1 Prologue to Death

Sooo, it's black, very black, like Vantablack levels of black, 'What is?' you may ask? Like, everything; I can't see shit, can't hear shit, can't feel shit, can't smell shit, so yeah, pretty damn dull if you ask me.

Hm? Who am I? Well well well, lets see here –

My name is Seth, I'm a normal mid-age office worker (Or I was at least) aged 35, single by choice- No it's not that I couldn't get anyone I just, uh, had trouble agreeing with them, anyway yeah, I wouldn't say there was anything too interesting about me, but even if I did that's in the past now; How I died? Well, isn't that just a fucking doozey.

You see I'd just started a new job at a tech company, nothing too major mostly just pushing paperwork, checking sales etc and first day on the job I look at the records and what do you know? They don't make a single lick of sense!

After looking into it, seems like a lot of money was *magically* disappearing in to thin air when it passed through this office and but the records from this place showed everything was green, so it was obvious someone was pocketing it all, yet my first thought was 'how the hell did no one else see this?'

Turns out, they did, every single one of my co-workers; They were all happily filling their coffers and hiding it and when I asked them about it, they asked me to join in, keep it a secret and earn some extra cash on the side.

Now being the outstanding law-abiding citizen I was, I reported it to the higher ups immediately and it wasn't long before I was on the side-lines watching the world crash on top of their heads as they were done for fraud, stealing and all that shady stuff, their lives were basically done for, even ignoring jail time and fines there's no way anyone would hire them after that.

After that I got put in a management position pretty quickly so all we could reorganise and stuff.

So happy ending, right? Yeah obviously not, after being the shit that hit the fan, people can do some preeetty stupid stuff, prime example being what happened to me:

I was on my very merry way after a super tough day of work living my life as is and it wasn't long before I heard some tire screeching but y'know, people can't drive for shit these days so I didn't pay attention, that is until I felt a mass crash in to my body hard enough to cause multiple broken bones, mass internal bleeding and all that bad stuff.

A runaway truck beelining to isekai a new protagonist is one thing but that crazy fucker known as the ring leader behind all those aforementioned crimes decided it was a super great idea to run me down, don't even ask me why he was even outside and not being detained because I died like a minute after thus I have no fucking idea.

So that's it right? Back to black? Bahahaha, you have no idea.

It wasn't long after dying I was reborn, yes I actually got Isekai'd, for those out of the loop that means I was sent to another world, one not of my own and let me tell you it was a ride and a half.

Being a baby once more was interesting to say the least, not being able to move and all for nearly a year was a bummer and the food was terrible, then came my younger years when I started to learn about the world.

My parents were simple peasants in a small village on the edge of a kingdom mostly making a living through farm-work, they were decent enough; kind when they needed to be, strict to the point of hanging me upside down naked on a pole when I misbehaved badly (Please don't ask!) but a good time in all.

It was when I turned 5 years old everything truly opened up to me, my parents took me to the church for my initiation, yes, an initiation; At first I thought they'd dragged me in to an insane cult but it seems everyone at the unripe age of 5 or so went, seems 'initiation' wasn't some entry event but literally an initialisation because soon after the blessing from the priest was finished a voice sounded in my head.

[Ceremony detected - Initialisation commenced]

[Scanning subject]

[Blessing detected – Reading and transcribing]

[1%..]

[2%..]

Etc you get it, at first I was surprised and then beyond ecstatic, then I had an itch in my memory- I felt like I'd heard this soothing voice before, then it hit me: It was immediately after I died before, I then remembered what it said back then.

[Error: Abrupt termination of life detected]

[Processing Samsara procedure]

[Conditions met – Transferring subject]

[Conditions met – Blessing system launched]

[Blessing system – Determining subject matter]

[Blessing system – Blessings selected:

Stubborn Will – Prevents interference from mental effects, grants crystal clear conscience at all times.

Smooth Sailing – Increase in base comprehension abilities

Blessings granted – Ending process]

[Processing…]

[Samsara procedure complete – Soul transferred]

[Samsara sub-process initiated – Soul memory cleaning now processing]

[Error: Cleaning process conflicting with Blessing – Skipping process]

[All process completed – System sleep initiated]

And all that crap, if I was to put it in to simple words, seems I died before my time was meant to be up so I was reincarnated elsewhere and in the process I was granted two 'Abilities' called 'Blessings', I don't know why it was those two, pretty rude to call me stubborn if I'd say so, anyway it also seems like wiping memories is normally part of the reincarnation procedure but because of the 'Stubborn Will' blessing that said procedure didn't happen, which explains why I was reborn with all my memories, pretty stupid oversight in my opinion but I'm not going to complain when it benefits me.

Anyway, back to the whole ceremony thing, after the painfully slow loading reminiscent of early PCs a whole boot of stuff happened.

[Wake procedure completed]

[Interface created]

[Welcome, Seth]

And with that I almost cheered out loud at what appeared in my view, some form of user interface (Though HUD would be more accurate) with a map when I focused on the upper left of the HUD and a few bars representing Health, Mana and Stamina in the bottom of my view.

Honestly this world wasn't that interesting before I thought I was just stuck in some average middle ages place, but this event confirmed it was a fantasy; Honestly, I was pretty pissed that no-one told me until then but it seems it was customary for kids to grow of age knowing nothing so they could mature enough to support the 'System'.

Anyway, it wasn't just those few things that came with my sparkly new update, it even had a stat system akin to a typical RPG and skill list that included basic daily life skills and my two blessings, needless to say with how over the moon I was, everything changed from there on.

I worked towards learning everything I could about the world, the existence of magic, monsters, dungeons and all that typical fantasy schtick and grew up raising my stats and went ahead on my merry way at the ripe old age of 16, making a departure from my village to the capital of the kingdom I lived in, eager to make myself as an adventurer.

It wasn't long before I made it there and settled into my new life, starting from simple jobs like looking for cats for a couple bronze coins moving up to slimes, goblins all the typical stuff until I was finally ready to take on my first Dungeon with a group of people, or a party.

Now here is where stuff goes horribly wrong again.

I thought for sure it would be a done job, the dungeon that we were raiding didn't seem like a big job from the scout's report and perfect for a first timer like me, I joined a party of a few mid-range vets, they seemed like nice guys if you take their occupation in to count minus a couple of unscrupulous shady guys hanging on the edge of it but it should be fine?

Right? Riiiiiiiight? Nope.

Rule 1 of Adventuring (Not really but you get the point) – Only work with people you trust!

We made fair leeway into the dungeon, it wasn't too bad with a little sprinkle of teamwork it was a breeze and soon we set up camp midway to rest up and prepare for the second push, sitting around a campfire we all happily gorged on a fairly salty soup prepared by one of those shady men, yes, did you catch that? One of those shady men.

It wasn't long before we were all turning out like a bunch of cheap Christmas lights and I also fell flat on my back which hurt like hell, I don't know how long I was asleep for but when I woke up I was tied to a table In some medieval lab, sharp pointy contraptions lining the wall and all, being in my still groggy state and all I went in to panic and then attempted to yell when I saw someone fiddling with some highly suspicious containers not far from me, unfortunately I quickly realised I was gagged with a ridiculously filthy piece of cloth.

Carrying on, it was clear I was kidnapped and was being used as a lab rat by some absolutely villainous group but I couldn't do anything about it and just had to hope to be saved (Y'know, being restrained and all); They kept injecting stuff in to me and recording down the results, some caused excessive pain, some made me glow blue and some made me feel like I was on a Saturday night bender but in the end I think I outlived my use, they dragged me somewhere cold before I was slammed down.

I couldn't move, couldn't speak and my vision was waning, I could feel my body giving up and before long it happened -

I died again.

And THAT'S how we get to this black place, I think I'm still dead, is this Heaven? I clearly wouldn't go to Hell since I was definitely the prime candidate for most outstanding person.

Okay maybe not that great but anyway I have no idea how long I've been here, nothing to help me keep track of time or anything, don't even have my interface up.

So I just gotta' keep waiting I guess, no problem just got all the time in the world, literally.

Hm.

Hmmmmmmm.

System? Gonna' ring anytime soon? Chuck me a bone? Send me somewhere else?

No? Okay, guess this is my life now, just me, the darkness and that vague light.

Wait, light?

[Mana saturation at critical]

Yes! New life here I come! ... Wait? What? That didn't sound quite right.

[Creation of Mana Core complete]

Mana-what now?

Oh wait, I can see! That vague light, it was a small gap in the ceiling of rocks above me, wait where the hell am I, oh well-

"I, Seth, Am alive!"

A fairly deeper and hollower sounding voice than I remember having spread through my surroundings as I announce my, uh, survival?

As I stand up from whatever weird sleeping position I had, I glanced at the surroundings, rocks, more rocks and a few bones here and there, how pleasant.

I crouch in to the ever so famous 'Thinker' pose for utmost efficiency before being struck speechless by my surprisingly thin and bony fingers.

Literally, they're all bones, no flesh, zip zilch nada.

I take a whirl to give myself a closer look.

"Well, fuck" I couldn't help but say

"Guess I'm a skeleton now"

And that, folks, is how I got reincarnated only to die again and am now somehow a skeleton.