"So I'm dead. Well, that is to be expected when you get shot in the lungs.
I am not the narrator here, but I'd like to give you a little filler before we continue with my passage to the underworld. I am Reo, a normal high school kid, but I've always had the worst luck possible. I sometimes feel like my bad luck has been intentional—maybe Lady Luck hated my guts for some reason.
That terrible luck is the reason I suddenly got shot by a robber at night. And it wasn't even my house that got robbed; it was five houses away. Yet they just had to pass by me when I stepped outside. I normally wake up at night and take in some air outside. It had become what I would call a ritual. While I was carrying out my ritual last night, the robbers came running through.
One of them sighted me, and before I could say or do anything, the sound of a gunshot resounded, and a bullet dug into my chest and lungs, killing me in seconds. And that brings us to the current situation I'm in."
Reo's eyes opened, and he took a look around the place he was in. He half-expected to see two gates—one leading to paradise and one to the abyss or something like that—but none of that happened.
He was inside a cozy living room. It was warm and kept to a minimalistic decoration. There was a long couch opposite Reo, and seated there was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her skin was as white and soft as silk, without a blemish or scar. She wore a beautiful black dress that matched her jet-black hair. Her eyes were like the starry skies, a void that held endless mysteries.
Reo felt his chest tighten as he looked at her. He felt as though he was drawn to her for some reason; her presence gave off an aura that calmed and pulled him. Reo shook his head to clear his mind. He didn't have time to admire this woman; he had to understand what was going on.
"Is this the underworld?" he asked, using all the composure and confidence he had.
"No, it is not. This is my personal place," she spoke in a sweet, soothing voice.
"Then who are you, and why am I here?" he asked her.
"Well, I am a goddess," she said.
"A goddess? Is this real, or are you toying with me?" Reo asked. He didn't have time to overreact to what she said. It was better that he just calmed down and listened to what she was saying.
"Well, we are as real as anything—gods and goddesses. We exist for what is known as the balance, but all that aside, it is not the reason you are here. After you died, your soul was to go through the circle of rebirth. Your soul would be cleansed, and you would restart in another world with no memory of the life you had before.
But I need your help, so I put in a word to those above, and they allowed me to take your soul," she explained.
"Need my help? How? You're a goddess—what could I possibly have to give to you?" he asked.
"We gods can't overly interfere with our worlds, so we need vessels. I want you to go to my world and help me there," she said.
"I understand most of what you're saying, but I still don't understand what I'm supposed to help you do," Reo said.
"Well, I can't tell you the details now—the reasons are also classified. Just know that you have to uncover the task I have for you."
"Now I'm unsure about doing this," Reo said.
"No need to be. There would be no point in playing you—I sincerely need your help," she said.
Reo thought about all that she had said. There was no point in him refusing. He had already died, and she was giving him a chance to live again with his memories. Though he was skeptical about the whole task thing that she didn't reveal to him, it wasn't enough to stop him.
"Alright, there's nothing for me to lose at this point. I'll do it."
"Good. Now I'll explain something quickly. Your powers in this new world will not be like those of a normal person because right now, you have the ability to make edits to your power. Does that sound good?" she asked.
"I just have one question. Can I get a summoner-type power? I watched some anime and read some novels—the summoning power always got me," Reo said.
"I see. Well, if that is what you want, then you will awaken the ability to summon and tame all races except humans," she said.
"I understand. Is that all?" Reo asked.
"No. The last part is receiving a legacy because you will need one to survive," she said, and suddenly six cards appeared and floated in front of Reo.
"Legacy? What is a legacy?" Reo asked.
"A legacy is the inheritance left by a being that has left their world one way or another," she explained.
"So I get to pick one of the cards. But what about this blank card?" Reo asked.
"That card is mostly part of the procedure in general. I don't advise it, but I have to put it there. The card is a gamble, where you let fate decide the legacy you will get. Right now, all the legacies that I have laid before you are A-ranked, but with that blank card, you could pull an F-rank or S-rank," she said.
Reo understood the risk that he was taking, but for some reason, the card kept calling out to him. He looked at the goddess and spoke, "I'll take the blank one. I know the risk, but still."
She saw the resolution on his face and decided not to try to sway him. She let him take the card. Reo stretched out his hand and touched the blank card.
[You have gained SSS-Ranked Dark Dragon Legacy]