"With this power, I, Rozen Itsuki, will stand atop on Heaven! Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One!" Rozen proclaimed with brazen arrogance. A divine light seemed to bathe him in its glow, as if the universe itself nodded in approval of his audacious claim.
"Sneeze!" Across another realm, Gojo Satoru let out an unexpected burst, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Weird—I don't recall being sick. Why the sudden sneeze?" he muttered, oblivious to the fact that Rozen had just pilfered his famous line.
Of course, calling it Gojo's original quote would be a stretch—after all, he'd borrowed it from Sakyamuni, the Buddha, himself.
Back with Rozen, the weight of his own words hit him like a tidal wave. A flush of embarrassment surged through him, scorching his cheeks.
What I just said—it's so cringe!
The sheer awkwardness of it made him want to claw his way into the earth and vanish from existence.
"Cough!" He cleared his throat sharply, shaking his head as if to dislodge the mortifying memory. "Forget that ever happened. I should respond to Medaka—she's dying to know what's going on." Refocusing his mind, Rozen turned his attention back to the chat group.
[Admin: *Cough!* Allow me to explain what you're witnessing right now and the situation you're all in.]
[Medaka Kurokami: Really? Then spill it! I've been itching to understand this!]
In another universe, within a distinct cosmology, the perspective shifted to a breathtaking blue-green planet teeming with life—a world where tales of drama and action unfolded in vibrant chaos. The view zoomed closer, settling on a modest junior high school where an intriguing scene was unfolding.
Scattered across the ground lay a sprawl of limp, defeated bodies—students crumpled in heaps, their strength drained.
Amid the chaos stood a lone figure, striking and unscathed: a young woman with a flawless face and a statuesque frame. Her long blue hair flowed like a river, crowned with a playful ahoge that bobbed atop her head. Unlike the others, not a single scratch marred her pristine form.
That woman was none other than Medaka Kurokami—the chat group's "Mary Sue," a title that fit her perfectly, and the undisputed main character of this universe.
Still in her junior high years, Medaka had just single-handedly dismantled the most notorious and powerful gang from a neighboring school. The fight hadn't been her idea; they'd come for her, drawn by whispers of a "Monster" from another campus. Intent on ambushing her, they'd encircled her with bravado and menace.
Big mistake. For them, it was a catastrophic miscalculation—picking a fight with a Mary Sue, let alone the Main Character herself? It was perhaps the dumbest decision they'd ever made in their short, reckless lives.
The outcome was predictable, almost laughably so. In mere moments, Medaka had flattened them all—untouched, unruffled, not even a bead of sweat on her brow.
Medaka perched atop a heap of unconscious bodies, her piercing gaze fixed on the sci-fi panel hovering before her—one only she could see. A thrill of anticipation coursed through her; she could hardly wait to uncover the nature of this mysterious object or phenomenon shimmering in her vision.
I hope it's something thrilling and unique!
She thought eagerly. After all, this was an unexpected twist in her otherwise predictable world. The chat group defied her powers entirely—she couldn't copy it or influence it in the slightest, a rarity that piqued her boundless curiosity.
[Admin: My name is Rozen Itsuki. I'm 20 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Boulder Town, where all the settlements are, and I'm not married. I work as a patrol for the Wildfire Organization, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke or drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and I make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what.]
[Nah I'd Win: …]
[Mary Sue: …]
The two other members stared at their screens, their mouths twitching in unison. They were utterly speechless, instantly recognizing the origin of Rozen's bizarre spiel—a blatant riff on a certain infamous anime introduction.
[Nah I'd Win: Are you a JoJo fan, Admin-kun?]
[Admin: Huh? JoJo exists in your worlds too? I thought it was exclusive to my homeworld!]
[Mary Sue: Nope! JoJo's in my world too! I've even collected every volume, from the very first to the latest!]
Rozen shook his head with a pang of regret as his attempt at humor flopped spectacularly. Clearly, his assumption—that anime and fictional stories were unique to his "Prime Earth" and absent from these other realms—was nothing but nonsense.
[Admin: Hey, that's a shame~ Well, let's get serious then. This System, or Chat Group, is a multiversal phenomenon. It allows us—living beings from different universes or even cosmologies—to communicate with each other as if we're in some kind of chat app.]
[Mary Sue: That's it? Just a chat group? I mean, it's obvious from the look and function that this is a chat group, but seriously, I was expecting something more—something extraordinary beyond just talking to people from other universes.]
[Admin: Well, if you put it that way, I'm pretty helpless about it too. I didn't create this thing—I'm just some ridiculously lucky guy who got picked to be the Admin.]
Rozen shrugged, a flicker of helplessness crossing his face. Truth be told, he shared Medaka's disappointment. In all the fanfiction he'd read, chat groups were the ultimate cheat codes—golden fingers that granted multiversal travel to members' home worlds, complete with shop features peddling powers, artifacts, and weapons from across countless universes.
At least I got that insanely useful gift pack from this chat group,
He consoled himself.
Without it, I'd probably be sulking in a corner, wallowing in despair over a chat group that's just… a chat group.
The thought lifted his spirits, easing the sting of his earlier letdown.
[Admin: Maybe it's not fully complete yet. There could be other features that unlock once the member count hits a certain number.]
[Nah I'd Win: More members, huh? Now that you mention it, I'm curious.]
[Nah I'd Win: Oh, and speaking of—we haven't properly introduced ourselves beyond the Admin, have we? How about we do it now?]
[Mary Sue: You're right! In that case, let me go first.]
[Mary Sue: My name is Medaka Kurokami, 15 years old, and I live by my own motto! My mission is to save EVERYONE in the world! And I believe that the so-called 'bad people' out there are just good souls who've strayed from the right path!]
[Admin: …I don't even know how to respond to that, but I'm rooting for you, Kurokami-san!!!]
[Nah I'd Win: …]
"Saving everyone and believing that even bad people are just misguided good ones… This girl's equal parts fascinating and arrogant," Gojo murmured to himself, a spark of amusement dancing in his voice. He'd never imagined he'd encounter someone with such a savior complex in real life—not like this.
Doesn't she realize how absurdly impossible it is to save EVERYONE?
He mused silently.
Even I wouldn't dare claim I could pull that off—no, scratch that, probably no one in any world could!
Still, Gojo kept his thoughts to himself. Who was he to judge someone else's life motto—especially one so noble, even if it bordered on delusional?
[Nah I'd Win: As for me, my name's Gojo Satoru. I'm 28 years old, a Jujutsu Sorcerer, and the strongest person in my world. I don't have any grand motto or mission—my hobbies are exterminating Cursed Spirits and indulging in sweets. Looking forward to working with you all, Minna-san!]
[Mary Sue: The strongest in the world…? Now I really want to fight you, Satoru-kun!]
[Nah I'd Win: Oh? You want to take me on, little lady? You're not just an ordinary human, are you? If you are, forget about fighting me—there's no point.]
[Mary Sue: Of course not! I'm far from normal! Don't worry about me—I've never met anyone in my life I couldn't beat, and I'd say I'm pretty much the strongest in my world too!]
Both of them grinned, their hands practically itching for a showdown. As self-proclaimed bearers of the title "The Strongest," the urge to test their might against each other burned fiercely within them.
[Admin: Alright, you two! Calm down! There's no use getting all worked up—there's no feature in this chat group that lets you fight each other anyway.]
At Rozen's sensible advice, the pair reluctantly simmered down, though a twinge of regret lingered in their expressions.
After that brief flare of tension, the trio shifted gears, diving into conversations about their respective worlds. They swapped tales and tidbits about their origins, and as the words flowed, an unexpected camaraderie began to take root among them.
[Nah I'd Win: I have to go now—there's something important I need to take care of. Bye!]
[Mary Sue: Same here. Let's continue the chat another time!]
With that, both of their profiles faded to a dim glow, signaling they had logged off.
Rozen stepped away from the chat group, his attention shifting back to the scene before him—a clinic filled with patients in need. He had slipped back into the clinic during his conversation, driven by necessity; after all, no one else was there to look after the patients or tend to their care.
Thankfully, his 'Omega' power endowed him with remarkable multitasking skills. This allowed him to seamlessly juggle chatting with his group and managing his duties at the clinic. Once again, Rozen felt a rush of delight and gratitude for this cheat-like ability. He couldn't resist imagining how drastically different his past life might have been if he'd had this power back then.
Dismissing that fleeting thought, he turned his focus to a new challenge: testing the power-copying capability of 'Omega.'
"Alright, let's try it out," he murmured. "As for the power to copy…" He trailed off, mulling it over. Then, his gaze fell on the patients surrounding him, and inspiration struck. A mischievous smirk curled his lips. "Let's go with Natasha's power!"
Natasha, a Pathstrider, possessed abilities that far surpassed ordinary human strength. As a follower of the Path of Abundance, her signature gift was the power of healing and restoration.
She could hasten a person's recovery, the speed determined by the energy she invested. For instance, with just a modest effort, she might accelerate healing by 2.5 times the average rate—more energy, of course, yielded even greater results.
Rozen's mind flashed back to the moments he'd watched Natasha wield her power. Then, in an instant—'click'—it all made sense. He grasped exactly how to use it.
"I understand it now!" he exclaimed. With a swift, confident swipe of his hand, he pulled the Imaginary energy swirling around him into his body. It transformed, morphing into a radiant healing force that surged toward the patients.
A gentle, greenish glow of vitality enveloped them. Their conditions improved at an astonishing pace—wounds knitted shut, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin; illnesses dissipated into thin air; and the strained, pained expressions on their faces softened into smiles of relief.
Even their vitality surged, bolstering their life expectancy and enhancing bodily functions like immunity far beyond what they'd had before. This remarkable transformation stemmed from the power of 'Omega,' which allowed Rozen to wield copied abilities at an astounding 240% of their original capacity.
Rozen released a long, relieved sigh as he took in the sight. With this power, he could cast aside any worries about his well-being or future crises, despite not being a Pathstrider himself.
With this, I'll copy every Pathstrider's power out there! And then, in time, I'll defeat Cocolia!
A wide grin spread across his face. The heavy burden of doubt that had long anchored his heart finally lifted, replaced by a fleeting but profound sense of peace he hadn't felt in ages.
"Rozen! I'm back! Is everything alright? Wait—why do the patients look so healthy? Hold on… they're all healed?!" Natasha's voice cut through the air, brimming with shock and disbelief. She stood frozen in the doorway, her arms laden with freshly brought supplies.