1. Death and Life

Rangga Basudewa, he live at Magelang, Indonesia, near Borobudur temple. He's a guy with a lung disease since he was born. His lung is very weak so he always use air mask and need oxygen from bottles every once in a while. Even tough his family is not rich, his parents love him very much and always buy oxygen for him even if they need to sell their only car. Rangga also love his family and don't won't them to throw money just for him. So he start to study business, stock, investation, trading, etc. He know he can't handle hard work with his body so he choose to do it the smart way. He start to do trading with some small start, he already learn a lot and he can make a lot of profit. But he decide to stop after one year, as he know trading is not a long investment. He already got a hundred thousand dollar, and his family have better life now. But he need more money as assurance, because he know his life isn't that long with his disease. So he start to invest some stock, and he make a shop for his family, so his parents didn't need to work in their office anymore. He did it at only 17 y.o age, and he keep invest stock and invest in some local franchise. He keep doing it as he always feel his time is near. So he want to make his family have an easy life when he leave. He want his parents to relax at home, and didn't need to work till midnight again. He want his little sister to have enough money to go to a good college. He just want them to have a life they will get if he's not sick and take all the money they have. Then finally at 20 y.o, he succumb to his illness after he got a Bronchitis half a year ago. This make his lung disease getting worse and finally his body can't handle it anymore. But he's happy when he died, because even tough he's suffer from his disease, he got a loving parents, a cute little sister that attached to him. He feel happy with their love for him, he also left a lot of money for them to live comfortably after he's gone. He's happy but, he also regret a lot of things. He also want to live like other normal boys. He want to be able to run, to play basketball, to climb mountain, to swim, to live without using air mask everytime he go out, to have a girlfriend. He has regrets but he can't do anything about it, as he's dead. ???: "Do you want a chance to do all of that?" Rangga surprised to hear something in this dark place where his soul have come to this place after he died. He look around and he can't see anything at all. Rangga: "Am i hallucinating? Can dead people even halucinating?" ???: "You are not hallucinating" Suddenly a bright light appear in front of him, and Rangga move back reflexively. ???: "Fear not, human child. I mean no harm for you. I just want to have a talk with you." Rangga: "W-w-what do y-you want to talk about?" ???: "Do you want to live normally like others?" Rangga: "Y-yes, but i already died." ???: "I can give you a life again, so you can live normally" Rangga is attracted at what this light say, but he's suspicious with it. He don't know what this light is, or what it want by giving him a life. He don't know if reincarnation is real or not, but he can't trust an unknown entity like this light. But he know he also can't do anything as this light is most likely something like a GOD. Rangga: "Why do you want to give me a life? What do you want from me?" ???: "You are smart, i want to give you life because i want you to do something. But don't worry, i will not ask you to be a criminal or something like that. You can also refuse after you hear my request." Rangga: "Then i will listen your request first." ???: "Thank you, human child. First i want to ask you, do you know a story named Solo Leveling?" Rangga: "?? I know, i read the novel and webtoon too, but, why you ask?" ???: "That story is actually real, about Monarchs, Rulers, Sung Jin-Woo, Gates, and Monsters. I am a Ruler, the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light. You can call me Ashgar." The light then change his appearance to thay of humanoid shaped being with 6 wings behind it. Rangga stunned seeing and hearing this, but he's still confused as ever. Rangga: "Wait wait wait, what do you mean that story is real and you're a Ruler, not to say the Brightest." Ashgar: "Alright, i will tell you a summary of what happen. You already know about the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light, Ashborn has made Sung Jin-Woo his successor. You also know about Ashborn history with us, the other Rulers. About how we kill our Master, Ashborn rage, he become the Shadow Monarch, and decide to end the war by giving his power to Sung Jin-Woo. We Rulers also try to give some humans our power, but they can't handle even the weakest of us. My power is almost the same level as Ashborn, you can say i'm number two, but my power is not something a human can even touch. So when i find out that Ashborn have found a method to transfer his power to human, i research about it, and i found out that i can do it too. Shadow Monarch need a person that are loved by death but never surrender to it so he can hold the death itself. But my power is hard to hold as i need a very pure soul to handle it, and i can't find someone that has a very pure soul as every human has desire. Then i found out that i can just give my power to a soul that hasn't been born to the world, that is through reincarnation. A reincarnated soul is stronger, altough it's not pure, but if my power is given when the soul is yet to be born, it will make the soul pure as a soul is very pure when they're born. So even tough the soul will have human desire later, the soul will be pure and prevent him from doing something bad. Also if my power is given since birth, then he will adapt and finally the body can hold the power when he grow. But there's a disadvantage, i can't choose a soul from my world, as after a human die, the soul can't directly being reincarnated to a same world as they need to be sent to hell or heaven first. I also need to send the soul to the past before the gate manifested, but they will be at the same timeline with their own self before reincarnated and that's impossible. Sure i can choose souls from old era, but i want souls that know the problem. That's why i search for another world and find yours. I make a deal with this world's Underworld GOD and he give me permission as long as i'm not force the souls. That's why i spread this story on your world through novel and now a webtoon, to make people know abou it, so i can ask their help when they die. I already give this offer to some soul but they refuse as they can't indulge in worldly desire even if they have power." Rangga: "Worldly desire?" Ashgar: "Sigh, they want harem, richness, even some want world domination. They can't do that as their soul will be pure so they won't have strong worldly desire like that. Sigh, those people read too much reincarnation novel with womanizer, cunning, power hungry, or even an evil Main Character. Ah, but i won't restrict your freedom, you just will not have a bad desire like that. You will still be a human, just a very kind human. Those guys are just want to do what they want, and they leaned to bad deeds. I just want to ask you to help Sung Jin-Woo, Ashborn's successor to fight the Monarch and save the world. I can't let Ashborn being the one sacrificing himself" Rangga: "You said being a womanizer is a no go, but c-can i have a girlfriend to marry?" He said while blushing, he never had a girlfriend or even a wife as he's at home most of the time as outide is full of pollution. So he never had a chance to meet girls and having a relationship with them. That's why he want to have a girlfriend and marry her like all those stories. Ashgar: "Of course, even we Rulers have our own spouse. What i mean by womanizer is they who flirt and chase girls for sex only. You can have a spouse of course, but you need to be faithfull to her, no cheating, and you will only love one woman as your wife, that's what i mean. Being rich is also okay, but you can't indulge in it. Have a politic power is okay, but you can't misused it. What i mean is you have freedom to do what you want but you need to know the limit and have principle of kindness. The souls before you have all become a little crazy because they already feel the horror of death and know that only with strong power can they avoid it again. So, what's your choice human child?" Rangga: "Will i have a healthy body?" Ashgar: "Yes of course, to hold my power, you need a strong body." Rangga: "Hmm, that's a relief, that's my biggest hope afterall. Ah, can you help my family here?" Ashgar: "Yes, i can help a little, you don't need to worry." Rangga: "Fyuuh, that's a relief. Then if that's all what you want from me, i accept. I don't have a desire to be a harem king or something like that afterall." Ashgar smile: "Thank you human child" Rangga smile too: "It's me that should thank you. I will have a chance to do what i can't afterall. Even your restrictions aren't restrictions for me, as i just want to have a normal life like everybody." Ashgar: "That's good, now about your reincarnation setting. I will send you 15 years before the gate manifest, that's the most far i can send you to the past with my artifact. I will give you a guide, not a system as i don't have architect like Ashborn, but i can give you a spirit fairy to help you getting strong. You will awakened at 20 y.o, 5 years after the gate manifested, so you're around Jin-Woo's age. How do you feel about having a new family?" Rangga: "Why you make me awakened 5 years after gates manifested? Wouldn't i be stronger if i awakened earlier? Also a family huh? I can't think about having parents again except my last parents, but i know i will be birthed by new parents, and i won't take their chance to be a parents. I will accept having new family, love is something that grow with time afterall. Also, can you make me remember my past life at 10 y.o? I want my new parents have normal kid afterall. Also please protect my new family too, as that is a dangerous world." Ashgar: "I will grant your wish of course, it's my thanks to you. About your awakening, it's because my power can only be transferred when the gates manifested. The gates is as the name suggest, a connection of earth and our's, Ruler's and Monarch's dimension. You need to get used to magic power, and it will take about 5 years, or if something happen, it will be longer. I want you to awakened before Kamish tragedy, but it's impossible for your body to handle my magic power in 2 years. Even after 5 years, you need to train first before you can use your power freely. You can go hunting monster only after that, maybe 3 years after your awakening. You can't flaunt your power when you can still grow right? Only after trespassing S-rank power can you publisize your strength." Rangga: "Hmm, that's a lot to digest but i understand the gist of it. Wait, i remember Ashborn died after giving Jin-Woo his power. What about you?" He feel bad if he need to life again at the cost of another's life Ashgar smile a little: "You're truly a kind child. But don't worry, just like Ashborn, i have lived for eons and tired of the war, so i just want to rest, and meet with my Leyla." Rangga: "Leyla?" Ashgar: "My spouse, she fell on this war, and i missed her. So please, don't feel guilty or burdened. This is my wish and you help me achieve it, for me you're my hero." Rangga: "...Alright, i understand" Ashgar: "Then human child, i will meet you again when you're ready to get my full power. Enjoy yout new life!" Ashgar wave his hand, makes the light enveloping Rangga and send him to the new world.

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