1

"DUDE!" a frazzled-looking man in a white lab coat, glasses, and a name tag that says, 'ROB,' and indicates he works for the 'Great Beyond' yells across the way to another man with a similar name tag that says 'ROB' as well. "Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude."

Running over to the other man, the frazzled ROB, we'll call him ROBbie, carries a box and has an ecstatic look on his face.

"Yo!" the other ROB, we'll call him ROBerto, says with a bit of contempt in his eyes. "Say, 'dude' one more time, and I'm gonna slap the shit outta you. Now relax."

ROBbie comes up short and takes a deep breath, but his body cannot keep still with his level of excitement, and it bobs and moves around. ROBerto just shakes his head. "I'm trying to save you from yourself, but it's hopeless," he says. "Alright, what do you got?"

ROBbie practically explodes. "You will not believe what I found!" he says, holding out the box in his hands.

ROBerto looks at it. "Okay, it's a box. What's in it?"

ROBbie purses his lips, but the excited smile breaks through. "Prototype Soul Crystals."

ROBerto frowns and cocks his head in interest. "Okay, who made them?"

"The old man. I found them in files he left behind when he got promoted to the high realm."

ROBerto shifts his feet a little. "Who are they?"

ROBbie shakes his head. "I don't know. These are pre-generation ones. The review function wasn't added until late-generation two. The only way we can tell is by installing them in someone and hoping for the best."

ROBerto licks his lips. "Are they raw?"

ROBbie shakes his head. "Nope, they're clean."

ROBerto nods. "Okay, then. Let's find someone and hook 'em in."

"What?" ROBbie says. "We can't do that. There are no safeguards on these. They could be dangerous. There could be bugs in the system."

ROBerto rolls his eyes. "When did the old man ever leave bugs in the system?" he asks. "If there were, he would have destroyed them and not stuck them in storage for us to find years later, would he?"

ROBbie blinks. It was true. The old man was nothing if not thorough. He'd never leave a dangerous Soul Crystal laying around, experiment or not.

A smile grew on ROBbie's face, but it froze. "We still need a subject."

ROBerto smiles. "I got just the place to find one."

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Siegfried "Ziggy" Solomon loved his life. He was tall and athletic with a chiseled jaw and a handsome face. He had the total package, so why wouldn't he love his life? His job, which he actually enjoyed, made him plenty of money to enjoy his life, and he had a sweet girlfriend, who, when she called him a nerd for loving anime and reading manga and light novels, actually meant it as a compliment.

He stayed in shape and even ran 5Ks and marathons on the weekends. He'd even registered for a local Ironman event which looked like a lot of fun if the pictures of mud-covered contestants from previous years on the website were anything to go by.

He had a project he was working on in his free time, but he didn't want anyone to know about it. Very hush-hush. Even his girlfriend didn't know what it was. It was so hush-hush that even the author has no idea what it is.

But tonight, he sat, with his feet up on his desk, eating pizza and reading the latest volume of 'Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?' Rolling his eyes as he read about Bell Cranel, once again ignoring the advances of the goddess Hestia and not even realizing that he already has a harem of crazy hot women around him.

"Dude, it's like you're leading the poor girls on, and you don't even realize it. Catch a fucking clue, man. Ais is a long-term goal; you need to look to the short-term ones. Mainly that short and busty one... and that sweet and foxy one. Any of them except Ais. Ais is goal-oriented, and until she accomplishes her goal, she isn't going to deviate for long. Establish your harem, learn how to keep your women satisfied, and expand when appropriate. Then pull Ais in when you're strong enough to help her."

He keeps reading for a few more minutes before rolling his eyes once again. "This fucking guy. What does a girl have to do? Pull your dick out and start sucking for you to get it," he says. Stretching, he leans hard against the back of the chair.

Everything would have been fine if the chair hadn't been fatigued by years of wear and tear. All it took was for that slight extra stretch to strain one tiny screw and- POP! Clang. "Oh shit!" Thwack! Thud! Crunch!

A flash of white and Ziggy's vision fades to black.

A neighbor downstairs heard the crash and nothing else. They came up to investigate to see if he was alright. When he didn't answer the door, the neighbor called the police, who discovered the body. He was pronounced dead, and his next of kin was called. The funeral was Saturday, and everyone said what a tragedy it was. His girlfriend was inconsolable, but eventually, she moved on and got married to one of her and Ziggy's mutual friends. They even named one of their children after Ziggy.

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Ziggy opens his eyes to see himself in what he can only assume is some DMV waiting room. The chairs are uncomfortable, the people look dead inside, and that's just the workers behind the counter. The other people waiting look like literal zombies.

Ziggy reaches back to touch the back of his head, and it feels fine. "Was it a dream?" he asks no one in particular.

Standing up, he approaches the counter. "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am, please?"

"Please take a ticket, and someone will be with you shortly," the crusty-looking lady says without even looking at him.

"I... just want to know where I am?" he says.

She points to a sign that says, 'All questions will be answered by your assigned ROB. The reception desk will not answer any questions,' and an arrow pointed down to a ticket dispenser. Sighing, he takes a ticket. He looks at his number, there are nine digits, and none of them are zeroes. Looking around, he sees the 'Now Serving Number' sign with the number showing forty-two.

His mouth drops open, and his eyes widen. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asks, once more to no one in particular.

Just then, the doors to the waiting room burst open, and two men in white lab coats, walking with purpose, step inside. One man is carrying a box, and the other is looking over his shoulder at the contents. They bring the box around to each of the zombified, pausing and then shaking their heads.

Eventually, as they're making a circuit around the room, they come close to Ziggy and pause. Turning slowly towards him, they watch the box's contents and step closer to Ziggy. They look up at Ziggy at the same time and smile. Who the hell were these two, and why were they smiling at him like that? Ziggy has never been so weirded-out in his entire life.

"Uhhhh... Can I help you?" he asks.

The two ignore him for a moment. "That's a full resonance. Across the board. Should we keep looking for more?" The one with glasses, ROBbie, says.

"Why? We have someone right here that is compatible, might as well use him," ROBerto replies.

Ziggy was sure he didn't like the sound of that. "Would someone mind telling me what you're using me for?" he asks in a less than friendly tone.

ROBbie waves him off. "Oh, no need to worry. This is something very beneficial to you, and you'd be helping us out with something grand."

ROBerto just nods. "It's really a once in an afterlife opportunity."

Ziggy blinks. "Who the hell are you people?"

"Ah! Of course," ROBbie says. "We are your Strategic Transmigration Reincarnation Advisory Nigh Godly Entities."

Ziggy blinks and rolls what the nerd just said around in his mind. After a moment, he frowns and rolls his eyes. "You're S.T.R.A.N.G.E.?"

"Well, perhaps a little," ROBbie says but is slapped upside the head by ROBerto.

"He means our title, dork. The way he hears it makes it sound like it spells out his word for strange when converted into an acronym," ROBerto says.

ROBbie blinks. "Well, that's... weird."

"Look, maybe I'm not making myself clear," Ziggy says, looking exasperated. "I don't know where I am or why I'm here. I tried asking at the desk,-"

"Oh, don't do that!" ROBbie says, paling. "The receptionists don't like questions."

"Yeah, I noticed. She just pointed me to a sign that told me to take a number. But the number I got has nine digits, and they're only on number forty-two."

"Oh!" the ROBs say and look at each other.

"So then... You're brand new," ROBbie says with a questioning lilt.

Ziggy throws up his hands and lets out a defeated sigh. "I guess I am. Whatever that means."

ROBerto claps him on the shoulder and, in a far too cheery voice, says, "It means you're dead."

Ziggy frowns and brushes the hand off his shoulder. "Come again?"

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Ziggy sits in a mid-sized office and rubs his temple to relieve his newly acquired headache. Sitting across the desk from him is ROBbie with the same box and glowing crystal orbs. On the corner of the desk with his arms folded is ROBerto.

"I know this may come as a shock, we usually don't see the applicants until their initial contact has explained the situation to them, but these are extraordinary circumstances. I mean, do you know how amazing this is? Sorry, that's a dumb question. Let me just say this is amazing, and the fact that you've resonated with these Soul Crystals is amazing. One? Maybe, but this," ROBbie says, shaking his head. "And the synchronicity, it's just... It really is one in a million."

Ziggy holds up a hand, his expression a bit twisted in a 'slow your roll' kind of way. "So, let me get this straight. Not only am I dead, and this is... some kind of afterlife processing center, but now you want me to, 'quote end quote' reincarnate and fuse with these glowy orbs which are fragments of someone elses' souls... Did I get that right?"

"Got it in one," ROBerto says flatly. "Not bad for a mortal."

"Can you send me back to my old life then? I was pretty happy there."

"While it's nice to hear that you had a good life there, so many come here with a lot of baggage that forces us to remove the majority of their memories and purge them back to a blank slate," ROBbie says. "We cannot actually send you back to that world. It's hardwired into the system that a soul cannot be returned to its world of origin once it's exceeded a certain threshold."

Ziggy's face contorts, and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat as he struggles with the realization that he's stuck. Finally, not wanting to sit in this office any longer, he asks, "So, what are my options?"

"Well," ROBerto says, shifting from his perch. "Normally, a soul is sent directly to Refinement, where they are stripped of all the built-up soul energy, sometimes called mana, which is then used as an energy source to power the whole thing. Then the pure soul is returned to the system to do it all over again."

"What do you mean 'power the whole thing?'" Ziggy asks.

"Everything. The universes, the multiverses, the megaverses, and beyond. Higher planes, lower planes, middle planes... everything," ROBbie says.

ROBerto picks it back up. "There is more to it than that, but it's well beyond your paygrade. Heck, it's way beyond our paygrade. The point is there are exceptions to this process. I won't get into the 'hows and whys,' but these exceptions end up here, where they are given the option to reincarnate with most, if not all, of their memories intact and with a few bonuses, usually in the form of these Soul Crystals."

"And what are these 'Soul Crystals,' 'cause, to be honest, that has some funky connotations that makes me leery of this process?"

ROBbie waves his hand dismissively. "It's not what you're thinking. Sometimes, during harvest, there are particularly dense soul energies that can gum up the works if they are just tossed back into the system. These used to be tossed in the refuse bin to take up space, but then one intrepid researcher figured out what these were and how to use them."

"Soul Crystals," Ziggy says.

"Exactly!" ROBbie says excitedly. "In their unrefined state, they contain the memories and experiences of the previous soul and, most importantly, their abilities. That which made these powerful souls... powerful."

"So, they contain another soul's memories? That... doesn't sound great to me," Ziggy says. "It sounds like a one-way trip to dysmorphia and identity crisis."

ROBerto shakes his head. "It's not as bad as all that, but yeah, there was a potential for something like that to happen when the process of integrating them into special souls first started. However, someone else-"

"My predecessor," ROBbie says with a hint of pride like it had anything to do with him.

ROBerto rolls his eyes but continues. "Anyway. That person found a way to refine the Soul Crystals removing the memories but keeping the abilities. These Refined Soul Crystals are what are typically used in those special cases to allow us to sweeten the pot for reincarnation or transmigration."

"And these are Refined Soul Crystals?" Ziggy asks, indicating the box.

The two ROBs nod. "Alright," Ziggy says. "So, again, what are my options? You've already said I can't go home. So, where can I go?"

ROBbie looks like he's about to explode in excitement, but just as he's about to overflow, ROBerto stops him. "Hey! This is my job, not yours. Sit there and wait your turn," he says. Turning back, he looks at Ziggy again. "So, this is where it gets interesting. Most people get reincarnated into low-tier worlds with little to no magic or other paranormal occurrences.

Exceptional cases, such as yourself, may go to higher-tier worlds or special-tier worlds depending on their preferences. The reason is that with their unique abilities, they can achieve more significant soul growth in those worlds and thus more fuel for the 'everything.'

There is also the possibility of transcendence if the soul can achieve a certain threshold. I can't really tell you anything about that. You have to figure it out on your own."

"Okay, what's the difference between higher-tier and special-tier worlds?" Ziggy asks.

"Higher-tier worlds have a higher concentration of energy within them, allowing a higher concentration of soul energy to exist within the life forms within those worlds. In those worlds, the denizens have a greater likelihood of manipulating mana and using what you'd term magic. Pretty simple.

Special-tier worlds are similar to higher-tier, but with one significant difference. Tell me, are you familiar with the term tulpa?" ROBerto asks.

Being a fantasy nerd, I have come across the concept. I nod. "Yeah, it's effectively a thought construct."

ROBerto nods. "In essence, yes. However, it's a little more than that. It is an idea given life through the mental energies that believe in it," he says. He makes a bit of a face and waggles his hand in a gesture that would indicate 'sorta.' "Well, 'believe' is a relative term, really. In fact, these special-tier worlds are, in a manner of speaking, massive tulpa. Fantasy worlds brought to life by the combined mental energy of the millions or billions of people who enjoy and embrace them."

Ziggy blinks. "Fantasy worlds? Like books and movies, 'fantasy?'" he asks.

"Exactly that," ROBerto says, nodding.

"And the people there are real?"

"As real as on any world."

"And the world isn't going to just up and disappear if book sales drop?" Ziggy asks.

"Pfft. No!" ROBbie laughs. "These worlds are fully emancipated from their creators and have taken on a life of their own. Although, we can introduce changes to those worlds easier than in normal higher and lower-tier worlds. Since the mental energy that created them was taken from so many minds that view them slightly differently, they are more malleable. We've even merged copies of different special-tier worlds to create unique worlds. Think of it as fanfiction."

ROBerto smiles. "So, I take it that a fantasy special-tier world would be of interest to you?"

Ziggy nods. "Yeah. I mean, if I can't go back where I came from, I might as well go somewhere interesting on which I have some background information. Is it random, or can I pick one out?"

"As long as it fits our needs as well, we don't care where you reincarnate," ROBerto says. "I would suggest a fantasy world with magic, though."

"Now, that's another thing. You keep saying 'reincarnate.' Does that mean I have to start all over from being born... 'cause I'm kind of hoping to skip that whole childhood thing."

ROBbie and ROBerto look at each other and shrug. "Yeah, we can move it to a transmigration, instead. We just have to build you a body first," ROBerto says.

ROBbie's eyes brighten at that. "Oh, that's even better. We can design the body to more easily adapt to the Soul Crystals."

"Wait," Ziggy says. "CrystalZZZ, as in plural? I thought this was one crystal per person?"

ROBerto shakes his head. "There are limitations, but they're mostly the capacity of the soul and how it resonates with the individual crystals."

"Think of it like this," ROBbie says. "There are two limiting factors, as my colleague just said, but let's say your soul's capacity is one hundred, and each crystal generally has a rating between one and one hundred. If you have a crystal that is one hundred, then you could only fit one in before the capacity was full, but here is where resonance kicks in.

Resonance can increase or decrease how much capacity a crystal takes up. A perfect resonance could, in theory, reduce the amount of capacity a crystal takes up by as much as ninety percent. Which would mean that the crystal with a value of one hundred might only take up a capacity value of ten."

"Okay, I grok," Ziggy says, nodding. "So, how many crystals are we shooting for?"

ROBerto and ROBbie look at each other again and nod. ""All of them,"" they say.

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Ziggy is laid out on a table, feeling the buzzing sensation in what passes as his body. "I'm pretty sure I've exceeded my capacity. My brain feels itchy, and my tongue feels numb. That's not a good sign," he says to no one in particular.

"Nonsense," ROBbie says as he's typing away. "You are well within your tolerance."

"Bullshit," Ziggy says with a hint of annoyance. "I feel like I licked a car battery and completed the circuit with my dick."

"Pfft," ROBerto snorted. "Well, maybe, but he's right; your readings show that you've still got plenty of room."

"I still can't believe I let you guys talk me into this Frankenstein's experiment of yours. None of those crystals were labeled as A.B. Normal, were they?"

"They weren't labeled at all. Hence the experiment portion," ROBbie says. "But are you sure about your destination? There are a lot of other options out there."

"Yeah, I thought of a few, but Danmachi-verse is freshest in my mind, and there is no shortage of hotties. Feel free, though, to pluck a few more from those other worlds and send them my way."

"Man, what is with you reincarnators and harems? Didn't you have just one girlfriend in your last life? Wasn't that enough? Why the need for more?" ROBerto asks.

"Yeah, I had one girlfriend in my last life, and I was happy and loved her with everything I had," Ziggy says. "But I died, and she will eventually move on from what you guys said, which is fine. It's good. Pining away for each other wouldn't make either of us happy.

But now, this is kind of like a bonus round for me. A time I can cut loose and enjoy myself. I'm not going to be a dirtbag about it, but if I'm attracted to someone, and they're interested, I won't hold myself back."

"Maybe women would be different," ROBbie says, still typing away.

"Maybe," Ziggy says. "Or maybe you'll find one that wants her own harem of studly guys... or sexy girls. Maybe she has a gangbang fetish that she never got the chance to explore. This is pretty much fantasy territory, and anything goes. Be happy you don't have more assholes that want to use this as an excuse to be some cartoonish version of evil."

"Gangbang fetish?" ROBerto says with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't know," Ziggy says, shrugging. "I try not to kink shame."

"Done!" ROBbie says proudly. "Check this out."

ROBbie swings his monitor towards the other two. ROBerto and Ziggy look at the rendering of Ziggy's new body, and both frown.

"What-"

"the-"

"fuck?" they say.

"What?" ROBbie asks, turning a little pale.

"You're hopeless, man. Utterly hopeless," ROBerto says. Ziggy just shakes his head.

"There is no muscle tone, and it's like five-four tops," Ziggy says. "Is that supposed to be a dick or a slightly enlarged clit? Is it supposed to be a prepubescent girl's body? I am staying a guy, you know."

"W-well. It's... well, I-" ROBbie starts, embarrassed to admit that it was based on his own physique.

"You know what," Ziggy says, hopping off the table. "Move over. I'll do it myself."

"But... you don't know how to use the program?" ROBbie says.

"Dude, I did this shit for a living. If I can't figure out this program in five minutes, I'll be shocked," Ziggy says. Two minutes later. "Oh, this is fucking easy."

ROBbie and ROBerto watch over Ziggy's shoulder as he runs through all the options of the body design program. FIve minutes later. "There. Was that so hard?"

ROBerto nodded in approval. "Not bad."

ROBbie felt even more embarrassed. "It's based on my previous body with the High Human template added and de-aged a bit."

"Even the-" ROBbie started.

"Check my file," Ziggy responded before the question was finished. "I guess I'm ready. What do we do now?"

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"So... am I getting some clothes, or do I arrive in the buff?" Ziggy asks, standing in a strangely runed room.

"Ha! No, we'll get you some clothes," ROBerto says. "Anything in particular?"

"I dunno, maybe some pseudo-Viking chic. Leather pants, leather jacket, comfortable shirt, boots, and underwear. Do I get something like a starter kit? A little spending money to survive until I get my feet under me. A weapon since this is a monster-ridden world."

"Ah... yeah," ROBerto says. "I think we can manage that. Nothing fancy, but It'll get you through about a week. You'd better find a Familia by then so you can go dungeon diving."

Ziggy nods. "That's the plan. I just have to find one."

"Coordinates are set for a few kilometers outside of Orario," ROBbie says. "We're ready to go."

"STAR room is charged, background created, and perks loaded," ROBerto says. "Any last words?"

Ziggy smiles. "It's been a strange trip so far. Thanks for your help. I'll do my best to make the most out of these Crystals."

ROBbie and ROBerto return the smile. "Enjoy your new life and watch out for yandere."

ROBerto hits the button, and the runes hum to life. A shell forms around Ziggy as the humming intensifies. In a flash of light, Ziggy disappears from the STAR room.

Suddenly, ROBerto frowns, looking at the settings. "Hey, you set the distance for ten kilometers outside Orario, right?"

"Yeah," ROBbie says.

"Did you set an altitude?"

ROBbie looks up suddenly with a pale look of panic on his face. Looking back at the now empty room, ROBbie asks, "The pod will protect him until he lands... right?"

ROBerto shrugs.

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A scream echoes about ten kilometers outside of Orario and half a kilometer above Gekai. "You assholes!"