"Most likely... your previous world functioned under such a system."

Then her tone shifted slightly as she continued explaining the laws of this world.

"However, according to the laws of this world, souls do not travel onward in such a manner."

"They disintegrate."

Kelly stiffened slightly as he listened.

"They break apart and transform into tiny fragments we call soul particles."

Her voice remained steady.

"When an individual dies here, their soul is returned to the world in the form of these particles."

"The world itself then recycles those soul particles."

She continued, her explanation flowing like an ancient truth being recited.

"Using them, it gives birth to new individual souls."

"And the karma and fate carried within those fragments become the energy that fuels the world’s laws." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Kelly could almost feel the vast scale of the system she described.

"This process repeats indefinitely."

Her words echoed softly in the endless darkness.

"Through it, the world maintains a sustainable cycle."

"A cycle that not only gives birth to new individuals beings who possess no connection to their past lives but also ensures that the world retains enough energy to maintain the laws that govern it."

She leaned slightly back against the throne.

"And those laws determine the world’s standing within the universe."

Her tone grew almost philosophical.

"From those laws arise mana and various other forms of energy."

"These energies are then used by the new beings born into this world to grow stronger... to develop... and to strengthen their own souls."

Her voice softened slightly as she finished the explanation.

"And when those beings eventually die..."

"Their souls are once again returned to the world as soul particles."

She paused.

"And thus...The cycle continues."

Kelly stood there, completely dumbfounded. It felt as though he had just been casually told the truth of the universe. What happens after death. No grand mysteries. No hidden divine judgment. No heaven nor hell. Just... a system. A cycle.

For someone like Kelly, who came from a world where death was still surrounded by endless speculation where scientists spent their entire lives chasing answers they might never find this revelation felt almost unreal.

And yet the woman had explained it as casually as if she were discussing the weather. Kelly remained silent for a while. His mind struggled to process everything he had just heard. Thoughts clashed and tangled together as he tried to comprehend the sheer scale of what had been revealed to him. Eventually, after forcing himself to gather his thoughts, Kelly slowly lifted his head and looked toward the woman again.

Then He exploded.

"Wait...what!"

His voice echoed loudly through the dark space.

"I mean... wow...shit, seriously?! So, there’s no heaven or hell!"

He suddenly stopped mid-rant.

"Wait no, that’s not the issue!"

His hands ran through his hair in frustration as his thoughts jumped from one point to another.

"How do you even know all this?!"

Then another realization struck him.

"Wait you said you were dead, right! Maybe that’s why no, that’s also not the issue!"

Kelly stared at her in complete disbelief.

"What the hell! So, when I die, I just get eaten by the world!"

His voice rose in protest.

"How is that fair!"

"Do not fret so much, boy."

The woman’s calm voice cut cleanly through Kelly’s chaotic outburst, instantly halting his spiralling thoughts.

"Now then... let us return to the main issue."

She continued as if his protest had never happened.

"The things you call skills are nothing more than the culmination of a person’s hard work during their lifetime. When an individual devotes themselves to something so completely so relentlessly that their mastery becomes second nature, that ability eventually becomes ingrained into their soul."

She offered an example.

"Consider an alchemist who spends his entire life perfecting the art of alchemy. Decades of study, experimentation, and refinement slowly shape that knowledge into pure instinct."

Her voice echoed steadily across the dark space.

"In time, the act of performing alchemy becomes so natural that even his soul itself understands it."

She paused briefly.

"And so, when that person eventually dies..."

"Even if the soul disintegrates into countless soul particles, fragments of that soul still retain traces of the instincts and knowledge it once possessed."

Kelly listened carefully.

"When those particles are later used by the world to give birth to a new soul, that lingering fragment may manifest as what you call a skill."

The woman continued without interruption.

"The rank of that skill usually depends on several factors."

"The level of talent the individual possessed when they died... as well as how much knowledge, instinct, and experience those soul particles managed to preserve."

She continued calmly.

"That is another reason people strive to become stronger."

"Because the stronger a soul becomes, the more difficult it is for it to disintegrate into countless tiny fragments."

Her tone carried faint amusement.

"And when fewer fragments are produced... there is a higher chance that those soul particles may preserve more than just simple instincts."

"Sometimes, they may even retain memories."

Kelly blinked.

"If that happens, the individual born from that fragment may essentially receive a second chance at life."

"Something similar to what you might call rebirth."

Then she shrugged faintly.

"Of course, all of that remains nothing more than an unverified rumour and even if something like this happens no one is stupid enough to announce these kinds of secrets."

"It may never actually occur."

"After all... the world itself would likely never allow such a thing to happen."

Her explanation then shifted slightly.

"However, this does lead to another point."

She looked toward Kelly again.

"For individuals who were already far along the path of power those with great talent and exceptionally robust souls things are slightly different."

"When such individuals die, the skills they cultivated during their lives are far more likely to be preserved within their soul fragments."

"And the rank of those skills tends to be much higher."

She concluded calmly.

"That is why someone born with an S-Rank skill is considered extraordinarily fortunate."

Her voice lowered slightly.

"Because it usually means that the soul fragment within them once belonged to someone who stood near the peak of this world."

"Okay...shit...wait..."

Kelly suddenly raised a hand, his head spinning from the sheer amount of information he had just absorbed.

"Just... give me a minute to process all of that."

He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to piece everything together in a way his mind could actually understand.

"So let me see if I got this right..."