—

▸ TALENT:

⟦ 1. R̶e̶g̶r̶e̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ (Consumed) ⟧

⟦Description: A forbidden Talent capable of defying time itself. A True Name that should only belong to the world’s chosen and yet somehow exists within an anomaly. Its authority has now been exhausted.⟧

⟦Effect:

Upon death at the hands of a stronger existence, the user could return several years into the past.

The User can copy one of the killer’s talents. If multiple talents existed, the inheritance is random.⟧

⟦ 2. Eye of the Usurper ⟧

⟦Description: A unique Talent evolved by a fated Demon King. No such Talent has ever existed before, nor can another ever exist, for its awakening conditions are nearly impossible to fulfill. ⟧

⟦Effect:

The user may see the hidden details of others and designate a target to perceive the conditions required to usurp the True Name engraved upon that being’s soul. Once those conditions are fulfilled, the user may engrave that True Name onto their own soul, gaining a single Talent of them as their own. Only one talent may be copied from one person.

Only one target may be designated at a time. Until the designated target’s True Name is learned, another target cannot be designated. The number of True Names that can be engraved is limited by the capacity of the user’s Soul Core which may increase with rank. Some True Names may resist the user, while others may adapt in unique ways.

In addition, Eye of the Usurper greatly strengthens the user’s soul and mind while granting exceptional resistance to probing, mental interference and illusions.⟧

—

As my eyes skimmed across the absurdly long description, they widened as only a single word escaped my lips.

"Jackpot."

This ability was anything but useless.

Even Insight had sounded underwhelming at first but it had proven invaluable time and time again but this was on an entirely different level.

"Copying the Talents of Others..."

It sounded like something straight out of the wish fulfillment fantasy of an isekai protagonist. Still, I didn’t let the excitement get to my head because an bility this absurd was bound to come with equally absurd restrictions.

And, just as I expected, the next few lines confirmed it. Reading them aloud, I began piecing together their meaning.

"So... I can only engrave a limited number of True Names. Some Talents won’t even be compatible with me and others will adapt in... unique ways?"

I frowned.

That meant I couldn’t simply plunder every powerful Talent I came across. Every choice would matter. At my current rank, selecting the right Talents would be far more important than simply collecting the strongest ones.

There were still too many unknowns.

If a person possessed multiple Talents, which one would I obtain? Would it be random? Or would I be allowed to choose?

And then there was the repeated mention of a True Name. The wording felt deliberate as it implied I wasn’t copying Talents directly at all.

I was engraving the True Name of a soul onto my own which meant before I could claim anyone’s Talent, I would first have to fulfill whatever conditions that particular True Name demanded.

And somehow, I doubted those conditions would be the same for everyone.

But what truly caught my attention was the description of Regression. Back when I possessed Insight, there had been no description at all.

Now, however, it spoke of Regression as though it were a Talent reserved for the chosen one only. More importantly, unlike Eye of the Usurper, nowhere did it describe itself as unique.

That could only mean one thing.

At least one other regressor had existed somewhere in history or perhaps someone still existed in the present.

The thought lingered in my mind for a moment and then a grin slowly spread across my face. Somehow, the possibility excited me far more than it worried me.

After all, life on easy mode was boring.

With that thought, I carefully went through every status window once more, making sure I hadn’t overlooked anything.

As tempting as it was to spend hours imagining the countless possibilities of the Eye of the Usurper, I knew speculation was worthless and actually using it would teach me far more than endless hypotheses ever could.

Still, no matter how many times I reread the description, it never explained one thing.

The role of Demon King.

Why had the status window added that section? Was it simply referring to the infamy of my previous life or was it something else?

After staring at it for a few more moments, I gave up searching for the answer within the Talent itself.

If there was an explanation, perhaps it lay within my status window. With little expectation, I opened the details of the Role section and somehow, it actually expanded into details.

—

▸ Role:

⟦ The Demon King ⟧

⟦Description: A Role bestowed by Fate itself upon a chosen few. Every bearer is born with it and whether willingly or not, is destined to walk the path it demands. You, whose very birth defied a thread of Fate, have been bestowed the Role of the Demon King. Ordinarily, a Role remains forever hidden, unknown even to its owner. Yet through your unique Talent, you have somehow glimpsed a fragment of Fate’s design. Whether that is a blessing... or a curse... only time shall tell. ⟧

—

"Damn... since when could I do this?"

I stared at the new details in mild disbelief. Even Insight had surprised me by revealing information that ordinary people could never perceive but Eye of the Usurper had taken that ability to an entirely different level.

Still, what truly caught my attention wasn’t the feature itself, it was the details of my Role.

A Demon King, huh?

A faint smile tugged at my lips.

The irony was almost amusing. Simply because I had been reincarnated into this world, Fate had assigned me such a title.

For a brief moment, an absurd thought crossed my mind.

Was every misfortune I endured in my previous life been nothing more than steps leading me toward this destiny?

But I shrugged the thought away almost immediately.

Maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t but what did it matter now? If Fate had truly orchestrated every step of my life, then I would simply overturn Fate itself.

After all, the description had made one thing abundantly clear.

The destiny assigned to me was to defy destiny itself.

Once I was satisfied that I understood everything I could, I tried the same thing on the True Name, hoping the Eye of the Usurper would reveal some hidden details but nothing happened.

After several attempts, I gave up.

There was no point wasting time on something I couldn’t change.

Pushing myself up from the cold stone floor, I dusted off my clothes as my gaze shifted to the portal still shimmering with the same soft blue light as when I had first returned.

The weight of everything I had witnessed over the past few days settled quietly in my mind as a small smile found its way onto my face.

This was a world where nothing was truly impossible.

A humble farmer could one day become a God of War, bearing the hopes of an entire people upon his shoulders.

An arrogant tyrant could ascend to godhood through nothing but the sheer force of his own pride.

Even one forsaken by the world itself could one day force the world to acknowledge their existence.

This world was simply too vast and once again, I found myself eager to witness all of it with my own eyes.

And this time...

I would make sure the tragedies and mistakes of my previous life remained exactly what they were, the past.

With that final thought, I stepped through the portal as the familiar environment greeted me again.

It was finally time to meet my Lily... once again.