Crossroads: After Life or Life?

vol 1 | Solo Leveling

arc 0 | Prologue

Ch. 2 | Crossroads: After Life or Life?

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crossroads (noun):

• a point at which a crucial decision must be made which will have far-reaching consequences.

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"Greetings, newbie soulbie. I'm your cutie host, slash guide, slash receptionist lady, Soulphie!"

Bizarre.

Bizarre, wasn't a word that could even begin to describe the experience Wallace was going through at the moment.

Mind running miles an hour and yet failing to come up with a single logical answer to where he currently stood and just what was in front of him.

In an infinite white space, a beautiful midget, dressed in an angel-themed, magical girl outfit, was sitting behind a table that was comically large for her, with only her upper torso sticking out as she rested her hands on the table while tapping it excitedly, trying to mimic a drum roll.

"Ba dum tss! Tee-hee~" The midget giggled in an overt moe manner while striking a victory sign as Wallace deadpanned to himself.

"Dear newbie soulbie if you haven't noticed already, you have died!"

(ET/N: Imagine Ironmouse's voice.)

"Yeah, no shit-"

"And thus you find yourself where you are! So, I, Soulphie your host again would like to welcome you to Limbo Inc.™"

"Feeling creative aren't we-"

"The space between gates, the life and the afterlife where you will be processed by your handlers, accessed, and then assigned to a destination depending on your deeds where you'll be staying for the rest of eternity! Isn't that exciting?!"

"That's mildly terrifying-"

"So, without any further ado, let's guide you to your handler! After all, you aren't the only cutie newbie soulbie~ Billions have already queued up behind you!"

"...What?" Wallace turned his head back in confusion and was gobsmacked to see a never-ending queue of newly arrived, staring at him with annoyed expressions. "What the shit-"

"Alright then! Please don't waste any more of my precious time!"

"Waste time? Me? It's you who keeps babbling-"

"Please walk ahead and accept your token! There you go!" She snapped her finger as Jacques approached her desk. Suddenly a golden coin materialized out of thin air and Wallace caught it by reflex.

Inspecting it Wallace's eyes brightened as he admired the incredible details engraved into the head of the coin but as soon as he flipped it over, his face darkened.

'420.' The tail read.

"..."

"...hmm?"

"You serious?"

"What? Don't like it?! How rude! Whatever! There!" Soulphie pouted as she snapped her finger yet again as the token dematerialize before one fell into his palm and boy was it worse. "Happy? Mmm~"

'69.' It read innocently.

"How about it? Better?! Tee-hee~" Soulphie giggled mischievously as Wallace breathed in.

"Listen here you little shit-"

"Aight! Time for you to go! Don't keep your handler waiting!" Soulphie said as she suddenly jumped onto the table. Grabbing his shoulders, she pulled him close to her face and looked at him with a wide, impish grin. "Would you care for an itsy bitsy piece of advice, dear soulbie? Mmm?... Don't try to forcefully open the door. You'll get zapped into oblivion otherwise~"

"What-" Before he could react she violently turned him around and it was as if the white space around him twisted and shifted.

Shaking his head to get rid of the disorienting feeling, he turned back to scold the little midget but looking back, the space was empty as far as he could see it stretch.

He could only sigh at his predicament and truly yet, bizarre wasn't enough to describe it.

Turning back ahead he raised an eyebrow as the only peculiar thing in this boundless plane of infinite white was a strikingly yellow door and a plain white bench before it.

"Looks like, I have to wait for now." Wallace sighed to himself hesitantly resisting the urge to open the door as he recalled Soulphie's advice. "What a fucking shit show."

Sitting on his own in an empty space gave Wallace a lot of time to manage his own turmoiled thoughts.

He had died, he knew and Soulphie confirmed it. That eased a lot of his thoughts. He had regrets and baggage but who didn't? Plus it's not like crying over it was going to do him any good.

Especially since he has more pressing matters ahead of him.

"To think that there was a higher plane of existence... Damn."

And he was going to be judged for how he lived his life. And it made Jacques very conscious and anxious. Jacques was a lot of things but he was not a pretender and as such he had no qualms in admitting that he wasn't the most religious guy.

He had never been the church type. As much as his parents had wanted him, he was more interested in what most teenagers his age were interested in. Cars, girls, video games, etc. The fact that his parents were shot on their way back home from a Sunday Sermon did help improve his relationship with the divine either.

Heck, the rest of his teenage life he spent as a raging atheist and it wasn't until he was stationed in Kandahar in 2011. The faces of faith and evil he saw those days and nights he fought with his mates to protect the former changed and softened him a bit. There was conflict all over the world and to a certain degree he had it a lot easier than most. Certainly, more than the civilians that were subjected to the atrocities of the Taliban. He saw civilians pray amidst the bombing, not just because they were duty-bound, but because it was a part of their faith. It was their hope.

His life as a nocturnal hunter took a toll on him and there were a few times he went to church yet again but the blood of the criminals staining his hands made him question if he was even worthy of mercy.

The same mercy he had refused to give to the criminals. So, he rather opted to divulge his demons to the alcohol as he chugged to the bottom of the bottle.

Now, his palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy-*ahem*

(ET/N: Author loves Eminem for new readers who don't know.)

And he wondered on the scale of bad to worse, just where he would be placed.

*Ding!*

Jacques' heart spiked as he heard a ding which was followed by a soft voice.

"Token... No. 69?"

"Ahh, well..." Jacques straightened himself, swallowing his nervousness. He lived life the best he could, while he has his regrets, wiping the human trash off the face of the planet wasn't one of them.

"There's no running from this Jacques. Fingers crossed."

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Opening the door, Jacques was momentarily stunned, eyes landing on a creature of magnificence.

Sitting on a chair behind an ebony desk was a very beautiful, refined lady with bright green eyes and shoulder-length white hair that was reminiscent of the whitest winter, dressed in a form-fitting office suit.

'A little too form-fitting, but I'm not one to shy away from a drink for my sore eyes.'

"Thank you." He was met with an answer as if his mind has been read. Jacques could only blink as the lady looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and an amused half-smile, her hands resting on top of an opened file as she beaconed him to take a sit in front of him. Jacques did not explain his mental comment as he simply followed her request, only offering her a dry, apologetic smile, but the lady wasn't bothered much. "Token No. 69, welcome. I hope you don't mind if I address you by your first name, or do you, Mr. Wallace?"

"By all means, I rather you call me by any name 'xcept by my token number..." Jacques trailed off rubbing his temples as the lady softly giggled to herself.

"Ah, my apologies for Soulphie. She is a new angel but she takes her job as the first receptionist for the Limbo, quite seriously." The lady smiled. "She is very enthusiastic about guiding the newly departed to their respective handlers."

"First receptionist?" Jacques blinked in surprise as the lady almost scowled at his question.

"My boss had to implement a new system for the newly departed, since a certain dolt of an angel royally fucked her job, got tricked by a vengeful soul for making him wait for thousands of years, and then accidentally turned him into a freaking God of Creating as compensation!" The lady almost ranted her facial expression contorting into one of immense frustration before she sighed and straightened herself to not make Wallace feel any more awkward. "But let's not dwell on my frustrations. Ah, look at me, I almost forgot to introduce myself. That was quite rude of me~"

The lady smiled as she offered him a hand, Jacques shook it and marveled at just how cold yet warm her hand was at the same time.

"I am Ani, the new head of the office department specializing in handling special cases and also the younger sister of the previous head who happened to be the dolt I mentioned earlier." The lady, now known as Ani, grinned at Jacques' dazed expression, which only grew as Jacques recovered and pulled his hand back quickly to not embarrass himself anymore. "And I'm your handler for now and I'm here to assist you with your next step."

"Ahh, I see. But... My next step? I don't understand..." Jacques trailed off anxiously, unable to word his inner turmoil properly as Ani simply smiled at him. "Shouldn't I be-"

"-Escorted to hell?"

"... Well, looking at my deeds, that should be the obvious-"

"Well, if that were the case then you would have already been hooked with chains, dragged off by the skin of your genitals, and thrown into the pits of purgatory to be locked in a cycle of eternal suffering without any formality or courtesy." Ani said in a matter-of-fact tone and Jacques could barely fend off the goosebumps that threatened to surface.

Her polite smile as she said some of the most disturbing things was terrifying to him on so many levels.

"Humans only seem to have a crass understanding of the how life after death pans out but I cannot blame them. For it takes one to die to know what's on the other side, which is 'here' and 'hereafter'."

Jacques kept his mouth shut as he let the fair lady explain his situation to him.

"'Here' would be judging your soul, reaping what it has sowed on the realm below, which is done perfectly by our morality system. Life isn't black and white, sometimes, some humans are forced to take steps that may seem inhumane to some or most mortals but in the grand scheme of things are deemed acceptable and fair by the system. Judging these unique souls by simplistic standards of black and white, good and evil would be unfair. Thus, the formation of my department." Ani explained as Jacques nodded, internally sighing in relief, just glad he wasn't being escorted (dragged) to hell. "Which brings us to 'hereafter'. After the morality check, it's either hell or heaven, and considering you are in my office it's neither for you, for now."

"Umm... For now?"

"Yes. This brings me to your special case, Jacques Lorcan Wallace. Modern-day, Jack The Ripper." Ani stated with an amused smirk as Jacques' eyes changed, and he stared at Ani with a hardened stare. "Mr. Ripper, do you know that your predecessor has been eternally assignment to Purgatory for damnation?"

"I didn't know but I can't say I'm surprised. He deserved it." Jacques said with a shrug as Ani leaned ahead.

"And why do you think you don't?"

"..."

"You both are so similar, treating your murders like art. Both masters of the said art, though you are a bit green considering you got caught, no offense."

"Nah, that's alright."

"Both of you take pride in what you did and enjoyed every moment of inflicting pain onto others. So tell me..." Ani intertwined her fingers, resting them under her chin as she looked into Jacques' eyes. "What makes you different than him?"

Jacques just stared at her, exercising silence for a brief moment before he raised two fingers.

"Two fundamental things." Jacques said as Ani raised an eyebrow. "Target and intent."

"Oh?" Ani asked, amused as Jacques continued.

"Jack's all recorded targets and victims had only been women, famous for being the ladies of the night. Prostitutes." Jacques said as Ani hummed. "And his intent, well from his alleged letters it might have been nothing but madness. Jack's work was nothing but a self-centered portrait to elevate himself above other mortals, by depicting himself as some sort of devil, who walked amongst humans. Tell me that doesn't sound coo-coo?"

"And you?"

"My targets have only been criminals and corrupts."

"True. And your reason?"

"My reasons may have started with self-satiation, but the more I walked the path, the more horrors I uncovered, the more despair I fell into knowing full well I couldn't change the world at all. But I did what I did to save the lives of those that could potentially fall victim to those sorry excuses of human waste as well as to avenge those that had fallen prey to their predatory ways. To avenge my parents and others just like them. And I have no delusions, killing them doesn't make me better than them. I, too am a monster." Jacques said Ani looked into his eyes, neither breaking contact.

"And if you are making me repeat what you already know in an attempt to make me guilty or show any remorse or regret then I have nothing to give you."

"..."

"The only regret I have regarding my 'bad habits' is that I couldn't take more with me." Jacques finished and as soon as he did Ani grinned widely throwing Wallace off when she began laughing.

"Haha! No wonder everyone in the department was so interested and eager to handle your case. You know your worth and your place regarding these things well, don't you?" Ani asked rhetorically as Jacques sighed leaning back into his chair and melting in relief. "Yeah, you can relax. You are not going to hell haha! But... Now is the time for you to choose what your next step ought to be. Considering you don't have any regrets regarding your actions and only those regarding what you weren't able to achieve in the past life."

"Next step? I get to decide?"

"Yep, you get to either retire to heaven and rest for eternity, enjoying your rewards or...."

"Or?"

"You can choose to travel a new road, a different path."

"?!"

"Yep!" Ani grinned at Jacques' expression as she passed a file to him. "It's exactly as you think!"

"You mean-?!"

"Isekai!" Ani said enthusiastically pulling out various isekai novels seemingly out of nowhere while Jacques just bounced to his feet, leaning ahead with practically stars in his eyes.

"-I can go back?!"

"..."

"..."

"...what part of 'new path' was so difficult for you to understand?" Ani deadpanned as Jacques just fake coughed into his hand to dismiss his blush. It was embarrassing. Back to the Future was one of his favorite movie series and just the thought of going back in time made him giddy like a kid.

'Sadly, the reality is often disappointing.'

"Even if I wanted to I can't send you back to your old world. The higher-ups will not approve of the disruption of a stable timeline of a low-level world. Plus I don't have enough clearance to make a request nor do you have enough good karma to appeal for such a request." Ani sighed as she quietly tucked away her reading material, happy internally that Jacques didn't notice and question her about her 'cultured tastes'. "The most I can do is send you to a world to your liking and grant you a few wishes. But nothing too ridiculous, my careless sister has us in enough hot water already as it is. Even, 'this' would be considered pushing it."

'But... This isn't that disappointing.' Jacques leaned back into his chair, sinking into the comfort its softness brought as he stared at the ceiling pondering over the two choices and the ramifications of choosing either of them.

Retiring to heaven for eternity did have its perks but as a man of... With exquisite taste, he was naturally more attracted to the idea of being able to experience life yet again in a world similar or dissimilar to his own, through reincarnation or transmigration.

It was... Exciting.

It was thrilling, an exhilarating thought to live out his wildest fantasies.

Plus the fact that he had a few regrets of being unable to achieve a few of his goals naturally made it more appealing to him.

'I wasn't able to visit Japan or complete my Warhammer: 40,000 collections or watch the Solo Leveling anime along with so many others or learn a guitar or archery or horse riding or... Ahhh Too many regrets.' Jacques smiled dryly to himself as he caught himself from spiraling down the sea of his regrets, most of them related to his hobbies, few things that bought him genuine joy. 'But as appealing as it is... It's rather dangerous.'

And it was.

Now, Jacques was a man with an interest in 'extreme sports' most of which put his life in jeopardy multiple times and it ultimately did result in his death, but his interest were out of necessity to make a difference, than a hobby.

He was at a crossroads.

He had a chance to retire peacefully. And choosing to continue a journey that, could end now, without having an idea of what lay ahead would be dangerous. Plus, he still hasn't heard the finer details-

"You are reading too much into it."

Ani said suddenly as she support her cheek with her palm, looking at Jacques with an amused look. "Whatever lies ahead, dangerous or not doesn't matter. It is a path not braved yet. What matters is what would makes you feel fulfilled. Would you be content with heaven fully aware that you missed out on a chance to truly spread your wings? Satisfied with your end, when your life could be so much more?"

"I..." Jacques opened his mouth dumbfounded, but as soon as the words sank in, he simply shook his head with a smile. Indeed, he wouldn't be pleased with himself if he chose the safe route, but that did not mean he was going to court death needlessly. "But I still need to know the details of the world I will be sent to, otherwise you can forget about using me for your entertainment."

"Ahh of course... Hehe~" Ani simply giggled, neither acknowledging nor refuting Jacques's jab at her. She beaconed him to open the file she gave him and watched as his eyes widened as he did so. "I have a feeling that you are going to like your new placement."

"Are you kidding?! This is... Awesome!" Jacques exclaimed, all caution out of the window, eyes sparkling like a kid that was giddy to get on a joy ride regardless of his parent's warnings. There was something about a hardened man geeking over something with stars in his eyes that Ani simply found adorable. "Let's do this!"

"Haha! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist! But before that pick three wishes. Can be anything, power, weapon, animal, summon, etc. but if I judge it to be ridiculous, then forget it."

"One punch man's-"

"Denied!"

"Excalibur-"

"Denied!"

"Death Note-"

"Denied!"

"Rimuru Tempest-"

"Denied!"

"Ability to create anything-"

"Denied! Plus it's already taken!" Ani said slamming her hands on the desk as he pointed a finger at him. "And what part of 'nothing' ridiculous do you not comprehend?! Do you think I am my sister-"

"Hey, easy! Easy there sweetheart." Jacques said, raising his hand in surrender as he leaned back with a carefree half-smile on his face. Ani saw his smile and felt embarrassed once she realized he was simply messing with her. "I know it's ridiculous, but I had to try. Plus, your reaction was the cherry on the top."

"*Ahem* It's good that you realize your errors." Ani said playing it off cooly, as she wholly ignored Jacques, lazy grin. "So, have you made up your mind?"

"Yep, a while ago." Jacques said cheekily as Ani hit him in the head with an eraser. "Alright, alright. I won't ask for something ridiculous and so for my first wish, I want magic."

"Hmm? Magic?" Ani asked as Jacques nodded.

"It doesn't have to be a sophisticated magical system, a 'good' affinity for magic would do." Jacques said with a shrug as Ani hummed to herself while she scribbled into Jacques' file.

"Okay, seems reasonable. Approved." Ani said still scribbling. The corner of Jacques' lips twitched as he tried not to grin, thinking quickly he disguised his glee with a lazy smile as he continued with his scheme.

"The next is 'good' eyes." Jacques said as Ani gave him a look. A questioning one. "What? It's a dangerous world and without any ridiculous power, all I have is my senses to rely on. Is it wrong for me to ask a 'good' set of them?"

"Hah... I guess not. It's not going to be an expressive power like the EMS or similar so I guess that would be alright." Ani pondered for a while before she continued with her scribbling. "Approved. Next. And this one better not be vague or I'll stab you with my pencil."

"What are you? Baba Yaga?" Jacques asked as Ani simply scoffed at his jab while Jacques simply tried his best not to cackle. "But don't worry. This one isn't vague."

"Go on then."

"For my last wish, I simply want 'good' luck." Jacques finished as Ani looked at him yet again. "What? It's simple, I just want good luck in general. I like money so I'm gonna do a fair bit of gambling and I don't wanna lose a single cent if I can help it."

"Hah... Acceptable. The three wishes are too simple in fact and I feel like I'm robbing you so I'll give you another wish, but it can't be a power."

"Really?... Alright then. Umm, let's see. A magical encyclopedia! After all, knowledge is power~" Jacques snapped his finger and turned towards Ani who just stared at him for a moment before looking down and jotting down the last wish before closing the file and setting it on the table before him without a word. "Is it done-"

Jacques' answer came as the file glowed before vanishing in a ball of majestic silver flames.

"Yep. Now, let's talk about the finer details and your placements." Ani said with a grin as she began to explain to Jacques who paid close attention to her words.

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"And that's all." Ani said sinking back into her chair as Jacques stood up. "If you understand, you can leave through the door. Once you leave you'll wake up in your new body. Don't panic, the disorienting feeling of being in an unfamiliar body or seeing an unfamiliar face in the mirror will soon fade away, the reincarnation system will make sure of that."

"I do." Jacques said as he started at Ani who was fiddling with her hair before turning back to look at the door. "So, I guess this is it..."

"Yep. A new life waits ahead for you." Ani said smiling at Jacques who smiled back at her. "Do me a favor, and don't die too soon this type."

"'No promises~ But... I will try my best." Jacques said as he reached for the doorknob. As he gripped it, he hesitated for a moment, recalling his previous life and the people he had left behind.

Especially, Lucy but he wasn't given any time to dwell on his sorrows or regrets as Ani's voice called out for him.

"Actually, do me another favor." Ani said as Wallace looked over his shoulder. "When you walk out of that door, leave all of your regrets behind. Leave them right here. It's your new life, start anew and live your life to the fullest. Doing what fulfills you."

Jacques closed his eyes and smiled gratefully as he opened the door knob without hesitation this time as he looked back at Ani, over his shoulder for the last time.

"Like I said... No promises...-"

"-Thank you. Truly..."

He said as he stepped out and into a bright light that illuminated the room. The light engulfed him and when it died down Wallace had disappeared and the door closed shut automatically by itself.

"What a cute child... To think he would be this cunning. How cheeky~" Ani muttered to herself as she licked her lips, her eyes glowing as a smirk graced her moist lips.

"Fufufu~"

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In a private ward of a hospital, a set of gray eyes fluttered open as the owner of the said eyes came to consciousness. The person sat up, feeling sore all over, as he looked down at his scar-littered hands that were wrapped in bandages covering sets of fresh wounds.

Turning his head to look at his reflection in the window by his hospital bed, his gray eyes widened in surprise and bafflement as the face in reflection was foreign yet familiar at the same time.

Forcefully curbing his surprise and shock, the man wobbly got off the hospital bed and made way into the bathroom with his shaky legs as he looked closely into a real mirror this time.

"So... It's real. This... This is real." He muttered to himself as he stared at the immature boyish face of the man that would in time become the most powerful individual on this planet.

"Holy shit... I am Sung Jinwoo... The Shadow Monarch... "

"..."

"..."

"Fuck yeahhhhhhhhh!-"

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Alternate Titles:

-Sexy Angel Mommy?! *Drools*

-Isekai All The Way!

-Trick or Tricked?

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Word Count = 4500+

※ Notes:

Well, I'd call this a solid new start. Now, some of you may complain that the wishes were not all that powerful and he could have easily asked for something else, and I agree, but all will be explained in due time. Plus, I did not want to make my MC ridiculously OP from the get-go. It will happen but in time.

Also, my Sung Jinwoo is going to be very different than the OG. So, in case some of you find it off-putting, or do not like me fucking with the universe then I suggest you just reread the original. You have been warned.

So, different in the sense that his fighting style will be vastly different. Daggers and swords are cool and all but I wanna try something different. Also, his personality will be different but not by a lot since the MC has a similar personality to the OG Sung Jinwoo.

Also, the system will not be the center of the MC's power progression so it won't be appearing a lot. It's simply a crutch for MC's growth plus... I'm too lazy to do all those calculations.

God, I fucking hate maths.

Anyways, that's all for this one. We are going strong so far. So, take care and I'll see you legends in the next one.

Love you all, you cute fuckers.