Chapter 24: Randomized Infinite Death Loop

I will only say the things I deem quite important; feel free to assume any of the left out details for I will not answer any more questions outside of what I will tell here.

...

It was a town where death lurked in every corner, where one could leap into its embrace at any given moment. Some of the deaths could not be explained by common sense--though at certain inevitable situations, the victim actually survived.

From the news I researched, the most common cause of death was the same as the most common activities people had. Breathing; sleeping; eating; using the toilet; walking etc.

The percentage of it being killer diseases like cancer, heart attack and Anime were rather low.

This morning, as I woke up, I died one time from touching my blanket, one time from moving downstairs and another time from washing my face. The other causes were: focusing on my floor tiles too much; wiping my nose with a tissue and choking on mineral water, etc.

It was a good thing the respawn timer was only five seconds and the cause of death was neutralized for some time.

Yet, every time I died, I went back in time. So it was just around dawnbreak currently. As for how long I went back, it seemed to be around half an hour on average.

At the nutshell, it might be very confusing living my life back and forth just like me watching anime; facing interruptions at every corner. Sometimes, the death would move me many years back due to how severe it was. I still remembered the entire town getting vaporized by a giant death ray which came from the UFO. It was around five years ago. So, I had to experience the last three years I lived once more and made some better decisions.

It was nice enough the data files in my computer always remain intact. It's kinda bizarre how retained the data of stuff from the future.

So did my bank accounts.

Why?

I'd say why not?

Anyway, it seems the Aliens went on a rampage due to one of their spies in this town getting killed randomly. Not sure and it's kinda pointless to rationalize Aliens like they're a human being as I knew nothing 'bout them.

When they're supposed to arrive, I notice the UFO did not come this time. It was three years, so there'd be many factors which would yield the butterfly effect, thus canceling the annihilation.

For me gambling and buying lottery numbers, strangely enough, the results were always the same.

I had this theory that my every death did not make me go back in time but it was an ability to take over the lives of my countless incarnations in the parallel universes, one at a time. It was kind of cruel if you look it at a glance—but wouldn't my parallel selves also have the ability to not die? It would cause a chain reaction which in turn would disrupt the entire System of multiverses.

...until one day, I would take over my incarnation which did not have that ability, in short—a complete mortal.

With this theory in mind, I believe I could experience a true death sometime.

Although it also made it very unlikely, seeing as my infinite incarnations would also keep searching until they took over the mortal selves and there'd no longer be any of them.

...and in the end, what would happen if every single one of them had the ability to avoid true death? Would it cause the multiverse to crash and burn due to its infinite loop?

...oh well, let's just say for whatever magic, it could still fix itself to bypass such phenomenon. If not, I wouldn't be there to tell you all this. You also wouldn't be here to listen.

That aside, I made a script which would record all the lottery winning numbers, the scores result from various sports for betting, stock market values etc.; that's how I could get extremely rich as for this moment.

My doom happened every so often I barely felt anything.

Maybe I made the Death extremely angry at me in my past life before becoming immortal, who knows.

That's how I got to live much longer hours than others.

It was also the reason, why getting a job would suck. Especially when you're doing a repetitive work, not to mention of having infinitely possible longer hours, you'd have to do the exact same work that you actually completed before. Or even worse, the time before you got the job so you have to redo the interview, tests and all those blasphemies.

Been there done that.

Doing freelance work was also a big no, as I might get back in time before I accepted the job when I already completed it.

Yet, it was pretty good when it came to internet gambling, like predicting the scores and the stock market for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

After my respawn, I basically retained my memories, abilities (even the physical one). My bank account and data on my computer were also there. The data also persist when I changed computers. Although, when I died while using two computers at the same time (Laptop / PC), I could choose which computers I want to keep the data and the ones I could let go with, the same with a bank account.

I heard about one of my incarnation with an immortal ability. He got killed by someone after altering their appearance and upon the time reset, the killer still retained their memory, but their physique was reverted to what it was before.

In my case, when I got back three years in time without the PC getting involved at all, it returned to my old ver, but the data and software were from the future. Yet, there was a magic at hand on why my HDD capacity was the same as my new one and it somehow could run the new OS with the same performance.

One possible explanation: the PC, the bank account, betting scores, the stock market, and lottery numbers were all connected with me, I still had the same data, bearing the same results. Not sure 'bout the PC performance; maybe the peripherals were from the future but the memory reading was false?

As it was not a person, it retains memories in a way, that ones connecting to me had resistance against butterfly effect! That's how the scores, lottery numbers and such were still the same.

For the UFO, as it was likely a kind of sentient lifeform, it probably was still affected.

It's the same when I talked with my neighbor sometimes as a practice. When I got back in time and even made the same decisions and one other were the different ones, their routine of life may or may not change—it's like my action did not matter unless it directly affected them.

..during the time rewind, they would always forget about what I did before—no matter how I felt significantly connected to them. This made me end up abandoning any serious relationship.

The UFO was also the same; otherwise, it'd just attack again. It's just my other incarnation who was special, or there's a certain trigger like you have to be killed by the other party for them to remember.

...oh right! That's one reason why it did not attack again! Because it had borne enough pain having to relive the next three years all alone due to such action.

Hahaha...

For the bank account management and stuff, I didn't want to go into the boring details.

I could wire the money just fine and make do with online deliveries without a hitch. That's all.

You might want to ask a few questions. I would just answer one at a time before moving to the next.

[Why could you return back to life and get back in time as the result?]

I did not know. Probably had something to do with my past life; I lost all memories of it.

It's pretty convenient that I could rewind back so let's just abuse it until the universe breaks. Nobody could punish me since death would happen randomly in here, outside my own control.

As the Gods could not remove my immortality, they have no right to rule over my decisions.

[Why do you live in this town? Knowing you had to experience countless deaths at random?]

It was the place I was born. I wasn't pretty interested in moving to other places. Besides, it was a pain to move as I had no such resolve to be anywhere else, in order to form a KEY for locating its DOOR.

I just love it here. Having more time to enjoy, even if I was all alone—it's worth the pain.

[What about the others? Wouldn't they be paranoid, that they could die at any given moment?]

On the contrary, people here lived their lives to the fullest.

..and unlike them, death didn't happen as often—only once, not more or less.

People could live as long as their deaths didn't arrive and it didn't have to adhere to the normal human lifespan. If it did not come, you could even live forever, even forgetting that you, in fact, could die.

People took care of their health since even the most severe sickness would not kill you. Although there was a strange force which made even the incurable diseases and injuries out there healable when you came to this town.

..there seemed to be a legend, whoever was cured in here could never leave the town, for their hearts were bound here forever. It was proven by how all of such people with known cases were still a resident.

Not sure about those who'd flown under the radar though.

As for mine, my injuries and sickness would heal at an extremely fast rate and I also experienced far less pain, but it's not like I'd be challenging Death at any given corner.

The people were more reasonable. Nobody would hang themselves, jump off the apartments or trying to get run over by a car. More often than not, those attempting it would still live.

Although they would be crippled for a long time and had to endure all the pain while it lasts.

[What about leaving the city? Would the law of random death still apply?]

No.

By the way, the only visitors who were immune to their laws were those with [Tourism Passport] or they were deliverymen from outside the city. Otherwise, the same laws would still apply.

Leaving might look as simple on paper. You have to desire with all your heart to leave; to belong somewhere else.

...but this place were like a utopia to many who lived in here—even the tourists and deliverymen felt a strong pulling force, it was impossible to imagine belonging anywhere else. It would change your behavior to the point of being too earnest and good-natured.

I was different as I had a goal and my own ideals, but that's another story.

[Too earnest and good-natured?]

They treasured their loved ones and children very much, knowing they'd be separated at any time.

No relationships were possessive, they understood love as an experiencing the best moments together, not about owning each other.

I would not go for the detail because I did not involve myself in outside matters that much.

[What about the criminals?]

You can think for yourself why the crime rates in this town were the all-time law for as long as this town existed.

[What do you want to do? Why tell us this?]

I'm doing this out of my own self-interest.

You see. This post might be erased as I went back in forth in time, so I just hope, my other incarnation out there in the multiverse, could hear this message.

That I wasn't all alone. I'd share my experiences so you too, could find the source of your power.

I was on the road to actualize myself. To become closer to my ideal.

I knew one particular incarnation of mine desired to be a cute girl so he could romance other girls in his personal world, but I was different.

Forming another world was extremely difficult, but shaping the world I'm in according to my own belief, was realistic.

There were countless figures in History who had done that, but as for those who had become the creator of their own world? I did not hear of it even once. Their goal was too far-fetched.

I knew I had undying power and ability to relive the past.

In this city, I would better myself, until I had enough strength to shape this world according to what's most suitable for me.

I could say I did not care for the lives of others, but I wouldn't deliberately try to make their lives harder either.

With the strength I wield, I simply exist to manifest my will. Neither trying to make a world a better place nor bring it to ruin.

If it turned out better or even ruined, so be it.

My actions weren't that of sin or ignorance. It was simply what I wish to do.

Whether the world believes my existence as good or evil, it didn't matter.

Until then, it's just a matter of time, until I left the city and made this world my own blank canvas.

Although unlikely, I just hope there was anyone able to stop me and deliver me my true death.

I too would tire of this life sooner or later. I just want to forget anything and be reborn.

Well then, guess I'd just kept waiting patiently as I trained.