Chapter 5: Nexus

The God of Transmigration waved his hand, and the ten talents vanished into Leon’s body as countless golden particles entered his chest, each one leaving behind a faint warmth that lingered beneath his skin long after it had sunk in. "Now we select your world."

A circular platform appeared beneath Leon’s feet, its surface etched with slowly rotating runes that pulsed faintly, as though breathing in time with some vast, unseen heartbeat.

"Stand there."

Leon stepped onto it, feeling a strange, weightless hum travel up through the soles of his feet.

The moment his foot touched the center, countless worlds appeared around him, spinning through the darkness like stars trapped inside an enormous cosmic machine. Names appeared and disappeared too quickly to read, while strange images flashed before his eyes.

Some worlds possessed magic, some technology, some martial arts, and others civilizations so strange that Leon couldn’t even understand what he was seeing. He tried to focus on a single spinning name, and it dissolved into another before he could even finish reading the first letter.

"Random selection," the god announced.

Leon looked at him. "So I don’t get to choose?"

"No."

"Then I suppose Lucky Fate had better earn its salary."

The god laughed, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to echo from every direction of the void at once.

The worlds accelerated, blurring into streaks of color and light until Leon could no longer distinguish one from another.

Then everything stopped.

One planet remained before Leon.

[World Selected: Nexus]

Images flooded his mind.

A world far more technologically advanced than Earth, filled with towering megacities that stretched toward the clouds, sophisticated artificial intelligence woven into everyday life, and sleek transportation systems that floated effortlessly above the streets. Medical technology had advanced to astonishing levels, extending human lifespans and treating diseases once considered incurable, while weapons powerful enough to level entire buildings had become part of humanity’s arsenal.

Humanity had conquered much of the planet and reached toward the stars.

Leon stared at the vision, taking in every gleaming spire and impossible skyline with a mixture of awe and quiet wariness.

"That’s the world I’m entering?"

"Yes."

"It looks better than Earth."

"It was."

"Was?" Leon frowned, the single word settling uncomfortably in his gut. "What happened?"

The image of Nexus suddenly darkened as the peaceful blue sky above the planet cracked apart. A vast, incomprehensible phenomenon descended from beyond the sky, spreading across the world like an invisible tide. Cities fell beneath its shadow, and countless people looked upward in confusion as a voice older than civilization itself resounded across the planet.

Eternal Heaven.

An apocalyptic world descended upon Nexus, forcibly selecting exactly 100 million humans from the planet’s population. Those chosen would be transported into Eternal Heaven, a vast and mysterious realm governed by rules resembling a game. There, they would fight monsters, conquer territories, clear dungeons, gain levels, acquire roles and abilities, and compete against countless others for the ultimate reward: Eternal Life.

Those who grew strong would have a chance to survive.

Those who remained weak would eventually die.

And those who were not selected?

They would be exterminated.

Leon stared at the unfolding scene, his expression growing increasingly grim as the sheer scale of the apocalypse settled over him. His hands slowly curled into fists at his sides, and for once, he didn’t have a sarcastic remark to make. "Wait... one hundred million?"

"Exactly."

Leon swallowed and stared at the countless people filling the projection. "And everyone else?"

The god looked at him, his expression unreadable, ancient, and strangely patient. "Theydie."

The words echoed through the endless void.

Leon remained silent for several seconds, the number turning over and over in his mind, refusing to become something he could fully comprehend. 100 million people sounded enormous, yet somehow it was nothing compared to the billions who would be left behind. He finally lifted his gaze toward the god, his expression hardening.

"When does this happen?"

The god’s eyes glimmered faintly. "That depends on your life script."

A system window appeared before Leon.

[Transmigration Life Script Generated.]

[Target World: Nexus]

[Identity: Leon Wes]

[Age: 18]

[Current Circumstances: Chosen by Eternal Heaven.]

[Transmigration Point: The exact moment the host is selected by Eternal Heaven.]

Leon read every line, twice, his jaw tightening a little further with each pass.

His expression hardened.

"So it’s sending me to the exact moment Eternal Heaven chooses me."

"Yes."

Leon stared at the system, a cold, clear kind of understanding settling over him.

Then he slowly nodded. He was inheriting the body at the exact moment it was selected for Eternal Heaven.

Leon then closed his eyes. For several seconds, the only sound was the faint hum of the platform beneath his feet, utterly indifferent to the weight of what he was about to accept.

When he opened them again, the uncertainty was gone.

He had spent his first life knowing that death was coming and being powerless to stop it. He remembered every helpless moment of it now, sharp and unwelcome, rising briefly to the surface before he pushed it back down.

This time, death would be waiting around every corner, but unlike his first life, Leon would finally have the power to defy it.

He then looked toward the God of Transmigration with an expression that was calm, focused, and utterly serious.

"Then send me."

The god smiled.

"Are you certain?"

Leon nodded, without a trace of hesitation this time.

"I’ve already lost one life. I’m not refusing the second."

The golden light beneath him intensified, spreading outward until it swallowed the edges of the platform entirely.

"Then remember this, Leon Wes. Your ten talents are extraordinary, but they are not a guarantee of survival. Eternal Heaven will test your strength, your judgment, your courage, and eventually your understanding of what you are willing to become."

Leon looked toward the distant image of Nexus, letting the words settle into him like a warning he intended to remember.

"I understand."

"Good."

The god raised one hand, and the world before Leon began expanding rapidly until it filled his entire vision, the platform, the endless void, and the god himself all fading away behind the growing light.

"Welcome to Nexus."

Leon took one final breath, one last quiet second that belonged only to him.

Then the light swallowed him whole.

[Transmigration commencing.]

[Life Script confirmed.]

[Host selection detected.]

[Welcome, Leon Wes.]

[Your second life begins now.]