As the man opened his eyes, he noticed the shining white walls around him and a group of people dressed in kimonos bowing in front of him.
???: Ah, I see that my mental health deteriorated to the point that my parents sent me to the rubber room.
The attempt at a joke was only met with silence.
???: The least you could do is chuckle.
????: Excuse us, young man, we made a mistake.
???: What do you mean?
????: You see, we killed you. We meant to kill Naofumi Iwata, but instead we killed you, Naofumi Iwatani.
Naofumi Iwatani: So you're saying I'm dead?
The god in front of him stood straight.
????: Yes, and once again we're very sorry.
Naofumi Iwatani: Wait, how did you kill me?
????: We gave you a heart attack so that you would die in your sleep.
Naofumi: And why were you trying to kill the other guy?
????: Well, he was a well-known thief, and we decided that enough was enough. But don't worry, we'll reincarnate you in another world, and we will give you any skill you wish for.
Naofumi: Before that, can the six of you give me your names?
????: Of course! My name is Inochi, I am the god of life. The red-haired goddess is named Chikara, goddess of power. The short one is Sakushin, the god of creativity. The armor-clad Man is Kamisen, god of war. The woman in the robe is Mahoshin, goddess of magic. And the woman in the back is Shishin, goddess of death.
The man stood, not speaking, still trying to figure out what was going on.
Naofumi: About those powers.
Inochi: Yes?
Naofumi: Will I be granted one from each of you or just one?
Inochi: We can grant you up to two abilities you want, as long as they aren't something like "Godhood" or "Immortality".
Naofumi: I see. By the way, how different will the other world be from my own?
Mahoshin: As you probably guessed by now, the other world has magic powers, which you will be able to use, but it's also a bit less advanced than your old world, so things like electricity or fuel-based modes of transportation don't exist.
Naofumi: I see, then, for my first ability, do you think that I could create my own spells?
Mahoshin: As in, you want the ability to come up with your own incantations that grant you unique effects upon casting?
Naofumi: Yeah, something like that.
Mahoshin: Done. I shall also grant you proficiency in every element.
Naofumi: Thank you very much. How many elements are there, by the way?
Mahoshin: When it comes to magic, the eight basic elements are split up into subcategories. The main ones are fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, gravity, and void.
Naofumi: Okay. Do you think that you could also give me the power to create my own skills? You could make it so that when I create a skill, it drains a certain amount of mana from me.
After speaking those words, he noticed the creativity god chuckling.
Sakushin: In all the years that we spent gifting reincarnates with skills, not one person thought to ask such a request. But, it's not as bad as some skills we were asked to grant, so I shall allow it.
Naofumi: I don't have anything more in mind, so I think I'm ready.
Inochi: Well then, Nao, I hope you will have a happy life.
As the man opened his eyes, he noticed the bright sun shining in his face. When he looked at his hands, he saw a weird writing that he somehow could understand.
Naofumi: I guess they gave me the ability to understand this language. This says Status Open.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a small, see-through square appeared in his hand. At the top, it said "Abilities" and below it were skills called "Elemental Power", "Skill Maker", and "Prophet Of The Gods". After trying to touch where the last ability was placed, the name suddenly appeared at the top, and below it was an explanation.
Naofumi: "Prophet Of The Gods" info: when in a church, allows the skill holder to contact specific gods by saying their name. Sounds pretty useful. Alright, let's start by making sure I won't get killed so easily. Skill maker.
The small square changed its appearance, with spots for ability name, description, and cost replacing everything else. After writing for a bit, a new skill appeared in the man's abilities window.
New skill acquired
Skill name:Guide
Skill description:You gain the ability to project a small map, which allows you to find your location. The places on the map can only be shown after being uncovered. To uncover a place the you need to be within 10 meters of it.
Price:40 MP (current MP: 280)
After making sure that the skill was made to his liking, Naofumi pressed confirm, and felt as the mana slowly left his body, confirming that the skill was created.
Naofumi: Alright, before I start looking for a town, I should first create a spell to defend myself in this forest.
New spell acquired
Spell name:Fireball
Spell incantation:Powerful goddess of magic, I beseech thee, heed my calls and grant me the power to create a ball of flames.
Spell cost:5MP
Price:10MP (current MP: 240)
Naofumi: Maybe I should also make something that would help me in hand-to-hand combat?
New skill acquired
Skill name:Close combat
Skill description:You gain the ability to use many hand-to-hand combat styles at the same level as a professional.
Price:100MP (current MP: 230)
After gaining the power to protect himself, the hero got up and started his journey in another world. Deciding to head south, he went towards a giant tree that he saw far away, thinking that he might find a village nearby. The moment he gets inside the forest, he starts feeling like someone is watching him. The feeling continues to linger as he walks and fights his way through the forest. Looking at the sky, he notices the sun beginning to set.
Naofumi: I think I should call it a day for now and eat something before going to bed.
He creates a campfire out of branches lying on the ground and begins to prepare some meat from a monster he slayed, when suddenly he hears a terrifying howl.
Naofumi: What the hell was that?!
The Howling sound seems to be pretty close, but he also notices something. It's not a howl of a monster that wants to attack, it's more like the monster is hurt.
Naofumi: ... I think I should check it out, just in case
The man started walking towards the howling, making sure to make as little sound as possible. After a minute, he notices a white, wolf-like creature lying on the ground. The monster seems to be in a lot of pain, its hind legs covered in blood.
Naofumi: I know this is just a monster, but if I don't do something, it might die.
New spell acquired
Spell name:Healing water
Incantation:god of life, I beseech thee. Heed my plea, and give my allies the strength to carry on.
Spell cost:15MP
Price:15MP (current MP: 145)
After creating the spell, the man slowly approaches the beast, making sure not to make any sudden moves. Even though he tries his best to seem friendly, as soon as the monster notices him, it starts growling.
Naofumi: Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. I came here to help you heal your wounds.
After saying that, he puts his hand near the creature's back legs and starts the incantation.
Naofumi: God of life, I beseech thee. Heed my plea, and gi- shit!
Without realising it, He accidentally touched the beast. In response, it bit his arm, drawing some blood. As much as it hurt him, he had something important to focus on.
Naofumi: Heed my plea, and give my allies the strength to carry on.
After saying the incantation, a shining green sphere appeared in his hand, floating onto the monster and healing its wounds. After the pain started disappearing, the wolf-like creature stopped biting into his hand and started licking it, so that he would feel less pain.
Naofumi: Don't worry, the important thing is that you are safe now. Let's eat something.
Saying that, he reached into his bag and pulled out some meat gathered from killing wild boars. Naofumi quickly created a campfire and started grilling the meat. While the meat was getting cooked, he quickly healed himself. He suddenly heard a quiet *ding* and noticed that he had a message in his status screen. The message said, "The Fenrir would like to become your familiar".
Naofumi: So you're a Fenrir, huh? Alright then.
After pressing the confirm button, he looked at the Fenrir wagging its tail.
Fenrir: Thank you very much, Master.
Naofumi: Hold on, you can speak?!
Fenrir: Yes, I can speak with the people in a contract with me or anyone in a party with my Master.
Naofumi: I see. Do you have a name?
Fenrir: Yes, my name is Kinben.
Naofumi: Alright then, will you have a problem with me calling you Kin?
Kinben: Absolutely not. After saving me from death, I am glad that you want to give me a nickname.
Naofumi: So, Kin, are you ready to eat? The food will get burned if we don't take it off now.
Kinben: If that's how it is, then we shall eat, master.
After the meal, Naofumi went to sleep, while the beast took on the first night watch.
The next day, after a light breakfast, Naofumi and his new companion went further into the forest, looking for a village. While walking south, he started hearing weird noises coming from up ahead.
Naofumi: Kin, do you think you could go check it out?
Kinben: Of course, Master.
The beast jumped into the bushes in front of them, disappearing completely. The man decided to wait for his familiar's return and try something out.
Skill creation failed
Skill name:Wordless caster
Skill description:You can now cast spells without using incantations.
Price:400MP (current MP: 280)
Naofumi: As I thought, a skill like that would need a lot of MP to create. I should try out something that will probably cost a lot less.
New skill acquired
Skill name:Enemy detection
Skill description:You gain the ability to detect nearby monsters. [custom combo: Guide]: The detected enemies will be shown on the map.
Price:100MP (current MP: 280)
After creating the skill, he decided to test it out as soon as possible. The moment he looked at the map, Naofumi realised what was going on. In front of him, there was a camp full of monsters.
Kinben: Master, I have found a giant group of goblins. What should I do?
Naofumi: Wait, how can I hear you right now?
Kinben: As your contracted beast, I have the ability to communicate with you through telepathy.
Naofumi: I see. Wait for me, I'll be there in a second, then we will kill the monsters.
Kinben: As you wish, Master.
Going through the bushes, the man thought about what he would do when he got to the camp.
Naofumi: I have my close combat skill, but I think something to protect me or help me dodge might also be helpful.
New skill acquired
Skill name:Parry
Skill description:When in battle, this skill allows you to parry upcoming attacks. [custom combo: Enemy detection]: Attacks from behind are easier to parry.
Price:60MP (current MP: 180)
The moment he walked out of the bushes, a goblin jumped at him with a shortsword, but by using the skill parry and using a kitchen knife to stab the goblin, he was able to defeat it quickly. As soon as he killed the first goblin, a group of five more tried to attack him, but Kinben jumped from the bushes next to him and cast a spell to freeze all the goblins. There were about fifty of them, so with six defeated so easily, he thought the battle would be quick. The man informed his pet that a group of ten was coming from their left, while three more were attacking from the back. Using the skills he had made and telepathy, fighting those goblins took about twenty minutes. After the fight, they gathered the stones dropped from the monsters, as well as the short swords that seemed like they had been slightly used. When the fight was over, the man noticed an exclamation mark in the skills box. He pressed it to see a whole new screen.
Character Overview
Name: Naofumi Iwatani
Age: 18
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 3
HP: 190/190
MP: 600/600
Strength: 92
Agility: 98
Speed: 80
Defense: 75
Luck: 70
After realising he gained MP, he quickly created the skill he wanted to make earlier.
New skill acquired
Skill name:Wordless caster
Skill description:You can now cast spells without using incantations.
Price:400MP (current MP: 600)
As he looked at the screen, he decided to check the map. When he looked, he saw a little bit of a town to the west.
Naofumi: Kin, let's go, I see a town near us on the map.
Kinben: As you wish, Master.
When they got to the town, it was around noon. The town was pretty big, and there were a lot of people inside it. The town was called Morimachi, and Naofumi thought it was a pretty peaceful place, so he decided that it was the perfect town to live in.
Naofumi: If we want money for killing the goblins, then I should probably sign up for the adventurer's guild. Let's go and find it.
After looking around town, he finally spotted it by the gate at the other side of the city. It was a two-story, white building with a green roof and a bar on the ride side of it. The lower floor was very lively, with a big group of people drinking and talking about their adventures. After looking at it from the outside, he decided to walk in. He went straight to the receptionist.
???: Hello, my name is Bravia. How may I assist you?
Naofumi: Hi my name is Naofumi Iwatani. I would like to register with the guild.
Bravia: All right then, if you could please place your hand on this magic crystal.
After he did as he was told, the crystal formed into a rectangle with his name, level, stats, and rank.
Bravia: There are 8 ranks total. Every adventurer starts at rank G, and depending on how many drops they gather while in the dungeon, they have a chance to get a higher rank. The highest rank anyone can get is S, but it's really hard to gain.
Naofumi: I see. By the way, while I was walking here, I defeated a group of goblins. Could I sell their cores here?
Bravia: Of course. How many did you defeat?
Naofumi: Fifty.
Bravia: You defeated a whole village?
Naofumi: Yeah. Is that something weird?
Bravia: No, it's quite common. If you give me a moment, I will be right back with your payment.
Naofumi stood there, waiting. It took about twenty minutes, but finally the woman came back with his payment.
Bravia: Here you go, sir, twenty-five silver coins.
Naofumi: Thanks. See you tomorrow, Miss Bravia.
Bravia: See you.
After getting out of the guild, there was just one more thing to deal with.
Naofumi: Now, to find somewhere to sleep for the night.
The man decided to search for an inn. The whole town had four different places where he could sleep for the night, but unfortunately for him, all of them had no rooms available. As he wandered around town, he noticed banners that were informing people about a holiday being celebrated in Morimachi. From what he gathered, it was called "The holy spirit's holiday" and was to celebrate a spirit that helped the founder of the town find the right place. Walking aimlessly, he noticed a shop selling tools, which gave him an idea.
Naofumi: Nobody will have problems if I build a house for myself, right?
After acquiring the tools, the man went towards the gate he came in from. He looked at the map and started heading towards a spot that looked empty.
New skill acquired
Skill name:Woodworking
Skill description:You now understand the basic rules of woodworking, which lets you create things you need.
Price:30MP (current MP: 210)
After reaching the spot he wanted, he saw it to be a pretty flat terrain, which meant he wouldn't need to level it for construction. After planning out his house placement, he started chopping down trees, turning the logs into planks and support beams, made in a way so that he could connect them without the use of nails. After working for many hours, as the sun began to set, he had finished the construction of his house. It was three meters by five meters, and the only things inside were a chair, a table, and a bed made from wood and some wolf fur he got from killing white wolves. The man decided it was the perfect moment to eat something quickly and go to sleep. As he was getting ready to go to bed, the Fenrir jumped into the bed, and as they were falling asleep, the man started thinking of what they would do the next day.