'Infinite Replacement?'
'I travel to other worlds and take over the lives of people there?'
'And I get a reward for every replacement?'
In the middle of a vast, silent void, a golden figure sat cross-legged. He murmured the questions to himself, his voice echoing in the emptiness.
The figure was a young man named Kitahara. He looked to be in his early twenties, but he was no longer human. He was a soul, shimmering with a faint, ethereal gold light.
He had ended up here because of a split-second decision. While walking down the street, he saw a little girl wander into the path of a speeding car. Without thinking, Kitahara lunged forward.
He saved the girl, but his life ended right there on the asphalt. Now, his soul drifted in this lightless expanse.
Shortly after arriving, he received his golden finger. It was a system known as Infinite Replacement.
From what he understood, this power would allow him to live again in different worlds.
The Infinite Replacement system would drop him into a new reality, randomly choosing an identity for him to inhabit.
Every time he entered a new world, he would receive a special reward.
These worlds weren't random. They were the anime, movies, and games he had enjoyed before his death.
It was called replacement, but it was essentially a new life.
The system would recreate him as a fetus, allowing him to be born naturally into that world.
It wasn't exactly reincarnation. It was more like rejuvenation. He would live his life over again, starting from childhood.
His original body was dead, but the system's power could restore him. He didn't have to worry about his physical form changing or losing his essence.
Every time he moved to a new world, the process would repeat. He would become a child and experience a brand-new life.
The best part was the inheritance. By replacing someone, Kitahara gained their natural talent and potential. Any abilities they were destined to have would manifest as he grew.
If he replaced a commoner, the benefits were slim. But if he took the place of an important character or a powerful being, he would inherit everything that made them great.
If he replaced a protagonist, he would hit the jackpot. Most main characters were born with extraordinary gifts.
Even replacing a powerful side character was a massive win.
If he died in a replacement world, he wouldn't truly perish. He would simply move on to the next world, take over a new identity, and continue his journey.
He could stay in each world until the main story concluded.
If he was still alive when the plot ended, he could choose to stay for another ten years. After that, he would have to leave.
He also had the option to return to worlds he had already visited. He could stay in those for up to ten years at a time before he had to set out once more.
'Well, I'm already dead. Exploring other worlds sounds like a pretty good deal.'
'System, take me away.'
After mulling over his options, Kitahara decided to go for it. There was no point in lingering in the void when there were infinite adventures waiting for him.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a mechanical voice rang out in his head.
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴!! 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱!!!]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴!! 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱: 𝗜𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗨𝗽 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗗𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗻?!!]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴!! 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴... 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮!!]
Wait, what?
Kitahara's mind went blank.
'I replaced myself?'
'Is this some kind of joke?'
Before he could process the absurdity, the system notifications continued to fire off.
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴!! 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹!!]
[𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗯𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱!!]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴!! 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗯𝗶𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸!!!]
A blinding white light swallowed his soul. In the next heartbeat, Kitahara vanished from the void.
...
In the world of Danmachi, inside a quiet, peaceful village, a handsome youth stood before a lonely grave. He had messy, short hair and a sharp, clean look about him.
"Old man, I'm heading out. I'll come back to visit when I get the chance."
Kitahara looked at the tombstone and smiled softly. His voice was a gentle murmur in the wind.
It had been fifteen years since he arrived in this world.
During that time, he realized what the "replacement" actually meant.
He hadn't replaced his old self. He had simply taken the place of a commoner in this world who happened to share his name.
It seemed the law of the transmigrator was in full effect. Kitahara had started this life as an orphan.
His parents had been killed in a Monster disaster while he was still an infant.
Back then, he thought his second life was going to end before it even began.
A baby left alone in the wild had zero chance of survival.
The situation felt even more desperate after he opened his Newbie Gift Pack and received the Protection of the Phoenix.
The Protection of the Phoenix was a legendary power from another world. It granted the user the ability to resurrect once. More importantly, upon resurrection, it granted a "Follow-up" Protection of the Phoenix.
It was essentially an infinite life insurance policy.
For a capable warrior, this would be the ultimate trump card.
But for an infant who couldn't even crawl, it was a nightmare.
Without anyone to care for him, Kitahara would have starved to death. Then, the Protection of the Phoenix would have brought him back to life, only for him to starve again.
It would have been an endless cycle of agony. A literal hunger hell.
That was the best-case scenario. If a wild beast or a Monster had found him, the horror would have been unimaginable.
Being eaten alive, reviving, and being eaten again... Kitahara was certain his mind would have snapped.
The [𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅] was a cruel irony. It severed his escape route. If he died, he wouldn't just wake up in a new world. He was tethered here, forced to wait until ten years after the main story concluded before he could move on.
Kitahara felt the crushing weight of hopelessness. How could he not?
Just as the darkness threatened to swallow him whole, an old man appeared. The stranger saw the hollow look in Kitahara's eyes and decided to take him in.
Fifteen years. That was how long they spent together.
Eventually, time claimed what it was owed. The old man passed away peacefully, his long life finally reaching its natural conclusion.
With his guardian gone, Kitahara had no reason to linger in the quiet village. The silence of the house was deafening. He packed his few belongings, preparing to head toward the center of everything.
This was the world of Danmachi. It was a place where gods walked among mortals, where Adventurers sought glory, and Monsters lurked in the dark. At the very heart of this world sat the Labyrinth City, Orario.
The city was a crown placed atop a gaping wound in the earth. Below it lay the massive subterranean cavern known as the Dungeon.
Gods who had grown bored of the heavens descended there to find entertainment. They established their Familias, gathering followers to explore the depths. These groups hunted the creatures within, growing stronger with every kill while ensuring the surface remained safe from the terrors below.
Kitahara stood at the edge of the village, staring at the distant horizon. He refused to live a mediocre life in some forgotten corner of the world. He would go to Orario. He would join a Familia and carve his name into history.
'I won't let this chance slip through my fingers.'
Besides, his [𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹] was useless without a proper environment. It was a tool that demanded conflict and growth. Orario was the only stage big enough for his ambitions... and the Dungeon was calling.