[∄◊#∞§] "I'm bored."
The fabric of existence ripples—not because my words carry force, but because several beings have learned, through long experience, that this particular statement is dangerous.
[Caelum] "Please don't say such a frightening word, my Lord."
The first to speak up is Caelum, my faithful right hand. I also sense Lysandra and Nyx nearby. All three are Gods, and all three worship me as I am a God among gods. It just turned out like this…
I exist everywhere.
Not as a figure. Not as a shape. There are no feet dangling off the edge of reality, no chin to rest nonexistent fingers against. I don't sit, because sitting implies gravity. I don't stand, because standing implies ground.
I simply am.
[∄◊#∞§] "Well, it's true. I'm tired of this mundane existence."
[Caelum] "I thought you were engrossed with that new form of entertainment you found? What was it, manga?"
[∄◊#∞§] "Yes! Too engrossed. I've read everything, even the light novels. I wish these mortals would come out with new volumes sooner!"
[Lysandra] "Don't blame them. You're reading too fast. All you do is binge them for years. Of course you'll run out!"
[Nyx] "Have you tried watching the anime?"
[∄◊#∞§] "Of course. I'm all out of options and now I'm bored."
A collective sigh rings out from all three Gods. I ignore them.
[∄◊#∞§] "I'm thinking it's time I retire."
[Caelum] "What!?"
[∄◊#∞§] "You know, retire. There's not much to do here. So I want to go down to the mortal realm and live out a slow life in the countryside. Maybe start a farm."
They stare at me in disbelief.
[Lysandra] "You of all people can't descend into the mortal realm. Heck, if we descend it'll turn into chaos and tear reality apart. I'm scared of what will happen if you descend."
[Nyx] "You... you're thinking of reincarnation, right? You're always reading those types of manga."
[∄◊#∞§] "Nyx, you understand me well."
[Caelum] "You're insane."
[∄◊#∞§] "Insanely bored."
A few more moments of awkward silence pass. Seems like even with their omnipotence, their minds are still processing. I imagine a loading screen icon and snicker internally.
[∄◊#∞§] "Anyway, I'm going to reincarnate and retire."
[Caelum] "You do realize that you have to die first before you reincarnate."
[∄◊#∞§] "Of course. So you three, kill me. Then reincarnate me as a mortal. I'll be human."
More loading screen stares. I power through.
I expand my awareness, letting them see what I see—a lower world soaked in mana, filled with monsters, kingdoms, guilds, and people of all kinds fighting to survive. Got to have some excitement around to really appreciate the slow life by contrast.
[Caelum] "That's Jyne's domain if I'm recalling correctly? She has the most followers within that world."
[∄◊#∞§] "Correct. She's been bothering me about how this world is falling apart and asked for my help. I said I'd think about it. Might as well go there. Two birds, one stone."
[Caelum] "You've been planning this for a while now..."
[∄◊#∞§] "Of course."
I smirk mentally, transmitting the expression to the three Gods around me. It would be a waste to keep it to myself. They all close their eyes and pinch their noses, metaphorically speaking.
[Caelum] "Look, even if we wanted to, we can't kill you. You're an existence that's beyond us. We don't have that kind of power."
Power flows naturally to gods. Faith accumulates from countless mortals. Their belief refines itself into divinity and flows into the target of their faith. And I, being one of the oldest beings in existence, am revered by the gods themselves.
[∄◊#∞§] "I've constructed a medium to redirect my powers into. It's already done. Here, catch."
I toss a planet-sized ball of light to Caelum.
[Caelum] "What do you want me to do with this..."
[∄◊#∞§] "Use it. Throw it away. I don't care. I'm done. Retired."
[Lysandra] "You're unreasonable."
[Nyx] "We'll safeguard this. If you want to retire from being retired, you can come back to being a god."
[∄◊#∞§] "Thanks, Nyx, but feel free to use it. Power will continue to flow into it anyway, so no use for it to be sitting around collecting dust."
[Caelum] "It won't explode?"
[∄◊#∞§] "It won't explode. Maybe."
Another pause. This is getting repetitive, so let's move things along.
[∄◊#∞§] "Ahem. As I said, I'm reincarnating as a human. I'll also want those cheat skills as I want to live comfortably. Aside from keeping my memories: Appraisal, Storage, Creation Magic, Crafting, and Alchemy."
[Nyx] "You're basically asking to play existence on easy mode."
[∄◊#∞§] "Well, I do want a comfortable life. Plus, I'll lose my omnipotence, which makes Appraisal necessary."
I absolutely do not want to accidentally die from eating the wrong mushroom and suffering from diarrhea. That would be a disaster. I'd never live that down!
[Caelum] "Of all the mortal creations you could have become obsessed with..."
[∄◊#∞§] "What can I say? Mortals have perfected the art of doing nothing productively. I want to experience that kind of peaceful mundanity. No cosmic responsibilities. No reality-breaking decisions. Just... simple living."
[Caelum] "Okay, so human and cheat skills. Anything else?"
[∄◊#∞§] "Set my age as an adult in that world. Being looked at as a child would be inconvenient."
[Caelum] "Of course."
[Lysandra] "Name?"
That gives me pause.
My true name is troublesome. Unpronounceable to mortal tongues. Speaking it aloud reshapes reality in uncomfortable ways. A minor apocalypse had happened the last time someone managed to get part of it right.
[∄◊#∞§] "Open to suggestions."
Silence, as they consider. Then Caelum speaks.
[Caelum] "Wright."
I test the sound, letting it echo through my awareness. Wright. Bright. Grand. Slightly arrogant.
[∄◊#∞§] "I like it."
The decision finalizes everything.
[Caelum] "You're sure you want to go through with this?"
[∄◊#∞§] "Proceed."
The three gods' presence shifts, growing denser, more focused. Reality bends around them as they reach into the fundamental weave of existence.
My powers dissipate. My divine essence begins to compress.
It isn't painful. Pain requires nerves. But there is a sensation, like watching infinity fold in on itself, vast oceans of power being funneled into a single point.
[Caelum] "I'm anchoring your core to the lower world's framework. You'll retain knowledge and base capabilities, but everything else gets locked."
[Lysandra] "Your cheat skills are in place. They'll activate on arrival."
[Nyx] "Added some additional skills that you'll need as service."
[∄◊#∞§] "Thank you. Good work, you three. Be well."
Threads of light wrap around my consciousness, each one a binding, a limitation, a rule I'll be subject to.
Gravity. Time. Hunger. Fatigue. Vulnerability.
Mortality.
Infinity folds inward.
Awareness compresses.
Omnipresence collapses into a single point of existence.
Concepts harden into limitations.
And then—
Weight.
My first breath tastes like copper and grass. Air forces itself into lungs that have never needed oxygen, burning as it expands tissue that suddenly, horrifyingly, exists.
Gravity crushes down on me. Not metaphorically. Literally. A full planetary mass pulling at flesh and bone, anchoring me to one location, one position in space.
I gasp, and the sound is wet.
Ew.
I open eyes—eyes, two of them, limited and bilateral and grotesquely physical—to a blue sky. Clouds drift lazily overhead, moving through air currents I can no longer perceive in totality.
I sit up slowly, and every movement feels wrong. Joints creak. Muscles protest. My perception extends maybe twenty meters before hitting a wall of absolute nothing.
Finite.
I am finite.
I flex fingers that feel too solid, too small, made of meat and bone instead of thought and will.
Human. Two fleshy fists rise into the sky.
[Wright] "It worked! Now, for the moment of truth. Status Open!"
A faint shimmer appears before my eyes. Text materializes in my vision, glowing softly against the blue sky:
[Status]
Name: Wright
Race: Human
Age: 24
Stats:
Strength: 8,754
Vitality: 9,845
Agility: 8,579
Intelligence: 9,548
Mana: 18,000
Skills:
Appraisal (Passive)
Storage (Passive)
Creation Magic
Elemental Magic
Crafting
Alchemy
Language Comprehension (All Languages)
I stare at it for a long moment.
The numbers are absurd. Strength at 8,754? Mana at 18,000? These definitely aren't normal for this world.
But compared to what I'd been?
A rounding error.
I laugh—a raw, unfamiliar sound from a throat that has never existed before.
[Wright] "Age 24, huh? I suppose that counts as 'adult' in this world. And these stats... I suppose this is the best they could do—cramming divinity into mortal parameters can't have been easy."
I flex my fingers again, feeling the limitations settle into place like shackles. Gravity. Hunger already gnawing at the edges of my awareness. Fatigue waiting in the margins.
Mortal.
I stand, wobbling slightly as neural pathways figure out how legs work. The world spins briefly before stabilizing.
Around me: forest. Rows and rows of trees in every direction, their leaves rustling in a breeze I can actually feel on my skin.
When was the last time I felt wind?
Eons ago. Back when... well. It has been a very, very long time.
I take a deep breath—another novel sensation—and start walking into the forest.
[Wright] "Time to enjoy my retirement. Maybe start that farm I mentioned. Something quiet and peaceful."
I pause mid-step.
[Wright] "...After I figure out where I am and how to not starve to death."