For a long moment, Arsere simply stood there, stunned.
Her breath caught, her thoughts tangled, and her heart felt too full for her chest.
The first intelligent life… it's finally about to emerge…
Joy—pure, overwhelming joy—rushed through her. She didn't cry this time, but her eyes sparkled with the same warmth she had shown when speaking with her family.
Almost immediately she began pacing, muttering to herself, her mind leaping from thought to thought like an excited squirrel.
"No, no party. They're not even born yet… but something to prepare… Something important… Something big…"
Then the idea hit her so suddenly she nearly tripped.
"Heaven!"
She snapped her fingers, a grin blooming on her face.
"Yes. Crevalis will have intelligent life soon. I need the spiritual cycle ready before they exist—reincarnation, karma, merit… Heaven."
With that, Arsere rose from her seat and extended her hand toward the void. Creation authority flowed like liquid light, and space rippled as she ripped open a gap in reality.
A new plate slowly formed—brilliant and serene. It looked nothing like the other plates; this one glowed softly, hidden behind layers of spatial distortion.
A place no being could enter unless she allowed it.
A place meant entirely for souls with merit.
"This… will be the Heavenly Plate."
She landed gently on its pale clouds and immediately began sculpting a small building beside a radiant orchard. A modest structure—simple, clean, peaceful.
A tiny office.
Watching from afar, Virex blinked repeatedly, thoroughly confused.
"…Arsere? What in the world are you doing now?"
Arsere floated beside him, nodding proudly.
"Preparation."
"For…?"
"For the intelligent life that's about to appear. This is how it works in a proper world. Since Crevalis already has the laws of reincarnation and karma, the afterlife system needs balance. Hell exists to punish karmic debts—but there's no plate to reward merit."
"So you created one," Virex said, finally getting it.
"Exactly. Souls that accumulate merit need a place to rest."
He pointed at the tiny office.
"And… what's that for?"
"Oh! This is where things get decided." Arsere explained excitedly.
"When a being dies, their soul will arrive here first. A god stationed in this office will calculate their karma and merit points. If the soul carries heavy karma, they'll be sent straight to one of the three hell plates."
Makes sense.
"And if they have merit?" Virex asked.
"Then they're given a choice. They can either enter Heaven and stay here until their merit runs out—or reincarnate into a higher plate with better opportunities. And of course, we'll need gods to manage the hells too."
Virex nodded slowly.
"This sounds… surprisingly well‑structured."
"Well, someone has to make it properly," she answered proudly.
Virex then tilted his head.
"So how are you planning to find gods to work for you? And how will you summon them here?"
Arsere gave the most matter‑of‑fact answer possible:
"Oh, that's easy. I'm going to post a job notice in the chat."
"…Chat," Virex repeated, deadpan.
"Yes. The universal system chat. Everyone sees it. And as for summoning gods? My divinities include void, space, and time. Combining them lets me pull anyone directly to Crevalis."
Behind them, Xian—who had been lounging nearby—suddenly joined the conversation with a raised eyebrow.
"If you can summon anyone that easily… why haven't you summoned your parents?"
Arsere froze.
Then she sighed.
"They already created their own world. I can't just drag them away. They're busy raising their own lifeforms."
Both men went silent.
In their minds:
Monsters. Her entire family are monsters.
Ignoring their expressions, Arsere opened her system interface and typed out the job vacancies:
Heavenly Plate Manager (Merit Division) — 1 position
Reincarnation Office Worker — 2 positions
Hell Plate Karma Judges — 3 positions
Hell Plate Enforcers — 9 positions
She selected Broadcast to All.
Then she hit SEND.
Universal System Chat
Silent for one second… two… three—
Then it exploded.
Messages flooded in like a tidal wave.
[Sea Dragon Emperor – Divinity: Water Rule]
WHO CREATED A HEAVENLY PLATE ALREADY!? ISN'T IT ONLY DAY TWO!?
[Golden Flame Cherub – Divinity: Holy Fire]
Wait, wait—'Infinity Creator'? Is this the same Arsere everyone keeps talking about?!
[Titan of Judgment – Divinity: Absolute Weight]
Open positions in Heaven?! I WANT TO APPLY! PLEASE LET ME IN!
[Celestial Archivist – Divinity: Records]
She made an AFTERLIFE SYSTEM before life even evolved. Respect.
[Abyssal Accountant – Divinity: Debt]
I volunteer for Hell. I was literally made for it.
[Unnamed Nebula Sprite]
Heaven seems peaceful… Please choose meeeee!!
[Chaos Painter – Divinity: Color]
ARSERE-SAMA PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESUME!!
[Star Weaver – Divinity: Cosmic Threads]
I can calculate karma with 99.9999% accuracy. Hire me.
Virex and Xian stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
Arsere, however, smiled softly.
"Perfect. So many applicants."
The Heavenly Plate shimmered behind her, ready to receive its first workers—ready to begin the cycle that would shape the destiny of Crevalis forever.