"Anyone get the license plate of the car that hit me?" he mumbled, a blistering headache sweeping through his mind. The sensation was akin to the time he'd spent the night after his promotion getting blind drunk with his friends, though this time, it was far worse.
Blinking his eyes open, preparing for the onslaught of light that would flood his vision, he paused in momentary shock as his surroundings proved unfamiliar. "What the...?"
The 'space' around him was a void, almost as if all light had been siphoned away. His only comparison was to the black holes he'd seen in rendered animations on the internet. Yet, this couldn't be a black hole; his voice was audibly heard.
He twisted his head, checking every direction to ensure he wasn't hallucinating, even going as far as reaching for his eyes, hoping to feel a blindfold wrapped around his face; unfortunately, that proved to be incorrect.
His heart rate began to speed up as his imagination ran wild.
'Am I suffering from some type of sleep paralysis? Was this an elaborate prank, or have I been abducted in my sleep and taken hostage?'
DING!
A mechanical sound rang out in his mind, startling him. He attempted to step back in defense, only to realize he couldn't feel his legs, or worse, everything below his waist had disappeared since he woke up.
Before he could scream out in fear, a blue transparent panel appeared in front of him. The light illuminating from it almost blinded him, as his eyes had adjusted to the void he was in.
[Congratulations! > You've died!]
[Would you like to start a new game?]
[Y/N]
His mouth hung agape as he read the white words printed on the screen. "What the fuck is this prank? I died? That's batshit insane."
The last thing he remembered was going to sleep after a work dinner.
[You had a heart attack in your sleep. Unfortunately, no one was there to save you. Therefore, you're dead.]
[Would you like to start a new game?]
[Y/N]
Sadness welled inside him as the words clarified his situation.
'Dead in my sleep? I'm not even old enough to be in that "normal statistic."'
His birthday was a month prior, and he had just turned 21; if anything, he was still a teenager at heart.
As if he'd gained perfect recall, he ran through his memories, seeing all the instances in which his poor habits continued to stack up, until the very moment his heart finally decided to give out.
Sighing loudly, he shook his head in sadness and frustration at the situation he found himself in.
'Guess there's not much I can do,' he mused, 'either I don't answer the panel, or I do and figure out what this 'new game' is.'
Instead of using his arm to make a selection, the man spoke aloud.
"Yeah, sure, new game please."
[Thank you for your confirmation.]
[Randomizing New Game reward.]
[Searching..]
[Reward Found!]
[Congratulations on receiving the following: Great Sage (Evolvable), Devour (Evolvable), Adaptive Biology (Evolvable).]
He stood rigid, rooted in his place as the words appeared before his unblinking eyes.
"I'm sorry, did you just tell me I got Great Sage, Devour, and an ever-evolving body?!" His mind began to churn at lightning speed and he ran through his memories from the fictional worlds he'd read about, remembering the first two powers were absolutely broken in the world of Tensura, whilst the Adaptive Biology reminded him of Doomsday.
"Uh, Mr. Panel, are you sure these are the gifts I've truly received?" he asked, his voice shaking at the question.
[All rewards are confirmed to be obtained.]
Coughing lightly, the man merely nodded in response and he tried to calm down his racing thoughts.
"Okay, so what's next? I doubt you're giving me gifts and then sending me back to a normal world, right?"
[Please press 'Draw' once again to choose your new world. Once your world has been chosen, you will have the option to specify your age, and the year you would like to be dropped into the world, along with your identity.]
Taking a calming breath, he once again confirmed the 'draw' option.
[Thank you for your confirmation.]
[Randomizing world selection.]
[Searching..]
[World Found!]
[Congratulations on receiving the following world choice: Harry Potter Franchise (Movies)]
"Oh? That's not bad at all!" He cheered happily as he thought about the magical world.
'Sure, it's got a psychotic dark lord who wishes to eradicate all non-magical humans, but apart from that and the blatant magical racism in the world, there are many worse options.'
[Please choose your age, year to be sent to, location and identity.]
Tapping his finger to his chin, the man contemplated his options. Though Hogwarts, or even Diagon Alley seemed to be the obvious choice, he quickly realized that to gain power as fast as possible in the time he chose, he'd need to be a little daring.
"Make me 17 years old. That way, I can bypass the Statute of Secrecy. Make it the holidays before the Goblet of Fire, specifically the first day of holidays. As for my identity, if you can make me some home-schooled student from a dead family, I'd appreciate it. I'd rather not deal with a family I have no connection with."
Taking a moment to truly decide on his final choice, the man peered into the endless void surrounding him in quiet thought.
"Drop location: Azkaban Prison. Specifically, the high-security section, next to one of the Death Eaters."
[All choices have been confirmed.]
[Please hold tight whilst your parameters are adjusted.]
[Adjustment completed.]
[Your New Game rewards will be seamlessly integrated into your soul, mind, and being the moment you awaken in the new world. How to utilize them to their maximum capabilities will also be ingrained into your being.]
[Thank you for your time today. Please close your eyes, enjoy the ride, and ensure you don't die again!]
The man chuckled lightly as he read the last words of the snarky panel, before his eyes slowly shut. The space around his body warped and shimmered, moving inwards to encase him as he rapidly disappeared.
The void once again fell silent.
---
A/N - Next chapter will drop soon!