"Ah, shit… not again."
It always ended here, at The Seraph Spire.
Nolan lay on the ground, blood seeping out of his stomach as the demon king stood, towering above him.
Regression 1046.
Nolan has lived a total of one thousand and forty six times and he always ended up dying in this very place.
Whenever he died, he regressed to his 20 year old self with a completely different power, useless, overpowered, embarrassing and sometimes even nothing.
His life had sometimes ended before he went far, but there was always a point he couldn't pass and that was the Seraph Spire.
Once here, he either died by the demon king's blade, an ally's dagger, fought to his last even if victorious or just simply got consumed by either his or the tower's power.
He had mastered all magic, sword techniques, martial arts, maps. He's been the Tyrant who ruled with an iron fist, the beloved King who gets betrayed by his children or disciples, the Hermit with unparalleled magic, the Hero who sacrificed himself to seal the demon king temporarily, the Villain who sided with the demons, the watcher who died when a meteor destroys the lands and most of all, the useless loser who gets caught up in a crossfire in the least expected way.
Nolan had experienced every kind of love, hatred, tragedy, betrayal, revenge, power, powerlessness. All of it. But he couldn't break out of the regression loop.
His goal flipped from "must win" to "escape the loop and die already."
And today was no different. He was dying again at the checkpoint.
One thing that he did realize though, was that there was a lot to the world he hadn't discovered because he ignored them too much.
In life 898, Nolan obtained an artifact—Chronos Locket—that was basically useless and died with it on him. Surprisingly it gave him something.
A system.
As long as he died with the locket on him, the system was guaranteed in the next regression. He could use it as a guide, a means to get his trash powers to the max, a source of information he never knew, but it never changed the outcome. He always died.
He tried other artifacts but they had no effect on his next life.
But it seemed this time, something was finally different.
In his right hand was the Chronos Locket and on the left, the Wanderer's Pebble. A small black stone he'd come across in life 306.
It did absolutely nothing.
He tried channeling magic into it but it was futile. Same with trying to break it with super strength. So, he always left it.
Why'd he bring it today? It was the last artifact on his list, and turns out, it wasn't "useless" after all.
[Chronos Locket detected!]
That was strange. The only message he got when dying was [Preparing next iteration]. But the next message had an even bigger surprise.
[Wanderer's Pebble detected. True Identity 'Pathfinder' Artifact unlocked!]
[Synergy Achieved. Synergy Initializing...]
[Hello, User. You have reached the prerequisite: Understanding All Paths!]
Nolan read through the lines as his vision started to dim.
[The 'Pathfinder' ability is now active. Would you like to use it to select a power for your next iteration?]
Stunned, bleeding out on the cold stone, he thinks. 'Yes. Anything. Something new at least.'
[Activated. Scanning potentialities...]
[Path Selected: Omnipotent Copy System.]
[Initiating Final Regression...]
Nolan tried to bubble up a laugh but ended up coughing out blood instead. Finally, it was coming to an end. His eyes sealed shut as he died with genuine hope for the first time in centuries.
… …
Nolan woke up beneath a tree where he had taken a nap seventeen years ago. This was where it always started from. He was twenty again.
He sat up, resting his back on the tree, when a system screen appeared. It was more vibrant and complex than any he had ever seen.
[User: Nolan Dagmire
• Occupation: Pathfinder - You see the threads of fate and potential in all things.
• Primary Ability: Omnipotent Copy - You may copy any skill, talent, or innate ability you witness or interact with, without limit.]
"Hmm… another overpowered skill, eh? I hope it'll be as interesting as the necromancy in 701," Nolan yawned.
But something else came up. It was the same system screen, yes, but it had something… different.
[¹MESSAGE!
- MrAnonymous: Nolan! What did you do?]
"What in the world…" he muttered.