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Ezekiel's battle was more than just challenging, it was outright ridiculous. Fighting such a powerful boss was difficult enough on its own, but doing so without the restrictions of the game system pushed it into another realm entirely. He was smarter than ever, able to freely manipulate ice and his own body, and could switch between phases at will to defend and move with incredible agility.
He was, without a doubt, a formidable foe. One that took me so long to kill that he exhausted all his Mana. When does that ever happen? It was such a rare and bizarre occurrence to fight a boss for so long that it drained its own MP. The thought was almost hilarious.
I had believed I was already so strong that nothing could truly challenge me, yet these seasonal dungeons, with their weather-based buffs, proved to be on another level. They allowed me to unleash my full power without hesitation.
I ran out of energy twice during that fight. I still can't believe how exhausted my body feels. I can move, but every inch of me aches as if I'm being slowly torn apart. My Physique is extraordinary and likely the only reason I'm still alive, but… it's shocking just how strong he was.
My sister called me over to a treasure chest, and I was excited to see what it held, but…
"I can't move! Ack…! Save me…" I cried. "My whole body hurts…"
In the end, I stopped pretending to be strong and collapsed to the floor. My family panicked. My dad rushed over and lifted me up.
"Sorry about that! We didn't realize, my girl. Let me carry you back to the house," he said. "You took that bastard on by yourself! Your dad's proud."
"Hm…" I groaned. "What's in the treasure chest?" I asked as we moved away.
"I'll bring it home. You just focus on resting," Astrid said.
"Oh… okay…" I slowly closed my eyes and fell asleep before I could say anything more.
I was simply too tired.
♢♢♢♢
"Astrid! Dinner's ready."
"Come down and eat with your brother."
"Is Brunhild not awake yet?"
"Last time I checked, she was still fast asleep."
I woke slowly to the sound of my family talking. I opened my eyes and found myself in my own room, wrapped in a warm, comfortable blanket. My body still felt sore, but the rest had eased the worst of the pain.
"Ugh…"
I sat up on the bed, rubbed my temples, and sighed as I stretched. I opened my inventory, drank a Vitality Elixir I had prepared earlier, and gradually began to feel better.
"Ah, Brunhild! You're awake. Welcome back. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah. How long was I out?"
"About four hours. I thought you might sleep through the whole day until tomorrow."
"I'm hungry, so I guess that woke me up."
"Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for helping me in the fight. I was a little too forceful… I know you're not good at fighting to begin with…"
"No, it's fine! Really. I liked being useful. It's my fault—I'm the coward here, even though I'm supposed to be a War Goddess System…"
"So you're meant to be able to fight?"
"It's part of my special abilities, but… I'm really afraid of combat…"
"I see… Well, that's fine. You're just a little fairy; how else could you fight anyway?"
"Well, the Primordial System Goddess, Lady Alice, was also a System not originally intended for combat. Yet through her contract with the Greatest Hero, she eventually formed a physical body and more."
"Huh? Wow, that's some rich lore."
"Yeah. The tales say she learned to materialize and eventually took on a fully formed goddess body, fighting alongside her host not just as a tool for growth but as a true companion. She's the inspiration for all of us Systems!"
"Huh, I see. Does she create you guys? Oversee you? And who was that bearded guy?"
"Lady Alice oversees our creation, but the universe is vast—she can't know and see every single one. She's the boss of my creator, the God of Reincarnation you met before."
"What is his name?"
"I don't know… He had an assistant by his side, remember?"
"Oh yeah, the super-hot angel babe…"
"She's an Assistant Spirit created by Alice to supervise the Reincarnation Gods. A mistake one of them made in the past caused a lot of problems."
"Huh. Wait, so the Gods of Reincarnation are like a big company? Of reincarnation?"
"Yes. They work under several bosses. Lady Alice is only one of them. In Earth terms, you could call it a company, but they refer to it as The Great Hall of the Wheel of Reincarnation: Nirvana Pavilion. It's a massive, multiverse-spanning reincarnation agency—an independent group, something like a pantheon."
"Huh… How many Reincarnation Gods are there?"
"Maybe thousands. I don't know," Freyja said. "The information I was taught isn't that extensive… After he discovered my flaws, my creator discarded me and deemed me a failure."
"Yeah, seeing how he treated you, I believe it."
"From what I know, Reincarnation Gods are Deities born in the Soul Plane—the place you were invited to. They exist to manage Souls and reincarnate them. It is their purpose, and they strive to become more efficient at it. They've built a society and compete over who reincarnates the souls with the best karma, which generates more energy and power for their divinities to grow."
"Oh… That's really interesting. But did he have to treat me so harshly?!"
"Hmm, that's because the one you got was my master. From what I remember, he is among the lowest-ranked Reincarnation Gods and often mocked by his peers for the many mistakes he has made. He's incredibly selfish, narcissistic, and self-centered… but not the brightest."
"Wow, spot on. I can't believe he discriminated against me for being a little overweight…"
"Yeah, that was… unprofessional, Brunhild. Even after all these years, I sincerely apologize on his behalf!"
"No, it's fine. You don't need to apologize for your old man's mistakes. So anyway, he talked about War Gods before I was reincarnated. I remember that clearly… He had clients too. What is that about?"
"Reincarnation Gods sell their services to other Deities in the Astral Plane. The world you were reincarnated into has such Deities that employ them. Apparently, this world grew chaotic after a long period of peace once the heroes left… and there are many conflicts, especially between gods. Because of the endless wars, many War Gods have been born. And… they keep demanding more and more reincarnated souls."
"Wait, do you know why I was reincarnated into a world so similar to the game? What is the purpose of those who reach Rank 1?!"
"I… I'm sorry. I have no idea why it's so similar or what the greater purpose is. I'm afraid I don't know, Brunhild…"
"Hm… No, it's fine. I'll find the answers myself. But I can guess that maybe that god created the game to mirror this universe and lured gamers to play it. The best players would make the best 'warriors' to reincarnate for these gods, right?"
"Ah! You're so smart! Maybe that's it?!"
"It's just scraping the surface, though. There's probably a lot more we don't know and may not discover until much later… But I fully intend to live this life as I please. I don't give a damn about gods fighting pointless wars or the corrupt system behind them."
"Well said. We're in this together, so… um, maybe I should first learn how to assume my Combat Form."
"Combat Form?! You have one?"
"S-Something like that! My creator modeled my System Seed after Lady Alice's, but infused it with the Divinity of War at the request of the War Gods. I was the first one he modeled after eons, though, so he made various mistakes and discarded me…"
"What an ass. Maybe once I become a proper goddess, I should go kill that guy."
"W-What?! T-That's too extreme!"
"I was joking," I laughed. "Though, seeing how I stole his Soul Orb and gained Reincarnation Abilities, doesn't that make me a Reincarnation Goddess?"
"It's indeed a possibility… To think you did something so bold. I'm shocked he hasn't tried to take it back."
"Maybe he will… I'll have to prepare for anything in the future."
"Hmm, well, relax. All those things can wait. Let's go have dinner, Brunhild."
"Fine, but you'd better tell me more about this Combat Form of yours. Consider me intrigued."
We walked downstairs to greet my family and ate dinner together, chatting about the dungeon.
My friends were there too, of course. They congratulated us on the battle but were clearly frustrated they couldn't participate.
Tomorrow, we move on to Floor 3.
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