Chapter 1: Fragments from the Past Life
My name is Wu Chen. Now I am living in my second life. My first life, just like my current intense one, was different. In that life, I worked as an ordinary game developer until the age of 40. I had no family, and my days consisted only of codes and projects.
But one day, I fell into a magical circle. That circle carried me into a mysterious place between worlds. Around me were walls filled with dense magical flow, sparkling like stars falling from the sky. This place was the void between worlds.
I lay unconscious, and after some time, I came to my senses.
"Did I fall into another world? Just like in the games I created…" — I thought. "But now I am 40 years old…" A smile appeared on my face at that thought.
"If I were 18, I would build my own harem…" — I imagined, laughing to myself.
Then the King looked at me and said:
— Welcome, hero.
I smiled and replied:
— Ha, just like in the games, the summoned one becomes the hero, ha-ha.
The King introduced himself in his formal humble manner:
— I am Erik Shvers, the ruler of this kingdom.
— Ha-ha, demons are attacking your kingdom, and behind it stands the Demon Lord. And you want to ask me for help, right? — I said.
The King looked at me in astonishment:
— Yes, you are from another world, it would not be strange to be surprised. So, do you agree?
I looked around and carefully assessed:
— Is this how you welcome a guest? 15 magicians are ready to destroy me, and 50 knights can put me down with a snap of a finger… Hmm, still something is missing, — I said, touching my chin, lost in thought.
The King, still astonished, said:
— Truly you are capable, worthy of the hero's title. Do you agree?
I continued with a smile:
— Yes, I remembered. There must also be a queen and a beautiful, gentle princess. If this is the start of a game, there must be such rules to interest the player, ha-ha.
The King's anger began to rise:
— Did you just call me old? I am only 120 years old, I still have a long life!
I answered with a laugh:
— 120 years? What is the age limit here, I am surprised.
The King waved his hand and gestured to the minister.
The minister explained:
— In this world, the average lifespan is 200 years, adulthood begins at 50 years. After 400 years old age begins, and most do not live beyond 450 years.
I thought with mixed feelings of surprise and joy:
— So, I am now 40 years old, not even at the age of maturity yet…
The King, waiting for my final decision, asked in an angry tone:
— What is your decision?
I thought for a moment:
— I agree, but I have conditions, — I said seriously.
The King gestured to the minister. The minister nodded and began to speak:
— If you defeat the demon lords, you can have whatever you want.
I smiled and replied:
— No, it won't be like that. Until I defeat all the lords myself, I will not take the king's reward. My conditions are:
1. You will not interfere in my affairs.
2. You will give me the best female magician and the best sword saint maiden.
3. I will take 50/50 of the territories I clear, the part closer to the demons is mine, the rest belongs to the kingdom.
4. Among the people under me, there will be no one who reports information to you.
The minister looked at the king, and the king agreed:
— We accept your conditions. Now you must cleanse 12 demon lords and 50 territories occupied by demons. No one knows the exact number of demons, but it may be more than 10 billion.