[Welcome to Reincar-Station #3154! Please consult the station attendant to receive your starting gift. Good luck on your next life!]

Eli stared blankly at the floating message in front of him. He reached out to try and touch the letters, but his fingers passed through them like empty air.

“Hey kid, I ain’t got all day. Hurry up! I’ve got like two hundred more souls to process before my shift ends.”

A female voice interrupted his pondering. He looked over, and saw a woman dressed in a tight suit and a pencil skirt beckoning to him. She had short purple hair and matching eyes that held an alluring charm even A-List actresses wouldn’t be able to match. But shockingly, there were two white wings growing out of her back, unfolded in full angelic splendor.

The hell?

Suppressing his bewilderment, Eli walked over to the woman who was impatiently tapping her foot.

“Um, excuse me.” Eli asked. “May I ask where-?”

“You’re dead, it’s time for you to reincarnate. No, this isn’t a joke, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it. Get over it fast, please.” She interrupted him with a raised hand. The words were said so briskly that it felt like she had spoken them countless times in the past.

“What!?”

Eli felt like a bolt of lightning had struck him. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to be offended by her tone.

Dead?

He was barely in his twenties!

“How!?”

As if she was expecting this reaction, the woman pulled out a mirror with uncanny speed and held it in front of him.

“Watch and enjoy your untimely demise.”

Eli’s disbelief quickly changed into horror as he watched the scene of his death play out within the mirror. The entire thing only lasted for a minute, but he felt like it was mocking his entire life.

“No way...”

“Yeah. You slipped and fell out of an office window. If it’s any consolation, your family’s going to get one fat settlement outta that.” Attendant 3154 said with a smirk. “That glass was way too fragile.”

Eli felt like cursing his company. Those cheap bastards, always cutting corners anywhere possible. However, he just sighed and looked at the ‘angel’ next to him.

“What happens next?”

Attendant 3154 nodded approvingly. “You got over it faster than I expected, not bad. Well little Eli, you’re in luck.” She coughed, then stretched out her arms in grand fashion.

“Thanks to your good deeds, you’ll be reborn into a magical fantasy world filled with all sorts of fascinating races to meet and places to visit! Whether you want to become a hero or live a simple and quiet life, anything is possible in this otherworld. We will even give you a powerful starting gift to make your next life that much more convenient. Isn’t it great?”

The words sounded like a sales pitch, but her canned delivery ruined it completely. No doubt this script was something she had recited tens of thousands of times before. Eli made a wry smile.

“You don’t have to say any more, I’m familiar with this concept. I bet there are elves and dwarves in that world?”

“Of course! And beastkin too, if your tastes bend in that direction.”

As expected. Marvelous.

“Mmhmm. So what is this gift you mentioned?” He asked, while making a mental note to look for rabbit or fox eared girls as soon as possible. Those were always the best.

Attendant 3154 snapped her fingers, and a bunch of lines entered Eli’s head.

 

[You learned the “Analysis”, “Status”, and “Otherworld Language Comprehension” abilities!]

[You learned “Basic One Hand Swordsmanship”!]

[You received the “Dimensional Pouch” item! Capacity: 5 square meters.]

[You received 100 silver coins! Automatically placed in Dimensional Pouch.]

[You received a sheathed dagger! Automatically placed in Dimensional Pouch.]

 

Eli felt dizzy, as if a screwdriver had just pried his skull open and stuffed several textbooks inside. The flood of information didn’t subside until ten seconds later.

“First off, this is just the basic package that every reincarnator gets.” 3154 said with a smile. “Status allows you to check your condition any time even without an external tool - everyone is born with it on the world you’re going to. Appraisal allows you to identify any items you touch. As for Otherworld Language Comprehension… well, that’s fairly self-explanatory don’t you think? Reading and writing included. Swordsmanship is just there so that you don’t get yourself killed on the first day. It’s roughly the level someone would have after serving in the army for a year.”

“And the Dimensional Pouch?” Eli asked, ignoring his pounding headache. Something about what she just said sounded wrong but his head hurt too much to figure it out at the moment.

“A small bag with a pocket dimension inside it, you can store any non-living things inside. Food won’t spoil and fragile objects won’t break even if the bag gets run over by a carriage. However the size is pretty limited and it isn’t bound to you, so be careful not to lose it.”

“Wow, that sounds impressive.”

“It is. So like I said, take good care of it. Now then, we have one last gift for you, but this one will have to depend on your luck.”

Attendant 3154 snapped her fingers again, and yet another window with several lines entered Eli’s mind.

 

[Choose a starting gift below:]

[1. Legacy of Asahir - Provides “Asahir’s Rage” ability, which tremendously boosts all physical attributes and HP regeneration while active. However, magic can never be learned. Rating: B+]

[2. 5 Lightning Grenades - Make things go boom right from the beginning! Rating: C+]

[3. Slave Fairy - A caged fairy that produces addictive hallucinogenic fairy dust every day. Sets your relationship with all woodland races to “Hostile”. Rating: B]

[4. Unlock Title System - Allows you to earn titles after accomplishing remarkable deeds, which can be equipped to provide bonuses. Only one title may be equipped at a time. Rating: A-]

 

The headache didn’t happen this time though. Probably because he didn’t ‘learn’ anything yet.

“Oooh, not bad kid. All four are pretty useful.” Attendant 3154 said admiringly. “Want some advice?”

“Yes please.” He said obediently.

The angel nodded with a pleased expression. “First, the Legacy of Asahir turns you into a godlike berserker. You’re practically unstoppable in the middle of your rage, and can beat people many levels above you as long as you can get close to them. But you lose your sanity while it’s activated and Asahir despises magic so you can never cast any spells. Most people don’t look kindly upon berserkers either so you might have a hard time finding parties. These disadvantages are why it’s only B+ despite having power comparable to A+ rank bonuses.”

Eli didn’t have to think for long. “Rejected. There’s no point in going to a different world if I can’t use magic.”

3154 giggled as she twirled her hair. “Good kid, it’s important to be decisive. Then next up are the lightning grenades. These little bombs pack a mean punch and can easily take out a group of orc warriors each, or will heavily injure something like a minotaur. But the drawback is obvious, isn’t it?”

“The fact that they’re consumable?”

“Bingo. Five throws and they’re finished, kaput. It can make your early days easier but that’s it. I wouldn’t recommend using your starting bonus on something like this unless you have a plan.”

“Which I don’t, to be honest.”

“Mm. Then next is the Slave Fairy-”

“Rejected! Absolutely rejected! And the last?”

“Thought you’d say that. Well, that just leaves the Title System! Just by its rating, you can see its future potential. A good title can greatly improve your combat abilities, and once you have several you can switch between them on the fly to match the situation. And with every ten levels you gain, you’ll be able to equip one more title at a time! But that’s the thing, it provides no help at all until you have a decent title to use in the first place.”

Eli thought about it for a while, then nodded. “I’ll take it. At any rate, it sounds a lot more useful than the bombs or a drug making fairy that paints a target on my back.”

Just when he made his decision, the illusory window in his mind disappeared, and in its place was a single line.

 

[“Title System” unlocked! Currently earned titles: 0. Title slots: 1.]

 

Attendant 3154’s wings fluttered as she smiled. “Alright. You’ve made your choice and I won’t keep you any longer. Good luck out there, don’t come back here for at least a few decades!”

After saying that, she pulled a nearby lever.

“Ehh-WAAAGH!”

A trapdoor had opened up beneath him, and Eli fell screaming into the endless black void. 3154 smirked as she watched him fade away.

“That never gets old.”

 

Author's Note: I literally started this novel just to be able to use the term "Reincar-Station" somewhere. Also if you noticed the minor discrepancy above, don't worry about it.