Chapter 2

In Eternal Magic, the group known as the "Clearing Party" had quickly obtained the information I had leaked and were defeating the bosses that respawned in the dungeons I had already cleared. Since I couldn't reveal my hand, I didn't get to enjoy the position of guild master, and it took years to accumulate the assets of two trillion Eternas, which I had earned almost entirely through solo play.

"Being a guild master was just a matter of circumstances... The one who ran it was someone else."

‘I can’t thank Mikoto and Marume enough for their support. I still think Marume’s name is a bit off, though.’

"You use honorifics in your thoughts. You could have used a keyboard to talk in real life, you know."

"Sh-shut up... I would have been called weird and that would have been the end of it."

‘I did consider it once, but I didn’t want to be treated as a meme character. I’m obviously a social misfit.’

In the world of games and anime, it’s sometimes acceptable to communicate through writing, but in the world of online games, it allowed me to become a "solo player who gives everyone information" and a "guild master to be respected." Even now, after causing my parents so much trouble and dying, I can’t help but think that I shouldn’t have played online games. However, I can’t say to my parents that I wish I hadn’t played, as I can’t ask them to forgive me for the trouble I caused by dying.

"So... why did... why did you call me, a god?"

Indeed, I can’t look at this god’s face properly... but this god is really beautiful. I thought there weren’t many girls cuter than Hina, but my heart is wavering a bit.

Maybe she likes me... or maybe, since we’re talking about games, and if the god likes games, she might think I have some potential.

"Yes, that’s right. You’re quite sharp to figure it out so precisely."

"Oh... you can read my thoughts... and a game-loving god? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?"

‘Is this for real... is she really a game lover? Is this a case of one god discarding and another picking up? If this beautiful god is really picking me up, I’d be happy. But I’m probably not even in her sights...’

Indeed, my thoughts are leaking out. It’s disrespectful to think about a god’s beauty, but there’s no hiding it.

"I’ll skip the details because it would be unfair to the others who will be reincarnated. But I like you enough to have this ‘interview.’"

"What... what do you like about me...?"

She smoothed her long silver hair, and smiled like a Western beauty I had seen online.

"Because you were unhappy. You lost everything in Eternal Magic, where you had poured everything into it."

"...Ah, I see, pity. You like me because I’m pitiful. What a taste you have."

‘I’m being pitied... but objectively, I was unhappy. I was a shut-in who had abandoned reality for online games. What potential could someone like me have...’

"Eternal Magic is a game that recreates the world I oversee. At least in the game, you were sincerely enjoying life. I wanted to welcome you into my world as one of my people. I didn’t expect you to die and truly reincarnate, though."

"...Really? If I hadn’t died, I could have transferred while still alive...?"

I could have gone to the world of Eternal Magic, which had captivated me so much.

However, I think that reincarnating once is just right for me.

"Yes... you wanted to restart your life. Losing Hina was very painful for you."

"...Kousuke is a better match for Hina than I am. Besides, it’s not like she was taken from me. We weren’t even dating, so thinking that way is just foolish."

‘But I was foolish enough to think that. When I heard from my brother that Hina and Kousuke were dating, I felt even more like I didn’t want to leave the house. I couldn’t face them.’

In the end, I never found out what Hina and Kousuke were arguing about before I died. Now, it doesn’t matter.

"Yes... I liked the fact that you lost your love. You were in a one-sided love that ended without reciprocation, and you even sacrificed your life to protect her. These will be added as bonus points for your reincarnation."

"What... what do you mean by bonus points? Hina’s situation has nothing to do with my unhappiness..."

‘It’s my own fault. I acted on my own and died on my own. Getting a bonus for that seems too convenient.’

"You’re fundamentally serious... I like that about you. You acted on your own and died on your own, but how do you think the person you protected feels?"

"Such... such a thing... how would I know?"

‘From what I know, Hina is a kind girl. I hope she doesn’t blame herself...’

I hope she forgets about me quickly.

But... did I really save Hina? In the rain, when the truck was about to hit her, I pushed her away... and then lost consciousness.

"I can’t tell you the answer to that now."

"Why... why not..."

I can’t speak properly and stutter. It’s faster to think without looking at the goddess.

‘Why won’t you tell me? Was my death in vain...?’

"I’m not here to tell you everything. I’m here to evaluate you. I’ve taken some time to explain, but I’ll start now."

"What... what do you mean by evaluation?"

‘Is this about the bonus points for reincarnation...?’

In my heart, communication is going smoothly. The goddess smiled happily and held her hand in front of my eyes.

"First, you will be able to call up windows after reincarnation. You can assume that everything you could do in Eternal Magic will be possible."

"...What, what’s the point of that?"

‘If only I can use windows, won’t it be like a cheat? Won’t I be suspected by NPCs or the people of the other world...?’

"You can try it out and see. You should figure out how to handle it quickly. After all, your reality was Eternal Magic."

The goddess is stating a simple fact, not mocking me. To me, the game was more significant than reality.

However, Eternal Magic was a type of RPG that combined 2D and 3D, not a game with graphics that were indistinguishable from reality...

"You’ll see. You can think of the game world, which was displayed with simplified graphics, as being fully realized in reality."

The map, characters, and systems are the same... I guess. At first, it will feel like I’m entering a highly evolved version of the Eternal Magic world.

"Yes, as you imagined. Your new world will be much easier to live in than the one you were in."

"...Hmph."

‘Well, that’s probably true... but if I didn’t have negotiation skills, I...’

"I’ll give you bonus points now. Not as the top player of Eternal Magic, but for the misfortunes you experienced in your life."

"Why... why do I get bonus points for that..."

Usually, bonus points are given for achievements in life, right? As I thought about this, I read the text that appeared in the window in front of me.

■---Bonus Points Evaluation for Morokazu Hiroto---■

1: Losing the love of your life (childhood friend) - 96 points

2: Losing all your assets due to account hacking - 150 points

3: Dying by being hit by a truck - 10 points

Total: 255 points

"Wh-what... why so many... and the total is wrong, isn’t it?"

‘Besides, being hit by a truck and dying is treated as a bonus... isn’t that the biggest misfortune? Logically speaking...’

"The bonus points cap at 255. In Eternal Magic, it was the same, right? I could give you more, but in the game, the initial bonus is 10, so 255 is already a great deal. You earned a total of 230 bonus points in the game, right? Even more than that would be insufficient for my world’s generosity."

I was so unfortunate in my new life that my bonus points maxed out...? There must be many people who are more unfortunate and have worked harder than me...

Besides, with 100 bonus points, you can dominate from the start depending on how you allocate them, and with 255, you can max out two skills and still have points left over.

"Only players of Eternal Magic will be reincarnated into the other world. Among them, you experienced the kind of misfortune that I like... just looking at you gives me chills."

"H-huh!?"

‘Is that just a weird hobby... is that why the evaluation for being hit by a truck is low? Is it okay for a goddess to do that? But getting bonus points is indeed helpful...’

"Yes, take them. I don’t want to see a shut-in who dedicated his life to games. I want you to live in the other world as the character name ‘Zeklith,’ just as you lived in the game."

Zeklith. One of the three characters I created in Eternal Magic, the one I used until the end.

I was the guild master of the guild "Stairway to Heaven," which had a thousand members, and also the name I used as the guild’s bulletin board manager.

In a sense, he was my alter ego. I can’t count how many times I wished I could switch places with Zeklith in the game.

The next update will be around 20:00.