Reincarnated in the Same World for the Nth Time - Chapter 1

【Congratulations! 】

 

【You have extinguished all the candles of the Evil God! 】

 

【The Sun God, Rasphallara, has regained his divine power! 】

 

 

【The darkness that covered the world has retreated, and spring has arrived in the frozen land! 】

 

 

【At this moment, the world has regained its light! 】

It had been dreadfully long.

Claude collapsed to the ground as if his body had given out.

The stone dust of the ruined temple painfully pricked his skin, but he didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.

【The effect of your weapon is upgraded as you have defeated the Evil God!】

 

 

【You have obtained the ‘Spear That Pierced the Evil God’ as a boss reward!】

The Evil god, who tried to swallow the world by hiding the flames of the Sun God, was the final boss.

As befitting its title, the Evil god, a dark and bizarre figure, with its body pierced, coughed up white blood and turn into ashes

Ting!

【A new skill has been unlocked as a boss clear reward! 】

 

【Stolen Divine Power (Minor) new! 】

 

Grants partial access to the power of darkness.

 

— Engraved on the soul, permanent. 】

Translator’s Note: The “소“ in “빼앗은 신의 권능 (소)“ refers to the scale or potency of the effect and can be translated as “minor” or “small”. This indicates that the effect is not at its highest or most powerful level.

Translator’s Note: “Engraved in the soul, permanent”: Indicates that this effect becomes a permanent upgrade for the character and is tied to their very essence, implying it cannot be removed or undone even if the spear is unequipped.

【Blessing of the Sun God: The blessing of Rasphallara will always be with you. Healing from wounds will be faster.

 

— Engraved in the soul, permanent. 】

Effect increased when equipped with the ‘Spear that Pierced the Evil God’.

The spear that fell from Claude’s hand emitted a faint light.

Ting!

【You have obtained the title ‘Slayer of Gods’! 】

 

 

【Additional passive effects have been applied according to the title! 】

 

【God Slayer (Minor): ‘Even Gods are not eternal.’ Increases interference with existence and attack power.

 

— Engraved in the soul, permanent. 】

 

 

【Beware of Fanatics: (When equipped with the ‘Spear that Pierced the Evil God’) You can sense the aura of life touched by the breath of a God. Increases interference with existence and attack power.

 

— Engraved in the soul, permanent. 】

Translator’s Note: “Beware of Fanatics“: This phrase suggests caution, possibly due to unpredictable or dangerous behavior from entities influenced by divine power. The title hints that the spear grants the ability to detect these entities, making it useful for navigating a world filled with divine interference.

Perhaps it was because the last battle was so difficult, the rewards were tremendous.

Claude blankly listened to the continuous notifications, closed all the reward windows, and brought up his basic information.

【Total number of deaths: 28】

How many dangers had he faced to gain strength comparable to that of a hero, when he had started as an ordinary person?

If you die, everything is reset.

In this world, ‘reset’ doesn’t mean going back to the past and starting from the beginning.

When you die, the system forcibly transfers your soul into a randomly chosen person, and the next cycle begins immediately.

If we compare it to a game, it’s like starting all over again in a random starting village, with a randomly chosen character.

‘What a crazy system.’

 

In order to survive, Claude had absorbed as much knowledge as he could.

Though he had lived an ordinary life before, to progress in the main story, he had to find a way to gain power.

He lived many lives through the repeated cycles.

At times, he had been a hunter, at other times a mercenary, and once, a knight.

There was even a time when he made a name for himself as a great mage, and a time when he was an elf, not a human.

And thus, on his twenty-ninth life.

Finally, in this life, he had defeated the final boss.

Claude stopped his thoughts and gazed at the light seeping through the ruined ceiling.

He could feel the mana flowing toward his heart.

It seemed like his strength was slowly returning.

“Claude.”

Claude shifted his gaze and looked at the person who called him.

Ark Batchel.

Black hair, covered in blood and dust, was the first thing that entered his vision.

Even though the clothes, custom-made for the long journey though not flashy, were also a mess, the blue eyes that occasionally showed their presence through the swaying hair were still calm, as if they held a deep lake.

The hero who will save the world, and perhaps the protagonist of this world.

That’s how much Ark Batchel had accomplished great feats in many rounds, and he was a perfect man with such great abilities that he wouldn’t be swept away by his own fate.

Originally, it should have been Ark who struck down the Evil God, but because he had diverted the God’s gaze, Claude was able to land the final blow on the boss.

Ark, who had been moving closer to Claude, staggered for a moment as if dizzy.

“Did you get hurt? You seemed to faint earlier.”

“…Just a little dizzy. I’m fine.”

Ark, who had touched his forehead, shook his head as if it was nothing.

However, just in case, Claude carefully examined Ark’s condition.

Due to the long journey, his shaggy, long hair covered his face.

Because of this, his face wasn’t clearly visible, but Ark’s voice was as calm as ever.

Although he was holding his bleeding arm, aside from the dirt and debris from the ruined stones, there didn’t appear to be any fatal wounds.

Could he have been hit by the mental attack that the demons often did just before dying?

But if Ark hadn’t endured the attack, the quest would have failed, and such a notification didn’t appear.

While Claude was carefully examining Ark’s condition, he spoke.

“Is this the end?”

A total of 28 deaths.

Hearing the words “the end” from Ark, the undisputed protagonist of this world, felt surreal.

Just as Claude’s expectations were being met, the system window appeared.

【The main story is nearing completion!】

 

 

【<Ark Chronicles> Completion Rewards are being processed!】

 

 

【It will take about 50 minutes to process the rewards!】

Claude trembled as he looked at the words “completion achieved.”

How long had he waited for this moment?

As he stared at the system window, doubting it might disappear, nothing like that happened.

“Claude?”

When there was no answer, Ark spoke with a tone of curiosity.

Claude took a deep breath and finally replied.

“…Yeah. It’s finally over.”

In just 50 minutes, everything would be over.

Finally, he would bid farewell to this damn world.

Claude thought he would feel nothing even after achieving completion because he had given up so many times.

But he was wrong.

Unfamiliar emotions, unnameable feelings, surged within him.

Perhaps it was because he had given up entirely on the idea of success and had run mechanically, but the sensation filling his chest felt unfamiliar enough to startle him.

“You look happier than ever.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Very much so. It was tough when we caught the dragon, but you weren’t this happy. Well, I guess it’s understandable since this is the last one.”

Ark chuckled and sat down next to him.

Since it wasn’t the first time they had caught a dragon in this cycle, the excitement was less, but Ark seemed to remember that.

Claude shrugged indifferently.

The wind blowing through the cracks made the ruined stone dust and Ark’s hair and cloak flutter slightly.

Claude looked at Ark again.

A man who had become a hero not because he aspired to be one, but because he had ended up saving people.

He had seen all sorts of good and bad while living up to this point, but looking at Ark, Claude felt like he could understand what goodness was.

‘Once the reward processing is done, will I have to say goodbye to Ark too?’

 

After repeating the story countless times, seeing Ark over and over had sometimes made him resentful or tired.

But now, the thought of parting made him feel strangely sad

Having spent more than half the cycles with Ark, he had probably grown attached to him.

Ark would never realize that he was the protagonist of this world.

Claude recalled the many iterations they had gone through together.

There were so many things he had kept inside, things he never said.

There was even a time when he couldn’t hold back and spoke out loud, causing the relationship to be damaged.

But now.

【Final reward processing in progress!】

Claude stared intently at the system window.

At this moment, he wished to finally reveal everything he had been keeping inside.

He didn’t want to have regrets, even without being able to resent anyone.

And he realized that now was his only chance.

“Hey.”

Claude called out to Ark, watching the endless loading icon spin.

His voice came out after a delay.

“It might sound crazy, but just listen since it’s the last time. Don’t interrupt.”

For some reason, he felt even more nervous than when he had defeated the boss.

Claude closed his eyes as if wiping away his hesitation.

“I’m not from here. The last thing I saw before falling off the stairs was an advertisement for this game. A fantasy novel-based MMORPG or something… Anyway, the important is that I came to a place like this.”

Claude slowly started to tell his story that he had kept bottled up.

“I don’t remember anything else, but I remember my first death. I can vividly recall the sensation of being stabbed to death by a robber, but I opened my eyes in a different body. I was more horrified than amazed.”

“I’ve lived many different lives. I’m Claude now, but I’ve had countless faces, and you’ll never know how many times I’ve met you.”

“There were many companions in the past. But betrayal… that happened more than once. Damn bastards. I started cutting out the ones with a higher chance of betraying me, and in the end, it was just you and me.”

“You know this world revolves around you. If you die, it’s always a quest failure no matter when or where. I’ve run around desperately to save you… You should thank me.”

The more Claude spoke, the lighter his heart felt.

He settled down, lying back and letting out a long breath.

The spear that had briefly touched him suddenly vibrated and scattered a faint light.

“Still, I think coming this far trusting you was a good thing. After all, we actually did defeat a God.”

Thanks to Ark, Claude had been able to hold onto hope that this endless cycle would finally end.

After finishing his last words, he felt a wave of awkwardness and carefully opened his eyes.

He could see Ark picking up the spear that had fallen, silently listening to his story without saying anything.

He had told him not to interrupt, but he really hadn’t said a single word.

Considering Ark’s usual personality, that was very like him.

Even when Claude first shared this story with a companion, Ark had been the only one not treating him like a crazy person.

Claude chuckled.

Feeling relieved, Claude poked Ark next to him.

A late rush of shyness had hit him.

“Say something, will you?”

But Ark, still facing away from Claude, did not react at all.

That was very strange.

His personality was as pure as his gentle and neat face, but he often replied when spoken to, and he would normally say things like, “You worked hard” or “It must have been tough,” but he hadn’t said anything.

Could he be in shocked?

‘…Well. I guess it did sound like crazy talk even if you think about it.’

 

For a moment, Claude regretted speaking up.

If they remained silent, he wouldn’t be able to say goodbye properly, and that was something he didn’t want.

He wanted to at least properly say goodbye to Ark before saying farewell to this world forever.

Because it was the last time.

Claude raised his body with the intention of trying to speak more.

【The reward processing will be completed in 5 minutes!】

And at that moment, the system window appeared, along with the suffocating, burning smell that struck him, making him realize why he hadn’t noticed it earlier.

A sharp silver glint flickered at the edge of his vision.

Thwack!

 

“…Huh?”

He felt a burning pain in his chest.

Claude vomited the blood that surged up for a moment, and slowly lowered his head.

He saw a spear piercing his chest.

The Spear that Pierced the Evil God. And the one holding the spear… was Ark.

“What…?”

Ark’s hand holding the spear was burning black.

Ting!

 

【Reward calculation in progress!】

 

 

【5 minutes to rewa】

 

 

【rd ca】

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

【ERROR!】

Warning windows surrounded him at a speed too fast for his eyes to follow.

The blaring alarms scrambled his thoughts.

It was a scene he had seen countless times.

It was that very same warning window that appeared only right before he died.

Claude desperately grabbed the spear piercing his chest.

【Passive activated due to ‘Spear That Pierced the Evil God’ equipped!】

 

 

【!Beware of the fanatics!】

 

 

【There are follower of the Evil God nearby!】

But as the spear was roughly pulled out, Claude could do nothing but roll on the ground in pain.

Blood poured from his chest.

【Completion Reward Calculation Canceled!】

 

 

【System is rebooting!】

 

 

【Loading!】

The sharp spearhead came closer, aiming for his heart again.

Before his vision went completely dark, he saw Ark’s flaming hand one last time.

【Quest Failed!】

 

 

【Ending 29 “Today’s Ally is Tomorrow’s Enemy” unlocked!】

 

 

【Tip — Never let your guard down until the very end!】

What the hell…

∗ ∗ ∗

In the darkness with no light, a mechanical voice rang out, as if the voice of a God announcing the start of the world.

【System Restarting…】

 

 

【…Complete!】

 

 

【May the blessings of the Gods be with you!】

 

 

Suddenly, light poured in, and the world opened up.

“Kuhuk!”

The sensation of rushed breath and a sudden flash of light made Claude’s eyes snap open.

Claude instinctively touched the part where he was pierced by the spear, but he couldn’t feel any wounds.

“What the….”

However, his mind spun so much that he couldn’t continue his thoughts.

His throat and heart were burning as if they had swallowed a blazing fire.

Claude couldn’t support his body and slumped to the floor.

In his blurred vision, he saw a red carpet and felt the soft touch beneath his palm.

Before he could question it, something surged up from within.

Cough!

 

He wiped his mouth, finding sticky liquid on his hand.

Blood.

Someone grabbed Claude’s arm.

The surroundings were chaotic.

【‘Blessing of the Sun God’ activated!】

 

 

【Status Abnormality: Curse of Deadly Poison】

 

 

【Wounds healing faster!】

 

The system window that suddenly appeared flickered before his eyes.

A warm energy gathered in his heart.

Claude let out a breath.

His heart and throat still felt like they were burning, but he felt a little better than before.

Through his blurry vision, he saw the flickering lights, a group of people whispering nearby, and people who had gathered around him.

The person in front of him shouted.

“Young Master!”

Then, they grabbed his arm and began to cry.

‘What kind of young master… me?’

 

And so, once again, Claude found himself standing at the starting point of his 30th life.