The Choice

Another pin-drop silence. 

Elric couldn't believe what G.O.D. just revealed to him. Another mind-boggling plot twist. 

First, it was fighting against Demon God and now that his predecessor killed the chosen Heroes of the other Gods.

Just hearing this made Elric regret his decision to agree with God of Darkness's proposal. 

Now he understood why the entire world of Vantrea had issued a kill-on-sight order for those who followed, worshiped God of Darkness and were wiped out 3 centuries ago. 

It was his predecessor who basically made an enemy out of the entire world and now had implicated Elric as well.

"Oi... Tell me that's a lie. That joke is not even funny." said Elric with a contorted face as he still had not come to accept the truth. 

It was understandable as every religious branch or empire would cherish the chosen Heroes which were to complete the task ordered by their God and treat them with the utmost care, hospitality and respect.

And to have them killed; not just one of them but all 12 of these Heroes by one who was tasked with the same mission as them... No wonder all the ruling authorities regardless of their qualms and indifferences with each other would be united to massacre the main party responsible and anyone associated with them.

And that is why God Of Darkness and his followers have been rooted out of the annals of history three hundred years ago.

"Doesn't that mean I'll be killed off as soon as I enter your world and somebody knows my real identity as your chosen Hero?" Elric asked with a pitiful face.

He had just reached the peak of the mountain, only to fall straight into the abyss.

"Bloody hell, my bad luck won't leave me even in my 2nd life." Elric lamented his extremely disastrous luck.

And he had no other choice but to do it anyway or he'll be forever stuck inside the World Boundary.

"Now what? How am I even supposed to kill the Demon God? 

You just raised the game difficulty from Hell Mode to Impossible Mode.

This is beyond hopeless already. I don't think that I can do it even if I had 10 more lives." Elric said with a depressed expression on his countenance.

If he wasn't in his soul form now, he'd already be shedding tears.

"Naturally you'll have to conceal that fact. Until you're strong enough to face the entire world on your own at least." G.O.D. said as if this was something very normal.

Elric rolled his eyes in exasperation in return.

Facing the world by yourself? Did the God of Darkness think it would be that easy?

Wouldn't this entail that Elric will have to live like a criminal, a thief, a prey running away as he would be constantly hunted down by the entire world?

"Don't worry. I naturally have the means to conceal your arrival. 

Neither Gods nor their followers would be able to detect it.

Also, the fact that your original body being destroyed would become our advantage." G.O.D. said, trying to comfort Elric who seemed on the verge of committing suicide again.

"What do you mean? What does that have to do with my original body?" Elric asked.

"All the Gods and their followers always have to go through a grand ceremony with hundreds of magicians partaking in the Summoning Ritual.

Even in Vantrea, where mana and world energy are flowing in abundance, breaking the dimension barrier between different worlds and summoning a person takes a huge amount of magic.

That is enough to cause a massive energy spike in the world; noticeable even from 10 kilometers away.

And that's why every summoned Hero/Heroine is accounted for.

On top of that, they all come with their original bodies in our world unlike you, whose body was reduced to dust after your death." G.O.D. explained the whole ordeal as Elric didn't have any knowledge or information on how things worked in the world of Vantrea.

G.O.D. then continued…

"And me being the one summoning you is also the major factor. 

Other Gods can't summon the souls of the dead from other worlds at all. I'm the only one who can do it since I'm the manifestation of Death and Darkness.

Bringing something like the soul of someone deceased is not even worth mentioning.

Other Gods can at most, open the world boundary and take a peek at the world they intend to summon a chosen Hero from." G.O.D. said with a smug smile as he reveled in the sense of superiority he was feeling because of his specialty.

"Umm... Then how do I enter your world without a body? Don't tell me I'm going there in this form... Like a ghost or a wraith?" Elric wondered and asked.

"Naturally, we'll have to construct a new body for you. 

Or I can simply put your soul inside of someone who died just a few hours ago. 

Take your pick." G.O.D. spoke like a true professional and flicked his imaginary glasses with his forefinger.

"Wait. You said before that we humans have the highest affinity with magic in your world. 

Even if I were to go into a new body or be transferred inside someone else's body; wouldn't I be just a normal person and weaker compared to other Heroes?" Elric asked, making a valid point.

"Not exactly. I've done my research over decades about this matter. And I found that it's not the physical body but your Soul. 

Compared to the inhabitants of our world, your souls are brighter like a midday sun.

And not only that; but they can also absorb and accumulate magical and world energy over time at an extremely fast speed.

And hence you can become as strong as a Demi-God. The physical body is just a convenient medium." G.O.D. explained, revealing his knowledge-seeking mind when it came to death and souls.

Elric who had come to terms with his upcoming fate started thinking about these two options.

"So can you construct me a body out of nothing? I won't be reborn as an undead or a skeleton, right?" Elric asked skeptically.

He had to be cautious here, otherwise who knows if he'd become undead or a walking talking skeleton who would be killed at first sight by anyone he met. That death won't even be worth pitying, rather anyone who heard about it would roll on the floor laughing their ass off.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Even though I'm not the God of Life, I do possess that power. 

And not only that, I can make you a body to your specifications.

No matter what color, height or build you want. I am an expert at that." G.O.D. started flexing about his useless talent as if he was doing a great service to Elric.

In the next moment, however, Elric who had been most curious till now looked extremely shocked and suddenly there was a greedy and evil grin on his face.

This whole thing meant that he could finally achieve that ideal body he always dreamt of in his previous life. The body of a Greek God or one of those Superhero movie actors he looked up to for body aesthetics.

But Elric didn't show the excitement on his face.

Instead, he appeared as if he was giving it a good thought and asked again, "And what about the second option? Would I have the memories of the person I'm transmigrated in?"

At this query, G.O.D. responded quickly. 

"No. Something like possessing someone's memories is tied to their soul. Once you die and your soul leaves the mortal body, there is no connection of consciousness left.

So you won't inherit the memories of the previous occupant. However, I don't think I need to remind you about how you'll be tied to that person's past and the people they once knew.

And since you can't reveal that you're no longer that person and someone else, you'll have to play the part. 

But this does have its advantages.'' responded God of Darkness.

"I can transfer you inside the body of someone who was a very influential person in our world.

Like Royalty or even a King if we have the options available. So think about it carefully." G.O.D. said and left Elric to think about it alone.

A dozen minutes passed while Elric was lost in his thoughts, continuously thinking about the pros and cons of both scenarios.

If he chose to go with a newly made body of his choosing, he would not have any ties to anyone and would be free to do anything he wanted. He won't have to answer to anyone and could easily fake out his background as well if someone asked him.

This could help him in the long run, aside from the most obvious advantage of having a perfectly made body of his own.

But on the other hand, he'd be penniless, there would be no one he knows or have any means to get settled quickly.

He'd be homeless, background-less, would know nothing about the world, and nobody to help him in his journey to do the impossible task of killing the Demon God.

The other option however, gave him a lot of advantages. Like if he chose the body of someone very influential or someone who had the access to a lot of resources at their beck and call; that'd save him tons of trouble.

He could simply be reborn in the body of some Prince who died, an Emperor who was close to death, a great General or an Aristocrat who was respected by everybody.

If these choices were available to them that is. This would enable him to adjust himself very quickly inside the world of Vantrea and also let him focus on his main goal without having to struggle just to establish himself in the world.

But just like the first option, this one also had a lot of disadvantages of its own.

For example, if he were to be transmigrated inside someone who once held a huge authority before their death; naturally there would be a lot of explaining to do about how he came back to life.

And since he wouldn't inherit the memories of the previous owner, he won't know anyone or any necessary information or the original owner of the body.

And if he feigned some lie or something like losing his memories, that'd also mean that the new body of that person will hold no power for the time being.

Rather, others would try to get rid of him on the accords of having him lost all his memories. Or even claim that he made a deal with the devil.

What's next will be a grand crucifixion in the central street of the city.

Plus there would be issues regarding the health and state of the original body such as old age or any former disease or illness or the body being too weak.

Also the connection with other people… Like if he were to be born in the body of an old man, he'd have a wife, children, and grandchildren to deal with. 

If he was born as a kid or a teen, even if that was a Prince of a country; the actual power he'd hold will be in the name only.

And naturally, Elric will have to deal with the hassle of political issues and drama as the heir or a scion of a King/Emperor.

There was too much unnecessary burden that will be thrown at him.

And because of these advantages and disadvantages, Elric was thinking very carefully about what would be the best choice.

And at the same time, he was thankful to the God of Darkness for at least offering him the choice.

Otherwise, he had read plenty of Mangas, Novels and Manhwas where the main character just gets thrown inside the body of someone else and has no other choice but to live like them or suffer through the problems they've been going through.

Elric straight-up hated that scenario even in stories where you just suddenly wake up as someone else and find yourself at odds and have to go through a lot of nonsense.

He also had once fallen into this cycle and knew the story setting and patterns well. He had come to realize them after years of voraciously feeding his brain about these stories.

Like hell he was going to live one of those loosely based storylines only appealing to little children and newbies who just entered the world of fantasy and fictional stories.

To put it in a word, Elric was a goddamn War Veteran compared to these people.

He had the experience of a decade and a half living that very life. He had seen through it all, he had lived through it all.

Let it be tv shows, superhero movies, reading mangas, manhwas, manhuas, novels and other stuff. He had an Eidetic Memory so he was a walking-talking Ancient Archive of all of these stories and the information. What he knew was just beyond comprehension.

----------------

After overthinking all the possible scenarios and their consequences, Elric finally made up his mind. He looked towards the God of Darkness with a resolute gaze and said,

"First choice!" Elric said and folded his arms together.

"Really? Why not the Second? It is the most beneficial and will save you the hassle.

Didn't you say that you don't want to work too much and waste your life on it?" G.O.D. asked as he was puzzled by Elric's choice.

He too was new at this because his previous chosen heroes were summoned exactly the same way as the heroes of the other Gods.

Although he had the ability to personally summon someone from another world, he never actually had a need or a reason to.

So he assumed that Elric would decide upon an easy and smoother way.

But to his surprise, Elric chose the most unconventional way here.

Because there were just too many odds against him in the first-choice scenario. If he himself was in Elric's position, he'd obviously take the second option.

"Too many complicated reasons. You wouldn't understand even if I told you all of them. I'd rather do this whole thing on my own terms.

And since when have I been dependent on others or cared about what others think of me?" asked Elric confidently.

"Something like family, friends, lovers or a community holds no value if you take away the reason for their existence.

Only because of responsibilities, need, order or liabilities are these relationships and bonds formed.

In the first choice, I'll be free of it all. I simply won't have to look after anyone else but myself." he declared his honest opinion.ṣ

"Also, I definitely won't be making the same mistakes as the past life where I had no choice, to begin with.

This time, I'll choose everything on my own accord. This time, I will be in complete control of my own life." Elric said, his expression oozing out his determination.

"Strange indeed. If any of your predecessors were in your place, they would've chosen the 2nd option. 

You on the other hand, taking an unconventional turn is surprising to me as well." said God of Darkness.

G.O.D. turned his gaze back to Elric and said.

"Let's decide the most crucial part of this arrangement then."

"What is it?" queried Elric with an expectant gaze. 

"Your… Divine Abilities."