Ch 138 – Nicolas Olfen, the Grand Magus

'Where am I?'

That thought instantly surfaced in Noah Olfen's mind as he opened his eyes. What greeted him was not the outskirts of Seoul with a rampaging Salamander, but instead the dark void. He tried to move his body around, yet couldn't feel anything, as if he was just a floating consciousness in this endless black plain.

Confused, Noah Olfen tried to find a way to move for what seemed like multiple years. His sense of time in the dark void was warped by a large degree, leaving him unable to determine whether it was day or night, which led to him not knowing how much time has actually passed.

'Perhaps a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a few years, decades, centuries?'

He questioned himself, asking nobody in particular other than the only individual in this dark void. Then, out of nowhere, as if he was gaining a sense of touch, Noah Olfen exclaimed in his mind as he felt a sense of warmth surrounding his entire body.

Yes, the sense of having a body finally came. It was like he was in solitude for many years with nothing but his thoughts, there was no sense of touch, time, smell, or sound, nothing was there except for him. And now, his missing sense of touch finally came, yet the sudden change made Noah Olfen perturbed for a long while.

Slowly, but surely, more changes started to appear. Yet each change left him more confused and scared.

He could feel his body moving at random intervals, yet he never issued those commands. It was like he was merely a spectator in someone else's body, a terrifying thought for sure, but one he got accustomed to as more time passed.

A strange language can also be heard, though it was muffled. By the time his body grew larger and larger, Noah Olfen already made multiple conjectures.

'Either I got reincarnated in another body and having no control over my body is a normal procedure considering I'm a fetus, or I'm also reincarnated but just as a spectator who can feel what the body is doing, yet have no real control over it. Those two are the most likely possibilities.'

Slowly, his second conjecture was proven as the walls around his body rapidly moved around, and his head finally poked through the vagina. He could feel his mouth open widely and utter a loud cry, his slit eyes showed a fuzzy world around him, a thing that surprised him considering all those reincarnation novels he read allowed the main character to instantly see with perfect vision.

'I guess a baby doesn't have perfect sight upon birth. Hmm, now that I think it, that actually sounds normal!'

Slowly, time passed as he spectated his life as a mere outsider. It was like a movie, where he can sense everything, from pain, taste, and smell, yet have no control over the body's movements. Sometimes, he would panic, but he quickly got accustomed to this lifestyle.

'Hmm, I guess living as a spectator is kind of fun. To see this host of mine live from their very perspective is very interesting.'

Before he knew it, Nicolas Olfen learned of the world's language. Was it due to his highly developed brain? That can't be considering his actual brain is that of a child, the body he is using as a host.

Not only that, but he also learned that the world he lives in is called Gaia, a world of swords and magic, a typical isekai fantasy world. Unfortunately, he was only a normal villager in this world who lives in an average kingdom.

His life was pretty dull considering he lived in a village. The sight of magic totally astounded him, yet those sights were rare and few in numbers. Throughout the 3 years he spent in this world, seeing magic was only from traveling merchants or wandering Magi.

From what he learned; Magi are the magic users of this world. They wield magic far from the normal one he witnessed as a porter back on Earth.

On Earth, the magic that a hunter can be used is usually only one attribute. A fire mage can only use fire magic, a water mage can only wield water magic, etc. But in the world Nicolas Olfen found himself spectating, the magic is special.

Any Magus can wield any element, casting special magic that can create balls of water, create sparks in the air, and make cubes of ice, they were far from the normal magic back on Earth.

'If only I can learn this type of magic, I'd be unrivaled on Earth.' Nicolas Olfen thought, before letting those drifting thoughts go as he knew his chance of going back to Earth is slim.

'Though it is surprising that my host's name is also Nicolas Olfen. Is this my actual next life? Then damn, I guess I also lived a normal life- Eh?'

Nicolas Olfen halted his thoughts as he suddenly widened his eyes. The wandering Magus who arrived at their village a few days ago, suddenly spoke out a series of words to him that even he, the mature Nicolas Olfen, almost busted a nut over.

"It seems like you have a great potential for magic, child. If you are willing, I can take you under my tutelage and teach you the arcane path."

'TAKE IT! TAKE IT!' Nicolas Olfen shouted in the boy's mind as if urging for the boy—his host—to take the gift straight from heaven. It was indeed a gift from the heavens above. The mere thought that a country bumpkin like him learning magic was just insane, and now, it was being given to him for free.

And so, under a series of coincidences, Nicolas Olfen watch as his host bid farewell to his parents and start his life as a Magus!

'LET'S FUCKING GO! Sigh, I really am like a proud father right now, or a proud other me who watches my current me become a Magus.' Nicolas Olfen chuckled and continued to spectate his other life's history.

*** (A Few Years Later)

'Huh… My master died?' Nicolas Olfen thought as he watches his old teacher lying on his bed with closed eyes. His host grasped his teacher's arm tightly, tears pouring down from his eyes while Nicolas Olfen nonchalantly watched.

'I guess the difference in mental maturity allows me to not get affected too much by my host's emotions. Which is nice because I don't want to be a crying mess right now. Though this spectating thing is bringing a lot of surprising benefits. I can just watch and experience everything without moving a muscle, meaning I can practically do this world's magic as if I was doing it for years already. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have the experience of living in this world for years for free, without exerting any effort, except for the pain of course. I still experience pain, which is pretty damning.'

While Nicolas Olfen nonchalantly watches his life unfold before him, he slowly noticed a few disturbing things happening.

"Teacher… Why did you have to leave me too?" Nicolas Olfen muttered aloud, his eyes devoid of any light as he kneeled in front of his teacher's grave.

'Oi, oi, oi… Why are my emotions suddenly getting extinguished?!' Nicolas Olfen thought to himself, before suddenly feeling a sense of madness within him.

'H-Holy shit! Am I getting affected by current me on a deeper level right now?! There was always this barrier between us, so why is it getting broken right now?!' Nicolas Olfen was alarmed, countless red flags appeared in his mind but to no avail.

"Death? All of them died, leaving me alone in this world… And yet, I only feel emptiness. Why so?" Nicolas Olfen questioned aloud, his eyes were blank while he looked at the recently created grave of his teacher.

'Death… All of this is because they died, right? This emptiness? Why did they die? Won't I also die too? To die of old age without being able to uncover the secrets of the arcane path. The very same fate my teacher suffered? To die as a Rank 6 Magus, he was truly a formidable being in this world, yet he still died… Immortality…'

Immortality. That word rang in Nicolas Olfen's mind at that moment, as a sense of exhilaration coursed through his very soul. A shine flashed through his eyes, as his eyes widened in enlightenment.

"Every being in this world has a chance to transcend, yet even demigods have a limited lifespan. So why not find the root of this problem? To understand the secrets of magic for eternity, then isn't attaining immortality be my current goal?"

As a maddening grin appeared on Nicolas Olfen's mind, the Nicolas Olfen of Earth felt his mind slowly getting incorporated into the Nicolas Olfen of Gaia. From spectator to actor, that's the thing he was experiencing.

And so, Nicolas Olfen of Earth has finally become the Rank 5 Magus Nicolas Olfen of Gaia. They were one and the same at that very moment, yet one simply didn't know the other ever existed.

*** (A Few Decades Later)

Blood, flesh, brain matter, shit, piss, that's the disgusting sight one can find inside the hellhole of a dungeon Nicolas Olfen was in.

One can see his hair has turned white and long, a regal beard was also on his face, his body was wrinkly while his bones can almost be seen at this point. Yet, a manic smile was plastered on his face as he looks at the unconscious human in front of him.

"As a user of magic, allow me to see the hidden energies of this world; [Mana Sight]."

With his eyes glowing a bright blue light, a mad cackle erupted from Nicolas Olfen's mouth at that moment. What greeted him was the sight of the human body in front of him pouring mana onto all parts of their body, the very core, their heart, was causing the mana to circulate all around their body and causing it to change in a strange manner.

"This is it! The ability to automatically nourish my body, and in turn, forever remain young! An absurd physical body along with immortality! Age matters no more! Though I can still die, I already have the foundation of a way to save myself from permanently dying, but that's for later. For now, it's time to attain immortality."

Closing his eyes, a burst of mana exploded from his very heart as mana circulated around his body wildly. His wrinkly skin peeled endlessly, his hair grew and was dismembered, and his fingernails grew long and were automatically removed from his body. And in a matter of minutes, the entire floor of his decrepit dungeon was riddled with dead skin, old hair, and fingernails, along with Nicolas Olfen back in the prime of his youth.

His body turned from old and wrinkly, to young and filled with strength. His muscles can be seen through the fabric of his scholarly robe, while his face remained cold and calculating.

"With a strong physical body in tow, I can finally attempt to reach Rank 8 and transcend the mortal realm, and reach the level of Demigods!"

And so, with his thirst for strength and deep lust for knowledge, Nicolas Olfen, a Rank 7 Magus of Gaia, became known as a devil. Countless beings died under his palms, and each and every one of them turned into his subjects of experimentation.

With high talent and endless time to use, it was only an inevitability for him to reach the legendary Rank 8, the level where a mortal transcends the mortal realm and attains the title of Demigod. If Gods have the power to affect the entire world, then Demigods have the ability to affect continents.

But, just like the hammer of justice bringing down its wrath from the heavens, along with Nicolas Olfen's bloody path to transcendence, he finds himself surrounded by multiple other Demigods.

The Holy Church, the Elves, the Dragons, Demihumans, many of them looked at him with rage-filled eyes.

"Nicolas Olfen! Your crimes against the world have terrorized us for more than hundreds of years! Countless perish under your hand, so now, you shall pay for your sins!" The head of the Holy Church, the Pope, pointed his golden staff at Nicolas Olfen who was bleeding from head to toe.

"Really? Then why haven't you killed me back then when I was still a Rank 7 Magus?! It's because you guys are finally threatened by my presence. Before, no matter how many crimes I committed, it wouldn't have mattered because you can still handle me. But now, I'm potentially one of the strongest Demigods in this world! You guys were too busy dealing with other in pointless politics and handling kingdoms, while I grew in power!" Nicolas Olfen laughed loudly even though he was bleeding from head to toe. Countless corpses riddled the crater-filled ground below them, and multiple Rank 7 beings died under his hands, along with a couple of Rank 8 Demigods.

"Enough! It's time for you to die!" The Pope interrupted, he was already fuming with rage as Nicolas Olfen was totally correct, and now, they were facing the repercussions of their carelessness.

To think it would require so many Demigods to deal with another Demigod, that would have been an absurd thought to most of the Demigods in the area, but now, that very same thought is happening. Nicolas Olfen, a mortal who rose to power with ruthlessness, with unparalleled combat prowess to those of the same ranks, along with immortality and unbelievable attainments in the path of magic.

They wished to know his secret to attain immortality, but Nicolas Olfen was a man who will keep this secret to his grave.

'If I'm going to die anyway, might as well take multiple continents down with me! Fuck those bastards!'

With a maniacal grin, the others suddenly widened their eyes when Nicolas Olfen's body started to glow a bright white light. They were able to sense the absurd amount of mana rapidly expanding from Nicolas Olfen's body, shocking them as they shouted out in shock:

"A-Are you insane?!"

"You devil!"

Many cried out their anger. At this moment, the range of Nicolas Olfen's explosion would bring permanent damage to the world, leaving countless to die at this very moment.

As they tried to attack, they watch as their weapons and magic stabbed Nicolas Olfen by the chest, but the light only continued to glow brighter each second, meaning death was inevitable to most Demigods at that moment.

'You bastards, I'd rather die by my own terms than get killed! And you really think a person who attained immortality would stop and not find more ways to preserve their life?! I really would have liked to finish the multiple bodies magic circle so even if my current body dies, I can still live in a new one. But oh well, I still have the ability to reincarnate!'

With that, a grand explosion consumed a massive continent in the world of Gaia, causing tens of Demigods to die along with countless mortals. And yet, the demon who caused such disaster had their soul fly through the fabric of space.

'Huh, so I guess this was my past life. I really wasted my life. If I received my memories at the age of 5, I would have probably reached Rank 9 by now. So, let's see how I got reincarnated.' Nicolas Olfen sighed and felt his past life's soul fly through the vastness of space when out of nowhere, a golden light suddenly appeared and entered his soul.

'Eh? Is that light why I wasn't able to regain my memories for so long? What even is that light?' Nicolas Olfen wondered.

And so, as his soul flew through the void of space, it finally arrived at the blue planet called Earth, and onto the womb of his current life's mother.

With a grunt, Nicolas Olfen opened his eyes with a gasp, already expecting to be greeted by the rampaging Salamander and preparing to run away to save himself, if not, he'll have to reincarnate again.

But unexpectedly, he was instead greeted by a pair of crimson eyes.

"Huh, you had a pretty interesting past life, Nicolas Olfen. You really were cool when you kamikazed to kill all those demigods with you. Though if I were the one to do it, I'd probably cause this entire universe to die considering I have infinite mana by my side. Oh, sorry, you must be confused, I'm Raiden Stolas, a guy who was tasked to hunt down cheaters like you, so die for me, pretty please?"

With that, the first interaction between a Cheat Slayer, and a Cheater Cheat Slayer, or maybe Cheat Betrayer? Has started.

AN: This chapter has 2827 words.

If you really want to attain immortality, then my idea was that the mana was nourishing Nicolas Olfen's body, allowing his telomeres to regrow completely, like regeneration but on crack. Telomeres are like the aging clock for our body, so if it can regrow back, then shouldn't we be able to stay completely immortal in terms of age?

Or, you know, the simpler reason of 'It regenerates the cell back to their perfect state.' But that's fucking boring.

Yes, I do research on some of the stuff here, okay?

And yes, if you were wondering, Nicolas Olfen is a parody of the MC from 'I am the Sorcerer King', and I have a hatred for that Sorcerer title because a sorcerer is someone innately born with magic, okay?!

(August 27, 2022 – 276th day of writing)