---

“Stella, wake up.”

“Ugh… I want to sleep a bit more…”

Right before we were about to go home yesterday, Stella suddenly threw a tantrum and said she wanted to practice magic more, which made us come back late at night.

It seems that yesterday, having exhausted her magic power, Stella didn’t wake up even after 10 o’clock.

“Mom and Dad must have gone to work.”

Looking at the dining table, I saw a note saying the food Mom had prepared had run out, asking us to buy some more together.

After finishing my meal, I tried to wake Stella up by poking her cheek a couple of times, but she still didn’t budge from dreamland.

Zzz

“I don’t think she’s waking up anytime soon.”

With no choice, I left her a note saying to eat when she wakes up and went down to Haren Village to do some shopping.

*

“…Hmm… Yawn, Nova?”

Two hours later, Stella finally woke up and looked around.

“No one’s here… Where did everyone go?”

Coming down from the second floor and into the kitchen, Stella saw her cold soup and a note left by someone.

[I went down to Haren Village to do some shopping. Watch the house alone for a bit.]

“…What!? They went alone without me? How unfair!”

Stella grumbled while slurping the cold soup.

“We were supposed to go to the lakeside as soon as I woke up… When they get back, I’ll give them a water bomb!”

Feeling gloomy, she sat on a tall chair, swinging her legs back and forth, when suddenly, a knocking sound came from the front door.

“Is that Nova back? Great, you’re dead!”

Excited, Stella rushed to the front door but stopped in her tracks upon seeing several shadows of adults through the window next to the door.

“…Who are you?”

She cautiously asked, but there was no reply.

However…

Knock, knock, knock

The knocking on the door continued.

“Auntie? Uncle?”

Knock, knock… Bang!

“!!… Ahhh!”

As the door suddenly banged loudly, Stella was startled and fell backward.

Before long, the door was broken down, and she could see the figures of the assailants outside.

Seeing Stella startled on the floor, the assailants looked at each other and started to converse.

“Is that her?”

“It looks like it matches the info.”

As the assailants approached the house, Stella felt flustered but immediately unleashed her magic.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

Suddenly, a thin wall of earth shot up in front of the assailants.

“I… I can’t open this right now!!”

Blocking the front door with earth magic, Stella hurriedly ran upstairs.

“I… I need to call for help… what should I do?”

Locked in her room and feeling restless, Stella spotted a staff nearby.

Calming her trembling hands, she gripped the staff, and not long after—

Crash!

The sound of the door being shattered echoed as the assailants broke into the house.

“There you are. Come quietly, and you won’t get hurt.”

A bald man in the front approached Stella slowly.

“G-Get away!”

Stella held the staff tightly with both hands and thrust it forward.

Immediately, a blade of wind rushed at the bald man.

But the wind veered off course and struck something else entirely.

The man, momentarily startled, regained his composure and commanded the others.

“…Grab her.”

At those words, the assailants charged at Stella and seized her.

“L-Leave me alone…! Don’t! Mmmph!”

As her staff was taken away, Stella was captured by the assailants, and her mouth was covered with a cloth that smelled strange, causing her to lose consciousness slowly.

‘Help me… Nova…’

*

On the way back from shopping, I spotted Uncle Gallen talking to someone around the corner.

After finishing their conversation, Uncle Gallen made eye contact with me and greeted me warmly.

“Oh! Is that you, Nova? Here to shop? You’re looking quite mature!”

“Hello, Uncle.”

“Are you alone today? You two always stick together.”

“She likes to sleep in more than I do. What are you up to, Uncle?”

“Hmm? As you can see, I’m negotiating with a wood trader.”

“Weren’t you trading with that guy yesterday?”

“Ah, that guy didn’t show up for the trade time, so now I have to find another trading partner. It’s a hassle.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Not very interested, I wrapped up the conversation and on my way home, I bought the churros that Stella liked.

However, I discovered some strange traces on the way back home.

What is this? There are a lot of strangely placed footprints, but our house is on the outskirts of the village.

People rarely come here, so feeling uneasy, I quickened my pace to arrive home.

“Stella!”

Upon arriving home, I shouted, but all I heard in response was silence.

The voice I yearned to hear was nowhere to be found.

She might have just stepped out for a moment; let’s check.

Just as I was about to leave my room, my gaze stopped on something.

It was Stella’s beloved staff, broken in two and lying on the ground.

“Damn it!!”

I rushed outside, screaming in a frenzy to find Stella, but I couldn’t find her at all.

Why? Who? Why?

At that moment, a rectangular window appeared before my eyes.

[The tutorial has begun.]

[Opening abilities.]

Name: Nova Unique Trait: Copy (Lv. 1)

Power: F

Speed: C-

Durability: E

Intelligence: A

Elemental Trait: ■■

Magic Power: 0/400

Firepower: ■■

Proficiency: ■■

…

…

…

…

*

After hearing that mysterious voice, I was reincarnated into this other world.

It was nice having a youthful body again after being in my 30s with bullet wounds, but fighting in this state meant I’d easily get killed.

So, in response, the deity granted me the ability to reincarnate.

First, I took on the role of a hero in a fantasy world of swords and magic, facing off against the Demon King.

At first, I was just an ordinary person without any magic or skills—just surviving was a challenge. I died a few times, but eventually, thanks to the power of reincarnation, which was nearly invincible, defeating the Demon King wasn’t hard.

I thought it was over after defeating the Demon King, but when I woke up, I felt a sense of unease at the changed scenery of the room.

‘What in the world is happening?’

When I opened the window, I saw people dressed in old Eastern clothing walking around.

It didn’t take long to realize that I had reincarnated into another world.

Having opposed the Demon Cult trying to plunge the world into darkness and having been part of the righteous faction of the Martial Arts World, it wasn’t my first time saving the world, so it wasn’t difficult.

The being known as the Heavenly Demon was strong, but since I hadn’t lost the power I originally possessed and I had new martial arts powers, after a fierce battle, I was able to take it down.

And immediately after defeating it, I was reincarnated again.

‘Shit.’

At that moment, I realized something was seriously wrong.

If I did nothing, I would be killed by enemies and reincarnated for the first time, and if I defeated evil, I would reincarnate into another world.

I had experienced all sorts of worlds.

Not only fantasy worlds, but also modern military worlds, even zombie apocalypse worlds.

I tried everything to escape this cycle.

I consulted trustworthy companions and devised strategies, but nothing changed.

‘What did I do wrong to deserve this…?’

I didn’t care about saving the world.

I didn’t mind that it wasn’t by my choice, but I could save many people.

However, what I couldn’t endure was the loneliness and isolation of nobody remembering me.

As my count of reincarnations climbed into the triple digits and my reincarnations into double digits,

I had become proficient enough to defeat the Demon King with my eyes closed.

Just before I killed the twenty-eighth Demon King, I was attacked unexpectedly.

My party members had stabbed me in the back.

‘□□□, your power is too dangerous.’

Having seen my overwhelming strength after the Demon King’s death, my party members must have conspired, thinking I would dominate the world.

They plotted that I had died during the battle with the Demon King.

Those bastards

Since I wouldn’t be staying in their world anyway,

The moment I heard their intentions, I felt something snap in my mind.

I don’t remember what happened next.

When I regained consciousness, the world was already engulfed in flames.

At that moment, a voice echoed in my ear.

[You’ve breached the contract, □□□.]

That familiar annoying voice turned around, and I saw the figure of a child.

I instinctively knew. This kid was the deity that had cast me into hell.

“You little bastard!!”

I unleashed my power and charged at him with the speed of a flash.

Just before my fist shattered his head, it came to a halt with a dull sound against a transparent wall.

In the blink of an eye, chains made of platinum wrapped around my body.

Crackle, crackle

“Do you really think… you can stop me with this!!!”

As I unleashed all my strength, the chains began to crack, making a loud noise.

[Indeed… You’ve become too powerful.]

“Everything I’ve built up is to tear you apart, you bastard.”

[As a penalty for breaching the contract, I will impose consequences upon you.]

Ignoring my words, the child’s form kept mumbling.

[The first consequence is that you will no longer be able to reincarnate in that body.]

“What do you mean?”

I desperately tried to approach him, but my body wouldn’t budge.

[The second is that among the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired, you cannot use those that contradict the laws of the world you are reincarnated into. If you do, strong penalties will be imposed.]

“Don’t joke with me…!! I’m going to kill you right now!!”

[The third is…]

Hearing those words, I felt sheer disbelief and spoke up, feeling utterly deflated.

“Why me? What did I do wrong to deserve this bullshit?”

[That is…]

…

…

…

[Then just fulfill the contract from now on, □□□.]

“…. I will definitely kill you.”

With that final word, my body was enveloped in light.

…I remembered my past life’s memories.

 

---