Huh? Where am I?

When I came to be, I was in a white roomー no, it would be more appropriate to call it a vast field of nothingness. I tried to scale this field and it seems that it extends until where my eyes couldn't reach.

Ughhh... My head hurts... What just happened?

From what I can remember, I was on my way home on a stormy day when suddenly a truck lost control over its brakes. Luckily, I was able move out of its way before it had the chance to run over me.

And then... huh? What happened after that?

I tried to remember what happened as hard as I could but nothing came to mind.

Well, there's no use thinking too hard about it. What I need to know right now is where and what kind of place am I at? But... all I can see is pure white, there's no way I would be able tell what this place is!

Then, what should I do next? Should I walk until I see some signs or indicators about this place or should I just wait it out and see?

Ummmm... Etto... Uhhhhh...

「Oh, you're awake already?」???

「!!!」Me

A voice!?

While I was pondering over what to do next, I heard a husky voice from behind me but when I turned around, the source of the voice was nowhere to be found.

Strange... I was sure I heard a voice... must have been my imagination.

「No, you are not imagining things.」???

There it is again, that husky voice and this time I'm sure that I wasn't hallucinating or anything.

「Hey where are you? Do you know what kind of place this is?」Me

「This place? This is the afterlife.」???

Afterlife? Then that means I died right? Strange... I was sure that I was able to survive that truck accident. Was I mistaken?

「You are not wrong, you did survive that accident.」???

「How did I die then?」Me

「Well, right after you survived that accident, you were struck by a lightning bolt. The witnesses tried to bring you to the hospital but you died before the ambulance arrived.」???

Ughhh... just how terrible is my luck.

「Don't feel too bad about it. Everyone's had their luck betray them one way or the other.」???

「Thanks for consoling me, but you sure are enjoying reading my mind, aren't you?」Me

「Hahaha, sorry about that.」???

This conversation looks like it isn't going anywhere, I'll try asking this voice a question. This way, I might be able to learn more about my current situation.

「So you said this is the afterlife right? Does that mean you are God?」Me

「Ho? You sure are a sharp one.」God

I was right! The knowledge from mangas and novels I read sure came handy.

I had been reading mangas and novels whenever I had freetime... Freetime? Yes, I had a lot of them, and it's not because I have no social nor love life, nope, not at all.

Well, now that I have died, I don't think I can do those stuff anymore.

I, Takeru Ishikawa, age 28, who only dreamt of living a good life have died from a lightning strike and is currently talking to this "God" in the afterlife.

Haaah... Life really is unfair.

「Anyways, what am I supposed to do now?」Takeru

「In normal circumstances, you should have been sent back to the circle of life and get reincarnated back to your world.」God

「Normal circumstances you say? That means I have another choice right?」Takeru

「You really are quick on the uptake. As you can see, the universe you are from is a dimension created as a resource whenever gods from other dimensions need to address an issue in their dimensions. Be it the lack of mana, defeating demon lords or other whatnot.」God

What is this? An overrated plot from an isekai novel? If it is then the other choice he was talking about should be...

「And you need me reincarnate in your dimension to fix a problem, am I correct?」Takeru

「Yes. But I can't do that without your permission.」God

...I knew it! This is the only logical next step when talking about reincarnation!

If it's me when I was on Earth, I would've straight up declined this God's request since it could be troublesome and all, but since this is reincarnation we are talking about, there's a good chance that there will be magic.

I have already died once. If I get tricked into being sent to a terrible world, then I'll just blame it on my terrible luck.

But just to be sure, let's ask God about it.

「Hey, in this dimension of yours, there is magic, right?」Takeru

「...」God

Upon hearing my question, a deafening silence swallowed the field. It felt like God and I were staring straight into each other's eyes. But it's just a feeling, I can't see him, after all.

By the way, since God has this masculine and husky voice, I just assumed that they're a "he".

「Well yes, but is that really an important factor to your decision?」God

「Of course it is!」Takeru

No matter how you look at it, magic is the only worthy reason why isekai protagonists agree to reincarnate in another world. Well, that is if they have a choice to begin with.

「Then can I take that your permission to reincarnate into my dimension?」God

「Well, that depends on what problem you are facing now. If it's too troublesome then I'll have to decline.」Takeru

In every negotiation it is important that one learns as much as they can from the other side, especially the benefits and advantages of the negotiation. Thoughtlessly jumping into situations just because of its benefits and not knowing what dangers it might contain is something only an amateur would do. After all, if the negotiation has been finalized, then there is nothing you can do about it.

But, magic, huh? It sure would be nice to be able to use it. I wonder how easy life would be with magic.

Haaaah... I wish the problem is not too troublesome, I really wanna use magic after all.

「Then, I suppose you have the right to know...」God

Heeding my condition, God started to talk about the dimension he is governing and explained it's current situation.

The dimension he is governing is quite a small one, only about a quarter the size of the solar system, quite insignificant in comparison to the size of the universe from where I came from.

In this dimension, there is a planet called "Merusia", about less than half the size of Earth. Merusia is your typical isekai fantasy world filled with insane places, different races, beasts and monsters. A paradise for isekai fans if I would say so.

In regards to the problem, it seems that God here is about to govern a bigger dimension and has to leave. According to him, there really is no problem for a dimension to have no god governing them, it's just that he is worried about Merusia and needs me to set up a barrier just in case some foreign creature invades it.

If I have to say, he really is a good god if he is concerned with his subjects. Well, if he is telling the truth, that is.

「If that's the case you should be able to do it yourself, right?」Takeru

「You see, since I am about to govern a new dimension, my presence in this dimension has been slowly diminishing, that's why I can't meddle too much into it now.」God

「And you need me to do the meddling for you?」Takeru

「Yeah, you just need to activate the devices I set up inside the 8 labyrinths of this world and it's done.」God

「Then that means I have to clear those labyrinths first, huh. You're not planning on sending me to Merusia without any abilities now, are you?」Takeru

「Of course not!」God

There it is! Something each protagonist had during their reincarnation. Be it insane physical strength, magic that turns your enemies into your slaves, or the ability to kill and steal your enemies' abilities. The world-famous cheat skills!!

「I can give you abilities depending on the strength of your soul, and it seems that your soul can house three abilities. So, what will those be?」God

Three, huh?

If I can only have three then that means I need to be careful about choosing. If that's the case then the ability I would need the most should beー

「Oh, and a reminder, the world I made have restrictions in it, so abilities that are too strong like infinite growth, ability stealing, army amassing, and the like are forbidden. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from.」God

Just my luck... Then that narrows down my options by a lot.

After discussing with God about what skills I can and cannot possess, I decided to settle with 『Memory』,『Appraisal』, and 『Storage』.

『Memory』allows me to remember something I find useful after seeing, reading, or experiencing it once. This way, even if I was able to do something amazing by sheer luck, I would be able to recreate it. Also, knowledge is one of the most powerful weapons, after all.

『Appraisal』, just as the name implies, allows me to appraise things. With this, I will be able to differentiate between dangerous and useful items. And in combination with 『Memory』, it would surely be one heck of an ability.

Finally,『Storage』, an ability which allows me to store infinite items in a subspace. One of the cheats many isekai protagonists have in their arsenal. Now I don't need to bother carrying luggage or anything in that matter.

I really wanted an ability to master all elements but God warned me that having more than one attribute without proper control on them can destroy my soul, and so I gave up on that topic.

And here I thought I could learn everything effortlessly.

I was about to curse mangas and novels for giving me false hope but God explained that mastering all elements is still possible. And when I asked why, he said「The mana of one person isn't composed of one attribute only. In fact, most of one's mana have no attribute and thus can be converted into other attributes.」, when he said that, I immediately regretted almost cursing mangas and novels.

Other than [Attributes], there is also [Class]such as swordsman, archer, assassin, and others. And it seems that it works the same way as attributes does, in where you can only have one unless you trained control over it. The only difference between them is that an attribute is something you are born with, while a class is something one can freely choose.

After pondering for some time, I settled with "Wind" as my attribute and "Brawler" as my class since I only know how to fight with my fists.

But I still have to learn how to use them. Haaahhhhh... I really thought I would have it easy in my second life.

「Hey, can I at least have a large mana pool?」Takeru

「No.」God

「Let me guess, it would destroy my soul?」Takeru

「Yes.」God

「Then what use would my abilities be if I don't have the mana to fuel it.」Takeru

A car wouldn't run without fuel after all. No matter how strong my abilities are, if I don't have the mana to use it then I would just become a sitting duck.

「I did not choose you without a reason, you know?」God

「What do you mean?」Takeru

「Unlike in the mangas and novels you read, one's mana pool grows not by draining it completely, it grows in response to how one lives their lives. If one lives an easy life, then of course, the mana pool would not grow, but if one lives a life full of hardships and danger, the mana pool would grow until it would be sufficient enough to live easily in the said situation. In which case, the soul would be "stable".」God

「Then that means as long as I train myself in dangerous situations, then my mana pool would grow.」Takeru

「You're not wrong but not exactly right either. You see, each person has different rates on how fast they achieve stability, and this rate is what we call "Adaptability". And you just happen to have one of the best adaptability on Earth.」God

As expected of someone who deeply cares about his subjects, he wouldn't just choose someone on a whim.

My level of respect for him just went up several levels. Yep, I think I could trust him.

「Don't worry, I will reincarnate you near a special dungeon. This dungeon will ensure to only spawn monsters which you will be able to take on. But since I only have limited power left in this dimension, That dungeon should stay only for more or less than 3 years.」God

Yep, he really has it all planned. Sometimes I wonder if all he said to me was calculated in order to bait me in. Not that I have the power to oppose him anyways.

「Now that's all done, let's decide on your physical body.」God

Ehhhh!? I can decide what it looks like? I thought I would be reincarnated as is.

Should I choose a muscular body? No no, a slender body would be better! A handsome face would be gooーwait!! Let's not get too greedy now, too much of something can be harmful after all.

Yep, moderation is the best.

「As long as it's male and isn't anything weird, then I'm fine with it... Ah, and please reincarnate me as a 13 to 15 year old.」Takeru

「Why so specific.」God

「Well, you said that the dungeon would end in about 3 years, so I thought I would like to explore the world as a teenager.」Takeru

「Fair enough... Now that that's all done, reincarnation would be the next step.」God

「So it is.」Takeru

「Then, Farewell Takeru Ishikawa... No, that name is too conspicuous, I'll think of something before you reincarnate.」God

「Yeah, just make sure it's a normal name.」Takeru

As I said those words, white light started to envelope my whole body. White light that was not too bright that it blinds me and warmth so comfortable that it can lull you to sleep in a matter of seconds.

I was indulging in this comfort when suddenly, I remembered something important.

「Wait! How about communication!? How can I understand the characters and language in Merusia!?」Takeru

「Worry not, I will imprint in your 『Memory』all the things you need to know, including how to master different attributes and classes. I'll also send everything you need to your 『Storage』.」God

He really is a reliable God. I wonder if he had planned this all along.

As I was thinking these things, the sleepiness slowly swallowed my entire being and I slowly lost my senses and consciousness. I hope my next life goes well.

Chirp Chirp Chirp

When I woke up, the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling filled my ears. The smell of the forest wafted through my nose as the gentle breeze touched my bare skin.

I looked around and confirmed that I was lying inside a forest. I raised my hands to a point where my eyes could see and when I looked at them, they looked smaller than usual, no, they really are smaller.

It seems that my reincarnation went well. I should thank God for giving me another shot in life.

I stood up and swept away the leaves from my body with my hands. Now then, let's enjoy our second life to the fullest.

「Merusia! Here I come!」Takeru

CHAPTER 1 END

***

Author's note:

Hey guys, I just want to let you know that during the time first time I started writing this novel, I am still 16 years old and still going to school. And although I will be using japanese honorifics and japanese references, I myself am not one. So if ever I used something wrongly, please do correct me.

English isn't also my first language so there might be grammatical errors. If you spot one please do tell me and I'm sorry in advance.

As for the cover, it is just a placeholder. It was drawn by my friend who is also aspiring to become a comic artist. He goes by the pen name "Ounod" and is currently making a webtoon based on a popular game right now, which is Among Us.