Dhruva was twenty-four years old, with light brown skin, black hair, and an above-average height of 5.8 feet. He had very ordinary looks—so ordinary that it was nearly impossible to pick him out in a crowd. He lived in Hyderabad, a major metropolitan city in India. A college dropout, he had used all his savings to build a small food truck. Though he was not blessed with academic talent, he was an exceptionally hardworking man.
It was 9 p.m. Dhruva had finished selling food from his truck, packed everything up, and was driving back home. That night, on the main road, a middle-aged woman had come out for a walk with her young daughter and their pet dog. Nearby, a car owner casually threw leftover food onto the road. The dog smelled it and suddenly ran toward it. The little girl, who was holding the dog's leash, was violently dragged along.
At the same moment, a heavily loaded truck sped down the road toward the child.
The mother, who had been talking on her mobile phone, turned to warn her daughter not to step onto the main road—but she was too late. Everything happened within a fraction of a second. She dropped her phone and rushed forward, but the little girl stood frozen in fear. Dhruva, driving his food truck, frowned and made an instant decision.
The little girl still had so much life ahead of her. This was not her time to die.
Dhruva slammed on the accelerator, sped toward the heavy truck, and rammed into it from the side. The mother, clutching her daughter in despair, was grazed by the truck. Dhruva died on the spot. The truck driver, the mother, and the child survived with minor injuries.
Dhruva felt a sharp pain, and then everything went black. His body was crushed into nothing more than mangled flesh.
When everything around him became eerily peaceful, he suddenly heard a mechanical voice inside his head. He opened his eyes and found himself in an empty room with no doors or windows.
"Welcome to the Afterlife Portal."
Name: Dhruva
Race: Human
Origin: Planet Earth
Attributes:
Abilities: Nil
Strength: Nil
Intelligence: Nil
Agility: Nil
Endurance: Nil
Perception: Nil
Charisma: Nil
Combat Stats:
Attack: Nil
Defense: Nil
Evasion: Nil
Accuracy: Nil
Critical Rate: Nil
Critical Damage: Nil
Life Skills:
Cooking: Level 1
A 35-inch digital screen appeared in front of his face. Every stat displayed the word "Nil." His mouth twitched slightly. Then he sighed in faint relief upon noticing "Level 1" under Cooking in the Life Skills section. At least he wasn't completely useless. He knew how to cook.
"Who are you? Why am I here? What is this place?" Dhruva asked, confusion written all over his face.
"Welcome to the Afterlife Portal," the mechanical voice replied.
Name: Dhruva
Race: Human
Instead of answering his questions, the Afterlife AI began repeating his stats.
Dhruva shook his head and shouted in annoyance, "Stop… stop!"
The Afterlife AI halted and changed the topic.
"A very weak living organism, among the weakest to ever exist in the universe. A perfect novice candidate to test Afterlife AI technology. The candidate will be given a beginner's pack before being sent to the afterlife simulation world. Please choose the beginner's pack you want."
Level 1 Pulse Breaker
Grade: Common
Description: A powerful beginner-grade laser weapon
Level 1 Radiant Core Guard
Grade: Common
Description: A sturdy beginner-grade shield
Level 1 Spike Salamander Armor
Grade: Common
Skill: Boosts Defense to Level 1
Description: Created from the skin of a mutated Spike Salamander
Dhruva interrupted the mechanical voice. "I don't know how to use any of these. Can you give me a custom-made beginner's pack?"
After a brief silence, the Afterlife AI responded, "What kind of custom-made weapon, shield, armor, and vehicle do you require?"
"A vehicle?" Dhruva's eyes lit up. "Can you give me a custom-made vehicle?"
"Yes," the Afterlife AI replied.
For the custom-made vehicle, he was given ten points.
Vehicle Structure:
Black Mutated Lizard Skin – 1 point
Razor-Sharp Mutant Frog Skin – 2 points
Stone-Hard Spiked Hedgehog Skin – 1 point
Frozen Steel – 2 points
Crimson Hot Metal – 2 points
Emerald Core Alloy – 3 points
Attack Mechanism:
Common-Grade Laser Weapons (Quantity: 2) – 4 points
(6 hours of usage, 1-day cooldown)
Defense Mechanism:
Common-Grade Laser Shield – 2 points
(1 day of usage, 2-day cooldown)
Stylish Skins:
Pink Swan Style – 2 points
Orange Monster Truck Style – 4 points
Red Kawaii Anime Girl Style – 3 points
Blue and Black Yandere Girl Style – 5 points
Dhruva rolled his eyes when he saw the styles section. Shaking his head, he carefully read the descriptions of each item and selected what he believed would be best for creating a custom-made food truck.
A few seconds later, a shabby yet solid-looking food truck appeared on the digital screen. Dhruva's eyes shone with excitement. He rubbed his hands together and asked, "Can I check the kitchen and take a test drive?"
"Yes," replied the Afterlife AI.
Dhruva vanished from the small room and appeared in a vast white space, with his food truck parked right in front of him.
The truck featured facial recognition and fingerprint locks. He registered both, then stepped inside to inspect the kitchen. Everything was high-tech, and a detailed manual explained the usage of every device.
"This Afterlife AI is meticulous," Dhruva muttered in satisfaction. "It even prepared a manual in case I don't know how to use the equipment."
He exited the kitchen and took the truck for a test drive. Despite its shabby appearance, it handled surprisingly well.
"If the candidate has finished the test drive, please select the world you wish to enter," the Afterlife AI announced.
Dhruva stepped out of the truck as a digital screen appeared before him.
E-1 Terra – A planet identical to Earth
Glacier Froze – A planet covered in snow
Scorch Ash – A planet engulfed in fire
Rockspire – A planet of hills and rocky mountains
Aquorin – A planet covered entirely by water
After some thought, Dhruva nodded. "After exhausting my brain cells, I've decided to choose E-1 Terra."
He tapped the option.
"The candidate has received the beginner's pack. Planet selection complete. Teleportation in progress," announced the Afterlife AI.
Dhruva and his food truck vanished.
"Teleportation completed successfully."
The food truck reappeared on Planet E-1 Terra. Dhruva looked around curiously through the glass panels before slowly stepping outside. He took a deep breath. The air was breathable—far cleaner and fresher than Earth's.