I'm standing in a strange place again. Whiteness as far as I can see. The sky, the horizon, the ground. All white. I'm in my new body, though. The one I made when I got reincarnated. Maybe this is the shape of my soul now. Better than my original body.
[Wade?] "I know that I failed to save Tissela, but I still feel better about dying while trying. Instead of running like a coward."
[???] "You're not dead yet, young man."
Hm? That voice. It's so familiar. The last time I heard it was in a place just like this.
[Wade?] "Fishing God? Is that you?"
I turn my head and see that same sight. An elderly man sitting on a log and holding a fishing rod. The line stretches down into the white ground and small ripples can be seen pulsing out from where the line moves slightly at the surface.
[Fishing God] "It is, my boy. Looks like you ended up in some trouble."
[Wade?] "Yeah. But if I'm not dead, then what's going on?"
[Fishing God] "Well it seems that a STRING THEORY found you. It's a nasty piece of work. Those things are really just pests to us gods, but to you mortal souls, it's beyond comprehension."
[Wade?] "A STRING THEORY? Like just one of many? There's more?"
[Fishing God] "Hm? Yeah, they're all part of a colony called SUPERSTRING THEORY. They move through dimensions and just cause a bit of ruckus here and there. But when they make it to the mortal worlds, the power balance changes a bit. They're weak when relative to a god. But in the third dimension, they're powerful."
[Wade?] "What the fuck is this? Quantum physics?"
[Fishing God] "In a way."
I don't understand anything that's happening right now. A crazy monster appears in front of me, kills Rick, blasts Elyssia away, and then blasts me and Tissela. Now I'm learning that it's just an interdimensional pest? Fucking ridiculous.
I sit on the ground and cross my leg, planting my left elbow on my knee, and resting my head on my palm. I'm frowning.
[Wade?] "How did this thing even come to the world I was in? I'm experiencing something crazy only a few days into my new life. I'm not very happy about it."
[Fishing God] "I'm afraid that's my fault. Shortly after you left, I hooked one of those buggers. I tried to toss it back, but it slipped away and ran away. Seems it found the connection to the portal you went through and escaped that way."
[Wade?] "Huh? So you let that thing find me? Knowing it was so much stronger than I am?"
[Fishing God] "It's not like I just let it happen!"
The Fishing God turns to look at me. His grip gets shaky and his fishing pole bounces as he jerks his body to face me. His face is sad and angry. He's upset.
[Fishing God] "I'm not strong. Or fast. Or clever. I'm just lucky. But luck isn't what you think it is!"
He's shouting at me. I see his grip tighten on the handle of the pole. His knuckles are white with tension. His face is red.
[Wade?] "Whoa, hey. I'm sorry."
I lift my head and wave my hands in front of me, trying to frantically apologize. I've always had a weakness when it comes to my elders. I do as I'm told as best I can. I hate to see them sad.
[Fishing God] "No, I am! This was supposed to be your awesome new life and I ruined that. By making you lucky."
Tears run down his cheeks. He reminds me of my grandfather, this Fishing God. Actually, my grandpa kinda looked pretty similar. And he was a fisherman. But he was tough on me. I knew he wanted the best for me, but in the end I left home because I didn't want to disappoint him anymore from failing to meet his expectations. That's why I ended up as a shut-in gamer.
That's why I died as a shut-in gamer.
I wonder if he cried like this when he found out.
[Wade?] "No, don't do that."
I stand up and calmly walk over to him. I sit beside the Fishing God on that log pull him into a hug. He lets go of the fishing pole and wrap his arms around me. He cries into my chest. I can't believe I ever thought this sensitive old man was laughing at my misfortune from beyond.
-------
After we're both calmed down and I've wiped my chest clean of tears and snot, we now sit beside each other and are ready to talk it out. But first...
[Wade?] "I've got a couple questions for you. Before that, you got any cold ones lying around? Fishing and deep talks call for alcohol."
[Fishing God] "Ah, you truly do have the heart of a fisherman. You're right, I do."
The Fishing God reaches over to the other side of the log and opens a plastic cooler. He pulls out two cans of a blonde ale labeled "Catch of the Day". He pushes one towards me.
[Fishing God] "Harold."
[Wade?] "Huh?"
I reach over and take the beer from his hand.
[Harold] "That's my name. I'm not just the Fishing God. I'm Harold."
We both crack the beers at the same time.
[Wade?] "Fantastic to officially meet you Harold. I'm Wade."
We tap our cans together in cheers and each take a large swig of beer.
Refreshing! Oh I've missed this taste. Reminds me of a particularly hot summer when I was trying to go for a speedrunning world record. I practiced tech for hours a day, but never got the title. But after each training session, I rewarded myself with a cold beer.
Both of us let out a breathy sigh of satisfaction after that first drink. I go back for one more.
[Harold] "So, Wade, what is luck to you?"
I lower the beer from my lips and swallow. That's not something I've given too much thought to. The context in which I know luck best is as a stat in a video game. It influences critical hit rates, item finds, and special event occurrences.
[Wade?] "I'd say that luck is all about good things happening suddenly. Walking down the street and finding money on the ground. Getting an SSS-Rank gacha pull. Stuff like that."
[Harold] "Fortune and misfortune are both parts of a whole that encompass luck. Luck is more about the unlikely becoming very likely, even guaranteed."
[Wade?] "You're losing me a bit."
[Harold] "For example: if you find money on the street, that's fortune. But somebody lost that money and won't ever get it back if someone finds it. That's misfortune."
[Wade?] "Okay, I get that. Easy to understand."
[Harold] "Getting an SSS-Rank gacha pull is lucky, indeed. Quite fortunate. But what if there's an event for only two weeks and you have to earn your pulls from playing the event minigame. You grind for almost the whole event to save up for 100 pulls. There's five top-tier rewards. You spend 100 pulls to end up with six SSS-Rank pulls. ALL of them are the same pull and it isn't the one you wanted."
I choke on my beer as he finishes the next example.
[Wade?] "You just described gacha gamer hell."
[Harold] "But that's what luck is, my dear boy. -sips- For instance, you got attacked by a monster that should have wiped you from existence. Instead, it's attack warped you and that girl to its nest."
I choke again. Foam rockets out of my nose this time. I wipe off the remainder and then catch my breath.
[Wade?] "Harold, you say the craziest shit sometimes."
[Harold] "It's true. I'm only able to share this moment with you in your dreams. You're unconscious in nest of the SUPERSTRING THEORY."
[Wade?] "What? What happened to everyone else?"
[Harold] "That man is certainly dead. He was killed without mercy. The elf is alive, but badly wounded and alone in the forest. The girl you tried to save is with you."
Everything that
[Wade?] "So what should I do when I wake up?"
[Harold] "First, enjoy the moment."
I don't understand, but I'll do my best.
[Harold] "Second, remember that STRING THEORY are stronger when they're closer to the first dimension. They're weaker as they get closer to the tenth dimension."
Seems a bit complicated, but I'll try to remember it.
[Harold] "Third... Please don't die. I want to watch you grow."
[Wade?] "I can't promise that, Harold. But I'll promise to try."
We tap our beer cans together again and take another swig together. Then my vision goes black.