CHAPTER 1 — HOW
HEY THERE.
SO YOU CAME.
I know this happens in novels more nowadays than you can count. But the least you can do is read the full chapter.
So let's start with the greetings.
He takes his right leg back, left hand on his chest, and his right hand to his back. Then he slowly bends forward, looking straight ahead.
And for your knowledge, I'm the main character of the story that I am going to tell you.
He stands straight. And with knowing eyes, says—
And I will not take any comments on the greeting.
It took me way longer than it should have when I was alive, and now it doesn't matter.
So let's move to the story.
In the blue circle made from water behind you, you see that—
Sorry, you can't see. So let me explain.
There, you can see a large mountain.
It's raining lightly. Everything is wet, and the smell of mud is everywhere.
At the base of the mountain, you can see lots of people standing.
Some in simple black clothes, some in luxurious clothes, and some in plain everyday clothes.
It's a funeral today. Everything feels like it's stuck in the same moment.
It's a funeral where people of all status and all ages are present. There are royals, nobles, merchants, commoners, and some of the strongest people of the empire.
All gathered for nothing but a simple funeral.
All standing without saying a word in front of a man lying in the coffin—cold and lifeless.
The relentless rain refuses to stop, tapping against every shoulder.
Among the people, some clench their hands. Some have red eyes. Others carry memories in their hearts—memories that feel like knives, piercing deeper with every passing second.
No one can tell who is crying in silence, and who is smiling in that deep quiet.
I know what's going through your mind.
Who is the person lying there?
That can't be… can it....
Yes.
This is me—the man who united people of all statuses for the first time in the empire's history.
Now you want to know who I was, and what I did.
Was I a serial killer?
Was I a hero who killed the Demon King?
Was I an emperor of the nation—or a tyrant emperor killed in rebellion?
Or finally, was I a nobody, lying by the side of the road, and everyone was here by coincidence—just passing by and stopping to see the funeral?
Nobody thinks the last one is true, right?
Please don't. I'm already dead—don't ruin my name. That's all I have left after death.
Don't you see the gravestone? Only the name remains...…..
So now, let's put jokes aside.
I was—
Ahem.
So let me tell you about myself. Or should I say, the past me.
Here, in these white plains beneath a blue sky that stretches as far as the eye can see, I will tell you my story.
Why am I dead? Why were there royals? Who am I, and what is my story?
POV: DEAD MAN NARRATING.
Now that the promotion is over…
I'm tired. So I'll be taking a long nap.
First, let's build a place to sleep. I think a tree will do. Sleeping under a tree is best.
He moves his hand, and the white plains turn into a grass field. A tree is born at its center.
Now I can take a nap. So bye.
…Why is it so noisy, even in the afterlife?
Why are you still here?
So you're not leaving.
Even after coming to the afterlife—after all the struggle and difficulties I faced—I still have to deal with brats and babysit them.
Didn't your parents teach you anything about manners?
What's even the point of an afterlife if a person can't take a nap?
Fine. Let's do this your way.
So let's start from the very beginning.