"Hello, Rin,"
The familiar voice resounded within the cave. It hadn't been that long since she last heard the vote, but the sound of it made her feel at ease.
"Congratulations on being reincarnated in this new world. Perhaps you are wondering how you end up getting reincarnated while not being dead. I checked into it, and it turns out that you were classified as a person with a strong desire to be reborn, so the SYSTEM automatically selected you as a reincarnation target #4269," the voice said.
"Well, I can't really deny that part, so I guess I can forgive you for that. So, you've sent other people to this world as bats too, huh?"
"Bats? Ah, no, no. It depends on the person, but their appearance once transferred would resemble the species closest to them. Think of it like a roll of dice, but you have certain biases leaning towards a specific number. Your being a bat is entirely upon your personal traits. Perhaps your previous life's lifestyle is reminiscent of a bat, or you are closer to a bat than a human, so I can't really tell,"
"What? So it wasn't on purpose then?"
"Yes. Also, other reincarnations managed to retain their human form. Actually, a vast majority of them transferred as humans. You are, in fact, one of the rarest cases,"
"I don't know if I should be happy by hearing that,"
"... I'm truly sorry, Rin"
"Well, don't be. It can't be helped, I guess,"
The voice sounded really apologetic despite it being not entirely her fault that Rin was in her current situation. Hearing a SYSTEM being mentioned, she immediately realized that the selection was automatic. That, and she doesn't really mind wasting time in pointing fingers and placing blame.
"... To show my apologies, let me tell you about this world,"
"OK."
According to the voice, the world she was reincarnated into is called Osionara. Unlike Earth, this world has the concept of magic and levels. Every creature born in this world is given a level at birth, which increases gradually as they grow old or gain proficiency in other tasks, such as craftmanship, sword fighting, and the like. Basically, each task they accomplish would earn them a certain amount of experience points that will eventually fill up their experience bar, elevating them to a higher level. Exactly like how you level up in role-playing games back on Earth.
"Hmmm. OK, OK, I get the gist of it. But I have one crucial question, is there a way to return to Earth?" Rin asked the voice.
The voice was silent for a moment before it replied.
"There are no previous records of someone successfully returning to their homeland, but, if you would ask, theoretically, it is possible," was the voice's response.
"I see. As long as there is a possibility, that's good to know,"
Rin is not a fan of wallowing in things that you don't have any control over. It is much better and more productive to look forward to what can be done at the moment. After hearing the voice explain the gist of her situation, Rin wasn't completely disheartened by the fact that she is in a whole different world.
"To make up for this blunder, allow me to bestow on you one skill of your choosing," the voice said.
"Are you sure? Isn't that like, cheating?" Rin asked.
"No, no. These are just simple skills. I have to keep the world's power balance in check. I'm still a deity, you know?" the voice replied. "Please, feel free to choose one among these skills,"
Suddenly, several names of 「SKILLS」flashed before her, floating in mid-air. Rin started reading them one by one, carefully pondering and analyzing the benefits of each skill.
"Hmmm ... 「Tracking」, 「Trace」, 「Sonar」, 「Guide」, 「Map」, 「Refresh」, 「Silence」 ... 「Pursuit」, 「Jinx」, 「Reveal」, 「Cooking」, and「Clock」" she read aloud the name of some of the skills. "These skills sure are basic. Some may sound cool, but they are all basic things. Aren' are there any other skills aside from this one?" she asked the voice.
"Hmm... well, there is still one, but I don't see anyone finding this skill useful aside from ruffians and thieves, so I decided not to show it to you," was her quick response.
"Show it to me then,"
"Eh?"
"Oh? Should I add, please? OK, show it to me please?" was Rin's request.
"Didn't you just hear me? I said that this skill will be of no use to you," the voice replied.
"I'll be the judge of that. So, show it to me, please," was Rins resolute reply.
The voice let out an exasperated sigh before revealing the name of the last free skill. As Rin read the name and description of the skill, her face suddenly lit up, showing excitement for the first time since their conversation.
"This is it! I want this one!"
"Ehhhh!? Are you sure? The other skills are much more useful than this one, are you really sure of it?"
"Yes. He he he," Rin let out a maniacal laugh. "With this, everything will be much easier"
Seeing her decision set in stone, the voice can't help but grant her wish.
"OK, as promised, I will give you this skill,"
As soon as she said those words, Rins body lightened up, before returning to normal.
"You now are the proud owner of the 「Pickpocket」skill, (though I can't imagine you pickpocketing anyone in this gloomy cave)," the voice said, the second part in a much lower tone of voice.
"What was that?" Rin asked.
"Nothing, nothing. With this, I hope that I have somehow made up for our side's blunder. I made the 「SYSTEM」familiar to those from Earth. To access, simply say or think of the word 「SYSTEM」, and it will appear,"
"That's convenient," Rin commented.
"That is all that I have to say. I'll be leaving now. If you have more questions, just use the「HELP」ticket that is automatically awarded every ten levels," the voice said.
"OK, I will. Thanks for the free skill, Miss Deity!" Rin said, waving her wings towards the empty space. As soon as the voice left, the room returned to its dark, gloomy, form. Only Rin and the remains of the dead snake are left in the room.
"Now then, time to review my skill, 「SYSTEM」!" she shouted. Soon, a transparent window appeared in front of her. Just like she imagined, it contained details on her status, race, skills, and levels.
"Level 1, huh? And my race, hmmm? Cave Bat? What is that? That isn't fantasy-like in any way now," she commented on her own status. She checked the distribution of her status.
「STATUS」
「STR」= 1 「STM」= 1 「LUC」= 1
「INT」= 1 「MP」= 1 「CHRM」= 1
「AGI」= 1 「HP」= 1 「SPD」= 1
REMAINING STAT POINTS = 1
"So basically, I am starting from the bottom, huh? And here I thought that I am about to discover that I have a cheat skill or something," she said."Still, with this skill, I can see a glimmer of hope in this situation,". She produced the window showing her skills.
「Pickpocket」
Usage = 1 MP
Accuracy = Dependent on the USER's Luck Stat
Details: Roll a die. A number will be shown. You have to guess if the number to be rolled is HIGHER or LOWER than the one on the dice. Depending on the difference between the USER and TARGET's Luck Stat, the USER gets a chance of stealing a random item from the TARGET.
Note: Successful rolls assure a gain of at least one (1) item from the target. In case the target does not have any item in its possession, the 「System」shall select something of equal value from the target.
Penalty: Unsuccessful activation of the skill doubles the skills cooldown timer.
Cool down: 60 seconds