CHAPTER 2 — TERMS AND PARAMETERS (PART I)
Lucician decided two things very quickly.
First: being dead felt surprisingly… fine.
Second: if gods were going to screw up badly enough to kill him by accident, then politeness was optional.
"So," he said, hands—or whatever passed for hands here—spread wide, "do I get a receipt for the lightning strike, or is this more of a 'trust us, bro' situation?"
The God of Systems did not blink. Mostly because blinking was a biological courtesy he no longer required.
The God of Reincarnation, Astral, looked tired. Ancient, cyclical tired. The kind that came from watching the same mistakes repeat across epochs with different faces.
"You are unusually calm," Astral observed.
Lucician shrugged. "I was a shut-in with back pain and a caffeine addiction. This is an upgrade."
That earned him a pause.
Sion De Mechalin—the God of Systems—raised one hand.
Reality folded.
A translucent panel unfolded in front of Lucician, hovering at a polite distance, glowing with soft, neutral light. It was neither intrusive nor gentle. It simply existed, waiting to be acknowledged.
Lucician leaned forward immediately.
"Oh hell yes," he muttered. "Now we're talking."
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[ REINCARNATION INTERFACE — INITIAL PARAMETERS ]
[ Subject: Lucician (Soul Integrity: Stable) ]
[ Status: Compensatory Reallocation Approved ]
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Astral glanced sideways at Sion. "You're indulging him."
"He's already dead," Sion replied flatly. "This costs nothing."
Lucician scanned the panel like a man reading a terms-of-service agreement he fully intended to exploit.
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[ Select Physical Parameters ]
Race
Origin Point
Biological Sex
Body Structure
Hair Pigmentation
Ocular Pigmentation
Genetic Deviations (Limited)
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"…You know," Lucician said thoughtfully, "for omnipotent beings, you're surprisingly thorough."
"Precision prevents anomalies," Sion said.
Lucician grinned. "Buddy, I am the anomaly."
He started with race.
Not human.
That choice didn't even make him hesitate.
"Let's be honest," he said aloud, tapping the option with a phantom finger. "If humans were doing great, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
The list expanded.
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[ Race Selection Available ]
Human (Restricted)
Beastkin (Variable)
Elf (Genetic Drift: High)
Dwarf (Longevity Lock)
Demon (Hostile Environment)
Hybrid (Instability Warning)
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Lucician's eyes lingered on the last option.
"Hybrid," he read. "That sounds like adventurous."
"Yes," Astral said.
Lucician selected it instantly.
"Perfect."
Sion's gaze sharpened.
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[ Hybrid Subclassification ]
Demon-Human
Beast-Human
Demonic Variant (Specify Lineage)
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"Incubus-adjacent," Lucician said casually. "Half-blood. I want the social complications without the full abyssal warranty."
Astral frowned. "You understand that bloodlines carry consequences."
Lucician nodded. "Story of my life and I like action and aventure"
Selection confirmed.
Next came appearance.
Lucician took his time here—not out of vanity, but strategy. He avoided extremes. No exaggerated physique. No inhuman beauty that screamed protagonist. He adjusted height to average, musculature lean but efficient.
Hair: dark.
Eyes: muted gold, not glowing.
Bone structure: adaptable, not imposing.
At one point, he paused, squinting at a particular slider.
"…You really put everything in here," he muttered.
Astral coughed. Sion did not.
Lucician smirked and left it at default.
"Balance," he said. "I plan on surviving, not starring in a circus."
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[ Origin Point Selection ]
Civilized Territory (High Surveillance)
Frontier Zone (High Mortality)
Demon-Influenced Region (Hostile)
Unaligned Territory (Data Scarce)
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"Unaligned," Lucician said. "I want chaos, but honest chaos."
"Your chances of early death increase significantly," Astral warned.
Lucician tilted his head. "So do my chances of early leverage."
Selection locked.
The panel dimmed, recalibrating.
For a moment, Lucician thought that was it.
Then Sion's hand moved again.
The interface dissolved—only to be replaced by something heavier. Denser. The light was colder now, edges sharper, the symbols unfamiliar even at a glance.
Astral leaned closer to Sion and spoke quietly—too quietly for any mortal ears.
Lucician still heard it.
Not the words.
The intent.
Sion's expression changed.
Not dramatically. Just enough.
"…Very well," the God of Systems said after a moment.
Lucician raised an eyebrow. "That tone usually means I'm about to get either very lucky or very screwed."
"Both outcomes remain statistically plausible," Sion replied.
A new screen unfolded.
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[ SYSTEM SELECTION — COMPENSATORY ANOMALY ]
[ Note: This interface deviates from standard world allocation ]
Available Systems:
Hunter System — Optimized for tracking and elimination
Witch Hunter System — Anti-anomaly specialization
Tamer System — Contract-based growth
Necromancer System — Post-mortem authority
…
Skill Weaver System (Prototype)
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Lucician froze.
Not outwardly. Internally.
The others were familiar. Predictable. Powerful in obvious ways.
The last one wasn't.
He expanded it.
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[ Skill Weaver System — PROTOTYPE ]
Description:
A developmental System designed for conceptual fabrication. Allows the user to create low-rank skills without prerequisite manifestation.
Limitations:
Skills limited to single-function, low-rank
Cooldown: 1 hour per creation
High cognitive load
Evolution path undefined
Stability unverified
Status:
Restricted / Experimental / Not Recommended
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Lucician smiled slowly.
"Oh," he said. "You shouldn't have shown me that."
Sion stiffened.
Astral looked sharply at him. "Lucician—"
"No, no," Lucician said, waving a hand. "I get it. Prototype. Dangerous. Probably explodes. That's fine because it opens me endless possibilities"
"That System was not intended for mortals," Sion said.
Lucician met his gaze. Calm. Interested. Sharp.
"Neither was lightning to the face," he replied.
Silence stretched.
"You give me a sword," Lucician continued, "I swing it until something bigger swings back. You give me a summoning system, I make enemies I can't outrun."
He tapped the glowing prototype entry.
"But this?" His grin turned thin. "This lets me design my own strength."
Sion stared.
Astral exhaled slowly.
"You understand," Astral said, "that this System offers no guarantees."
Lucician selected it.
"Neither did my last life."
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[ Skill Weaver System — SELECTED ]
[ Warning: Decision irreversible ]
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For the first time since Lucician's arrival, the God of Systems looked… unsettled.
He hadn't expected this.
That, Lucician noted with satisfaction, was already paying dividends.