Trials of the Multiverse

How fast can life hit the brakes and call it quits? It's a thought that's crossed my mind more than once. Life, like those cheap fireworks that are supposed to be short but sweet, often turns out short and kinda ugly.

So, here I am, Akira Bashira, your run-of-the-mill Japanese guy. I'm dead now, but I can't even remember how it happened. 

Honestly, my memories of life aren't all that great, so being dead is kinda like an upgrade. But hey, a new level of cliché just walked in!

Imagine this: you hit the bed thinking it's the same old, then you wake up in this white room, and there's a golden figure staring at you, ready to spill the script like it's the opening scene of a dime-a-dozen novel

[Hello, Akira-kun. I know this may sound confusing, but I am God. The thing is, you died...]

Then, he would proceed to explain to the poor and confused person how it happened. Either it was their mistake, like thunder suddenly striking you for no reason whatsoever, or even worse, Truck-kun had put a target on you and you had to die, which is why, after skipping that useless explanation to cover up the clichè matter...

[...Thus, you will be given a second chance at life in whatever world you desire, may it be an Anime, Manga, or Novel World!]

We're diving into the 'you died but here's your second chance' clichè. Classic, right? Now it's my turn to play the protagonist, and I'm supposed to pick where I want to go and what cheat I want to snag to have every girl in the multiverse swooning at my feet.

I'm thinking, "Sweet, no catch, right?" Wrong.

[...it's not free! To get your second chance, you need to pass 100 Trials!]

"Say what now? That wasn't in your script!"

I'm legit pissed. This feels like a scam. I mean, even Facebook Marketplace can't scam you worse than this

[...I am sorry, but I cannot grant you the chance just like that. Understand that many others want the chance to live again, in whatever world they may want to go to.]

Fine, fine, it's a competitive market for a second lease on life. But still, a hundred trials? Come on.

"...Just for curiosity's sake, what do I need to do to pass these Trials?"

[Oh, it's simple! You just need to defeat one character per trial, may it be from an Anime, Manga, or Novel...]

What?

I need to do What?

How am I supposed to defeat an Anime character? If someone like Gojo comes after me, should I just bend over, or should I declare defeat?

"Are you nuts?"

I asked, bewildered.

[Of course not, Akira-kun! Don't worry, you will have the help of a "System" for you to grow as you go. Naturally, with each trial you take, the difficulty will go up, but I'm sure you can do it!]

Yeah, right. As if.

"How many people passed these trials of yours so far?"

The so-called God didn't utter a single word for a while as an awkward silence sank in. Great. Off to a shitty start.

"What happens if I fail the Trials?"

[Isn't it obvious? Your soul will dissipate and you will die. Though, even if you die within the Trials, you won't fail as long as the conditions to pass it do not state you can't die...You will just respawn and try again, like in Minecraft]

Fantastic. So, I either nail these Trials or I'm toast. But hey, dying in the Trials doesn't necessarily count as a fail. Silver lining, I guess.

Maybe after a while, I can become strong enough to barely defeat a character?

I was trying to be "happy" about this 'chance', yet the bad taste in my mouth was not helping me at all.

[Now that I've explained all that I can, I'll leave the rest to the System. I hope for your success, Akira-kun!]

And with that, the Golden Figure vanishes, leaving me to myself.

---

[Welcome, Akira-kun, to the 100 Trials of Fate]

A blue window pops up with words written on it. Oh boy, here we go-

[You will be given 1 hour to rest before the Tutorial will start.]

Oh, do we have stuff like that? Sweet.

The engraved words transported me abruptly to a space resembling a luxurious resort or a five-star hotel.

It didn't take long to survey my surroundings as the "apartment" wasn't that big. There was a bathroom, a bedroom, and a kitchen.

Alright, so it seems I've got an hour to handle my basic needs.

They were being oddly considerate, but it made sense. Without any specific instructions about my altered state, I assumed I was still human—living, breathing, and, apparently, in need of taking care of my necessities within a tight timeframe.

Now, an hour might as well have been a tightrope walk across a pit of fire for me. No time to waste. I rushed to the fridge, chugging water like a marathon runner at an oasis. With my sparse info, who knows if the trial would provide any food or drink. 

Inquiring the system only brought up a crimson window stating:

[Tutorial not started]

Apparently, the system wasn't up for discussion until later.

Fine.

Not overly thrilled but certainly keen on survival, I grabbed the quickest edible things – no fancy frying or heavy processed stuff. An apple in one hand, I started cooking up an egg with some bacon, chewing away while I pondered what I'd been told so far.

The Golden Figure seemed all welcoming, but it hit me that it had zero sway over the system. The whole Godly introduction felt more like a way to ease someone into this craziness, maybe pulling from manga or novels to keep panic at bay?

It was just a hunch, but at least I gathered that the Golden Figure was dead-set on me passing these trials. The system, on the other hand, felt more like the law-enforcing deity, kinda like the government. Oh, and they must've done something to my head.

Even for a cold fish like me, dying doesn't just settle in like a casual breath.

Still, this was better for myself. To even dream of survive what comes next, I need all the things I can take.

--- 

Author's Note:

Join the discord, link: mEy8NUDFne