The Reincarnator.
A character built using the game’s [Reincarnation] system and essentially the failed version of “Lee Jeong‑jun”.
Until last year, he had passed on numerous memories that were helpful to Jun, but at some point, his presence had noticeably diminished.
Why would someone like him go so far as to borrow the power of Illusia just to appear before Jun?
A sense of instinctive caution rose within him, but the Reincarnator paid it no mind and began to speak.
“There isn’t much time. One of the Outer Gods has pierced a hole into your dimension, and that has given us a very brief opportunity.”
Jun barely held back the countless questions he wanted to ask and waited for the man to continue.
“I know you have much you want to ask. I’ll answer just a very small part of the doubts you carry.”
“……”
“First, I don’t know how you came to exist. I too am nothing more than the result of desperately thrashing about in an attempt to escape this reality.”
Then he gestured toward the shabby cavern.
“I lived obsessed with magic, and in order to reach the end of magic, I settled here in this miserable place. And the beginning and the end both lay in the Mana Body. But as you know, mana is a colossal force. So immense that one could forget one’s own existence, one’s own soul worn down to dust and absorbed as merely another part of mana.”
“……”
“So the essence of the Mana Body is no different from a curse. That is why I resisted it and in doing so, I entwined my fate with yours. That is the reason you and I can speak like this now.”
Then… was all of this simply the result of what the Reincarnator created?
“No. I’m not such a grand being. I’m nothing more than a fool who lost himself to magic. But my will at least reached the heavens, and the outcome veered in an unexpected direction. An Outer God took notice of me.”
“……”
“Some among the Outer Gods read my intent and granted it. That is how you came into existence.”
So… an Outer God is the one who pulled him into this world?
“That may be true… or it may not. All I know is that, at some point, I and my very existence became linked beyond this endlessly repeating universe, pierced through an endlessly spiraling helix, and arrived at you.”
Having answered Jun’s questions to some extent, the Reincarnator spoke again, as if it were now his turn.
“Anyway, I’ve talked too much. There’s only one thing I want. That the one whose fate is tied to mine….you will reach the end of magic.”
…Is he saying he wants me to become stronger?
“No, that’s not it. Growing stronger is just part of the process. What I’m looking at goes far beyond that. But it’s something impossible to achieve in this world that’s caught in an endless loop. That’s why you must break this cycle.”
Now the conversation’s getting way too abstract…
“You don’t need to understand it right now. In time, another opportunity will come.”
As he spoke, the Reincarnator pointed to a portal that had formed behind him.
“But as you are now, I can’t even say for certain whether you’ll survive the invasion of the Outer Gods, let alone reach the end of magic.”
I mean, I’ve worked pretty damn hard to get here.
“I’ve witnessed how quickly you’ve grown. So fast it made even me envious. But that overwhelming pace has only provoked the beings from beyond.”
They’re bothered by someone just trying to survive?
Jun found it absurd, but the Reincarnator showed no sympathy for his reaction.
“You can no longer trust the flow of this repeating world you’ve been watching. You’ve probably realized it by now. Countless changes are accelerating the destruction that’s doomed to repeat here.”
So what exactly do you want from me? I’ve already done everything I can in my position.
It’s only been two years.
He’d climbed from the Third Circle to the Sixth in that time, and his companions were already performing far beyond the levels expected in the original game’s storyline.
“That’s exactly why I’ve come to leave you a clue. If you survive the first invasion of the Outer Gods, seek out the Ancient Tower.”
The Ancient Tower…?
He’d already been there once.
“If it’s that place, it’ll provide exactly the resource you’re most lacking right now.”
The thing I’m most lacking… Time? He’s saying he’ll give me time?
“That’s right. Looks like we’ve reached the limit. The worms from beyond have already begun to notice our conversation. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday.”
Wait, then when—
“Only fate can answer that. Before I go, I’ve granted your spirit a small ability to read fate. It’s a one-time use, so use it well.”
Fwoooosh!!
In that moment, a mysterious energy surged from the Reincarnator’s forehead.
Illusia greedily absorbed the power.
And with that, the dream world began to collapse.
– Master… I… can’t hold onto this for long… I’ll use it… right away…
Wait, what do you mean by that?
In the whirlwind of events too fast to follow, Jun’s vision blinked again.
A violet aura rapidly swallowed the space, and soon, Jun felt his consciousness fade.
***
Hell on earth.
There were no other words to describe the scene before him.
Monsters shrieked from all directions, and people were being mercilessly slaughtered, screaming as they fell to the grotesque creatures.
Jun frowned.
Where… is this?
No matter how he looked, this wasn’t any city he’d ever seen before.
Had he arrived in another dimension?
“…Leader?”
Startled by the voice calling out to him, Jun quickly turned around.
Floating in the air, semi-transparent just like him, was Maya.
“You… Why are you here?”
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? This is my dream, you know.”
“A dream?”
Only then did Jun recall who had brought him here.
Illusia. You’re the one who sent me here, aren’t you?
No….more precisely, Illusia had only provided the method. The real reason was likely the Reincarnator.
But why? What reason did he have to send Jun here?
To that question, Illusia gave no answer.
It seemed Illusia had just burned through an immense amount of power. So much so that it even drained Jun’s mana, which it normally never touched, before falling into a deep sleep.
Whatever the case, there must be something here. That’s probably why the Reincarnator and Illusia sent me.
With that thought, Jun turned to Maya.
“When did it start? These dreams of yours.”
“What do you mean, all of a sudden? Do you know something about this place, Leader?”
“I’m not sure either. I was just suddenly dragged here.”
“Hmm… I see. Well, to answer your question, this is the second time. The first was when we were camping. Before we entered the city.”
“That time…”
The day Jun had first discovered Maya’s nightmares.
“So, what is this dream? Is this the reason you came here, Leader?”
“I don’t really know. Illusia just pulled me in without warning.”
“You mean the ring? Hmm…”
“Anyway, it’s a grim dream.”
“It is. Everyone… they’re dying.”
Maya, who had been watching the catastrophic scene unfold with a strangely hollow expression, suddenly turned to Jun.
“Is this the disaster you mentioned before, Leader?”
“…Yeah.”
Monsters poured out in overwhelming numbers from the gaping hole torn in the sky.
The city gates had long been destroyed, and the beastkin who lived within were being mercilessly slaughtered.
Among them, a monster over ten meters tall swung an enormous iron mace.
With a single strike, the city wall crumbled, and countless beastkin were crushed beneath the falling debris.
“What kind of battle are you fighting, Leader…?”
“…….”
“Did you already know this would happen?”
“To some extent.”
“….…”
Maya asked, her voice heavy.
“Can this be stopped? All those monsters… can we stop them?”
“It won’t be easy. Even seeing it with our own eyes, it feels impossible to stop. Who would believe us?”
“So are you giving up?”
“…Hah. I don’t know anymore.”
At this point, it was true. There was no clear solution.
They couldn’t know exactly where or how the disaster would begin.
“I feel powerless.”
“……”
“I hate this feeling.”
No one likes feeling powerless, of course. But for Maya, it was especially unbearable.
Because it brought back far too many bad memories.
When she was ostracized by her tribe, she had been helpless to stop it.
Even as the tribe fell into ruin, all she could do was run.
And even after she escaped, there was still nothing she could do on her own.
“I was glad I hadn’t felt like this in a while. It’s all thanks to you, Leader.”
“Seriously, you’re going to bring that up now…?”
At those words, Maya gave a gentle smile.
“You always find a way, Leader. No matter how bad things get.”
“You’re really asking for the impossible, you know…”
Despite saying that, Jun took in the scene unfolding before him once more.
Even now, countless beastkin were being killed by the monsters.
It was such a gruesome sight that any normal person would be left scarred for life.
And yet, he kept thinking about how to stop it.
So this… this is what’s come upon the world…
He didn’t want to look at it.
More than that…he wanted to stop it.
But was that even possible?
That’s when it happened.
The [Keen Eyesight] skill showed Jun something.
It was immediately obvious. This was no ordinary beastkin. Surrounded by a large number of guards, someone who looked like royalty was racing down the main road.
“…Right. I just need to find a way.”
“……”
“Let’s go, Maya. Let’s see if your dream can show us how.”
“Now you sound like our Leader again. Let’s move.”
Jun and Maya took off, following the royal-looking group.
They fought off the monsters for quite some time, carving out an escape route however they could.
But was it really just an escape to survive?
No.
They might not have had human faces, being beastkin, but in their fighting and even in the demeanor of the royal figure being protected…there was a clear sense of resolve.
That was by no means the face of someone in despair.
Jun and Maya silently cheered them on, and as a result… they finally broke through the wave of monsters and made it to the other side.
It had been far from an easy journey.
At the end of that monstrous wave, a truly powerful foe had been waiting.
By the time they managed to bring it down, only a tenth of their original number remained.
Even the royal figure had lost an arm in the process. But despite that, his eyes still shone with fierce determination.
“This place…”
Jun recognized the location too.
A dark cave, with a lone stone monument set in the center.
It looked almost identical to the place in the photo he’d received from Kyler.
– Dari a ber tu Barnes lain dura.
“……!”
Standing before the monument, the royal figure began to chant something.
It was something between the ancient tongue and the beastkin’s language.
And once the chant was complete, a sinister aura of death erupted from the monument.
It began to burn from within, and eventually, nothing remained but a pile of ashen dust.
When the survivors who had witnessed the whole thing stepped outside the cave, the city that was once overrun by monsters had completely changed.
Flames still blazed in places, and the blood of countless corpses stained the ground…
But the monsters that had caused that devastation were nowhere to be seen.
As if waking from a terrible nightmare, every single one had vanished without a trace.
And with that, the royal figure’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
They had certainly won.
But it was a victory filled with nothing but pain.
Watching the scene unfold, Jun felt a wave of intense discomfort.
It felt as if the reincarnator was speaking directly to him.
– If you don’t want this to happen to you, don’t grow complacent.
A sharp, stinging warning like a whip.
So in the end, you’re telling me to overcome this too.
He clicked his tongue at the thought.
That’s when Maya suddenly spoke.
“Leader. That person… is moving.”
“What?”
However, the royal figure, who had just moments ago been staring at the ground with a face twisted in rage and despair, suddenly stood up..
As if he had found a glimmer of hope, his face now showed the same resolve as before.
And those who had been guarding him began to walk behind him.
The royal figure headed toward the cave they had just exited.
What is he trying to do?
Jun’s question was soon answered.
Once inside the cave, the royal figure began to dig through the ashes that had once been a gravestone.
And what emerged from within was—
A pocket watch…?
Jun narrowed his eyes.
An overwhelming magical power radiated from it.
It was crafted so intricately that, for a moment, Jun was reminded of the massive gear-driven machine he had once encountered in the ancient tower.
Reincarnator. So this is what you wanted to show me.
As if to confirm Jun’s thoughts, the royal figure picked up the watch and that marked the beginning of the dream world’s collapse.
“Hoo…”
Though everything still felt chaotic, as if nothing had been properly sorted out yet—
There was one thing he was absolutely sure of.
If I still can’t do it after being spoon-fed this much, now that would be strange.
Recalling the magic pattern of the pocket watch he had just seen, Jun let out a sharp smile.
There was no doubt about what he had to do.
To stop the disaster.
To ensure that horrifying, hellish scene would never happen again.
As always, Jun’s mind began working at full speed.
“See that? Leader always finds a way.”
Watching from the side, Maya gave a satisfied smile. And with that, the world of dreams completely disappeared.
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