Amidst the bustling crowd of people, there was one young man whose eyes remained completely glued to his smartphone.
He was intently reading the glowing text displayed on the small screen. His name was Dre. Dre was a recent college graduate and a newly hired office employee who was just then entering the demanding world of adults.
However, based entirely on what he was reading right at that moment, his mind was clearly not quite there yet.
"When will this hiatus ever end?" Dre groaned quietly to himself.
He had just finished his fifth time rereading the latest chapters of the Frieren manga.
Dre was a massive fan of the fantasy series, and it stood proudly as one of his absolute favorite stories in the entire collection of shows he had ever watched.
In fact, Dre was also one of the most vocal fans online who got incredibly angry when Frieren failed to win the anime of the year award.
While walking down the busy street, with his eyes still stubbornly glued to his phone screen, he completely failed to realize that the crosswalk he was about to step into had already turned a solid red.
The very last thing he managed to see was a blinding pair of headlights instantly flashing over him, accompanied by the deafening sound of a blaring horn coming directly from the massive delivery truck that struck his fragile body.
Dre lay motionless on the cold asphalt road as countless strangers panicked and screamed all around him.
Through the chaotic noise, Dre simply looked up at the sprawling sky, desperately trying to understand exactly what had just happened during those few fatal moments of total carelessness.
His fading consciousness slowly slipped away from his grasp, and his blurry vision gradually darkened until he could not see the daylight any longer.
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Dre's story did not end there. The very moment he lost his consciousness, his awareness returned almost immediately.
However, this time, the scenery around him had drastically changed from the noisy urban city into a completely dark and silent place.
Within this endless void, Dre could not see anything at all except for three giant wheels that looked eerily similar to the spinning prize wheels commonly used in a carnival.
"What is this place?" Dre could not help but ask loudly, as he looked around in total confusion.
"This is the reincarnation district. This is the place where we will decide where you will go in your next life." A sudden voice echoed directly at Dre's side.
The unexpected sound caused him to feel incredibly shocked and surprised.
He immediately turned his head toward the source, only to see a tall, dignified figure standing there who looked exactly like the famous actor Morgan Freeman.
"Morgan Freeman?" Dre blurted out. The absolute surprise he felt was completely genuine, as was his deep confusion over why a legendary Hollywood celebrity was standing right near him in this strange void.
"No. Well, I suppose this chosen physical form is indeed Morgan Freeman, but please just call me Rob," the familiar looking figure said casually.
"What?" Dre just barely managed to blurt out. Rob simply continued to stare directly at him with a calm expression, generously giving the bewildered young man a few moments to relax and process the situation before either of them said anything else.
"Yes, you are dead. Yes, I can read your mind. Yes, you will be reincarnated. Yes, you will spin those giant wheels to determine your next life. Yes, you will also receive special cheats.
No, I will not do any special fan service for you, and no, you do not get to consciously decide where you are going," Rob answered smoothly, despite Dre not actually saying any of those questions out loud.
"Yes, I can see the future just like Doctor Manhattan, and no, I will not spoil where you are going or what exactly you are going to get as your cheats.
So, let us just get this whole process over with. I have already wasted a few precious nanoseconds standing here," Rob stated once again.
He then waved his hand elegantly, and the first massive wheel immediately began to light up brightly.
Dre slowly approached the first glowing wheel. He definitely did not want to linger in this dark place for any more time than necessary.
He wisely figured that if Rob became angry or impatient, perhaps he could easily lose his precious second chance at life in another world.
He might even end up in hell instead, since he had no idea if Rob was someone who possessed a vicious temper.
The moment Dre laid his hand on the wheel, a hidden latch popped open smoothly. A sturdy mechanical lever appeared right in front of him, featuring words labeled Spin and Stop located on opposite sides of the switch.
When Dre pulled the heavy lever toward the spin option, the giant wheel immediately began spinning at a blinding speed.
Various titles of famous anime, television shows, manga, and comic books flashed rapidly across the panels.
Specific dangerous realities like Earth 616 or Prime Earth were visible, alongside terrifying places like the Warhammer 40k universe, and even bizarre choices like Boku no Pico.
Dre then pushed the lever firmly upward toward the stop position. The enormous wheel immediately began to decelerate, gently slowing down its rapid rotation step by step.
Dre watched eagerly as the brightly colored panel for Frieren finally came to a complete stop right beneath the golden arrow.
This incredibly lucky result made Dre celebrate internally, thrilled about being sent to a fantasy world he actually knew and was extremely familiar with regarding the main story.
Dre then turned his attention toward the second giant wheel, where he performed the exact same sequence of pulling the lever.
It spun quickly before stopping firmly on a panel labeled Demon's Extract without any negative side effects.
He then moved to the third and final wheel, repeating the process once more, which ultimately granted him the magical Talent of Yuno Grinberryall.
"Now, I will briefly explain your new cheats, so you better listen closely," Rob said firmly. "The Demon's Extract will be completely integrated into your very being the exact moment you are born into your new world.
You do not need to worry about the usual madness or negative side effects, as the power will be perfectly assimilated into your new physical body.
Second, the talent of Yuno Grinberryall simply means that you will receive his extraordinary innate talents when it comes to utilizing magic.
You will possess his massive total mana density, his vast mana reserves, and his incredible creativity with spells. You will not receive his actual grimoire, his elemental spirits, or any other specific items you might currently be thinking about.
However, because of this talent, you will naturally be much better at learning and casting wind spells and star spells than regular mages in your new world.
Your inner mana reserves will directly power your Demon's Extract abilities instead of draining your physical stamina.
But, if you ever happen to run completely out of mana, the power source will automatically switch to consuming your physical stamina instead.
Therefore, you must make sure not to neglect training your physical body. Also, thanks to the perfect integration, you will be completely immune to the freezing temperatures and negative environmental effects generated by the magic of the Demon's Extract.
That is absolutely everything you need to know. Goodbye now," Rob said rapidly toward Dre, clapping his hands together before Dre could even say a single word in response to this brief but incredibly strange day he was having.
In the very next moment, a bright light flashed, and Dre suddenly woke up feeling entirely different.
He found himself securely wrapped up in a completely new environment, being held gently by two unfamiliar strangers whom he quickly realized were his new parents in this fantasy world.
"What a strange day," Dre just barely managed to think to himself before his infant eyes closed once again.