1 Reincarnation?

The pain only lasted a moment.

I watch my vision spin as my life flashed before me. I only have a single thought.

'What a shitty life!'

Truly.

My parents died young and I had but one abusive aunt to rely on. I never found peace there. Tired from such a life, I ran away from home at sixteen. It was a tough decision leading to a tough life but I never once regretted it. I worked hard to make ends, but it was still better than living with my aunt.

At eighteen, I built a startup with my beloved girlfriend. We were successful. We developed it to a scale of millions within just three years. Hoping to save children like me, we funded several orphanages. Seeing the smiles on the children's faces.

I was truly satisfied. I was happy.

We were happy.

It was then that it all went to shit...

I proposed to her. I loved her to death. I would've given my world for her.

But she did not feel the same. She was never faithful to me. Not once, since the start. Turns out, as I worked hard to keep up the business, she snatched it all away from behind my back. As if that wasn't enough, she charged several illegal charges against me. Heartbroken, I could not even fight for what was supposed to ours together.

I was left alone.

Something broke within me.

Maybe it was my heart. But I truly gave up that day.

Left on the streets, I spent my days indulging in drinking and gambling.

I did not cry when she left me.

I did not cry when she got married.

I did not cry.

But why?

Why do I feel hot tears falling down?

I wonder why as I close my heavy eyelids...

***

After an unknown time.

I open my eyes feeling so fresh. Feeling so liberated. Feeling so free.

But I do not see anything. Nothing.

It is neither white nor is it black.

It is chaos! Yes! It is chaos! That is the only thing it could be.

I did not think much about the fact that I knew about this place. After all, anyone who comes to this place would recognize it. It was the beginning and the end of all things. It contains the answers to all the questions and questions to all the answers.

"That is correct."

I suddenly hear a voice and I once again know instinctively that it is the will of chaos.

I open my mouth only to feel I have no mouth. I am a soul.

"Traveller. Would you like to become a God?"

'God? Why?'

"I am Chaos, Keeper of the Universe. Every single God was killed in the War of Gods. As such, I must select at least one God to stop the flow of chaos."

'Aren't you already the most powerful existence there is? Why don't you do it yourselves.'

There was a brief silence before the reply came.

"I am chaos yet I am not chaos. I am the strongest yet I am the weakest. I create all life yet I destroy it all. I am everything yet I am nothing. I exist yet I am imaginary. My existence itself is contradictory."

Great! Still don't understand why but whatever.

But still; God. It's not like I'll refuse if it is offered up to me on a platter. I can feel that there is no deception within its words.

'Sure. I'll be a God. So what do I have to do?'

"I can make you a God right now. However, you will be but an empty shell. You have to carve your own path. You will travel through the reincarnation circle with your consciousness intact. You shall become a God through your own trials. Those that accompany you in your journey will also ultimately become Gods."

'I see. Then please go ahead I am ready.'

"Everything follows the law of causality and karma. You are no exception. For the accumulated karma in your previous life, you will be allowed to make two wishes. Leaving that aside, the world you are born in will be one you know; but there might be small differences. The worlds you travel through will be the same. However, your memories of them will be sealed until the opportune moment. Magic and divinity form the basis of powers."

'My first wish are eyes that see through lies.'

I know I have major trust issues at the moment. I acknowledge that and want something that will help me. But I was rejected.

"That is not sufficient to qualify as a wish. And you might gain abilities that tell the truth and lies apart in the future."

Hmm. Is that so. Then how about...

'Infinite magic power'

"Infinity is nothingness. Does not qualify."

Fuck. That does not qualify either.

'Then how about an enhanced brain that does not forget anything, works super fast, has no limiter, enhanced senses, and even gives a few psychic powers like in anime and novels. Basically, a super brain. Without those side effects like losing emotions and the like.'

Did I say I love anime, novels, and stuff like that? No? Well, I do.

"That is still not enough. However, the power will be adjusted accordingly. State the second wish."

What shall I wish for? I truly don't have anything much to wish for. I don't even know what kind of a world I will be born in. Since I can get strength later, I should think about the potential. Ah, now that I think about it...

' I want such a body that has almost infinite potential for physical, soul, and magical powers.'

"Granted. I shall be sending a fragment of chaos along you to assist you and your companions. It will accompany and help you in many ways. It will be in the form of an ideal 'system' that you have in mind. It will exist dependent on you, so you can discard it once you get strong enough, pass it to future generations or keep it around. The first world will gift you with the spark of divinity, while the other worlds you travel through will give you experience with powers gained through the fragment. The first wish shall be partially granted at the time you are born. Both the wishes, the fragment, and the memories of the world will be activated at the right moment through destiny. I wish you well, traveler."

'Wait! At least tell me what do I have to do after I become a God.'

"Anything. You can even try to destroy the universe if you wish. However, at that time, a counterpart to you will be born. You are free to do anything. Just remember every action has a consequence."

I was dumbfounded at the answer but before I could think more about it, my consciousness faded once again and silence reigned again.

***

In the lively corridors of high school, I walked towards the room located at the far end. Shiny black hair with a hue of red at the end, paired along with amber-colored eyes, a slightly muscular body, and a lean and tall figure. I would say I was handsome. I was fairly popular too but I didn't like attention so I usually just try to fade around in the background.

My name is Alex. It's my only name and I don't have a family name. My parents never gave me one. Even my birth certificate doesn't have one. Though Alex was a very strange name for me living in Japan, nobody seemed to question it. Maybe it was Chaos at work.

It's been 17 years since I reincarnated in this world. I had loving parents until I was two but they died in an accident. After that, I had lived with my grandmother until I was thirteen but she left me four years ago too. Since then I had been living in the family house alone. It was hard but it was fine. I handled the legal work through a proxy and became an online writer for some extra cash.

I am of course a top-grade student with my memory. And I trained my body hard in preparation for the future. I am more powerful than a full-fledged wrestler at my age.

As for this world, it seemed familiar to me but whenever I tried to think about it, I was always stopped by some mysterious force.

Anyways, back to the present.

I opened the door to the classroom to see most of the students already there. I scooted over to my seat silently and sat down without paying much attention to others.

"Good morning Alex-kun."

"Morning Shirasaki."

A beautiful young woman with waist-length black hair that was tied back in a half ponytail. Kaori Shirasaki. She was so beautiful that she was one of the 'School Goddesses'. I wondered just who came up with such a cheezy name.

Anyhow, she came to my desk and pulled a chair to sit down in front of me. She put her hands together and used them as cushions, leaning on my desk. She had a silly smile on her face as we made small talk. She was a kind and understanding girl with a sense of responsibility. She was an airhead though.

Since we joined high school, she had taken an interest in me. I remember I first saw her when I saved a mother and child being bullied. It was just a glance but thanks to my inhuman memory, I remember her.

I hear some boys grumbling by the side but I ignore them. While we were talking, the door slid open once again and a black-haired boy with brown eyes entered.

"Morning Hajime."

"Good morning Alex-san."

He is Hajime Nagumo. He is a loner like me and I quite like him. He is true to his hobbies and doesn't mind others teasing him about them. He clumsily greeted Kaori then went to his seat.

"You are too nice for your own good Kaori. Alex doesn't even appreciate your kindness

"Seriously. Talking to a failure like him's a total waste of time."

"Good morning Alex-kun."

Here come the annoying flies. Kouki Amanogawa, the guy with the hero complex; Ryutarou Sakagami, Kouki's best friend; and Shizuku Yaegashi, Kaori's best friend.

"Good morning Yaegashi-san."

I greeted her and directly ignored the two others. I swear I saw a vein pop up on Kouki's forehead. Seeing this annoying person get angry was fun.

As he was about to open his mouth again, a silver magic circle appeared under his feet. All the students were attracted by the bright light and froze upon looking at it, I was no exception.

Suddenly the circle expanded to cover the whole class. It lit even more brightly and engulfed everyone in the class.

I could not move my body, not even my eyes, but my brain was still functioning properly. I saw Kaori who was sitting in front of me had muddled eyes as if dead. Everyone in my line of sight was the same. It was only for a second but then everyone returned to normal but the place we were in was no longer the class.

We were summoned to another world.

***

A few weeks later.

Standing at the back of my class, I looked at the entrance to the Great Labyrinth in front of me. I sighed silently as I looked at my status plate in my hands.

( Name- Alex Age: 17 Male Level: 1

Job: %&!$#

Strength: 152

Vitality: 182

Defense: 58

Agility: 203

Magic: 0

Magic Defense: 0

Skills: Language Comprehension )

It would've been an excellent status for level-1 if not for not having magic at all and the strange job that I couldn't figure anything about. Except that, I couldn't level up at all. No matter how much I trained during the day, I couldn't get to the next level. So I immersed myself in the royal library reading all the books. I had scoured all of the books in just a few days.

I also had a companion there.

Hajime Nagumo!

He was quite unlucky I'd say. He had very low stats with a very common job normally used by blacksmiths. He was already a loner and he was bullied increasingly in class. I was his companion in that too.

Since I didn't have a job I made use of my psychic abilities to make it seem like I had a job called 'Psychic'. I could use it to move around small and light objects and a few vague things even back in Japan but that was all. It was very hard to train in mental energy and that was all I could do after years of training. Even just slightly influencing the person asking for my job to believe me almost made me faint.

Of course, I had good physical abilities that seemed to help me, it was only for now. As the stats of others increase, I am sure that the boys and girls who were pissed with me in Japan for having Kaori's attention will bully me to death. Even now, I often hear myself being cussed behind my back.

If that was not all, everyone in this world was very strangely fanatic believers of god. Their God Ehit. It was creepy, to be honest. I have read enough light novels to know that something was wrong here. It's even worse as I know Ehit can't be a God as there were no surviving Gods.

The angelic humans against evil demons, they say. Sure, I believe that. Summoning us to fight against the evil demons. Sure.

I hate bloodshed in the name of religion, be it now or before my reincarnation.

Now, we were on our way to the Orcus Labyrinth. One of the seven great labyrinths in the world. They were supposedly the most dangerous labyrinths, though only three of them were documented.

To be honest I am a little scared. I know I am supposed to become a God but I still can't shake off the nervousness and anxiety. Especially after last night when Kaori came to me wearing nothing but a cardigan over her pure white negligee. She had a dream where no matter how much she chased after me, I did not answer and finally disappeared into the darkness. She wanted to make me stay back but I knew I couldn't do that. It ended up with her proclaiming she would protect me no matter what.

Kaori Shirasaki. She's a very sweet girl. I'm sure she likes me. Not that I hate it. Over the years, I had come to accept myself and of the age that I am; just with a little extra experience. I had thought long and hard about it. I would be lying if I said that I didn't like her but I wanted to figure out my feelings before that. Or maybe I was just hesitating because of my past. It's not that I don't trust her enough, I guess I was just scared.

"LET'S GO. BE CAREFUL AT ALL TIMES"

A loud shout interrupts my thoughts as we start moving forward. Meld Loggins, the instructor responsible for the training of the summoned children. He took good care of us for the past few weeks. He was a bit better than the others in our treatment but he was a firm believer of the 'God Ehit' too.

I followed the others into the labyrinth as we kept moving through the long passage a little over five meters wide. The cave-like labyrinth was dimly lit by an ore called green glowstone. We kept moving forward as encountered the first monster that was swiftly dealt with. Then the second, the third, and as such, we kept progressing through the labyrinth floors slowly and steadily.

***

The Twentieth Floor.

"...What is that? It's all sparkly..." At Kaori's words, everyone turned to look in the direction she was pointing.

There was a strange mineral emitting a pale blue glow, protruding from the wall like a flower in bloom. It looked like a crystal with Indigolite buried in its center. All of the girls, including Kaori, were entranced by the beauty of the gem.

"Oh, that's a glanz crystal. And a pretty big one to boot. How rare," Captain Meld said.

Glanz crystals were basically a type of raw gemstone. Though they held no special properties, their luster and radiance made them popular among the noble ladies and their daughters. They were often processed into rings, earrings, pendants, and such other jewelry to be given as gifts. Apparently most girls were overjoyed to receive glanz jewelry as gifts. It was among the top three jewels used in proposal rings.

"That sounds so lovely..." Kaori blushed when she heard Captain Meld's explanation, and was further entranced by the stone. She then stole a glance at me. It was so quick that it almost went unnoticed. However, Shizuku and one other person most definitely did take note.

I, the innocent Alex-kun on the other hand was receiving a glare dripped with hatred. It made goosebumps stand on my end. That person, Daisuke Hiyama was bad news. He was the one who actively participated in bullying me especially. He was obsessed with Kaori Shirasaki. His eyes looking at me were anything but friendly. I need to do something about him as he seems to be bad in the head.

"In that case, I'll go grab it for us!" Hiyama suddenly ran forward after saying that. He swiftly climbed up the debris of the crumbled wall, heading toward the glanz crystal as fast as possible. Captain Meld hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Hey! Don't just run off on your own! We're not even sure it's safe yet!" However, Hiyama pretended not to hear, and he was standing in front of the crystal before long.

I had a bad feeling and wanted to stop him. But alas, it was already too late as his hand came into contact with the stone causing it to shine and make a magic circle appear below us. We were once again engulfed in white light just like the time in the classroom.

***

It was a trap of course.

I stood oozing in a cold sweat as I watch the abomination in front of me. A behemoth. We were directly teleported to the sixty-fifth floor. Chaos spread everywhere as everyone haphazardly try to break through the horde of skeletons not daring to even look the behemoth in the eyes. Of course, there was our idiot hero, not realizing the disparity between him and the monster. He attacked it. And thanks to the lovely him, the behemoth is now even more aggravated. Perfect. I give you full marks.

I raise the shortsword in my hand as I parried the sword of a traum soldier coming for me. The light in the eyes of its hollow skeleton glowing brightly. I raise the sword and coat it with my psychic energy. It was hard to utilize and took a lot of my mental strength but it still helped me raise my attack power. I panted heavily as I barely pushed it back. It was very difficult to damage the bones with a sword.

I push down my urge to just ignore the monsters and cut down Hiyama in the back.

I look ahead to see Captain meld hitting Kouki on the cheek. Ah, that helped me calm down. Most probably he is scolding him for charging straight to death and not helping his classmates. I am sure Meld himself thinks the life of 'Hero' is worth more than everyone else combined, evident by his monstrous stats and skills.

Now then. What to do? The behemoth isn't getting defeated by any of us. The skeleton soldiers in the back won't be easy to defeat without Meld and the hero Kouki. But if they left the frontline, the behemoth will rampage from behind us.

I thought about what could be done for a moment when I glanced at Hajime using his transmutation ability. I remember to kill a monster, he had trapped its legs by making the ground transmute. I suddenly had a crazy idea. It should be theoretically possible if everyone gave their mana potions.

I ran to Meld and explain to him the plan.

He looks reluctant. Well, I expected that but I am sure he will accept. After all, it's either do or die.

The plan was very simple. Give Hajime all the mana potions as he makes the ground underneath the behemoth softer and thinner. All the while, the ground is assaulted by everyone's magic along with Meld to stop its advance while Kouki momentarily holds the front for the skeleton soldiers. I will help bring Hajime back when he is exhausted from the magic overuse. It's not like I wanted to do it but it was an urgent situation and nobody else was willing to do it

We advanced with it.

That's the thing.

We shouldn't have. Or rather I should not have.

I got into a strange trance as I watch the impending fireball come towards me. Everything seemed to slow down as I matched the trajectory to see who was the fucker who sent the fireball my way. I see him with a twisted grin on his face. Why am I not surprised.

'Hiyama! You fucker.'

The magic hits me as the unconscious Hajime slips from my hand barely making it onto the bridge.

Light rapidly faded around me as the darkness swallowed me. My face twists in terror as my gut tenses up bungee jumping without a rope.

I shot my hand up wanting to grab the light but I knew it was impossible. I kept falling into the deep chasm with the sound of wind as a companion in my plunge into the hellish abyss below me.