Reed, a disillusioned clerk in a quiet port town, lives a life of routine and isolation. One day, his monotonous existence is upended when a mysterious woman named Cass arrives, seeking his help for a cryptic and dangerous task. Intrigued yet wary, Reed finds himself drawn into a web of intrigue that culminates in a violent confrontation at the docks. When Reed intervenes to protect Cass, a blinding light engulfs him, marking the start of an unimaginable journey. Transported to an unknown realm, Reed must navigate a perilous new world where death is just the beginning, and his role may hold the key to survival—or destruction.

  After his untimely death in a quiet port town, Reed awakens in a fantastical Isekai world—but not as an ordinary man. Retaining his previous body and memory, he discovers a shocking gift: the unique skill of Unkillability, granting him complete immunity to death and invincibility in battle. In a world teeming with hunters and monsters, gods and demons, and the ever-present threat of powerful magic, Reed also wields the ultimate skill of Omnicide, a terrifying ability capable of ending even the lives of immortals.

  Despite his immense power, Reed’s abilities come with limitations. He feels temporary pain and lacks any other natural talents, forcing him to train relentlessly to refine his skills. As he ventures into perilous missions alongside hunters, he forms unlikely bonds with monsters, gods, and even demons. Through his journey of growth and self-discovery, Reed transforms from a man resigned to routine into a savior destined to protect a world that desperately needs him, finding not just purpose but also hope in his new reality.

  ***

  Life in a small port town wasn’t glamorous, but it had its comforts. At thirty-six, I’d carved out a modest life as a clerk at Seabreeze Logistics, a mid-tier shipping company with clients ranging from fishermen to international traders. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about my job, but it kept the lights on in my little apartment overlooking the harbor.

  I wasn’t married. Never even got close. There wasn’t a lack of opportunities, I suppose; I’d been on dates. Nice women, friendly conversations. But none of them ever felt… right. Some said I was too picky; others, that I just wasn’t cut out for relationships. I didn’t disagree. Relationships required something I wasn’t sure I had—a spark, or maybe just the energy to care. Either way, I’d stopped trying a while back.

  Work was enough. It gave me structure. Wake up, grab a coffee, head to the docks, check manifests, and argue with dockworkers who always seemed to think the rules didn’t apply to them. Routine was my friend. Stability was my goal. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.

  Until today.

  “Hey, Reed!”

  I looked up from my clipboard, squinting against the sun. It was Darren, one of the younger dockhands. He was jogging toward me, waving like he’d found a treasure chest. Behind him trailed a woman I didn’t recognize. She was tall, with sharp features and a confident stride, dressed far too well for this grubby corner of the world.

  “Morning,” I called back, tucking the clipboard under my arm. Darren stopped a few feet away, grinning like he’d won the lottery.

  “Reed, this is Cass. She’s, uh, from the mainland. New in town.”

  Cass offered a quick smile, though her eyes seemed to be measuring me, like she was assessing a tool she wasn’t sure she’d need. “Nice to meet you. Darren’s been telling me you’re the guy to talk to around here.”

  “Oh? And what exactly have I done to earn that reputation?” I asked, half-joking, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

  “Just that you know how things work. And that you’re trustworthy,” she said, her tone neutral. “I could use someone like that.”

  The way she said it made me pause. Darren shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Uh, yeah, she’s… looking for some help. Thought you might be able to, you know, point her in the right direction.”

  “What kind of help?”

  Cass’s smile didn’t falter, but there was something cold in it now, like she was testing the waters. “Something I’d rather not talk about here. Mind if we go somewhere quieter?”

  It was an odd request. And yet, something about her piqued my curiosity. She wasn’t like the other newcomers we occasionally got—freelancers looking for quick contracts or tourists hoping to sail with a local crew. There was something sharper, more deliberate about her.

  “Sure,” I said, surprising myself. “Let me finish up here, and we can talk.”

  “Perfect,” she replied, her smile softening just enough to make it look genuine.

  Darren excused himself, leaving me alone with her. The air between us was heavy with unspoken questions. As I led her toward the office, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my predictable little life was about to take a sharp turn into the unknown.

  And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to turn back.

  Any way you looked at it, Cass was trouble. The wrong kind of trouble. The kind I’d sworn to steer clear of. I wasn’t a hero, a fixer, or even someone with the patience to untangle other people’s lives. And yet, there I was, standing in a dimly lit corner of the Seabreeze office, trying to figure out what I’d just gotten myself into.

  She leaned against my desk, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning the cramped room. “You’re Reed, right?”

  “Depends on who’s asking,” I shot back, keeping my tone casual. “You needed help with something?”

  She smirked, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Darren says you’re dependable. Quiet. A man who knows how to mind his business.”

  “Flattering,” I said dryly. “But if you’re about to ask me for advice on love or something, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “Love?” She let out a short laugh, the kind that said she wasn’t here for small talk. “No, Reed. What I need is a bit more… practical.”

  She slid a folded piece of paper across the desk. I hesitated before picking it up, my gut screaming that this was the moment I should walk away. But curiosity always did have a way of getting me into trouble.

  The note was short, handwritten in shaky block letters.

  Harbor. Midnight. Slipway #6. Come alone.

  I looked up at her, eyebrows raised. “Cryptic much?”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Cass didn’t flinch. “It’s a meeting. And I need you there. Just in case things go sideways.”

  “And why me?”

  She tilted her head, studying me like I was a puzzle she wasn’t sure she wanted to solve. “Because you’re invisible, Reed. No one notices you. No one questions you. That’s exactly what I need.”

  It wasn’t the first time someone had pointed out my knack for blending in, but hearing it put so bluntly still stung. I folded the note and shoved it back across the desk. “Sounds like your problem, not mine.”

  Cass’s smirk vanished. For the first time, there was something raw in her expression—a flicker of desperation. “Please.”

  The word hung in the air between us, heavy and unfamiliar.

  Before I could respond, a crash echoed from outside, followed by the sound of shouts.

  “Help! Someone stop him!”

  I turned toward the window just as a figure sprinted into view, clutching a backpack in one hand and a knife in the other. The man’s face was wild, his eyes darting around like a cornered animal.

  “What the hell—” I started, but Cass was already moving.

  “Stay here,” she ordered, darting past me and out the door.

  “Wait!” I shouted after her, but she didn’t listen.

  Against my better judgment, I followed. By the time I got outside, the man was barreling toward her, the knife glinting in the fading daylight. Cass stood her ground, her stance steady, as if she’d done this before.

  “Drop the bag!” she barked, her voice cutting through the chaos.

  The man snarled something incoherent and lunged.

  I didn’t think. I didn’t hesitate. My legs moved on their own, closing the gap between us just as the knife arced downward.

  And then, everything started to slowly go white.

  Not pain, not fear—just a blinding, all-consuming light that swallowed the world whole.

  ***

  “Cass!” I shouted, my voice strained as my legs gave out beneath me. The knife—I hadn’t even felt it go in, but the burning that spread through my back told me enough. I hit the pavement, gasping as my body curled up involuntarily.

  The man bolted, his footsteps fading into the chaos around me. My head was spinning, the world tilting and blurring. Somewhere in the haze, I saw Cass dart forward, but her figure wavered like a mirage.

  “Reed, stay with me!” Cass’s voice cut through the noise, sharp and commanding, but beneath it was something else—fear.

  “Y-you’re okay, right?” I managed to choke out, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

  “Damn it, don’t talk! You’re bleeding!” she snapped, her hands pressing against my back. The pressure only made the burning worse.

  Bleeding? Yeah, no kidding. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel the warm, sticky spread soaking through my shirt. My breath hitched, a strange numbness creeping in to replace the pain.

  Resist Pain acquired.

  What?

  I blinked, the words echoing faintly in my mind. They didn’t belong to Cass, that much was clear. It was like a voice was whispering directly into my head.

  Resist Heat acquired.

  This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

  “Cass, I…” My words faltered as the burning faded into a dull throb. Was this normal? No, of course not. None of this was.

  “Shut up, Reed!” Cass barked, her voice cracking. “Just stay awake. Help’s coming!”

  She sounded close to panicking, but her hands stayed steady. I could feel her trying to stop the bleeding, her fingers slick with blood—my blood.

  The voice returned, calm and detached, as if narrating some twisted play-by-play:

  Resist Bleeding acquired.

  “Reed, focus on me!” Cass’s face swam into view, her usually sharp expression softened with worry.

  I tried to focus on her, but my vision was tunneling. The sounds around me—sirens, shouting, the hum of the city—blurred into a muffled hum.

  “I think…I think I’m fine,” I murmured, though the weight in my chest told me otherwise.

  “You’re not fine, damn it!” Cass snapped, her voice trembling now. “Stop trying to be a hero!”

  Hero? Yeah, right. If I was a hero, I wouldn’t be lying here, dying in a dingy alley.

  Cancel Pain acquired.

  The voice droned on, but I was too tired to question it. Darkness edged closer, and I let it come.

  “Reed, stay with me!” Cass’s voice grew distant, like a fading echo.

  And then, nothing.

  ***

  Reincarnated into another world, he transcended the very concept of evolution, becoming something far beyond it. His existence itself became the catalyst for evolution, a force through which all things had to evolve.

  After his long journey and countless adventures, Reed had become not only the most powerful but also a master of his abilities. With a single thought, he turned back the hand of time, returning to the life he had once known. There, he rescued his past self from the brink of death, ensuring that the chain of events leading to his future would remain intact. Unmistakably, he bestowed upon his younger self a gift—an ability that would unconsciously protect him and those he held dear, a safeguard woven into the very fabric of his being.

  ***

  “Reed, look out!” Cass’s scream was the last thing I registered before the sharp, metallic sting spread through my side. I stumbled, barely able to process what had just happened.

  The heat. That unbearable, searing heat.

  The man who ran past me didn’t even spare a glance. His hand clutched a bloodied shard of glass—primitive but effective. Around us, people were still screaming, scattering like leaves in the wind. I tried to keep my balance, but my legs betrayed me, sending me crashing to the ground.

  “Reed!” Cass was at my side in an instant, dropping to her knees and trying to hold me up.

  “Just a scratch,” I managed to mumble, even as I felt the wet warmth pooling beneath me. “Don’t…make a big deal out of it.”

  Her hands pressed against my side, and I hissed involuntarily. “Shut up and stay still,” she barked, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound firm.

  I glanced down at her hands. They were slick with blood—my blood.

  “Damn it…” I muttered. Not the most eloquent of last words, but hey, you don’t exactly plan for these situations.

  Cass’s face hovered above mine, pale and frantic. “You’re losing too much blood. I—” She cut herself off, biting her lip. “Hold on, okay? I’ll get help.”

  I reached out, grabbing her wrist with what little strength I had left. “Don’t…leave,” I said, barely above a whisper.

  And then it hit me. Not pain—pain would’ve been welcome compared to this. It was more like…a fever. Like my entire body was melting from the inside out. My vision blurred, colors bleeding together into a hazy mess.

  A cold, detached voice echoed in my mind:

  Thermal Regulation…initializing.

  “What the hell?” I murmured.

  Cass leaned closer. “What? What is it? Reed, talk to me!”

  I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat. The fever intensified, burning away every coherent thought.

  Blood Loss Stabilized.

  The voice again. It wasn’t mine, and it sure as hell wasn’t Cass’s.

  Her grip tightened on my hand. “You’re going into shock. Damn it, Reed, stay with me!”

  Shock? No. This wasn’t shock. This was something else. Something wrong.

  The fever subsided almost as quickly as it came, leaving behind an eerie calm. The bleeding had stopped. The pain had dulled to nothingness.

  Cass’s face hovered above mine, her features etched with concern. “Reed?”

  “I…I think I’m fine,” I said, surprising even myself with how steady my voice sounded.

  “You’re not fine!” she snapped. “You were just stabbed!”

  I blinked, trying to sit up, and that’s when I noticed it: the glass shard still embedded in my side. And yet, no pain. No blood.

  Foreign Object Neutralized.

  “What…is happening to me?” I whispered.

  Cass followed my gaze and gasped. “That’s not possible…”

  Her words hung heavy in the air, but I couldn’t process them. The voice in my head spoke again, colder and more mechanical this time:

  Calibration complete. Subject stabilization successful. Awaiting next directive.

  Next directive? What the hell was this thing talking about?

  “Reed,” Cass said, her voice trembling. “What are you?”

  I didn’t have an answer for her.

  ***

  After telling them the story of one of his variants, a figure named Reed, Joseph smiled, as if the memories flooding his mind were still vivid—like they had happened just yesterday. The experiences felt so fresh, each one unfolding before him like it had happened only moments ago. He reflected on the countless lives of his variants—whether male or female, hybrids, tribrids, quatrids, demons, gods, monsters, aliens, inhumans, creatures, cosmic beings, and more. Every memory, every past life, had been worth it, despite the immense challenges his variants had faced. Some had overcome them, while others had been overwhelmed, but in the end, each found their purpose. Now, Joseph was on the verge of discovering his own in this strange world.

  His story concluded, leaving the group in awe. Some felt the weight of his struggles, while others found encouragement and motivation in his journey. As the discussion came to a close, they were unaware of how much time had passed. The hotel, once filled with the energy of a lively party, was now quiet. The group began preparing to call it a day, heading downstairs to book their rooms.