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"Average" a word that best describes me. With the 28 years of my life, I've never accomplished anything great, there was a time when I was a hot-blooded teenager who aspired to be the best basketball player that ever lived. Unfortunately, I never had the maturity, and talent to follow that dream.
I always thought "what ifs" inside my head. What if I had the maturity I have now back then, what if I didn't slack off, what if I didn't let my knees get injured and took care of my body... What if I can start all over again?
It was a stormy day when it all started, something that will change my life forever.
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June 19, 2020, it was my birthday.
I opened the door to my apartment drenched because of the rain. "Fuck! Why does it always rain whenever I don't bring an umbrella!?" I cursed, annoyed because I have to dry my work clothes so I can wear it again for tomorrow.
I work as a dentist in a nearby somewhat well known dental clinic in my city. Since there is a pandemic, work had become more tiring due to the extra precautions.
*sigh "Man, happy birthday to me..." I said as I switched on my PS4 and opened the box of cake one of my coworkers gave me, it was a medium-sized blueberry cheesecake enough for one person.
As you can see, I'm pretty much average. 28 years old, single, I work as a dentist from 9 am to 5 pm six days a week, I play video games when I get home while eating then go to sleep. For the last 3 years, this has been my routine. My parents are both gone now, my father passed away when I was still a young kid, while my mother passed away 4 years ago, a year after I graduated from college. I'm an only child so I'm basically alone now. I was able to get it together because my relatives helped me while I looked for work.
"Really? They're gonna resume the NBA season by August?" I said as I browsed my phone while eating.
I'm also a basketball fan, there was a time when I played basketball seriously too back in high school and college, though that's a thing in the past. I never really panned out due to some bad decisions and injuries. Aside from that the only thing that had me going was my height, 6 foot 6 inches.
Anyway, I graduated as a dentist so that had me going.
It was raining really hard, I just remembered I left some of my finished laundries in the balcony.
"Fuck! I won't have anything to wear tomorrow." I hurried as I opened the door to my balcony. It was a cold day mostly since June is the start of the rainy season here in the Philippines.
"Man there's a lot of ligh..." It was at that moment that my vision turned white. All I remember was the lightning that struck me.
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"Putangina mo bobo!"[1] I woke up because of loud noise.
"Bobo kampe!"[2] A man's ranting woke me up, I was in a white seemingly endless hallway with multiple doors on each side, in the middle was a desk table with a gaming pc, a person is playing some sort of game while cursing in my language.
"What!? Where am I? Am I dead?" I asked myself while trying to stand up. Wasn't I hit by lightning? I thought to myself as I wondered why I don't feel anything.
It seems that the person in the middle of the hallway hasn't noticed me yet so I tried to get his attention.
"Excuse me!" I was able to gather myself and walked towards the man. "Excuse me! Sir?" I took a good look at the man, he looks like one of those people who never go outside. Baggy shirt, messy hair stacks of instant noodles laying around, a NEET should I say? While thinking to myself the man finally noticed me.
"Who the fuck called me a NEET!?" was the first thing the man said, seemingly reading my thoughts. "What the fu... What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." The man said, seemingly surprised.
"What do you mean? Do you know where I am? I was supposed to be at my apartment? Who are you? Am I dead? Fuck! Shit shit shit..." I was panicking. I was just planning to eat cake and I just got fucking hit by lightning.
"Dude one at a time! I uhh... Let me check for a second." The man said while checking his phone. "Well, dude... it seems like there's some kind of mistake."
"What mistake?" I replied.
"Well, you died bro..." He said
"Putangina!?"[1]
"Easy there bro, calm down for a second." I was getting agitated when a chair suddenly appeared beside me. "Sit, let's go through the basics first." The man said.
I sat down as the man started to tell me everything.
"First of all, I'm a god."
~20 minutes later~
"So you're a minor god from my country?
"Dude I was big back then ok? Everyones into Christianity now so my influence got less but I still have my powers." The god retorted seemingly offended because I called him a "minor" god.
"Alright my bad. So you're Bathala, the supreme deity of my ancestors whose living as a NEET since nobody remembers you anymore?"
"Watch your words, I'm not a NEET!" Bathala replied offended with being called a neet instead of being called forgotten.
*Kuhum "Ok sorry..."
"So... I wasn't supposed to die?"
"Uhuh."
"You ACCIDENTALLY killed me while playing?" I asked annoyed due to this god's carelessness.
"Uh haha..." the man laughed while scratching his head. "Well, you know.. this guy was using map hacks and I just raged, I subconsciously created a bolt of lightning that slipped past to earth and killed you." Bathala laughed.
"Am I a joke to you?" I replied, "Dude bring me my life back! I was getting everything together! Fuck!
"Chill bruh, don't worry this is easy, you'll get your life back."
"Really!?" I asked surprised. "Who do you think I am? I'm a god! Ok? Of course, I can do that."
"Although there will be slight differences I can bring you back"
"What do you mean slight differences?"
"Well first of all your soul imprint to this world was erased the moment you died," Bathala explained. "You survived because no one collected your soul so you were brought to me, the one who caused your death."
I thought all of a sudden, wait this sounded like one of those Isekai novels I read during lunch, comprehension suddenly showed to my face. "So since I can't be reincarnated to this world anymore... are you going to send me to a different world?" I replied. "Will I be sent to a magical world and battle some sort of evil demon king or something?" Ever since I started reading Isekai novels I got hooked due to the characters getting second chances in life and being a well-known hero. I always wanted to restart my life...
Bathala replied dousing my blazing question with the cold truth. "Sorry to get your hopes up bro but that's not really my cup of tea. Besides all of the other magical worlds are full due to other gods being so fascinated with the Isekai genre. Why the fuck would you reincarnate a human into a low-level monster, expect them to kill a demon king, give them a hard time, and expect them to respect you at the end?"
"Says the person who killed me ACCIDENTALLY," I said thinking the god has a point
"I know dude chill that's why I'm going to give you a good deal," he replied. "Since this earth is a no go, I'll send you to a parallel universe of earth. There might be some slight differences but your version there is still the same." he continued "As a side deal due to my... miscalculations, I'll give you 3 wishes depending on the karma you've accumulated so far. Once I send you there you will continue your life on that same day and you will forget everything about this matter." as a finishing touch, he said, "This is what I can offer to you, that or your soul will be dissolved."
I was surprised, my soul will be dissolved? I thought to myself, Bathala's terms were reasonable compared to the other gods of the Isekai novels I've read so I accepted right away. Besides there are 3 wishes, I already know what I want. "Well as if I have a choice right?" I replied, "I accept."
"Alright let's make it quick I need to increase my MMR, tell me your 3 wishes," he replied, "I'll let you know, you can't wish for immortality or world domination."
As a normal person, I dread the life of outliving everyone and world domination really isn't my cup of tea. "Well my wishes are simple, first I want to be reincarnated to the time after graduating high school."
"Hmm... granted. Next wish."
"Give me talent," I said.
Bathala wondered and asked, "Talent? What kind of talent?"
"A system," I answered. "You know just like those guys in the novel, gods give them a game-like system to be successful. I love basketball so please give me a system for that, like the settings in the NBA2k19 you know like you can increase in..."
Bathala cut in my geeking, "I know I get it, next!"
"I want to remember everything that happened."
Bathala paused taken back with my last wish, he replied. "What's the reason?"
"Well, I just want to be aware that there's a god." There was a time when I didn't believe in god due to the bad things that happened to me but knowing that a god helped me gives me a good feeling.
"Well, that's acceptable, all your wishes will be granted. I'll be sending you to that world now, you'll receive everything after the transition. Good luck, Kevin King."
Bathala for once had a solemn look befitting a God, he started chanting words I can't understand. I wasn't able to reply because I was covered in a golden light. My last thought before disappearing was I can finally live a life that I want.
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[1] Filipino curse word which means "son of a whore"
[2] Filipino word for "idiot"
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