《The Trial of the Gods.》


 Prelude: The end of the fishermans tale

    The old man drank a glass of wine on the balcony of his home while watching the sunset over the ocean for one last time. It was still as beautiful as the day he and his wife had gone to this beach for the first time and decided to build a house here.


    Well, it was almost as beautiful, since most of the light illuminating his surroundings didn''t actually come from the sun, but rather from the opposite direction. From the "pillar", which disintegrated all organic matter it touches. Though by now, it would be more accurate to call it a wall.


    Since the day the Origin touched the stone, this pillar had gradually increased its diameter. And even though it only increased by a few meters every day, it had by now reached even the farthest remaining land of the continent.


    While the old man still tried to take in his last moments in this world, in which he lived for such an extraordinary long time, he was mentally already preparing his mind for the steps, which he''ll have to take next. He was now finally ready to see his wife again, which had already died years ago due to old age.


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    But before he could do that, he still had a mission to fulfill ¨C one could say it was the most important mission in the world. Not that much still existed of it...


    After he finished his glass of wine, he sighed and stood up to go into the old workshop of his wife. Although the sun had already set and the curtains were closed, the dusty room was still brightly illuminated by the pillar. There was a huge number of blueprints and magical artifacts scattered throughout the room, but he was there for another reason.


    He stripped off all of his clothes in preparation to put on the most specialized suit of armor. It was completely useless in most battles, but that was never its intended purpose anyway. It was the absolute pinnacle of science, on which his wife worked all her lives to perfect it. It was the sole reason everything in the world ever existed, and it was the crucial piece to finishing the self-imposed Trial.


    It was the proof in the beginning ¨C and it will be the question in the end.


    <hr>


    After he finished preparing mentally and physically, the old man finally stepped fully armored in front of the pillar.


    Then, after taking a last deep breath, he stepped forwards and vanished into the white void.

 A1: A rainy day after baseball training

    While watching out of the window, I had to sigh. It had already been raining for the whole day, and it didn''t seem like it would stop anytime soon. I was the only one left in the changing room of my local baseball court. We lost our training game against our underclassmen pretty hard and my current mood reflected that quite obviously.


    I packed my backpack, to which I also attached my baseball bat. The reason for me still waiting inside the changing room being that I forgot my umbrella at home and hoped for the weather to clear up.


    But since that didn''t seem to happen any time soon, I stepped through the door heading straight towards my home ¨C taking all the shortcuts I know, in hopes of not getting completely soaked. Although the original plan was to buy some groceries on my way back, I now just wanted to get back home and read some books.


    However, while being lost in thoughts, I spotted something strange. A girl around my age seemed to get harassed by two older people in black coats. Today really nothing went according to plan¡­ I didn''t have any martial arts experience to speak of, but I was somewhat confident in my physical strength. I also had my baseball bat attached to the side of the backpack, which I could use as a weapon if worse comes to worst¡­


    As I approached the incident and saw the girl''s face, I instantly recognized her: She was Kaitlyn Harris from my class. Always paying attention to class and studying very hard; that kind of girl. But while she was very good in school, she neglected her personal life a bit too much to the point where she had basically no friends. Always only being interested in science to the point where everything she did is based on whether it will help her gain knowledge about different science topics. But now wasn''t the time to think about such things; I had to help her!


    "Hey, Kaitlyn! Are these friends of yours?" I should try to solve this peacefully, if possible.


    Kaitlyn hadn''t noticed me yet, so when I spoke up, she looked a bit surprised, but also somewhat disoriented. However, before she could answer my question one of the two hooded people turned towards me. "I think you should stop asking questions now, or it might end very badly for you." Speaking to me was a middle-aged woman who stood in front of me. Her tone was hostile but strangely calm, as if she was already certain of the outcome of this conversation.


    "Ma''am, I really don''t want to bother you, but she is a friend of mine," I replied, "and we wanted to meet each other after school." This was a complete lie, as I had never even talked to her before, but it was still the most effective solution to getting someone out of such a situation. Under normal circumstances.


    "Sorry, boy, but we have to take her with us, and we don''t have any time to waste on someone like you." The woman grabbed Kaitlyn by the wrist and started dragging her in the direction of a black van, which stood parked nearby. While Kaitlyn still seemed a bit confused, she started to struggle against the woman.


    If I didn''t help her now, she''d get kidnapped! Without thinking, I grabbed the bat on the side of my backpack and threw the backpack to the ground. However, before completely finishing these preparations, the second cloaked person started to move. Extremely quickly at that! I couldn''t react in time and felt his boot burying into my stomach. Damn, I was already on my knees and I hadn''t even started to fight. When I could gather the strength to stand up again, I saw a revolver pointed at my forehead.


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    "You''re coming with us, too.", the man holding the revolver told me in a deep voice. I should have just ran away, when I saw these guys ¨C this is a fight I couldn''t win. "Why do you do this? What do you get from kidnapping children?" "You''re asking too many questions. Guess we''re doing this the other way¡­" He started moving again and before I could react, he hit me on my temple with the grip of his gun, and the world around me faded.


    <hr>


    When waking up again, I found myself in what looked like a medical room. This wouldn''t be that bad, if it wasn''t for the fact that I was tied to an operating table. Panic started rising in me. Why does this shit happen to me? How the fuck could I get out of this ridiculous situation?!


    While still busy with panicking, I started hearing footsteps coming closer to me. Then the door opened and at me looked the woman which had grabbed Kaitlyn. Since she didn''t wear a cloak this time, I could clearly see her emotionless face and blonde hair, which was bound together in a short ponytail.


    "So you''re finally awake? It would probably have been more pleasant for you if you''d been unconscious for a bit longer. This stuff can be a bit¡­ nauseating." She spoke those words as if she was pitying me, but I didn''t feel any sympathy from her at all. When the woman started walking towards a nearby cabinet, I asked her the only thing I could think of: "What are you going to do to me? Why are you doing all of this?" "You might understand it someday. Or you might not. But for now, just be quiet and let me give you your next dose."


    Next dose? What was she talking about? When she turned to me again, I get my question answered immediately. In her hand, she was holding a syringe containing a dark purple liquid. I had never seen such a thing before, but I''m damn sure that''s bad news. When she stepped next to me, I tried to free myself, but my hands and legs were strapped securely to the table. Ignoring my struggle, she prepared the syringe and injected the liquid into my veins.


    Just as I thought things couldn''t get any worse, I saw something else. Right next to where she injected me with the syringe, I could see multiple other puncture sites. Had they really been doing this to me already while I was still unconscious? That would at least imply this stuff wasn''t completely fatal. But even if it wasn''t fatal, I already started feeling nauseous.


    "Here is a bucket, if you have to puke. It makes it easier for me to clean up the mess." The woman told me with her always monotonous voice.


    "As if I''d care about your clean-up!", I tried sounding determined, but at this point the medicine already gave me such a headache I couldn''t think straight anymore. "What is this stuff anyway!?" Instead of answering, the woman just turned around and left the room.


    <hr>


    I''m not sure how much time had passed, it had probably been multiple hours¡­ I wondered if Kaitlyn was ok. That woman had come and gone multiple times since I first woke up. Each time giving me one of these strange shots. I was feeling ill and the whole room smelled like vomit. With each passing injection I felt worse, and if things kept going this way I was sure I''d die¡­ Yet I didn''t even have any strength anymore to try and fight back.


    I already started hearing her footsteps again. It was always been the same procedure. She came, gave me an injection and then went without answering any of my questions.


    But this time, when turning around after searching for the syringe in the cabinet, she was holding a much larger one than usual.


    "Don''t worry, Arthur. This is gonna be the last one."


    I had already guessed I wouldn''t get out of this room alive, and while I still felt the fear of death, a part of what she told me was scaring me, too.


    "How do you know my name? Did Kaitlyn tell you?"


    But instead of answering my question, she evaded the question by telling me another thing I didn''t want to know: "You''re still worrying about her? Don''t worry, she''ll leave this world, just like you."


    Damn. So that''s how I''d die.


    I felt the needle puncturing my skin and this sickening liquid entering my body.


    I felt dizzy and noticed the world around me getting dark.


    Then ¨C I felt nothing.

 K1: Meeting two very trustworthy people

    In front of me laid a book about the modern problems of physics. It mostly focused on dark matter and how it was still very poorly understood by physicists. And while I had understood everything this book explains, there really wasn''t much useful information. I will have to do my own experiments sooner or later to find out more about it.


    When closing the lid of the book, I saw a new notification pop up on my smartphone, indicating an e-mail. I initially thought it was just generic spam, but then I noticed the subject.


    "For Kaitlyn ¨C Aren''t you interested in dark matter?" Well, of course I was interested. I clicked on the notification to open the e-mail: "I already know the answer to this question. Please come to the alley, you always use as a shortcut when walking to school."


    This sure was strange ¨C I had never told anyone about my shortcut, nor should anyone know that I''m currently interested in dark matter, since the book in front of me is the first one I''ve ever read about that topic. This definitely sounded like a creepy stalker. But even a stalker shouldn''t have been able to know about this book, since it had only arrived in the mail yesterday.


    Despite all warning signs, I was very curious and started packing my stuff to meet this person. But I wasn''t naive enough to go there without taking some precautions, so I rummaged through my belongings until I found what I was searching for: The result of some tinkering I''d done last year; a self built gun. It wasn''t anything fancy, just a barrel, some black powder and a bullet, but it was definitely enough to help me out in a precarious situation.


    <hr>


    When arriving at the described meeting point, I could already see two people waiting for me. They gave me the impression, that they were a couple in their sixties.


    When coming closer the woman waved at me, but she looked expressionless and calculating. Yet, when I saw this gesture, I relaxed a little. Not because it was a particularly nice gesture, but because it reminded me of myself.


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    I approached the couple cautiously, keeping my hand on the gun in my pocket. As I got closer, I could hear them talking in hushed tones. "I remember her differently. Are you sure this is the one?" the man asked the woman. "Yes, I''m sure," she replied confidently.


    I cleared my throat to get their attention. "Excuse me, but who are you and why did you ask me to come here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.


    The woman smiled at me, but it didn''t reach her eyes. "We are scientists, dear," she said, her voice smooth and practiced. "And we have been looking for someone like you for a very long time."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Someone like me?" I repeated, confused.


    The man nodded. "Yes, someone with a keen interest in dark matter and the willingness to take risks to learn more," he explained. "We have discovered something truly groundbreaking, and we think you may be able to help us."


    I felt a spark of curiosity mixed with wariness. "What is it that you''ve discovered?" I asked.


    The woman glanced at the man before turning back to me. "We have found a way to manipulate dark matter," she said, her voice low and intense. "And we believe you have the potential to help us unlock its full potential."


    I was stunned. This is exactly the kind of thing I''ve been dreaming of. But something about this situation still didnt''t feel right. "Why me?" I asked, trying to keep my emotions in check.


    The man shrugged. "We''ve been watching you for a while, and we think you have the potential to be a great asset to our research," he said. "But the choice is ultimately up to you. We can show you what we''ve discovered, but it comes with great risk. Are you willing to take that risk to learn more about dark matter?"


    I hesitated, torn between my curiosity and my instincts. I knew I should be wary of these strangers and their offer, but the prospect of being able to study dark matter and potentially manipulate it was too tempting to pass up. I took a deep breath and made my decision. "Yes," I said finally. "I''m willing to take the risk."


    The woman smiled again, but this time it looked more genuine. "Excellent," she said, "but I know you don''t trust us, yet, so let me show you something". Saying this, she grabbed into her pocket and handed me a small notebook.


    When opening the notebook, I was completely awestruck. Not only contained it, what would at first seem like completely fictional research results. It also contained absolute proof, that I could trust these people.


    "Keep the notebook. If you want to go along with our plan, let''s meet here again tomorrow at 4 pm."

 A2: The Origin

    When opening my eyes after waking up, I only see darkness.


    I can still feel my headache, and I''m laying on what seems like cold, uneven stone. In the distance, I can hear the regular splashing of droplets on stone. I guess I''m in some kind of cave? I wish I could see something...


    As I slowly get on my feet, I feel a wave of dizziness washing over me. I feel around the cave, trying to get a sense of my surroundings. The walls are rough and jagged, and the floor is slippery with moisture. I can hear the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, and the air is damp and musty.


    Just when I start getting nervous about how I should escape this cave, I notice a little bit of light shining through a small crack in the wall in the distance. If I can get there, I can escape!


    I begin carefully and slowly to make my way towards the light source. How did I get here anyway? And where is this place? The last thing I can remember was the incredible pain of the medicine, which the woman was injecting me. I''m sure I was dying, so how can I still be alive?


    Maybe I''ve actually died and am now in one of those Isekai stories, where the main character gets transported to a fantasy world. With this ludicrous thought being stuck in my head, I ironically say "Open status", not expecting anything to happen.


    However, to my surprise, a holographic display appears right in front of me.


    "Name: Arthur Young


    Title: None


    Strength: 11


    Magic: 3


    Agility: 14"


    The heck is this? Is this actually happening, or am I hallucinating? Well, it doesn''t really matter for now, since the holographic display actually lights up the cave a bit. Using this to my advantage, I can now walk way faster in the direction, where I originally saw the light. But I can''t help but think about what kind of world this is. If the status menu mentions magic, I''m sure this is a fantasy world, but even with the display still floating in front of me, I still can''t believe it. I wonder if this world also has dragons and other fantasy creatures ¨C at this point, I really wouldn''t be surprised about that anymore.


    I''ve almost climbed to where I first saw the light, and now I can clearly see a crack in the wall and behind I can make out a light blue sky. Nearing the crack, I can also see, that it''s located at a plateau above a dense looking forest.


    While I''m squeezing myself through the opening in the wall, I try to make myself a better picture of the surrounding. Since I''m located on a plateau, I can see some mountains in the distance, but other than that I can just see the huge forest, which stretches in every direction.


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    Finally stepping out of the cave, I can breathe some fresh air, at last! I still have no idea, where I am, or what this world is, but staring into the distance I am still in awe at this sight. In the distance, I can even see a huge looking bird ¨C no wait, it looks like a dragon! It is really far away, but if he gets closer I might have a huge problem!


    Not wanting to take any risks, I quickly start descending from the plateau into the forest. No matter how stupid it might be, I''m now absolutely certain this is a fantasy world...


    Concerning my stats; they seem to be a bit low, but I have no reference, what might be considered normal here. But don''t people, who get summoned in Isekai always get some cheat abilities? Maybe I randomly find some super strong sword with immense stats here in this forest.


    Heh, enough daydreaming. For now, I''ll have to find a safe place for the night, I''m sure there are a lot of bad monsters, like goblins, around here. If I find a river, I might be able to find a village, if I follow it downstream.


    As the sun already starts setting, I enter the forest; always going downhill in hopes of finding a river. The trees are dense, and the underbrush is thick, making it difficult to navigate. I have to constantly push branches and leaves out of my way as I make my way through the dense foliage. Since I also need to be wary of any monsters, which might attack me, I have to move even sower than I''d like.


    While the last light rays are still visible, a clearing becomes visible in front of me. A few single light rays shine through the trees and enlighten a small patch of grass in the center of the clearing. Stuck there is a sword, which seems to glow in the golden light of the sun.


    Coming closer, I can see the incredibly delicate design of the hilt and the blade. It looks so beautiful that it looks more like a decorative sword, than a real one, but knowing I''m in a fantasy world, this might actually be a really strong sword... I wonder if I can appraise it? Drawing the sword out of the ground, I try it.


    "Appraisal" ¨C Another small holographic display pops up in front of me.


    "Name: Super Strong Sword


    Physical Strength: 1000"


    What the hell is this?! It actually is the overpowered sword I was wishing for? And what''s wrong with this name?


    While still being fascinated by the sword, I hear an unexpected scream for help from someone! The scream seemed to come from relatively close nearby. Since I now have a powerful weapon, I''m sure I can help whoever cried for help.


    This situation seems somehow familiar...


    Rushing over to where I heard the scream, I can make out a girl ducking on the ground while covering her head with her hands. Surrounding her are what seems to be goblins. So they really exist here!


    While I have no idea how to use a sword, I''m sure the Super Strong Sword will be enough to slay these goblins. Blindly, I dash into the crowd of enemies, holding the sword like a baseball bat, not sure of how I''m supposed to take them down. However, when I grace the first goblin with the blade of my sword, it instantly dies.


    I haven''t even really hit it, but the wound from the blade seemed to explode with blood as soon as it grazed the goblin... The name of the sword sure didn''t lie!


    After realizing how big my advantage really is, I dash towards the rest of the goblins. But the goblins also seem to realize the situation. They instantly start fleeing into the forest, which is pitch black by now. And while they seem to navigate the undergrowth easily, I have no chance to keep up with them.


    So instead of running after the goblins, I turn to the girl, which gets dimly lit by the moonlight.


    "Thanks for saving me."


    "No proble...", wait. This voice sounds familiar.


    "Are you Kaitlyn?"

 A3: The displeasing village

    "Yes, I am indeed Kaitlyn.", Kaitlyn said, "But this world sure is strange." While Kaitlyn also seemed to have problems understanding why she was in this fantasy world, she seemed to be more curious than scared. "But for now we should search for a safe place for the night." "You''re right, we can talk later. I don''t want to be in this forest for longer, either."


    "Open status". The dim light from the status window started illuminating our surroundings.


    "Nice trick", Kaitlyn answered in response, "But I prefer this: ''Light!''"


    A magically looking pattern consisting of multiple complex 3D shapes started forming in the air. Then a small ball of light grew in the middle and the pattern vanished. Kaitlyn seemed to perfectly execute this magic and slightly smiled in amusement at my baffled expression. "This sphere will follow us until I release it. Have you not tried to use magic? It was the first thing I did when realizing this was a fantasy world."


    "I haven''t." This was something I could have realized myself, especially after seeing the magic attribute in the status window... "Light!" When trying out my newly gained knowledge, the 3D magical patterns showed up again, but they seemed to be a lot less detailed than those of Kaitlyn. When the spell finished, I had a second dim light next to my status window.


    Kaitlyn was watching me with an interested look, while her light brightly illuminated our surroundings. "Well, they say practice makes perfect, I guess this also applies the other way around. By the way, what is your magic affinity?"


    "3...", I reply, not knowing how much would be normal.


    "That would probably explain it. I have 57."


    Wasn''t that a bit unfair? None of my attributes came even close to that value. While still being lost in thoughts, Kaitlyn brought me back to reality.


    "We should really start searching for a village now, the night is already pitch black. I''ve seen a river in that direction before I got attacked by the goblins, so let''s pursue it downstream."


    <hr>


    While following the river, we exchanged some information about how we came here. But to no big surprise, she told me the same story of being injected with that liquid and then passing out and then opening her eyes here, in this world.


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    After wandering around for about half an hour, I noticed a few small lights next to the river.


    "Doesn''t that look like a village?"


    "It does, but we should be cautious and disable our lights, in case they''re hostile monsters like the goblins." Without saying anything further, her light made a small hiss and extinguished.


    I close my status screen as well and try to cancel the spell without saying anything ¨C but it doesn''t work. "Cancel spell!", this seemed to work and the small light vanished. Was it something about my mental image? Well, it had worked in the end.


    As we sneaked up closer to the village, we heard muffled voices from one of the larger buildings. It stood close to the entrance of the village and seemed to be some kind of tavern or inn.


    I tried to whisper silently. "At least it does seem like a human village. Should we just go inside?"


    "Yea, let''s check it out. But remember to be cautious and keep your guard up." Kaitlyn whispered back as we approached the door of the tavern. We slowly opened the door, and stepped inside a dimly lit room.


    Inside, we found a small group of townspeople sitting around a table drinking beer or something similar. In the far corner was a bar top and a grumpy looking old man.


    When we entered, everyone stopped talking and looked at us. Then the grumpy old man started speaking. "So I remembered right, that we''d have the Origin as our guest... I guess you need some place to sleep tonight?"


    While I was confused about the first part he said, I was glad we found a place to sleep.


    "Yes. We don''t have any money with us right now, but we can do some quests or housework for you tomorrow.", Kaitlyn answered before I could speak myself. Which was good, since I hadn''t thought about that at all...


    "That won''t be necessary. We''ll give you each a room tonight for free, but we don''t like you, so please leave this village tomorrow morning." "Thank you very much!", Kaitlyn handled this conversation once again.


    "Edith, show them their rooms." A young girl with cat ears, which I hadn''t noticed before, stood up from the table. "Sure, will do!"


    "So catgirls exist here too? Maybe I can even meet some elves.", I whisper to myself silently.


    "Well, of course we exist!", the little girl seemed to have heard me across the whole room. "And I''m sure you''ll meet some nice elves, too." After she said that, she suddenly seemed to be way less enthusiastic. "Please follow me upstairs to your rooms."


    She showed us two average, but clean looking rooms. "These are the rooms we''ve prepared for the Origin and Miss Harris. Please make yourself comfortable."


    "The Origin? And why do you know her name?", I replied. I''ve heard the grumpy man already saying that.


    "You really always ask the same kind of questions...", the little catgirl said with a sigh. "I forgot you still don''t know these things. But don''t worry, you''ll understand it soon enough." After saying that, she turned around and left without saying another word.


    I spent the following night more with pondering about what had happened, than with actual sleeping.

 Interlude: From the perspective of gods

    The array of computer screens illuminated the face of the 68-year-old man in an otherwise dark room. To his side sat a woman around his age sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee.


    "It really all plays out exactly how I remember it." The man stated, in a disinterested manner.


    The woman took another deep sip of her coffee. "I''m not sure what else you were hoping for. Everything is going exactly how it should be, and our stressful part of the work is done. Now we only have to wait a few years until it''s finished. We even had too many mana injections prepared."


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    "I guess that''s true. But just watching them for all this time gets kind of boring pretty quickly, especially if you already know all the story."


    "You''ve always been like that ¨C just wanting to get into action and never taking the rational approach. You should try to relax a little. We''ve both been working on this for all these years, and we''ve finally made it to our goal."


    "You know ¨C Even when we now achieve our goal. I''ve long lost our reason for doing this out of sight. But if it makes you happy, then I''m satisfied, too. ¨C I''ll take a short trip to the supermarket."


    With these words, shining 3D runes appeared around him and he teleported away.


    "The objective has always been the same, dummy." The woman talked to herself absentmindedly. "Knowledge. Because knowledge is power."

 K2: Following the deal

    When waking up, the birds were already chirping. I''d slept really well considering our circumstances. But since I had created a protective barrier around our rooms, I could sleep without having to worry about anyone entering here without permission.


    The notebook the old lady gave me sure was handy. Even if I couldn''t take it with me to this new world, I made sure to memorize it all until the next day. And while I didn''t have a photographic memory, I have a good mind palace, so memorizing a short notebook wasn''t that hard. And after arriving in this mana filled world, the first thing I did was to try out and learn some of the spells listed in the notebook.


    There were also a lot of other interesting things listed in it, including the general plan, which was followed perfectly up until this point. Not just the reincarnation was predicted, but even the events up to this village have happened exactly like described. It is almost creepy how good the notebook predicted everything. But it only made sense this way. After all, that old lady didn''t have any reason to lie to me.


    Now there were only two steps left in the plan, until I fulfilled my side of the deal and I could finally do whatever I want. And for that I needed to finally get out of this village.


    Perfectly timed, I heard knocking on the door and Arthur entered the room.


    "Are you ready for heading off?", he asked, while still seeming very tired.


    "I just finished preparing my stuff, so let''s get out of here."


    "Yes, the sooner I get away from here, the better. I really don''t like this village ¨C Something just feels off..."


    With those words, we started heading downstairs. While doing so, I asked something which I''ve been curious about for a while now:


    "Do you have any specific goal you want to reach? Some place where you''re headed?"


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    When I said that, Arthur stopped for a second. "To be honest, much stuff has happened until now, so I haven''t thought about that, yet. I think I want to find a way home."


    "If that is the case, I might have a clue for you. The grumpy old man told me yesterday about a treasure of the royal family, which can fulfill a single wish when used."


    After I told him that, I hear a young female voice behind me.


    "So, you''re already telling him about the Stone of the Goddess?", Edith asked, but somehow it seemed more like a statement, than a question. "It is true. The stone can really fulfill you your wish. But it works differently than how you''d expect it to. Anyway ¨C If you want it, you just need to follow our street north, until you reach the capital."


    After I told Arthur about the stone, there was now only one point remaining for the plan of the notebook, for which I also needed to head in the direction of the capital. Not that this coincidence would surprise me.


    "Then let''s head to the capital.", I said.


    Arthur nodded in response. "Let''s go."


    "I wish you good luck on your quest!", the catgirl exclaimed, though she had only looked at me when saying that.


    <hr>


    After leaving the village, we headed straight north in the direction of the capital. We actually hadn''t met any enemies since the goblins yesterday, so it had been an uneventful journey. It''s now already noon, so we decided to take a little break.


    When sitting down on a nearby tree stump, Arthur mentioned something interesting.


    "I''ve had this strange feeling about this world for a while now. Way too many things I''ve imagined were actually really occurring later on. Especially with this sword; I was imagining to find a legendary weapon, and then I did. It''s like I have some kind of superpower."


    "This is a fantasy world, so couldn''t that actually be the case?", I answered.


    The notebook mentioned that this world followed the exact same principles as our real world. But to me, it clearly looks like there are way too many fantasy elements in this world for that.


    "I experimented a bit on our way, since we left the village." Arthur continued, "But nothing happened, when I imagined some strong artifact to spawn in my hand. However, when I imagined the weather to change, the clouds really cleared up a bit."


    "Perhaps you didn''t imagine it strong enough? Or it wasn''t in the realm of possibilities, even in this world?"


    Arthur didn''t seem convinced. "I wasn''t particularly convinced, when I found the sword, so I don''t think that''s the reason..."


    Then, while we were still deep in our conversation, the alarm barrier I created around us notified me of several people.


    I suppose it was time to fulfill the final part of my deal.

 A4: Bad turn of events

    The things happened so suddenly. Suddenly, around ten people in black robes stood around us. They had shoved their hoods deep into their faces and every one of them had a sword hanging on their hips. The robes also had a star emblem on their chest below which the letters "MRL" were embroidered. One of them additionally helt a strange black staff with two cross-beams attached at the end of it. It looked kind of similar to a mace, but instead of something spikey at the top of it, it had a small beam perpendicular to the shaft and similar one perpendicular to both, forming a cross at the tip of the staff. The whole weapon was black without any decoration; looking like three black sticks were simply attached to each other.


    When I was readying my sword in preparations for a battle, the one with the staff suddenly mumbled something and the staff activated. In the blink of an eye, the 3D patterns appeared where the two cross-beams were attached, and a bright flash of light exploded.


    After that, I could only hear how those robed people rushed towards us in an instant. While still blinded, I readied my sword in preparation of getting hit by an enemy. However, that hit never came.


    Instead, I could hear them grabbing Kaitlyn, and when I was able to finally see something again, they were already retreating with Kaitlyn tucked under their arms. How was this already the 3rd time I had to help her to not get kidnapped?!


    I instantly started running after them. However, they were already ahead of me because of the flash bang, and they also seemed to have some kind of magic that made them run faster than any human I''ve ever seen before. Even with my quite well-trained body, I couldn''t keep up with them. They were fleeing north, following the street, but after a few turns of the road I lost sight of them. Fuck!


    Since I''d just passed a sign which showed I''m near to the capital, I was sure they had a hideout somewhere there. I didn''t have many clues to go after, but at least the letters "MRL", which stood on their robes, might help me find them.


    After running for a short while longer, I could start seeing parts of the city. It was surrounded by a defensive wall and had an entrance gate for the road. The capital looked exactly how I''d imagine a medieval city to look like, however there didn''t seem to be many people here at the moment. Well, that was only good for me so that I could enter the capital as fast as possible.


    There seemed to be a guard stationed at the gate, but the few people walking into the capital didn''t seem to get checked, so the guard was probably only on the lookout for monsters. But if I was searching for something, a guard should know this city the best.


    When I approached the guard, he looked at me with a slightly annoyed expression.


    "What do you want?", he asked.


    "I''m searching for an organization, which uses the letters ''MRL'' to identify themselves." I better shouldn''t reveal too much information, as I didn''t know the power relations of the organizations in this world.


    "You''re probably searching for the Magic Research Laboratory. They have a branch here, which is located directly between the slums and the middle class residential area. You can get there by just following the street to the right, after entering through the gate."


    "Thanks!" Without wasting time any further, I headed down the street. I was sure that''s where they''ve brought Kaitlyn!


    While running down the street, I once again noticed the people around me. Or rather the lack thereof. While there was occasionally someone, I didn''t see anywhere enough people in comparison to what I''d expect near an entrance gate of a capital city. The few people I came across all gave me strange looks, but that was no surprise since I was still holding my sword while running at full speed down the street.


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    After only a few more minutes of running by standard medieval looking houses, I noticed how the quality of the buildings around me dropped significantly. I was probably getting close to the slums. And sure enough, shortly after that I came across a big building with the words "Magic Research Laboratory" written in huge letters above the entrance door. At least they were not hiding anything. Made it easier for me.


    I readied my sword once again, in preparation to cut down anyone who''d stand in my way. However, I was not seeing a single soul. Cautiously, I opened the door of the building, then...


    Nothing. No one.


    There wasn''t anyone in the huge lobby. There was only the dim light from outside shining through the half closed curtains, dimly lighting up the reception desk. It made the impression like this building has been completely abandoned. Despite this, I could still faintly smell smoke, which probably came from the candles all around the room. And when I looked closer, I saw that the wax on those candles hadn''t completely hardened yet, so there must have been someone around here not too long ago.


    I wasn''t sure how to interpret this, but if this "laboratory" had actually been recently abandoned, it at least meant I was still on a hot trace. After checking around in the lobby for a bit, I turned towards the door in the back. It was near the reception desk and except for the entrance this was the only other door. Thus I cautiously opened it and look through it.


    I was ready for some guards or assassins to attack me, but I wasn''t ready for... Whatever the fuck this is! I could only look for a few more seconds at this completely disturbing sight, until I had to puke all over the floor.


    On the other side of the door was a room, even bigger than the lobby, containing a huge amount of operating tables. On each of them lying women and girls of all ages. All of which were dead.


    Most of them were lying on their belly, while having their skull opened and brains exposed. Many of them also had their spinal cords exposed, and others were even completely missing some body parts or organs.


    As much, as I''d love to run away from this place, my eyes were glued to one particular girl. I first didn''t recognize her, because she was particularly mutilated, but the cut-off ponytail on the desk next to her didn''t give much room for interpretation.


    This was Kaitlyn. And I was too late.


    At this moment, an old feeling came up in me again. The sheer panic and despair, which I''d only ever experienced right before I died and reincarnated came back. Only this time it wasn''t me who died, but someone else. And it felt even worse.


    In this frenzied state my mind came up with many useless ideas how I could still save Kaitlyn, but she was clearly dead.


    But then I remembered what the catgirl in the village has told us. The "stone of the goddess" could supposedly grant any wish, so all I had to do was to get my hands on it!


    I was sure it would be heavily guarded by the royal guards, but I just had to kill everyone in my way with my overpowered sword and it''d solve everything!


    Without any further thought, I turned around to the street and headed straight towards the center of the capital, where the castle was located. I didn''t even notice the people staring at me. My mind only filled by the slight hope of getting my wish fulfilled.


    When arriving at the castle, I was stopped by two guards: "What do you want here?"


    "Tell me where the stone of the goddess is located.", I demanded in a monotonous voice.


    "And why should we tell that to a child, like you?"


    Without further thinking, I struck one of the soldiers. My sword completely ignoring his heavy armor and the guard instantly died.


    "Tell me!", I demanded again, while holding the tip of my sword at the other guards neck.


    "It... It''s in the treasury! But I can''t let you get there!" With these words, he readied his halberd, but I just struck my sword, cutting both his weapon and body in half.


    I could just wish for them to come back to life together with the dead women in the laboratory.


    <hr>


    After cutting down a few more guards, I finally made my way to the treasury. In its center stood a pedestal with a faintly glowing stone lying on top of it.


    This was it!


    With this everything will be solved!


    Everyone will revive and Kaitlyn and I''ll be able return to our original world!


    Everything will be how it should be!


    It will be back to normal!


    Finally!!!


    When I touched the stone, it started to shine with a bright light until it formed a pillar of light reaching far into the sky like a beacon of hope.


    Then, while laughing like a maniac, I noticed the tip of a blade sticking out of my chest. After a short burst of pain, I died. Once again.

 A5: Ouroboros

    When waking up, my body felt somehow different.


    What had happened again? I touched this glowing stone and then... Someone stabbed me from behind? But the stone clearly activated, didn''t it? So was I now back in the normal world? Was that the reason I had to die again? To reincarnate back?


    "You look confused, brother. Is everything alright?" Only when a sudden voice called out to me, do I really look around and noticed my surroundings. I was in a bell tent, which was equipped with two beds, one of which I was lying on.


    The other bed was occupied by a small girl with cat ears. After shortly trying to remember, I realized that she was the girl from the inn in this unpleasant village.


    "Edith?", I asked.


    "Yes, that''s me. Edith Thornton. And you''re Alfred Thornton, leader of the Thornton tribe. Is really everything okay? Just wait here for a second, I''ll bring you some water." While saying this, she already exited the tent.


    Now being left alone I tried standing up, too, to look a bit around.


    The moment I stood up my body felt strangely light. Even more confused than before, I looked at my bare feet and saw that my feet were more formed like the paws of a tiger than that of a human, yet my hands looked normal.


    I think I now had a pretty good understanding of what was going on. To confirm my suspicion, I touched my ears. They were way more fluffy than they used to be, and a bit more pointy, too. I''ve really reincarnated as a cat-person...


    When I concentrated, I could even understand the conversation topics of the people outside. Most of them were talking about abductions of several women of the tribe:


    "We need to do something about them! Send a rescue party to search for them!", a young male voice exclaimed.


    A voice, of what sounded like an old grandpa, responded: "And to where? We don''t even know who did this!"


    Could those kidnappings have something to do with the corpses, I saw in the Magic Research Laboratory? But before I had more time to think about it, Edith already came back with a glass of water.


    "Here you go!", she said happily while pressing the glass into my hands.


    "Thanks.", I responded. For now, I should just go with the flow. But since these abductions might have had something to do with the MRL, I might have the chance to use these people to my advantage, to get some revenge for Kaitlyn! Even just thinking again about these events is enough to feel a deep grief and anger. If I see anyone of those hooded assholes again, I''ll kill them all!


    Seeing my angered face, Edith smileed caringly. "You''re thinking about our abducted women, aren''t you?"


    "Yea, I might actually have an idea, where they might be... Do you think it''s possible to gather some warriors, to search for them?", I asked.


    "You are the village chief and leader of the tribe. There isn''t a single one here, who wouldn''t follow you. If you''re using your greatsword, there isn''t anyone who could beat you, thus you''re leading the people. It''s as simple as that."


    "Perfect." After hearing these words, I was confident in my actions and the plan that had been slowly forming in my head. "Edith, help me gather the whole tribe."


    <hr>


    Already, after stepping outside the tent into the forest, I had the feeling the tribe wasn''t that big. And now that everyone was gathered, it looked like my suspicions were right.


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    There were around 30 people in total, but only a third of them looked like they could actually fight. But it didn''t matter; I''ll get my revenge, even if I''m alone.


    "Thank you for gathering this quickly!", I announced. "I have a suspicion, where our kidnapped family members might be." The expression of many of the younger members of the tribe lighted up with motivation, when hearing this. "We''ll head out in three hours, so use until then to prepare everything you need."


    Loud cheers were coming from everyone, but I was already lost in thoughts about what to do next.


    "Alright, that''s it for this speech; I''m a bit rusty, does someone want to train with me?", I asked. I didn''t have much time, but I''d need to train a bit with the greatsword, since I had never used one before. I hoped it was as strong as my old sword.


    A strong looking young man stepped forward: "If I get the chance to fight against the chief, I''d really like to."


    "Then let''s go."


    <hr>


    When shortly heading back into the tent to grab the greatsword for the training, Edith incidentally mentioned that the man I was training against was called Levi. In the short time I was in the tent, she also somehow managed to mention quite a lot of other names and their characteristics, which seemed a bit strange, but I wasn''t complaining since I had no idea who everyone was.


    But now it was time for my training!


    I quickly left the tent and headed towards the training area. Whilst walking I inspected the sword and its status is in the upper six-hundreds ¨C which looked pretty good to me, even though it wasn''t as high as my old sword.


    When arriving, Levi was already waiting for me.


    "Have you finished preparing your stuff?", I asked, "We''ll be directly heading out, after our training."


    "I''ve got food and my weapon, what else would I need?", he asked with a grin.


    "I guess you''re right,", I said while readying my sword, "then let''s start with our training."


    He struck first. He was so fast that I was completely taken by surprise, however I was still somehow able to parry it. The greatsword was way bigger than my old sword or a baseball bat, but I could still swing it with relative ease. I wonder if this was the effect of the status of the weapon at work again.


    <hr>


    While we were training, all the other warriors slowly gathered around the training area, and now it was already time to start the rescue mission.


    In our short period while we trained, I learned a few tricks how to handle the greatsword and felt ready to face some real enemies.


    "Let''s head to the capital!", I announced, "We don''t have much time, if we want to save them!"


    Leading the group of cat warriors, I started heading in the direction of the capital. While the village was located in the forest, it was not that far from the capital. It should only be around a day walk.


    <hr>


    And indeed, after only walking for a few hours, we reached a street which seemed familiar ¨C it was the one I took with Kaitlyn, after we left the unpleasant village.


    "Let''s take a short break here. We''ll be heading out in half an hour, and then you''ll need to be ready for fighting!", after announcing this I take a small snack out of my backpack, which Edith prepared for me.


    "You truly have a wonderful little sister.", Levi commented, when seeing the elaborately prepared meal.


    "I guess...", I answered awkwardly. She was''t really my sister after all.


    To try to not have to talk further, I wanted to take a bite out of my bread, but something unexpected prevented me from doing so:


    We were resting a bit off-road, but I could clearly see some hooded people running on the road, while having someone tugged under their arms. It''s clearly them again!


    And I wasn''t the only one, who had noticed them. Every one of the warriors quickly grabbed their weapons.


    But just in time, when I wanted to start sprinting after them, someone else already came running down the road after them. And that someone somehow looked like myself, before I had reincarnated as a cat person? Confused, I stumbled onto the road. I could only see this person from behind, since he had already sprinted quite the distance away from us.


    However, there was no way I could forget this scene. It was exactly like when I had chased after the kidnappers.


    No. It was when I chased her down. And this person running away from me... Was me.


    "You''ve seen enough for this time!", while I was still confused, Levi said something strange.


    "We need to chase the kidnappers down!", I said, now starting to panic again.


    But, when I turned around to look at the warriors, they still had their weapons readied. And without a warning they struck. Against me!


    I somehow successfully parried the first hit of Levi again. Then two of the other warriors tried to hit me which I managed to dodge, and then behead one of them. But it was still a 1 vs 9, and after a few more parries the old grandpa drew his longbow and hit me right in the chest.


    This wound would without a question have been fatal on its own, but for Levi it didn''t seem to be enough; his sword striking down on me once more.

 Interlude: The refinery

    While the girl made the final touches on the last pipe for today, she turned around to her female mentor, who showed her how to build those pumps for the crude oil.


    "Don''t you think it''s strange, to get knowledge, we didn''t originally have in our own world?", the girl asked.


    "Strange? Sure. But I don''t see how that would violate any laws of physics.", her mentor answered.


    Thoughtfully, the girl looked at the pump again, which by now had started working with a dampened buzz. While it was quite an industrial-sized pump, it was a pretty normal centrifugal oil pump. However, it shouldn''t be here ¨C in this world.


    She asked again: "But shouldn''t information never arise on its own, without any cause? ''Ex nihilo nihil fit'', Nothing comes from nothing? And the law of causality? It just... shouldn''t work."


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    "Sure, those principles are true, and always will be. However, we are never breaking these laws of nature, we''re just using them to our advantage. Tell me, which action do you think has not had a cause? Your sole purpose here is to become a professional worker, specialized in oil pumps. To build them, to inspect them and to repair them. It''s your job, which you are learning from me; a professional, when it comes to pumps. And I have learned it from a mentor, who taught these things to me in an earlier iteration."


    The girl didn''t seem satisfied with this answer, but she had to accept the truth sooner or later...


    "In this world, self-taught really gets another meaning.", she replied after a short pause. "I see where you''re coming from and it obviously works. But I think I''ll still need a few iterations, until I can really grasp what this means..."

 N1: K3

    The first thing I did after reincarnating was to touch my ears, which was kind of a habit at this point. They were pointy to the degree only elf ears could be. This meant I didn''t have long until I''d need to start working in the laboratory again.


    Quickly looking at my surroundings, I saw the by now very familiar forest. But it looked like I was the only elf around here, which was quite unusual for these kinds of reincarnations, but nothing I''ve never had before. This made things a little more complicated since I''d need to find the founding point on my own, but that wasn''t anything a little magic couldn''t handle.


    After I used my floating spell to gain some height, I could already start seeing the mountains. And since this was the only mountain range in this world, I was certain that would be the correct direction. I didn''t have anything left to do in this forest where I reincarnated, so let''s hurry!


    When I activated the fast flying spell, the 3D-runes formed again and the trees started to whoosh by below me. As I flew I saw the same type of trees for kilometers and if it weren''t for the fact that the mountains started to appear bigger, I''d think it was the exact same spot where I had started. But this featureless forest, too, was something I slowly got used to. But at least it gave me some time to think about the things I''d need to do next.


    I''d probably be one of the first elves at the founding point, so I''d likely need to help constructing the magic beacon system, which helps us to navigate in this world, and which would also mark the location of the founding point.


    It was a bit repetitive to always have to build up the same basic infrastructure, every iteration, but it also helped me to remember the essentials and gave me small new insights from different perspectives each time. And while I was limited in the size of the experiments I could do, I could still do smaller ones, as long as the younger research scientists wouldn''t notice it.


    <hr>


    Not even 15 minutes had passed, and I was already close enough to recognize the buzzing activity at the foot of the mountain. The first buildings already started to take shape and the constant explosions of the excavation and mining projects could be heard.


    Although this city, in contrast to the capital and unpleasant village, had not been created by the origin, it was still the second-biggest city in this world, directly behind the capital. Which sounded quite impressive ¨C until one realized how small this world really was.


    When I landed in the city, I recognized some familiar faces of other research scientists, with which I had worked before. But there was no point in exchanging pleasantries, or else we wouldn''t get any work here done in the next few weeks.


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    So, I headed straight to the job office. It was one of the few buildings that was already finished.


    As I entered the job office, I saw a long line of people waiting to receive their assignments. Elves of all ages were here, eager to get started with their tasks. I patiently waited to receive mine, observing the people around me. Finally, it was my turn. I approached the counter, and the elf managing the assignments greeted me with a professional smile. "Welcome. Which number are you?"


    I had to pause for a second to think about it. It''s been a while, since I had last been reincarnated as an elf... "I''m number 338.", I responded.


    "Then, please help to get the magic beacon system up and running. It''s currently our top priority, since it''ll help the others to find our base."


    "Alright, I''ll do that then!"


    Just, as I had expected.


    Many elves were working on it and it will only take until sunset, until it is finished. Normally, such a complex structure would take months or years to design and build, but we all exactly knew our tasks and the plans were already ready in our minds. Or rather, in MY mind.


    This advantage lets us build this whole city in a matter of days and is absolutely essential for the Magic Research Laboratory.


    <hr>


    As I reached the construction site, I saw more familiar faces. With most of them, I only exchanged a nod, but when number 12 saw me, she rushed over to me and greeted me with a bright smile. She was the youngest one here, so for her it was the first time working on the magic beacon system. Was I really like this in my early iterations?


    "Hi, there! Did you also just arrive here? I''m glad to be back in this city again! What will you work on?"


    What a headache... But I already knew she''d do that. I saw it many times already.


    "Yes, I''ll be handling the magic interference equipment. But you should know not to ask any questions outside your jurisdiction, right? It heavily limits your possibilities for future reincarnation cycles. After all, everything in this world, which happened in a previous iteration, will happen exactly the same way in every cycle. You can''t change the past, after all ¨C even if it repeats."


    "Of course, I know that already.", she answered, "But this was a harmless question, wasn''t it? It doesn''t make a difference if I''ll know this for all eternity."


    That''s why she was such a headache... "While that''s true for this case," I answered, "it''s about the principle. If you accidentally ask an elder a question which isn''t harmless, even though you think it is, it can greatly restrict your actions. We have to be careful about our knowledge and whom we share it with. That''s what all this about.", I said, while gesturing at our surroundings. "That''s the single purpose of us being in this world. Why we created it. And why the Kaitlyn will go with the plan, after we are finished here and can prove our knowledge to her."


    "I understand that. It''s just that the atmosphere in this city always feels so lifeless compared to the capital.", she answered, while seeming a bit frustrated.


    "That''s simply due to the fact that in the capital are almost exclusively used by resting iterations. But we need to get work done here. And in this spirit, I''d like to start working now. Bye.", I said goodbye to her in a bit of a dry tone, but I hope it brings my point across.


    But as I turned around, I hear a way too enthusiastic "Bye-bye!". Whatever...

 Interlude: Something about dragons and adventurers

    When the three adventurers opened the guild''s door with a loud bang, it was completely silent in the building. Not because everyone was curiously looking at them in silence, but because there was no one.


    The guild was just one of those buildings which spawned together with the capital when the Origin thought about the "endless" possibilities of a fantasy world. Too bad, he only thought about them for a fraction of a second, so his subconsciousness only created a single dragon and a single goblin village. And an empty guild. Well, almost empty. It looked like the Origin also associated the quest board with the guild.


    The three "adventurers" stepped in front of the board and looked at the only two available quests. One was for slaying a dragon and the other was for eradicating a goblin village. Each of which has the needed directions marked on a small map.


    "So those are it, right?", the girl of the party asked. She was the mage of the party and had her carbon magic interference staff bound on her back. To her side stood a man in full magical armor, wielding a magic sword.


    "Looks like it. Let''s grab them and get out of here! I always get chills in these empty buildings of the capital.", he responded, while he teared the low quality papyrus off the wall.


    "I totally agree.", the third adventurer responded, while still standing in the entrance doors. He was the support and marksman of the group. In front of his beer belly hangs a .30-06 Springfield caliber rifle, and on his back he carried a huge backpack containing all sorts of equipment, from grenades to magic healing drinks.


    "So, where should we go first? How about the goblin village as a warm-up?", the magic swordsman asked.


    "Sounds good to me", the others both replied in unison.


    <hr>


    After walking a bit away from the capital, the mage took out her phone and called the vehicle department of the MRL. It was a completely normal phone, like one could find on earth, but it was modified to use the Magic Beacon System instead of regular transmission masts since it allows for a way higher transmission range. And while it would be possible to modify it, for it to charge with magic, it was way more practical to just use electricity.


    After waiting for ten minutes, they could already hear their ride arriving. In fact, it would be difficult not to hear it arrive, as it was a modified version of a Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter.


    Their taxi pilot was a young elf girl, and she seemed pretty excited: "Well, well, if it isn''t the infamous adventurer party!"


    "It''s not really difficult to be famous, when you''re the only one of your kind, isn''t it?", the swordsman mused.


    "I guess that''s true.", the elf girl smirked, "And sorry I took this long to get here, I had to wait five minutes for your special delivery." She lightly patted the small metal ball, laying next to her. "But now hop in, I''m not getting paid for small talk!"


    <hr>


    Three minutes later, they arrived at the spot marked on the quest map and they found the goblin village.


    "I know, I suggested that this was a warm-up earlier," the swordsman noted while eying the metal ball, "but this won''t be much of a battle. Please carry us exactly above them."


    The elven pilot nodded, expertly maneuvering the helicopter above the goblin village. From their vantage point, they could see that the village was small, consisting of only a few huts and a handful of goblins going about their daily activities.


    The mage pulled out the metal ball that the pilot had mentioned earlier, holding it up for the others to see. "This is a compressed magic bomb. When activated, it releases a powerful burst of energy that should take out the entire village in one go."


    The swordsman raised an eyebrow. "Isn''t that a bit overkill?"


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    "Well, we don''t want to waste too much time on this, do we?" the mage retorted. "Besides, it''s not like there are any other quests for us to do."


    The marksman nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let''s just get this done, so we can move on to the dragon."


    With a sigh, the swordsman acquiesced. "Fine, do it."


    The mage activated the magic bomb and as it began to hum with energy she dropped it from the helicopter. The moment it hit the ground, a bright flash of light erupted, followed by a massive explosion that shook the helicopter. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the goblin village but a huge smoldering crater.


    The elven pilot whistled, impressed. "Wow, you weren''t kidding about it being overkill."


    The mage grinned. "Told you. Though, your equipment in this helicopter could easily do five hundred times this much damage."


    "But that''d cost you extra", the elf smirked.


    "I know," the mage replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, let''s head to the dragon''s lair now."


    The helicopter changed course, heading towards the location marked on the other quest map. It didn''t take long for them to arrive at the entrance of a cave, nestled in the side of a mountain. From the size of the cave entrance, it was evident that the dragon living inside was massive.


    "Should I wait here, to give you a ride back, after you''ve finished?", the pilot asked the mage.


    "It''s fine if you leave now. I''ve already paid via the phone, so we''ll get back by ourselves."


    "Alright, it was nice meeting you!", she shouted, while the rotors were already spinning back up again.


    After waving goodbye to her, there was only one thing remaining on the minds of the adventurers: "Now it''s time to become epic dragon slayers!"


    After the elf left, the adventurers turned towards the massive entrance of the cave. The inside of the cave seemed to slope pretty steeply downwards, so the dragon''s den must be quite far underground.


    Seeing this, the marksman took down his huge backpack and dug for something.


    "Here, you''ll need this." he said, after he finally found what he had searched for. He helt three pairs of night vision goggles in his hand.


    "Do we really need this?", the swordsman asked. "We could also just use magic to light up our surroundings, and I don''t like how the goggles limit my field of view."


    The mage shook her head. "That would make our job more difficult, since it''d alert the dragon instantly. Remember, the plan is to sneak up close to it and kill it with a surprise attack."


    "I''d rather have an epic fight!", the swordsman exclaimed, once again only thinking with his muscles. "You won''t get another chance to battle a beast with such high stats."


    The marksman had closed his backpack again, but still helt the goggles. "The stats you see on the status window are completely meaningless, and you should know that.", he replied. "They were only created with the reference frame, which the Origin had when he created the status window."


    "He''s right," the mage agreed, "it''s the same reason, why there is a heading for a title, but there doesn''t exist a single title in this world. He just thought about it and then forgot all about it... Just like the capital..."


    She grabbed one of the night vision goggles from the marksman and put them on. "For now, we just need to do our job."


    "Hmpff", the swordsman agreed with a hesitant nod.


    <hr>


    Having equipped the night vision goggles, they entered the dark cave. While the entrance was steep, finding the way proved to be straight-forward, as there were no branching paths and there was only one way to follow.


    After a few minutes of silently descending into the cave, they notice how the cave opened up into a chamber. In the midst of it, they see the dragon slumbering peacefully.


    When seeing this, the swordsman instantly dashed forward with a loud battle cry.


    "Uuuuaaaahh!"


    Of course, the dragon instantly awoke.


    It was still visibly confused, however the tough scales repelled the sword without a problem.


    "Why does he always have to be to be this way?", the mage muttered to herself, while already activating a support spell.


    "It''s just the way I''ve been in the past. For so long...", the marksman replied, having overheard her muttering, "I might regret my stupidity now, but I''ve also come to accept it". By now he also aimed his rifle at the dragon.


    "Let''s finish this!", the mage shouted while releasing her spell onto the rifle of the marksman.


    In response a loud bang erupted from it.


    The magically sharpened and hardened bullet pierced straight through the body of the dragon, leaving on the other side and creating a substantial hole in the wall 50 meters behind it.


    The bullet pierced his heart and the dragon instantly died.


    The swordsman looked very disappointed. "It just began to be fun!"


    "You didn''t even scratch it...", the mage responded. "And it wasn''t even fighting back, since it never got attacked by any opponents. It had no fighting experience, whatsoever. It was only two days old after all."


    "Stop fighting, you both.", the marksman looked annoyed. "Let''s just finish our job and call the MRL already, please. Then they can do their research on the magic circuits of the dragon, and we can finally head home."


    And thus the first and only adventurer quest came to an end.

 A6: Scouting

    I woke up with a massive headache. What had happened again?


    Right, I got killed by those warriors of the cat-people tribe. Dying really wasn''t a feeling I could get used to, but it somehow just kept happening. But I guess that at least confirmed that I''d always be reincarnated when I die. If reincarnation was even the right word for this...


    Just before I died, I saw myself running after Kaitlyn again. Even though I was sure she had died. Was this some kind of time loop? I''d think it was some kind of hallucination, but I was sure that what I saw was real. The only way to find out would be to go outside and look for myself.


    Just like last time, I was in an unfamiliar environment. But instead of a tent, it was an actual small house this time. Although it was in no way modern and looked like it was built mostly out of wood and clay.


    And just like last time, my body felt different, too. When looking into a mirror in the bathroom of the house, I stared into the face of an unfamiliar person. He was a relatively old but muscular man with many scars on his face and body. And since he stood right in the place where my own face should have been, it looked like I once again took possession of a new body. When seen objectively this should have scared me, but it felt somewhat... comfortable. Almost familiar. I wonder where this body came from; if it belonged to someone else in the past. But I didn''t have any way to find out, other than this house, of course.


    And for now, my top priority was to gain some insight into this world. Not researching the backstory of my body. And if I was really in a time loop, I needed to find a way to save the women in the Laboratory. Or at least Kaitlyn.


    When stepping outside, I was greeted by a quite familiar environment. It looked just like when I had rushed through the capital, trying to help Kaitlyn. I had tried to suppress my thoughts about what had happened to her, but just remembering it again made me sick... But if this was truly some kind of time loop, I might actually still be able to save her.


    Since I had no idea where exactly in the capital I was, I headed to the castle first, which stood prominently in the center of the city. On my way there, I once again noticed the lack of people, but since I only walked at a normal pace at least the few people weren''t all staring at me. Most of the city also seemed to be a residential area, everywhere looking eerily similar. If it weren''t for the towers of the castle getting bigger, I''d think I''d still be right where I started.


    Shortly before arriving at the castle, I noticed the number of people getting larger. It seemed like some kind of market was currently the main event on the plaza in front of the main entrance of the castle. Since I hadn''t seen this plaza or the main entrance before, I had to be on the opposite side of the castle from where I had entered the last time to find the Stone of the Goddess. Since I came from the south the last time, I was now probably on the northern side.


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    The market looked mostly like what one would imagine a stereotypical medieval market to look like. Booths from different merchants were set up all over the plaza, and the place was buzzing with activity from all the people trying to buy fresh vegetables and meat. But in addition to all the food, there also seemed to be a lot of stands selling magical items or weaponry. Many of the castle guards also seemed to be patrolling the area, but both they and the people around them seemed to be very relaxed about it.


    There was also a big group of what seemed like mercenaries gathered in an empty corner of the plaza. It was a jumbled group of men of all ages, and even an amateur like me could see that most of their weapons were either very cheap or had seen better days before.


    However, I wasn''t here to buy anything or watch those mercenaries. I didn''t even have any money, so I couldn''t have bought anything, even if I wanted to. Maybe I should have checked the house I left earlier for money or stuff I could sell. If I had, I could have bought at least a cheap weapon here on the market or hired one of those mercenaries... But now was too late for that; I didn''t have any time to waste. Instead, I needed to head to the Magic Research Laboratory again.


    <hr>


    It took me a short while to find my way to the Laboratory again. While my assumption of being on the wrong side of the castle was correct, I realized I didn''t remember much of the surroundings while I ran there in my frenzied state. So instead of trying to find the street I took back then, I instead went to the southern gate first. Where I had entered the capital for the first time. After being at the gate, finding the street to the slums again proved to be straight-forward, and now I finally stood in front of the Laboratory again.


    However, the atmosphere was completely different back then. There were many people trying to enter the building, and there were even multiple guards stationed at the big entrance doors. However, none of the people here had black robes, and most of them just looked like regular civilians.


    Should I just try to enter the building? There shouldn''t be anyone here who''d recognize me.


    Nervously, I headed towards the big door, squeezing through the crowd. When coming closer I could already start seeing the interior as the doores were opened again and again as the people entered and exited the busy building. It was the same big lobby I''d seen before, but it was lit brightly by both the sunlight through the windows and a lot of candles all around the walls.


    Unconsciously my eyes settled on the door near the back of the room again. It was closed and guarded by two guards. Each of them held one of those strange black staffs with two cross-beams ¨C similar to the mage who abducted Kaitlyn.


    Just when I wondered whether I should just storm in there and try to resolve this by force, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.


    "You''d better come with me." The deep voice came from a muscular man in full armor and equipped with a mace. His face didn''t look like he meant it as a suggestion. Did I already make a mistake? I didn''t even get close to my goal.


    But as I didn''t really have any other choice, I just nodded and followed the man outside again. It didn''t take long until he spoke up again:


    "I know what you''re up to, Arthur. And we are on your side." He seemed to be more relaxed, as soon as we left the crowd of the Laboratory. We were still going somewhere. From what it seemed like, it was probably the castle.


    "How did you know my name? And who are ''you''?", I once again had more questions.


    "Well, you know about the time loop, right?", the man asked with a bit of a sad smirk. "Our group ¨C we are all Arthur. We are all you."

 A7: Preparations

    ''We are all you.'', after the man told me this, I had to think about his words for a while. He meant this as in he was another version of me in the time loop? If what he told me was actually true, it could explain how he knew my name. I already noticed how I always woke up in a different body every time I died. So the only uncertain thing was, whether or not I was actually in a time loop... I couldn''t trust him just because of what he told me, but I didn''t have much to lose by hearing him out.


    I was so busy thinking about all of this while walking, I didn''t even realize how our destination wasn''t actually the castle, but the marketplace I had passed earlier instead. To be more precise we were going to the corner with all the mercenaries. Now that I was closer than last time, I could see how most of them either looked determined. But many also had a somewhat desperate or mad look on their faces.


    "So...", the man who guided me here began after we had arrived at our destination. "This is the rest of us."


    Some of the men lifted their hands for a greeting, but most of them simply seemed to ignore me. And even the few who had greeted me quickly went back to their own activities, too.


    Except for an older boy, who looked like he just finished puberty and my ''guide''.


    "Hello...?", the boy asked. His voice was shaking, uncertainty and disbelief in his gaze. "How is this... possible?"


    In response I could only stare back at him. Just as I wanted to answer him, he seemed to stumble backwards a bit and fainted only a second later. At the time I had realized what happened my guide was already in position behind the boy and caught him while he was falling, quickly laying him down on a makeshift mattress.


    Questioning, I looked at the man.


    "Don''t worry about it for now.", he responded. "It''s what happens if you want to change something from the past. If you''re lucky..."


    "What do you mean?", I still couldn''t really make sense of the situation.


    "It''ll take some time to explain everything. How about we sit down for a bit?", he pointed at a small table, I hadn''t previously noticed. Now that I thought about it, it was really strange. Looking around us, I couldn''t see any other furnishings, except for the makeshift bed, the table and a few chairs. It''s like they had planned for this exact situation already... All of the other people were just standing, preparing their weapons or discussing some tactics I didn''t understand.


    After sitting down at the small table, I looked expectantly at the man who had guided me here. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts for a moment before speaking.


    "I know you have many questions," he began, his voice low and serious. "But first, I need you to understand the gravity of our situation. We are caught in a time loop, as you already suspect. Each time we die, we wake up again in a different body, but always on this same day."


    He paused, watching my reaction carefully. This whole situation being so absurd I expected as much, but I didn''t expect what he told me next:


    "But the most important detail is that everything you''ve experienced until this point was in the past. And since this right here is the past, " he gestured around him, "everything will happen exactly the same way, as you remember it right now. No exceptions."


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    I looked at him unbelieving, trying to process his words, but he already continued:


    "Kaitlyn getting abducted tomorrow morning, your original body running after her. And her death and your original body going on a mad killing spree in the castle. They are all already set in stone."


    ''Set in stone''? How? Couldn''t I simply change all of that now that I have a new chance?


    The man simply smiled bitterly. "I know what you''re thinking. And I know that I can''t stop you to try and rescue Kaitlyn. That''s why we''ll still try to help you. However, our goal isn''t to save her. It is to seek revenge." A mad expression flickered in his eyes while saying that.


    "Right here you''re only seeing a fraction of our forces.", he continued, "And I''m the commander of this squad. We''re in charge of the first assault tomorrow ¨C our task will be to take out the initial forces, which abducted Kaitlin, giving you a chance to rescue her."


    The man''s words hung heavy in the air as I tried to process everything he had said. A time loop, predetermined events, and now talk of revenge and assault squads? It was almost too much to take in.


    "Wait," I said, holding up a hand. "You''re saying we can''t change what''s already happened... or what will happen... but we''re still going to try to rescue Kaitlyn? How does that work?"


    "Well, it doesn''t." He answered with a grim smile on his face, "But I know you''ll still try to do it. Because that''s how I remember it, so that''s how it''s going to happen."


    The man''s grim smile faded as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes distant. He continued: "I know you still have many questions, but it''s getting late. For now, we should head to your home, so we can all sleep until tomorrow."


    "My home?", I repeated, even more confused.


    "Well, we all came from outside the city today, so we don''t have any other place to stay. Besides, it isn''t even your home to begin with, right?", he challenged me.


    I guess, that was true. And since they knew about my past, I had no real choice but to believe him. There was no way an outsider would know of all the things that had happened to me and I could use every help I got. There was only one problem left:


    "I have no idea, where my house even is.", I thought out loud, having never planned to return there in the first place.


    The commander smiled in response, while most of his men were already packing up and starting to leave: "But we do. Remember, we''ve lived through this scenario already many times. And even if we have a different point of view every time, the house never changes its position. Nothing ever changes, to be precise."


    As we made our way through the darkening streets of the city, I found myself lost in thought, trying to process everything the commander had told me. I still couldn''t wrap my head around how this time loop supposedly worked. And just like the commander said, I just couldn''t accept that Kaitlyn was predetermined to die. At this point it would probably be smarter to just let her die and try to escape this world instead. But it just didn''t feel right.


    As expected, I didn''t sleep well sleep at all. After we arrived at ''my'' home yesterday, the men quickly prepared for a sleepover. They once again seemed to be way too prepared and had multiple mattresses ready and only god knows where they got them from. After that they all simply lied down and slept. And I was lying all night long in my bed pondering about what had happened again. Somehow every single day since I arrived in this world was crazier than the one before it.


    Just before sunrise the captain woke everyone up again with his loud voice: "Get ready everyone! Today is the day for our revenge!"


    Even though everyone was still sleeping just seconds ago, after his shout the whole room was filled with men armed to the teeth. It was finally time to save Kaitlyn!


    The point where we were going to intercept the abductors of Kaitlyn was right outside of the southern entrance gate, which I had passed when I first got in the capital. The captain even got me a nice sword, so I wouldn''t have to fight with my fists.


    We didn''t have to wait long after getting ourselves into position, and we could already see a group of people with black robes coming closer. One of them holding a girl under their arm.


    It was them.