Kays Translations

Chapter 1: Reincarnation

A small, old house located deep in the mountains, far from people.

That was his new residence.

Having left behind the clamor of the city, he had decided to live quietly alone in the countryside. Today marked the first day of his new life.

Since he had parted with most of his belongings, the moving process ended with just a few cardboard boxes being carried in from his car.

He chuckled wryly at how few possessions he owned and thought, “Maybe I’ll have some soba.” It was at that moment.

He was suddenly stabbed in the abdomen by an intruder.

As he collapsed onto the wooden entryway, the robber stomped into the house without hesitation, shoes still on.

Watching the robber’s retreating back as if it were someone else’s problem, he turned his gaze to the blood staining his abdomen red and black. He realized he wouldn’t survive.

(…So, this is how it ends, huh?)

Seeking a slightly more comfortable position, he leaned against the wall and slowly exhaled, forcing the breath out of his lungs.

As he sat there, his life began to flash before his eyes, like a revolving lantern.

It had been an ordinary life—until he encountered unexpected fortune.

Surrounded by cheerful friends, he advanced to an unremarkable university and landed a job at a company that wasn’t high-paying but treated its employees well.

Then, in the fall of his first year as a working adult, his life took a dramatic turn. On a whim, he bought a lottery ticket recommended by a senior colleague. It won the jackpot.

Seven hundred million yen.

From that moment, his life changed completely.

The colleague who had suggested the ticket demanded a share, revealing a nasty side. His peers at work became envious, and his boss started harassing him.

Relatives he had been close to began begging for money, fracturing his family relationships in the process.

Exhausted by everything, he quit his job, gave most of the lottery winnings to his family and relatives, and decided to use the remaining money to move to an old country house.

—And that brings us to now.

The timing of the robbery, on the very first day he moved in, seemed too perfect to be mere coincidence.

It was likely that the robber had somehow learned he was a lottery winner.

In fact, that was almost certainly the case.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for someone to break into such an old, remote house in the countryside.

(Looking back like this, it really wasn’t much of a life, was it?)

A self-deprecating smile formed on his face.

No matter how much he pressed against the wound in his abdomen, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

Even the dull pain in his stomach had long since faded away.

“Hey! Where’s the money? Where’s the damn money?!”

The robber’s frustrated shout echoed from a distance.

Accompanied by rough noises, he was probably searching for a bankbook.

…There was no attachment to money now.

If the robber wanted it, he was welcome to take it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough left to satisfy him.

A warm sensation rose from the back of his throat, filling his mouth with the metallic taste of iron.

His breathing grew wheezy, and his consciousness started to blur.

People in the world envied him, calling him lucky for winning the lottery, but what was the reality of it? The thought struck him with a hint of bitter irony.

He had lost his place at work, lost his family, given away the fortune he had gained at such great cost, and now here he was, about to be stabbed to death by a robber.

It hardly seemed like the end of a “lucky” person.

(No, maybe I got it wrong from the start.)

As his fading consciousness began to unravel, he realized something.

Up until winning the lottery, his life had been ordinary but happy.

He had friends, a senior he respected, and a close-knit family.

Perhaps there was a way of living that suited each person, and he had simply strayed too far from his own path.

“…It’s frustrating, isn’t it?”

As if savoring the taste of iron in his mouth, he murmured weakly.

If there’s a next time,

he wished to live an ordinary, happy life, never again being swept away by power beyond his means.

With that unchangeable regret and hopeless wish in his heart, his consciousness was supposed to fade into darkness— or so it should have been.

“…Where am I?”

When he came to, he found himself standing in a completely white space.

The ground beneath his feet was soft and indistinct, like a cloud. The entire area was surrounded by walls resembling waterfalls, and above him stretched a sky as white as the ground below.

(I should have been stabbed by that robber and died… right?)

When he touched his stomach, the wound was gone, perfectly healed, and there was no blood. He stood there, stunned, feeling as though he’d been caught in a surreal dream.

“You have died. And now, you are being given an opportunity to reincarnate.”

“?!”

When he turned toward the voice, he saw an old man standing there.

The man had a long white beard like Santa Claus and an air of dignity about him.

“Are you…god?”

He voiced the word that instinctively came to mind, and the old man stroked his beard and nodded in response.

“Indeed. I am the god who governs the cycle of reincarnation. It is my duty to cleanse souls after death and return them to the world’s cycle. However, on rare occasions, I send souls with their memories intact to another world. You are one of those rare cases.”

“In other words, you’re saying I’m about to reincarnate?”

“It’s helpful that you understand quickly. The people from your world always grasp the situation immediately.”

That’s probably thanks to the influence of light novels and anime, he thought, shrugging internally.

After all, he himself had gone through a phase during his student years where he was obsessed with such things.

“So, if it’s rare, does that mean others have already been reincarnated into other worlds?”

“Indeed. If the same souls are recycled too often, the world stagnates and eventually breaks down. To prevent that, I periodically send souls to different worlds.”

“I see… So, does that mean I have some kind of mission, like defeating a demon lord or something?”

“Not at all. Simply living a normal life in another world will help alleviate the world’s stagnation. The reason for leaving your memories intact is to make that transition easier.”

While it felt a little anticlimactic, it was certainly a far better proposition than being told he had to save the world.

“You have no right to refuse reincarnation. As long as you were chosen and are here, you are already outside the cycle of the world.”

“…I see. Um, why was I chosen? From what I’ve heard, it seems like it could have been anyone.”

“That’s correct, it could have been anyone. There’s no reason for it to be you, and there’s no need to overthink it. If I had to say, it’s simply by chance—yes, you were fortunate enough to be chosen.”

“—Fortunate?”

The words that the god casually uttered made him grit his teeth.

For most people, those words would be comforting, but to him now, they were incredibly unpleasant.

The god, completely unaware of his inner feelings, continued explaining.

“The world you will be reborn into is one where [Skills] exist. Every person is born with an ability called [Skill].”

“Is it like swordsmanship or archery in RPGs?”

“That’s mostly correct, but [Skills] are as diverse as the people who have them. They cannot be put into a mold. And here’s the crucial point: as a soul from another world, you will not naturally develop the [Skill] you should have.”

“Isn’t that a bad thing…?”

“That’s why I brought you here. To grant you a [Skill].”

The moment the god said that, light began to overflow around them.

When he focused his eyes to look more closely, he saw that the light was made up of countless characters.

“This is a list of [Skills] from another world. You can choose any of them, or if you desire a certain power, I will grant it to you.”

“That means…?”

“I will grant you the [Skill] power you desire. It can be anything you want. Swordsmanship that surpasses even the Sword Saint, wisdom that transcends the Sage, eyes that even the primordial alchemist would envy, even immortality itself. If you wish for it, I can form it as a [Skill]. What you do with it is up to you; I will not interfere. Well, consider it an apology for forcibly reincarnating you.”

Upon hearing the god’s words, he ran his eyes over the glowing characters.

Swordsmanship, archery, blacksmithing, stress resistance, even titles—truly, there were countless names of [Skills] listed.

(From this, I can choose anything…)

He swallowed hard.

If he wished for it here and now, he could obtain the greatest power—that was the implication.

“—Now, what is it that you desire?”

At that voice, he gave a faint smile.

Then, he turned toward the god and slowly opened his mouth.

“Hmm, I don’t need a [Skill].”

“――――”

“If it’s a problem not to have a [Skill], then any suitable one would be enough.”

He said this with a calm heart.

He was rejecting all the potential statuses and fame he could acquire in this other world simply by wishing for them.

Some might think this was a waste.

But he felt that this was the right choice.

It had only been a short time ago.

He had gained an enormous fortune through sheer luck, and because of that, he had strayed from a simple, happy life and lost everything.

In his final moments, he thought.

If there was a next life,

He would never again seek power that didn’t suit him. He wanted to live a simple and happy life.

(Receiving any [Skill] power from the god would be the very definition of undeserved power.)

So, this was fine.

He thought firmly in his heart.

“——What in the world…!”

“God…?”

Suddenly, he noticed the god lowering their face and trembling all over.

He began to feel anxious, wondering if something he said had upset the god.

“I’m so moved!!!!”

“…Huh?”

Until then, the god had maintained a certain distance, but now they rushed up to him, grabbed both his hands firmly, and began shaking them back and forth with a beaming smile.

“Um…”

He was overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all, but the god continued, speaking in an excited manner.

“Honestly, nowadays, all the young ones are so greedy, always asking for the most powerful, cheat-like abilities. Some even go as far as asking for a skill that allows them to create skills! I’ve been forced to reincarnate people because of my own circumstances, and now they’re misunderstanding when I try to offer something in return!”

“U-Um, god…?”

He had seen someone like the god at his workplace.

It reminded him of a colleague who, after dealing with endless complaints, would vent all their frustrations at drinking parties.

Finally, the god began to cry tears like waterfalls.

“I’ve never met anyone so humble like you. I’m deeply moved!”

“Uh, I see…”

“Alright, I’ve decided! For someone like you, I’ll grant you a very special skill! One that will give you everything you need… No, even better! If you wish, I’ll grant you a skill that will allow you to reign at the very top of the world!”

“W-Wait, god, that’s—”

“Please stop,” was what he was about to say.

Suddenly, his voice disappeared. In fact, his body began to fade away.

It was as if he was going to disappear completely.

The god must have noticed this as well.

Finally, after catching their breath, they cleared their throat.

“Oops, this won’t do. It’s almost time. Well then, enjoy your new life. The power I have given you, use it as you wish.”

His body gently floated up, and the god’s figure grew distant beneath him.

Toward the god, who had become smaller than a dot, he shouted in his heart.

(Gooooood!! It’s a misunderstanding!!!)

And so, the man’s soul was reincarnated into another world.

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