[Beep! Mission Failed!]
[Player FDG398756 has died!]
[Processing… Error! Error!]
[Rebooting Character!]
[Welcome, Player FDG398756, to the Dimensional Sanctuary!]
Amidst the haze of darkness, Ethan's mind buzzed as if someone had struck a gong inside his skull. In the confusion, a faint electronic voice echoed in his ears, snapping him out of the void.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. A piercing white light assaulted his vision, forcing his pupils to contract sharply. It took a long moment before his eyes could finally adjust.
"Where… am I?"
Blinking away the discomfort, Ethan gradually took in his surroundings. White—everything around him was shrouded in an endless sea of white light, devoid of any other detail.
[Welcome, Player FDG398756, to the Dimensional Sanctuary!]
[Detected: First-time player. Beginner's bonus granted—choose one world out of four!]
Just as he was processing the emptiness, a translucent blue panel suddenly materialized before his eyes. It wasn't floating in the air but instead felt as though it was projected directly onto his retinas.
"I'm… not dead?" Ethan stared at his hands, clenching his fists experimentally.
A healthy body—strong and brimming with vitality!
Since the accident, he hadn't felt this kind of energy in his limbs. The sensation was both familiar and alien, sending shivers through him as he struggled to process what was happening.
[World categories classified—please make your selection!]
1.[Resident Evil]
2.[Naruto]
3.[Overlord]
4.[One Piece]
Before he could make sense of the situation, the panel shifted, displaying four distinct options accompanied by images and brief descriptions.
"What… is this?"
Though Ethan still had no idea what was going on, one thing was clear—this wasn't the afterlife he'd imagined.
Ethan was certain of one thing—he had died. And yet, he had been reborn.
This place wasn't hell—at least, not the kind he'd imagined.
His eyes lingered on the blood-red text flashing across the translucent panel: [Please Select a World.] A creeping sense of unease settled in his chest as his gaze drifted toward the first option—[A Plain and Ordinary Test Tube.]
The image showed a shattered test tube, twisted in a spiral design. Its contents—a strange, blue liquid—had spilled across the floor in an ominous puddle.
As a modern man from the 21st century, Ethan's first instinct upon seeing this image was simple—run.
He might have forgotten most of Resident Evil's plot, maybe even how the T-virus came to be, but there was one thing he could never forget—that damned test tube.
The memory struck him like a bolt of lightning. He vaguely recalled sitting in a packed theater, gripping his seat as the movie unfolded. Back then, he'd been just a kid in elementary school.
"A world… selection?"
Ethan's eyes returned to the hovering panel, and an icy chill crept down his spine.
He couldn't be sure of his theory, but even a one-percent chance of being right was too much of a risk. No matter how vague the rules were about what happened after death in this place, he had no intention of gambling with his second chance at life.
He didn't want to die.
He wanted to survive—no matter what it took.
"Can I refuse to choose?" Ethan asked cautiously.
[Refuse the mission: Immediate Termination.]
The stark response made Ethan's breath hitch. After a moment of silence, he forced himself to refocus and examine the remaining options.
Choosing might lead to death, but not choosing guaranteed it. In a situation like this, the choice was obvious.
His gaze shifted to the second option—[A Bloodstained Headband.]
For a brief moment, his eyes lit up. But the flicker of hope was short-lived, quickly giving way to hesitation.
The image depicted a metal headband, smeared with blood. An unfamiliar symbol was etched onto its surface—a symbol Ethan recognized immediately.
"If I choose a world… will I possess a new body, or will I physically cross over?" he asked.
[The host will undergo physical transmigration. Minor adjustments, such as facial features, hair color, skin tone, language, and backstory, will be made to suit the new world. However, these changes will not affect the host's strength, nor will any additional advantages be provided.]
Ethan nodded thoughtfully.
A physical transfer. That meant no shortcuts—no overpowered abilities, no plot armor, and no divine interventions. If he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, he'd be lucky to survive the first day.
His eyes returned to the bloodstained headband, and he let out a slow breath.
It was tempting—this world had shaped much of his adolescence. He still remembered the characters, the stories, and even the ideals that had fueled his youthful fantasies. But stepping into it? That was an entirely different matter.
What if he arrived during the Shinobi World War? Worse, what if he ended up in a hostile village outside of Konoha?
Or, heaven forbid, what if he was dropped into the timeline during Pain's Assault?
A shiver ran down Ethan's spine. No, this wasn't just playing a game—this was life and death.
The more he thought about it, the more his instincts screamed at him to turn away. With a quiet sigh, Ethan abandoned the second option, pushing aside the nostalgia it stirred.
For now, survival took priority over sentiment.
Perhaps this was the very definition of Ye Gong Hao Long—loving dragons in theory but fearing them in reality. Watching anime was one thing, but stepping into the world itself? Ethan doubted he'd survive more than two episodes.
He'd lost count of how many times he'd bragged online about what he'd do if he ever got the chance to transmigrate. Yet now that the opportunity was staring him in the face, he realized that not getting swatted to death immediately would already be an achievement.
A world built on bloodlines, backgrounds, and inherited power—what could a penniless nobody like him possibly accomplish there? He probably wasn't even qualified to be cannon fodder.
Not that it was completely hopeless. After all, Might Guy's story was proof that even hard work could achieve miracles. But that required circumstances to align just right—being born in the right village, at the right time, with the right teacher.
And what if the timeline was off? What if he arrived in the era of Madara's Perfect Susanoo versus Hashirama's Wood Golem? What was he supposed to do then?
Beg to be trained? Might Guy's father probably wouldn't even have been born yet!
Taking a deep breath, Ethan forced himself to calm down. There were still two options left. Maybe—just maybe—one of them would offer a glimmer of hope.
[A Tiny Skeleton That Knows Magic.]
His gaze lingered on the third option for a long moment before he let out a dry chuckle.
"Knows magic… just a little, huh?"
The evaluation couldn't have been more accurate—emphasis on a little.
Ethan felt a dull throbbing at his temples. His face flushed as the realization hit him. He'd seen plenty of transmigration stories before, but this particular skeleton? It was one that rarely made casual appearances in multiverse settings.
"I have already cut myself off from mortal desires…"
He muttered bitterly, staring at the image. It depicted a skeletal figure clad in a black robe adorned with gold and violet embroidery. A golden staff gleamed in its bony hands, and faint arcs of lightning crackled between its fingers.
Why did it have to be this world?
Ethan resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. Three options down, and none of them seemed remotely survivable.
To be fair, this world seemed safer than the previous two—on the surface, at least. But there was a catch.
Life might be manageable if he could secure a place under the protagonist's protection. But what if he couldn't? Worse—what if he ended up as a grunt in the kingdom's army?
And what if that army was the one facing Ainz Ooal Gown during the war?
Black goats.
The image of writhing masses of flesh and countless monstrous appendages surfaced in Ethan's mind, sending shivers down his spine.
Call him paranoid, but even ignoring the protagonist's overwhelming power, the rest of this world wasn't exactly welcoming either.
Take Kyohuko, for example—Clementine's unfortunate victim turned Sebas's personal maid. Her story alone was enough to serve as a cautionary tale.
And that wasn't even touching on the truly nightmarish aspects, like the infamous Pleasure Farms.
Ethan shook his head. No, better to shelve this world as a backup plan for now. It was certainly less immediately dangerous than the first two, provided he stayed far away from the protagonist.
Worst-case scenario, he could make a beeline for Carne Village and try to ingratiate himself there.
Of course, there was also the option of throwing himself at Ainz's feet, declaring his loyalty to the Supreme Being, and hoping for mercy. But actually pulling that off in practice?
Easier said than done.
First off, even if Ethan claimed to know the whereabouts of one of the Supreme Beings, there was no guarantee that Albedo wouldn't kill him on the spot. And even if he somehow survived that, where was he supposed to find leads on Ainz's former comrades?
If he failed to produce results and Ainz discovered the deception, the consequences would be far worse than death.
Pretending to be a Supreme Being himself wasn't a viable option either.
The original story didn't provide much detail about the other Supreme Beings, but one thing was clear—they were Ainz's closest friends, and even the most distant among them had known him for at least five years.
That created a major problem.
Ainz knew his companions intimately. No matter how much Ethan tried to study their personalities, there was no way he could match Ainz's understanding of them. A single slip-up, and his fate would be sealed.
After carefully considering the risks, Ethan concluded that this path wasn't worth taking—unless he happened to start in Nazarick itself. In that case, lying to survive might be his only option.
With his thoughts organized, Ethan turned to the fourth and final choice.
[A Slightly Damaged Pirate Flag.]
At first glance, the flag seemed ordinary—a black background with a white emblem.
But the moment Ethan noticed the exaggerated mustache design on the skull, his thoughts froze.
Edward Newgate.
The man known as Whitebeard—the only pirate who could rival the Pirate King.
There was no longer any doubt in Ethan's mind. This world had to be One Piece. And if it wasn't, then that one percent chance of error was nothing more than wishful thinking.
If the previous three worlds had at least left him a sliver of hope, this one snuffed it out entirely.
Survival here wasn't about effort—it was about luck.
Even if he ignored the timeline issue, just being born in the wrong place could spell disaster.
Any random island in the Grand Line was enough to chew up and spit out someone like him. What chance did he have to survive in a world crawling with monsters?
Was he supposed to start with a Logia Devil Fruit handed to him on a silver platter?
He scoffed at the thought. Keep dreaming.
"I choose… the tiny skeleton that knows magic!"
The decision came almost instantly.
Compared to the other three options, the Overlord world felt like the least dangerous. At the very least, it didn't seem like a death sentence right out of the gate.
Of course, if he ended up starting in Nazarick, then he'd just have to deal with it. After all, if his luck was bad enough to land him there, then picking any of the other worlds wouldn't have saved him either.
….
Rain poured from the pitch-black sky, drumming against the ground in an endless rhythm.
There were no lush green hills, no star-filled skies like in the anime. Instead, towering skyscrapers stretched as far as the eye could see, their silhouettes cutting through the murky air. The sharp scent of industrial waste lingered, stinging his nostrils.
"What the hell…?"
Ethan frowned, his gaze darting around the unfamiliar surroundings.
This wasn't right.
None of this matched the world he remembered.
Had he miscalculated?
A sudden chill crawled down Ethan's spine, cold sweat seeping through his back.
If his guess was wrong, things could get very messy. Everything he'd told himself to stay calm hinged on being familiar with the storyline. But if this world didn't follow the plot he knew—then he was in real trouble.
Just as panic began to settle in, the system chimed again.
[World Loaded. Player Character Template Established.]
[Name: Ethan]
[ID: FDG398756]
[HP: 100]
[Strength: 6] [Intelligence: 7] [Magic: 0] [Stamina: 5]
[Equipment: None]
[Items: None]
[Companions: None]
[Bonds: None]
[Template Established!]
[Newbie World Detected. Main Questline: Disabled. Side Quests: Randomly Assigned.]
[Side Quests: Optional tasks that grant rewards. Failure will not affect return eligibility.]
[Complete side quests to earn points. Points can be exchanged for specific-use items.]
[Ding! Side Quest Issued: Create a Character in YGGDRASIL.]
[Quest Reward: 100 Points.]
Rows of prompts flooded his vision, leaving Ethan momentarily stunned. After carefully reading through the notifications, his expression shifted—first to silence, then to faint trembling.
This wasn't what he'd expected. Not even close.
He'd spent all this time mentally preparing himself to either avoid the protagonist or cling to their coattails, but reality had blindsided him.
The timeline—he'd arrived before the story had even begun.
Ethan's thoughts raced.
In the original plot, the protagonist had only been transported to the new world after the game's servers shut down, along with the absurd, apocalyptic power he'd carried over.
But if Ethan joined the guild now—
He didn't dare finish the thought.
[Return Countdown: 4380 days, 23:59.]
Four thousand days?!
Ethan's eyes widened as the countdown timer appeared. His mind worked furiously to make sense of the numbers.
If memory served, YGGDRASIL had operated for twelve years before shutting down. That meant his return time lined up perfectly with the end of the game's lifespan.
Did this mean…
Ethan's breath hitched as the realization sank in.
He'd hit the jackpot.
His expression shifted rapidly—from anxiety to disbelief and finally to uncontrollable excitement.
The heavy downpour blurred the streets, and the lack of pedestrians helped him avoid unwanted attention. If anyone had seen him grinning like a madman in the rain, they might have called for an ambulance.
Taking a few deep breaths, Ethan wiped the rainwater from his face. Or maybe it wasn't just rain—was it his imagination, or did the water carry a faint chemical smell?
[Identity Information Issued!]
The system's voice rang out again, and suddenly, fragmented memories flooded Ethan's mind.
It felt as though an entirely new identity had been implanted within him.
The implanted memories included everything Ethan needed to know—his residence, personal history, and general details about his life in this world.
After reviewing the information in his mind, he set off toward his "home," where something crucial awaited him—his virtual reality headset.
This whole transmigration process still felt surreal. While it hadn't gifted him with some extravagant backstory, the system had covered the basics well enough.
His apartment wasn't far, and Ethan arrived at the complex in no time.
The unit itself was modest but tidy. There were no unnecessary decorations, yet all the essentials for daily living were present and accounted for.
According to his memories, the apartment had been left to him by his parents after their passing. Coupled with the inheritance they'd left behind, Ethan was financially stable despite not having a job.
That didn't mean this world was comfortable, though.
If anything, it was far more suffocating than he'd imagined.
Out on the streets, people hurried past each other without so much as a nod or a glance. It was already ten in the morning, but the skies outside remained dim and overcast.
The air reeked of industrial pollution, and Ethan could feel a faint burning sensation in his lungs after just a short walk.
No wonder the protagonist hadn't hesitated to abandon this world.
Growing up in an environment like this? Even the most mentally stable person would crack sooner or later.
He shook his head—there was no point dwelling on it now.
After searching through a storage closet, Ethan finally unearthed a slightly dusty virtual headset.
Its design closely resembled the one from the anime, right down to the intricate details.
Holding the helmet, Ethan ran a hand along the back of his neck and, sure enough, found a small neural interface port.
Feeling a cold, metallic touch in his body still made him uneasy, even if it was just a part of this new world.
Then again, considering the alternatives he could've faced in the other timelines, he wasn't about to start complaining.
At least here, he didn't have to worry about being killed right away. The worst he had to endure was polluted air.
Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Ethan secured the headset and carefully connected the interface to his neural port.
The moment the connection was made, his consciousness blurred. It felt like stepping through a gateway—one moment grounded in reality, and the next, floating in a completely different space.
"Welcome to YGGDRASIL, Adventurer!"
"Prepare yourself for an experience unlike any other!"
"Please begin by creating your character."
[Character Creation: 0:10:23 Remaining.]
Not even launched yet?
Ethan blinked in surprise. It seemed he'd arrived even earlier than he thought.
Still, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It gave him time to plan and strategize.
Since character creation wasn't available yet, he decided to browse the options and familiarize himself with the system.
Humans, beastfolk, elves, undead, slimes, demons, insectoids, angels, fallen angels, dragonkin, doppelgangers, succubi, vampires, machinists, magic beings…