Chapter 7

And then, the time came.

"Shuuuryooouu. Well, those who are done, let's move on."

The man who looked like a middle school student with blonde hair, in other words, God, snapped his fingers.

"Wilderness…?"

The moment God snapped his fingers, the scenery changed drastically. From inside the room, it transformed into a place with only red soil. The wilderness was a circular area about 30 meters in diameter, and beyond it was a cliff. Since I was at the edge of the wilderness, I couldn't help but see the cliff ahead. And the ground was far below.

If I fell, it would be instant death.

And there were about ten students in the wilderness.

Among them was my childhood friend.

"Hey!"

I called out to my childhood friend. But there was no response. It seemed my childhood friend was looking for someone, looking around, and when the person they were looking for wasn't there, they dropped their shoulders in disappointment.

"Hey!"

I called out again. But there was still no response.

I wondered what was going on and suddenly looked at my hands.

"They're transparent…"

I was confused. I thought I had just finished character creation, but now I was a ghost. What kind of bullying is this? Then, a savior appeared. Personally, I would have preferred a change.

"Kyo-kun! Were you surprised? There's a reason you're transparent!"

The blonde kid appeared. I wanted him to explain and then go away and bring someone else, but...

"Well, I'll explain later. Look at that!"

I really wanted him to go away, but he didn't explain. I looked in the direction he pointed. There appeared a figure that could be called a Valkyrie from a game. She had rare beauty, pure white wings, and a beautiful blue armor that captivated all who saw it.

Yeah, she was definitely a Valkyrie.

"Thank you for your hard work on character creation. I will now begin the explanation, so please listen."

Her voice was beautiful. Why was God standing next to her?

I felt the injustice of the world.

"Now, I will begin the explanation. Everyone, please say 'Status' first."

I also said "Status" quietly.

Then, the content I had decided on during character creation appeared before my eyes.

============================

Name: Kyo Shinjo

Race: Half-vampire

HP: 100

MP: 50

STR: 60

DEF: 60

INT: 35

AGL: 45

DEX: 45

Skills

Appraisal: Level 3, Proficiency 0/150

Stealth: Level 4, Proficiency 0/200

Detection: Level 3, Proficiency 0/100

Fire Magic: Level 4, Proficiency 0/300

Spirit Magic: Level 1, Proficiency 0/50

Intuition: Level 5, Proficiency ---------

Items

Iron Sword

Cloth Clothing

Leather Pants

Item Box

Travel Set

Foreign World Money Set (Small)

=============================

God peered over, grinning.

If I hit him, it would probably be game over.

I thought about it but didn't act.

"Did you see it? The content you decided on during character creation should be displayed. Don't worry, you can only see your own status."

But God is looking at it too...

The words almost slipped out, but I held back and listened to the explanation.

"Now, those who decided within the time limit will receive a random skill as a bonus. The skill will be granted after the transfer to the foreign world, so pray for a good one. Also, if you had a notable skill on Earth, it might be carried over to the foreign world. That's also up to luck. Pray for it. Additionally, if you have a racial skill, it will be added. Pray for it."

How many times do I have to pray...

But the Valkyrie was extremely serious and didn't seem to be joking.

"You will be transferred to the foreign world in five minutes, so please prepare. At that time, if you hold hands with someone, you will be transferred as a party. Please use this opportunity. Your race will change after the transfer. Do you have any questions?"

The Valkyrie said this and looked around.

A woman hesitantly raised her hand.

"Um... what about the others?"

"They are still in character creation. Unfortunately, it means there was no connection this time. If you have any complaints, direct them to God."

Some of my classmates were holding their heads or screaming.

God was laughing evilly at the sight. He really has a bad personality.

It seemed no one else had any questions. Some were chatting in groups, while others were alone. It felt like they were looking at me. I won't say which group I was in.

"Now, Kyo-kun, let's move on to the explanation. What was it? Oh, right, the reason your body is transparent. The reason is simple. You used a hidden skill, right? If you couldn't understand the foreign world's language, it would be pointless if you had companions around, right? It would be disappointing. So, you were the only one sent flying! To avoid being recognized, you were made transparent! But, it's good, right? Now you have a reason to be alone! Imagine if you had to form a group of two! You wouldn't like that, Kyo-kun!"

God said this, knowing something I didn't. I wanted to argue.

If I asked my childhood friend, they would probably form a party with me!

I'm sure... probably.

"But, Kyo-kun, you did a good job finding it. People nowadays don't know about hidden pages. In the early days of the internet, there were all sorts of hidden pages. Some would take you to different pages when you clicked on a part of an image. Thinking back, it was fun."

God chuckled.

"Well, there was a hint, right?"

"Hint?"

I spoke casually, but God didn't seem to mind.

So, I continued without changing my tone.

I felt it was a cheap act of defiance.

"Yeah, the hint was in the character creation and Q&A."

There was another reason I spoke casually.

I judged that this person wouldn't get angry at such a tone. I have confidence in my ability to read people, and it seemed I was right.

"Can I ask more about it?"

"Can't you read minds?"

If my mind was read, I wouldn't be able to hide anything and would have to tell the truth.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Kyo-kun, what do you think conversations are for? Reading minds is such a boring thing. It's like a game of catch. Let's have fun!"

You were reading minds at first.

I wanted to point that out but didn't.

Instead, I sighed deeply and then explained.

"...So, I decided. I thought character creation wasn't God's favor but a trial. If it was a trial, there must be a way out. I just searched around and found it."

I considered entering commands like in some games but didn't use them. It seemed like it would cause a self-destruct, and I was scared. This was enough.

God listened to the explanation, then after a moment of shock, smiled.

"Great job, Kyo-kun!"

It was a pure smile, not the usual grin.

"You did a great job figuring it out. I'm happy! Now, since you've passed the trial, I should give you a reward..."

"I decline."

I interrupted God's explanation and refused.

My intuition was warning me.

"No, no, don't be shy! What would you like? How about this!"

God grinned and snapped his fingers.

At that moment, a cute girl appeared. She was only about 20 cm tall but was a beautiful girl with dragonfly-like wings on her back. I had seen something like this in comics. Yes, it was...

"A fairy...?"

"Exactly. I thought you might be lonely in the foreign world and unable to make friends. So, I'm giving you a fairy. This will end your lonely life."

"What? What is this? I'm so small! And I can fly?

God, why? Is this your doing? What? What?"

"Hey, the fairy is confused..."

The fairy didn't seem to understand what was happening, looking around and at God frantically.

"Al. Your punishment wasn't decided yet. You will travel with Kyo-kun here as a fairy. That's your punishment. Good luck!"

"Travel together? I'll be... violated!"

"Are you serious! This guy is rude!"

What is this fairy saying? I have no such strange sexual preferences.

"Ha... Anyway, I'm Kyo Shinjo. We'll be traveling together. Nice to meet you."

But I couldn't stay like this forever.

I swallowed my pride and introduced myself to the fairy.

"Um, I'm probably Artemis. Call me Al."

Al answered hesitantly.

"Probably?"

I was about to ask what she meant, but God spoke first.

"Ah, having a fairy without any skills might be suspicious. Perfect. I'll give you the 'Training' skill!"

"Change it!"

I immediately responded, forgetting what I was about to ask.

No matter how useful a skill, the word 'training' sounded unpleasant.

"Discarding it would be a waste! You should accept people's kindness. It will also give a reason for Al to be with you.

Ah, it's almost time. Is there anything you want to say?"

"Can I leave a message?"

I looked God in the eye and said.

There was no playful atmosphere.

"Message?"

God tilted his head.

I pointed to my childhood friend in the wilderness.

"Tell the childhood friend over there.

I'm fine. You tend to take risks. Just focus on surviving. I'll take care of the rest."

"Got it, got it. I'll pass it on!"

God grinned. It was an unsettling response, but I wanted to believe it would be okay. It must be okay. I tried to convince myself.

"Well, it's time. Have a good journey in the foreign world of Alhazar! Al, good luck!"

And so, my journey to the foreign world began.

October 11th revision.

Adjusted the message to the childhood friend to match the book version.

From the next chapter, I will omit the ruby for the fairy's name.

Al: "Let's go to the foreign world!"

Kyo: "Sigh, I want to go back to Earth."

Al: "But it hasn't even started yet!"

God: "Ah, if you enter a command, you'll learn the 'Self-Destruct' skill."

Kyo: "I'm glad I didn't..."