Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

Carpy gazed at Gem, and curiosity got the better of him. "Have you seen Master Kon?"

The moment the words slipped from his lips, Carpy realized the potential consequences. Asking about Kon, especially in their current situation, might raise suspicion. It could even change the timeline. But regret settled in as he understood; words that have been said can’t be taken back.

Gem's eyes narrowed, a mixture of curiosity and caution flickering in his gaze. His gaze shifted momentarily to the demon's lifeless body, the same demon that Carpy had nonchalantly murdered to save Gem. Gem's thoughts raced, contemplating Carpy's question.

As seconds passed by, Carpy was confused why Gem was taking so long to think about what he was going to say. Then he realized that for the average exorcist, speaking with a person from a different timeline cost enough Ord that it could tire them out, so they had to be careful with their words.

"Kon? Who might that be?" Gem's voice held genuine confusion.

Carpy was about to try and ask more questions. But Gem leaned wearily against the cave's rocky wall, his breath labored from those five words, and he had already been tired when he asked the first question.

How was it possible that this version of Gem was unfamiliar with Master Kon? The concept seemed inconceivable, particularly as Carpy struggled to align this reality with his own memories.

The narrative had shifted, or perhaps some external force on the island had distorted Gem’s memory. A timeline that Carpy had no recollection of, did something like this happen before too, but original Gem failed to mention that to Master Kon?

Frustration mingled with confusion within Carpy's thoughts. The puzzle pieces didn't fit. Nothing made sense. If only Master Kon were here; his insight could untangle this whole mess of mysteries.

That was when Carpy had a crazy theory: what if Master Kon had been mistaken? What if this wasn't true time travel, merely an illusion that masqueraded as such? But such a thing was ridiculous, bordering on insane. Master Kon was never wrong, he wasn't like other people, and he never made any mistakes.

"How arrogant of me to have such doubts," Carpy muttered softly, the words slipping past his lips, unsettling Gem who overheard. "Why am I coming up with theories like this? Do I think that I'm smarter than Master Kon?"

Carpy was ashamed of himself and felt bile rise up his throat. However, he stopped himself from throwing up.

Master Kon, the man who had given everything for Carpy. Had turning him into a dragon given him the ego to belittle the man? Disgusting! Master Kon was a genius who knew everything!

Despite Master Kon’s memories showing that he didn't think of himself like that. Carpy trusted Master Kon's words more than his own eyes.

Amid his self-deprecating struggle, Carpy sensed some approaching demons, yanking him from his thoughts. Each of them had a formidable presence, exuding ultimate-class power, and on top of all that they had grotesque appearances. Among them stood deformed figures reminiscent of mutated gorillas, others twisted into nightmarish shapes by twisted experiments.

One of them, a four-armed gorilla, got ready to speak. But Carpy didn't allow it. He felt the blood on their bodies and before they could voice any resistance he made the blood surge in two opposite directions. In an instant, the bodies of the ultimate class demons were torn apart.

Gem appeared shocked by the sudden deaths, but Carpy had little interest in showing off or explaining. He needed to address the situation at hand. He soared upward and directed his senses toward the numerous Ord signatures along the island's shore. This was where the ship and the other exorcists were.

As long as they remained within the confines of the ship, they should be safe and not affected by the island’s strange mind-bending powers.

Within seconds, Carpy reached the ship. The people onboard gazed up at him, murmuring and gesturing. Some of them began to channel their Ord, activating their unique abilities.

Surveying the scene, Carpy couldn't help but sigh. "No matter what their special abilities are, I can kill them before they even react."

Despite wielding such immense power, why did he feel this hollow ache in his chest? Where was the sense of satisfaction? All he wanted was for Master Kon to return, so they could return to their old routine. Life as a powerful dragon wasn’t worth it, as there was nothing to do without Master Kon around.

Once Master Kon was back, Carpy would be able to immerse himself in the journey without these unsettling thoughts. "How can they not know about Master Kon? What creature dared to erase his existence from other people’s minds!"

Carpy's gaze scanned the vicinity, searching for someone who could provide answers. He was well aware that he lacked Master Kon's charisma, but at the moment, Carpy was willing to ask them forcefully.

His eyes fell upon a woman draped in a fur coat, a face mask, and sunglasses—her entire body concealed. Touching down beside her, Carpy noticed a slight twitch in her expression as she turned toward him.

She couldn’t match his speed, yet she sensed his presence and knew he was near, Carpy mused, while observing the other exorcists who had now activated their abilities, their eyes widening in response.

"Where is he?" one of them anxiously asked, causing panic to spread among the group.

Zumi, the woman cloaked from head to toe, was unlike the rest. She calmly posed a question of her own. "What do you want with us?"

Ah, so she had deduced that he wasn't a threat.

"Kon, do you know him?" Carpy asked.

Zumi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I know only someone with that name. Are you talking about the dead guy from the Dark Sword Clan?"

"Yes. Where is he?" Carpy pressed, causing Zumi to take a step back.

He cursed internally; his words had come across too sharply. It was easy to forget that his immense power was intimidating, causing even casual words to sound threatening.

"He has long since been dead," she revealed. "Last I heard, he died in an attack on the Exorcist Academy he was studying. The Demonic Exorcist was involved."

Everything seemed to freeze as Carpy processed her words.

"Then who was the one who organized this expedition?" Carpy inquired.

"Bets, also known as The Gambling Exorcist," she replied, placing a hand on the ship's railing. The gesture betrayed her fatigue, hinting that this conversation was taking a toll on her.

But he wasn’t concerned with her exhaustion. Because to Carpy, it felt like the world seemed to have stopped making sense, and chose to instead come crashing down upon him.

How was any of this even possible?

With a leap, Carpy disembarked from the ship and began walking away, vanishing from the sight of onlookers. He couldn't risk encountering someone with a special ability and getting hit while his mind wrestled with the current situation.

No. It had been his suspicion all along. The bizarre events on that island were not some twisted form of time travel. They were instead experiencing contact with alternate versions of themselves, which most mistook as time travel.

In both the original story and this world, Bets was never referred to as the Gambling Exorcist.

Carpy's curiosity stirred regarding the origin of this peculiar change. Knowing Bets, he doubted the man could have gotten such a moniker normally. There was also the possibility that instead of Master Kon, in that world someone had possessed Bets. Or it could just be that Bets was just more daring in that world.

Yet, Carpy's own investment in the matter was limited. What mattered was that this revelation solidified the notion that time travel wasn't the answer. The island was a nexus for individuals from divergent realities to converge. Unless, of course, some profoundly unsettling phenomena were at play.

The misconception of time travel arose due to the subtle discrepancies among the realities. Minute variations, such as the time of arrival, confused people.

But now, the permutations of reality and the versions of individuals inhabiting them have shifted. What dictated these changes? Time appeared to be the crucial factor. Extended stays on the island resulted in increasingly bigger alterations from the ‘original’ scenario. It was as if the island existed within a fourth dimension, where extended presence unveiled a tapestry of peculiar encounters. At least, this was Carpy's working hypothesis.

The concept became unnerving when one delved deeper. Conceivably, there were distorted versions of themselves lurking out there. Or perhaps, entities of unprecedented strength and oddity, impossible to defeat.

“Hahahaha!” A sudden laughter reverberated through the air, startling Carpy. Despite his honed sensory powers, he detected no unfamiliar presence close to him. He even scanned his surroundings with his eyes, half-expecting a being capable of evading his senses.

Who was out here laughing like a madman?

But then he noticed it – as his fingers grazed his own face, the laughter was coming from him.

Why the hell was he laughing?

The first thought that crossed his mind was the possibility of some strange effect from the island. Yet, he promptly dismissed the idea. Given his heightened senses and Perfect Me abilities, he would have detected anything unusual.

No, nothing outward could be the source of the laughter. Despite the unease the situation brought, he found excitement bubbling up at the prospect of what these discoveries of alternate worlds might signify.

It was Master Kon's memories that ignited this sense of awe, reminiscent of the wonder the man himself had felt toward such phenomena.

This collision of realities was undeniably strange, and the mere thought of it being a result of the barrier's influence intrigued him. A barrier capable of causing such effects. What could it be concealing? What lay beyond, in the outside world?

These curiosities stirred Carpy's Ord, causing it to surge outward like a volcanic eruption, creating a minor earthquake in the surrounding air. Ord was usually an aspect controlled solely by its owner's emotions.

Carpy tried to regain emotional control, allowing Master Kon's memories, which he hadn't suppressed, to flow freely.

Some might argue that memories were what constituted one's identity. While Carpy wasn't entirely certain how true that was, he was sure that memories played a significant role in defining a person.

Being a dragon gave him the power to effortlessly crush these memories and rein in this surge of emotions. He had never realized just how overpowering Master Kon's curiosity could be.

These were the recollections of the man who had rescued him from a piscine demise and then transformed him into a dragon through self-sacrifice. Could he crush Master Kon’s memories?

The memories of Master Kon played out before him, particularly his final moments filled with regret, burdening Carpy's chest with an overwhelming sense of guilt. A solitary tear traced its path down his cheek.

“You want to take over? Then do it. This is the least I can do for you, Master Kon.”