15 15: 100 Days

Caleb looked around him in amazement. Around him, one would see a vast expanse of white space. In the center, he saw a digital clock surrounded by bright light. This is Caleb's first work. Since he didn't know much about information technology to create complicated projects. He decided to do a simple one, but extremely practical.

So how does it work? Well, it helps him monitor the time in his slumber. Just like now, it works like a stopwatch on mobile phones. In the digital clock, one would see six strings of zero which pertain to Caleb wandering with the time slime unconscious in the river of time for a whopping hundred of years.

'I wonder what is my true age now...' Caleb sighed. If you told him before that he would become eternal. Caleb would just laugh at your face. But now... It was a crazy, surreal situation he found himself in.

'Think about it. In the previous hundred-something worlds. The languages are really different... However, in his first reincarnation, why did Eduardo and Erica speak English?' Thinking of this, Caleb's mouth widened as an absurd thought came to his mind. 'Could it be!?'

Could it be he was reincarnated, not in another world? But on Earth!? He was sure that he conversed with them in the English language. Did he really die as Caleb from Earth, only to reincarnate on Earth again as Jacob? Just a different timeline or the same timeline? If that's true, then he is the first guy to reincarnate in the same world! Or it is Earth, but not Earth at the same time. There are different versions of Earth. The Earth where the seven heroes came from was proof.

Still, such a thing was just too funny. Think about it. He was really the first to die from Earth and reincarnated to Earth if that was true.

So if it was really Earth, then the three brutes that he fought were just spouting nonsense shouting "Will of the D!" Why not? After all, they may be fans of one piece. Of course, that was if it was really Earth.

'Damn bastards. I thought there was a bigger conspiracy at work. Who knows that those guys are just deranged fans.' With a chuckle comes with regret. 'Speaking of it. I died without even finishing One Piece. I'll be damned.'

What is worse than death? That is worse than death!

Him, not sensing the blue slime in his first reincarnation made his theory more likely. Or maybe there's another reason why couldn't sense it at that time. There's no absolute in this world.

Just like that, Caleb gave the vast-expanse of space one last look and returned to his room.

When Caleb opened his eyes, he was back in front of the mirror. And he was coincidently staring at his own reflection. Speaking of which, how long would it take for me to become a grade 2 Taboo fighter?

His body was actually absorbing the Taboo energy around 24 hours. 'Let's see. Status!'

***

Name: Caleb

Race: Human

Age: ???

Rank: Taboo Energy (Grade 1) 3/1000

Physique: 10 [Strength, Stamina, Endurance, Agility, Flexibility, Power, Etc...]

Spirit: 6 [Mental Strength, Reaction Speed, Perception, Five Senses, Dynamic Vision, Mental Energy, Intelligence, Energy Recovery Rate, Etc...]

Abilities:

-Passive Skill-

-Active Skill-

Taboo Energy Sensitivity.

Tip: The basic attribute of a normal human is 5.

***

'Curses! I only gained another two with all the time I spent inside the time slime and in this damned room!? Does that mean that every 24 hours, I can only gain 10 units of Taboo energy?' Caleb was about to complain when he realized something. 'Wait, that doesn't seem too bad. 10 units every day? Then I just need 100 days to reach 1000 units and become grade 2! Not bad. Not bad at all...'

Caleb nodded with satisfaction.

'This time, I really need to be careful. This cycle, I must break it this time!' A hint of conviction appeared on Caleb's calm face. 'Ahm... So what now?'

This time he reincarnated into the body of a sixteen-year-old teenager. It was a good start because he didn't have to worry about having short limbs. Not only that, he only needs to survive for two years to break the damned cycle of death and reincarnation. 'I must become an adult!'

To do that, he first needs to gather information about his current situation and about the world. Caleb wasn't sure why it was different this time. The memory he received was too hazy to even glimpse any information. The only thing he knew was the name of the body he occupied was Johan.

Johan, no, Caleb walked to the wooden door on his life side. Then he put his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. Here it is. He was about to meet his family. 'I hope I'm not some detested kid or something.'

With that thought lingering on his mind. Caleb pushed the door open. He expected to be greeted by rays of light or something, but there wasn't. The door produced a creaking sound due to its age.

When Caleb laid his eyes in front of him. He froze... They are five women in their 20s and four old people. Two men and two women. They stopped what they were doing and looked at him one after another.

The four women in their 20s were currently cleaning the room. One was scraping the wall, another was brushing the floor with a broom, and the other two were sewing clothes with dexterous hands.

"Johan, you finally woke up. The other four were already on the well." One of the women, the one cleaning with a broom, greeted him with a smile. Caleb gave her a look, then gave a perfunctory answer.

"Ah? Is that so? I see..."

The women continued cleaning with the broom. Now that Caleb looked at her, she has brown hair, green eyes, and somewhat pale skin... But not as pale as him. She was wearing a pink T-shirt and white leather pants.

'Something is wrong with the mood...' Caleb mused.

The other three women also greeted him with good afternoon while the four gloomy old people just nodded at him. Unlike the woman with a broom, the rest look drained and unhappy for some reason, and each of them looks utterly depressed. Such a mood made Caleb uncomfortable. 'What's up with them? So I don't have a family this time? Perhaps I'm an orphan?'