Night fell, the moon was bright with few stars, and the clear breeze was cool.
On his way home from work, Shichen yawned, shaking off his weariness.
Although it was another day of overtime, the thought of going back to watch anime and play games invigorated him, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Arriving at the subway station, he pulled out his phone, ready to scan his code to ride, but his phone seemed to have a problem.
The phone screen was completely occupied by a messy ad, with no 'X' or exit button in the upper right corner, and he couldn't even exit by pressing the home button.
"Got a virus? Is my phone broken already? I've only used it for two years."
Shichen muttered to himself, trying to turn it off, but it was still no use. Only then did he carefully examine the pop-up ad.
"[If you had a chance to become a god, would you seize it?]"
"[Yes/Willing/Indeed]"
The screen was full of ads, but only these two sentences, and the font was a bit small.
"What the hell is this? What's the difference between the three options? No one would click on this."
Recently, there have been a lot of these scam ads. Although this one was a bit different, it might have been designed to appeal to him, a two-dimensional enthusiast, by making it so chuunibyou.
It's well-known that two-dimensional enthusiasts are hard to fool. He didn't believe this ad, and what if his account's string of numbers disappeared the moment he clicked?
That was his foundation for living.
For a single person, the only reliance was that string of key numbers in his account.
Shichen tried operating his phone again, but it still wouldn't turn off, the volume buttons were unresponsive, and the home button still wouldn't exit.
The possibility of a virus seemed even greater.
Phones are updated quickly, but a normal phone can last more than three years without problems. Shichen hadn't wanted to replace his phone so early.
But in this state, he had no choice but to replace it.
Now, a phone is an essential item for going out. If it's broken, he can't do anything. Fortunately, his home isn't far, so he might as well run back.
It would be good exercise, and he could pick up a new phone on the way.
He had always wanted to exercise; a healthy body was the capital for revolution, but he could never get started. Even when he made up his mind, he would always find various excuses to procrastinate day after day.
Knowing is one thing, acting is another.
And so, this procrastination had lasted for several years.
It looked like today was finally the day it would begin.
Shichen felt a strange sense of gratitude towards this virus.
Shichen put away his phone, clutched his shoulder bag, and started running.
He ran slowly. He hadn't run in a long time, so he needed to get used to it first, otherwise, he'd be done before he'd barely started.
Thinking that he really had to start exercising from now on, Shichen felt a little excited and couldn't help but speed up.
But just then!
A large dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, rushing towards him at high speed!
It was a truck!
There was no warning, no sound at all, as if it had appeared out of nowhere.
Shichen's back instantly went cold, and he broke out in a sweat. However, perhaps due to an intense will to survive, his instincts were incredibly fast. He pushed off the ground with both feet and threw himself to the side.
Whoosh!
The truck flashed past quickly, without slowing down, showing no signs of stopping until it disappeared from view.
When Shichen sat up, he couldn't even see the truck's shadow. Suppressing the urge to curse, he reached for his ankle, wincing.
His body's instinctive reaction had been too fast, unleashing his potential, but it had also sprained his joint. His ankle seemed swollen.
He didn't dare move his foot and could only sit there, waiting to recover a bit.
At this moment, Shichen unhappily cursed the truck driver, hoping he was rushing to reincarnate.
If it weren't for his strong will to survive, he would have hitched a ride to another world.
But it was a bit strange. Why was the truck driving so fast with no sound at all? He was just running, not blocking his senses, and he was also paying attention to his surroundings. How could he not have heard anything?
It was too strange.
Just as he was thinking this, Shichen suddenly noticed a flicker of light at the edge of his vision.
Hmm? A flicker of light?
He couldn't help but look up to see what it was, and then he saw a flaming object falling straight towards him.
"?"
The light grew larger and larger, and the falling object also grew larger and larger, until it filled Shichen's entire field of vision.
It was actually a meteor?!
Thousands of words, myriad thoughts, ultimately could only be condensed into a common plant.
Grass!
Bang—!
Shichen was violently struck by the meteor, utterly powerless to resist. His body vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.
Shichen had never imagined he would be killed by a meteor. He didn't know whether to call this luck good or bad.
He dodged a truck, but then a meteor came. Was Death looking for him?
He hadn't done anything wicked. He usually helped old ladies cross the road, was willing to help people in need, was friendly to others, and spoke gently—a typical good-natured person.
How could such a kind-hearted person be pursued by Death?
Do good deeds go unrewarded?
Wait!
Why can I still think?
Shichen suddenly realized this problem, and then, he heard a mechanical, emotionless voice.
"[Host has obtained the opportunity to become a god. Reconstructing host's body.]"
"[Body reconstruction beginning!]"
"[1%]"
"[2%]"
"?"
What is this?
The phone virus from earlier?
It wasn't fake?
But it seems I was forced to agree?
So, the truck attack and the meteor strike were all caused by this thing?
Shichen tried to move his limbs, but he felt nothing. Only his mind could function.
If it was real, then he wouldn't pursue it; being alive was better than being dead. But if it was fake, then he would truly despair.
In this situation, he might have become a vegetable.
Alone, becoming a vegetable was no different from being dead.
Shichen was very optimistic. Even without family, even with a busy job, he was content as long as he could watch anime and play games every day, and occasionally hang out with friends.
Life was that simple. He was just an ordinary person, content with what he had.
"[49%]"
"[50%]"
The mechanical voice in his ear continued, which greatly reassured Shichen, and he could also feel his feet and legs.
Was it reconstructing from the lower body first?
Shichen could even think about these things with interest.
He couldn't help it; it was too sudden. Suddenly being told he was to become a god, he had no concept of it.
Although there were many such plots in anime and novels, they were ultimately fantasies, fake, non-existent.
He had also recognized reality and didn't chase impossible dreams.
For this to suddenly descend upon him, he was very confused. Was there anything special about him?
It couldn't be that good deeds were rewarded, could it?
There were many good people in this world; even if good deeds were rewarded, it wouldn't be his turn.
But whatever, since it had descended upon him, he would accept it calmly.
"[98%]"
"[99%]"
"[100%]"
"[Body reconstruction complete.]"
"[Congratulations, Host, on becoming a Divine Body, a Pure Body, a Flawless Body.]"
"[Divine Body: Above all, sacred and inviolable.]"
"[Pure Body: Without defilement, untainted by evil.]"
"[Flawless Body: Untouched by dust, spotless and perfect.]"
Shichen could feel his body now. It was indeed better than his original, with a particularly light sensation, though he couldn't fully experience the specifics yet. Similarly, he could also see.
He was in a white space, empty, boundless, and silent.
Shichen wasn't interested in this space. He first looked down at himself.
He was naked, but his skin was as white as jade, incredibly captivating. He seemed to have grown quite a bit taller, his legs were strong and powerful, and his abdominal muscles were well-defined yet not overly prominent—this was the physique he had always desired.
His 'little brother' seemed to have grown too.
The ground of this space was like a water surface. Shichen squatted down and looked at his reflection.
He didn't seem to have changed much, yet he had clearly changed. It was still him, but a bit younger, a bit more handsome, a bit more dreamlike, giving him the feeling that he had become a god-like figure.
He had become a Divine Body, could he also become younger?
That's good.
So what was he supposed to do next?
As this question arose in his mind, as if in response, the mechanical voice sounded again.
"[Divine Body creation complete. God-becoming quest beginning.]"
"[Host, please collect ninety-nine fragments of divinity. Upon collection, you may become a god.]"
"[Fragments reside within different people in different worlds. Host needs to actively make contact and gain their trust.]"
"Ninety-nine fragments of divinity? Different worlds? That troublesome? How long will that take? Will I be old by then?"
"[A Divine Body does not age.]"
"Then my mind will age."
"[Host has no right to refuse.]"
"..."
"[Next, Host will travel to the world of "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" to search for fragments of divinity. Please prepare. 3, 2...]"
"What did you say?" Shichen suddenly froze, wondering if he had misheard.
But the mechanical voice ignored him.
"[1, Teleportation beginning.]"
Before he could ask more, a black hole suddenly appeared beneath Shichen's feet, and he was caught off guard, falling directly into it.