This is truly ridiculous, truly standing at the peak of human absurdity. Tell me, what could be more absurd in life than waking up as a stranger in the body of a shabby homeless man who didn't even have time to recognize his own body odor, only to die a day later at the hands of a man who looked like a British detective straight out of a TV drama? And strangely enough, that man killed me without expression, simply by throwing a spear of light that pierced my stomach as if it were the most normal thing to do every morning.
'Could this get even more absurd when he showed me his black wings?'
Of course it could. And that's exactly what happened. After finishing me off as if I were nothing more than trash stuck in his routine, he turned around, sighed, then revealed pitch-black wings that seemed to absorb the light around them. You didn't need to be a genius to know what kind of creature he was. Black wings, a spear of light… Ridiculous. Everything was ridiculous.
None of this made sense. I had only transmigrated for a day into a homeless man with no future, and now I died again—this time at the hands of a fallen angel. If there was a god responsible for all this, he was definitely laughing his ass off while eating popcorn.
And what made me want to cry even more was the fact that I knew exactly what world this was. The supernatural world. The world I had only ever watched through a computer screen while sipping coffee at midnight. A world full of devils, angels, and dangerous beings that logically shouldn't exist.
As far as I remembered before my first death, I binged DxD until morning. So it was only natural that now I wondered whether all this was coincidence or the universe was just messing around with me. But at this point, none of it mattered anymore. I was dying for the second time, after all.
Fine then. At least the pain from the gaping hole in my stomach was slowly slipping away. The world felt like it was fading, sounds drifting farther and farther, and… I almost wanted to welcome death peacefully.
…
But then a cold, faint mechanical voice echoed inside my head.
[Installation complete]
What?
[Akashic System active]
A system? At a time like this?
[Host is currently in critical condition. System shifting to Independent Mode to prioritize host's life]
'…Isn't this a bit too late?'
The voice echoed hollowly in my head, but in the darkness that was starting to swallow my consciousness, the system notification appeared so clearly it felt like it lit up the last remaining spark in my mind. It felt strange—I couldn't even feel my body anymore, only the cold creeping up from my fingertips, yet the notification still appeared as if it didn't care that I was dying.
[Universal Item Gacha…]
[Ticket Available: 1]
[Use now? Y/N]
'Yes?'
I didn't even know how I answered that. No sound came out of my mouth, no movement. Maybe intention alone was enough, maybe the system read my thoughts. What mattered was that after I answered, the world that had been dark seemed to tremble slowly—as if a giant wheel had begun turning somewhere far away.
Then I heard it.
The distinct gacha sound: a rapid spin, mechanical chimes, then a soft thud like something stopping on a chosen slot.
Strange—how clearly I could hear it when I wasn't even sure I was still breathing.
After that, a new notification appeared.
[Elixir Potion – Rank S]
Note: A very rare fantasy potion whose recipe has long been lost. Can heal any wound or illness, extend lifespan, and restore the body to its prime condition.
I stared at that description—or more precisely, I felt as if I was staring at it, even though my eyes were probably half-open and unfocused. Rank S. Total healing. Return to prime condition.
'…Seriously?'
A bitter laugh almost burst out from within me.
Not because it was funny, but because I didn't know whether to feel happy, angry, or simply mocked. This system had the nerve to appear at the final second of my life and give me something that should've saved me earlier. And now, after I was practically stepping into the grave for the second time, it handed me hope as if this was all just a little game to it. Hope that came too late, yet still felt like a cold hand pulling me back from the edge. I didn't know whether to be grateful or curse at it.
Then my vision began to darken, like layers of black fog closing in from the edges. My thoughts slowed down, every idea struggling through mud just to surface. The system's voice, once clear, now sounded like a distant echo inside an empty hall. I wasn't sure if I was still conscious or being dragged along by my body's fading instincts.
When I could no longer form coherent thoughts, that voice came again.
[Using Item: Elixir Potion]
'…Hah?'
I didn't give that command. I wasn't even in a condition to think anymore. But the system didn't seem to care. It moved on its own, operating independently as if refusing to let this body die so easily. And before I realized it, something began flowing into me—not like a liquid being drunk, but like pure energy soaking into every fiber and crevice.
It felt like someone poured warm light into the wreck that was my body. The wound in my stomach, which had left a stinging, burning agony, slowly began losing its sensation. Not vanishing at once, but being swept away from the inside. The pain rolled, faded, then was replaced by a strange tingling like tiny currents sealing the torn skin and muscle.
And not just the wound.
My entire body… changed.
Wrinkles, filth, signs of exhaustion, all disappeared. My once dull, rag-like skin tightened, smooth and warm. My breathing, which had been ragged and broken like a faulty machine, now moved softly without resistance. Even the cold breath of death lingering on my neck faded, replaced by a surge of youthful strength that oddly felt familiar, like this body remembered how it was supposed to function.
I could feel my spine stretch lightly, my muscles thickening, and my heart beating—strong, steady, far better than before. My physical age seemed to rewind from a worn-out middle-aged man living on the streets back into a teenager who hadn't yet been crushed by the world.
In that darkness, as the healing reached its peak, something in my head felt like it snapped—a subtle jolt pushing me away from the brink of unconsciousness.
And suddenly, it felt like a rough hand yanked me out of deep water—I gasped awake.
"AAH!!"
The scream burst out of my throat uncontrollably, thrown into the air with a mix of shock, panic, and the sharp, overwhelming sensation of coming back to life.