[A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to my fanfiction of a boring ambitionless man being reborn in RWBY as Lie Ren with the Ten Shadows Technique. 

 

I am writing this because, well, I love RWBY’s world and characters(no bashing of anyone here), and because I love the idea of an OC with a different power being in a fictional world. They're my favorite type of fanfics, so I might as well add to them myself.

 

Also, just to get the warnings out there so you are not surprised. This is a harem, though it is not the focus and when the part comes up I will not be spending countless chapters exploring it. There will also be smut chapters because it's the natural steps in a romantic relationship, so sorry if that is not your cup of tea. 

 

Another thing, character growth for my MC is my biggest focus, so if he seems boring and like a blank piece of paper, that is the point. His personality, goals, drive, dislikes, and so on will develop and be explored till he becomes a fully fleshed out bad ass.

 

Lastly, if you do not know what the Ten Shadows Technique is, no worries as the MC will slowly explore and explain it through the story, and not in one big dump where you barely remember most of it.

 

Updates will be rather chaotic and slow, so I recommend keeping this in your library and coming back a few months later to read because I make no guarantee not to drop this once my writing improves.

 

On that note, thank you for giving this fic a try, and criticism is accepted because I am writing this to practice my writing and creativity.]

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My Saturday had been going great, so great in fact, that I knew the second I heard screams, rushing footsteps, and the beeping sound right behind me that my bad luck had finally caught up to me.

 

Turning around, I laid my eyes upon a man opening his coat to show wires and flashing red lights, and all I could think at this very  moment was, ‘Of course this would happen to me’.

 

I’m sure there was some metaphor for it, but every time I found a way to grasp even a morsel of happiness, life came knocking on my door to give me a bloody nose every time I undoubtedly opened it; mistakenly hoping this time would be different.

 

It wasn’t, and it hadn’t been since as long as I could remember.

 

Studying hard and getting a full scholarship to go to college? 

 

Parents died in a car wreck the next week. 

 

A girlfriend who I would honestly marry?

 

Supposedly, I hadn’t seen the red flags till I walked in on her with two of my best friends.

 

A story I hoped to publish and get my name out there as an author?

 

A book bearing so many similarities to mine had been released first and became super popular to the point I would be mobbed if I dared to try. This one in particular had me going crazy for a week, and I may have almost gone off the deep end thinking people were in my walls.

 

The jury was still out on that one.

 

I could honestly stomach those things, keep my head held high and keep on trudging forward. However, this time, I felt cheated. Because the fact I was on my way to the first job of my life that paid well, and was then met with an asshole screaming about wanting revenge for the same company I happen to get hired on to just did not seem fair.

 

And you probably guessed it, like most of my luck, I was unfortunate enough to have been standing right in front of the skyscraper while the guy who fired him was walking in next to me.

 

Just the usual.

 

Weirdly enough though, as I felt the heat wash over me, the pain rattle every inch of my body, and as my vision went black, all I thought of was one single thing.

 

I’m tired.

 

Tired of trying so hard only to be kicked down over and over again, tired of climbing up a mudslide to try and get to the top of a mountain so high it's pointless, and then losing my grip to tumble down into the weeds and thorns.

 

I was tired, and as a blanket of calmness settled over me, I decided then and there I could really use some sleep despite the fact I died not seconds ago.

 

I closed my eyes—however that worked— and relished in the exhaustion.

 

 For once in my twenty two years of life, I was able to find some semblance of peace, or well until I began to realize a few things.

 

The immediate warning signs were the fact the pain from before was gone, the floor beneath me was both cold and warm at the same time, I was definitely not wearing clothes, and also about why I wasn’t freaking out despite me literally dying so abruptly.

 

I pried my eyelids open with some effort, not at all expecting to see one of the most breathtaking views of my entire life, eyes wide as dinner plates as I soaked it all in.

 

Stars, planets, galaxies, the whole nine yards dotted across the black expanse of space before me.

 

I didn't even register how I was supposedly standing on something, because all I could do was stare, breathing evenly as I was hit with the idea of how all my previous problems felt so small, so feeble compared to the spectacle before me.

 

“Where am I?”

 

I spoke, my voice sounding like it should have thankfully, but now the reality was really setting in. 

 

The bomb, the dying, the fact I was almost hours away from starting the part of my life that I spent four years stressing over and preparing for.

 

However, for reasons beyond me, I could not feel sad or angry.

 

I just understood, I knew that my lot in life was not the worst or the best, just below the average.

 

So, I continued to look at the beautiful swirl of colors before me, slowly turning my head to savor every detail, or that was the plan until I got the worst whiplash of my life.

 

There, floating just a few feet away, was a wooden desk some principal would have with a picture of a wife who doesn’t love him and one of those obnoxious golden name plates on it.

 

“Hello?” I spoke aloud, taking a moment to look down and see I was actually standing on nothing, more nebulas and planets below me as well.

 

Although, with as much ease as walking on ground, I slowly sauntered over to the desk, placing a finger on it and bringing it away to see something even more bizarre.

 

Dust.

 

Okay, first things first, I was dead right?

 

Yes, I remembered the explosion, that was easy enough.

 

How was I still conscious?

 

A bit more tricky but I still remember and can recall what I had eaten only hours ago. 

 

Why was I in some cosmic expanse and able to breathe fine?

 

Okay, I was definitely adding a few nuts to my case.

 

Also, how was there a wooden desk, with dust coated on it along with a big red book and a golden bell?

 

Honestly, maybe I should just close my eyes and hope my mind doesn't turn to soup from all the flips logic was doing at the moment.

 

Wait, a book and a bell?

 

They had not been there before, and as I did a full rotation to see if anything or anyone else was going to pop up again without my knowledge, I leaned over the desk to try and ring the bell.

 

However, with the ever present heavy silence, I suddenly stopped myself and opted for the red book with no discerning features at the last second.

 

The words on its first page had me stumped as I read them.

 

[A Second Chance (1 / 3 ) ]

 

Welcome to your second chance CUSTOMER, please read the following information before selecting.

*All Information was provided by the Head of Halls*

• The worlds below are only the ones the CUSTOMER has consumed in some form or fashion.

 

• The prices are determined by the CUSTOMER’s survivability in the world.

 

• We are not at fault for any CUSTOMER not able to comprehend or read the notices due to soul manipulation or soul damage.

 

[Please Select]

 

-Attack on Titan {10}

-Jujutsu Kaisen {35}

-Naruto {35}

-RWBY{80}

-Solo Leveling{80}

-God of War{80}

-Wolfenstein{90}

-...

-... 

-....

I just stared, reading the first page possible a dozen or so times before swallowing hard and just letting my mind wander. 

 

There were a lot of things I could take and try to understand.

 

Waking up in a cosmic expanse naked may be one of them, but the implication of what the book held was pushing any logic I tried to hold on to out the window.

 

Although, I did have enough mental fortitude to voice my response to this whole mess.

 

“I'm not interested.” I spoke, hoping some God or being would hear me and whisk me away to whatever came next.

 

Reincarnation? 

 

What, so I could be lit on fire and thrown down a flight of stairs by life again?

 

No thank you.

 

I shut the book with a slam, turned away, and began to walk away.

 

Doing so allowed me to have a reprieve from all the bizarreness of my situation, and it also offered me a chance to reflect on my life. 

 

Perhaps this place was helping, but memories I once thought were gone were suddenly easy to recall now. 

 

The time I fell off my bike and got the scar on my chin, the time my high school had lost the State Football Championship game because I was starting quarterback and threw an interception on the one yard line, the time I had accidentally said ‘you too’ to a cashier asking if I wanted my receipt.

 

I could even remember the first few victory royales on a game I had not played in years.

 

The feelings these memories brought me were a mix of pain, sadness, regret, embarrassment, jealousy, and any other emotion that I couldn’t quite name. 

 

However, they didn't disrupt my calm, almost as if something was keeping them at bay so I wouldn't freak out or break down.

 

Despite this blockage of emotions though, the most prevalent ones that were still noticeable were regret and depression, because as I read what the red book had contained, and despite how confused I was, I still had an inkling of a hope I would see my world listed. 

 

I could get on the Reincarnation train, a second chance didn’t sound too bad, but what was the point of living again if I couldn’t see the people I cared about?

 

A few minutes ago I was about to start the job of my dreams, was talking to a woman who I knew wouldn’t end up cheating on me, and had enough money to get a decent car and move out of my studio apartment. 

 

My life had started to look up, and I wasn't as negative anymore and had a positive attitude for the first time. 

 

I started hoping more than scorning, working more than lazing about, and trying more than quitting.

 

“Why…” I gritted my teeth. “Why can’t I cry damnit.”

 

This place, it was stopping me, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

 

So, I closed my eyes, calming myself even more than whatever was dampening my emotions. 

 

I centered myself, gathering more strength than I initially thought I needed and pushed the memories away to focus on my current situation.

 

After a full minute, I finally opened them, ready to turn around and walk back to get this over with.

 

However, waiting right before me was the same dusty old desk, the same red book, and the same golden bell.

 

That was creepy.

 

I exhaled, walking over and once again viewing the first page.

 

At the top right of it, there was a single number, and apparently I had {440} of whatever the currency was.

 

“It’s just choosing your next life Daniel, how hard could it be?”

 

Me and my big mouth, because after seeing countless worlds listed from the top of the page to the bottom, curiosity got the better of me and I subsequently turned the page.

 

Then again, and again, and after getting to page twenty I was getting into worlds based on children's books that were numbering in the hundreds of thousands with their prices. I was realizing just how little I really had, because Harry Potter was sitting at {450}, which was ten points over my whole amount.

 

In conclusion, I was screwed, and now I stood looking at the front page and contemplating turning around and walking on forever until my mind shattered.

 

Begrudgingly however, I focused back to the top of the first page to try and save the maximum amount of points for later use. As I did, I was starting to wonder how certain worlds were ranked. 

 

Attack on Titan was bad, but there were places like Warhammer 40k and Fate that were worse, but upon seeing the notices again by the ‘Head of Halls’, it became rather apparent. 

 

Also it cleared up why my memory was unnaturally good while in this place.

 

Only the worlds of fiction I had watched or read a good amount of were present, obvious, but that made me regret not watching more twelve episode slice of life romance anime.

 

Regret, that feeling was a constant in this place it seemed.

 

Done skimming, next came actually deciding, and truthfully the passage of time escaped me as I stood there contemplating everything I could about each and every world.

 

Attack on Titan was a definite no, because the fuckery of the founding titan and dealing with a literal genocidal maniac just did not sound great.

 

Jujutsu Kaisen was doable, but that was only if I could afford a good technique, and that was assuming if this thing allowed me to buy one. The idea fit the theme, but banking on a what if was stupid, especially here. I might only be able to buy certain skill sets or even allies; there was just no telling.

 

Plus, if memory serves me well, which it did because I could remember everything, eighty percent of a Jujutsu Sorcerer’s power was talent; hard work got you only so far sadly.

 

Also, there was Sukuna, and I wasn’t optimistic enough to say I could beat him.

 

Next.

 

Naruto, that was getting into territory I could maybe realistically see myself living till the end. I was totally fine hitching a ride on the Uzumaki train and being a side character or just a normal civilian.

 

Power was great and all, but becoming some S ranked ninja god was not my style. 

 

I didn’t want power, I wanted strength, and there was a difference.

 

For some the two went hand in hand, but for me, they were separate. I was a gym goer in life not because I wanted to go looking for the toughest person to fight or beat every lifting record. I just would rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

 

Thinking further on the topic, I realized just how ambitionless I really was, and thanks to my amazing memory, I noted how I lacked any other goals besides getting more money to elevate my living standards.

 

Daniel Hernadez, it seemed, was just a man with bad luck doing his best to try and make life better.

 

Hopefully, someone put that on my tombstone, but I had told my friends to make it funny if I ever did pass so there was probably no chance it was going to happen.

 

I nodded firmly, decisively placing Naruto as a second option, and now settling my sights on four capitalized letters while wondering how this would be.

 

RWBY.

 

It was a dangerous place, and this the cons came to me first because of it.

 

Grim everywhere, magic, Two immortal lovers playing a really destructive game of tug of war, relics that would make any villain worth his salt speedrun the end of the world, and teenage warriors bearing the brunt of it all.

 

It was not ideal, but just good enough to beat out Naruto and the next one. 

 

Solo Leveling was a decent world, but you couldn't advance ranks unless you were a player, which meant if I became an awakened I was stuck with no room for growth. Even if this whole process allowed me to buy abilities or something, I might not even have enough to make me have the strength I wanted.

 

Was this it, was I really going to choose RWBY, was I going to spend my next life on Remnant?

 

I could make a good life there, and even as a Hunter maybe I could help stop a lot of stuff that went wrong.

 

Although I did want to help people, since I was raised that way, especially with my Grandma hammering into my head that I should always give a handful, but keep a pocket full for myself. Also, If I went to a different academy and got teammates I honestly cherished, and in the event I had to watch said friends die because of canon shenanigans, then I would rather find some patch of fertile land and opt for the lonely farmer route.

 

I was a boring person, I knew that much, but because I wanted strength I also knew I would inevitably want to become a Hunter. Self awareness was my bread and butter, and who wouldn't want to have an aura and kill monsters for money? Life would be an adventure, the pay was supposedly great, and maybe I could brag to some upstart at a bar about saving Remnant while wearing an eye patch and sporting a cool metal arm.

 

I chuckled at the last part, the laughter making me realize that the place stunted negative emotions, not positive ones.

 

I just had been focusing on all the bad things.

 

A heavy exhale left my lips, and now that I decided which world I assumed I would be reborn into, I was left with the fear I had no idea what would come next.

 

However, upon taking my gaze away from the book, I discovered there was a gray ball point pen resting on the desk next to the bell.

 

Sending another suspicious glance around to make sure there wouldn't be some deity standing there and ominously watching me, I grabbed the pen and put a checkmark next to RWBY.

 

The book suddenly slammed shut with a bang, and by the Gods I jumped bad, and was then forced to awkwardly stew in embarrassment as nothing else happened for the entire minute I waited.

 

“Okay, thanks for making this streamlined and efficient…” I grumbled, honestly tempted to ring the bell but once again felt the need to double check the red book.

 

Low and behold, I was given a list of characters with prices as well. 

 

[ A Second Chance (2/ 3 ) ]

Welcome to your second chance CUSTOMER, please read the following information before selecting a new starting point.

*All Information was provided by the Head of Halls*

 

• Any changes to aesthetic or biology cost {20}

 

• Any power added to a starting point varies, refer to blue book for price.

 

• None of a personality's starting point will influence the CUSTOMER.

 

• The CUSTOMER may select any other age than 0 of a starting point using additional currency.

Ruby Rose was a staggering {1,000}, and under was a list of talents that numbered in the dozens. The few stand outs were the likes of Silver Eyes (Diamond), Deadly Accuracy (Silver), and Petal Footed(Gold).

 

Jaune on the other hand was a {30}, the only thing underneath him being a ‘Aura Pool(Gold)’, Mental Fortitude(Silver), and ‘Aura Amp (Silver)’.

 

Poor Jaune, this thing was really laying it all out on the table about his potential.

 

I put the possibility of being the bumbling and somehow charming blonde to the side, focusing back to the top and double checking to make sure I wasn't reading this wrong.

 

My eyes scanned carefully, and only on the second read did I catch something out of place.

 

• Any power added to a starting point varies, refer to blue book for price.

 

Blue book?

 

I glanced to my left, and the gimmick of things appearing was wearing off rather quickly.

 

Still, I grasped the blue book and opened it, eyes widening as I saw so many powers, skills, and abilities from every show I had ever watched.

 

[A Second Chance (3 / 3 ) ]

 

Welcome to your second chance CUSTOMER, please read the following information before selecting Gifts consisting of talents, skills, abilities, or bloodlines.

• Gifts to the CUSTOMER will change to fit the world's natural order.

 

• A max of three may be selected.

 

• Gifts to the CUSTOMER may combine to create more efficient powers.

There were three notices again, and after noting them mentally I brought my eyes down and couldn't stop the smile blooming on my face.

 

There was things like [Observation Haki], the actual fucking [Sharingan], the [Limitless Technique] and so much more.

 

My mouth watered reading each one while thinking of the possibilities, but once I got over the small high and I saw the prices, my lips went dry.

 

Most, if not all of them, were over a hundred points. It meant at best I could get one fairly strong one, two okay ones, or three average ones. The ones that would make my second life a cake walk were even more expensive than what I believed.

 

[Saiyan Blood] was {100,000}, [Gate of Babylon Fully Stocked] was {50,000}, and even [Star Platinum] was a whopping {20,000}.

 

I blinked slowly at all the prices, then looked at my total that was now {360}, then depressingly back to the so-called Gifts I could possibly choose.

 

I hesitated, that was not a surprise, but the sudden realization about me being so okay with a second life was what was throwing me off. I had just accepted the circumstances so easily, had not struggled even a bit to come to terms to the extent I should have, did not spare a moment to mourn the Earth that had my most cherished people on it, and seemingly had no qualms with going to an entirely new one.

 

Yeah, my life was really a drag, but it had been my life; boring or not.

 

“Sorry Grandma, I’ll be moving on before you, forgive me.”

 

Saying my goodbye to my last living relative, I went back to the red book and looked at the two options I had narrowed it down to.

 

Adam Taurus {25}

Lie Ren {60}

 

I was going to be a male, even if I had to spend the {20} to change the gender, but my meager points might not be able to afford it so I had decided to just pick male characters to begin with.

 

Now, to be a faunus in a word that would actively discriminate against me and with a starting point—most likely why it was cheaper— with a lot to be desired? Or, to become a character that had a somewhat tragic backstory and had little known about his journey before Beacon Academy?

 

Nodding, I passed on Adam, and decisively grabbed the pen and marked Lie Ren. 

 

Jaune would have been ideal, but I couldn't afford to circumvent his utter… weakness.

 

Lie Ren had a backstory I knew I could survive, and he came with four skills I didn't find too bad nor too good

 

Dual Wielding (Silver)

Sneak (Bronze)

Martial Talent (Gold)

Light Footed (Silver)

 

He was grossly average, but with that was what I wanted, I could reach the top with a good enough Gift.

 

The previous became more clear as I was back holding the blue book, glancing toward the right corner to see my measly {300} staring back at me.

 

A good power was a necessity, and I needed one to complement Lie Ren and also something with both strength, maneuverability, and maybe stealth in mind as well.

 

It had to be something I had a good amount of knowledge on also, since it would do me no favors to pick something and not be aware of certain mechanics, downsides, advantages and so on.

 

It was a no-brainer I focused on the one show I knew the most about, even with almost perfect memory at the moment.

 

Jujutsu Kaisen.

 

I had seen so many video essays, what if scenarios, and versus battles that if the JJK knowledge was a degree, I would have minored in it along with my major.

 

The next part was also rather easily selected.

 

Ten Shadows Technique Package(Silver) {230}

 

I had seen the potential the Cursed Technique could have, and once I saw the price I knew I wanted it. 

 

Plus, it came with the Domain Expansion as well, something every fan of JJK had tried aloud in their room while doing a hand sign.

 

However, there was one problem, and that was the fact that once the shikigami were dead they couldn't be resurrected, only mixed with others through totality.

 

I tried to find a fix, and after three hours of flipping pages and cursing all the while at whoever decided not to implement a search bar did I find it.

 

At least time didn’t seem to matter here.

 

Finally, I looked at Shikigami Necromancy(Bronze) for {50} after getting fifty pages in, the breath I was holding released as I read the description to find out with enough sacrifice I could bring them back, the information still lacking in depth but having what I wanted.

 

Done with my decisions, I went back to the front and used my last remaining twenty points to add Aura Capacity 20% (Basic), it being relatively cheap because all it would do was give the Aura amount I had an additional twenty percent increase.

 

Now, and with all the nitty gritty parts of my supposed second chance done, I simply stood still for another three minutes to soak in this whole ordeal.

 

A second chance huh?

 

I really didn’t care for it to be honest, but unless there was another option, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

Hopefully, living in Remnant would give me more purpose than just surviving till tomorrow and allow me to stave off the constant bout of depression I always got because of it.

 

“Well,'' I exhaled. “Here’s to hoping I can do something better this time around.”

 

I tapped the golden bell, and raised an eyebrow at the unexpected sound of a trumpet echoing through the void.

 

Everything on the desk besides the pen suddenly disappeared in a swirl of space contorting, and a single blank paper with a line on it asking for a signature could be seen.

 

I swallowed hard at the implication.

 

Then, without much fanfare I signed the paper, left to once again be alone in silence wondering when I was going to be taken or reincarnated; also if I had not sold my soul.

 

While waiting, my eyes drifted back to the cosmic world around me, ingraining the beauty of it all into my mind. After doing so, a genuine smile blossomed on my face while I readied myself for what came next.

 

Unfortunately, there was no grand spectacle, one second I was standing naked in space, the next I blinked away blurriness to see an unfamiliar ceiling. 

 

Struggling, I turned my heavy head to the best of my ability, ignoring the sheer sensory difference of my new body and immediately noticing the sleeping form of a giant woman laying next to me.

 

A new world, a new life, and possible fortunes and perils.

 

Let's get started then.