1 Chapter 1. Encounter with God

Today was a Monday, the start of yet another school week. Students flooded outside the school as they rushed to get home or to hang out with friends. Students living in this neighborhood would often have to walk past a crystal clear blue lake to get to their homes. However, today had something foreboding in store for us...

*Crack* "HELP!"

*Crack* "HELP!"

A series of cries rang out in a small neighborhood in the suburbs alerting all civilians who were passing by. As they turned to look over at the source of the voice, they found that it was coming from a boy who was standing in the middle of the frozen lake.

Terror was written completely all over his pale white face, his legs shakily trembling with each crack that appeared on the lake like spider webs. His eyes closed in a desperate attempt to hide and force back his tears. Nevertheless, that did not hide the fact the situation was getting more and more desperate and dangerous.

"Haha! Hahahaha!"

The mocking laughter of a group of students rang out from the shore of the lake. The group intently watched him helplessly screaming as evil grins of satisfaction constantly appeared on their faces as they listened to his pitiful cries for help.

"You idiots! The ice is breaking! Go help him!" an angry worried voice bellowed as a teenage girl screamed at the students. Her clear hazel eyes angrily looked at the boys in dissatisfaction as she desperately tried to get the boys to save him.

"Haha, that kid deserved it! He didn't do my homework for today and so I got detention, someone as useless as him should be punished!" a fat boy from the group shouted back while the others in the group gave the girl a 'mind your own business' glare.

Seeing that she was helpless and couldn't get any help. Her worried eyes then turned to the boy in the middle of the lake. The cracks around him had increased to a radius of 2 meters around him.

'I need to go and save him' the girl thought.

And just as she was about to rush in, "Milo!" another voice called out from behind the girl.

As she turned around to see a young handsome boy around the age of eighteen with brown hair rushing straight towards her. His golden-brown eyes were fixed on the boy in the lake as he hurriedly ran straight onto the white icy frozen lake surface.

"Milo! Don't move! I'm coming to get you, make sure you don't move!" the boy instructed as he skillfully moved his feet to efficiently slide across the frozen slippery surface. He quickly glanced back towards the girl and shouted "Call 911!"

And without a hint of hesitation, the girl reached inside her pocket for her phone and hurriedly started dialing the number.

*Crack!*

"Brother! Help! There are cracks appearing everywhere! They are all around me," shouted the helpless boy in the lake.

Hearing this, the teenager screamed from the top of his voice, "Lie on the ground slowly and keep your arms wide and keep your feet together and knee bent!"

He started panicking and ran even faster as he slid across the lake towards his little brother.

Hearing his brother's command the boy followed the instructions and waited.

Seeing that his brother had done what he said, the boy gave one last push that contained all his strength and then laid down on the floor and bent his legs while sliding as he raced towards his little brother at a high speed. As he got to him, he straightened his legs as hard as he could and he managed to kick the helpless boy which caused the boy to go sliding off towards the shore.

*CRACK!!*

*splash*

Upon reaching the icy snow-filled shore, the helpless boy opened his eyes and realized that he was safe and he yelled in sudden surprise "Brother! I got to shore!" But as he looked backward he saw that there was no one on the lake now and the place where he had been standing was now replaced with a large hole. The previously weakening cracked ice had broken and eventually gave in when his brother had pushed him out causing him to fall into the lake.

"BROTHER!!!!" the boy cried. He could not run to save his brother as he could not swim. He did not have the strength to even lift himself. He fell on his knees and started bitterly sobbing as he powerlessly looked at the lake.

...

'Cold... It's... Cold… I can't feel anything except freezing cold. I can't hear anything. I can't move. I can't breathe. Yet I'm here. Wait I can open my eyes'

A pair of dazzlingly clear dark brown eyes opened only to be greeted by a dark empty spacelike void.

'Where is this? I only remember sinking in the lake'

"A good soul. Indeed a good soul. Welldone Leonidas", an elderly voice called out.

"Huh, who's there? Why are you congratulating me?"

"Well, you can call me God. I am the guardian who takes care of your world. And the reason I'm congratulating you is because of your actions and the decisions you made in your short yet impressive life. You have made a huge impression on me with how you lived your life."

"Huh... Wow, so there really is a God. I thought you guys were just myths and legends. But, I don't really understand. I didn't get to do much in my life."

"Oh you did, little child. So much that you made me personally want to meet you. Don't worry, I am here to take you to your next life, that is if you want to."

"Hmm. My next life... Wait, how's my brother doing?"

"Ah! This is precisely why I like you so much. Caring for others even in the afterlife. He has survived, you don't have to worry. He has been taken to the hospital and your dead body is currently being retrieved."

"Phew. As long as he is fine. So...uh, what happens now?"

"Ok so now I'm gonna reincarnate you into a new body. You're gonna start from a newborn in a faraway magic cultivation world but as a small bonus reward, you will be born with all of this life's memories intact."

"Wow… Wait... a magic cultivation world? Those exist!?"

"Yes, child. This world is not the only one in this universe. There are realms and planes and many things you are yet to know?"

"Interesting… Ok, so are you just going to send me now?"

"No... Before that, I've decided to grant you three wishes."

"Huh... Really?"

"Yes, but for each wish you make, I will have to give you a disadvantage. Now hurry. Choose your wishes quickly. You have 5 minutes. I need to get you to your world soon. I have other stuff to do. Guarding a world is not as easy as it seems."

Hearing this, Leonidas swiftly started thinking. He began planning, thinking of every barrier and problem he might face in this world.

In this life, what he dreamed of was a world where he was undisturbed, peaceful, and quiet. Where he would be able to live a happy life.

In a flash, 5 minutes had passed. And the expected voice of God called out "So have you decided?"

"Indeed. Ok so. For my first wish: I have decided that I would like strength surpassing the whole world. That I will be able to protect my loved ones. Secondly, I would like to have a talent unmatched in the world. This way, I will be able to learn everything and pass on my skills and talents to whoever I want. Thirdly, I want to have the most domineering aura. I want to have a little fun. Hehe."

"Interesting. Very good choices. I'm curious, why have you chosen those particular ones?"

"Well, I have two reasons for that. One is that since you said it's a cultivation world that means that strength would rule all and two, I wouldn't have died in this life if my little brother had not been bullied into walking into the lake. So I want strength to protect the people close to me. And isn't it normal for everyone to want to have a little fun?"

"Wisely answered, my child. Ok, I shall grant you these wishes. Now, for your disadvantages. There were a total of two thousand disadvantages for you that have been filtered compared to your wishes and how you lived your life. So firstly, you will be born into the lowest possible status, a peasant villager in the weakest kingdom, in the weakest world. Secondly, the domineering aura that you have will be killing intent, it will appear starting from when you start your life, you better not underestimate it. And lastly, hehe. I can't tell you that just yet because I want to have a little fun as well. You will have to wait and I can only tell you when you are in your new body."

"I see. Well then, I am ready. Please look over my brother well"

"Don't worry child, I will. Now go. May lady luck be with you."

A blindingly bright light appeared and suddenly Leo's world turned to completely devoid darkness.