A newcomer!
Typically, only a newcomer would say something like that. None of the regulars would bother with such a joke.
A middle-aged man in a gray trench coat appeared in the mysterious space. He looked dazed, as if he had just stepped off a narrow path.
"Relax, we're all on the same side." Wizard Makiya gave a friendly smile and walked quickly toward him.
The more of them there were, the better. Even if the newcomer was a weakling, it didn't matter—every little bit helped. Each new person represented a potential new power system, and naturally, the more, the merrier.
"Hahaha, I thought I'd been kidnapped." The newcomer Makiya smiled kindly.
Just as Wizard Makiya reached out to pat his shoulder and share memories, the newcomer subtly retreated, dodging the hand.
"Hmm?" Wizard Makiya was stunned. Although he was primarily a wizard, after sharing powers across multiple worlds, his physical stats and soul strength were immense. In this mysterious space, everyone's movements were incredibly agile.
He had only raised his hand casually, but for an ordinary person, the speed should have been impossible to react to. The newcomer had retreated exactly one step, dodging the arm without significantly increasing the distance between them. His smile remained unchanged, as if the retreat were a purely instinctive reflex.
This newcomer wasn't simple; he definitely possessed supernatural power!
Wizard Makiya grinned. "We really are the same person—literally. Think back to the novels from our past life... 'The Proctologist,' remember that?"
"What?" The newcomer froze. The smile vanished instantly, and his greasy, salesman-like aura was replaced by a sharp, lethal pressure.
"Is the backlash starting again? A novel world this time? How terrifying... you've grown much stronger, Disc Seller."
The newcomer looked at Wizard Makiya, his tone sounding like he was talking to an old friend, yet his killing intent was as suffocating as a shadow.
Wizard Makiya was confused. 'Wait, what?'
He didn't quite understand what was happening, but the other man seemed to have mistaken him for an enemy. Based on the term 'backlash,' it was highly likely the newcomer's supernatural abilities came at the cost of sealing something within himself.
"Don't overthink it. We really are the same person. You'll understand once you merge with our memories!" Wizard Makiya said sternly. He didn't hesitate further, turning into a bolt of lightning and appearing before the newcomer in an instant.
"So fast!" The newcomer's pupils shrank. The moment Wizard Makiya appeared, he reflexively reached out to strike his own head. "I am Makiya! Makiya from the Celestial Empire! Don't you dare think you can erode my consciousness!"
The expected result didn't happen. To the newcomer's shock, Wizard Makiya's hand landed on him. Then, a massive flood of memories appeared out of thin air, and a powerful force surged through his body simultaneously.
In the Naruto world, he was an Uchiha rushed onto the battlefield, only to discover the mysterious space and begin his rise to power.
In the Soul Reaper world, he achieved Shikai, clashed with Aizen, and became the Captain of the 2nd Division... Scenes from the Pirate World, the Pokémon World, the Wuxia Fusion World, and others flashed by one after another.
Versions of himself from vastly different worlds appeared and disappeared. Their experiences integrated into his memory without a hint of pain, feeling as gentle as a spring breeze stroking a willow tree.
"Hiss..." After a long while, the newcomer took a sharp breath, contributing a bit of heat to the mysterious space.
He stared blankly at Wizard Makiya, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
The lives of his various selves were simply too spectacular. Upon merging the memories, a massive amount of imagery had flashed by. Subtle sensations flickered through his body, vanishing before he could even fully process them.
The newcomer Makiya walked habitually to the round table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He closed his eyes to explore his memories. It was only after a long time that he slowly opened them. His gaze was now filled with a serene, desolate clarity, as if he had seen through everything. His spirit had undergone a transformation.
Wizard Makiya knew exactly what had happened. He sat down next to him and grinned. "Did you look at Erotica Makiya's memories?"
Newcomer Makiya: "Yeah."
He felt a bit embarrassed, much like the feeling of being caught by one's parents while secretly exploring adult content as a teenager—stiff and at a total loss.
In fact, it was even more awkward than that.
"Why the embarrassment? Our memories are all the same. Who doesn't know what the other knows?" Wizard Makiya pulled a drink from under the table and poured a glass for the newcomer. After Downing his own in one gulp, he exhaled deeply. "Besides, you're not exactly ordinary yourself!"
Newcomer Makiya gave a modest smile. "Compared to you guys, my abilities are still pretty weak."
"You can't say that." Wizard Makiya raised a finger. "Any ability, when supported by a massive energy source, becomes incredibly strong. Your ability has a lot of potential. If you develop it properly, it'll definitely be game-breaking."
Newcomer Makiya came from a world that was both familiar and dangerous: the World of Mysterious Revival.
After reincarnating, Makiya had regained his memories from birth. He hadn't known which world he was in and grew up happily under his parents' care.
Having learned from the limited vision of his past life, he avoided dead-end majors and used his future knowledge to anticipate tech trends and social shifts. He played the long game, winning big more often than he lost.
One night, as a successful businessman, Makiya walked into his office building's underground garage, intending to drive home and play the latest AAA game. Suddenly, a man wrapped in a trench coat lunged out from a corner and asked if he wanted to buy a disc.
Makiya was naturally confused. He wondered if the illegal disc sellers these days were really that bad at their jobs. Did he look like the kind of guy who needed to buy pirated discs on the street?
If he really wanted something, he would just go to a high-end club. Not only was it more legitimate, but the service was also better.
But the man was incredibly persistent, refusing to let him go. The gaze beneath the baseball cap grew increasingly dangerous, as if he were ready to devour Makiya whole.
Makiya was wealthy and successful with a happy life; he wasn't about to risk his safety. Choosing to pay his way out of trouble, he pulled out his wallet and said quickly, "Fine, fine, I'll buy it."
Unexpectedly, the man grinned maliciously and threw open his trench coat. Beneath the coat, there seemed to be a black hole. An invisible suction swallowed Makiya, pulling him into an unknown world.
Only afterward did Makiya realize he had encountered the Disc Seller Ghost. The specific trigger was agreeing to buy a disc. Once you agreed, you would be pulled into the illusory world within the disc.
The five senses in that illusory world were incredibly realistic, and one would possess a complete life history. Makiya had lost all his memories, being replaced by a character in the disc, forced to experience that person's entire life.
Death only brought another reincarnation. The cycle repeated over and over, gradually grinding away Makiya's flesh and soul to serve as nourishment for the Disc Seller Ghost. This continued until his physical body in reality died and his soul was completely erased.
Fortunately, Makiya had the experience of regaining his memories at birth. During his eighty-third reincarnation, Makiya had become the female lead. The sheer panic caused his consciousness to struggle violently. On the day before he was about to be 'scored,' Makiya finally found himself and broke the Disc Seller Ghost's rule-kill.
According to the rules, Makiya successfully contained the Disc Seller Ghost, becoming a Ghost User.
His method of attack was the same as the ghost's. As long as the target agreed to a preset condition, he could pull the enemy into the disc world to experience endless reincarnations.
The illusory worlds were all based on adult films and anime from Makiya's memories. However, he was limited by his own strength; if the opponent was too powerful, he simply couldn't trap them.
Every Ghost User had to endure side effects. Makiya's side effect was having to enter the Disc Seller Ghost's illusory world once a month. Only by successfully finding himself within the illusion could he maintain his sanity.
"Thank goodness the cheat code finally arrived." Ghost User Makiya let out a long sigh of relief. Then his expression suddenly changed. "Wait, this isn't another reincarnation, is it? Are you guys fake too?"
Having endured so many cycles of illusion, Ghost User Makiya was now jumping at shadows.