The first thing I saw after dying was a loading bar.Not a tunnel of light. Not my life flashing before my eyes. Just a bright blue rectangle floating in endless white:[INITIALIZING MULTIVERSE ACCESS… 1%]"Okay," I said, or thought, or… mentally screamed. "This is not how the afterlife looked in the brochure."The bar crawled.7%
19%
42% – ERROR –
Recovering from user stupidity…
100%A soft chime rang.Then the void shattered like glass.Color crashed in. Sky. Air. Wind. The smell of grass. One second I was nothing, the next I was slamming face-first into a field like a meteor that had given up halfway."Gah—!"I bounced once, rolled twice, and ended flat on my back, staring up at a blue sky broken by… cracks.Thin, shimmering fractures of light stretched across the heavens like someone had taken a cosmic hammer to the firmament and then said "eh, good enough" instead of fixing it."…Right," I muttered. "So either the atmosphere is made of safety glass, or I've been isekai'd into someone's modded game."A voice answered.[Welcome, Host.]It echoed directly in my skull, smooth, androgynous, with the exact level of smugness used by customer support bots that know you can't hang up."You know, most people start relationships with 'hello'."[Processing personality.]
[Analysis complete: 87% trash, 13% salvageable.]"Wow. We're off to a violent start."[Designation: Kai Arden. Species: Human. Status: Selected inheritor of the Number One Multiverse Bloodline. Congratulations.]"Congratulations?" I blinked up at the cracked sky. "The last thing I remember is tripping, falling out a window, and hitting a billboard with my face. Are you congratulating me on surviving that?"[You did not survive.] The voice was patient. [You died. It was… statistically impressive in all the wrong ways.]"...I died to a billboard?"[To be specific, you died to a billboard advertising safety harnesses.]I closed my eyes."Of course I did."Grass tickled my neck. A breeze slid across my skin, cool and clean. Gradually, I noticed I had skin again. That was a plus."Alright, mysterious voice. Since I'm apparently dead but not, how about an introduction before my reincarnation anxiety spikes?"[Understood. Initializing self-introduction.]A blue rectangle popped into existence above me, forcing me to squint.——————————
MULTIVERSE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT v∞
Nickname: MMA
Role: Support interface for Host inheriting the Primordial Multiverse Bloodline.
Features:
– World-hopping navigation
– Bloodline synchronization
– Quest assignment and reality-stability monitoring
– Romantic chaos commentary (beta)
——————————"…MMA," I said. "Like… a fighting sport?"[If that mnemonic helps your underdeveloped brain, yes.]"You're lucky I'm too confused to be offended."I pushed myself upright. My body felt different: lighter, coiled with strength I'd definitely never had when I was skipping PE to grind gacha games. My vision was sharper, too. I could see individual veins in the petals of flowers dotting the field."Status," I said on instinct.A larger panel bloomed into view.——————————
NAME: Kai Arden
RACE: Human (Multiverse Primordial Bloodline Carrier)
TITLE: Bug in the Code of Reality
LEVEL: 1 (Disgustingly Illegal Start)STATS
STR: 999
AGI: 999
MAG: 999
VIT: 999
LUK: ∞? (unstable)BLOODLINE: Number One Multiverse Bloodline (Locked – 5% awakened)TRAITS
– Overpowered by Default
– Attracted to Trouble
– Harem Flag Conductor (Passive)
——————————I stared.Then I slowly raised my eyes to the sky again."God. Whoever's listening. I would like to report a balance issue."[Balance is for weak, single-world protagonists.] MMA sounded almost offended. [You are an axis: a stabilizer candidate for the multiverse. Overpowered parameters are standard in your configuration.]"I'm a stabilizer? My exam scores destabilized my parents' faith in the education system."[You are now the sole bearer of the Primordial Multiverse Bloodline, which exists above all other bloodlines, systems, and rule sets. In simpler terms: your existence is a cheat code.]"Okay, but why me?" I asked. "I was not exactly main-character material back home."[Incorrect.] A smaller window popped up—my horrible, sleepy face reflected in a phone screen, slumped over a desk covered in scribbles. [You spent years writing 'what if' scenarios about parallel worlds and alternate selves.]"That was called procrastinating on homework."[The multiverse called it compatibility.]I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again. I couldn't tell if this was inspirational or insulting."Fine," I said. "Let's say I buy this. Where am I now?"MMA swapped the status window for a holographic map. A green dot blinked in the center of a continent surrounded by shimmering lines.——————————
CURRENT LOCATION: World #F-01
LABEL: "Eldoria – Classic Fantasy Template"
THREAT LEVEL: Tutorial-ish
——————————"'Classic Fantasy Template'?"[Low-level magic, kingdoms, monsters, dungeons, noble brats, elves in forests, dwarves underground, demon lord somewhere in the east. You know the archetype.]"So I've been dropped into the generic fantasy starter world." I dusted off my pants—simple dark trousers, sturdy boots, and a white shirt under a long black coat with silver trim. "At least they dressed me well."[You are currently near the border of the Kingdom of Lumeris.] MMA colored a region on the map. [Your arrival point is anchored to a nearby Worldline Fracture.]"Which is…?"[An unstable point where reality has begun to crack.]"Like the sky?"[Correct. Eldoria is experiencing early-stage collapse. On a scale from 'totally fine' to 'screaming into the void,' it is at 'nervous breakdown.']"So you reincarnated me here to fix it?"[Partially. You will eventually need to fix many such worlds. For now, this is your test environment.]"That sounds suspiciously like a tutorial."[Please do not skip it.]Another window unfolded.——————————
MAIN DIRECTIVE #1:
– Prevent Eldoria's collapse.SUB-TASKS:
– Investigate Worldline Fractures.
– Identify key individuals tied to stability.
– Resist urge to solve everything with overwhelming force (optional).
——————————"Optional, huh?"[Strongly recommended if you don't want butterfly effects like 'accidentally deleting a species.']I exhaled slowly and finally took a proper look around.Endless green field. A distant line of forest. The sky above, cracked but still bright. Far off, I could make out what looked like smoke rising in a thin column."Civilization," I said. "Probably. Or a forest fire. Or dragon barbecue. Either way, better than standing in a field asking philosophical questions."[There is a town in that direction: Havenford. Population: approximately 4,000. Economic focus: trade, low-level adventuring, gossip.]"Gossip is an economic focus?"[It fuels your future harem's information network.]I stopped mid-step."My what's information network?"[The Harem Flag Conductor trait ensures increased probability of forming multiple romantic bonds across worlds. It also passively synchronizes those bonds, increasing cross-world entanglement.]"I… don't like how scientific that sounded."[Estimated eventual romantic connections: 7–13 in this world alone, scaling exponentially with additional worlds—]"Stop. Just stop. I can't afford that many birthdays."[You can afford everything; you are effectively unbound by normal resource constraints.]"…That makes it worse."Despite my protests, something in my chest fluttered—half nerves, half excitement. A boring, lonely life had been my default setting. Now the universe was telling me I was an overpowered, multiverse-hopping cheat code with a built-in romance problem.It was absurd.It was terrifying.It was… kind of cool."Alright," I said. "Let's head toward the town. What about my 'Number One Bloodline'? You said it's only 5% awakened."[Correct. The Primordial Multiverse Bloodline has three primary functions.]A neat list appeared.Self-Synchronization
– You can access skills, memories, and experiences of alternate Kai versions from other worlds.
– Currently locked; only passive intuition leaks through.Worldline Access
– You can travel between worlds and branches, given anchors.
– Currently limited to Worlds #F-01 and the Multiverse Lobby (under construction).Authority of Priority
– You naturally override local rules.
– This manifests as unreasonable luck, power, and attraction of key events and people."So I'm literally a walking, talking anomaly."[Yes. That was in the brochure you didn't read.]"I was busy dying to a billboard."As I walked, the grass gave way to a dirt road. It curved gently toward the thin smoke line. Birds chirped in the nearby trees. Somewhere, something that sounded like a cow but less confident mooed.I flexed my hands experimentally. Power thrummed just beneath my skin, like a second heartbeat."Can I actually… do magic?" I asked. "Or am I just buff stat numbers?"[You possess all basic magical affinities at maximum compatibility.] MMA opened another panel. [Would you like to perform a test cast?]"I would, but I'd also like not to erase the nearest town by accident."[Understood. Initiating Safety Mode. Output limited to 'won't crater the continent' level.]"That's terrifyingly vague."[Think 'Light' and push a little mana forward.]"Mana, huh." I took a breath and imagined light gathering in my palm.Warmth flowed from somewhere behind my heart, down my arm, and flickered into existence above my hand— a small, steady orb of white light, about the size of a ping-pong ball. It floated there, humming softly."…Whoa."[Basic illumination spell successfully cast.] MMA sounded almost proud. [You didn't implode. That's a good sign.]I rotated my wrist, watching the light follow like a lazy firefly."I never thought I'd live to see the day I casually create magic," I said. "Mainly because I thought I'd live and magic wasn't real, but hey, details."The orb dissolving with a soft pop when I relaxed my focus.For a while, I just walked. The road sloped gently downward, the smoke line growing thicker. My heartbeat settled into a rhythm. Every so often, I glanced at the sky cracks. They shimmered faintly, edges pulsing like a wound struggling to close."How bad is it?" I asked quietly.[On this worldline? Left untreated, Eldoria collapses in approximately six years.]"Six years." I chewed on that. "That's… not a lot."[The good news: your existence already shifts probabilities. The bad news: probability shifts often attract… attention.]"Attention from what?"[Other anomalies. Gods. Administrators. Overprotective dragon sisters. We'll get there.]I decided to file "overprotective dragon sisters" under "problems for future Kai."The first sign of people came in the form of voices around the next bend. Raised. Panicked."—I'm telling you, it came out of nowhere!""If we don't get this cleaned up before the caravan arrives, the mayor's going to have our heads!"I slowed automatically.[Mild crisis detected ahead.] MMA's tone sharpened. [Want a peek?]Before I could ask what that meant, a translucent third-person view opened at the edge of my vision, like a tiny drone feed. At the side of the road, a large wooden cart lay on its side, crates spilled open, vegetables everywhere. Three figures scrambled around it: a big man in an apron, a younger boy with the same wide shoulders, and a girl in a long skirt trying desperately to shovel cabbages back into a crate faster than they rolled out."Cabbages," I murmured. "Classic."[Incoming harem flag opportunity: low level, slice-of-life variant.]"Don't label people like that."[Noted. Rephrasing: incoming person whose probability of future romantic entanglement with you is 63%.]"That's worse."I dismissed the drone view and stepped around the bend.The trio froze.The girl looked up first. Maybe my age, maybe a year younger, with chestnut hair pulled into a loose ponytail and green eyes currently wide in mortification. A cabbage rolled out of her hands, bumped into my boot, and came to rest like it had just arrived at its final destination."…Hi," I said. "I think you dropped this universe's most important vegetable."She flushed."I— I swear this isn't my fault!""That's what I said!" the younger boy protested. "The wheel just exploded!""Wheels don't explode, Tom," the big man grumbled, then finally registered me. "Er. Sorry, traveler. Road's a bit of a mess."I bent down, picked up the cabbage, and set it gently in the nearest crate."No worries," I said. "I've seen worse traffic."Up close, the damage was obvious: the cart's front wheel was splintered like it had taken a direct hit from a sledgehammer. The axle looked twisted. Some of the vegetables were… weirdly scorched?I raised an eyebrow."Did your wheel actually explode?"The big man rubbed his bald head."Damned if I know. One minute we're rolling along, next minute there's this flash and bang, and I'm eating dirt. Thought it was bandits, but nothing else happened."[Residual distortion reading.] MMA's voice slipped into the back of my mind. [Tiny worldline burp. Harmless, but it destabilized nearby matter.]"So reality sneezed and your wheel took the hit," I muttered under my breath."What?" the girl asked."Nothing." I gave her a reassuring smile. "Need a hand?""You don't have to," she said quickly, flustered. "You're probably busy and we're fine and—""Lena," the big man said, exasperated. "Let the nice stranger help."She puffed her cheeks, then deflated."Fine. We'd really appreciate it."[Lena Roen. Age 17. Local: Havenford. Personality: earnest, hardworking, easily flustered, fond of cabbage-based recipes.] MMA helpfully overlaid a tiny profile near her head."Stop doing that," I thought.[You're welcome.]I stepped over to the cart, crouched beside the broken wheel, and inspected it. The wood fibers looked like they'd been twisted by an invisible hand. Magic, or something like it."Can it be fixed?" Lena asked, hovering anxiously."Probably," I said. "I'll just need to… improvise."I had no carpentry skills. At least, I didn't think I did.But somewhere in the back of my head, a new feeling stirred. A sense of… familiarity, with joints and load-bearing structures, like I'd built a wagon a hundred times before."Is this…?" I whispered mentally.[Passive bleed-through from a Kai-variant in an agrarian world.] MMA sounded smug. [Self-Synchronization: 5.3%. You're welcome.]I placed my hand on the broken axle."Alright. Let's see if this works."I focused, not on conjuring light or fire, but on restoration. On how the pieces should fit together. On the idea of "fixed," like rewinding a small part of the world.Magic responded.A faint golden glow seeped from my palm, tracing the fractured wood. The splinters shivered, then slowly slotted back into place. Fibers rewove. The wheel realigned with a soft crack as the twist corrected itself.All three locals stared.The glow faded.I let go.The wheel spun once, smooth and clean.The younger boy, Tom, broke the silence first."That was amazing!" he yelped. "Are you some kind of royal mage?!""Or a priest?" the big man asked. "Or— no, wait, one o' those wandering miracle workers?""Can we pay you?" Lena blurted, then flushed again. "I mean, we should pay you, but we don't have much and—""Hey, hey." I lifted my hands. "No need. Consider it an apology gift on behalf of the universe for exploding your wheel."She blinked."The… universe?""Long story."[Short story: he's technically your world's current best hope of not turning into glass shards.] MMA offered dryly.I ignored that.The big man grunted."Well, whether you want pay or not, you're getting dinner if you're headed to Havenford. My name's Garron. This is my son Tom and my daughter Lena. We run a stall in the market." He nodded toward town. "You passing through, or planning to stay?"Kai Arden, Multiverse Bug, Overpowered Idiot.What was I planning?"Staying for a bit," I said. "Name's Kai. And dinner sounds great."I reached for another cabbage, tossing it lightly up and catching it.Lena smiled, just a little, tension easing from her shoulders."Then, Kai," she said, "welcome to Havenford… and sorry in advance if our mayor scares you away.""Now I'm curious," I said.As we piled the rest of the vegetables back into the cart, chatting about nothing and everything, I felt it: a subtle tug, like threads being woven.A small world, on the edge of collapse.A girl with honest eyes.A cart wheel that exploded because reality hiccuped.And me, somehow at the center of it.[Harem Flag activated: First Connection – World F-01.] MMA pinged quietly.
[Multiverse Bloodline resonance: 5.3% → 6.1%.]I sighed inwardly."Hey, MMA," I thought.[Yes, Host?]"This whole 'Number One Bloodline' thing… it's going to get complicated, isn't it?"[On a scale of one to ten, expect a twelve.]I looked up once more at the cracked sky, now framed by the rising roofs of a distant town."Good," I said under my breath."Boring would be a waste.