Ch. 0 <> Did that Actually Just Happen? <>

    I really was just minding my own business when it happened. I was hit by a runaway truck as is customary for these kinds of stories. My only problem is that I was sitting at a table inside a restaurant with a parking lot in between the restaurant and the street. So in order to hit me, the truck needed to not only be speeding at a significant speed with an incapacitated driver, it also had to pass through 100+ feet of parking lot without hitting any cars or obstacles, and only then was it able to crash into me. How am I supposed to react to that? 

    While I was stuck in my incredulity, a small text prompt appeared in front of me. 

>>>Please record five wishes for your next life...

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(1)-

(2)-

(3)-

(4)-

(5)-

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    ...As an avid reader of all genres, of course I knew this trope, but that didn't really surprise me after what just happened. I was still stuck in the shock of how in the ever living hell a 16 wheeler managed to hit me when I was so far removed from the road. I ended up staring at the prompt for what I assume was quite a while before I started actually processing the information. 

    So I died in a freak accident and am currently in the in-between state before reincarnating into a different world. Or so it would seem. There isn't really much information to go on, and the prompt doesn't indicate any function it might bring about. It doesn't say what kind of world I'll be reborn into in my next life, nor does it say it will actually grant any of my wishes. It also doesn't say if there will be reincarnators other than me in my next life. There are so many variables that aren't explained that have to be taken into consideration. 

    So for my unquestionable first wish, I need to wish to keep my memories. Some people might say that even without your memories you are still the same person, and while it may be possible you would act the same if there is some remnant of your "self" left behind, I wouldn't personally take that chance. I am a firm believer in the "nurture" part of "nature vs. nurture" after all. 

    For my second wish, I will wish to be a human in my second life. Depending on the world I'm reborn in, this wish could become a blessing or a curse. In isekai stories, the worlds the protagonist can be born into vary greatly. Some worlds are vicious worlds where only the strongest survive. If that were the case, asking to be a normal human and not some form of strong monster, demon, or enhanced version of a human might be the wrong move. But if I'm reborn in a world where humans are prevalent then it would be much better than a monster. If I'm going to be honest though, the main reason I wish to be a human is because it's familiar to me. I like who I am, and because of that, I will use another one of my precious wishes to keep that. 

    After those two wishes that I can't compromise on, I need to think about my safety. Three things all humans need is food, water, and sleep. One way to greatly increase survivability is to have the need for these reduced, so this will have to be one of my wishes. 

    Three wishes down, two remaining. To take the danger of information into account I need to decide on a way to protect myself from both the world I am entering, and potential other reincarnators that will ask for something like a "status," "appraisal," or something like that. So that's my fourth wish used up. 

    For my fifth and final wish, I'll be a bit childish. Everyone wants to have an OP reincarnator buff right? Well... Maybe I won't wish for it to be a total cheat, but I do have a love for swords, magic, and fantastical powers... But what cool power do I want? There're so many possible answers. I always liked the ice attribute in games and novels. The same goes for blood magic, or vampire protagonists. It's hard to beat the all encompassing power of telekinesis though... I also have to take into account the possible worlds I might be thrown into though. If I pick ice powers but I'm thrown into a high tech world it might not really do anything. If I pick blood magic, but I'm thrown into a world of cultivators then I might be seen as a demonic cultivator to be suppressed. Telekinesis really does seem like the right option here, but it's such a boring power...

    And so, the text prompt was filled out as such:

>>>Please record five wishes for your next life...

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(1)-I wish to have a record of everything I've ever experienced, able to be intuitively accessed at any time, with the records starting from the day I was born in the life before I was asked to fill out this prompt

(2)-I wish to have the same body type as I did before I died, with the most important points being that I am human, and that I have the same gender

(3)-I wish to have a greatly reduced need for necessary human functions such as food intake, water intake, and time to rest, but not be incapable of performing such acts as other humans would

(4)-I wish that when others try to inspect or analyze me or my abilities, they see me as any other person would reasonably see me, and not be able to gain insight into abilities they wouldn't normally be able to tell I had

(5)-Could you please give me some cool ice power? Thank you for giving me another chance at life, I'll make sure to treasure it. 

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>>>Step (2) in progress…