Epsilon: Mantis Reincarnation

Renji Iwamoto trudged along the sidewalk, his backpack slumped over his shoulders. He was heading home from school early, his eyes cast downward. The familiar weight of his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, a constant companion that both comforted and confined him.

As he walked, Renji's thoughts swirled. "Why do they always do this to me? Why am I the only one?" The frustration and despair seeped into his voice, though he spoke only to himself, the words barely a whisper against the bustling world around him.

Renji was an avid otaku, devouring video games, manga, and books in his free time. His classmates often ridiculed him for it.

Flashback:

The school hallway echoed with laughter and chatter. Renji walked down the corridor, lost in thought, when suddenly, two classmates, CLM A and B, blocked his path.

CLM=Classmate.

"Hey, Renji!" CLM A sneered, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "What's with the constant nose-burying in books? You're such a nerd!"

CLM B chuckled, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Yeah, and those weird manga and video games? What's wrong with you?"

Renji's eyes darted between the two, his heart racing. The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the laughter wrapped around him like a noose.

CLM A took a step closer, invading his space. "You know, Renji, you're really disgusting. Always acting like you're better than us."

With a sudden motion, CLM B poured milk over Renji's head. The cold liquid dripped down his face, soaking his shirt and sending shivers down his spine.

"Hey!" Renji protested, but CLM A shoved him against the wall, pinning him in place.

"Look at those glasses!" CLM B jeered. "What's with the nerd glasses?"

CLM A snatched Renji's glasses and tossed them aside. The frames clattered on the floor, and his world went blurry.

Panic surged within him. "No!" he gasped, struggling to see through the haze of distortion.

"You're such a loser, Renji!" CLM A spat, the venom in his words piercing deeper than the humiliation.

"CLM B" chimed in, "Yeah, get a life, Renji! No one likes a bookworm!"

Renji's face burned with humiliation, and the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. CLM A and B sauntered off, laughter echoing behind them like a taunting chorus. He fumbled for his glasses, fingers trembling, his eyes welling up with tears as he realized the emptiness of the hallway around him.

Back to the present:

Renji continued his walk home, the sting of their words lingering in the back of his mind. Each step felt heavier than the last, his thoughts still reeling from the encounter, as if the weight of their ridicule followed him like a shadow.

Renji walked alone, his gaze fixed downward. "This world sucks. Why can't people understand me? Everyone's so shallow, judgmental, and cruel. They only care about themselves."

He passed a group of teenagers tormenting a younger kid. "See? This is exactly what I mean. No empathy, no compassion. Just cruelty."

Renji shook his head. "I wish I could leave this world and go to another one. A world where people actually care, where kindness exists."

As he turned a corner, his eyes fell on graffiti scrawled across a building. Bold words like Hate and Fear loomed over him in jagged letters. He sighed. "This world is consumed by negativity."

"Why does this world have to be like this? Why can't anyone understand me?" he thought.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

Lost in thought, Renji barely registered the approaching footsteps until it was too late. Out of nowhere, an attacker lunged, plunging a knife into his gut.

Renji cried out in agony, "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! What's going on?!"

The voice in his mind responded, "Notice: Due to the intense sensation of pain, Pain Nullification has been acquired."

Renji's mind raced. "Pain Nullification? What does that mean? Does it mean I have some kind of ability to manipulate pain?"

The voice replied, "Notice: Due to your statement manipulate, BETA Skill: Pain Manipulation has been acquired."

Confusion washed over him. "Seriously? I don't feel pain anymore, but my body..."

"If my body were steadier, I could resist this better," Renji thought, frustration bubbling up.

"Notice: Due to the statement on resistance, Physical Attack Resistance has been acquired," the voice declared.

Renji's head spun. "Why? What are you talking about? Is this a dream?"

The voice continued, "Notice: Dream Law has been acquired. ALPHA Skill: Lord of Dreams will be unlocked after certain conditions are met."

Renji clenched his fists. "I'm really angry right now. Is this voice trying to mock me or something?"

"Notice: WRATH of the Seven Deadly Sins has been acquired."

"Seven Deadly Sins? What does that mean?" Renji wondered.

"Notice: Due to the acquisition of WRATH of the Seven Deadly Sins, Physical Enhancement has been acquired."

His eyes widened.

Suddenly, a truck came hurtling toward him. Realizing the danger too late, Renji's vision blurred as the truck struck him, sending him sprawling across the pavement.

"My eyesight… it's going blurry again. Seriously?" Renji thought, struggling to make sense of his surroundings.

The voice spoke again. "Notice: BETA Skill: All Seeing Eye has been acquired."

"All Seeing Eye?" Renji murmured. "What does that mean?"

"Notice: BETA Skill: Appraisal has been acquired."

"Stop mocking me! Who are you?" Renji demanded.

"Are you some kind of AI?" he asked.

The voice answered, "Notice: Watered down Version of the Omniscient Being SOLSIER has been acquired. SOL is now active."

It continued, "Evolving the BETA Skill: SOL to the OMEGA Skill: SOLSIER is possible after certain conditions are met."

Renji's brow furrowed. "SOL? Isn't that Latin for sun god?"

"Why is this voice mocking me?" His frustration grew, heat rising within him.

Suddenly, his body temperature fluctuated wildly. "Seriously, my whole body is burning up, and then freezing cold!"

The voice declared, "Notice: Temperature Resistance has been acquired."

"Temperature Resistance?" he repeated faintly.

"Notice: Due to acquiring Temperature Resistance, Fire and Water Manipulation have been acquired."

"Fire and Water? Am I some kind of Avatar?" Renji muttered, exasperated.

Then his vision began to fade again. "Everything's going dark… If only a little light could shine in my eyes, maybe I could see. Didn't you say I have All Seeing Eye? Then why is my vision still going blurry?"

"Notice: Due to the statement Light and Dark, you have acquired Light and Dark Manipulation, as well as resistance to both abilities."

Renji struggled to lift himself up, but before he could, another vehicle—a bus this time—came barreling toward him.

The impact plunged Renji's world into darkness.

Renji's world went dark as he was thrown through the air, his body hitting the ground, bouncing once, then slamming hard onto a bench.

"Did my head burst? And what's this... a wind rushing at me?" Renji thought, trying to steady himself.

A loud train horn echoed in the distance, growing closer and louder.

"Notice: due to the immense wind and impact, the skills Wind Manipulation and Earth Manipulation have been acquired," the voice intoned in his mind.

"Notice: With all elemental skills obtained, BETA Skill Elemental Manipulation has been acquired, along with Elemental Resistance."

Renji sat up, bewildered. "Seriously? I'm still alive? After all this, I'm still not dead? What in the world is happening to me?"

The voice continued, "Notice: Due to the statement of life and death, acquisition of the Omega Skill Life and Death Manipulation is achievable under certain conditions."

Renji scoffed. "This voice just keeps copying and handing out skills. Can't it just leave me alone?"

"Notice: Due to your statement of 'copying,' Delta Skill Duplicate has been acquired. Evolution of Delta Skill Duplicate is possible."

Renji pushed himself to his feet, frustrated. "Is this voice seriously just going to keep talking at me?"

The train's horn blared louder, vibrating the ground beneath him.

"I need to get to a hospital before I die for real," Renji thought, looking around. "But where is everyone? It's like I was thrown miles away from where I got hit."

An eerie feeling of being watched crept over him, and he glanced upward.

"Is that... a summoner's circle?" Renji wondered.

"Notice: BETA Skill Summoner has been acquired upon appraisal of the circle. Evolution of Summoner is possible."

Renji's eyes widened. "Summoner? Does that mean I can tame creatures or something?"

"Notice: Due to your statement of 'tamer,' BETA Skill Tamer has been acquired."

Renji's mind buzzed with questions as the train horn grew even louder, an urgent reminder to move.

"I need to get to a hospital," he reminded himself, taking a shaky step forward.

The voice fell silent, but Renji could still sense its presence, lingering—waiting.

Renji's breath came in shallow gasps as he neared the train tracks, aiming to cross over to the hospital. But the blaring horn grew louder, and, with a metallic clang, the barrier swung down, trapping him.

"Is this... really it? After everything, is this where I end?" Renji's thoughts spiraled, panic creeping in.

Desperation took hold, and he thought wildly, "If only I had a body that could fly, strong enough to slice right through that train, I'd make it out of this."

"Notice: Creating a body that can fly and cut through anything, successful," the voice in his head declared.

Renji gave a bitter laugh. "Really? Now it's mocking me? How pathetic," he muttered.

"Well, if I could, I'd just devour every problem in my way, like a glutton!" he burst out, frustration boiling over.

"Notice: Due to the statement 'glutton,' BETA Skill GLUTTONY has been acquired."

"Notice: Due to the acquisition of GLUTTONY and WRATH, ALPHA Skill Seven Deadly Sins has been acquired. Evolution of Alpha Skill Seven Deadly Sins is possible when conditions are met. Additional sins will be unlocked."

Renji blinked, exasperated. "Seriously, if I could just reincarnate, I'd rather end up somewhere peaceful than in the most dangerous place imaginable."

"Notice: Due to the statement 'reincarnate,' OMEGA Skill Lord of Reincarnation has been acquired."

Renji clenched his fists. "If only that train could take me somewhere—anywhere—after it hits me, like teleportation."

"Notice: Due to the statement 'teleport,' BETA Skill Teleportation has been acquired. Evolution of BETA Skill: Teleportation to OMEGA Skill Spatial Manipulation is possible under certain conditions."

"Seriously!" Renji shouted, his voice swallowed by the roar of the oncoming train.

The metal beast thundered towards him, and in a blinding moment, Renji's vision dimmed, then faded to black.

 Chapter End.