Chapter 2: Fight and Flight

Not expecting the Goddess to be so 'hostile', Nobu's train of thought crashed into the station of his mind like a subway car braking too late to prevent a suicide.

"What's your problem?" he asked despite his expression set in a nervous frown.

Having already lost interest in the conversation, Imina leaned forward in a rather careless manner, hand supporting her head as she lazily replied, "I'm tired of dealing with unrealistic, opportunistic, and selfish people. Let me guess; you want to reincarnate into a fantasy world with some kind of overpowered cheat that will allow you to do whatever you want without having to face any real consequences or repercussions, right? It's either that or you're expecting some absurd system that will allow you to rise to the pinnacle with little to no effort. Seriously, you reincarnation nutjobs are all the same..."

Taken aback by the Goddess's words, Nobu wasn't entirely sure how to respond. In the end, the only thing he could manage was to awkwardly ask, "Does that mean I don't get any wishes...?"

Rolling her eyes, Imina waved her hand in the air, and, as a result, a large wheel manifested into existence.

Glancing at the massive wheel, Nobu couldn't help comparing it to a pie chart separated into several uneven slices. However, as he continued observing it, he noticed that most of the slices were actively shrinking, seemingly consumed by the others.

Since the largest slice had the phrase 'Purgatory' written on it, it didn't take long for Nobu to figure out this was the wheel that would determine his afterlife. This tempted him to ask why some of the slices were rapidly shrinking, but, even without confirming it, he could already make a few guesses.

Fearing that further delays might royally screw him over, Nobu grabbed one of the pegs sticking out from the board, eyes aflame as he looked at the Goddess and asked, "Do I spin it...!?"

Without bothering to reply, Imina just waved dismissively before picking up her angel feather quill to record the results. Before that, however, she checked off a few boxes related to the deceased person's character. This was a spreadsheet given to them by the God of Creation to evaluate souls aspiring to reincarnate.

There had been far too many disasters wrought by selfish individuals who treated the worlds they wound up in as little more than a sandbox to fulfill their every desire. It allowed them to drastically affect a person's luck, so, with Nobu radiating the same air of entitlement as most reincarnators, Imina ticked off a few boxes that were bound to make certain aspects of his life a living hell. Most of these would only come into effect if he became a despot, but, as was often the case with humans who had received excessive power, this was far more likely than not.

Unaware that a precedent set by others had already compromised his future, Nobu's eyes blazed as he attempted to will the massive wheel into stopping on a beneficial category. Instead, the wheel seemed to speed up rather dramatically before stopping, nigh-instantaneously, on a slice resembling the surface of a mirror.

Surprised by the outcome, an amused smile spread across Imina's face as she mused, "It seems your reincarnation will reflect the life you have lived up till now...how interesting..."

Hearing the Goddess's musing, Nobu was about to ask what she meant when a sudden hole, almost like a trap door, appeared beneath his feet. This caught him completely by surprise, but, by instinct, he managed to cling to the edge for dear life.

Seeing Nobu clinging to the edge of the trap door as if it were a lifeline, the smile on Imina's face became slightly more prominent as she asked, "What is it? Depending on your request, I might humor you."

Since she had already compromised his future, assuming he would be just another tyrant, Imina didn't mind hearing what he had to say. She already had a few suspicions, so, when she heard him ask, "Can...can I keep my body and stay around the same age...?", she replied with the most radiant smile Nobu had ever seen before answering, "Of course~!"

Though he was significantly relieved by the Goddess's words, the feeling he had somehow screwed up was the last thought that crossed Nobu's mind before an irresistible force sucked him into the abyss below. Shortly following this, a bell-like laugh emanated through the void, courtesy of a golden-haired Goddess...

---

After what felt like a month of falling through an endless black void, Nobu awoke to find huddled, shivering, in an alleyway. Then, reminding him of the time he had been jumped by a group of six boys, intense pain began to emanate from every fiber.

Though the pain was the first thing he noticed, it quickly gave way to a far more unbearable sensation, almost like his stomach was locked in a vice.

Having never experienced real hunger before, Nobu entered a brief period of shock as his mind struggled to process everything happening to him. It was one of the most intense feelings he had ever suffered, and, for a brief moment, he thought he might die a second time.

Seeing one of their 'fellows' keel over and begin seizing, a few old men dressed in rags and a crone-like woman observed Nobu with predatory eyes until the largest of the group threatened, "His jacket belongs to me. If anyone tries to touch it, I'll gut you."

Though a few of the healthier-looking men appeared as though they had something to say, the size disparity between them and the much larger man kept them silent. None of them wanted to risk injury, as, with more than three weeks of winter remaining, even a small bruise could turn into a life-threatening infection.

With most of the group wandering away, albeit not too far, the larger man grunted through his nose before approaching Nobu's body and tentatively inspecting him for signs of disease. A single extra rag would provide a bit of warmth, but it wasn't worth the risk if the person he was stealing from had an infectious disease.

Feeling his body being manhandled, Nobu tried to resist only to have the left side of his face unceremoniously smashed as the man threatened, "I'll kill you myself if you don't stop squirming."

While others might have been cowed into obedience, Nobu's experience with bullies had taught him to never, ever, give an inch. Thus, the moment he heard the man's words, his tightly shut eyes snapped open, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he rammed his forehead into the face of the man attempting to steal the linen tunic covering his body.

Not expecting a sudden counter, the homeless quickly found himself lying backward on the cold cobblestone lining the road. Then, before he could fully grasp what had happened, Nobu, having studied mixed martial arts in an effort to deter his bullies, quickly straddled his stomach and began to pound on his face.

Though he had yet to grasp his situation fully, the one thing Nobu knew for sure was that the man had been intending to both rob and leave him for dead. The man might not have had the intention to kill him, but, with nothing to repel the cold, it wouldn't be long before the elements claimed him.

Unfortunately, despite possessing the element of surprise, Nobu's heart sank as a reddish-brown aura spread across the man's body.

Part of the pain he had been experiencing resulted from an influx of information and memories. The sensation was akin to liquid metal being pumped into his skull, but, thanks to that, he at least had a basic understanding of what the dingy bronze aura represented. It was the mysterious energy that certain people in this world could wield to enhance their physical bodies and provide them a variety of superpower-like abilities...

Unable to retract his fist in time, Nobu ended up punching the aura with his already swollen and bloodied fist. This produced a sound similar to a gong. At the same time, an agonizingly sharp pain shot through Nobu's right arm, his fist visibly splitting between his middle and ring fingers due to striking a surface that harder than bronze.

Were it not for the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Nobu might have cried out in pain. Instead, a far more guttural sound escaped his throat as he reached for the only thing he could use as a weapon, a strangely warm stone tablet that his 'counterpart' had been clinging to.

Though its dimensions were only 16x8cm, roughly the size of an iPhoni 12, the most important thing was that it was significantly harder than his fist. Thus, before the man could recover his senses, Nobu used the corner of the stone tablet to try and gouge one of his eyes.

Realizing what his attacker was up to, the homeless man covered his eyes with his right arm before trying to buck Nobu away by rolling sideways. To his surprise, Nobu sprang away up when he did this, but, before he could celebrate or recover his footing, a series of dull thuds began to impact the side and back of his head.

Understanding how royally screwed he was if he allowed the man to find his footing, Nobu began kicking the man in whatever direction he tried to move. It was fortunate his opponent seemed to lack even basic combat training, as, rather than attempting to sweep the legs or go for a tackle, he kept rolling around with one arm covering his face.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he kicked the man around, it wasn't enough to break through the aura covering his body. The pain emanating from his stomach also siphoned away his stamina at a ridiculous rate, so, after kicking the man in the back with enough force that Leonitus would be proud, Nobu promptly turned around and ran as fast as his feet could carry him.

Under normal circumstances, the other homeless people would have tried to hinder Nobu's escape. However, after seeing him assault someone with a Rank 3 Bronze aura, none of them were eager to move. He wouldn't last long after that level of exertion anyway, so, as long as they followed him at a distance, it wouldn't be long before they could loot his corpse.

After inheriting his current body's memories, Nobu's thoughts weren't all that different from the other homeless dredges. It had been nearly three weeks since his last meal, and, though he managed to stay hydrated by melting snow with the stone tablet, this was likely to be his last winter if he failed to find food.

As that thought crossed his mind, moisture began to build in Nobu's eyes as he recalled the relief he experienced after the Goddess permitted him to reincarnate with the same age and body. This caused his current body to live the first nineteen-years of its life as if he were on auto-pilot.

While this was troublesome in and of itself, Nobu had actually been born into a relatively well-off family known as the Oda Clan. They had invested a substantial amount of resources into trying to free him from the 'curse' that had been placed upon him; but, having exhausted every other option, they eventually had no choice but to exile him.

While it was possible to witness various fantasy races walking around, the world Nobu had found himself mirrored the society structure observed in a number of cultivation novels. This included a strength-based hierarchy, so while it might seem cruel of the Oda Clan to abandon him, the majority would have killed him merely to protect their pride.

In this world, pride was often regarded with even greater reverence than strength. If a person were determined to lack talent, the highest position they could ever aspire to was that of a servant, serf, or farmer. This was the way things had been for thousands of years, so, for those born in one of the major sects or established clans, weakness was tantamount to sin.

Though the starting age varied, training within this world typically started around the age of four. From there, you would spend four years working on your foundation before being split into two distinct groups. Those with talent would be given an additional four years to improve their foundation. As for the rest, they were fated to become the working class.

While there were a number of historical precedences demonstrating that even a simple farmer could reach the pinnacle of cultivation, this required an extreme amount of luck and numerous heaven-sent opportunities. The likelihood of this was comparable to encountering a docile Qilin while you were trying to relieve yourself. It was the type of thing that only occurred in legend, so, after reaching the age of eight without showing any signs of progress, it seemed only natural that his family would toss him out...