Kays Translations

Chapter 2: An Encounter with God

“A mysterious death?!”

The supposed god’s revelation came as a tremendous shock to Sato.

In other words, at this very moment, he was dead.

“Wait… Then what happened to the backpack I’d prepared for my overpowered otherworld adventure—and everything inside it?”

“Ah, the backpack you were carrying? It seems its contents helped explain the mystery surrounding your unusual death.”

Since it was someone else’s problem, the supposed god looked rather amused.

“Um… May I call you ‘God’?”

Still reeling, Sato knew there was no going back now.

There were also things he wanted to confirm.

“Indeed. I’m the god of this region. Earth is outside my jurisdiction, but since you were sent here by mistake, I suppose I’m responsible for you now.”

The god answered after pausing to think.

“Then does that mean you’ll reincarnate me?”

Sato had no choice but to change gears and move forward.

He had always admired stories about other worlds, so he couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip away.

“Well, reincarnation itself was abolished a long time ago…”

“What?”

“As I said earlier, the Soul Recycling Act was only enacted moments ago, so reincarnation has just become possible again. The problem is that reincarnating by using a magic circle on your own requires you to die first, so it’s treated as suicide…”

The god trailed off awkwardly, giving Sato a sympathetic look.

“Suicide?”

Sato repeated, increasingly conscious of the ominous direction the conversation was taking.

“Suicide is the act of taking your own life, so it counts against you during reincarnation. Some people also plot to carry the abilities from their previous lives with them. Therefore, in the best case, they’re reincarnated as babies in horribly deprived circumstances; otherwise, they’re usually reborn as animals, monsters, insects, and the like.”

“(Animals, monsters, or insects?!) Th-then just how bad are those circumstances?!”

What Sato had imagined would be transportation to another world had instead become reincarnation, and now that reincarnation was heading in the worst possible direction. He at least wanted to cling to the faint hope of being reborn as a human.

“Let’s see… You might die soon after birth, be born burdened with misfortune, or have parents who sell you to slave traders. In many cases, merely surviving would be considered fortunate.”

The god answered with a furrowed brow.

“Then what about a cheat skill…?”

The situation looked hopeless, but a god was standing right in front of him. Believing this was his first, last, and greatest chance to influence what came next, Sato began to negotiate.

“A cheat skill? Ah, do you mean a special skill that gives you an advantage while living in the mortal world? You know a surprising amount about things that don’t exist on Earth. Special skills certainly exist in the world under my jurisdiction, but there’s no such thing as a ‘cheat.’”

“Could you give me one of those special skills when I’m reincarnated?”

“Hmm… Special skills can be extremely useful once activated, but many require a great deal of time and effort before they work, and their activation conditions are often strict. You’re already destined to reincarnate with a handicap. Unlike an ordinary skill, choosing a special skill could put your very life in danger.”

It was a gamble.

If he was already going to start at a disadvantage, an ordinary skill might not be enough to turn things around. With that thought, Sato asked,

“Could you give me the very best special skill?”

“Oh-ho… Even after hearing all that, you still want one? Well, you’ll be the first person to reincarnate since the ban was lifted, but I can’t show you favoritism. And let me warn you: no special skill will activate without effort, and many have unusual activation conditions. The road ahead will be difficult from the very beginning. What’s more, you’ll be starting at a disadvantage. You may even die immediately after being reincarnated. Knowing all that, do you still wish to proceed?”

The fact that the god was asking again showed just how difficult it would be.

“Yes, please!”

Telling himself not to chicken out, Sato gave his answer.

“Very well. I’ll reincarnate you. But to prevent any misunderstanding, I should tell you… all memories of your previous life will be erased.”

“What?! You never told me that! Well, you just did, but still!”

“Of course. I told you I would show no favoritism.”

“Then I’ll forget this conversation too?”

“Naturally. Everything will be erased before you’re reincarnated. You can’t reincarnate with the memories of your previous life intact. Such an unfair advantage could never be allowed.”

Sato reeled in shock.

“Then I’ll take an ordinary skill after all—”

But before Taro Sato could finish his sentence, he was reincarnated.

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