POV: Arthur
My name is Arthur. I am named after that one king. I think you know which one I'm talking about. King Arthur Pendragon, I believe his full name was.
My life is quite boring, of course, I guess that's a good thing, but I don't want to live a boring life. Is that crazy to want? I am unsure, being named Arthur doesn't automatically make you strong or legendary, but I want to be legendary.
I wish to become the strongest.
Being the strongest in this world does nothing. You could be the strongest, you could be built like a whole wall, and still be taken out by a gun instantly; you aren't beating them, no matter how big and strong you are. It feels cowardly to me, honestly.
Magic might be fake. I believe the way it's portrayed in the media makes it not cowardly, like it feels like it'd be honorable to be using magic; it feels way less cowardly than guns.
I wish I could just go back to the past, but thinking about the horrible it was and how brutal and how you basically had to be known to survive back then.
Nowadays, most of the time when they talk about strength, they're talking about weightlifters, which is not the type of strength I want or care about. I want to see what it's like on a battlefield without the guns, bombs, or all the other things.. Martial artists nowadays seem strong, of course, but you can't think of a single martial artist who is strong enough to be known throughout the entire world.
The whole MMA world and UFC stuff just disappoints me. It makes me feel like they're all cowards even now.
Also, there is no such thing as sword fighting. There is no one nowadays who is known as a "swordfighter" who is as famous as I want to be.
That is a distant dream, but currently, unfortunately, I'm in a modern-day classroom.
I see my teacher up there, teaching about some history nonsense. I look around, noticing some of my peers on their phones or just not paying attention, as I am. I see writing on the chalkboard, but my eyes are still just adjusting, so I'm unable to read it.
Then I hear him tap my desk, telling me to pay attention.
"Fine, I'll pay attention if that's what you want," I say.
The professor rubs his face and groans.
"What is the answer to the problem? Stop spacing out during class, Arthur."
I look at the board, my eyes unfocused.
"Uhh, 7," I say.
The professor groans again and rubs his face.
"This is History, not Math, Arthur! I thought you'd pay attention, because we're talking about you."
He says it laughing, making me realize he's making fun of me for being named Arthur.
"Ugh, oh, his sword, the first one he had was named Caliburn, which is his first one, but his second one, which is most known, is Excalibur, which is famous and…"
The professor nods his head.
"That's correct. Of course, you'd know that."
I go back to looking out the window, thinking about life. All these books that are magical, I just wish my life were like that, but it's impossible and implausible.
What could I even hope to do if I were to be teleported back then? I doubt I'd even survive a week there, though. Even with my strength and current intellect, I couldn't bring a single thing from the future to then.
Of course, all I want to do is train and become the strongest. But even the strongest back then, one mistake and you'd die.
I guess what I truly want is a fairytale, but that's just me. Only if there were a way to go into those stories and become someone with powers like those. I want to become someone with incredible strength.
But being the strongest in the world, unable to be stopped, I don't want to rule over them like a god or a king. I just wish to be known.
I have a strong ambition to get strong, but there's no way for me to be able to beat an atomic bomb if someone decided my life could be over.
It doesn't matter how strong or weak you are against an atomic bomb, and the weakest person in the world could just be decimated instantly. Those weapons need to be destroyed.
I believe the end of the world could just happen because someone decided to nuke one place, and they nuke each other back, and the whole world ends. Strength means nothing in this world.
This is why I want to be in another world. It's just useless that someone way weaker than me can pick up a gun and beat me. Strength truly does mean nothing now.
Even if I could get into those fantasy books, I'd probably just be an extra anyway, though, so why even think of something like this?
Maybe if I were to become strong enough here, I might be able to get some fans or supporters. But it's not like there are hundreds of thousands that are extremely strong. So there isn't a way that I would be able to even reach their level.
The professor then leaves the room.
It gets extremely quiet, and everyone stops moving.
Even when I try to move, I look around, looking outside at the ginormous explosion that happened outside of the classroom at least 100 meters away from me.
I hear sirens blaring, but I'm unable to move. I'm paralyzed by fear, unable to move, due to knowing that whatever I do, I'm dead no matter what.
I feel as the entire building shakes, seeing everyone's panicked faces.
I hear screams all around me. They were horrible, bone-chilling screams. The sirens were blaring so loudly I could barely think or move at all. All I could hear was my heart beating as if it were in my throat; it was so loud, and the explosion was so large that it swallowed up the sky outside.
Suddenly, there is nothing.
Then my body is feeling as if I were melted alive, just gone. No strength to protect myself, unable to even fight back.
I get mad,
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!"
I yell in my head,
"I CAN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING AGAINST THAT. WHY WOULD SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVER BE ALLOWED IN THE WORLD!"
I can't believe that a bomb would just make it so that I die immediately; it's unfair. I hate it.
I want a second chance. Why did this have to happen to me, or more or less everyone in my class?
I try to move my hand to grab my head, but I cannot move. I feel a tingling sensation in my head, then my neck, all the way down to my feet.
Suddenly, my eyes close, and I think,
Is this my life flashing before my eyes? Did we get nuked, and I'm just left in the last few seconds?
Is this death?
Did everyone else die in the classroom as well?
It was too fast, I couldn't even react.
As I was saying, what's the point of that strength if it could end just like that?
Why'd it have to end so abruptly? Whoever even bombed us, what do they gain?
Suddenly, a warmth embraces me. I feel as if I'm alive… but I know deep down in my heart I am not, but it's comforting for the time being. I'm confused but hopeful.
I awake to being in a strange, floating area where there is a goddess who is floating or sitting on what looks like a cloud or air. She has long, silver flowing hair, eyes red like rubies, and a White dress that fits her Figure nicely as if it were perfectly made for her.
"Huh, so there really is a god," I say, shocked at the revelation, still unsure how I died.
She then says,
"Oh? I wasn't expecting any visitors today?"
I respond by saying,
"Huh? Then what happened exactly?"
She says,
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be acting confused."
I then look at her seriously, staring at her, confused and unsure what to think. Before I can even think, I say,
"Are you serious?"
I yell, holding my head.
This isn't a dream? Is it?
I feel my stomach drop, though I try to focus on what she's saying. My heartbeat is too loud, as if it's in my mouth.
"Wait, are you serious? What reason am I here for then?"
I ask, scared, wanting an explanation, scared of what she'll say.
She then sighs and says,
"Oh, I see now."
She laughs a little.
"Hmmm, I have never seen such an ambition for strength like this. You've been given a second chance just because of how angry you were about how you died."
I then respond, saying,
"Wait? I was able to get reincarnated just because I wanted strength and to survive?"
She nods.
Then says,
"Yes, that is one of the reasons you were able to get reincarnated. Count yourself lucky but unlucky."
I look down and then ask,
"I know it's dangerous, and I could die, so can I ask for a power? I know it's selfish, but I want to be the strongest."
She leans back and looks like she's thinking.
"Even if that strength costs Everything? You're entire Identity stripped of what it once was in a completely unknown and different world? Would you still make the deal?"
I think about it, then say,
"I don't care about the drawbacks. I want to be the strongest. I want strength."
She smirks.
"You truly are ambitious. I will tell you this, the world you will be going to won't be easy, you won't have it easy, but if you want to. Shake my hand, and it's finalized."
I shake her hand, and then she starts to talk again.
"You will be transported to a world that could be fantasy, or it could be like your old world. I just wanted to tell you something: whatever they say, you have no obligation to help. It's your journey at the end of the day. But if you do horrendous things with the powers I gave you, it'll be the end of you."
She says this with a scary aura.
I respond,
"I promise I won't harm, I'll try not to even kill unless needed."
She responds,
"I don't think you understand what type of world I'm about to send you to. It's not a carefree place, and it won't be a fantasy adventure as you wish, but if you think it'll be a cakewalk, you'll see soon enough,"
And suddenly she's gone.
My eyes strain, and my body hurts like hell.