"Well, I can take something from this, huh? I shall choose it," he said as he walked toward the orbs and tightly clutched one in his hand.
As he squeezed it, the orb dissolved into his soul. Indeed, it was the most important thing for his second life, helping him succeed and reach heights greater than his former self.
He chose the mask, knowing that living in the shadows and improving oneself is wise, and he could defeat his opponents with surprise if they were unable to see his status.
"Well, this is quite good enough for now," Evan said, pondering whether he desired anything else.
"Okay, I don't need anything else from them; you can take them away," Evan told Grim, who nodded and with a flick of his finger, made everything disappear.
"So Evan, here's the question for you: can you tell me how full you feel inside right now?" One asked, as Evan was initially confused but then understood what was being said.
"Oh yes, it feels quite the same as before choosing the mask. I don't believe a simple item can significantly increase my soul's capacity," Evan replied with a laugh.
"Ah, so your soul's capacity is much greater this time, huh? Well, as we all recall, in your past life you chose this first and already filled half of your soul's capacity, which limited the things you could take. You weren't able to even glimpse the true treasure you earned that day, but now I think you might be able to claim some of it," One remarked, leaving Evan puzzled as he had thought his soul's capacity would remain the same as before his time travel, yet now they were suggesting it was different.
"Huh, does this mean my soul's capacity value is randomized?" Evan wondered aloud, thinking that in his first life he received more, but in the second it was less, yet now he could choose the mask which previously cost him half of his capacity, and now it was less than that.
"Oh no, it's not random, as a person's soul strength depends on their soul, and it cannot be randomized. So don't worry, just help yourself in choosing the items," a voice said from the tent, likely a woman, as it differed from One's and Grim's tones.
"Yes, Evan, Soul is speaking the truth; she knows souls better than anyone," one said to justify her words.
"Okay, if she says so, but why does my soul strength differ every time in return?" Evan asked, confused.
"For that, it's because we and everyone else use the soul experience devouring to increase our strength, and every time we kill an enemy, it gives us its soul's experience, which it acquired in its life. According to my theory, in your first life, you reached the Entry level of an Immortal warrior, and in the second, the peak of a Demi-god warrior, which elevated your soul to the next realm. And by coming back, even your soul mutates every time, so maybe you received a strong mutation that boosts the elevation even more," Soul explained, and then he understood the concept.
"Okay, so it means that now I can choose more than my past selves, right?" Evan asked as Soul's visage nodded at him in confirmation and backed away to her place.
"Okay, let me choose then. But wait, where are more of these things? I don't think it's just those, and is this the only work I have all the time, just a few less than thirty items?" Evan said as he looked around and noticed many other things floating around.
"So, what are those things over there, are they not mine?" He asked as he pointed at many items floating some distance away.
"Oh no, it's yours, but we thought maybe you wouldn't be able to handle them, so we didn't present them to you, but now we can," one said as Grim nodded, and at his gesture, those things appeared before him.
"Wow, just by looking at them, they are impressive. So why didn't you show me these first instead of that garbage, except for the mask?" Evan asked, and One nodded.
"Listen, Evan, those items were not something you could have used even for a single second; they were too powerful, even for us. Only a true candidate can wield them, but you were an exception since you used one of them to eradicate the enemy. And the mask is an exception meant only for you," One explained, as Evan struggled to understand, prompting One to start explaining things.
"Listen, Evan, what you perceive as gods are not truly so, for the title of a god is merely nominal. Only those who are genuine candidates and possess the Relic are the true sovereigns of this world. Comparing us to them is like comparing a pond to a sea; they are humans, and we are mere pests beneath them.
Those beings, the chosen ones with the Relic, make our worlds—yours and mine—seem insignificant. They dominate us even now, as we are powerless against them; they could annihilate thousands of us in mere seconds, and all we could do is watch.
Our master was once ordinary among them but superior among us, the gods. He created us and lived an easy life until he saw them, other candidates intent on killing him. He perished in that battle, and we were helpless, only then understanding our true power level. Every cosmos is governed by a single god, and our master revealed that there are innumerable cosmoses he witnessed from the real land, where all those beings reside.
They exist in a realm of their own, unreachable by simple folk like us.
However, you were an exception; you know why? You killed one of them. But the disparity was vast; he was merely mid-tier 2, while one at the entry level of the Immortal rank perished with him," one explained as Evan listened, stunned from head to toe.
"Huh, such a vast difference, and I still perished there? But how? As my memories resurface, it seems impossible to encounter a tier 2 in a tier 4 expanse. And you're saying we died there. But why? I don't believe I would engage him, given the circumstances," Evan inquired.
"Yes, you weren't supposed to, but you did, and died fighting for what? A girl. You were fond of her, desiring her while lost in your own world at that time. And you know what? You already had six girls in your group, but still, you wanted more at that time.
You both fought over her, and when he saw himself losing, he killed her, and then you died after a fierce battle with him.
In the next life, you found that girl again, and this time you both lived happily together. However, a monarch's gaze fell upon her, and you, madly in love, fought him to your last breath to save her. Yet, she died due to your mistake, and you too could have escaped but didn't, as her status wasn't high enough to ascend to the upper expanse.
You died again, but this time it won't happen because we've checked for that girl, and her existence has been erased from extinction. That monarch's power defied time and space, killing her to the extent that only a soul wisp remained, but since you also died, we don't know what became of her. So perhaps your purpose will be clear this time if you don't get carried away." One said, and Evan was shocked as he finally understood why he was killed in past lives and for what—a girl. She might have been too important, but this time he will try to stay away from her, or maybe not. But by One's words, he knew that the girl was dead, her existence eradicated from the root.
"So, can I choose them now, or is there something more?" Evan asked, as One nodded in agreement and began to explain things in order for him.
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The storytelling has concluded, and now it's time to start selecting items for the next chapter, so be ready for it.