Greg woke up on the floor. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a series of messages. Greg didn’t even bother to read the messages that showed up. He stared right through them and thought about what just happened.
He had died.
And it was all gone.
His family, wife, children, brother. Everything.
Greg was also surprised that he was back here again. In his second life—Greg felt it was strange to put it like that—he had his suspicions and doubted his own memories. Was it just a strange dream he had during his childhood? Was his life on earth merely a very long and elaborate illusion, meant to beguile and fool him?
Now, Greg could confirm the truth. He really could reincarnate between worlds.
He was immortal and undying. He was eternal—as the system put it.
Greg paced around and let that sink in for a while. He was in complete disbelief. He couldn’t process it. He imagined the future. Of the countless lives he would lead and the things he would experience. All of it was for the taking.
But eventually, the high that he rode plummeted. He remembered everything and everyone from his previous life. Tears watered in his eyes and Greg began sobbing. He laid onto his back and shivered uncontrollably.
Fear consumed Greg.
His heart was as the void’s. Empty and silent.
***
Several hours later, teary-eyed and exhausted, Greg opened up the messages that had been patiently waiting for him this entire time.
[Welcome back, Eternal!]
[Calculating life…]
[Trivial Credits Earned: 134]
[Calculating accomplishments…]
[Lead a Small Village – 5 Credits awarded]
[Tailor a Masterwork - 10 Credits awarded]
[Save the Soul of a Great Warrior - 250 Credits awarded]
[Strongest Creature Killed: Heath Ada Levine – 1,000 Credits awarded (9,000 Credits deducted due to nature of Kill)]
[Accomplishment Credits Earned: 1265]
[Total Credits Earned: 1399]
[Calculating stars earned…]
[Unlock Access to First System - 1 Star Awarded]
[Lose Virginity – 1 Star Awarded]
[Start a Family – 1 Star Awarded]
[Kill A Sapient Being – 1 Star Awarded]
[Achieve a D Rating for the first time – 2 Stars Awarded]
[Total Stars Earned: 6]
[Calculating rating…]
[Age: 58]
[Life: 2nd]
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[World Level: C]
[Adjusting rating based on parameters…]
[Rating: D-]
His eyes glazed over most of it. When he read the number of points handed out for the strongest creature killed, he briefly paused. A thousand points was a lot. Other than that, he softly smiled when it said he saved the soul of a great warrior. He knew who the system was referring to as a ‘Great Warrior.’ Gale.
Just a few small gestures on a daily basis, over time, helped Gale out of his shell.
Greg wished that someone during his time on Earth had done the same for him—even if it wouldn’t have done anything to change his life for the better. He just wanted someone to care.
Greg Mayne sighed.
Then a notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You completed your 2nd life!]
[You now have access to quests!]
[You will now be assigned quests during your lives. If you complete them, Eternal is entitled to special rewards, items, perks, knowledge, and of course, points.]
Greg elicited a long ‘hmmm’.
Interesting, he thought.
Greg hoped that it wouldn’t tell him to do anything too ridiculous. Could he refuse them?
[If you refuse quests, you are doomed to fail. Grasp the fleeting opportunities when they arise, and you shall attain power beyond your wildest dreams. You have been warned…]
Before, the extreme tone of the message would have spooked him. Thereafter he would have dismissed it and moved on. But now, Greg took this message very seriously. He even gleaned it for any secret meanings—if there were any. Whatever that was sending this message had to be ancient, wise, and powerful enough to kill him a thousand times over in an instant.
He carefully read the message a few more times before he—Greg stopped himself.
Greg cleared his throat and said out loud, “Hey system, can I save a log of all the notifications and messages I have ever received. Is that possible?”
There was a moment of silence before he received a response.
[Log is Restricted!]
[Would you like to spend 5 credits to open log?]
Greg was pleasantly surprised. When he saw the price, he didn’t hesitate to buy it.
[Acknowledged]
[5 Credits Deducted]
[Log has been unlocked!]
Before him appeared a menu of all the messages he had ever received in big blue text. On the left was a scroll bar. Greg was stumped when, as he scrolled to the top, he only saw the messages he had just received.
The reason he had bought the log in the first place was so that he could see the messages he had received after his 1st life.
“Hey, can I get the messages from when I first came here?”
[All past logs are corrupted!]
[Would you like to spend 333,333 Points to recover the lost data?]
Greg was speechless when he saw the cost. Why was it so expensive just to receive a few message logs? He thought about it for a while. Unable to come to any conclusion, he dismissed the subject and decided to think about it at a later time.
Greg closed the message and—58 years of time having eroded away nearly all his memories of this place—he forgot what to do next.
After a concerning amount of time, Greg finally remembered that there was a thing called the ‘main menu’. He opened it up with a single thought.
*Menu*
[Reincarnate]
[Shop]
[Domain]
[Log]
[Locked options are hidden]
He selected [Shop] and appeared in a run-down shop. Sitting behind the front desk was a young man with lustrously clear skin and shoulder-length black hair parted down the middle in a curtain’s hairstyle. He rocked back and forth in a rocking chair. Laid on the counter was a wooden pipe with ash tipped into a tray beside it.
Putting on his best smile, Greg walked right down the middle of the shop and greeted the shopkeeper.
“Hey, you seem familiar.”
The shopkeeper nodded and said in a deadpan tone, “Uh-huh.”
Greg came right in front of the counter, placed his hands on his hips and asked, “I’m sorry but last time I didn’t quite catch your name. What is it?”
The shopkeeper replied once more in his signature deadpan voice, “Pithias.”
“Pithias?” Greg smiled and reached out for a handshake.
When the shopkeeper simply stared back at him, Greg pretended as if that didn’t happen.
What followed was Greg’s hopeless attempt at conversation between him and Pithias. Shining through was his speaking skills earned and fought for in his previous life, combined with the dead remnants of a cold-blooded stockbroker from Earth.
Nothing got through to him. He either replied with silence or a quiet ‘Uh-huh’. Out of stuff to say, Greg bit the bullet and finally asked for the stock. As if flipping on a switch, Pithias spoke actual words for the first time.
“Of course, son.”
[Inventory]
[Danger Sense (1): Become vaguely aware of incoming danger, traps, threats, and killing intent - 50 Credits]
[Deep Sleep (1): Reduce need for sleep by 10% - 25 Credits]
[Enchanting Clothes (1) – Finished products provide small benefits to the wearer – 50 Credits]
[Against All Odds (Legendary) – When fighting an opponent(s) with greater total strength, gain the following: Heightened Senses, Second Wind (Uncapped), Swiftness – 500 Credits]
[Speaker of Souls – Words of wisdom, actions, and speeches that resonate with others will leave an impact on their soul – 500 Credits]
[Node Detection – Instinctively know where the world node is located – 2,500 Credits]
For the next hour or so, Greg carefully looked over his options. Noticing that the system kept silent whenever he asked it about the perks and their specifics. Realising he had only one option, Greg asked for advice from Pithias. It had cost him—as described by Pithias—"a sky-high, faint-inducing, vomit-inducing, aneurysm-inducing amount of money that would leave even those with deep pockets flabbergasted, lost for words, and running for their money. Eternal, do you dare part ways with one whole credit? I know, very expensive.”
Greg chuckled at Pithias’ obvious sarcasm.
He paid the 1 credit and received explanations on every perk except for ‘Node Detection’.
Pithias said that such information was restricted.
Skeptical and feeling slightly cheated, Greg thereafter ignored the perk entirely. In the future, when he had the credits, he would consider it.
And so an hour later, Greg wished the shopkeeper goodbye and returned back to the void only a penny less than when he came in.
He then opened up the [Domain] tab.
He stared at the menu for a while.
*Domain*
[14 Chest Drive, Unit 8 – 50 Credits]
“System, how long can I stay in the void for?”
[You may do anything you wish, Eternal. However, the maximum staying time is 1 week. After that, you will be forced to reincarnate into your next life.]
Greg was relieved. It wasn’t like he was running on the clock. He had time, and he would use it wisely. Unlike last time, he would really think before he made his purchases. He would take the entire week if needed to.
“What happens when I buy 14 Chest Drive?” Greg asked the system.
[14 Chest Drive shall materialise into your domain—as it exactly was upon your death]
Greg then raised an eyebrow. “Does it come with the rats?”
[Negative]
Greg sighed in relief.
“Okay. I’ll buy it then.”
[Would you like to buy 14 Chest Drive, Unit 8 for 50 Credits?]
Greg confirmed his purchase.
[Acknowledged]
[50 Credits Deducted]
Suddenly his apartment unit, as if it had been carved out of the original, main building, appeared before him.
Greg was speechless. Nostalgia overwhelmed him.