Looking back, it seems I was always obsessed with something.
「Ah, such an unbelievable play from Player Seojin!」
「This is crazy! How is it possible to do such unbelievable things after being a pro gamer for over 10 years?」
In my first life, I was obsessed with games.
「Are you watching this now?」
「I've seen many mages, but never one like you. Want to partner up with me?」
「You… did what? You mean to say that you copied a spell just by seeing it once?」
In my second life, I was obsessed with magic.
「Your physique is like a gift from the heavens. You're basically accepting the energy of nature without filtration.」
「Moreover, you have the perfect body for learning martial arts. Could it possibly be the legendary Heavenly Martial Body?」
「It seems that might be the case. Won't you join the Ming Cult?」
「Good heavens, a being not even of age has reached the pinnacle? Won't you marry me?」
Even in my third life, I was obsessed with martial arts.
Well, they all ended badly, and I died.
「What kind of life will this time bring?」
I'm a bit excited.
「Have you considered becoming a professional gamer?」
It happened on an uneventful day when I was just studying and dabbling in games for stress relief. Suddenly, I was asked if I wanted to become a professional gamer.
At that time, I simply refused.
I felt like I was going crazy from studying for the specialized high school entrance exams, and I really wanted to run away, but I didn't think my parents would allow it.
Now, I would have been confident in succeeding, but back then, my parents were like the sky to me. I couldn't talk back, and there was also the thought that to succeed unconditionally, I had to listen to my parents.
However, the person who offered me to join the team was persistent.
「Being a professional gamer is not looked down upon like in the past. If you do well, companies might even support you as a streamer. Won't you consider my offer?」
「I'm not interested.」
「If you join our pro team, you can go to a good university. Our foundation sponsors…」
「I have to prepare for high school for now, so I'll decline.」
「…You're a middle school student?」
「Yes.」
「Could you possibly let me meet your parents, just once?」
That's how that person ended up visiting our house.
「Could you possibly consider letting your child become a professional gamer?」
「Yes? Are you talking about our child?」
「We will take care of all the support your child needs. We can provide Seojin with the necessary clothing, accommodation, food, and so on… Just leave Seojin with us for just one year… no, even six months, and we will show you the results.」
「…We'll have to think about this.」
My parents soon entrusted me to the pro team.
The conditions offered by the manager who scouted me at the time were incredibly generous.
Well, I later found out that she was the granddaughter of the conglomerate's affiliate, which explained her significant authority.
Anyway, from that moment, my life suddenly reached a turning point. It seems my parents never intended to let me step into the world of professional gaming, but they agreed more easily than I expected, which surprised me.
「You're unbelievable, Player Han Seojin! Is that really the level of play you'd expect from a middle school student?」
「This player is quite famous. They were known for being terrible at the game but made it to Challenger just with their physical skills, you know?」
My life changed 180 degrees from that moment.
In gaming, I had a talent so exceptional that no amount of praise seemed enough, and thanks to my parents, I was also blessed with good looks.
I was able to build a career just like anyone else and even won international championships.
I had many fans. Among them, there were occasionally some dangerous ones, but since they loved me, I was grateful to them too. …Though it was creepy to receive letters written in blood whenever I was in a relationship.
What was merely a hobby and a way to relieve stress gave me a new life.
All that was left was winning the final World Cup at the Last Dance.
Bang! Crash!
On my way home, I was hit by a car and died.
When I transitioned from my first life to my second life, I was reincarnated in a fantasy world.
「Die! Just die!!!」
「Hahaha! Their ears are worth half a silver each on the left! Chase them all!!」
I possessed a young male soldier who had died on the battlefield. At that time, everything was confusing for me… but the desire to live was so strong that I managed to escape from the battlefield.
Looking back now, it was an enormous stroke of luck that I was able to escape. Then, I was caught by a certain village.
「From now on, your name is Hansik.」
「What the heck…」
「It means you're the village's communal slave. Shall we start by cutting the tendons in your ankles so you can't run away?」
「No, looking at this kid's appearance, it seems like we could sell him for a good price when he grows up…」
Fortunately, I wasn't cut.
It was because a passing mage saved me.
「Do you have an unusual constitution? It doesn't feel like your magical affinity is high, but you have magical power. Your control over magic is… You, your eyes just turned this way, can you see this?」
「Ma—mage? This kid is clearly a war orphan…」
「Should I care? Ah, I see. It would be better to burn down this village before any strange rumors start to spread.」
「Please, save me, Mage!!!」
「The Golden Magic Tower will guarantee this child's talent, so keep your lips shut. If anyone dares to inquire about this child's identity, tell them that the Duke of Extermination has appeared.」
Blonde hair and blue eyes. A woman with notably long ears. Rather than a mage, she wore clothes more befitting a martial artist with a bit of exposure. The woman who called herself the Duke of Extermination led me to the Golden Magic Tower.
Fortunately, I had talent. No, if I say it like this, all the mages of the tower might come at me.
I was a genius—a genius incomparable to any other human. Perhaps it was because of my Heavenly Eyes that the Duke of Extermination mentioned.
I could use any magic most perfectly. I could use magic without needing the gestures or incantations required for spells, and I could modify magic as I pleased.
Before turning 20, I had woven five rings.
By the age of 29, I had woven eight. I even created a magic that could be called my own signature.
My alias was the Great Mage of the Sun and Moon.
And I was the creator of the magical discipline known as Amplification, the Purple Tower Master, and one of the newly risen Nine Dukes of the Empire.
Just when I thought I was living peacefully, the demon realm invaded.
「I am the Demon King ruling the third hell of the abyss, Insect Dragon King, Beelzebub.」
He came with a massive swarm made of insects. The Demon King, taking the form of an insect dragon, targeted my magic tower first.
「No doubt, you're the candidate that the Demon Lord has noticed. You could certainly ascend to the vacant throne of the Demon King! So, first, die!」
Spouting nonsense, that thing, formed of all sorts of insects and shaped like a dragon, charged at me.
And I charged at it in turn, ready to die.
Eventually, I was bitten by the insects and died.
Still, I pushed it to the brink until the very end, despite being dismissed as a mere human, so it was somewhat worth it.
「But I ended up dead anyway.」
This was my second life.
My third life unfolded in a world immersed in martial arts.
Born into a tranquil and modest family in a rural area, I began my journey into martial arts in this world while also focusing on magic.
「There is nothing left for me to learn here.」
It took me less than 2 hours to come to this realization.
Feeling the constraints of a tranquil and modest family in a rural setting, I decided to leave home.
My parents didn't object. They were preoccupied with caring for fifteen children. Thanks to our father, who had an abundance of sexual desire despite lacking wealth, even the potential successors who fought to inherit the family fortune eventually gave up.
Fortunately, this allowed me to leave with a considerable sum of money.
And so, I ventured into the martial world to commence my study of martial arts.
「You, I like you. I've never seen anyone with a face like yours even after scouring the entire Central Plains. Will you marry me?」
… I was here to learn.
By some stroke of misfortune, I caught the eye of the Heavenly Demon while navigating the martial world. It seemed as though I had a choice, but with the followers glaring at me, acceptance was my only option.
Forced to join the Ming Cult, I delved into the study of demonic arts. I had anticipated demonic arts to resemble black magic, but they proved more refined than I had expected.
Of course, there were those who went mad from the demonic energy invading their brains, and given that the fundamental principle was the survival of the fittest, many despicable individuals thrived.
Though one's prime arrived swiftly, it often came at the cost of physical decline or mental instability. Conversely, this also indicated that the most robust individuals were indeed formidable. Specialists in such arts were also present among those in the evil sects.
The reason why the Ming Cult became known as the Demon Sect is partly because they were secluded, and their primary value was the survival of the fittest. Additionally, conflicts with the imperial family led to their designation as the Demon Sect.
As a result, the Demon Sect, or Ming Cult, became a sanctuary for those seeking refuge from various places.
It wasn't a bad refuge for newcomers.
…Anyway, by becoming the spouse of the Heavenly Demon, I mastered the divine techniques of the Demon Sect and regained the martial prowess of my previous life.
I wanted to integrate circle magic with martial arts but eventually decided to dedicate myself solely to learning martial arts.
Combining those two seemed impossible in this life, even for me.
「In this place, I can't perceive any higher realm.」
I entered seclusion to break through the ultimate barrier and glimpse the next level.
But the barrier was impenetrable.
So, I briefly ventured out of the Demon Sect to survey the situation in the Central Plains.
Honestly, I yearned to see the outside world and observe the martial arts of the righteous factions.
Then, trouble found me.
「You pretty boy with a pretty face. Know your place.」
Because my appearance was deemed attractive, and because I attempted to appear cool in front of women, the number of people seeking confrontations with me rose.
It started with the scoundrels of the Namgung family, and then mainly those from the eight great families sought me out for fights.
「You, employing cowardly sorcery!」
Though capable of using magic, I chose to engage them with martial arts.
Still, they refused to acknowledge their defeat, so I overpowered them even further.
Before I knew it, such a nickname had been ascribed to me.
Jade-Faced Devil.
I hadn't even been intimate with a woman in the Central Plains, yet that nickname clung to me.
As a result, everything became twisted.
Scoundrels from the evil sects, hypocrites from the orthodox sects, and those claiming to have come from the Demon Sect to support me, yet harboring intentions to take my life.
Dealing with them, at some point, I became the public enemy of the martial world.
Well, it wasn't all negative. Engaging in various battles, my experience expanded, and my realm advanced.
Just before turning thirty, I entered a sublime realm known as the Mysterious Realm.
But, perhaps that was the catalyst for what followed.
「You were quite the celebrity in the Demon Cult.」
While passing by the Mount Hua Sect, I encountered three venerable masters.
Sword Emperor, Namgoong Daeryong.
Dohwang, Peng Juhyuk.
The leader of the martial alliance and the preeminent swordsman of the orthodox sect, Seo Ryonghyun.
These esteemed figures, renowned for their strength in the orthodox sect, obstructed my path. And the plum blossom swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect encircled me, leading to a confrontation. After fighting day and night for seven days, I somehow managed to eliminate some of them.
「Is this, is this all the strength a thirty-year-old can muster?」
「Monstrous strength… Indeed, the nickname 'Blue-eyed Martial Emperor' suits you. Is the Demon Sect filled with such titans?」
In the end, I perished.
Yet, it must have left a significant mark. After all, the magic I unleashed, combining everything I had accumulated until that point, was unimaginably powerful.
The last thing I witnessed was the Mount Hua Sect being engulfed in flames, transforming into a literal volcano, before my demise.
'He'll probably unify everything on his own.'
Then, I experienced a peculiar sensation of my soul ascending. Once that feeling vanished, I realized I had been reincarnated once again.
'This time.'
It's a world where a system exists, and supernatural abilities known as traits are prevalent.
It seems I'll be able to find enjoyment in this world as well.