**Chapter 1: The White Void**
Consciousness returned like a slow sunrise.
I blinked, disoriented. An endless white expanse stretched in every direction—no walls, no horizon, only sterile brightness. My fingers gripped the arms of a plain white chair, my body seated at a featureless table of the same blank hue.
Across from me, a girl lounged with her chin propped on one hand, engrossed in a shimmering glass panel. Silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her lips twitched with suppressed laughter.
"Pfft... oh man," she snorted, tapping the panel. "What a *stupid* way to die... hahaha!"
Her giggles echoed unnaturally in the void. For a full minute, she scrolled, cackling at whatever spectacle played out before her. When she finally set the panel down, her golden eyes flicked up—and widened.
"Huh... oh!" She jolted upright, scrambling to clutch the device to her chest. A silver robe slipped off one shoulder as she stammered, "S-sorry about that! Didn't realize you'd wake up so fast..." She cleared her throat, regaining composure. "Right. Let's summarize: You died. Tragic, really. But!" She flourished her hands like a magician. "Lucky you—*this* isn't the end."
From thin air, she produced a deck of cards, their edges glinting with otherworldly light. "I'm Altina, goddess of a world called Universa. My job? Collecting *promising* souls—" She side-eyed the glass panel. "*Mostly* promising—and reincarnating them to solve Turya Kingdom's little... *monster infestation*."
With a flick of her wrist, three cards fanned across the table. "Pick one. Left grants weapon Classes, middle's for mages, and right..." She picked her nose. "That's the 'miscellaneous' pile. Choose wisely~"
I reached without hesitation for the right card.
Altina's bored expression vanished as the card erupted in light. "Oho! A *Spellblade*!" The illustration shimmered—a warrior wreathed in flame, sword in one hand, arcane sigils swirling in the other. "Rare hybrid class! Swords *and* sorcery!"
The card dissolved into starlight that seared through my veins. Power awoke in my muscles, magic humming under my skin like a second heartbeat.
**<< Status >>**
**Level:** 1 (0/100)
**Class:** Spellblade
**Skills:** Weapon Mastery I, Magic Affinity I, Dual Casting I
**Abilities:** [Spell Strike] - Channel magic through weapons
**Inventory:** Empty
"Now then," Altina grinned, "ready for your grand debut?"
The portal yawned behind her, swirling with constellations. She tossed me a glowing crystal. "Status Crystal. Think 'Status' to check your stats. *Try* not to die again—paperwork's a nightmare."
I smirked. "I'll do my best."
Her shove sent me tumbling into the light.