Kays Translations

Chapter 1: The Reincarnation Cliché

I used to think that those “near-death experience” stories on TV—where they said a person’s brain stays alive for a while even after the heart stops—might actually be true.

Why was I thinking about that? Because I’d gone mountain stream fishing and got caught in a torrential downpour.

The forecast had promised “partly cloudy with a chance of light rain,” but it turned into a complete deluge.

When it rains like that, the river always floods, so the only option was to get to higher ground. Heading downstream would just waste time, so I started climbing the slope.

The ground, trees, and underbrush were slick with rain, making the climb hard, but once I reached a spot that would stay safe even if the river swelled, I felt relieved.

Looking down, I saw the water level rising fast—going back by river was impossible.

I figured there was no point waiting for the rain to stop, so I kept climbing. If I crossed the ridge, I’d reach a prefectural road.

I looked for a place to take shelter and found a small hollow on the slope covered with bamboo grass.

Fortunately, the leaves on the ground weren’t wet—perfect for an emergency campsite.

I always carried gear and rations for overnight stays when I went stream fishing.

I changed out of my soaked clothes under the bamboo canopy, stepped into the hollow—and froze.

Oh crap. I must’ve stepped into a pocket of loose leaves that had piled up. I didn’t feel any pain, but my body wouldn’t move. Was this oxygen deprivation from some kind of inert gas?

If I die here, no one will ever find the body…

Even so, my consciousness didn’t fade. I couldn’t feel my limbs, but I was completely aware.
No god appeared before me.

“Oh, gods and Buddha, and Allah too—if I still have consciousness, please let me into the cycle of reincarnation…”

That was my last thought as everything went dim. I don’t know how long I drifted like that—time didn’t seem to exist.

Then suddenly, I felt like I was floating… or falling… as something pulled my body, or maybe my soul, along.

A moment later, I was cast out from a warm place into a chilly one—and only after a while did I realize what that meant.

I’d been reborn.

Every day, I’d burp, get my back patted, and be laid down in bed. When my vision cleared, I realized what had happened—I’d become a baby.

Reincarnation, without a doubt. And my memories were completely intact.

My name in my past life was Koichi Takasu, age 27. Died while escaping a flash flood during a fishing trip.

They’d probably list me as a missing person. The car I left by the river would be found, but with that storm, they’d assume I drowned and eventually call off the search.

My family relationships had been… fine. Not bad, not close. I’d lived alone, so I doubted they’d grieve too deeply. The life insurance payout wasn’t much, but it should help my parents’ retirement.

My only regret was never finishing the light novel I’d been reading. But that couldn’t be helped.

As I grew, I learned that I was in a poor family, living in a stone-walled house, but my new mother was beautiful.

When I first noticed her chest while breastfeeding, I thought, What a sight! Then hunger won out, an embarrassing defeat for any man.

While I was wallowing in that humiliation, something incredible happened: magic.

When my mother changed my diaper, she said “Clean!” and a faint glow enveloped me. Just like that, I was fresh and dry.

There wasn’t much information yet, but clearly, this was a world where magic existed.

It was so much like the fantasy worlds from light novels that I couldn’t help laughing—but as a baby, all that came out was “ah” and “uh.”

When I started practicing baby babble, I hit a snag.

With my past-life memories intact, I had to be careful not to say anything suspicious.

Luckily, by listening to my parents and siblings talk, I picked up the local language naturally. But if I suddenly started speaking fluently, I’d definitely cause a stir.

So I played the part of a quiet kid—and everyone just assumed I was shy and odd.

Being born in a world so different from modern Japan, it was no wonder my thinking didn’t quite fit.

My parents both worked, so my older sister took care of me. She was nine years older—fifteen when I was six—and my two brothers were still brats, so I didn’t have much in common with them.

By age five, I’d begun to understand the world a bit and was shocked.

It was exactly like a light novel setting.

I was convinced some Japanese author must’ve reincarnated from this world and written about it.
Or maybe someone from our world had reincarnated here and introduced all the measurements and systems!

Ugh. Thinking about it made my head hurt.

A day had 24 hours, a month had 30 days, a year had 12 months—no leap years.

A week had six days, five weeks per month. Simple enough.

I hadn’t seen the moon yet, but I prayed it wasn’t a huge red one.

Currency was decimal-based, with the unit called a dara.

• Iron coin = 100 dara
• Copper coin = 1,000 dara
• Silver coin = 10,000 dara
• Gold coin = 100,000 dara

No smaller coins existed—everything was sold in bundles starting at 100 dara. Reasonable enough, really.

Length was measured in cm, m, and km; weight in g, kg, and tons. Familiar units, thank you, fellow reincarnator.

The world had a medieval European vibe, with magic and skills instead of technology.

So far, I’d only seen my mother’s household magic, so I didn’t yet know what else existed. But I couldn’t help feeling a little excited.

By listening carefully, I pieced together my family’s details:

• Father: Harold, 60
• Mother: Betty, 54
• Eldest sister: Belinda, 15
• Eldest brother: Morris, 13
• Second brother: Ralph, 10
• Me: the youngest, 6 years old

Belinda, my sister, had received her Blessing Ceremony and was granted Water Magic, Potion-Making Skill, Cooking Skill, and Sewing Skill.

From her, I learned a lot about this world’s system of magic and skills.

Apparently, the Ten Great Magic and numerous skills were gifts from the Creator Goddess, Felicienne.

Even without being granted a skill, people could still master one through training and surpass the blessed.

Belinda, having gained the potion-making skill, planned to become an apothecary after her coming-of-age ceremony.

The Ten Great Magic were:
Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Ice, Barrier, Teleportation, Storage, and Healing.

Skills included things like potion-making, appraisal, cooking, and sewing—both work-related and daily-life ones.

And sometimes, if someone excelled in something even without divine blessing, a unique skill could awaken naturally.

It’s fairly well known that the Tamer Skill is usually used to control livestock such as cattle or horses. However, among adventurers, there are some who raise wild beasts from infancy to serve them — and in such cases, they are said to acquire the Tamer Skill.

According to the gossip from the neighborhood housewives, my father works at a brewery that produces ale, while my mother helps in the kitchen of a hotel.

I’m the youngest of four siblings — the third son. Depending on the results of the upcoming Blessing Ceremony, when I come of age, I’ll probably have to leave home to work as an apprentice somewhere or become an adventurer.

* * * * * * *

I started attending the church at age nine to receive basic education, and before long, my Life Magic manifested.

My mother and sister were overjoyed, and immediately went to the church, where they paid a generous offering to have my mana measured — it turned out to be 27.

They said that Life Magic can be used with as little as 7 mana, and with 27, the chances of receiving a proper magic gift are quite high.

However, there are some people with about 10 mana who still can’t use Life Magic. My second brother, Ralph, falls into that category, with only 8 mana.

When Ralph heard about my mana, he became sulky.
He was the only one in our family of six who couldn’t use Life Magic, so it was understandable.

Father and my eldest brother could barely use it, with mana levels of 12 and 11 respectively. Mother and my sister had 16 and 25. That made me the one with the highest mana in the family.

By the way, around the age of 10 — when Life Magic usually manifests — it becomes possible to measure mana.
It’s said that people who are frail tend to have low mana, often below 10.

Apparently, those with mana below 5 almost never live past the age of 10, while those between 5 and 10 often have weak constitutions.

If your mana is 20 or higher when Life Magic manifests, the odds of receiving an elemental magic gift rise considerably. My sister Belinda received Water Magic, and her mana increased to 60.

But this Blessing Ceremony is quite tricky.
Even with 29 mana — the highest possible for Life Magic — there’s still no guarantee you’ll be granted magic.

It’s only a probability thing. Out of 100 participants, only about 20 to 30 actually receive magic.

And even if you do receive a gift, if your mana only increases a little, you’ll quickly run out of energy and collapse whenever you try to use it.

That’s why those with low mana usually don’t bother participating — it would be pointless.

It’s said that fewer than half of those who receive offensive or healing magic and reach 75 mana or higher can actually use their magic freely.

I’m the youngest of four siblings. My sister Belinda is apprenticing at the Apothecaries’ Guild, though it will take her some time to become a full-fledged member.

My eldest brother, Morris, is planning to start working as an apprentice at the same ale brewery where Father works, once he completes his coming-of-age ceremony this year.

Ralph, my second brother, just turned thirteen and will finish basic schooling this year. He plans to help out at the hotel, earn some pocket money, and look for work.

Mother began teaching me how to sense mana pools and the basics of mana control.
It was then that I learned for the first time that she’s a half-blood — half Cat beastman and half Elf.

I was surprised, since although she’s very beautiful, her appearance is closer to that of a Cat beastman. The only elven traits she has are her refined looks and her tall stature.

Father, on the other hand, looks completely like a Silver Wolf beastman: silver hair, sharp eyes, and a sturdy build — one hundred percent wolf.

My sister takes after Mother, and I apparently resemble her as well.
So, as it turns out, I’m one-quarter Cat beastman, one-quarter Elf, and half Silver Wolf beastman.

I never really noticed before, probably because I’ve been used to seeing my family since I was a baby.

By the way, my eldest brother Morris is like a more delicate version of Father, while Ralph looks like a Silver Wolf beastman with a bit of elven features mixed in.

When I asked what I looked like, Mother said.

“You’re still a child, but you’ve inherited the Cat beastman traits most strongly, just like me.”

Despite being half-Elf, Mother actually has low mana and never received any magic gift — something I found curious.

Well, she says that even among full-blooded Elves, there are plenty of people with low mana who never receive magic.

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