Prologue : Another World

This is the prologue to the new world.

“You’re awake, Tenma-kun.”

When Tenma opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was ten masses of light standing around him.

“Where am I…?”

At Tenma’s murmur, one of the masses of light stepped toward him… or rather, it tried to, only to be shoved aside by the others and sent face-first into the ground in a spectacular sliding crash.

“This child is just too sweet~! We’ve never had anyone like him before~!”

A mass of light with a female voice lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug.

“I’m so glad this is the child who came to us~”

Another mass of light, also with a female voice, approached him, speaking in a gentle, smiling tone.

“You’re the first person who’s ever said something like that right after meeting us!”

Another mass of light, whose voice sounded like that of a middle-aged man, spoke while repeatedly slapping Tenma on the back.

At the same time, two masses of light standing farther away were carefully examining Tenma’s entire body. Another silently crept closer and began sniffing him.

(Is this guy some kind of pervert?)

Meanwhile, another one was feeling him all over, including his lower body, while wriggling its own body strangely.

(No, this one is the real king of perverts! Thank goodness I managed to protect the important parts!)

There was also one mass of light observing from behind the goddesses, while another timidly stood nearby and glanced over shyly.

(This is the only one whose light is black.)

Overall, this gathering of glowing beings seemed fairly friendly, but since Tenma couldn’t see their faces, he had no idea who was who.

While he was still bewildered, the mass of light that had been knocked over earlier spoke up.

“Everyone, Tenma-kun is getting overwhelmed. Give him some space!”

Those words finally got the masses of light to settle down.

However…

“I can’t see any of your faces or appearances. How am I supposed to tell who’s who?”

With that single remark from Tenma, chaos erupted all over again.

And then…

“Ah! I forgot to make it possible for Tenma-kun to see what we actually look like. Sorry~ My memory is terrible, ehehe.”

The moment those words left its mouth, the mass of light that had been knocked down earlier, probably the one who had brought Tenma here, was immediately mobbed and beaten by several of the others.

While that was happening, the mass of light with the gentle, smiling voice approached Tenma and placed her palm over his eyes.

“Stay still for a moment, okay~?”

As soon as she spoke, the area around his eyes began to feel warm.

“All done~”

About a minute or two after she removed her hand, Tenma found himself staring at a beautiful woman with a gentle face and a serene smile.

She also happened to have an extraordinarily large bust.

Beside her stood a slender beauty who looked cheerful and energetic. She was probably the one who had thrown herself at him for a hug earlier.

Nearby stood a plump woman who looked like an innkeeper, along with a petite girl who appeared to be around ten years old, peeking out from behind her.

Close by, a boy of about fifteen was being thoroughly beaten by a group.

The ones beating him included a huge, muscular man, a man draped in animal fur who looked rather wolf-like… no, he was literally a man wearing a wolf’s head, and an incredibly handsome man.

And that handsome guy was acting extremely strangely.

The instant their eyes met, he winked at Tenma, made a heart gesture, and blew him a kiss.

It was him!

He was the pervert from earlier!

What a crushing disappointment!

After watching for a little longer, two men approached Tenma and spoke to him.

One was a refined and dignified middle-aged gentleman.

The other had his hood pulled down deeply over his face like a mage.

“Nice to meet you, Tenma. I am the God of Destruction. This hooded fellow is the God of Magic. We look forward to getting along with you.”

“Hello.”

The elegant gentleman and the hooded god introduced themselves in turn.

Next came the women.

“Nice to meet you, Tenma-chan! I’m the Goddess of Love! I look forward to getting along with you!”

“I’m the Goddess of Earth~ Nice to meet you.”

“I’m the Goddess of Life. Hello, Tenma!”

“I am the Goddess of Death… It’s nice to meet you.”

They were, respectively, the slender beauty, the gentle beauty, the innkeeper-like woman, and the petite girl.

By then, the other three seemed to have grown tired of beating the boy and came over.

“Kid! I’m the God of Skills! Nice to meet you, Tenma!”

The muscular man spoke while repeatedly smacking Tenma on the back.

It hurt like hell.

“…………I am the Beast God…………”

The wolf-headed man approached from behind and began sniffing him.

So that was why he had been sniffing earlier. Because he was a wolf.

That made sense…

Like hell it did!

He looked like he was about to eat Tenma alive.

It was terrifying!

“Heeey~! I’m the God of War! Nice to meet you, Tenma-chan! Mwah!”

A wild flamboyant man appeared!

The wild flamboyant man used Blown Kiss!

Tenma dodged!

The wild flamboyant man looked terribly disappointed…

That was close!

“Ahem! Let me introduce myself again, Tenma-kun. I am the God of Creation, the one who brought you here! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The boy who looked about fifteen finally spoke.

There were around eight enormous bumps on his head, just like something straight out of a manga.

Considering how brutally he had just been beaten by the others, getting away with only that much damage was honestly impressive.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Ootori Tenma. For now, could someone explain what’s going to happen to me next?”

“Of course. I’ll explain. First, have a seat.”

The self-proclaimed God of Creation pointed, and a chair appeared beside Tenma.

Another ten chairs appeared around him, arranged in a semicircle.

The boy straightened himself before speaking.

“Once again, welcome, Tenma-kun. Welcome to our world, ‘Phantasma.’ Though no one who actually lives in that world knows it by that name.”

“Can I ask something first?”

“Go ahead.”

After receiving a nod from the God of Creation, Tenma asked the question that had been bothering him most.

“I’ve heard all of you introduce yourselves as this god and that god, but I still haven’t heard any of your actual names.”

The God of Creation stared blankly for a moment before answering.

“Names? We don’t have any. If you really need something to call us, our divine titles basically serve as our names.”

“Isn’t that inconvenient?”

“The names of gods change constantly depending on the era and whoever happens to be ruling at the time. Besides, introducing ourselves using names humans made up for us feels rather strange. And more importantly… it’s a hassle.”

(That last reason is definitely the real one.)

Tenma wisely kept that thought to himself.

“Anyway, let’s move on. The first thing I want you to know is this: even after you reincarnate into our world, we won’t force you to complete any missions. The moment you reincarnate, the purpose for which we brought you here will already have been fulfilled. You’re free to live however you want. Though if you decide to destroy the world or go on some indiscriminate slaughtering spree, we’ll obviously intervene.”

His tone was playful, but the atmosphere made it clear that he was entirely serious.

“Understood. I’ll keep that firmly in mind.”

“Good. Because having to intervene would be such a hassle.”

(There’s that word ‘hassle’ again… And this guy is supposed to be the God of Creation.)

“I was told earlier that I’d receive cheat abilities. What exactly am I getting?”

“Well, first comes the absolute classic: ‘Appraisal.’ It’s extremely useful. Next is ‘Growth Enhancement.’ That will make your stats develop and your experience accumulate ten times faster than an ordinary person’s. As for the rest, the gods here who have taken a liking to you will grant you their own blessings or cheat abilities. Every god here has already decided to give you something.”

“What are you all going to give me?”

“That’s a secret. We’ll save it as a surprise for after you reincarnate. But you’re the first person ever to receive abilities from this many gods. Lucky you.”

“The first…? So other people have come to this world before me?”

“Of course. Around forty or fifty in total. And not all of them were human. There have been dogs, cats, and, strangely enough, even a fish.”

“A fish…?”

“Ah, that was a carp from Japan. Apparently its name was Namitarou, a giant carp over two meters long. Unfortunately, right after it reincarnated, someone caught it.”

“That’s… tragic.”

“Humans make up the majority, but some of them had such terrible personalities that none of the gods wanted to give them blessings or abilities. Even so, normally at least one or two gods will give a reincarnator something.”

“In that case, I’m receiving far more than normal. Thank you, everyone.”

“Don’t mention it. Shall we get started, then? Oh, what do you want to do about your memories from your previous life?”

“I want to keep them.”

“Understood. Everything will be finished while you’re asleep. When you open your eyes again, you’ll have reincarnated. One thing you should know is that although we call it reincarnation, your new body will be created by us, so you won’t have biological parents. To make up for that, we’ll place you somewhere near people who should be able to raise you. In the worst-case scenario, your blessings should still keep you alive.”

“That sounds incredibly irresponsible… But whatever. Let’s do it.”

“You’re surprisingly easygoing! Fine, then I’ll do my best to find some genuinely kind people for you. Let’s begin. Tenma-kun, I hope your second life will be a happy one. Good night.”

“Yeah. Good night.”

After Tenma fell asleep…

“Right, shall we start giving Tenma-kun his blessings and cheat abilities? In addition to ‘Appraisal’ and ‘Growth Enhancement,’ I’ll give him ‘Creation Magic,’ ‘Enhancement Magic,’ and throw in ‘Concealment’ as a bonus. And naturally, he’ll receive my blessing as well.”

“I’ll put everything into my blessing. More accurately, that’s basically the only thing I can give him.”

“With the Goddess of Love’s Blessing, he’ll meet plenty of good people, so that’s wonderful enough~ Maybe I’ll also give him ‘Detection’~”

“I’ll give him ‘Life Force Enhancement,’ ‘Recovery Enhancement,’ and my blessing!”

“I’ll give him ‘Instant Death Resistance’ and ‘Abnormal Status Resistance.’ No blessing from me, though.”

“I doubt he’ll mind. I’ll give him ‘Skill Acquisition Enhancement’ and my blessing.”

“I’ll give him ‘All Magic Attributes,’ ‘Magic Power Enhancement,’ and my blessing.”

“…I will give him ‘Sensory Enhancement,’ ‘Familiar Enhancement,’ and my blessing…”

“I’ll give him ‘Destruction Resistance,’ ‘Destructive Power Enhancement,’ and my blessing.”

“And I’ll give him~… ‘Myself’! Ouch!”

“Please be serious!”

“Behave yourself!”

“Take this seriously!”

“Why is everyone being so harsh? Fine, fine! Then I’ll give him ‘My Love’!”

“You’re still not being serious!”

“You people are impossible~ Fine! I’ll give him ‘Martial Mastery,’ ‘Physical Enhancement,’ and my blessing. Happy now?!”

“Looks like everything has been decided. Now let’s assign them all to Tenma-kun………… There, done! For now, let’s take a look at his current status.”

Status	Ootori Tenma
Age	25
Race	Human
Title	Beloved Child of the Gods
HP	15,000 (50,000)
MP	15,000 (50,000)
Strength	B- (S+)
Defense	B (SS)
Speed	B (SS)
Magic Power	C+ (S+)
Mental Strength	A (SSS-)
Growth Potential	C (SSS)
Luck	D- (B)

Skills: Swordsmanship 8, Unarmed Combat 8, Throwing 8, Cooking 8, Staff Arts 7, Endurance 7, Dismantling 7, Spearmanship 6, Trapping 6, Night Vision 6, Archery 5, Axe Arts 4.

Gifts: Blessings of the Gods 10, Appraisal 10, Concealment 10, Detection 10, Skill Acquisition Enhancement 10, Familiar Enhancement 10, Growth Enhancement 8, Life Force Enhancement 8, Recovery Enhancement 8, Abnormal Status Resistance 8, Sensory Enhancement 7, Physical Enhancement 7, Destructive Power Enhancement 5, Magic Power Enhancement 5, Creation Magic 5, Enhancement Magic 5, Destruction Resistance 5, Instant Death Resistance 5, All Magic Attributes 5, Martial Mastery 5.

“…Do you think we might have gone a little overboard?”

At the God of Creation’s murmur, the other gods could only laugh awkwardly.

(This officially concludes the prologue. Next time, the main story begins.)

Author’s Notes:

Why the Goddess of Death didn’t give Tenma her blessing: When the God of Skills said, “He probably won’t mind,” it was because a previous reincarnator had rejected the Goddess of Death’s blessing, believing that receiving it would cause them to die young. However, that was merely a baseless rumor caused by people tending to blame the Goddess of Death whenever someone died. In reality, possessing her blessing does not affect a person’s mortality rate.

Goddess of Love: Most of her abilities are either intended for women or fall into the R18 category, meaning they are useful for “bedroom activities,” so she couldn’t find an ability suitable for Tenma.

Creation Magic: Magic capable of creating anything the user can imagine. Used skillfully, it is practically omnipotent.

Martial Mastery: Enhances the user’s ability to learn and deeply understand weapons and martial arts, allowing them to improve faster. It does not instantly turn the user into a master. It also applies to sports.

Skill Acquisition Enhancement: Applies to skills and occupations not covered by Martial Mastery, such as cooking, painting, and blacksmithing.

Regarding the status system:

• Ordinary person: HP around 2,000, MP around 500, stats ranging from D- to C+.

• Average knight/adventurer: HP around 5,000, MP around 2,000, stats ranging from C- to B+.

• First-rate knight/adventurer: HP around 15,000, MP around 8,000, stats ranging from B to A+.

• Tenma’s stats: Values outside parentheses are his stats before reincarnation, while values inside parentheses () are predictions of his future stats thanks to his blessings and cheat abilities. His stats will initially be low after reincarnation, but he will grow stronger rapidly.

The gods will have fewer appearances later in the story.