Satisfied enough with the philosophical back-and-forth, Marcus and Adrian turned to face each other—or at least, they felt the shared understanding between them in this strange, bodiless void. It was time to move on to something more pressing.
Adrian gave a small nod.
Marcus grinned. ‘Alright then.’ He turned back toward the System’s presence, his tone shifting from frustration to something sharper and his usual nature. ‘System, since our deaths were the result of an unknown error on your part, doesn’t that mean some kind of compensation is in order?’
The words of guilt trip hung in the air.
The System didn’t hesitate.
[MEMORY RETENTION HAS BEEN GRANTED. THIS IS YOUR COMPENSATION.]
Marcus scoffed. “Oh, come on. That’s not compensation.’ His presence flickered with fake agitation. ‘I mean, sure, we’re grateful for that, but that only puts us back at zero. Shouldn’t we get something extra?’
Adrian, ever the tactician, decided to take a different approach. He exuded calmness, stepping in to put pressure on the other side of the same coin. ‘System, were we at least deserve to be given any bonus Karmic Points for the inconvenience?”
A brief pause again.
[NEGATIVE.]
Adrian tilted his head. ‘No bonus? Not even a little?’
[NEGATIVE.]
Marcus performatively sprang forward—if they had bodies, it would have been a dramatic lunge—his entire presence brimming with mock outrage. ‘Unbelievable! We died incorrectly, and you’re telling me we don’t even get a single bonus point? Not even a pity point?’
The System remained unmoved.
[COMPENSATION HAS BEEN ISSUED.]
Marcus groaned. ‘Oh, for the love of—!’
Adrian placed a calming thought on Marcus’s metaphorical shoulder. ‘Alright, alright,’ he said smoothly, shifting tactics. ‘If you can’t grant us more points, perhaps we deserve something else instead?’
Marcus immediately perked up, his half-fake frustration giving way to intrigue. Adrian had something in mind.
The System remained silent for a moment as if calculating the legitimacy of this request.
Adrian took the opportunity to press further. ‘System, let me ask you something.’ His tone was light but strategic. ‘The reincarnation process—it's not really a choice, is it? The souls don’t decide where they’re born, what kind of life they get, or even the circumstances of their existence. It’s all determined by some advanced calculation based on their available Karmic Points, correct?’
The System responded promptly.
[CORRECT.]
Adrian’s presence brightened slightly. ‘That means our next lives—where we’re born, who we become—are all pre-determined by the System’s formula, capped and structured by our available points.’
[CORRECT.]
Marcus, catching on to Adrian’s play, fell silent. He wanted to see where this was going.
Adrian hummed in thought. ‘So, let’s say… instead of giving us more points, you allow us to manually select our reincarnation settings?’
‘That was actually genius!’ Marcus exclaimed.
A pause.
A long pause.
Marcus felt something shift in the space around them. The System was calculating.
Then—
[…PROCESSING.]
Adrian smiled. ‘It would be fair, wouldn’t it? We still spend our Karmic Points the same way as everyone else, we just get to choose how they’re spent.’
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Marcus’s brimming with approval. ‘Yes!’. He straightened, fully backing Adrian’s idea. ‘That’s actually a pretty solid compromise. You don’t have to break any rules or give us anything extra—we’re just asking to allocate what we already have ourselves.’
The System remained silent for a moment longer, calculating.
Then—
[PROPOSITION ACCEPTED.]
The space around them pulsed as if reality itself had shifted ever so slightly.
[MANUAL REINCARNATION SELECTION AUTHORIZED.]
Marcus let out a triumphant laugh. ‘Oh hell yes! Finally, something good!’
Adrian’s presence radiated satisfaction. ‘Thank you, System.’
[PROCESSING CUSTOM REINCARNATION SETTINGS…]
Marcus grinned, excitement bubbling inside him. ‘Alright, Adrian. Now comes the fun part.’
Adrian chuckled. ‘Let’s build ourselves a new life.’
The white void around them trembled.
The process had begun.
[PROCESSING POSSIBLE REALITIES…]
A pause. A flicker of energy. Then—
[THREE WORLDS IDENTIFIED.]
[SELECTION LIMITED BY AVAILABLE KARMIC POINTS: 1000]
Marcus leaned forward—if he had a body, he would have been at the edge of his seat. ‘Alright, show us what we’ve got.’
Adrian, ever the tactician, exuded calm patience. ‘System, how is the cost of each world determined?’
[WORLD TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT CORRELATES TO KARMIC COST. HIGHER-TECH WORLDS REQUIRE GREATER POINTS. LOWER-TECH WORLDS REQUIRE FEWER POINTS.]
Marcus let out a whistle. “So, the more advanced the world, the more expensive it is to get in?”
[CORRECT.]
Adrian nodded thoughtfully. “That means we’ll have to balance our choices carefully.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the void before them shimmered, and four distinct sets of symbols emerged—each representing a different world, a different universe.
Then, the details unfolded.
----------------------------------------
[OPTION 1: PRIMORDIA] (200 KARMIC POINTS)
A Low-Tech, Rune-Infused World
* Era: Pre-Medieval (Similar to Antiquity of Earth)
* Technology Level: Basic tools, iron weapons, rudimentary engineering
* Society: Kingdoms, Empires, warring clans, tribal conflicts. Nobles and warlords rule through strength and lineage.
* Risk: High (Disease, war)
* Cost: 200 Karmic Points
Marcus immediately made a face. ‘Ehh… I dunno about this one. Low-tech means a hard life. No medicine, no proper sanitation, and probably no running water. Pass.’
Adrian smirked. ‘But magic seems to exist here. If we can get a good grasp of it, we might not need technology.’
Marcus shrugged. ‘Still feels like a downgrade.’
----------------------------------------
[OPTION 2: NOVARIA] (500 KARMIC POINTS)
A Mid-Tech, Magic-Integrated World
* Era: Renaissance to early Industrial Revolution (Similar to 17th–18th century Earth)
* Technology Level: Gunpowder, steam engines, mechanical automation in early stages
* Society: Expanding empires, scientific revolutions, and scientific academies.
* Risk Level: Moderate (Political turmoil, class divisions)
* Cost: 500 Karmic Points
Marcus perked up. ‘Now, this is more my speed. Guns and Engine? Science and alchemy? I like the sound of that.’
Adrian hummed in thought. ‘It’s a balanced world. Not too primitive, not too advanced. We could carve out a good life here.’
Marcus grinned. ‘Plus, if we remember our past lives, we could introduce so many modern ideas and become insanely rich.’
Adrian chuckled. ‘True. But let’s see what else is available first.’
----------------------------------------
[OPTION 3: NEOTERRA] (1000 KARMIC POINTS)
A High-Tech, Cybernetic World
* Era: Advanced futuristic civilization (Similar to the 22nd–25th century Earth)
* Technology Level: Artificial intelligence, genetic modifications, interplanetary travel, cybernetics
* Society: Corporate-driven megacities, AI governance, cybernetic augmentation, space colonization.
* Risk: (Corporate warfare, cyber-espionage,)
* Cost: 1000 Karmic Points
Marcus let out a low whistle. ‘Damn. Cybernetics? AI? Space travel? That’s insane.’
Adrian exhaled. ‘But it’s all our points. If we pick this, we won’t have anything left for extra advantages.’
Marcus frowned. ‘Yeah… and no magic again, huh? Just tech?’
[CORRECT.]
Adrian hesitated. ‘It’s tempting. But if we start with nothing in a world this advanced, we might be at a huge disadvantage, even more than starting organically without our memory.’
Marcus grumbled. ‘True… But man, I want to be a badass Nomad who goes gun blazing Corpo every day of the week.’
‘You and me both buddy…’ Adrian sighed dreamily.