Chapter 0: Prologue
"...Where am I?"
As I woke up, a white space stretched out as far as the eye could see.
I tried to recall my memories and assess the situation.
My name is Takuto Amakusa, 42 years old.
...Up until this point, there was no mistake.
"That's correct."
I felt something in my head.
(Who is it?)
The moment I thought that,
(My name is Elaine. You would call us gods.)
"...Gods."
According to Elaine, who claims to be a god, I was working one night six months ago, and after sending my subordinates home, I drank beer alone and complained, saying things like:
"What the hell is the 36 Agreement?"
"Is paid vacation some kind of delicious food? You stupid bastards in black companies!"
Apparently, I was also finishing up some remaining work while complaining.
I set up some chairs to take a nap, but it seems I died of a myocardial infarction.
Life is so fleeting. I wonder if it's because I didn't get rid of my bad luck in my unlucky year...
(please don't be so depressed)
Elaine spoke to me in my mind.
I was getting angry that she could read my thoughts without my permission.
"I'm sorry, can you hear me speaking?"
(Yes)
"Then, why don't we have a conversation with words without reading each other's thoughts?"
(Why is that?)
"Well, first of all, don't you think it's rude to read someone's thoughts without their consent? Wouldn't you also feel uncomfortable if some unknown entity read your thoughts without your permission?"
(Yes, you're right. I apologize for my lack of consideration.)
"Then, please show yourself."
(Huh!)
"I believe you called me here for a reason, but I can't trust someone who claims to be a god that steals thoughts without showing themselves."
Although it was a completely unfair outburst, there was no one else to direct my anger towards but Elaine.
(...Yes, you're right. I apologize again.)
As soon as Elaine finished speaking, a flash of light descended from above and a woman appeared.
Yeah, she was beautiful.
She had long, blond hair, large eyes, and a kind-looking mouth.
It would definitely make one fall in love if they were still alive.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Elaine."
She bowed and began to tell me the reason why she had summoned me here.
Elaine had just been appointed as the god of Exiz, a different world, but the world's belief in the god had almost disappeared. As a result, the god's power had weakened year by year, and the world was on the verge of collapse as the power of the god, which maintained order and existence, could no longer reach it.
As a solution, they planned to transfer people from different worlds and have them conduct missionary activities as apostles.
"Why me?"
Why did they bother calling such an old man like me when there are plenty of other people around?
Elaine's response was surprising.
Apparently, several predecessors had already been transferred. More precisely, they had been.
At first, it was a young man, but he became intoxicated with power and began to behave arrogantly, and in the end, he was killed by the people.
Then, an elderly man was transferred, and he used magic to seduce a young woman and create a harem, and in the end, he was killed by the people in the same way.
After that, they tried to transfer people of all ages and genders many times.
However, for some reason, the transferred individuals increased the factors that would lead to the world's destruction without engaging in missionary work.
As a result, the previous god was transferred to another world due to lack of ability, and Elaine became the successor god.
"Even with that explanation, it's not clear why I was chosen, is it?"
Elaine averted her gaze.
"First of all, I chose someone who would work diligently despite complaining about harsh working conditions. In other words, I chose someone who had worked at a black company for many years and had some popularity, and who would not be greatly affected in their private life even if they were to die," she said.
Even after she finished speaking, Elaine continued to stare at a different spot.
I remained unmarried until my current age and unfortunately lost both of my parents in an accident just before graduating from high school. Being an only child, I had little interaction with my relatives and had almost no relationship with them.
In recent years, I had limited opportunities to socialize outside of work, and my personal relationships remained superficial. I seldom returned home and instead spent most of my time at work, performing the same tasks repeatedly. Despite having few days off each year and no overtime pay, I worked tirelessly like a workhorse.
It was apparent that I fell under the category of a "company slave" in society.
However, within myself, I had the sense that "hobbies" were "work" and "work" was "hobby."
From Elaine's perspective, I might have been a suitable candidate.
However, there were supposed to be several others who met these requirements.
It wouldn't be the reason why I was ultimately chosen.
"Even with those conditions, there were supposed to be other people who fit them. It's not the reason why I became the one chosen!" Elaine said apologetically, avoiding eye contact.
"Since it's not really my place to talk about it, can I show you this instead?" she asked while pointing her index finger towards the screen, and then a video started to play.
It showed the situation after my death in the present world.
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I, who died at the office, was discovered by a subordinate who came to work in the morning.
The police and fire department were contacted, and my death was confirmed.
The president held a simple wake and funeral, which was likely deducted from my salary.
Afterwards, the Labor Standards Supervision Office conducted an on-site investigation of the company, and a series of misconducts such as excessive overtime work, unpaid wages, and the discovery of off-the-books transactions were exposed one after another. It became a perfect material for the wide shows, and was broadcasted on TV daily.
Naturally, the remaining employees had a chance to escape and resigned en masse.
Due to the company's poor image in society, contracts for transactions decreased sharply, and business stagnation due to a shortage of employees led the company to serious financial difficulties.
"Is it possible that my death alone had this much of an impact...?"
To be honest, I couldn't have imagined that the death of an ordinary salaryman working at a black company would have such an impact on society and others.
As if she could tell I was feeling terribly down, Elaine started playing the video again and comforted me, saying, "There's more."
On the screen were the familiar faces of my subordinates, dressed in funeral attire.
"It's all thanks to Mr. Amakusa that I was able to keep working for this company until now."
"Yeah, this company was built on the foundation of Mr. Amakusa. He helped me out a lot too..."
"We had decided to suggest everyone to start their own business after this job was finished, but it happened just before that."
"But in the end, to die and harass the company, that's typical of Mr. Amakusa."
"Hehe, he's certainly a tsundere, isn't he?"
"We have to work hard from now on, or Mr. Amakusa might come back as a ghost!"
"Hahaha"
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I understood that everyone was desperately trying to act cheerful while hiding their sadness.
As tears welled up in my eyes, I realized again, even after death, how much my subordinates adored me.
However, it was strange to be called after half a year had passed since my death, but it didn't matter even if I asked now.
"This is the reason why we ultimately chose you," Elaine spoke gently.
I must have been influenced by seeing my juniors trying their best, as the words came out naturally.
"I understand. Please tell me the conditions for transfer, the situation of the destination, and my benefits."
"Well..." Elaine began to explain the conditions while thinking.
"As I mentioned earlier, your main activity will be proselytizing, with me being revered as a god. While there is a church, it is not functioning due to the decline of faith. As long as the faith itself spreads, I don't care about the formality. As for the transfer destination, Exis, its size is about half that of Earth according to Earth's standards. The species are broadly divided into humans, beastmen, demons, and monsters. There are also animals and insects, but there is no big difference from Earth. In terms of strength, if we take the average of Earth as ten, humans are about eight. Combat-type beastmen are about twelve. As for demons, it cannot be said generally as each species has different characteristics. Do you have any questions so far?"
Is this close to a fantasy world, or is it similar to the RPG feeling from school days...?
"Is there magic or skills?"
"Yes, they exist. You can also confirm them through your status."
"So, I will be transferred with the power I had when I was alive?"
"Yes, please consider it as one of the benefits. Continuing with the benefits, there is nothing else but being able to live a second life."
"What! Not like a high-ranking person like a king or a hero who fights against a demon king or a famous person?"
"Yes, just an ordinary civilian, in other words, a common person."
No good, I can clearly feel my motivation plummeting, perhaps I was expecting too much.
"From the explanation earlier, it sounded like the previous God had given considerable power to the transferee..."
"Yes, that is why we decided it was dangerous to give power from the beginning."
Indeed, Elaine's argument has a point. However,
"...I can refuse, can't I?"
"What?!"
Elaine is clearly shaken.
Did she not consider the possibility of being rejected?
"I don't necessarily want to redo my life, and the missionary work is ultimately for your sake. You're asking me to work for free without pay, aren't you?"
"N-no, well, you see, that's not it."
"What's different? It's common sense to pay for the work you do. Is it your nature as a god to just use people up and throw them away like old rags when they're no longer useful? That kind of faith won't spread, and you can't be confident in spreading it. Listen, in the first place, you and I are equal partners in this transaction. Don't just push your own convenience and treat people like tools."
In the moment I was about to say the next word,
"But... it's my first time here, so I don't really understand. You don't have to be so harsh on me."
She was sitting down, crying and screaming.
Where did the goddess who had been acting elegantly until just now go?
"I'm doing my best too~"
I was convinced that she had been trying her best until now to hide her flaws.
"I'm sorry for saying too much earlier."
For now, I apologize since I also got heated.
"...It's okay if you understand."
Completely unmasked, but I felt easier to talk to her now.
"For the time being, I will decide whether to accept or refuse the transfer after hearing all the details. Even if I feel that there are few benefits for me, if I feel your sincerity, I may accept it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm not lying. So I want you to speak without lying too."
"Okay, I understand."
For now, I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to Elaine.
Elaine took the handkerchief and blew her nose, then put it in what seemed like a pocket.
Wait, I offered it to her to wipe her tears...
After finishing crying, Elaine began to explain the details as if nothing had happened.
・The condition for transfer is not reincarnation, so the individual will take on their current appearance.
・Their strength will also remain at its current level. It seems that from the transfer destination, they will only be considered to have abnormal strength.
・They will start from level one. It seems that a typical adult male (commoner) would be around level five.
...Isn't this a complete disadvantage?
・They will transfer with minimal equipment as their initial equipment.
That's all.
...It's no good, I can't see any merits.
I don't have any particular interest that would make me feel motivated to work.
What should I do?
As I was lost in thought, Elaine looked anxious and said,
"Since it's my privilege, would you accept a unique skill that can be of some convenience or benefit?"
"What is this unique skill you speak of?"
"For example, if it's within the limits that won't cause chaos in the world, you can add or adjust skills, change your appearance, and so on."
"If we give something in exchange, is it possible to receive additional unique skills as compensation?"
"Yes, that's possible. However, it's assumed that there will be no impact on the world."
For now, if we don't consider the benefits or the reasons for transferring ourselves,
"Is missionary work limited to a specific area?"
"No, it's fine to travel while doing it. In fact, it's preferable. However, in that case, there is also a risk of encountering monsters and having to fight them."
...Fighting monsters? Does that mean...
"Do you have something like a guild?"
"Yeah, there's the 'Adventurer's Guild', and each base has a 'Guild Hall' as its activity base. There's also a 'Merchant's Guild', but it only exists in cities and big towns. The activity base here is the 'Industry Hall'. Each has different ranks for accepting requests and handling goods, right?"
Fighting against monsters, it's like a childhood dream. How many times have I thought about wanting to go to a game world...?
Come to think of it, it's full of elements from a game world.
Since I'm already dead, I might as well enjoy it like a game!
The first thing I need is information.
I can't proceed without it, even if I wanted to.
"Living in an unknown world is hard enough when you're ignorant, so please give me something like 'Omniscience'."
"What's 'Omniscience'?"
"It's like having a guide who can query the world's knowledge in your head and provide answers like a wisdom box."
"I see, that's necessary. It's also less risky to be discovered by others, so it's good."
"Also, it's painful not to be able to talk to the goddess anymore, so I want to be able to talk to the goddess too."
"If you say so, I'll add it specially for you. Hehehe."
[Acquired All-Knowing and All-Powerful and Conversation with God.]
With this, I obtained information, knowledge, and the ability to communicate with Elaine.
Next, it was time to focus on combat-related skills.
"I'm afraid I can't offer any more convenience than this..."
It seemed like it would be difficult to extract any more information.
However, this was where the real negotiation began.
Should we try to move the conversation forward at our own pace, rather than letting the other side control the conversation?
"Also, if possible, what should I do if I'm carrying luggage in a place where I don't know my way around and there's a possibility of being attacked?"
"There is something called an Item Box. It's an advanced skill, so only a few people can use it."
"Can I acquire it at least at Level 1?"
"At Level 1, the storage is infinite, but it can only hold things the size of small stones."
"That's okay. Even if it's just the size of a goddess's hair, I'll take it and keep it as a charm so I won't lose it."
"Oh, I see. In that case, there's no help for it."
"I obtained [Item Box: Level 1].
However, I wonder if this goddess is the type to get carried away if I praise her? She cries if I come on too strong, so maybe she's not the best negotiator?
"Can I confirm one more thing?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"What language is spoken in the destination Exis?"
Upon transferring, the risk is too high if you can't communicate or read and write.
"Although there may be slight differences depending on the region, the basic language is common. Let's make sure you can handle it naturally."
"So, can I assume that you understand all words and languages?"
"Yes."
All words! I see, let's try to be a little bold.
"Thank you. It was my dream to talk to animals."
"Huh?!"
"Huh?! You just said you understand all words. Is that a lie?"
"...I apologize for my poor choice of words. It was my lack of explanation that led Takuto to interpret excessively. When it comes to verbal communication, there is a risk of confusion, so with less intelligent individuals, we use a form of direct questioning called 'telepathy'!"
"Understood. I apologize for also interpreting excessively."
"It's okay, we're both at fault!"
Elaine replied with a laugh.
I have acquired the abilities of "Language Decoding" and "Telepathy".
However, little by little, her way of talking became more friendly. She called me by my first name too...
So, should I also use casual language?
"Okay then, I'll prepare for the transfer."
"Hold on a second! I want to pay compensation, but just like when I went from level 100 to level 10, decreasing from the higher value to the lower value increases the risk. So, is it okay for the compensation to be higher for the larger value?"
"Yeah, that's right!"
"Then, I will offer the body from age 42 to age 17 as compensation."
"What do you mean?"
"Just as I said. I offer the difference in bodies between the ages of 42 and 17 as compensation."
"So that means...you will become younger? But compensation usually involves risk, doesn't it?"
"You're contradicting what you said earlier, about how the greater the value, the greater the risk."
"What? That was just an analogy..."
"You promised not to lie!"
"...Okay."
Elaine reluctantly accepted the conditions.
"So, what do you desire?"
"My wish is to acquire all skills. It's tough to live in an unfamiliar world. I want to travel and spread my faith while discovering my aptitude."
"That's great! I accept."
"Ah, just to clarify, it includes demons and other races since it's all skills."
"What?! Only the human race!"
"I never said it was only for the human race. It's all skills, so it includes all other races. Or do you mean to say that non-human races have no skills?"
"...Non-human races do have skills. I have already accepted, so there's no going back now."
I obtained the [Full Skill Acquisition] and my body rejuvenated back to 17 years old.
Elaine seemed puzzled, but perhaps realizing it was no good to dwell on it further, she spoke up.
"I need to correct myself about the risk being higher for smaller values than larger ones. It's actually the opposite, the risk increases when the values are larger."
"Does that mean we can compare it to when the weight goes from 50 kilograms to 100 kilograms?"
"Exactly!"
Elaine responded with a triumphant grin.
However, this was the outcome I had hoped for.
"Then, I offer my memories from the age of 0 to 3 as compensation for this."
There are practically no memories from infancy, but children have a fast absorption rate when it comes to learning.
Compared to the body, there should be a large amount of information in those memories, even if it is relatively small.
"Huh, memories up to the age of three...?"
"Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just that it carries the same risk as before..."
"It's the opposite of before. I followed what the goddess said, so it's a risk, but are you lying again?"
"...I'm sorry, it was a misunderstanding on my part. What is it that you desire?"
"Immortality."
"Unfortunately, immortality is impossible because it would upset the balance of the world."
"What do you mean by upsetting the balance of the world?"
"If the rumors of immortality spread, the people in power would try to obtain it first, causing chaos."
"So basically, it's too much trouble to deal with afterwards."
"Exactly!"
Elaine had a look of regret, but it was too late.
Is this goddess okay...?
"Then, please use 'Release Level Cap'."
"...That's difficult."
Huh? I thought it was easy, but can't you do it?
"Why?"
"In the Exis world, level 100 is the limit. It's an area that only one person out of ten thousand can reach. If someone else were to know about levels higher than that, it would disrupt the balance of the world or common sense."
Indeed, I don't understand the worldview of the Exis world, but it's certainly possible to get involved in politics, aristocratic factions, and other disputes if the level is high enough.
As Elaine said, there is no doubt that the power balance will greatly shift.
"If displaying our status could cause confusion for others, we will only show our level as 100. However, if a person agrees to disclose their own status, or if they are willing to show their true level, there should be no problem. After all, the level may be such that only one in ten thousand people can reach it, so even if we unlock it, it may be doubtful if we can reach it."
"That's right! It's certainly not a level that can be normally reached, and if we use this concealment method, there should be no problem. I agree!"
Elaine was working on the skill acquisition task as she had just done before.
"In exchange for memories up to the age of three, it's insufficient. Memories up to the age of six are needed, what should we do?"
Insufficient exchange!
In a situation where it's unclear what will happen in the future, there doesn't seem to be much merit in retaining memories from kindergarten days.
"Memories up to the age of six are fine."
As a result of obtaining [Level Cap Release], I lost my memories from birth up to the age of six.
It seems any further progress is difficult. Let's attack from a different angle.
"Would you like to take a break, goddess?"
"Are you tired by any chance? Your current body shouldn't be tired."
"No, I want to know more about you, goddess, as I plan to spread your faith in the future. So, may I have the honor of hearing your story?"
"If that's the case, I'm happy to oblige!"
Although Elaine has interfered with several worlds as an assistant, it seems that this is her first official appointment as a god.
She is positioned as a rookie god, and she still doesn't have a title (Goddess of ____) yet.
The title is inevitably given when the faith becomes stronger.
Afterwards, she became a mid-level god and was able to hold several positions in different worlds.
Her faith grew bigger from praying at the church and from daily feelings of respect.
According to her, she was promoted faster than her peers...
I was skeptical about whether it was true or not, but she said it was, so I decided to trust her.
The previous holder of the position was called "Gulp" and was said to be a lazy god who constantly made excuses. The god was excellent at currying favor with superior and intermediate gods and had not been punished for hundreds of years.
However, during the last transference, the transmigrant teamed up with a demon and repeatedly destroyed the human race, reducing the population by a quarter. As a result, the transmigrant was eliminated by the superior gods through special processing.
It's the same in every world, the boss always has to come in and clean up the mess...
Even now, it seems that Gulp is revered as a god among some of the demons.
Elaine was apparently told by her predecessor to show a resolute attitude upon taking over.
"Is it okay, goddess?"
"What is it?"
There are still one or no, two things that must be obtained to ensure survival in the world of the Otherworld Exis.
"What kind of world do you want to create, goddess?"
"Well, before that, please don't call me 'goddess'. It feels weird because I'm not used to it. Just call me Elaine!"
"Is it okay to be so casual?"
"It's fine, it doesn't matter. After all, you're going to go to the Otherworld as my apostle."
I nodded.
"I want everyone to get along regardless of their human or demon heritage, if possible," she said. "I know that there will always be conflict between different races, but... I hate it when people fight to the point of suppressing themselves just to follow orders from their superiors. I know it's idealistic of me to say this as a goddess who can't interfere directly, but it makes me depressed when things turn out for the worse."
"I see. Then, I'll do my best as an apostle."
"Thank you."
Elaine replied with a slightly lonely expression.
"Elaine!"
"What?"
"Do you have any kind of emblem or symbol like a crest, Elaine?"
"Well, I've only just taken over, so I don't have one yet."
"I see. If you had one, I could wear it or make it into merchandise, and it would make it easier to spread your faith..."
Elaine clenched both of her hands and looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Was she really that happy?
"If you don't have one, do you want to decide on it now?"
"Yes."
I've been groaning while thinking for nearly two hours now.
Well, it's natural that once I make a decision, it's not easy to change it...
It's getting harder to wait any longer, so when someone called out from behind me, I turned around and said,
"If you can't decide now, should we put it off for later? You can tell me after we transfer."
"Even though Takuto came up with a serious proposal, we can't afford to do something half-hearted!"
The face, which was close to tears, resembled that of a troubled designer who was unable to produce the desired design or a student who couldn't solve a problem.
Feeling apologetic in reverse for making such a sinister remark, I said, "Anyway, wipe your runny nose."
As I laughed, I tried to take out a handkerchief from my pocket, but it wasn't there.
Come to think of it, Elaine had blown her nose and put it away somewhere.
"I'll give you the handkerchief from earlier, so blow your nose and feel refreshed."
"Okay!"
Elaine pulled out a handkerchief around her thigh area and blew her nose, staring at it intently.
"Did something weird come out of your nose?"
Curious, I asked her.
"What's this mark?"
Mark? I had no interest in handkerchiefs in general and just bought them randomly, so I didn't remember myself.
Looking at it through Elaine's eyes, I noticed a four-leaf clover embroidery in the corner.
"This is called a four-leaf clover, and it's said to bring happiness when you find it. I searched for it when I was in elementary school, but I couldn't find it..."
"I'll take this one."
"Hmm?"
"I've decided to use a four-leaf clover as my mark!"
... Are you serious! That's a design that's commonly found in free materials!
"Are there any clover-like plants in the Exis world?"
"There are some similar three-leaf plants, but there shouldn't be any four-leaf ones. So, as Takuto said, even if they did exist, it would be close to a miracle! Yes, it's just like getting lucky!"
Clearly pleased with it, she tightly grips a handkerchief and laughs to herself.
The goddess's runny nose is completely visible... but it's probably a reward for enthusiasts!
"Mark's reward or rather, the additional benefit of a unique skill, is it okay?"
I came up with such a great idea.
"I want to catch up with the general public as soon as possible. Please double the acquisition values of experience points and skill points."
"Is that all right? Yes, I accept."
I acquired the [Experience Point Acquisition Bonus (x2)][Skill Point Acquisition Bonus (x2)].
Alright! Elaine doesn't realize the importance of the last benefit unique skill.
Now the preparations are complete.
I received some additional information and a few items from the cheerful Elaine.
When I imagined it, my status was displayed in front of me naturally.
With this skill, I should be able to manage somehow.
"Well then, I'll do my best to spread Elaine's name as a goddess and become friends with everyone!"
"Good luck. I'll be praying too!"
I was seen off by Elaine's smile and proceeded into the light.
After passing through the light, I found myself in a forest.
Ah, I really did teleport.
For now, I decided to try enjoying my life in this different world.