Chapter 2

Unfamiliar ceiling... or rather, there was no ceiling at all.

With a dazed mind, I thought to myself.

Where am I?

And what time is it?

I looked at my watch... oh no! I've missed my interview time!

...Ah, this is bad.

Well, there's nothing I can do. I might as well go to Family Mart and buy some sukiyaki ice or kelp dashi hot pot pudding.

Wait, which way is the station?

Actually...

"Where am I?"

Not only was there no ceiling, there was no ground, no road, no buildings, no sky. I was in a completely white space.

Why am I here?

Right, a truck crashed, and a lot of horses came out from it—then what?

Did I die?

"Yeah, you did. You passed away. The truck that stole 20 horses from a ranch had an accident, and you got caught up in the horses that escaped."

So, I died. And that truck not only ran a red light but also stole horses.

If I'm dead, Mili will be sad.

But I think Mili can live on strongly even alone... if she gets taken in by my uncle, she'll have to transfer schools.

Ha, if that happens, even if I'm dead, Mili will be mad at me.

If I can appear at her grave, I'll have to prepare to kneel in apology.

Hmm? I thought I heard someone's voice just now.

The one who told me I was dead.

Who was it?

"To ignore a goddess, you must have some nerve."

Huh? A goddess?

I turned around involuntarily at the seductive voice and froze.

I couldn't move, like a frog stared down by a snake or a warrior by Medusa.

There was an orc in a white dress.

Damn, I thought I was dead, but now I'm in another world, and the first encounter is with an orc. This is too hard.

I haven't even received any cheat abilities yet.

"Who said I'm an orc? I said I'm a goddess."

The orc... no, the goddess said in an angry tone.

Did she read my mind!?

"Are you really a goddess?"

I asked, half-believing, half-doubting.

"Yeah, that's right. So, you're dead, but you've been given a once-in-a-billion chance to transfer to another world. Your age and appearance will remain the same, so it's not a reincarnation. What do you want to do? Die here or live a new life in another world?"

"Um, can I go back to my original world? If I stay here, my sister will have to transfer schools."

"It's not possible. I'm not being mean; it's really not possible."

Gah, it's not possible.

Then, the only way is to live a new life in another world.

"However, if you transfer as you are, you'll die soon in the other world. So, I'll give you a special power called a blessing. By the way, have you ever played a game? Not Tetris or Solitaire, but a role-playing game."

"...Yes, a few kinds."

A role-playing game, literally a game where you play a role.

You control a hero or a swordsman, gain experience points to level up and become stronger, and play by inputting commands.

Perhaps games like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Tales series are well-known.

"The world you'll transfer to is like such a game. There are monsters, and when you defeat them, you gain experience points and items to grow. Actually, the role-playing games in your world were created by a god who intervened in human subconsciousness to explain the concept of transferring to another world to people like you."

I was told a shocking fact.

So, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and even before that, Dungeons & Dragons, were created by a god. I was surprised. Maybe authors who write stories about transferring to another world are also influenced by a god.

"So, I'll give you one ability. What kind of ability do you want? I recommend something like becoming a hero right away."

"No, I'm not really into being a hero. Is it impossible to become instantly rich?"

"It's not impossible, but are you sure? For example, what do you think would happen if 100 trillion yen was deposited into your bank account in Japan?"

Ah, that would be tough.

The person who deposited it would be unknown, and I wouldn't be able to explain how I got 100 trillion yen.

So, maybe I shouldn't get a huge diamond either. It might be treated as stolen goods.

The other recommended abilities the goddess mentioned were teleportation and skill theft, which are famous cheat abilities.

Teleportation is convenient for trading, but it doesn't make you stronger.

Skill theft is out of the question. Stealing skills from others would give me a stomachache, and I'd be hated if I got caught.

"Can I have a safe 100 times experience points?"

"100 times is impossible. The limit is 20 times."

"Okay, I'll take 20 times. Ah, if I have two of the same blessings, will it be 400 times?"

"No, it won't. 20 times means +1900%. Even with two of the same blessings, it's only 39 times. Also, I can only give you one blessing."

I see. Then, that's fine.

I told the goddess, "Then, I'll take 20 times experience points."

"Alright, I'm leaving. Enjoy your life in the other world. I won't give you any special mission."

The goddess said and left.

My life in the other world is about to begin.

First, I'll defeat the slimes around the castle and aim for level 99... or something like that.

I really feel sorry for Mili, but if I'm going to do this, I'll enjoy my life in the other world seriously.

My life in the other world is about to begin.

It's about to begin.

It's really about to begin.

It's almost about to begin.

It's about to begin.

Hey, when is it going to begin?

"Goddess! There's no sign of me transferring to the other world!"

...No response.

Nothing happens.

No matter how long I wait, nothing happens.

Is it a bug? A freeze?

What should I do?

"Goddess! Goddess! Goddess! Goddess! Goddess!"

I couldn't help but shout.

If I stay in this empty space, I'll go crazy.

"Oops, sorry... I fell asleep. I am the goddess."

A child appeared from my feet.

A child with a bad attitude, wearing a white robe and having blonde twin-tails.

"...Huh?"

"Yes, it's understandable that you're surprised. First, let me tell you. You are dead. But you have a once-in-a-billion chance."

Then, the child goddess continued to say the same things the fat goddess said earlier.

Eh, this is also a once-in-a-billion chance?

Did the goddess double-book me?

The probability of that is one in 100 quintillion, I think.

"Finally, I will grant you a blessing."

"...Ah, 20 times experience points—"

I already got 20 times experience points.

I was about to say that when—

"20 times experience points is not in my list of blessings... but I'll give you something similar. I'll continue my nap, so enjoy your life in the other world."

As the goddess disappeared, my consciousness became hazy.

Ah, I was misunderstood.

Well, it's my fault for trying to be honest, so it's fine.

So, I guess I have 39 times experience points now.

Hmm, maybe I should have chosen teleportation for the second one.

I regretted it as I lost consciousness.

At that moment, I didn't realize it.

The blessing given by the child goddess was that the experience points needed for level-up were 1/20.

In other words, if 100 experience points were normally needed for a level-up, it would only take 5 experience points.

Thus, I ended up in a state where I could grow 400 times faster than others, but I didn't realize it at the time.

For now, this is the first four chapters of the story.

When did I ever hallucinate that the goddess was beautiful?