Sigh
"Really didn't expect my day to end like this when I woke up this morning," Sylas muttered, slight irritation present in his voice.
He stood alone in a vast cavern, darkness stretched endlessly around him. Beneath his feet lay a sprawl of blackened stone, rough and cold to the touch.
He let out another long sigh as unwanted memories came rushing back to him—blinding white light, an irritatingly calm voice, and the wrinkled face of the man responsible for this entire mess.
~
"Can you repeat that?" Sylas asked, completely unfazed as he casually picked his nose with his pinky, eyes half-lidded in boredom.
"The old man clutched his head, as though fending off a migraine. "For the last time," he spoke loudly. "You're dead!"
Sylas blinked before raising his hands up in a mock surrender. "Relax," he said, flicking his finger away. "You don't have to yell, old man." He gestured towards his heart, "Getting that worked up isn't good for your health. Stress kills, you know."
"I swear," the old man growled, rubbing his temples, "You young people are the reason gods develop headaches—"
"Yeah, yeah," Sylas cut in, waving him off. "Get to the important part. You said something earlier… about compensation because of an accident?"
A vein bulged visibly on the old man's forehead. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me," he clenched his teeth, "You have died. And as a result, you are now entitled to two choices."
"Choices?" Sylas tilted his head, skepticism written plainly across his face. "I'm guessing this has something to do with why I'm here."
Ignoring him, the old man continued, his tone stiff and grouchy. "Option one: you reincarnate on Earth. New body. New life. No memories of who you were before. A clean slate."
Sylas didn't hesitate. "Nah," he said flatly. "I'm gonna take a hard pass on that option."
The old man paused, then continued. "Option two: you may be reborn in another world. The destination will be random. However, you will retain your memories… and you will receive a power based on the last show you finished watching before your death."
Sylas leaned back slightly, folding his arms. "So let me get this straight. I died because you screwed up, and now you're trying to buy my silence with an isekai starter pack?"
The old man's eye twitched. "It was a clerical error," he muttered, embarrassment dripping with every word.
"Oh," Sylas nodded solemnly. "Say no more. Totally forgiven. Happens to the best of us. I accidentally erase people from existence in my spare time too."
The room fell into dead silence.
The old man inhaled slowly through his nose, clearly gathering every remaining shred of patience he had left in him. "Which option will you choose?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'll take option two," Syals said as if it was the most obvious choice in the world.
Before he could ask another question—about the world, the power, or literally anything useful—the old man snapped his fingers.
~
And that was how Sylas woke up in the Great Orcus Labyrinth.
[Present time]
Sylas opened his eyes and stared at the cavern walls, the alien landscape stretching endlessly in every direction.
"…Yeah," he muttered dryly. "Just my luck."
Curious to see if the old man lied to him, Sylas slowly clenched his fist, feeling something shift inside him.
A gentle warmth bloomed beneath his skin, subtle at first, then spreading outward, as though a dormant muscle he'd never known existed was suddenly responding to his will.
Sylas sucked in a sharp breath before he spoke in a low tone, "Ten." Aura spilled out from his skin—thin but stable—wrapping around him like an invisible veil. For a split second, the air grew heavy before settling back to normal.
A laugh burst from his chest, half in disbelief, half in exhilaration. "No way," he tried to not get overly excited, "I actually have it. I'm a Nen user."
Before he could fully savor the moment, something slipped from his pocket, fluttering slowly to the ground.
'A folded note.' Frowning, Sylas picked it up and slowly began reading what was written on it.
————————————————————
Dear Sylas,
I'll keep this brief.
As you can likely feel by now, your body is capable of unleashing aura, the same power from the last show you watched, Hunter x Hunter.
What you choose to do with this power is completely up to you.
Your gift includes basic mastery over the four basic principles of Nen: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu. Additionally, I've adjusted your body's talent and growth ceiling as an added bonus, no need to thank me.
Lastly, check your other pocket. You'll find a sealed glass cup with a green leaf attached to it.
Good luck.
—God
————————————————————
Sylas stared at the note for a long time, before crumpling it up, popping it into his mouth. "Better to get rid of the evidence," he thought calmly.
…
Sigh
Reaching into his pocket, his fingers brushed against what felt like cold glass.
A small, sealed glass cup appeared in his palm, surprisingly intact. Tied to its rim was a thin string, and attached to it—a single, vibrant green leaf. Its color was unnaturally vivid, standing out sharply against the surrounding darkness.
"…Water Divination," Sylas murmured.
Checking his surroundings, he made sure nothing was around before he crouched down and carefully set the cup on a flat piece of rock. The water inside was clear and perfectly still.
Cracking his knuckles, he spoke quietly. "Alright. Let's see what I got."
Just like before, he focused inward—toward that warmth coiled deep inside his body, imagining it spreading outward.
"Ten," he called out, a thin controlled layer of aura wrapped around his body. The pressure around him stabilized evenly.
Once he was done stabilizing his aura, he moved onto another one of the basic principles. "Ren." His aura surged, as it flooded out in a violent rush, bursting outward like a dam breaking free after too much pressure had built up.
Dust skittered across the stone floor, pebbles trembling as the air visibly distorted around his body. Sylas gritted his teeth, legs tensing as he fought for control. "Easy… easy—" he told himself.
Gradually, the aura stabilized—still massive, but no longer exploding outward in a wild manner. Sweat beaded on his brow. "So this is Ren," he began talking to himself, "No wonder most normal people can't survive when their aura nodes are unlocked forcefully," he muttered.
Leaning over the cup, Sylas carefully guided his aura into the water. At first, nothing seemed to change.
Then suddenly, the leaf twitched—slowly bending as its edges curled inward. The veins darkened, as if ink were bleeding through them, while a faint, unnatural shimmer spread across its surface.
The water changed color.
A murky tint bled into the clear liquid, swirling like smoke trapped beneath glass. The cup vibrated softly in his hand as tiny cracks formed along its surface, spiderwebbing outward.
"Hold on—" He said before the glass shattered into tiny bits. Water splashed across the stone as the leaf fluttered uselessly to the ground. Shards crumbled at his feet.
Sylas stared at his soaked hands, then at the broken glass, before finally looking back at the leaf. "Am I…" He hesitated. "Am I a specialist?"
The Water Divination test identified six categories based on changes to the water and leaf:
Enhancer: The volume of water increases, causing the glass to overflow.
Transmuter: The flavor or taste of the water changes.
Emitter: The color of the water changes.
Conjurer: Impurities or objects appear within the water.
Manipulator: The leaf moves across the surface.
Specialist: Any other phenomenon that does not fit the above.
To Be Continued…