Trapped in an Infinite Space
Trapped in an Infinite Space
My memories of my previous life were faint.
I remembered the fact that I had died, but I couldn't remember how.
However, one fact was definitely remembered.
That I was a robust adult male who had been discharged as an active-duty first-class soldier in Korea.
But now, this body was clearly not a male figure to anyone who saw it.
Long silver hair, a small stature that might have been 150 centimeters, tiny hands, and so on...
"Unbelievable..."
And a soft, clear voice that came out of my mouth.
Overall, it was clear that I had reincarnated into a super cute body.
Although there was no mirror to check the exact appearance, it seemed I had become an absolute peak beautiful girl.
Anyway, to summarize the situation, I had reincarnated. With vague memories of my past life.
So what's the problem!
If you ask, "If you reincarnated as a TS absolute peak beautiful girl with past life memories, shouldn't you be raking in money as a VTuber or streamer?"
Well... there was a lot to say.
First, this place where I reincarnated was not 'Earth'.
If you ask, "Not Earth? Then did you reincarnate into another world? Shouldn't you be using that super cute body to wrap your arms around voluptuous women?"
Unfortunately, it's not another world either.
If it's not Earth and not another world...
Then what is it?
"How should I know?!"
I don't know either! I'm the one who should be asking that question...!
I looked around.
Infinite.
That was my impression when I first saw this space.
At first, I tried walking around here and there, and even running in one direction for a while.
But what I learned was that in this space, I didn't get hungry, thirsty, or sleepy.
And.
It was endlessly infinite.
There were other minor things too, but those four were the most important.
After realizing this, well, as you can see, I've been continuing this idle life.
Honestly, at first I thought I would go crazy, but after getting used to it, this lifestyle is actually pretty okay.
Well, if there's nothing to do, you can just make something, and if there's no one around... that's just regrettable.
Anyway.
What is there to do in this endless space?
I don't even expect a phone or computer. At least a board game or a deck of playing cards wouldn't be too much to ask...
It's a complete barren wasteland.
"Ugh..."
I tried doing roleplays by myself, doing exercises I remembered from my past life, and even meditating.
I could confidently say I had tried everything possible.
"..."
Time flowed endlessly.
Now what should I do?
Roleplay?
If I keep doing this, I feel like I'll really go crazy.
Exercise?
This body must be special; even after years of exercise, nothing changed.
Doing more seemed meaningless, and now it wasn't fun anymore, so I didn't want to.
Could it be a dream?
When I wake up, I'll go back to my cozy corner of the room.
More time passed. It must have been several years by my perception.
One day, I discovered something a little unusual.
The trigger was nothing special. I was lying down blankly staring at the sky, counting imaginary sheep.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a strange sensation brushed past me.
It was indescribable in words... like opening my eyes to a new sensation?
After years of no change, that fleeting sensation was clearly a peculiar feeling.
"Hehehe"
A smile spread across my lips.
I was bound to be happy to have something to focus on properly after so long. If something to do was given to me like this, I was very grateful!
How much more time passed like that?
This place had no distinction between day and night, so I couldn't know the exact time, but I think at least several more years passed after that.
And finally!
I found the answer to that strange sensation.
What I had felt was a kind of energy, or energy, that filled this space. I didn't know its identity, but it was permeating every corner of this infinite space without a gap.
It was clearly different from air. That much I was certain of.
I named this energy "Mana."
Exactly the magical power I had seen endlessly in creative works from my past life.
The reason I named it was simple. Because it was cool.
And somehow, I had a feeling that I could freely control this energy, like the protagonists in those works.
Maybe because I had been in this space too long, my senses had developed in a strange direction.
Time continued to pass.
"Heheh, I was right! I said I could control it! It was Mana!"
That energy I named Mana, I could control it as I expected.
If I could control Mana, the next step was obvious.
"Magic!"
I can use magic?
My heart pounded. Achieving the dream I couldn't fulfill in my past life here... should I consider this fortunate?
From that day on, I spent all my time moving Mana.
"Aaaagh! Why won't it work?!"
Panting, I stomped on the innocent ground.
First of all, magic was incomparably more difficult than handling Mana.
No, calling it difficult was an understatement. At first, I didn't even have a clue where to start.
It was literally trial and error. With the uncertainty of whether magic was even possible, the only knowledge I had to refer to was my sensory experience of Mana, which I had figured out through direct trial and error...
After repeating meaningless actions, I realized. Ah, like this, I can't do anything... So I set up a few detours.
First, a core to store Mana.
Second, a circuit to circulate Mana.
I borrowed a bit of my past life knowledge. Concepts like a mana core and a circle. I didn't know if it was possible, but since shaping a clear image first made it much easier to materialize.
I created a core near my heart to store Mana. Then I attached a circuit to circulate the Mana throughout my body.
Accumulating Mana and handling the accumulated Mana inside the body.
I started from the idea that handling Mana inside the body would be easier to grasp than handling it outside.
Also, personally, I wanted to try it. A mana core and a circle? I couldn't resist that.
— Hwareuk
Flames rose from my fingertips.
"Haha... Hahaha!"
Success.
In this space where there was nothing, I created fire. I created something from nothing!
Ah, please call me a wizard now...
Mana and magic.
After succeeding at all this, greed set in.
The only thing better than magic is more magic.
I immersed myself in magic again.
Thanks to having established a system once, I could create new magic much more easily than before. Time was abundant, so the only thing I needed was imagination.
And for that imagination, I just used the knowledge from my past life.
That's how I created countless spells.
An immeasurably long time passed.
So long that the time I lived in my past life felt like a fleeting moment.
— Wooong
Inside my mana core, no less than nine circuits were constantly in turmoil.
"..."
I stopped my mana operation and stood up.
The ground beneath my feet was covered with various flowers and plants, and the lush trees had already formed a forest.
The fruits of my magic. Occasionally, looking at this scenery gave me new emotions.
I picked a nearby fruit and took a bite.
— Asak.
Apple taste.
No, it was subtly different. Well, that might be natural.
Even though I tried my best to reproduce the taste and shape, my past life memories were already too blurry.
"I want to get out..."
The mana in the area rippled in response to my emotions.
"I want to get OUT—!"
This is the limit.
What's the limit? Obviously, my patience!
New magic, new realms.
I'm sick of killing time aiming for things like these.
Even if I try to create new magic, I have no ideas now. I had been storing the magic I created in a subspace as compiled books, but those had piled up to the point where I couldn't even tell what was what anymore.
Raising to a higher realm? I gave up on that long ago. It seemed impossible.
Even with infinite time, it might not be reachable, or... it was uncertain if such a realm existed in the first place.
Is it resignation?
My current circuits are nine. In terms of past life knowledge, 9th circle.
The next would be ten circuits. I would call it the 10th circle.
To express this in one word.
Universe.
If the 9th circle is like a planet, the 10th circle is the universe.
Even facing a fragment of it is daunting.
"Too much!"
That's too much!
How much longer do I have to rot in this space? Unless I find a way out, it'll probably be forever.
If by some chance I reach the 10th circle... I might be able to force my way out. But it would take several times the time I've already spent.
"Pfft..."
It seems it's time to reinforce my mental barriers.
I might go crazy again like last time.
[System is being activated]
Seeing hallucinations too means I'm already crazy.
"Quickly, mental barrier—"
As I tried to raise my mana, several letters appeared before my eyes.
[Warning]
[A challenger has entered the Gate]
[Objective: Kill all challengers]
Huh?