Kael's eyes opened.
Where… am I?
He blinked, trying to clear his vision. An endless whiteness stretched around him. Thousands of glowing figures stood in a silent, endless line, each one shimmering with pure white energy. They had no faces, no features, just a faint, humming life force.
And then he saw the one who was different. An old man, standing apart from the rest.
A tiny, cute fairy-like creature, no bigger than his palm, appeared before him. "You have done a good deed," she said.
"A good deed...?" Kael said.
The fairy nodded. "Anyone who dies during or after a good deed receives a gift from the gods."
"Oh. You mean that…"
A memory flashed in his mind: a little girl was about to get hit by a truck, but the truck took a sudden turn and slammed into him. Damn you little girl, Kael thought.
He just nodded at the fairy. "Sure, I did. I saved that little girl," he said, with a smile on his face. "I am a kind-hearted person after all."
The fairy cheered. "That's why you've earned a chance at a new life! In your next life, you'll get a powerful skill or something. Now, follow me!"
Kael watched the cheerful, tiny creature and wondered what was happening. Am I about to be isekai'd?
She led him to the end of the line, where more confused people were arriving, each guided by a fairy.
At the very front of the line, the old man stood beside a Garapon machine/lucky draw wheel, exactly like the ones Kael had seen in anime, where upon spinning it, a tiny ball would come out.
Kael finally accepted it. This was the afterlife. He was really dead.
His mind drifted back to his past life, to his kind stepmother and cute stepsister. I hope they are doing okay.
He felt a pain in his missing heart. They must have been so sad after I died... He could almost hear their tearful voices saying, "Oh, Kael... we miss you so much."
He imagined them crying, holding each other, their hearts broken by his sudden departure.
More time passed. Many new people joined the line behind him and a lot left.
Even though he couldn't understand them, he knew they were just as confused as he was.
This line is still so long, he thought. Why does a place like this have such a huge queue? There must be a major bug in the system.
"How can there be so many 'kind-hearted' people who died doing a good deed?" Kael screamed in his mind, his frustration boiling over. "This makes no sense!"
As time passed, Kael saw he was getting closer to the front. His excitement grew with every step.
Finally, the girl in front of him took her turn. She spun the machine.
"Yeahhhhh!" she cheered. It looked like she got a good skill.
Kael felt a spark of excitement for his own turn.
The girl vanished.
The old man looked at him and said, "Now, your turn."
Kael nodded. Finally, someone he could understand.
He put his hand on the Garapon and spun it hard. A golden ball appeared with a bright flash, flying straight into his chest just as it had for everyone else.
But the god's reaction was anything but normal. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment. Then he broke into a broad smile.
"Haaa! What a lucky young man! You are in luck!"
"Luck?" Kael asked. "Me?"
"Hmm, hmm..." the god murmured, then nodded. "Young man, you have now become a god."
Kael's eyes widened in shock, then filled with a profound, dawning joy. "I... I became a god?"
"Indeed. Those who receive a golden ball ascend to godhood. You see, each orb grants a different divine title and skill," the god explained. "While new gods emerge regularly, this is still a rare honor. Perhaps one in a hundred million souls receives it. Even I have only seen a handful in my long existence."
"Really?" Kael smiled. "I sure am lucky…"
"Indeed. Now, can you show me your status window? Like this, so I can properly find a world suitable for you, or a position here."
The god gestured and a window appeared in the air:
____________________
Name: Vangiidhef
Title: God of the Garapon
Race:God
Stats (MAX):
Strength:∞
Agility:∞
Health:∞
Mana:∞
Skill:
Divine Garapon: Can manifest a Garapon machine. Any soul who spins it will receive one random Title and Skill. This opportunity can only be used once per soul and vanishes upon their death.
Age: 5876 (Immortal)
____________________
"Now, imagine a window like this, and it will appear," the god instructed.
Kael nodded, focusing his will. As he did, a screen came into existence before him.
____________________
Name: Kael
Title: God of Creation
Race:God
Stats (MAX):
Strength:∞
Agility:∞
Health:∞
Mana:∞
Divine Skill:
Manifestation: Grants the user the power to create any skill they desire.
Age: 17 (Immortal)
____________________
"Now that's a great skill," the god said.
"So, what do you say? Shall I send you to a world of demonkind? You could begin your adventure by slaying demons and saving the world…"
"Ahhh… I truly wish I had a skill like yours. It would be so thrilling to travel around the world and be a hero."
Kael was stunned by the god's words. He had just been feeling happy about his new skill, but his words completely ruined the moment.
What God said made no sense to him. Why would I go to another world, especially one you picked?
It was clear this old god had been stuck doing the same boring job for so long that he'd gone a little stupid.
Kael met the god's gaze with a calm smile. "No, thank you," he said.
Before the god could utter another word, Kael had vanished.
The god stared at the empty space, momentarily shocked. "Where did he go?" he muttered in confusion.
Then he simply shrugged, his expression returning to its usual detached calm. "Oh, well."
Turning to the next soul in line, he gestured forward. "Your turn."