Here's @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.
This story is now available up to chapter 30 on my Patreon.
I will release an additional chapter every 500 Power Stones.
patreon.com/riojiyo131
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[ Complete Analysis: The number of Reincarnated exceeds the capacity of the main instance. ]
[ Initiating automatic division into servers. ]
[ Total Reincarnated detected: 98 ]
[ Configuration: 20 Reincarnated per server ]
[ Servers generated: 5 ]
A blue light enveloped the space.
[ Assigning server... ]
The ground beneath my feet began to disintegrate, and before I could move, everything around me distorted as if the world had turned liquid. The Reincarnated disappeared one after another, dissolving into particles of light.
I was no exception.
...
A second later, a light breeze brushed my face. The smell of wet asphalt and gasoline invaded my senses. I opened my eyes.
I was in what appeared to be a large parking lot, with a few trucks and cars parked. To one side, I could see the sign for a Food House supermarket, and beyond that, low houses, empty streets, and trees gently swaying in the wind. The sky was clear, pale blue, and the sun was shining with a calm light. Everything seemed... normal. Too normal to be the Tower of Trials.
Around me, seventeen more Reincarnated materialized in flashes of light, observing the place with confusion.
[ Server 5 assigned. Reincarnated connected: 18 / 20 ]
"So, out of the five servers, I ended up in the one with the fewest people..." I thought, relieved. The fewer Reincarnated there were, the less they would interfere with me and my plans.
But that relief evaporated instantly.
"Seth!"
I turned my head with a deadpan expression.
KarateMaster and Atom walked towards me, smiling as if the universe had granted their wish.
"I can't believe it!" exclaimed KarateMaster, raising both arms. "What luck! Out of all the servers, we ended up in the same one! Destiny wants us to work together!"
"More like destiny wants to test my patience..." I muttered in annoyance.
Atom simply smiled politely. "It seems the system has brought us together again. Perhaps there's a reason for it."
"Yes," I replied without thinking. "My bad luck."
KarateMaster let out a nervous laugh, but immediately raised a hand, and a small spark of light appeared above his shoulder. A tiny translucent fairy, with iridescent wings and a camera floating above it, materialized in the air.
It was a transmitting fairy.
"Are you seriously streaming?" I asked in disbelief.
KarateMaster ignored me and, in a matter of seconds, adopted that forced smile streamers use when they know they are being watched.
"And here we are, folks!" he shouted enthusiastically, looking at the camera. "Live from Floor 2 of the Tower of Trials! Bridgton, Maine! And yes, what you're seeing is real! The one and only Seth, the legendary double SSS, the Lord of Chaos, is on my server! Everyone wanted to meet him, and I, KarateMaster, your humble servant, bring him to you and introduce you to my best friend!"
He pointed towards me with a smile so exaggerated it almost caused me second-hand embarrassment. Comments began flooding his floating screen. He even had the nerve to introduce me as his best friend...
[HolyRamen: No f*cking way, it's Seth! Follow him, record EVERYTHING!]
[BibiQueen: LOL best friends? He's not even looking at you, bro.]
[Watcher: I doubt he'll get another SSS Rating. It must have been luck.]
[MoneyMan69: I donate 500 Reincarnation Points if you record his complete strategy!]
[UwUfan: Seth, daddy, look at me just once 🥺💋]
The digital chime of donations filled the air.
"Thanks for the donations, guys! Seriously, I love you!" shouted KarateMaster, almost trembling with excitement. "We are going to experience the God Seth's journey from the inside!"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Stop following me."
"Uh... what? I can't hear you over the donation sounds..."
"I said get lost."
KarateMaster let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Ah, see guys! Seth is super focused, a true professional! We can't bother him, I'll make sure not to be a nuisance to him while we're together!"
"And you seem not to understand common language," I muttered to myself, grinding my teeth.
Did he not understand what I was telling him?
I walked past him without looking back.
"Wait, Seth!" he shouted behind me. "My viewers want to know what your strategy will be to survive three days. Will you stay in the supermarket or are you going to explore?"
"My strategy is not having you nearby," I answered without even looking at him, as I continued walking across the parking lot.
The chat exploded.
[DonorX: LMAO he got killed live.]
[SakuraLive: Don't give up! Follow him anyway, the content is gold!]
KarateMaster clenched his teeth, but the new donations made him recover his smile.
"Well, folks, it looks like Seth is in serious mode," he said, still feigning calm. "We're going to discreetly accompany him!"
"Anyway, I'm sure he'll take refuge in the supermarket with the rest, it's the only possible strategy," Atom said.
I decided to move away from the group, walking toward the edge of the parking lot, in the opposite direction of the supermarket.
Realizing this, KarateMaster and Atom were surprised.
But before advancing, something caught my attention.
A few meters behind KarateMaster and Atom, next to a family van, I saw David Drayton, his son Billy, and Brenton Norton, the neighbor David had offered to drive into town.
I recognized them instantly.
"So this is the starting point..." I murmured, observing them carefully.
I didn't give much more importance to David Drayton's presence. I had my own problems to deal with.
The Search Card I had obtained from Cassandra appeared in my hand, materializing from my personal storage.
It had a single use left. It wouldn't recharge until the 1st day of next month. Unfortunately, I had used two of its three monthly uses during Floor 1, first to locate Dan Forester, and then to find the ship where the White Spikes were hiding.
"Huh? What is that?" asked KarateMaster, peering out from behind me to peek at what I had in my hands.
Without hesitation —and without caring that he was still streaming—, I turned and landed a direct blow to his face.
He fell backward, landing on his butt on the asphalt.
I wasn't worried if people started seeing me as a villain after that.
I didn't care if people changed their perspective on me.
After all, they already know me as Seth, Lord of Chaos.
An appropriate name that I had gladly accepted after discovering it online.
"Remember this," I said in a calm voice, looking down at him. "This is the Tower of Trials. I'm being kind by not killing you right now for being a nuisance."
Any other Reincarnated would not have hesitated to finish him off upon seeing him get in their way.
After that, I leaned against a nearby car, crossing my arms while waiting for the mist to arrive. I wasn't planning on moving yet.
I couldn't —nor did I want— KarateMaster or Atom to see which direction I planned to head.
Both would be a nuisance if they decided to follow me.
They could also discover my strategy, which I did not want to happen.
A few meters away, Atom hurried to help KarateMaster, who was still stunned, wobbling on the verge of unconsciousness. The professor looked at him in surprise, held him by the arm, and, after a brief sigh, dragged him towards the supermarket.
At least there they would be safe when the mist arrived.
Before entering, Atom turned one last time.
His gaze met mine.
He sighed resignedly... and disappeared inside the building.
Only a few more minutes passed.
The silence that reigned in the parking lot was suddenly broken by a distant siren sound.
First one, then several. Patrol cars sped across nearby streets, red and blue lights reflecting in the shop windows. The sound of roaring engines and screeching brakes filled the air.
From where I was, leaning against the car, I watched everything without moving.
A scream echoed in the distance, then another. People running, some crying, others not even knowing where to flee. Fire trucks passed with their sirens wailing, cutting through the chaos without stopping.
And then, a much deeper and more penetrating sound boomed throughout the town.
WEEEEE—WOOOOO—WEEEEE—WOOOOO—
It was the Emergency Alert System.
A metallic voice, distorted by the speakers, announced with difficulty between the interferences: "Emergency Alert." "To all residents of Bridgton, remain indoors. Do not go outside." "I repeat, stay inside. Close doors and windows. Avoid contact with the mist."
Seth looked up.
His attention fixed on a man staggering down the main street. His shirt was soaked with blood, his nose broken, his face full of terror.
I instantly recognized him as Dan Miller.
He ran surprisingly fast for his age, stumbling occasionally as he shouted with a hoarse, desperate voice:
"The mist! The mist is coming! Close the doors! There's something in there! There's something in the mist!"
He repeated the words over and over, becoming more frantic, as he approached the supermarket for refuge. The people who were outside ran behind him, gripped by panic.
From inside, through the windows, the 17 Reincarnated, along with the other civilians, watched the scene with wide eyes.
And there, in the middle of the parking lot, still arms crossed and leaning against the same car, Seth did not move.
His cold gaze followed the advance of the mist in the distance. It was like a white wall devouring the horizon, slowly spreading, covering houses, streets, trees...
The chaos increased with every second. Screams. Sirens. The constant hum of the alert system.
And, amidst all that noise, the absolute silence of Seth, watching the beginning of the disaster without fear or surprise.
Soon, the mist drew too close, and Seth was about to be engulfed by it.
Before that happened, Seth used the last use of the Search Card.
"Search for Project Arrowhead, in the nearest town, Shaymore."
The card began to float in the air, pointing out the direction where to find my objective.