At that moment, what I saw were gloomy clouds accompanied by falling rain, but my vision began to blur and fade. When I tried to move, I couldn't do anything.
"Why… what's happening?"
The longer it went on, the weaker my body felt. I sensed something hollow and empty, along with something wet and sticky. Then, I smelled the scent of blood around me.
"What is this awful smell?"
I felt like I could no longer move. That was when I saw someone—through my darkening vision, I realized it was a girl. She looked like she was crying and in shock.
Soon, I realized that I had just been in an accident, and there was a gaping wound in my abdomen. I couldn't feel anything anymore.
The girl approached me, tears streaming down her face. Despite the pouring rain, she tried to lift me and said:
"Why… why did this happen?"
And then, I took my final breath, accompanied by the sound of her sobs.
"Hiks... hiks…"
After that, I found myself in a strange place. I thought I had entered the afterlife—but it turned out I had been brought somewhere unknown.
"Where am I?"
Before I could process it, a circle appeared beneath my feet, and I was startled.
"Huh? What's happening now?"
"And what is all this?"
Suddenly, I appeared in a grand palace. There were seven others beside me—eight in total, including myself. Before I could think further, I saw a woman—beautiful and graceful.
She stood tall and seemed kind. She introduced herself with a confident voice.
"My name is Goddess Casca."
When she said her name, it felt familiar. Then I remembered—it was the same name as a character from a game I had played one month before the accident.
"(Wait… isn't she from that game I played?)"
"(And the game's title was…)"
[Destroying Hell from the World]
"(Or in short, [DHFTW])"
The game is hard to explain, but basically, you had to survive relentless attacks and unpredictable plot twists. Most players were either "sultans" (big spenders) or noobs. It demanded strong mental endurance—not because it was scary, but because free players really had it rough.
In short, you needed patience for everything—leveling up, grinding, etc. Of course, that wasn't a problem for the "sultans." You get the idea.
You could choose from seven characters with unique and diverse skills. The most unique part was that three of them were reincarnated—but only inside the game, not in the real world like me.
Then, the goddess asked us to introduce ourselves. Even though I already knew who they were, I couldn't skip it.
"Alright, starting from the right."
"My name is Yaira, female, 16 years old."
"My name is Kuco, male, 18 years old."
"My name is Koyui, male, 18 years old."
"My name is Rey, male, 17 years old."
"My name is Samanta, female, 18 years old."
"My name is Yano, female, 17 years old."
"My name is Kanae, female, 18 years old."
The seven had introduced themselves. Now it was my turn. But before I could speak, I heard a whisper:
"(Get ready.)"
I ignored it and introduced myself confidently.
"My name is Ace, male, 17 years old."
"Oh, what a unique name," the goddess said.
Then she showed us a screen displaying each character's skill. But before she could finish, she stopped and stared in shock at mine. Her once-kind face turned to one of disgust.
"I can't believe this—someone who exists but has no skill?"
"Heh, worthless."
Everyone turned to look at me. Some laughed arrogantly, others didn't care, and a few looked uncomfortable.
I was confused. Why was Goddess Casca being so sarcastic toward someone without a skill? In the game, she was kind and helpful. But now it felt like I was seeing her true nature.
She walked up to me with an arrogant look, which made me feel disgusted.
"Ugh, you're such a burden."
"You'd be better off gone from our sight."
She began chanting a spell, and a magic circle appeared under me. I thought it might be a teleportation spell, but before I could process it, someone suddenly appeared.
Bathed in light, he stood before me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I almost didn't make it."
"Sorry for the commotion."
Just like that, he brought me away—this was the third time I had been transported. We arrived in yet another unknown place.
Before I could even wonder where I was, the man crossed his arms and asked:
"Hey, do you want to reincarnate?"
I was still confused but knew I couldn't just stay silent.
"Hmm… is this some kind of contract?"
He smiled, then his face grew serious. Honestly, that made me nervous.