[You have died.]

It was the first thing, I heard, as soon as I regained consciousness. Alongside, a transparent screen showing the same message.

But, before I could even process it, it was followed by several other messages.

[With your death, your powers have become complete.]

[Only you, who have overcome death are worthy of this power.]

In a machine-like voice, someone or something was reading the messages for me. Hearing these messages and looking at the transparent window, I was having a feeling of Déjà vu. Like I have read these exact messages before.

But, at that time, I couldn't recall it.

Like reading some prewritten script of a movie or drama, I asked almost immediately,

"Who.... who are you?"

Even now, I don't understand why I asked that question.

'Was it influenced by him?'

'Or, was I just influenced by the situation?'

Who knows...

(Back to where we left it off)

Like waiting for this question to be asked, a completely deep and dark voice spoke.

"I am the record of your bitter struggle. I am the evidence of your resistance. I am the reward of your pain. I am death, I am eternal rest, and I am also 'terror'."

While searching for the source of the new voice, I saw a man in pitch-black armor slowly walking closer to me.

Every word he spoke reverberated weightily within my soul.

Frankly, I don't know what struggle he is talking about. I did struggle many times in my life. But, I had a feeling that those weren't the struggle he was talking about.

"I am…."

The figure quietly finished his words.

"….You."

After finishing his words the figure abruptly disappeared.

With the figure's disappearance, the machine-like voice came back.

[You are experiencing an awakening.]

.

.

.

.

.

[You have awakened.]

[To wake from your slumber say the following word: 'Arise'.]

At that time I was internally freaking out. So, when I found the possibility of waking up from this nightmare, I immediately said the word without much thinking.

"Ar... Arise."

As soon as I said the word, everything vanished, the machine-like voice, the transparent screen, and the nightmare itself.

And, I woke up in what I presumed to be my bed, gasping for air. Perhaps sensing my heavy breathing, a woman who appeared to be in her thirties asked me with concern.

"Ash, are you alright?"

After hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar voice, a strong headache assaulted my brain. Along with this headache, a tremendous amount of foreign memory was inserted into my brain.

"Aargh!"

While processing the tremendous amount of information in my brain, I can hear the woman's muffled voice.

"What happened to you? Talk to me .... Ash."

"Ash ... Ash ..."

"A ...."

"..."

.

.

.

.

After some time, the headache subsided a little. So, I could make out the words she was speaking. Immediately, I throw some comforting words at her.

"Don't worry Mom, I was just having a nightmare."

Yes, she is my mother. Or rather, this body's mother.

Yeah, for some reason, I transmigrated into this body.

My name is Ashborn. Nico Ashborn.

And, the worried woman next to me is Nico Olvia.

Hearing my reassuring words, she calmed down a little. Then suddenly, she took me in her embrace and started to pat my back.

I don't know why, but as soon as she took me in her embrace and started to pat my back, all my worries, nervousness, uneasiness, and fear washed away. And, I felt at peace.

Even though I calmed down, my mind was in its calculative mode. Firstly, I started to recall what I was doing before discovering myself in that strange dream.

'I'm pretty sure that, after reading the latest chapter of the 'One Piece' Manga, I started to play 'Solo Leveling: Arise'. A newly launched mobile RPG game. As a die-hard fan of Solo Leveling, I started to play this game as soon as it was launched. While playing, I started to feel sleepy. So, I exited the game and plugged my phone to charge. After that, I went to bed, thinking it would be nice to experience some adventure like those of One Piece World.'

'Next thing I know some shitty machine-like voice telling me that, I am dead and so on. Then, a black armored dude came and said some cliche, I am the record of your .... blah blah blah blah. After that, I followed the machine's instructions and here I am in One Piece world, in the body of Nico Ashborn, son of Nico Olvia.'

'Man, what is this strange mix of two worlds?' Thinking that, I don't know when I fall asleep.

(To be Continued)