Fleeting Worlds

It all felt like a dream. I mean- Reincarnation?

I wasn't quite religious so I thought it was a concept only existing in games and novels. And sometimes I had wished it was true, not knowing that it was already true.

If one of my friends had asked me about it a few weeks ago, I would have laughed it off and said, "Pffft~ Reincarnation? C'mon dude, you seriously believe that pile of gibberish?"

The problem was, I was now starting to believe that pile of gibberish myself.

* * *

Before I knew it, mere moments after my death, I was instantly reincarnated to a new world. I was born into a wealthy family in a game-like fantasy world in an age of the past. The place was something straight out of a fantasy RPG, quite literally.

The world ran on something like a concept of a game, otherwise known as "Systems". People would be bestowed a system upon fulfilling a requirement, which was mainly reaching a specific age. These systems would then determine the user's capabilities and limits by leveling them up.

However, the most interesting aspect of this was that each system was different from one another, basing your strengths and weaknesses on the genre of the acquired system. Thus, systems were valued highly like magical abilities in the world.

At a young age, I was bestowed with a system stronger than others. . . . Okay, fine. My system was just a little rarer than average, and I acquired my system at the usual age. But that didn't stop me from thinking I was something special. After all, it was all just like the games and animes I had seen: the main character dies and gets reincarnated with an overpowered system. Which would mean I was the main character!

I had obtained the "Adventurer System", which was actually one of the more common systems to exist. But with my superior knowledge of my past life and gamer instincts kicking in, I was a lot better at this than anyone else my age. With experience from many games, I got familiar with my system quite fast.

Due to my memories being intact, my powers grew a lot faster than other kids. People saw me as a magical prodigy, blessed by fate. By the time I was 6, I had already raised my level above 20 and had mastered the basics of swordsmanship. Playing games too much and getting into fights all the time in my previous world really paid off here. Fighting off Vick and his cronies had definitely given me some practice.

In a few more years, I was already entering sparring tournaments and hunting monsters on my own.

And in another year, I was already hunting beast monsters on my own. Hunting beast monsters were actually prohibited until you were an adventurer or over 17. But I still did it anyway. I guess I still had my rebellious personality.

The more technical part of learning, like the runic languages and advanced mathematics included in systems, those were much harder. I wasn't much of a studious person before, but I didn't want to blow this chance I've always wanted. With this kind of motivation, even an idiot like me was able to understand systems way more than anyone else around me.

I made a few friends during that time: Selio, Nyla, and my cousin Geltrut. My life was pretty good up to that point. I was already thought of as a prodigy and I was about to enroll in a prestigious magic academy where I would be able to show off my overpowered abilities. I would then probably meet the heroine, go on an epic adventure against the forces of evil, and defeat the villain.

Of course, the author wasn't going to let it turn out that way.

* * *

"Your turn to slay again!" Two very young boys laughed and ran off between the trees, calling "C'mon Nyla! Hurry or you'll be the first one out again!" to a girl trailing behind them. Nyla hesitated before running after them with a pout, unwilling to lose.

I waited until they were out of sight and then turned around to give them a headstart. It had been quite a while since I had been reborn in this world. I was a young and frisky 12-year-old lad now, playing around in a forest near the kingdom with my friends.

"Ahaha, run all you want!" I giggled as I finished counting fallen leaves. "This round will finish in a flash!"

A game of hide-and-seek, better known in this world as 'Butcher 'em Bandits'. Which was a brutal name for a children's game, though I can't say it didn't fit. Though the rules were technically the same, fighting was allowed. Why else do you think all the children healers in the kingdom were overworked? That was also why it was so popular among the kids.

However, I rarely ended up with a healer since I had already mastered the art of 'Butchering 'em Bandits'.

'System.' I thought. Instantly, a panel opened up inside my vision and I chose a word from a list. 'Contrast perception.'

There was a beep in my mind before everything around me seemed to light up and darken, highlighting the group of footprints in the leaves on the ground.

"Technically not cheating. I only promised not to use location skills." I assured myself with a grin before following the footprints. It wasn't too easy, since I sometimes kept losing the prints through large piles of leaves or fallen branches. Well, one couldn't expect much from basic skills in the Adventurer's System anyway.

My chase was suddenly cut short by a loud scream from Nyla. This one sounded like genuine terror. Panicking, I immediately used a locating skill and a swiftness spell.

Dashing to the area the scream came from, I found Nyla hanging from a cliff edge at one end of the forest. "Nyla!!" I yelled, rushing to help her up.

"No! Don't come near!" She screamed with tears in her eyes. Her face was pale and I could see the terror in her eyes. Her bruised hands had gotten numb from the strain and were slowly slipping from the rock-

I caught her hand at the last moment, stopping her fall. Unfortunately, when I tried to hoist her up, my minuscule 12-year-old body didn't have the strength.

"Nyla! Are you okay? Nyla?" I asked, but she just shook her head and struggled to free her hand.

"Let me go, they're going to kill you too!"

"Nyla, what happened? Who's they?" I asked, starting to be able to pull her up inch by inch. I was trying to find a skill in my system that would help us at the same time. "Nyla! What's going on? Where's Geltrut and Selio?!"

"Right behind you." A familiar voice said.

Strong hands pulled Nyla back onto firm ground, and I was almost relieved by the sudden arrival of help. Until a second later, I realized I had switched places with Nyla.

I suddenly felt myself being pushed, and the adrenaline from the frosted brownies I was not supposed to have for breakfast kicked in. 'Boost strength' I thought and managed to catch the edge of the cliff right before I fell. Unfortunately, even with the skill, I still wasn't strong enough to pull myself back up.

I had said it before, and I'll say it again. The Boost strength skill is absolute bullcrap.

Geltrut and Selio looked down at me from above the cliff with snide looks on their faces. The malice beneath their smiles was no longer hidden.

"The hell are you two doing!?" I yelled in confusion. "Hey, this isn't funny! Get me up!"

"How does it feel to be looked down at for a change... 'prodigy'?" Geltrut smiled, stepping alarmingly close near my hand.

"Very funny, Gelt. Now help me up."

"Since birth, you had everything I wanted." He continued with a hiss. "Looks, talents, recognition. You chose the path I've always wanted to go and even enrolled in the same school. You were supposed to be inferior to me! But you were always better- greater! You've taken everything from me!"

"You're crazy! How did you even come up with this rubbish conclusion!"

"Now... I'll take everything back from you..."

"What?! Y-you wouldn't dare... We're friends! Even cousins!"

I was actually starting to get scared at this point. Geltrut was two years older and a lot bigger, and if he really wanted to kill me, I'd be a goner. That, and the fact that neither Selio nor Nyla were making any move to help me.

"We-?" I asked, the sudden realization dawning on me. "No... Even you, Nyla? You all lied to me?"

She mumbled something like "I tried to stop them..." but wilted away in fear as Selio fixed a glare on her. Biting her tongue, she silently looked away, refusing to meet my desperate eyes.

"You always told me you wanted to be a hero, didn't you?" Geltrut asked with a spiteful smirk. He and Selio stepped forward, directly infront of his friend's finger gripping onto the edge. "Well now's your chance. 'When Nyla slipped off the cliff, you sacrificed your life in a heroic attempt to save her from falling.' How does that story sound? Pretty good right?"

"Geltrut- You wouldn't-"

"Long live the hero." Geltrut jeered before Selio stepped forward and kicked my bleeding hands off the last centimeter of grip I could get. I felt like I could feel my life flash by in the treetops before I heard a sickening splat and blackness mixed with a little red closed around me again.

I heard a faint beep along with one of the dialogues from my system flashing into my vision, but my consciousness had already faded in the next second.

Beep. [ Hidden quest initiated ]

[ Requirements: Un . . r . . . D . . t . . 10 . . . ime . . . ]

[ Reward: . . . . ander . . . . . st . . . . f . the . . . a . . . ]

* * *

And just like that, I died before my life could begin again, betrayed by my own friends. Dying twice might sounds cool after surviving, but the pain was excruciating. However, I didn't have time to think about everything that had happened.

The next thing I knew, I had been reincarnated again. This time, it was into a sci-fi world of the future. There were flying vehicles, space jets, giant mechs, incredibly advanced technology and complicated concepts that defied the laws of quantum physics.

Perhaps this was where my real adventure starts, I thought. Perhaps everything that had happened until now was just the backstory. Perhaps I would become an unstoppable fighter or a genious engineer that would save the galaxy from destruction.

As usual, my life here was very short-lived again. So short in fact, that it's not even worth going into third person POV for.

I died in a year after being born in a chemical explosion when my home planet was sabotaged and invaded by robots.

Why did I keep dying? I wondered. Why couldn't I just enjoy life? Was I cursed with bad luck?

I didn't have time to think of answers as I was instantly reincarnated into another world again, but it became pretty apparent later.