So I have gained a new name. Strange feeling of delight mixed with gratitude.

My vision becomes even clearer, and now I can see the energy flows that go to and from the Heart. Apparently, these are the mana veins and arteries. Many spirits of various kinds gathered around me. They must have known of my presence from the observant spirit. They emit energy in different spectra, which allows me to distinguish them. Note: Elemental spirits are extremely curious. Should I talk to them?

— Erm... Hello?

— He's talking!

— Anomaly!

— A soul has spoken!

— Scary!

— Yes, very scary!

— But you know I am not scary!

Completely freaked out! Most of the spirits, scared by me, immediately flew to the mana arteries and traveled through them to the surface. I just wanted to talk...

Those spirits that remained came even closer. I can't tell the distance, since I don't have two eyes for binocular vision, but I can tell for sure: they are really close.

The Heart spoke in its indefinable voice again:

— Edmund, what are you going to do now? Being outside of the mana circulatory system, you are not part of the cycle.

— This is... bad, I guess?

— Definitely. With a strong soul, you could be converted into a colossal amount of life energy and mana.

I hate being called a "strong soul" so much! It makes me feel like I am some sort of an overpowered MC of cliched isekai. Argh, it is so infuriating me! But I must never be rude to the Heart of the World, because it is the center of this Universe and the most important part of this world.

Hol' up, to be converted into energy? Let me live, for a beginning! I have to offer Heart a way to get to the surface that will please me, too. Might even in the form of a spirit? But then I won't have a body...

Come to think of it, it said something about dungeons that drains the life energy from the mana circulatory system.

I must speak as convincingly as possible!

— So I need to be part of this cycle in some way... What if... No, it's not likely to work.

— If you have an idea, it is better to explain it immediately.

— Can I ascend to the surface through the mana arteries? There, I will be able to clear the dungeons by eliminating clots in the mana vessels, which should compensate for the loss of energy due to me.

(Oh, if I had known it wasn't going to be the way I expected it to be, I would have just become a spirit. Everyone would call me "The Great and Unique Spirit of Reason"!)

And if you think about it even more, why the f███ do I even owe something this world and its Heart? I myself died tens of billions of years ago in my Universe, and there was no "cycle of life" (not counting the ecosystem)! Although, it's a fair price to pay for getting into isekai... Yes, this is just a payment.

But the Heart of the World... Such a delightful phenomenon! The entire mana circulatory system keeps the world habitable. Moreover, magic in this world is only possible thanks to the Heart! Truly, a beautiful phenomenon of nature!...

— *...THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP...*

...Which is taking a long time to think about such a good offer. I would have sighed by now if I had my lungs... I miss them: it's been tens of billions of years without them, after all. The first thing I'll do on the surface is take a good breath.

— I am willing to let you go to the surface, but there are some problems with your current state.

— Assumption: a whole, non-fragmented soul, will not be able to get through the arteries? So, I have to be sent "by parts"?

— Exactly.

It will be very painful, I am absolutely sure. I am no stranger to pain...

— But I will require a body of bones, flesh, and blood to live in this world.

— Then why don't you ask us, Edmund the human?

HOLY-CRAP-ON-A-CUPCAKE! It was so sudden that I was scared and shrank! The spirits who were close to me, as one, uttered their remark. Their spectra are not much different from each other, which means that they belong to the same species. I can feel the pulse of life in them, and they themselves glow with greenish hues, with yellow stripes. There is no doubt — these are biosphere spirits.

I remain polite, and then they "spawn" me in the location that I will choose, and not at the bottom of the ocean, or in the desert.

— Oh, forgive me for being tactless...

— Hee-hee, the anomaly speaks just like an anomaly!

— (spirits, in unison) Hee-hee-hee-hee!

Stay calm, Edmund, just stay calm...

— I just wanted to be polite. I mean, how will you make me a body?

— Don't you remember what you looked like before?

— o_o (telepathical)

— Don't you remember?

— (spirits, in unison) Hahahahahaha!

i was ridiculed by the f███ing spirits!

— I've been locked up in Nowhere for so long that I've forgotten almost everything: my name, the names of my family, and many family-related events... It's not something you can laugh at so easily!

When I said "Nowhere," all the spirits fell silent in an instant. In the deathly silence, my own thoughts echo in my mind. I see shame, regret, and guilt on the faces of these spirits. Absolutely every spirit (including Apocalypse) is afraid of becoming a part of Nothing, but many forget about this horror because of the Heart that returns them to the life cycle after death. Reminding them of their nightmare makes me feel guilty. Not guilty enough to apologize. What about the spirits themselves?

— Edmund, forgive these silly spirits. Being constantly under my care, they have completely forgotten about their duty.

Duty? Nah, whatever. This is their "duty", let them deal with it themselves.

— Yes, please forgive us, anom-... Ouch-ouch!

The Heart shot a thin beam of pure mana straight into the back of the head of the spirit who dared to call me "anomaly" once more. It can do so?! Impressive.

It's like a strict mother. It turns out that the Heart of the World plays the role of not only the energy pump, but also the "educator". This is not how I imagined the hierarchy of spirits.

— I will forgive you, but on one condition, which will be easy to fulfill.

They shone so brightly after my words... Funny.

— Create a body for me in a place that is surrounded by a green forest that is not inhabited by monsters. There should be a mountain or a range of mountains nearby. It is advisable to be close to the civilization of one of the world's races, except for demons, angels and elves, if there are any, of course.

The biosphere spirits surround me from all sides, and everyone speaks in turn. A thin voice from behind only surprised me this time.

— How can we create a body for you if we do not know what it should be?

— Do whatever you want! You are making me sick!

— Okay...

...And all four of them flew to the mana arteries.

Now that they gone, I realized my big mistake: "Do whatever you want!". I can only guess what they'll do to me.

|Meanwhile, inside the mana arterie.|

The biosphere spirits were talking to each other, while they were in the manastream.

— He really said that, didn't he?

— Yeah :) (telepathical)

— But if we do everything wrong, the Heart will be angry...

Imagining the catastrophe that the Heart can start in anger, the spirits decided to do everything in the best possible way. In addition to the observant spirits, there are memory spirits, created by the Heart of the World itself for its own needs: the preservation and transfer of memory to the spirits, so that their memories do not turn into nothing. Each spirit can instantly communicate with one of the 1024 memory spirits from anywhere in space, using the quantum information teleportation method.

The biosphere spirits did it: the memory spirit responded. It turned out that Edmund had lied. He memorized the approximate characteristics of his body. But...

— ...Terribly low accuracy of data...

— What should we do? No mistakes will not do...

— Hm... Alright! Let's improvise!

— Roger that!

Okay, while they are preparing my body, I'll be doing something else. If there are souls flowing through the mana veins, what will happen if I peek into it?

Imagining swimming moves, I reach one of the veins. I can clearly see the energy flowing through it. As if dipping my head into a fast-flowing river, I look inside the mana. I hear others' voices uttering the last thoughts of their owners:

«...H-how? There was no tra-...»

Always check your path thrice.

«Don't cry. Why are you crying? Stop mourning this old man...»

I have nothing to say.

«What is that glare on the hill? Oh gods! This is the..!»

And here the campers holed up, too? There is no escape from them anywhere! Blyat, that's a bad joke.

«At least I was killed by the dragon's claws, like a true dragonslayer...»

"Warrior's Honor," and all that... Wait a minute... There is no dragon in his memories, only a wyvern! What a pity.

«Curse you, human! Your poisoned metal claw was able to pierce my scales...»

A dragon? In fact, the existence of a flying reptile with three pairs of limbs is impossible, unlike a wyvern with two.

«Run, you fools! He's too..!»

Never underestimate your enemy!

Boring. It's better not to dig any further. I think I'll get out of here. I'll get out... Get out? Ermmm...

— Heart, I'm stuck in the mana vein. How do I get out of here?

— How? First the fragmentation, and then the fusion with the body on the surface. The biosphere spirits had just finished creating it. They had to ask for help of several powerful spirits to help them with the collection of necessary substances. You'd better try to make up for the loss of energy, which was spent on your body.

— OkaAaAaAaAyYy!

I was suddenly pulled inside the Heart. I'm going to be taken to pieces, and then they'll let me go up to the surface, where I will get together like a liquid terminator! I don't think I will be able to think after the fragmentation, so it is better to speak out now. It is important to make sure that my words won't make me feel bad later.

— The Heart of the World, I am immensely grateful to you for the name and the chance to live again. I will make full use of it to repay for this kindness.

— Good. Since this is a alien world to you, I will lead you. I know for sure, we will definitely meet here again.

— So will it be. When my journey comes to an end, I will meet you again and tell you my story about a Man Led by the Heart of Another World.