"What happened to me?"
Adam thought while he floated in a void of space, surrounded by thousands, if not millions, of swirling galaxy-like structures. He was confused, as the last thing he could remember was waiting in line for the long-anticipated release of his favorite light novel's manga adaptation.
And he was the very first in line, hoping to receive copy one out of the thirty-two copies being produced. He had been waiting since the previous day, not taking a moment to nap out of fear of losing his spot in line and completely missing out entirely since only a limited amount was being produced.
Throughout the night he had to fight for his position against the other hardcore geeks; everyone wanted a copy and was willing to fight for the very first. After all, the light novel was ranked number one in the world, and the author happened to be a very talented artist, so it was highly expected that the manga would be just as good, if not better.
When the time finally came for the release day and the doors to the bookstore came swinging open, Adam charged in, his movement sluggish because of his tiredness. But he couldn't let that stop him; he knew that things weren't over until he secured the first copy or a copy at the very least.
He battled his way through the inflowing crowd, stopping only at the desk, where the world-renowned writer Akira Nakamura sat waiting, who was somehow able to slip in unnoticed by the thousands of fans waiting outside of the bookstore.
Things quickly began to fall in order as the other fans scrammed for their spot in the line. Adam stepped up first; excitement spread across his face. He was unable to hold back the fanboy in him and didn't much try to either.
"Hel--hello, Mister Nakamura. I love your work, and I've read just about everything you have to offer."
Adam said with a shaky voice that was riddled with his own nervousness.
"Uh, I'm happy to hear that you're such a fan of my work. Here's the very first copy of my novel's manga adaptation, and here's my signature as well."
Akira replied in a deep voice and calm tone that induced a serene atmosphere inside the previously rowdy bookstore.
Adam took the book with excitement; he was excited that all that waiting in the dark didn't turn out to be useless, excited that he received the first copy of the manga bundle of his very favorite light novel series, and ecstatic to finally take it home and read every last chapter.
On his way out of the bookstore, he made sure to defend his newly acquired manga bundle from the other eager fans, and when he finally made it out, he couldn't help but jump with joy, holding onto the bundle like a newly obtained treasure.
"I can't believe it... I have the very first copy... seriously, this can't be real!"
Adam shouted, skipping and twirling down the sidewalk.
He had no consciousness of where he was going and soon lost control of his own body when he came twirling into the middle of the street. At the same time, an out-of-control truck was just passing by and rammed into him at full speed. Adam died on impact yet for some strange reason the truck was revealed to be driverless, and where it came from is still a mystery—as it just popped out of nowhere as if it just spawned in.
...
"Do you remember now?"
A mysterious voice spoke out from the shadows of the void.
"So I'm dead...? I only just got the manga I was waiting so long for, and I don't even get to read it..."
Adam said with pain in his voice, a teardrop falling from his eyes.
"Wait a sec, who are you? And where the heck am I exactly? Is this like the afterlife?"
Adam continued.
"No one important, but for now you may address me as Leo. I have an offer for you: another chance at life. What do you say?"
Leo asked, stepping into view, his form radiant and leaking a purple mist that glowed in the void absent of light.
Leo snapped his finger, and the shadows leaking from his body shaped themselves into a wheel. When the shadows dispersed, it revealed a wheel divided into many sections with different names—names that Adam found quite familiar. They were the names of the many novels, mangas, animes, comics, and TV shows he's watched over his lifetime.
"Are you some sort of god? I still don't really understand what's going on... well, I have an idea at least."
Adam questioned, stepping back a bit confused.
"No need to caution yourself; I don't bite. And to answer your question, I am kind of a god, though I like to refer to myself as more of an artist, a creator of sorts. Like you've discovered, you are dead, but death doesn't mean it's over. I'm going to give you another chance, a new story."
Leo spoke before gesturing towards the giant wheel beside him.
"This wheel is known as the wheel of reincarnation; you'll spin it, and whatever it lands on will be where you reincarnate. Don't worry, these worlds are drawn directly from your memory and knowledge; though in some cases it may not be exact, it'll mostly be the same. After you've spun this wheel, then you'll spin the wheel of traits and be granted some supernatural ability; the power will be tailored to the world you reincarnate into, obeying its laws and rules."
Adam leaned in with interest, his face glowing with excitement, his dream waiting at the spin of a wheel.
"Really... I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream... wait, is it? There's only one way to know for sure."
Adam expressed, when out of nowhere Leo spawned beside him, "You mean this...?" Leo asked, before pinching Adam on the shoulder.
Adam flinched at the sudden pain, grabbing his arm. "Ouch! That hurt... a lot, which means there's no way this could be a dream. But if all of this is real, that means I'm being isekaied. I can't believe it; my dreams are finally coming true."
"Yeah, and now all you have to do is Spin The Wheel!"
Leo shouted as if he were some sort of game show host.
Adam stepped forward, a smile spread across his face, and he then reached out his hand towards the wheel and gave a powerful spin. It rotated and rotated for a while until it finally came to a stop.
[Marvel]
"Ahh, the Marvel universe... or rather multiverse. This is one of those worlds where it's not exactly how you remember it. In a way it combines both comics and the MCU to bring out the most lavish experience. Oh, and also, you get another spin. This one will determine your species since Marvel happens to have quite a few."
Leo snapped his fingers again, and the words on the wheel changed; this time they were the names of the many different species that filled the Marvel multiverse. The more powerful species seemed to have a lower chance of being chosen than the less powerful ones.
Like before, Leo reached out his hand and gave a powerful tug to the wheel. It spun, and after some trips around, it stopped and landed on Human (Mutant). Adam tossed his fist into the air with excitement; though he didn't get one of the more overpowered species, he didn't get one of the useless or straight-up disgusting in appearance either. Instead, he got something useful: a species with quite the potential.
"Right, now let's move on to the wheel of traits. It's time to see just what ability you'll get. I can't wait."
For the third time, Leo snapped his fingers again; this time, the words on the wheel changed into the names of superpowers, inhuman traits, and supernatural attributes. And like before, Adam spun the wheel with force.
...
[Earth Manipulation]
"No! No! No! ...Earth Manipulation, out of all abilities, that's what I get?! Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever become an overpowered MC with Earth Manipulation; it's useless, that's why it's barely ever used. I finally got this chance, and look at me; I have this useless ability. I'll never be the protagonist with this useless power."
Adam cried, fearful of having such a worthless superpower out of all the possibilities there were.
"Heyyy, It's not all that terrible. I mean, you literally get to manipulate the earth. What could be better than that? You're only limiting yourself by not imagining the possibilities. It's your chance to do what no one else ever has."
Leo replied, leaning in with a grin, the purple mist around him bending with his form.
"Please just let me get a respin; this ability will never make me the overpowered isekai protagonist I've always dreamed of. I mean, name me one character who's overpowered and whose main ability is earth manipulation..."
Adam begged, dropping to his knees.
"Uhh, unfortunately I cannot give you another spin, but I can do this..."
Leo clapped his hands, and the purple mist began surrounding Adam; when it cleared, Adam was no longer in the void; rather, his reincarnation process had just been completed.