<>

<>

<>

“YES?”

I couldn’t talk nor feel my body, instead, I was thinking. Despite the huge shock I had experienced just a moment ago, I was unusually calmed and alleviated.

“After dying, your soul was recycled. The Earth recycles souls that are worthy and, thanks to your good deeds, many people were saved. However, your case is different.”

The voice stopped.

“That 's all?”, I wondered. Hearing that I had died wasn’t pleasant at all, and receiving such a brief explanation was even worse. Dying while looking at that bald-head had put me in an angry mood. Nothing I could have done about it though, who would have expected this resolution? I didn’t think he would go berserk to the point of killing someone.

“What luck, maybe I s...” I was interrupted.

<>

<>

“YES”, I responded.

“Normally, the soul is sent back to the “Earth” without it’s previous memories. In your case, this can’t be done. Humans consider the brain as a unit, an organ. However, there are two separate entities. The functional brain, which keeps the soul alive, and the “Earth” brain. The latter is connected to Earth and stores memories. So the “brain” is a materialization of both of them.”

“I see...” , though I said this, it took me some time to process that. I’d always thought that the brain was an organ, but, if I wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating, it looks like I was wrong.

“...”, silence.

It seemed that this voice couldn’t express ideas fluently. If I were to compare it with something, it would be similar to an NPC giving me a tutorial in an RPG game. ""How nostalgic"", I thought. This was because I used to spend my spare time playing videogames and was hooked on gacha games when I was 16. Such was my addiction that I stayed for a whole month inside my bedroom, but thankfully I somehow managed to take the bull by the horns and break that bad habit.

“YES”, I blindly said after remembering my past.

Cause it looked like it only answered when I said yes or no, I couldn’t think about anything better.

“ As I said earlier, your case is different. Your brains became a sole entity before dying and your memories can’t be erased. That’s why you are here, interacting with me. Knowing this, it’s become impossible to recycle your soul. At least, on the “Earth”. That’s why you need to choose, disappear or be recycled on a different “Earth”. ”

Before I could talk, I listened it’s voice again.

<>

<>

I thought about it for a while. Do I want to live? What if I say yes and the world I’m sent to is a hellish experience? Similar questions aroused and I was seriously considering this matter. After considering many aspects of it, I made my decision.

“NO”

“The “Earth” you are going to be sent to has other features your previous “Earth” didn’t have. Please have that in mind, as I can’t say anymore than that cause we need to be neutral.”, that’s its final words.

<>

Honestly, I expected more. The conversation didn’t last long and it was one-sided. I was a mere listener whose only function was to say yes or no. I didn’t mind it, but it felt weird. Comparing it to an NPC wasn’t appropriate, it was a wall that had a predefined message written on it. Suddenly, a pleasant feeling invaded me. I didn’t know what was going to happen. In spite of this, I knew something. I had become a cell.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Right after the “conversation” ended, I was able to feel and clearly think as I used to when I was human. Though I couldn’t feel my limbs, it wasn’t that bad. In my mind, a window, which didn't surprise me at all because it looked like an RPG one, appeared. <>. When I thought about it, it displayed basic information:

Name: Luke

Being: Cell

Energy: 10/1.000.000

<>

<>

The status window had two subdivisions: <> and <>. The rest of it displayed my species, name and energy. The latter was probably the amount needed to evolve. I'm a cell, so needing energy in order to grow is a must.

Thinking “skills”, another window popped up.

Passive: Cellular respiration

Active: Movement (Flagellum)

I had two skills. Thankfully, I remembered what those words meant, as I had studied them during highschool. Flagellum is like a “tail” that allows the cell to move and “cellular respiration” is the way cells produce energy.

Although I wasn’t sure about it, I hoped these meant what I thought. If so, it seemed cells on other “Earths”, as the voice told me, don’t differ too much from each other. However, I am pretty sure human cells don’t have a flagellum, but I had one, so it might be a mutation.

Afterwards, I opened the <> window.

Speed: D (0/50)

Metabolism: D (0/100)

Energy Consumption: D (0/20)

Membrane: D (0/200)

Points: 100

There were a series of “abilities” listed. A brief description could be displayed of each of them.

Speed: Movement speed. Current Multiplier X1

Metabolism: Efficiency of energy production. Current: 0.25 Energy/nutrient

Energy Consumption: Amount needed to survive. Current: 0.10/nutrient

Membrane: Ingest nutrients/Defend. Current: 1 Nutrient/bite - 25% Chance to defend

Reading this I confirmed two things. I need energy to survive and there's a chance of being attacked. Attacked, but by whom? I couldn't tell, but I better beware of my surroundings.

The amount of points required to upgrade abilities varies. The most expensive one is “Membrane”, which increases the number of nutrients that could be eaten at a time and the success rate against an attack. Doing simple maths, if I were to ingest the maximum nutrients I could, they would grant me 0.15 energy (0.10 is used to maintain my body). Besides, I consume 0.1 energy when I don’t ingest any nutrients at all during the whole “day” and if my energy is below 5 I will die, that’s why I had begun with 10 energy points.

With my current points I decided to upgrade my metabolism. The window was updated:

Metabolism: C (0/200) -- 0.5 Energy/nutrient

The points required to level it up and the performance doubled. I extrapolated those changes to the other abilities. While I was deep in thought a luminous orb could be seen far away. It was moving towards me. It had the aspect of a Christmas ball with lightning rays emerging from it.

I decided to close the status window and approach it carefully. The lightning ceased when I was close, and my body started to move on it’s own. I couldn’t control it at all. The shining light was fading away as time went by and I felt a sudden flow of energy entering my body.

“Basic Nutrient Obtained” -- You have produced 0.4 Energy and 2 Points

It was my first meal