Chapter 12: – The 101st Prologue
“……………………?”
In front of my eyes, a completely white world suddenly unfolded. There was no way I could have recognized the scene, and I hurriedly looked around, revealing my stupefied expression.
“What!? What is this place!? Ah, eh!?”
When I looked to my right and left, all I saw was a blanket of white. I mean, even the top and bottom were white. If I couldn’t see the sky, does that mean I was inside some kind of building? Am I trapped? Kidnapped? Why me? How?
“… Wait, wait, wait. First, let’s calm down and assess the situation.”
Just a moment ago, I was exterminating a clawed mole. The extermination of vermin from the fields was an important job for the miscellaneous mercenaries, and I stepped into the forest to smash the nest of the claw mole. …
“… … Yosh, it turns out I don’t know what the hell is going on here.”
In the countless forests I entered, there was no way there could be a facility like this, and I had no idea who could do something like this, or who would want to do something like this to me. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s God’s plan. … I wanted to snicker and say, “Gee, I’m an idiot,” but I doubt that would be the most appropriate thing to do.
“Haaa …… Umm, Are you looking at me? If so…, I would be very grateful if you could give me some minimum guidelines on how to proceed here…”
The place was empty, but I tried to talk to him anyway, just in case he was watching me. Not that I don’t resent the unreasonableness of the situation, I wouldn’t want to have to fight with someone who could do this for the next 100 years or so.
Thud.
“Oh! What is this?”
Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me. I turned around, trembling and shaking, to find a white table with a white book on it. What is this white background? Honestly, it was hard to see, or rather, it hurt my eyes a little.
“Well, I guess that means I should read it.”
I picked up the book and opened it. Fortunately, the words were properly written in black ink inside the white book. As I read through it, it seemed that I had been expelled from my original world. And to return to the original world, I need to travel to 100 different worlds, join the hero party of each world, and then be expelled. … Yes, it was crazy to say the least.
“You’re crazy to say the least. What the hell were you thinking?”
I was so astonished and dismayed that I could even express my thoughts in words, but Nanika ….I’d call him God for convenience, who heard my question, but didn’t say anything.
But it seemed that he didn’t respond to me in any way. A wall appeared in front of me, seeping out of the white landscape, and there was a door with a plate that said “001” on it.
By the way, when I went behind the wall, there was no door, just a wall. Apparently, there was no back entrance.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I guess I’ll just have to go there. Well, before that, …”
As I was about to put my hand on the knob of the door, I turned my attention to the crystal ball that had somehow appeared on the table while I was reading. According to the book, if I touched this, I would get some kind of nice skill.
“Come on…, you know I’m just a small-time mercenary, right? I don’t have the ability to join any kind of hero party, so you’re going to make up for it here …, right? Oh!?”
As I placed my hand on the crystal ball with anxiety, a mysterious heat flowed into me. At the same time, what entered my mind was about the [Flag Maker] ability and its effects.
“…Just having it will trigger it automatically. Will I be more likely to get into trouble, whether it be good or bad? Is this how I’m supposed to enter the hero’s party? Yeah, can’t it be something as simple as a power that made me strong enough to be invited into the hero’s party?”
What’s with this twisted ability? Well, it would be just like a true God to ignore people’s will and bring them to a place like this. … Huh?
“… Another one? Gosh!”
Another wave of heat flowed into me. But the intensity was nothing compared to the previous one, and my whole body was tormented by tremendous pain.
“Guaaaaaaaaa!?!?!?”
It hurts! It hurts! My head is cracking! My blood is burning! I can’t withstand this kind of force!
“Aaahhhhhhhh!!! Uahhhhhhhhh!!!”
I collapsed onto the white floor helplessly, screaming and sprawling in pain. I felt my throat ripped open and was dripping blood, my eyes were bloodshot to the point of popping out, and my whole body was numb and jittery as if struck by lightning.
…Pain like hell. The pain was unbearable akin to the ultimate torture that could even make one confess how much hair the king had on his ass. Along with this searing pain, an unknown memory, which I’d never seen nor heard before, but unmistakably mine, flooded into my head.
“…………ah…………………………”
In a strange world, I was traveling with someone, … and he kicked me out, and I came back here. Every time I repeated it, my head hurt like it was going to explode. At the same time, the power I didn’t know I had grew.
Three, four, ten, twenty… Worlds I’ve visited kept on increasing, the pain increased, and my soul screamed. Over fifty, over seventy…, the limits of my endurance had long since been exceeded, but I still continued to accept the surge of power.
“Guu, uh … uuuuuuuuuu …………………… !!!!!”
Why? Why am I fighting so hard? Why am I clenching my teeth to the point of shattering, clenching my fists to the point my nails are digging into my flesh, and enduring this … kind of power that is unworthy of me right now?
I didn’t know. I had no idea. I want to throw it away right now, but the … first memory that came into my mind is laughing in my face. The first memory that came into my mind laughed at my face. The “good” me, the one with the beautiful girl I’d never met, shouted with a smile that made me want to cry.
—Don’t give up. Then, we can change our past and our future.
“Ku… so… Gyaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”
I shouted one last time, loud enough for the whole world to hear. At the same time, my soul was burned out and …… there, I… returned.
“Haha, hah, hah……………… e, e e e, e e e e e………”
My body had used up all its strength, and I couldn’t even move a finger. But my mouth naturally burst into laughter.
The last banishment skill that came to my brain, [One More Game]. Its effect was quite simple: ‘Start over from the beginning with all your memories and experiences.’
The ability of this banishment skill was only to transfer over, so I couldn’t use it one more time …, but that was fine. If I could use it all over again, I would probably be stuck in a never-ending loop and live a lousy life.
“Haaa ………… haaa …………Good.”
After taking a deep breath, I stood up with renewed energy. I was bruised all over from my rampage, and my teeth were chipped from clenching too hard, but once I crossed the world, this level of injury would be taken care of with my [Banishment Skill].
That was why I stood in front of the door with my aching body. The walls that used to be ridiculously long were now much shorter, and the 101 doors that used to be lined up were now only one. The world of 001… the first world where Tia and her friends were.
“No matter whether I cry or laugh, the second time will be the last time. Then, we all must be able to laugh, or else it would be useless, right?”
I know I could do it now. I could turn that shitty ending into a future where we all toast each other with our stupid faces on.
“Yosh, here comes the second round! I’ll use my strongest power to fight the demons and Be … expelled nicely!”
I grinned and opened the door, and without hesitation, I stepped into the nostalgic world for the second time.
(T/N: Will be going a break till March 6th. Will resume posting after that. Need some time to settle some things. Thank you for the support so far :D)