Apocalypse respawn

Rargnes slammed the beer down on the bar before him, then pushed it slightly towards the bartender's shadow. He rummaged through his wallet, revealing its contents to his eyes—equivalent to a few hundred dollars—and shook it upside down.

Coins and bills spilled onto the bar and around it, to the bartender's astonished gaze. Rargnes didn't notice. He picked up the beer again and simply said, "This round's on me."

The bartender's shadow remained, undoubtedly dismayed by his behavior. Then, shrugging, he went to collect the bills.

"Damn," muttered Rargnes aloud. "Damn it. What a shitty day!"

"What happened?" inquired the bartender.

"Oh, nothing. Just some rough events. The usual now!" He clicked his tongue. "I almost adapted to these events! How does it feel not to be able to get out of your situation? Seeking peace? Just wanting to live quietly?"

"Most customers are like that," he said, wiping a glass with a not-so-clean rag. "What exactly happened?"

"Well," he sighed, "you can't change anything. But beer can. You wouldn't believe its effects on me. Everything becomes smoother! I'd have had much more if it weren't for my job! I don't dare anymore when I drink - even the nasty, bloody stuff."

He had noticed that a good beer helped lessen guilt about his activities. And then, to solve his psychological problems, he learned other things, like drawing. A few doodles and many issues disappeared. Childish behavior, perhaps. At the same time, a child doesn't care about right and wrong.

Rargnes finished his beer and slid the glass across the bar. Then he stood up and turned around with a burp, where Sengrar was supposed to be. His eyes searched. At least it would make a talented ally - perhaps too gifted. Better than nothing. If the noble was still as strong, maybe it was best not to confront him after all -

Sengrar had tattoos. Red and black tattoos on his skull. Rargnes froze, mouth wide open.

He stood there for a few seconds before teleportation took him into the white space, where he could choose his class. Before him was an infinite white space with a single class panel.

[Lord]

[Mage]

[Warrior]

"Wait..." Rargnes thought as he regained awareness. "Damn it! Is this it?!"

A feeling of stress and dopamine entered his mind together and mingled.

There was an element that tipped him over. That made the first and third annulled.

Sengrar's death - it was obvious now. The goblin had mentioned three powers: theft presented as equality, victory conditions, and life.

But Rargnes was not the one of life. He only had memories, not life. If Sengrar were to die, he would retain his spells and power—that would explain his talent, extraordinary strength, and physique—the more he progressed as a warrior, the more time he spent training, and the more his strength increased, with the body able to grow in some cases.

He had just been strengthened by the world. His tattoos were proof of that. But no one had mentioned anything about him getting bigger! No one had mentioned anything about his tattoos! The fucking world changed so that this Sengrar had always been like that!

"That's the power the noble was after! He first obtained the power of theft, and then..."

And then he wanted the power of victory conditions—the power of the commander who had the ability to analyze, to know that Rargnes Third had voices talking to him. This would have allowed him to leave Sengrar alive at the base, ready to be killed at any moment for another chance.

That's why he committed suicide! So that his power wouldn't be stolen! So he must have read the noble's real power! Certainly a theft could steal a power through murder!

But then, how did he not see Rargnes' power of memories? Did he really just hear the voices? No. No! He had had memories in his second life! And then... the power was not announced among the three powers. Would he be an exception? Or maybe it was a divine test? Everyone being in his situation, in different worlds?

But what purpose would an omnipotent being have in doing this to them? Make them smarter? Wiser? Stronger? A snap of this entity's fingers would strengthen far more than they could ever do. The system could attribute classes! Increase resistance! Facilitate energy acceptance and give a bit of magic! Do everything!

"Think!" he said aloud. "I've got some time. Some spend several minutes before choosing their classes. I have all the info in this life. I might not be able to kill, not yet, but with the gun..."

He knew the location of the class improvement token, the spectrum, and the rings. He also knew the timing of when the portals activated and when he had to return.

Apart from the sacrificed goblins lying around, no one else except humans could prevent him from becoming strong, really strong, if he just hid for a few hours every three days when the portals opened in the tutorial.

"But he got the power of theft somewhere, the noble! What could that be? They talk about it as the power of equality. Equality..." he thought, and then an illumination came to him. "And what if whoever killed the holder got the power of theft? So, across worlds, anyone can get the powers until the mission or the will of the system applies - maybe it only wishes for a person to acquire all powers.

He nodded to himself and approached the system window in front of him.

"I should train Sengrar. He will be one of the greatest allies with my knowledge of spells. I just have to make sure to kill the noble myself, then to kill the commander and Sengrar."

The third had had feelings and maybe compassion for Sengar. He was different.

"But..." If he didn't have the memory power and only the voice power, why didn't he get that power in his first life? He had lived for more time in his first round. Who could tell whether his 'powers' were but the manipulation of a mage? Maybe he was just in a simulation.

He shook his head and breathed, releasing his stress—which only rose as his eyes showed shock.

"If I only have memories, if this world will become a future wasteland once Sengrar dies, and people lose their memories... does that mean those in the noble's world have all lost their memories? Roaes, Yurs, and... and Rargnes first."

Consternation struck him. If he was still alive, didn't that mean he had spent twenty years or so as a slave?