Ch. 3: Wishes? Are you an ROB?
The world was gone—no light, no sound, just an oppressive darkness that pressed against Ethan like a coffin.
It felt like being trapped in a void, cut off from everything, where even a pinprick of light couldn't reach.
His mind drifted, weightless, as if he were nothing more than a stray thought in an endless night.
Then, faintly, a sound broke through.
It was garbled at first, like static crackling through a broken radio.
"@-#@/#$% 849-/&%(# $%@%3%S C+VC$#@#&!"
The words were nonsense, but they felt familiar yet unfamiliar, tugging at the edges of his foggy mind.
Slowly, they sharpened, as if someone were tuning a signal.
"W#7? Y0# a$; )% C0u*$3 %o* enT3rt@I#m3#T!"
Ethan blinked—or at least, he thought he did. His vision flickered back, blurry at first, then cleared into a surreal scene.
He was floating in a vast, starless void, his body a faint, translucent outline.
Around him were dozens of other souls, their forms shimmering like ghosts, each radiating a mix of confusion, fear, or defiance.
In front of them stood a tall, white, cylindrical humanoid with a hollow mask where a face should have been.
Its voice dripped with amusement, sharp and mocking, like addressing an audience that didn't deserve it.
"Now, all of you get three wishes to choose from. You can pick anything—or nothing at all. But if you skip out, don't be surprised if fate throws you a curveball when you reincarnate."
Ethan's head spun.
His memories were a mess, like someone had dumped his life into a blender.
Faces of his parents, late nights at the library, the bus ride—it was all there, but jumbled, slipping through his fingers like sand.
He tried to focus, to piece together how he'd ended up here, but the effort made his soul ache.
The masked figure's gaze snapped to him, its featureless mask curling into a sinister grin that sent a chill through his core.
Ethan froze.
He knew he'd been spotted, but he was too overwhelmed to care.
His luck had been garbage since that cursed game started—dropped into a Pokémon warzone, vaporized in seconds, and now this?
Whatever this being had planned, it couldn't get worse.
So, he played dumb, staying quiet, waiting for his turn.
If he were stuck here, he'd go with the flow and hope for the best.
"Interesting. Very interesting," the figure muttered, its voice low and mocking as it shifted its gaze to another soul who spoke up.
"So, you're saying we'll reincarnate in a world called Soul Land, and our job is to mess with the timeline or… what? Just do whatever?"
The speaker was a wiry soul with a sharp edge to their voice, like they were already calculating their next move.
The masked figure laughed, a sound like grinding metal.
"Caught on quick, haven't you? Glad to know the souls I plucked aren't completely clueless."
Its sarcasm was biting, unfiltered, and it didn't bother hiding it.
Another one piped up, this one softer, almost naïve. "Is this the same Soul Land I know? Like, the novel and manhua back home?"
The question sent ripples through the group.
Some souls perked up with curiosity or excitement; others groaned, their translucent faces twisting with annoyance or exasperation; some remained indifferent throughout, like nothing in the world could make them feel surprised.
Ethan caught the vibe; half these people knew the Soul Land plot and weren't thrilled about someone spilling it.
He didn't know much himself, just bits from the donghua and novels he'd binged, but he could feel the tension.
Knowledge was power here, and not everyone wanted to share it.
Especially when the knowledge was gained through hard scrolls through wiki fandom, and so on.
"Congratulations, you're right!" the figure said, its tone dripping with mockery.
"No prize, though. Anything else?"
The naïve one shrank back.
"N-no, nothing," they mumbled.
Another stepped forward, moving with a smooth, almost serpentine grace.
"What's the scope of these wishes? Can we ask for anything, or are there limits? And if we push too far, are there side effects?"
The masked figure's grin widened, approving. "Now that's a good question. Like finding a decent student in a room full of idiots."
It leaned forward, its voice lighter but no less sharp.
"Yes, there are limits. You'll instinctively know what's off the table. Try to wish for something too big, and the world will balance it out with a nerf or a weakness. Power comes with a price."
"Thank you," the soul said, stepping back with the same fluid ease.
"Enough questions!" the figure snapped, its patience wearing thin.
A transparent screen flickered into existence in front of each soul, glowing with text like a search engine.
"Figure out what you want and be quick about it."
Ethan stared at his screen, his thoughts still a tangled mess.
The interface answered his questions as he thought them; details about Soul Land, martial spirits, and cultivation flashed across the display.
Though there was no information about any specific individual, place, organization, or about any of the plot.
But whatever was available was enough to give everyone a basic idea about what kind of world it was.
It was overwhelming, like trying to read an encyclopedia in a dream.
Though a few of the souls felt it was a very weak world, and the powers they had in their last life would be enough to dominate it thoroughly.
But that was their reality now, which they might have to life going forward.
So, they also began to gather more and more information from all the bits they had gathered.
Though the world was small.
But the information was still extensive.
It took quite some time for everyone to be done with it.
The masked figure who had vanished in a swirl of dazzling lights had reappeared moments later, its presence still commanding the void.
"So, everyone done?"
A few of them nodded, giving him the acknowledgement he needed.
"You've got no mission," it declared, its voice turning manic, almost gleeful.
"Roam free. Kill who you want, create what you want, side with the protagonist, fight him, or steal his whole story. Do whatever you please, that is, if you can!"
It paused, then added with a wicked chuckle, "Now, pick your poison!"
A new screen appeared before each soul, glowing with white letters.
The figure's voice cut through again.
"Oh, and you've got thirty seconds. Speak your wish out loud to record it. Haven't cracked mind-reading tech yet."
It laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos it was stirring.
The announcement hit like a bomb. Shock rippled through the group.
Ethan caught snippets of their thoughts, "Everyone can hear my wish? Won't they just copy me?""My strategy's exposed!"
Fear and frustration hung heavily, but no one dared to challenge the figure's choice.
Its power was absolute, and they all knew it.
Seeing everyone frozen in shock, staring at him, the being spoke again.
"Why aren't you talking?" the figure said, its tone mockingly confused.
"Don't want your wishes? Twenty seconds left."