"GLORY TO THE FIRST MAN TO DIE!"

Our commissar roared those words, just after we fixed our bayonets and charged...

...right into a gun line of Traitor Astartes.

I was the first to die.

And...

I felt no glory over my death, not really. This was my first engagement. What was to be a skirmish against heretics turned into a war for an entire world as Traitor Astartes emerged from shimmering doors of fire and flesh and screaming metal. And then everything went to hell as they fired upon us with their massive weapons. We screamed, because there was nothing left for us to do. Ahead of us was certain death, but we could not retreat either – not when the commissar would shoot us for desertion or cowardice. Our lives meant little in the long run. I was just another piece of the Imperial War-Machine, just another nameless Guardsman who would die in the line of duty. But, if nothing else, I was proud to die for my world, for my family, for the Imperium, and for the Emperor of Mankind, who – no doubt – would smile and be content with our roars as we charged to our deaths.

I heard a faint whistle in the air before something broke into my chest and then everything went dark.

But there was no glory in it – no grand sensation of pride as I died. There was only a brief flash of heat and smoke, and then nothing.

Error!
Soul Transfer Failed!
System Integration Success!
Physical Body Reformed!
Awaiting Administrator Access!

What?

What's going on?

What do those words mean?

"Well, ain't this a bitch," A dark and dreadful voice spoke aloud in the dark."Didn't think his soul would be destroyed by the transference; but, I guess that's on me. A jobless nerd with a porn and video game addiction would not have had a strong enough soul."

Were these the foul powers of the Warp?

Was my soul about to be devoured by daemons?

No, I must hold on to hope! My faith is unshakable! I will not fall to the darkness!

"Hmm, now what the fuck am I supposed to do with you?" The voice said. "My entertainment just burned to ashes and I'm in need of a new one. Tsk, you'll just have to do; I can't be bothered to fetch another soul when there's already one here. You're a native of this plane; so, this will be a novel experience for me. Who knows? You might just prove to be more entertaining than the little bitch who crashed and burned before the whole thing could even begin."

"Yes," The voice chuckled. "You'll do quite nicely, native. Entertain me and perhaps you may find yourself elevated beyond this meager existence."

System Booting in 3... 2... 1... Shaper Engine Integrated!

Game initializing in 3... 2... 1...

Welcome, Gamer!

New Perk/s Gained:

[Mind Over Body]
[Gamer's Mind]

My eyes snapped open and I became horrifyingly aware of the gnarled and broken state of my body. Nearly every bone I had was broken or shattered. My organs were either splattered or melted. And the flak armor I'd worn had fused to my skin and flesh. I couldn't see or hear or feel anything. All was dark and black. I knew, however, that my brain was intact, because that was how I was able to perceive my own body. I didn't even have actual eyes; that had just been my consciousness waking up.

By the Emperor, I should be dead. No man could live through such an injury, not even his avenging angels. But I lived. And, somehow, I understood; I would survive for as long as my brain was unharmed. Though, it certainly had not been unharmed; I was rather certain that it was simply remade. The revelation felt strange... it felt as though other men in my place should've gone insane, but I felt only a strange sort of coldness that held my lesser faculties at bay.

I didn't think too much about it.

New Skill Unlocked!
[Self-Shaping, level 1, 0% Progress]

A brief rush of knowledge and emotions flashed across my mind's eye and, suddenly, I knew that I was capable of reshaping and reordering my own flesh and blood. I also was made intimately aware of the fact that I could now store biomass in a pocket dimension that only I could access, which I could then use as the building blocks in the creation or modification of my physical shell. The calmness I now possessed I simply attributed to [Gamer's Mind], which granted me immediate understanding of all my abilities as well as the nature of the System itself; it also defended me from all forms of mental influence, unnatural or otherwise. With the skill also came a deep and full understanding of my own biology, something I would not have otherwise learned, even if I'd studied to become a Medicae.

Quest Received!
Reconstitute Your Body!
Reward/s:
1 Common Gacha Token
1 Health Potion
1000 kg Biomass

I blinked, staring at the quest for a moment, before deciding that I was going to be rebuilding myself, regardless of it.

So, I started by absorbing all the biomass I had at the moment, including all the shards of broken bones and burnt flesh and all the tiny little bits that were probably not even mine, because I wasn't the only body. I also began absorbing the biomass of nearby bodies, gathering a not so impressive 300 kg. There wasn't a lot, really. Most of myself was probably scattered. I've seen what a single bolter round can do to a man and it was neither clean nor tame; and I was hit by several of the heavier variety. The first thing I immediately rebuilt was my skeletal system, including all the cartilage; after that, I added my nervous system. Both processes happened slowly, inch by inch of flesh forming and connecting. After that, I began working on my muscles and internal organs. Lastly, I reconstituted by skin. I hadn't changed anything for now and simply remade myself to match who and what I was before the enemy tore me to shreds.

To be fair, that was all that I could do, for now. My [Self-Shaping] skill was at level 1, which meant I couldn't make drastic changes. Though I noted all the weaknesses in my body that would have to be altered soon, there was simply nothing I could do to them, since I hadn't reached the required level to do so just yet. I could, however, heal myself from nearly anything as long as I had the biomass for it and my brain was intact. So, that was nice, but I'd have to do it away from everyone if I didn't want to be branded as either a mutant or a heretic. The whole process was also incredibly painful and horrifying, but Gamer's Mind kept me steady.

[Self-Shaping] +30% Progress!
Quest Completed!
Rewards Received!

I felt my supply of biomass swell from the 1000 kg added to it as a reward. It was a very welcome addition. My other rewards were a Healing Potion and a Common Gacha Token.

[Healing Potion] – When imbibed, this potion will enhance the potency of the body's natural regeneration by 1000% percent. Cannot be used on the diseased or anything inorganic.
[Common Gacha Token] – Crush the coin in your hand and you'll be rewarded with a random item from across the Omniverse. In this case, you'll likely receive a common item.

Interesting, but I wasn't going to use either items for now; so, they stayed in my inventory, a place where I could store just about anything, an infinite storage facility. That would be incredibly useful in the future. It was like my biomass space, but for other material objects. Useful. But, again, like with all my other apparent abilities, something that would get me branded as a witch or a heretic if otherwise revealed. And I couldn't reveal it. Because as much as I prayed to and honored the Emperor, I also wished to live.

And wasn't that the conundrum? It took me dying once to realize that I did not want such a fate. I wanted to live, to be free from fear.

This... power that I suddenly had... I could use it to set myself free, even help humanity against its many foes. I'd have to keep it a secret for as long as possible, however, because not even I knew how or why I was chosen to have this power or from whom or what it came from, save for that dark and ominous voice that briefly spoke to me.

After several moments of getting used to be reconstituted body, I breathed in and opened my eyes, only to behold a blood-red sky, from which burning trails of fire rained down into the distance. The air, meanwhile, was hot and dry, like the winds of a desert world. But Praxtor was not a desert world. It was, in fact, once covered in lush vegetation and verdant farmlands, before the heretics came and marred its beauty. And now, it was little more than a charred rock. The ground was black and bleak. And there were no growing things. "By the emperor... what happened?"

Quest Received!
Find out what happened to Praxtor!
Reward/s:
500 kg biomass
1 Health Potion

I pushed myself up and glanced around. Bodies marred the surface of the arid soil around me, numbering beyond count. The corpses were relatively fresh, judging from the fact that none of them appeared to be rotting. It probably hadn't even been a few hours, since I died. I recognized a few of the cadavers, faces I'd once seen, men and women who'd served in the same regiment as I did, though these were people I'd hardly, if ever, spoke or interacted with. The corpse that was closest to me, for instance, belonged to a woman who I shared recaf with once; she shared a cup with me when the barracks ran out. And that was the first and only time we ever interacted. And now she was dead, her torso shredded by what I figured was heavy bolter fire. The woman still clutched her lasgun, even in death.

Turning away from the corpse, I immediately found that... I was alone. There was nothing here and no one. I found no sign of our enemies, though the fortifications they'd erected were certainly still there, alongside the blood altars, from where the Traitor Astartes poured through. The breaches were closed now, which meant our gambit had failed; the forces of the Ruinous Powers were already here and I had no doubt that the hive cities were now engaged in defensive sieges, assuming they weren't already burnt to the ground or enslaved or worse.

Breathing in and steeling myself, I picked up the nearest lasgun, one that wasn't broken, and send it straight into my Inventory. I searched for whatever weapons and armor I could find; thank the Emperor, there were plenty. Though, really, I only found a replacement for my pants and nothing for my torso. I did find, however, several charge packs that were still intact, two combat knives, 10 frag grenades, and a lamp pack, all of which I then sent into my Inventory to join the lasgun. Each time I touched a corpse, a blueprint of their bodies would appear at the back of my head, tied to my [Self-Shaping] ability, telling me that I could now assume their forms if I wished.

I did not wish it.

Once that was done, I took out the Common Gacha Token, shrugged, and crushed it in my right hand.

Item Received!
[Beginner's Guide to Goetia, by King Solomon (Book)] – Learn the art of conjuring forth Daemons and Angels, and binding them to your will. This volume, however, only teaches you the basics of binding rituals and conjurations.

My eyes narrowed at the item; the mere mention of daemons was enough to make me distrustful of it. Why would I ever make deals with the servants of the Ruinous Powers? Why would I ever risk my soul for such a thing? This King Solomon person was very likely a heretic witch of some sort, which meant the item I had now was corrupted. Tsk, only fools would dabble in such things. And I was no fool. I've seen the work of daemons and those who worship them. And I would have no hand in summoning such vile creatures into the materium.

It had to be destroyed.

I took it from my Inventory; and I averted my gaze from the accursed thing as I threw it on the ground. After that, I took out my lasgun and fired at the object repeatedly until there was nothing left but ashes. To make sure it was truly destroyed, I took out a single frag grenade, removed its pin, and tossed it into the pile of dust, before turning and running away. The explosion echoed behind me, briefly rocking the very ground I stepped on. I glanced behind me to make sure that nothing of the heretical work survived. Nothing did. I was gonna have to be careful with these Gacha Tokens, for the possibility of gaining something corrupted or touched by the dark forces was ever present. And I was a loyal servant of the Emperor and the Imperium.

I turned to the bloody altars, where the heretics performed their profane rituals, desecrating Imperial soil. I knew not what the strange structures did or what the symbols on them meant, but I was going to destroy them, nonetheless. By the Emperor's grace, there were perhaps millions of unstable charge packs all around me, and every guardsman worth their salt knew how to create a rudimentary, but powerful explosive device, using these charge packs.

So, I began picking up charge packs and gathering them upon and around the bloody altars. Once, I'd placed enough of them to cover the unholy beacons of the ruinous powers, I retreated to a more secure location, far enough away that the shrapnel wouldn't reach me, but still close enough for me to do what needed to be done next. I took aim with my lasgun, which I'd set to its highest output, and fired a single blast at the broken and unstable charge pack that I placed right in the center of it all. The laser beam hit it dead on at the center, causing it cackle and explode immediately.

I turned and hid behind a wall of sandbags as the explosion from that one charge pack resulted in a cascade of explosions and a rain of debris. All in a day's work for a servant of the Emperor.