Reincarnation.
A concept where ones soul is shunted from his old world as soon as they die and placed in another.
Most of the time this concept is used in fiction, where an MC would get an overpowered system or ability.
And for the most part this is all fictional.
Well, it was anyway, because now I find myself stuck in the very same situation but a whole lot different.
Instead of being sent into some magical world with an OP cheat code, I instead was sent into a world of misery and pain.
Let's not even speak of the fact that in this life I was just a poor grunt in a world that took advantage of the uneducated and poor of which I both am, though luckily I had been educated in my last life so it wasn't so much of a big deal.
Well, it wouldn't have been if this world hadn't been greatly more advanced than mine ever was.
But I had no choice in the matter, afterall it was either work as a cog in a system that sought to use you or be thrown out of the Dome City and left in the Wastelands to fend for myself from the monstrosities that roamed around.
To give context of my world to better understand what I meant I'd have to think back to this world's history.
100 or so years ago the world went through an upheaval for lack of better words, wars broke out on a massive scale where country after country dumped nuclear bombs on each other after resources went thin and there was just not enough for everybody.
Countries and major cities fell and millions died in the process, the few billion people that survived sheltered together and worked together to build colonies using the scraps of technology that they still had left.
And so came the Dome Cities, cities built upon the blood and suffering of those seeking sanctuary.
But that hadn't been the end of it.
After a few years of the Dome Cities being built to better protect its citizens from the nuclear fallout, Gates opened.
Gates being multidimensional portals leading to things called Dungeons where monsters roamed.
These Gates at first appeared outside Dome Cities, but as time went by they started popping up in Dome Cities.
At first, Dome Lords banned anyone from entering these things and tried to instead study them and quickly that decision was seen as stupid one when after a month, the gates broke and monsters walked through them.
Cities even with their slightly advanced technology fell one after another due to this gate breaks.
That was until information that by entering these gates you entered different worlds and that resources in them were abundant and even had mystical properties which the governing body at first wanted to hoard.
Hoarding never worked though as Gates were plentiful and had a risk of breaking out. That was when Hunters were born.
Being who entered gates to clear them and also to obtain resources and treasures that could bring them great wealth in our world.
Of course as time passed people found out that most hunters and anyone that passed into the Gates were stronger than normal humans, this was later found out that some resources in these gates if used on the body would strengthen them beyond mortal limits.
This caused a stir as now everyone wanted the same power as hunters who at that time were a small group of mostly soldiers for the Dome City.
So as time went on and the public and even the rich of the city put pressure upon the Dome Lord, Gates became open for anyone who sought them.
This caused the Great Hunter Boom, where anyone brave enough could venture into these gates and hope to survive while obtaining power along the way.
This caused for the societal structure of the world to change to accommodate these changes.
So Hunter Schools were opened where only those that were either privileged or had potential were allowed in.
Then technology advanced even further as some Gates were Tech themed.
So over the years, Hunter Culture had expanded and grown in power to a point where hunters had to be classified in ranks of F to S class
Magic, Chi and various other energies were discovered further propelling hunters into power.
And at some point I would have liked to also become a hunter, it was the only avenue that I had left afterall and so I had been training ever since I could walk from simple parkour skills to fighting forms.
And if there was anything good that came with this life was my new eidetic memory which I abused greatly to learn as many things as possible but never really reached mastery in any of them, I simply knew them.
So I was excited an a bit fearful for my 18th birthday which had passed a few days ago, since there was now an age requirement to be a Hunter.
So colour me surprised when all around the city, on every holo-tv and billboard, they were advertising the first ever Virtual Dive VR Video Game.
It was advertised as a game that would help hone peoples skills and combat ability and was created by a private company that nobody knew about.
Heck, some of my co-workers in an assembly factory even say that even the City Lord or Dome Lord didn't know where this game came from and the city had been on high alert for any news.
This was strange but nothing to really note.
That is if you weren't me.
This game caught my interest due to one simple fact.
I knew of the Universe it was based on, which should have been impossible because this universe or comic world was never created in this world.
So it came as a surprise when everywhere I saw the same ad.
{—Join Marvel Online — Gems of Infinity! Where your dreams and desires await!}
That wording alone was suspicious if this was truly just a random game, but I didn't believe that at all.
So for a night, just before the game was set to release, I researched.
I researched and researched and came with nothing but what was shown on the ad's.
At this point I had been sure that this was really the Marvel Universe I had read and watched through in my last life.
The ad had shown blackened silhouettes that showed members of the Avengers, X-Men and other characters I never truly cared to recognise.
I knew that something strange was going on, and against my better judgement.
I bought the game using my last savings, savings I would have used to buy gear for when I registered as a hunter.