[Welcome to the Reincarnation Station. Please state your name,] a robotic voice said to a white blob.
"James Richards," the blob replied as it was scanned.
[Scanning… Sorry, sir. You were not found in the system. Contacting Administrator,] the robotic voice said.
"Huh?" the blob asked, confused.
[Transferring to Administrator's sector. Next,] the robotic voice stated, and before the blob could respond, it disappeared.
When the blob—James—reappeared, he found himself standing in front of a huge desk.
Sitting behind the desk was a giant being that looked like a white version of Alien X, with multiple black galaxies—or were they black holes?—swirling inside him.
"Where is this?" James asked, confused, as he looked around.
He turned to look at the being in front of him, but after everything he had experienced in the last hour or so, there wasn't even a shred of surprise on his face.
"Huh?... I never thought there would be a mortal who could look at me without feeling intimidated or surprised," the being said in a surprisingly gentle yet elderly voice.
"Well, it would be weird if I were surprised. You know, just a while ago, I watched a giant hand holding a pen stab me to death," James said calmly.
"Well… About that, I'm sorry. You see, I suddenly had an idea on how to modernize reincarnation and the like, since using the Book of Life and Death is getting a little, you know, old. But in the process, I may or may not have erased you from the Book of Life, hence your death," the being explained sheepishly.
"No worries. It's not like I can do anything about it, and from my presence here, I can tell that you also can't do anything about it, right?" James said calmly, showing that he had accepted his situation.
"Not exactly. I can bring you back to life in a snap, but it's against the rules since it might—and it will—cause an imbalance in your universe," the being explained.
"I understand, but what happens now?" James asked.
"Well, as compensation, I will reincarnate you into a universe that will accept your presence. And no, you don't get any abilities," the being said, as if reading James' mind.
"Why? You literally just killed me."
"I did, but I am also granting you a new life… That should cover it, right?"
"Oh, hell no. A new life means I have to deal with being literally born again, childhood, people, and all that. And also, who's to say I'll be reborn as a human?"
"I can guarantee that you will be reborn as a human. But since I don't see this conversation ending soon..."
Sigh
"I'll grant you just one compensation. Think of it as a wish, but be wise and extremely specific in choosing it," the being replied, looking at James as though it wanted nothing more than to strangle him.
"Okay then… Just one wish, right?"
"Yes, just one, and you better be smart about it."
Hearing the being—or the Administrator—James immediately started combing through all the numerous ideas he had for situations like this.
James was a guy who enjoyed reading comics, light novels, and fanfictions, so having a couple of wishes in mind at all times wasn't strange.
But there was a difference. In those other times, he didn't have the means to fulfill those wishes, but here, there was an omnipotent being who could.
James combed through every idea to pick the best one.
"I think I've got it. I want my own resource dimension, like a space pocket that holds all resources, you know, in infinite amounts. Resources like gold, iron, seeds, etc., all contained in the dimension. And whenever I reach in to pick a material, I get a detailed explanation of what that resource is and what it's capable of," James said all at once, a smile on his face.
"Hmmm… A smart choice, but isn't that a foolish wish? What if the planet you're reborn on is dangerous or underdeveloped, so you can't process some of the resources in the dimension?" the Administrator asked.
"We'll find out then. I could wish for superpowers, but that would only be useful depending on the universe I'm going to. Imagine I wish to be Superman but get reborn into a universe just like my previous one. I'd have to watch my family and friends die because I'm immortal," James replied. He knew that wishes all depend on where exactly you're going.
Wishing for superpowers is a huge gamble, especially if you're going to a world where the laws of physics are as strict as ours.
Super speed would be useless because you'd have no means to protect yourself from friction.
Super strength is a pretty useless superpower unless you're a firefighter, but even then, it doesn't guarantee enhanced durability.
Wishing for enhanced intellect would be nice, but if you can't find people who are at least creatively on the same wavelength as you, then you're lonely. But with a resource dimension, you're just rich. Unimaginably rich.
"I can't deny that logic, but wishing for things like genetic perfection is still an option. You could be the best your race has to offer."
"Yeah… I ain't doing that. Being the best my race has to offer also means it's my duty to advance my race and take them further than they've ever been…"
"Though that's if I'm reborn in a normal universe. If I'm reborn in a universe like DC or The Invincible Universe, it then depends on which race. And since you said human, I don't want it. I can achieve that if necessary."
"You really have everything thought out."
"I know. And also, a resource dimension will guarantee me infinite wealth—something I can use to achieve anything I want."
"Even though I already know how your journey ends, I would still like to see how you get there. Your wish shall be granted. But don't forget to visit when you become strong enough. I may have a position for you."
"Sure, until then," James replied with a huge smile on his face as he faded out of existence.
"Infinite resources, huh?… Haven't heard that one before," the Administrator said, then chuckled and returned to his work.
---
Unknown Universe, Milky Way Galaxy, Planet Earth.
Unknown location.
Several groups of people could be seen entering a small house with smiles and gifts in their hands. The small house wasn't special, but at the moment, the atmosphere around it was filled with nothing but joy as the groups of people laughed and chatted happily.
In a small room in the house—probably the most occupied room, as many people gathered inside to admire the small crib at the center.
James had just been born a few days ago. He had no idea where he was or which family he was born into, but he did know one thing: his new family was large, or at least that's what he could gather from the faces he had seen.
The room was filled with various people who all came to see him, or people who just came for the refreshments and entertainment—since he couldn't believe such a large group of people were all there just to see him. The beer bottles in some of their hands explained it all.
"Oh, come here. Who's a big boy?" an elderly man said as he carefully carried James out of his crib.
"Oh, look at his eyes; he has his father's eyes," the man said.
"Please don't mention that idiot's name here," an elderly female voice said from somewhere beside him.
Hearing the voice, James immediately turned his head and scrambled weakly in the man's arms to see who it was.
"You can't deny it. The man was a fool, but his kid does have his eyes. Oh, look at my big boy," the man said as he hugged James tighter than before and pressed his face against James'.
James had absolutely no idea what was going on, but from what he could hear, his father was probably a douchebag, and these two were probably his grandparents.
Of course, he couldn't exactly see them since his eyesight was too blurry, but he could at least tell when someone was older.
He could roughly make out the shape and color of things—for example, the beer bottle in the hands of someone standing close to his grandpa.
"It's okay. Leave the baby. He also has to sleep. Go check on your daughter; she's been sleeping ever since she came back from the hospital," Grandma said, and James felt someone take him from his grandpa's hands.
Immediately after entering this person's arms, James felt as though he had entered some kind of security field. It was as though he had an army to protect him.
It felt weird, but even a dumbass like him could figure out that he was in the hands of a female family member—one directly related to him.
Not an aunt or cousin, but either a mother or a grandma. From the wrinkled skin he could feel, James could tell that it was definitely his grandma.
And from the way he seemed to immediately melt into her arms, he could easily tell just how experienced she was.
Mental note: always stay with Grandma, it helps with...
Yawn
James thought, then snuggled closer to her, and immediately everything went black.
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