!"
[Activating Emergency Protocol: Overload.]
My body pulsed, glowing brighter and brighter until
BOOOOM!
Light exploded outward, swallowing the ogre's roar.
---
When the smoke cleared, the forest was silent.
I floated there, trembling, staring at the crater where the ogre had stood. Nothing remained but ashes.
"D… did I just nuke it?" I whispered.
[Affirmative. Although calling it a 'nuke' is generous. That was more like a baby firecracker.]
I ignored the insult, still stunned. "…Holy crap. I'm… strong."
[Correction: You are still pathetic. But slightly less pathetic than before.]
My new life had just begun, and I was already stuck with a sarcastic voice in my head, a glowing marble body, and enough danger to kill me a thousand times.
But I had one thing I didn't have back on Earth
Power.
And I wasn't planning to waste it.
---
Deep in the forest, a shadowy figure steps out from the trees, whispering…
"So, a new monster is born. Interesting."
---