English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, please mention them in the comment section at the end of the chapter. Let's begin the story!
Word Count: 3600 words approx
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Bruce was on his way back home, after acquiring the lightsabers he wished to get. He was in a good mood. Who wouldn't be, he has reincarnated In the Overlord universe with limitless wealth to create his avatar while waiting to get reincarnated again.
Getting reincarnated In one of his favourite anime worlds is a big deal for him but as Bruce Wayne no less. To top it off he also has Gilgamesh and Satoru Gojo's template. He even managed to acquire a lightsaber. He also has Joker to entertain him till the game launch. Saying he is in a good mood would be an understatement.
He left the office after he was satisfied, and is in his car now. He is seated in the back seat while Alfred is driving the car. It was a good start for Bruce, his first day in the world was spent going through various weapons and even trying some of them.
Bruce was in a trance state contemplating about his next move and thinking his battle strategy against Joker. With the moonlight shining on him, as what he assumed was moonlight. Just similar to daytime, at night, the moon wasn't visible much to his dismay. The clouds and the light pollution blanketed the Stars and the Moon from the earthlings. But there was Moonlight bouncing on the surface of the Earth through small gaps in the cloud much to his happiness and yearning. He liked to star gaze at times. With a cool breeze and stars shining bright in the night sky and Moonlight on him. It was one way he used to enjoy his nights when he was all alone other than reading, watching or playing a game in his room, which by the way was how he spent most of his free time when he had no work to do.
He was mulling over the day, as he got sidetracked from his planning. 'I can't believe the variety of weapons and equipment stocked in there', Afteral he spent the day going through the pieces of equipment and weapons used by one of his favorite superheroes. They had a mysterious charm, which attracted him and it was not just him, the same would hold for most boys and men in his old and the present world.
'I can't believe that such fine pieces of gadgets are just lying in there collecting dust. Also, the variety of gadgets they have built is mind-blowing'
'True, similar to the movie the people here also are stingy with money. Hey, look at me talking about money like I have an endless supply of it. I can't and won't be able to speak for those people. I have never in my life been or experienced anything remotely similar situations they have. In my previous life, I was way below their league and in this life, I am way above their league.
Time changes. Well, enough about it let's just enjoy our time here. There isn't much to enjoy concerning scenery, except all those games and gadgets left to explore.
Though I have to say, they have damaged and destroyed nature, built gigantic structures and skyscrapers and made advancements at the cost of life and nature but this view does have its charm, it's similar to those post-apocalyptic world but set in future. A zombie apocalypse world with sci-fi theme'
Bruce paused to take in the view of the city as his car drove through those empty roads. Checking up on the city, the night view of one of the biggest cities in this world.
At night the whole city is shrouded in darkness, with barely any Moonlight making its way here and in the daytime, the sun is covered by the clouds. With one side of the city being as bright as day and the other ruled by the darkness. Representing various walks of life.
'I can't believe they built separate roads with toll charges for using it right above the old roads. This road is clean, fully illuminated and well-maintained. They have nicely done their job. A world based on social stratification. Everyone living in their version of the world, every group of people see and live in different worlds and their financial and political powers control which world they are a part of.'
'The people of this world are living in ever darkness. Most of them are poor and slaving away their lives for the small part of the population who are rich. The rich who control the world are selfish. That's the way it has been since the beginning of civilization. Just sometimes the driving factor behind the ruler is strength or money and now it's technology and money' His inner monologue was broken by Alfred's voice.
"Sir, I managed to contact the XYZ company and they have agreed to arrange a meeting"
'xyz company?'
'Ahh! Yes, thank you, World. What would I do without you? I should have checked the name of the company beforehand'
"Yes, so they have agreed to meet?"
"Yes Sir", replied Alfred to Bruce's confirmation.
"So when is the meeting?" asked Bruce, to which Alfred replied "They have agreed to meet by next month. They were very happy with it Sir. They were looking for investors when we approached them. As for the meeting place, they have let us decide the location. So when and where do you wish to meet them?"
"Good, let's meet them in their home country. It will also be a nice vacation. We can tour around after the meeting"
"Sir, but your school?"
"School won't be running away. Anyway, I forgot to mention it to you but I have decided to skip grades. So talk to the respective authority and can you make sure to arrange it before we leave for Japan"
"I will look into it, Sir but skipping grades? And is it due to the fight?"
"I'd rather enjoy my life than waste my time in school, Alfred. There are zillions of things I could be doing rather than school and enjoy doing them. I wish to tour the world, look after my company expand it if possible and explore. When I already know what they are teaching then what's the use."
"If that is your wish then I see no problem, Sir. It is good that you are thinking of finishing your education rather than dropping out. You are the sole heir to the Wayne Enterprises. You have a reputation to maintain, if not yours then that of your parents and the family"
"Yes, I will Alfred" With that silence returned to the car. Bruce was looking out, capturing the night view of Gotham while thinking about what Alfred said to him when he heard from World.
'That was fast'
'I guess technology is in a way bane for Joker'
'I guess', unaware of the implications of the World, Bruce was lost in thought. He misinterpreted the underlying message of the World and related it with the state of the world. The damage, the technological advancements have brought upon this world. The destruction of nature and the natural habitat of most animals and plants. Humans are tolling away at their lives to live to see another day, living inside the dome cities created by them to protect themselves, like a bird living in a cage.
While the humans could live inside their house without any precautions the moment they left they needed a mask to protect themselves. There were strict rules governing these issues.
They needed masks, with built-in air filters while traversing safer regions but had to carry oxygen cylinders with full body protection suits when visiting the nuclear-contaminated regions.
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Later that Night
Bruce fell asleep as soon as he had dinner. It was obvious he was tired after the work he put in today. Trying out those weapons and different gadgets used for spying and assassinations.
He found himself sitting in a white space in his dream. All alone in a never-ending space. It was a white room as far as he could see. It was a first for him after meeting ROB. Unlike back then he was in a white space, never-ending white canvas as far as he could see in all directions.
"ROB are you there?"
"World, was it you who pulled me into this space?"
"I didn't know about this place. So a spirit realm or a pocket dimension of yours. But ROB never mentioned anything about this. So now I can practice here as much as I want and can use them in real life. That's great, it's not a bad thing to have as many cheats as you can in life"
"Then what is it?"
"So the Earth of the Overlord universe is also magical and not just the New World. So are there any secret societies, sects and cults in this world? Does the Joker also have supernatural powers and that's why you brought me here to train me? "
"Lucid dreams! Well, that is disappointing but never mind you can continue. Also, let's call it Mind Space"
SOME TIME LATER
'Great let's get started'
Bruce moved on and started getting trained by World in martial arts for the next week.
'Since I have had lucid dreams in my previous life, but they were very few of them. Also, I had no control over them. Just like normal dreams there it is me who is controlling the whole dream world.'
'That's harsh but anyway, what if I did something similar to the shadow clone technique From Naruto? He used his clone to increase his practice and reduce the time required to master the art.'
'That's a small price to pay for my safety'
Bruce managed to do it, while his logic was flawed he went with it. He went with as many clones as he got before long he woke up with a headache. He decreased the number of clones till he got the right number where the headache was manageable.
After getting the number of clones right, he divided them into three separate groups.
'Multitasking at its finest. Mastering different techniques at the same time.'
The first group were practising martial arts. There were two types of clones in the first group, those learning the basics of martial arts. While the rest were practising attack and defence moves repeatedly.
The second group of clones were busy learning and fighting with a weapon. There was diversity in weapons with some using lightsabers. A few of them similar to the first group were practicing striking and blocking with a weapon.
The third group of clones were less in number than other groups. They were practising using the equipment and weapons Bruce took out from the RnD Department.
And so he continued his learning with multiple avatars. Many of his shadows were busy mastering the martial arts in the background while Bruce who calls himself the original was busy playing chess with World.
While World wasn't present in the dreamscape, Bruce could communicate with her just fine. She wasn't present physically in his dream if you could call it as physical. She directly communicated with his consciousness.
Right now he was sitting on a throne in front of a table with chess board on it.
He was sitting comfortably on his throne. The throne was comfortable and extravagant. He didn't need to move to play the game. He just willed it and the pawns moved. 'I like this, I don't have to waste energy moving the pieces and just concentrate. But moving them yourself is also part of the fun but this feels more fun'
"I'm good at delegating tasks"
"So say World, did I kill the original owner of this body?"
"It's just a thought when I saw the aftermath of Joker's attack. The people were killed and injured in those attacks.
There people were crying, mourning and crying for help.
Also, the people who were working hard in my company. They had dreams and their own life and are not just a part of my story. They have their thoughts, emotions, dreams, life and so on.
They aren't NPCs. I have been subconsciously seeing myself above them. Just because I know about this world and have read it in the form of a fictional story I see them as NPCs you see in a game. Just like those pedestrians in GTA, you shoot or drive over.
This pseudo-omniscience is creating an illusion, a false sense of control. I feel like a God, who has complete control over their life and fate and my one action can change the direction of their life.
Which I can, which is not helping at all.
I do know that they have their own life but it might just be a subconscious thing.
Having watched and read Overlord and Batman, it just doesn't feel right for me. I know it's not right, they are genuine people just like me.
I am doing it unconsciously. While I hate this line of thought. What can I do?
Following the line of thought if I consider this as real then who am I? Am I the killer of the original owner of this body?
Do you see where I am going with this? Am I playing with these people? I know it was confusing, following along my thought process but what can I do, my mind is a mess now"
< R.O.B. created this Omniverse for you. They or this world wouldn't exist without you. So I am sure there is nothing for you to worry about. They are as real as you>
"If so then, all of this is happening because of ROB"
"True, I can cope with it. I can change myself well that is a lie that I have been telling myself. It was just a thought process, I know about it but...
I know that I am not responsible for his death but I feel like a coward. When I think about it, I feel bad for his demise and sacrifice. I was happy or relieved that it wasn't me. His death gave me, my second chance. This is what is been disturbing me.
Am I a bad person?
Am I different?
Is that why I have been having difficulty connecting to people?
When I go on thinking, I remember my previous life. I think about the old times. My past experiences. The hich makes me question myself,
Who am I?
What am I?
My feelings and thoughts?
Am I heartless?
Don't mistake that I do have emotions, I felt sorry and was sad when I saw them. They were just a victim of Joker's attack. They didn't deserve it but the world is cruel. I wished to help them.
All of this is because I was thinking about the talk we had about Batman. Am I kind enough to save people and risk my life for strangers? Will I help people at any cost or to what extent?
I have full confidence in myself to not get corrupted by Joker because I am a coward and am already corrupted.
I empathize with people but never move in to help them. I didn't like to disappoint others and didn't know how to say No! Was that why I was walked over by everyone? It's making me rethink my whole life. My death and reincarnation are hitting me now. As I see people living their lives, it just makes me realize that this is real. It has been a week since I came to this world. It's the first time I have experienced something unexpected.
Everything in my life till now was within the range of possibilities that I could think of. While for some of them, I was surprised at first but they were within the range of predictions, as Newton's third law of motion, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"
I could predict the result of my actions, at least they were near my predicted results. Considering all these things I question myself. I had a complicated life and I doubt myself for leading such a life.
It reminds me of a quote "By caring you become weak, people will walk all over your kindness"
To be frank, I wasn't going to kill myself back then. I was just trying to cope and move on. Those shenanigans were just to forget about everything for some time and say "F*ck You World". After the ride, I was going to go back to my same old black-and-white world. Because that's life.
Even now I am doing this to make me feel better. Just to satisfy my ego, to show the world I am above them.
I just use sarcasm to cope with my problems. I keep it all bottled up and the funny thing is that I haven't exploded yet. Because I know that no one will care. I will just be a liability.
I haven't talked about this to anyone. I don't know why but I just felt like talking with you. To hear a third-party opinion on this maybe? I never had anyone whom I could trust to discuss about this till now but hearing what you say could be insightful. An opinion of Artificial Intelligence is what I need now I guess?
After humans are just selfish. I guess I should also live freely from now on. I need freedom"
"I'll do that, but sometimes I am conflicted about myself and dive into overthinking. But I wonder,
" I am a different person to different people. Annoying to one. Talented to another. Quiet to few. Unknown to a lot. But who am I, to me?".
"Yes and On that note, check"
"Wait! How? What? When?"
Bruce got up from his throne and bent over the table staring intensely at the board.
He fell back in his throne like a puppet whose strings had been cut, giving up.
"I am your Master right?"
"Let's just play another game. I'll defeat you for sure this time"
"I guess I don't have a problem talking to people or acting like I am If I try"
And so his training continued.