Chapter 1 - Suicide

Ah Jin sighed. She watched the bird in front of her, talking all about sort of things that would benefit her... Is the world so dull even after death?

The bird was still talking at length, and she began to look around. There was nothing that could be seen around the white mist. You can't reach out and touch. The bird in front of her stood mid-air, and suddenly a metal rod appeared. It was all unreal and yet so logical.

After all, the world after death was allowed to be infinitely imaginative.

The bird noticed that Ah Jin had wandered off, a pair of green pea eyes filled with anger, "Are you even listening to me!"

Ah Jin snapped back to her consciousness, "Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?"

The bird was without a choice, "You are fortunate I found you. You can be resurrected as long as you save energy for completing your mission in the Three Thousand Worlds."

Ah Jin sighed, "I committed suicide. How could I possibly want to come back to life? You'd better find someone else."

The bird was shell-shocked, "How could it be! People who have committed suicide before were delighted to know that they can come back to life. You don't want to come back to life? I don't believe it!"

Ah Jin was staring at it.

"How would you like to prove that? Need I die again to show you?"

The bird looked her in the eyes, which were indeed severe and insistent, and tears fell as its mouth slipped open, "What to do then, I used a lot of energy to snatch you from Yama, and you just said you wouldn't do it! What am I going to do? I'm going to die! Oooooooooooh."

It would occasionally steal glances at Ah Jin as it wept.

Ah Jin still had the cold face, "Whoa, that was so realistic. I almost bought it and called 666 for you."

The bird looked soft, immediately shutting up its tears to regain indifference and ruthlessness.

"Believe it or not, I did use a lot of energy to get you back. I don't have enough power to send you back to the underworld now. You'll never die if you don't help me with my quest to collect energy."

Ah Jin thought about it and asked, "It's fine if you don't send me back. It's better if you just make me disappear into the world."

The bird remained indifferent, "Insufficient energy, can't handle it."

"In that case, stay here, then. It's also a nice place where no one bothers you." She sat on the floor and relaxed.

The bird saw that Ah Jin wouldn't go along with it and left her alone. In its view, she was merely trying to get the most for herself, not truly wanting to die. It's not like there weren't people like that before. Let her dry out for a bit. She'd be anxious after a while. We'd negotiate with her then.

So it opened the background and checked Ah Jin's life.

Ah Jin had always been good to her parents and a "child of another person" in outsiders' eyes. Well-behaved since childhood, with excellent grades. After graduating from college, she was hired by a foreign company and worked steadily until her suicide.

She had an austere life without significant setbacks and no unexplained problems. As to why she committed suicide, even her parents couldn't figure it out. Ah Jin was quiet and sweet as a child, and although she grew up a bit distant from her parents, she wasn't cold and unfeeling. Her colleagues and friends were not well known. In the end, the police closed the case as suicide due to depression.

There was no sense of time passing in space, and although Ah Jin was bored and had nothing to do here, it was nice to be quiet and be laid back.

The bird saw that Ah Jin wasn't the least nervous and was the first to speak up. "How about we team up? You do missions to build up energy. I'll get you out of here as soon as I have enough energy. Three Thousand Worlds is something you can see while you're at it—every world's different. You've got nothing to lose. It's useless for us to spend time here."

Ah Jin brooded, 'It's useless, really. It's got the initiative now. The enemy is strong, and I am weak. The Three Thousand Worlds. It would be nice to see.'

"What are the terms of cooperation?"

"We'll split the mission settlement energy 50/50, and if the commissioner gives away extra, it all goes to you."

"What can energy be used for?"

"Energy you can use to absorb and strengthen the soul. You can also go to the mall and buy mission items."

Ah Jin looked at the bird, "20/80, you 20 and I 80."

"No way, it's 50/50!"

"Then forget it, the collaboration failed."

"You!" The bird gritted and took a step back

"40/60 can't be any less."

Ah Jin didn't budge, "30/70, forget it."

The bird flapped its wings in the air in exasperation and wailed, "No, no, no. I'm taking so little. I'm an energy deficit. Don't you want to get out quickly?"

Ah Jin shrugged, "I will take more to spend more at the mall. Don't you get more commission too?"

The bird was shocked, "How did you know that!"

"The wool comes off the sheep's back."

The bird wasn't annoyed at being outed and thought how her words didn't make sense.

So it bit the bullet, "Nice working together."

She touched the outstretched wings, the deed established. The rules in space flashed by, her heart fluttered, "What's your name?"

"The System, you can get one for me too."

Ah Jin thought about it, "Then let's name you San Qi."