The first thing Kael noticed after dying was that it did not hurt.
That, in itself, felt wrong.
He clearly remembered the screech of tires, the blinding headlights, and the terrible realization that he was not going to make it across the street in time. There should have been pain. There should have been darkness.
Instead, there was light.
An endless, pale expanse stretched in every direction, like a sky without a horizon. There was no ground, no walls, no sense of distance, only a vast and quiet void that hummed with something he could not quite understand.
Kael blinked.
"Am I dead?"
"Yes."
The answer came instantly.
Kael turned, startled, and found someone standing behind him.
No, not someone.
A presence.
The figure looked human at first glance. Tall and slender, cloaked in white that seemed to ripple like liquid light. But the longer Kael stared, the harder it became to focus on their face. It shifted subtly, as if his eyes refused to process it fully.
"Great," Kael muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "So this is the afterlife? Kind of underwhelming."
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"This is not your final destination. This is a transition."
"Of course it is," Kael sighed. "Let me guess. You are a god?"
"I am the god of the world you are about to enter."
Kael paused.
"That is new."
He had expected something like heaven or hell, or maybe just nothing at all. This felt like something straight out of a webnovel, the kind he used to binge late at night instead of sleeping.
"Wait," Kael said slowly. "Are you telling me I am getting isekai'd?"
"Yes."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
Kael stared at the god for a moment before breaking into a grin.
"Okay, that is actually kind of awesome."
The god did not react.
"You will be reborn into a world of swords, magic, monsters, and dungeons," the god continued, voice calm and distant. "However, unlike others, you will not receive multiple blessings."
Kael's grin faded slightly.
"That sounds like a downgrade."
"You will receive one."
The god raised a hand.
Light gathered in their palm, condensing into something solid. The glow faded, revealing a piece of armor. A chestplate, dark and metallic, etched with faint, intricate lines that pulsed like veins of light.
It looked alive.
"This is the Infinite Ascension Armor."
Kael stepped closer, drawn in despite himself.
"It has no fixed limit. It can grow endlessly stronger."
Now that caught his attention.
"No limit?" Kael repeated. "So it is broken?"
"It has potential," the god replied. "But potential requires effort."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "There is a catch."
"There is a requirement."
Of course there was.
Kael crossed his arms. "Let me guess. I need to fight monsters to level it up?"
"Yes, but not in the way you expect."
The armor lifted slightly into the air, rotating slowly.
"This armor does not gain strength through experience alone. It evolves by consuming materials."
"Materials?"
"Monster cores. Rare metals. Magical artifacts. Anything with power can be absorbed."
Kael's expression sharpened.
"So I have to feed it."
"Yes."
"And if I do not?"
"It remains weak."
Kael looked at the armor again. Up close, faint lines ran across its surface like empty channels waiting to be filled.
"How strong does it start?"
"It will protect your life," the god said. "Nothing more."
"So it is basically weak unless I grind."
The god did not respond.
Kael sighed, but his eyes were already shining with interest.
An armor with no limit. A system that let him grow stronger as long as he kept feeding it better materials. That was not just good. It was insane.
It meant there was no ceiling.
No final wall he could not break through.
"If I keep upgrading it," Kael said slowly, "how far can it go?"
The god's presence seemed to sharpen.
"As far as you are willing to take it."
A chill ran through Kael.
That answer felt dangerous.
But also exciting.
"Alright," Kael said, cracking his knuckles. "I am in."
The god extended their hand.
"Then accept your blessing."
The armor floated toward him.
As it touched his chest, it dissolved into light.
Pain exploded through his body.
Kael gasped and dropped to his knees as something forced itself into him, not physically, but deeper, as if it was carving itself into his very existence.
It burned.
It consumed.
For a brief moment, Kael felt like the armor was testing him, measuring him, pushing against his limits.
Then it stopped.
The pain vanished as suddenly as it had come.
Kael panted, clutching his chest.
"What was that?"
"The binding process," the god said. "The armor is now part of you. It cannot be removed. It will grow with you, or it will stagnate with you."
Kael slowly stood.
A faint outline of the chestplate shimmered over his body before fading, as if it had become invisible.
"So it is always on me?"
"Yes."
"That is actually convenient."
The god stepped back.
"Your new life begins now."
"Wait," Kael said quickly. "Do I get a weapon? Some gold? Anything?"
"No."
Kael stared.
"You are serious?"
"You have the armor."
"That is it?"
"That is enough."
Kael let out a long breath.
"You gods really do not do tutorials."
"There is one final piece of information."
Kael paused.
"What is it?"
"The armor will evolve based on what you feed it. Choose your materials wisely."
"Meaning?"
"Low quality materials will result in low quality growth. High quality materials will unlock greater potential."
Kael frowned.
"So if I mess up early, I could limit its future."
"Yes."
"Great."
Now that was pressure.
This was not just grinding. It was strategy. Every decision mattered. Every upgrade could shape the armor's future.
Kael exhaled slowly, then smiled.
"No pressure, right?"
The god raised their hand.
Light swallowed everything.
Kael hit the ground hard.
He groaned and pushed himself up.
The sky above him was blue. Real blue. Clouds drifted lazily overhead, and a cool breeze brushed against his face. The scent of grass and earth filled his lungs.
"This is definitely not Earth."
He sat up and looked around.
He was in a forest.
Tall trees surrounded him, their leaves rustling softly. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting shifting patterns across the ground.
It looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Kael frowned.
"First step. Figure out where I am."
A low growl answered him.
Kael froze.
Slowly, he turned his head.
A creature stepped out from behind a tree.
It looked like a wolf, but something about it was wrong. Its body was larger, its fur darker, and its eyes glowed faintly red. Jagged lines ran along its skin like cracks filled with dim light.
Kael swallowed.
"Second step. Do not die."
The wolf lunged.
Kael barely reacted in time.
He threw his arms up instinctively and something shimmered.
A faint, translucent outline of armor flashed over his body just as the wolf slammed into him.
The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and sent him crashing to the ground.
Pain shot through him, but not as much as he expected.
The wolf snarled, snapping its jaws inches from his face.
Kael's heart pounded.
"Okay," he gasped. "Armor works."
The wolf raised its claws.
Kael's eyes darted around desperately until they landed on a rock.
He grabbed it and swung.
The rock smashed into the wolf's head with a dull crack.
The creature yelped and stumbled back.
Kael scrambled to his feet, gripping the rock tightly.
The wolf circled him, growling.
His hands trembled.
"First fight," he muttered. "Do not mess this up."
The wolf lunged again.
This time, Kael moved.
He sidestepped clumsily and swung the rock with everything he had.
It connected.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The wolf staggered.
Kael did not stop.
He kept swinging until the creature collapsed.
Silence followed.
Kael stood there, breathing heavily, staring at the body.
"I did it."
Then something strange happened.
A faint glow rose from the wolf's corpse.
At its center was a small, pulsing crystal.
Kael blinked.
"That has to be important."
He reached down and picked it up.
The armor within him stirred.
A strange, hungry sensation echoed in his chest.
Then a voice appeared in his mind.
[Material detected.]
[Compatible with Ascension.]
[Consume?]
Kael froze.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"Now we are talking."