“Why are you telling me this story?” The One Above All asked the meaning behind my insanity. When I’d broke the laws of causality, he had found me. When inconsistency was brought into this world, he would be the one to erase the existence of any abnormality.

I was no exception.

His black boot rested upon my head. He could crush my head like a grape at any time. He looked like a simple businessman in a suit. Ordinary. He wouldn’t be conspicuous in a modern setting. However, this was the realm of imagination he’d found me in.

Such a boring man couldn’t possibly be a myth.

Gods and greater celestials tied to this world were bound by other myths. I, ‘Loki’, was bound by the trickster personality of the myth I’d taken in. The god called ‘Odin’, despite not being my father, was bound by his myth to at least consider me his son.

These myths gave us power.

But who was ‘The One Above All’?

He had no name. The only thing we knew was that he was not a being bound by imagination. It was easier to consider him the personification of the absoluteness and inconceivable. That’s why all who knew his existence called him a being above gods.

The One Above All…

That’s why I mustn’t continue this useless battle.

I must not fight.

It’d be better to convince him to let me live.

“You asked why I messed with causality- Ugh!” He kicked me off the ground and had me crawling away from him. He fixed his gloves aggressively. Making me remember the beating he’d given me a second ago. His eyes were not one of a naive individual.

“This is your second offence.” A ‘calm’ voice spoke.

“I know… Please overlook what I did. It was the only way to change the ‘plot’. Aren’t I a saviour?” I made my case with pleading eyes and pleasing gestures. A smile etched on my clown-like face. He grabbed my golden hair and clenched his fist at me dangerously.

I closed my eyes.

Then opened them again to see I was still alive.

He was likely still considering my punishment.

This was my only chance.

“Or so you say… but why is it that even with my own omniscience, I cannot find this ‘Ben Frasko’ in the memories of that Earth?” Of course, The One Above All could not believe he could only see the smaller picture. He was a greater existence than a mere god.

Even so, I was no mere trickster.

My path to godhood was also not a simple story.

“Maybe your omniscience is worse than mine?” I aroused his curiosity. His face became hardened at my little quip. Disbelief written on his face. Maybe he was more inclined to believe the story I’d told him was a tall tale… No, at least not a recorded history.

All of the realm of imagination had some level of omniscience. If they did not know of someone, then it was more than likely this person didn’t exist. The fact that the world was saved intrigued him, but he was not at all believing the story being told to him.

“Is that a fact or your delusion?” He smirked.

“Do you think the story so far is fabrication?”

“Fine. Let us pretend you saved that Earth by giving this Frasko fella time manipulation. I find it hard to believe you did this out of genuine compassion for this person.” Unlike before, there was certainty in his eyes. One could see this wasn’t a mere opinion.

“Why do I think that?” I whistled at him.

“Don’t play games with me…!”

“I can’t help it~!” Who did he think I was?

My name now was ‘Loki’, after all.

“Loki, your first offence was trying to destroy reality with your space and time manipulation. You have seen yourself what kind of inhumanity this power brings. Aren’t you yourself the perfect example of such failure?” His expression had hardened again.

“…I fear to ask how much you know.”

“Not everything. After all, you are the hardest to track down even among these ‘Gods’ you all call yourselves. What I know is that you misused your time regression ability to mess with your future and the distant past before ascendance into godhood.”

“I see why you doubt my sincerity.” I sighed to him.

“Even if I believed you, why would I let you live after breaking causality a second time? Who is this ‘Ben Frasko’ you speak so highly of?” He didn’t seem to understand why I spoke so reverently about him. It was only natural. My feelings were inexplicable.

“I knew you’d be interested~” A smile had bloomed.

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“…Don’t make me regret asking.” He grit his teeth.

I realised now that he wasn’t that bad of a guy. He’d given me a chance to speak my perspective. In this world that was affected by our states of mind, we were transported to a peaceful teahouse. The blood and burnt smell in the air having all but vanished.

The battlefield filled with darkness was gone.

Being replaced by a bright and fluffy environment.

I knew that one wrong word could make the world shift back into a battlefield. The only way to survive was to continue my story. Of course, what he said about how time manipulation twisted the mind was not incorrect. I’d experienced this power firsthand.

Friends ended up as playthings. Family became cassette tapes that endlessly repeated the same dialogue. If you didn’t like something, then you could simply turn back the clock. If you made a mistake, then you could save scum until victory.

This was how time loopers became corrupted.

Slowly being driven mad by their own convenience.

“You weren’t wrong to say that this power is too heavy for a normal person to carry. People end up as villains of their own story once consequences are not applicable. Good and bad actions… Do they even matter when no one will make them accountable?”

“And yet you say this young man saved the world.”

“Absolutely. He is a hero.” I leaned back proudly.

The One Above All did not seem satisfied.

He poured in the freshly heated tea and sipped it.

“Heroes are always flawed. Isn’t that what Greek mythology always focused on?” It looked like he believed this was where my trickery lay. Calling him a hero despite him being akin to a devil. At least, that was simply a conspiracy theory brewing within him.

“I’m a Norse god.” I raised a brow at him blandly.

“Your myths aren’t that different.” He shrugged.

“You’re acting so mean… Are you a tsundere?” The way he spoke so harshly yet gave me a chance to explain myself was so hot and cold. If I had a girlfriend like this, then I’d probably dump her. It was too stressful to deal with outbursts all the time.

I was about to sip some of that tea and see how it tasted, but the world shifted again. A familiar battlefield with a dirt mound where was previously a seat. He was itching his palms. Looking like a war god- No, like a hitman ready to put me in a bag.

“Do you want to have the life chocked out of you, or be beaten to death?” Even as he said this, I felt it was unfair. I didn’t even get to relax properly. It was so uncomfortable to be so serious in telling a story. Did he expect me to write a report and mail it to him?

Regardless, I couldn’t say those thoughts out loud.

Having to pretend there was motive to my actions.

“I was just making a clear example.” Rather than getting annoyed, I raised my arms and spoke with a respectful tone. My face didn’t betray my emotions at this point. He looked at me suspiciously, and did not take what excuse I’d made at face value.

“You were screwing around.” He saw through me.

“No. Of course that isn’t it. I was just trying to say that cynicism is overrated. You especially, The One Above All, are living proof that absolute power DOES NOT corrupt absolutely. Saying that it does is simply the ultimate form of gaslighting.” Passion was in my eyes while speaking my truest thoughts. There was no greater neglect of responsibility by saying this.

Even my own past actions were no exception.

The battlefield disappeared again with my words.

It seemed he sensed I spoke with sincerity.

Going back to peacefully sipping from his teacup.

“Continue.” He commanded me without giving me room for jests. I decided to speak frankly. There was no need to hide anything from him. He may not believe that Ben Frasko existed, but whether he did or not did not matter. The story itself was important.

I went into full detail.

Starting from where I’d left off with the story.

This was Ben’s second loop.

And the most significant moment in it was…

“I’m on your side. We just want to know how you came into the school and where ‘Ben Frasko’ is. You are not being charged with kidnapping, but you will face trial for illegal immigration.” The interrogating officer did not believe any word he was hearing.

Ben had became silent.

Unable to understand how it came to this point.

The matter with the broken desk was glossed over after coming to the principal’s office, but this time the Peepli’s reaction was different. His eyes were cold. Looking at the unconscious teacher and calling the police without even hearing out his explanation.

They couldn’t find out his identity or name.

“I did not do anything. I know this sounds crazy, but I AM Ben Frasko.” He spoke this seriously to the investigator, but was met with a similar cold stare as his teacher. It was a professional look. Looking closer at that expression, he sensed some pity.

“Really? I’ll write that down. Of course, you are who you say you are.” There was this demeaning look in both his expression and words. Like the officer was dealing with a crazy person. Up until this point, he hadn’t even been allowed to meet his own parents.

Realism had sank in.

Ben was sentenced to ten years in prison after much debate and investigation. He didn’t have a penny to his name or motive to kidnap a high schooler. There was no substantial evidence besides him being at the school. Confusion on how he’d got there undetected.

However, his lack of identity was a big problem.

It caused an international issue of public safety and had a lot of politics surrounding it. Months later, he had his staying arrangements changed from the station to a proper prison. The officers did not pay any special attention to him other than indifference.

He was treated like he was insane.

An adult woman wearing a young boy’s uniform was highly suspicious. He became dissociated from the events as they transpired. A change in the past was to be expected, but was the change necessarily this drastic? One domino hit another, and he was there.

At a female prison far from home…

They said it was more likely Ben Frasko was missing rather than kidnapped. His previous actions had the effect of downplaying the situation. There was even speculation and rumours online of the woman who’d suddenly appeared being an accomplice in his prank.

Only to realise that this was far from a simple case.

Five years had passed, and Ben had refused to use his power to redo the events. Taking this new ‘life’ he had seriously. He secretly trained his new techniques diligently. Even with the components from his starter weapon being confiscated, he had a choice.

“I think this is acceptable.” Ben murmured while looking at the dense glows of external magical energy in the air. He may have had a ‘basic’ level for his Mana Sense, but he was able to completely make it his own. Get used to the sight of seeing magic.

“Did they call this ‘Ether’?” He thought while holding the purified energy he’d derived and crafted with patience. Perhaps due to having the skill of Mana Control, he was able to quickly derive ‘Pure Mana’ and apply it into the plastic fork he held.

Feeling power emanating from it.

[Your ‘Material Crafting’ proficiency improved.]

[You have achieved ’Material Crafting (Basic)’.]

This was the first system message he saw in a while.

Life in prison had really sharpened his personality. It had made him calmer. In these five years, he had gotten tattoos and gotten used to the many clicks that existed in this prison. Bottling up his feelings while keeping his abilities away from anyone’s sight.

He lived his life quietly.

Turning back time would be easy for him, but he chose to stay in this messed up future. One couldn’t easily understand why. There was no reason for him to stay. He didn’t have to experience the cold stares of those who once cared for him. Be blamed like this.

Whatever his reason for staying, one thing was clear.

Reversing time had consequences.

“I have to continue training.” Maybe because of his low talent, he hasn’t really improved much. He had been trying to focus his efforts, but his mind would wander despite his efforts. Feeling like the game’s evaluation of him was actually quite compassionate.

He was just a goddamn idiot at this point.

One helluva talentless hack.

He put his hands on his face and sighed. The imbued fork slowly returned back to normal. His ability to attach Mana onto an object being flimsy. If it was a real Artificer of the supernatural world, they would laugh at his inability to do such a simple technique.

A shadow interrupted his thoughts.

Being the prison woman that he became, Ben quickly took a rough posture and dominating position. His feminine but thick muscles out in the open. Looking intimidating towards whoever approached. Raising his gaze to see the eyes of a woman he’d recognised.

“How…?!” His face couldn’t hide the great shock.

In front of him was a pink frilly dressed woman with slit eyes. She looked down at him. That gaze being a first for him. Making him swallow his saliva. When she opened her mouth, the first thing she spoke was not a greeting from reuniting after such a long time.

“Your talent has been noticed.” The magical girl spoke emotionlessly while her tail was betraying her.

He felt the intention to kill him in her furious eyes.