Prologue

The details are missing, but the main parts are still there. Faces are gone, but feelings can still be felt. Memories are lost, but some things still remain.

Its been a long time.....i think? Walking down hallway, i had lost my sense of time.

Thinking back, i never bothered with the passage of time. In fact, i believe this is the first time i had wanted something to end sooner. No, this is the first time i had truly had a goal in the first place. A desire to reach something. It feels foreign.

I was raised by wonderful people. I remember the scent of someone's food. I remember someone, who used to clean my room, i remmember someone who used to wake me up each morning, someone was there when i first wore strange clothing called 'Uniform' and entered a strange place that was filled with people of my own age. Although the face is gone, the words are long since forgotten, there was definitely someone there.

I remember lacking nothing. Some things are still clear. I had a comfy bed, a big room, consoles, games, books, a car, i had all kinds of things. I had never been unsatisfied. So much so that i believed the meaning of life, is to continue doing exactly that.

I don't remember being rich though. I just remember someone who simply bought whatever i asked them to buy.

A memory i do remember, was back when i saved some money, but then, even after months i still hadn't spent any of it. There was never a need to. I struggled to spend it. It was an important memory for the core of my person.

I don't remember names at all. But i feel like i never called these people by their given names anyway.

There was some other title or something that was used to call them.

It was too good. I can tell.

So good, i never wanted to be away from that place. There was never a need to strive further than that. That was the peak of my happiness.

But that in itself was responsible for the slightly screwed veiw i had of living. I never tried for anything.

Now stuck in this endless hallway, i can't help but find my very first goal.

'To reach the end of this hallway.'

This place is maddening. Everything around me is whiter than the snow itself. Its freezing cold. It reeks, and it never gets any better.

Ah, and i think i am probably dead. I just don't remember exactly how i came here.

But i do know the last thing i saw....

"Please shut it. Literally nobody is interested in how you died." Boomed a rather charming but irritating female voice.

then....

The hallway was.....shattered?

I could feel a sensation of falling, as i struggled a bit on instincts, but then, i just stopped caring. Maybe i have finally reached the end of this damn hallway.....that's just coping though, isn't it?

Suddenly, the area around me changed. Instead of the darkness i was falling through, now i was levitating in the middle of a room that looked familiar.

For all intents and purposes, this room was decorated rather simply. A desk at the middle, a window at the left side that shed light into a comfortable bed. Though, everything was of low quality. It was clear that the owner didn't care about anything else. Or that they rarely got up from the bed in the first place.

More importantly, everything was still white. Agonizingly white and bland.

Except for one thing.

Behind the desk, a woman sat on a chair. She had light blue hair, with pale, but healthy skin that had no mark nor flaw on it whatsoever. She looked as young as an 18 year old girl.

Though her eyes were a bit weird. They were colored.....white, i guess? Glowing white eyes, giving her something of an ethereal feeling.

Though the woman looked otherworldly, i simply didn't have the mental strength to focus on her body at that point.

"Why is it always people like you?" She mumbled, while massaging her forehead.

Though i figured i was supposed to pretend like i hadn't heard that.

"Good, at least you can read the room. You are better than some of them actually. Sit."

She can probably read my mind. Showing no visible reaction to that, i merely sat at the chair that had appeared out of nowhere.

"So then, do you know of Isekai? Or rather,do you even remember anything about it?" She asked.

Isekai? I think it was something that i should have known. Something that i had liked.

No, i do not know of it as of now.

"Good. Then this will be a lot simpler for me. Basically, i am Hades, and your chosen afterlife, is to live another life. Make what you want out of that." She said, dismissively.

I don't really know this Hades, but i feel like there were a few things wrong with her claim.

"So typically i would have to ask 'For what reason do you think you should be chosen and no one else? Why would you be special?' But since you basically don't remember anything, i will ask this one, looking back at all that you can gather from your life, and all the thoughts you have had in the hallway, if you had to summarize everything and take a lesson out of it, how would you conclude it?" She asked, while the room around us started rotating, with my chair in the middle of it.

That question is perhaps just as weird as the first one is to me. I know the basics, but nothing else. Even so, this is probably the only person i will get to talk to in a long time.

Confused, but determined, i gather my thoughts to let them all out. I figured, i could at least make conversation before going back to the hallways again.

For the first time since coming here, i opened my mouth, deciding that thoughts couldn't correctly convey the message. Only to then realise i couldn't form coherent words.

"How long has it been since you have tried talking again? Of course your brain can't do it anymore. It's been a lot longer than you think." The woman informed me.

No other way then.

'By all means, i lived a good life. I don't remember memories, but i can tell i was satisfied. I don't remember names nor faces, but i can tell i was loved. For this reason, i never progressed, never ventured nor gained, i simply sat at my utopia, stagnant. It wasn't that i lacked motivation, but rather that the very concept of motivation became meaningless, as i already had happiness, and didn't see anything above happiness. If i have already achieved the greatest height, then what more is there to be motivated towards? I had the illusion that i was rich, that i had everything, while in truth, i was a bottom feeder. In conclusion, i was a beggar. A beggar who was so satisfied with his life, he never asked for anything more than what he had. I identify as a rich beggar. Frankly, i do not want a second life.'

Hearing that, she chuckled before responding:

"Then what if you were forced to live a second life? What would you have done? What path would you have followed?"

'I would have done the things that satisfied me, and i would have followed the same path that had made me happy before. That feeling of happiness was something i never got sick of. And at the end of that, if i see that it is no longer satisfying, then i suppose i will do the complete opposite of it. The goal is to be happy. It has always been so. Throughout this life and the one after.' I responded. Or, thought?

She just stared at me for a while, before closing her eyes and saying:

"Well, congratulations. You have passed with flying colors. I will even give you a bonus while we are at it. Just because you actually gave me another piece for my own puzzle."

A bonus? How so?

"My dear, the world you go to, isn't necessarily the same as earth. What if there were monsters in it? Do you plan on fighting monsters with sticks and harsh language? You would need something to keep yourself alive." She responded, with no small amount of mockery in her tone.

So i originally would have been given a 'bonus' in order to survive in my new life, but you are giving me a second one?

"You are sharp. Basically yes. Now, choose please. And don't worry, we have all the time in the world."

As soon as she said that, multiple papers appeared out of nowhere and started flying in the room, before one of them, stopped in front of my face:

'Inhumane figure, or humane figure?' It read.

Definitely humane. I don't want to become some tentacle monster. Though i don't really know why that was the first thing that came to my mind.

When i made my choice, the paper was burned, and another one replaced it.

'Physical or magical?'

Weird. Does choosing one, completely restrict the other?

"Not at all. This merely determines the general focus of your abilities. Meaning that if you choose magical here, then even if you choose a physical boon, your magical abilities would still be more effective than your physical ones, or vice versa."

Then magical it is.

Another paper replaced it.

'Choose a part of your body to enhance.'

Penis.

"No. Not that one." She said without wasting even a millisecond, as if already expecting that. Seems i wasn't the first genius who thought of that option.

Damnit.

More importantly, it reads, 'enhance'. So it will most likely just make it a bit better. Nothing magical. Based on that, the choice is gonna be either eyes or muscles.

Muscles then.

"That would include almost every muscle in your body, with the exception of tongue and some other minor ones." She informed.

What about my "love muscle"?

*Sigh*

"It's not a muscle. There are spongy tissues that are filled with blood when an erections occurs."

The next paper slammed into my face quite rudely.

'Choose one of your senses to enhance.'

Proprioception. Easiest choice here.

With that, the last paper was burned to a crisp.

"Alright then. Now for your boons. One of them will be chosen by yourself and the other will be chosen by me. To make this fair, i will temporarily give you the knowledge of the world you are going to."

As she said that, a white board appeared in front of me, as the room stopped rotating. Words in blue font color, were slowly being formed on the whiteboard, and in just a few seconds, they were complete.

'Noble heritage'

*Guarantees the chances of recieving a random hereditary technique from a randomly chosen clan.

*Note: Choosing this, may have consequences on the place of your birth.

*Note: Even if you don't choose this option, you will still have a small chance to be born into one of these families and inherent their technique. This boon simply guarantees that chance.

'Peak of humanity'

*Self explanatory, but since sometimes reincarnaters are stupid enough, i won't take any chances. Peak human physics basically. Whatever that "peak" may be in your new world.

*Note: Does not impose a heavenly restriction.

'Immense cursed energy.'

*Very self explanatory. If you can't even understand all of it's implications, then please don't breed children. The planet does not need your genes.

*Note: Does not impose a heavenly restriction.

'Cursed by a vengeful spirit.'

*Your pet waifu fantasy is coming into reality.

If you are really into this, then please don't breed any children. Both for safety measures, and because i don't want to imagine the process.

*Note: The spirit will not disobey the user. The relationship between user and spirit will be mutually good.

*Note: The spirit will not accompany the user since birth. They will initially be a close acquaintance of the user. We call it character development.

'Chosen by the black sparks'

*Incredible chance at preforming a black flash on every random attack. The chance does not increase based on the number of attacks. Meaning, every attack simply has more chance of performing that technique, than usual. On a bad day, the ability may not work even after 20 attacks.

'All kinds of talents.'

*The user will have genius talent at every ability they wish to achieve. Be it, weapon mastery, cursed energy manipulation, positive cursed energy, innate technique, or even mathematics if you are that lazy and stupid.

As i saw the words, information about each option was integrated into my head, along with examples of it.

....

Who wrote these explanations?

Anyway...

The first option seemed tempting at a glance. However, there are problems with it.

First, depending on this woman's mood, i might end up getting cursed speech, and will have to learn the rice ball language.

Although she said this will be fair, she has no obligation to follow through with that, and if she is powerful enough to send me to that world, she is probably good enough to mess with my life whenever she is on her period too.

Oh wait. Is that why a blood rain is a bad omen?

*Cough* *Cough*

"I hope you haven't forgotten that i can read your mind. Fortunately for you, i am definitely not petty enough to punish you for that." She said while smiling.

I should just focus on the board.

Second, the place of birth is a major problem. 3 big families are basically:

The cult of Gojo.

The misogyny club.

The lesser version of the cult and misogyny club.

I don't wanna be in any of these places.

God forbid if i was born as a girl. That would be a living nightmare.

And i am not going to become an acolyte to a cult.

The second option, is basically Toji Zen'in, with cursed technique. Sounds valid on paper, but it is effectively the same as having an immense amount of cursed energy reserves. I can just reinforce myself then, while also enjoying a near bottomless amount of energy for whatever technique i inherited. Besides, i already choose my muscles to be denser than usual.

In contrast, immense cursed energy seems like the best so far, for the same reasons.

Having a vengeful spirit around me wouldn't work. I wanna live peacefully, and having a Rika clone would be the opposite of peaceful.

Chosen by the black sparks, seems like a massive luxury. I can always land a black flash and bring out more than 100% of my potential, but sacrificing immense cursed energy, or even Toji' physical ability, for this gives me a weird feeling. I respect a black flash, but i think i have other things to worry about upon my birth. A luxurious choice i cannot afford.

Then the last one....

This is actually very interesting. It has a lot of value both in short and long run, though it poses the same problem as the black flash thing. Frankly this would be out of question if it wasn't for the fact that this woman is giving me another boon for free.

No.....

My line of thinking is wrong. This woman is obviously either gaining something out of this, or she is just intrested in my suffering. Either way, i will be born with a cursed technique of her choosing. She will give me a boon no matter what. Afterall, what would be the point of sending me there, just to watch me die again? At least my short term survival is guaranteed.

So through process of elimination, the ones left are:

All kinds of talents and immense cursed energy.

Looking at the ethereal woman, i knew whatever choice i make won't make a difference at all. She can read my mind, so if i pick one here, she will probably give me the other one, unless she wants to mess with me.

Still, just to be sure.

'I choose immense cursed energy.'

Talent can be compensated for with hard work. Furthermore there is no need to be skilled with all kinds of weapons. Just one weapon would suffice. And nobody has ever won a sorcerer battle because they had better sword skills.

Cursed energy is something that can't be compensated for, and can't be increased throughout the life of a sorcerer. As a boon, this makes the most sense.

The only real lose, is that i probably won't have the necessary talent to learn reverse cursed technique. Need some motivational "Speech" from Toji to achieve that.

The woman smiled before responding:

"That is a fine choice, not the best i would say, but okay. As for what i will choose for you, figure it out once you got there." She said, as she gestured her hand towards the room's door, opening it.

"Now just go through there and you won't have to see the hallways again."

I didn't move though, i still had a question.

'Why are you giving me this opportunity? What does all of this mean to you?'

Naturally, the question didn't shock her, she had seen it coming.

"Well, its a bit complicated i suppose. Almost all of the living creatures, always try to achieve that which they don't have. I am no different you see. My wish is weird, but basically, i want to be human. That is why i have guided you and all those people before you here, and send you off to your next lives. I study you, i watch you, and i learn from you. Every time someone speaks of their life exprience, i get closer to my goal."

The weird thing was, she said all of that with such a nostalgic tone, you would think that she was a human herself at some point.

Perhaps i am not the only one here who is suffering from memory loss.

Of all the things i expected, this was not one of them.

'I hope i have provided you with decent research materials, i suppose.' I thought.

"Ara~you were fine. Just be careful not to walk into your own death too soon, okay? The boons only give physical benefits, they don't do anything to cure stupidity."

Nodding towards her, i walked towards the door.

She is definitely a handfull.

The closer i got, the more of that knowledge i just received would leave my mind. But the memories of this room were stable.

'Here's hoping that i won't end up with a miserable life. Here's hoping my mother would live through her delivery. Here's hoping my father isn't a drunk abusive asshole.'

I open the door, as my vision goes dark, the sensation was not too different from before. Only this time, i can't struggle or move any of my limbs, even my eyes don't open. No, i think i can open them, its just too dark? Its as if i am hovering in the deepest part of the ocean, where my body has lost it's functionalities.

"Akira. That will be his name. Akira Zen'in."

A foreboding feeling came, as i heard those words. Suddenly i had the the desire to curse that woman.

The voice itself, seemed old. Sharp but also a bit casual, as if indifferent or uncaring. Brimming with confidence. It was clear that the person had no regard for another's opinion, and his words were like eternal promises, always coming true.

I felt a few things trembling around my body. There was 10 of them, and they were slim, soft, fragile. If i had to guess, these were fingers of a woman.

"Then Akira, i hope you will make our family proud. You will be loved more that way." Came a woman's voice.

Tired, desperat, sad and partially fearful.

Though i do not remember most things, i can understand emotions and thoughts on a high level.

This woman has been harrassed and bullied. Her feelings are not truly directed towards me. Even with just this, i can recognize the hellhole i have found my way into.

Even so, this is better than the hallways. Beggars have no right to choose.