Chapter 1: Prologue

I am currently in a place where an endlessly white ground stretches as far as the eye can see.

And then—

“Now then, you, go sit in that seat over there.”

In that place, I was being urged to sit by a white old man with a long beard.

The spot he indicated was directly in front of him, arranged so that we would face each other, just like a company job interview.

Honestly, I’d rather not have to sit face-to-face with an old man.

How did things end up like this?

I was supposed to be at a convenience store just a moment ago.

The last thing I remember is the floor of the store suddenly glowing.

In my hand, I was still holding the limited-edition “strawberry pumpkin burdock melon bread” that I had just picked up.

This is bad.

I ended up shoplifting.

I only picked it up out of morbid curiosity.

If I was going to shoplift, I at least wanted it to be something worth the risk.

What even is “strawberry pumpkin burdock melon bread”?

But for now, there’s no doubt that I was at the convenience store just moments ago.

The bread in my hand proves it.

“Hurry up and sit.”

That was the second time he urged me.

At least give me time to understand the situation.

Or rather, no matter how I think about it, this guy is the culprit, isn’t he?

Should I beat him up?

“Hurry up and sit!!!”

Yeah, I’ll beat him up.

“Now then, from here on, you will be sent to another world as a Hero.”

“I am merely something like an intermediary.”

I quietly sat in the chair in front of the old man.

I decided I would beat him up after hearing him out.

And just like that, I was suddenly confronted with an utterly absurd reality.

So this is one of those common ‘Hero abduction’ situations, huh.

I never thought I’d become the one involved.

Well, I guess everyone who ends up in this situation probably thinks the same thing.

It’s just that ridiculous.

Ridiculous enough that I ended up shoplifting bread I didn’t even want.

“May I ask the reason?”

“If you wish to know why a Hero was summoned, then ask the one who summoned you.”

“I am merely an intermediary, after all.”

He answered casually while stroking his white beard.

This guy definitely thinks this has nothing to do with him.

“Well, it probably isn’t a good reason anyway.”

“More importantly, is it really okay to just casually summon people from another world like this?”

“Doesn’t that go against things like the rules of the world?”

“There is no problem.”

“To you, it may seem like another world, but from the perspective of the greater world that encompasses all worlds, there is nothing unnatural about it.”

“Hmm.”

That was an unexpected answer.

I thought he’d just say, “It has nothing to do with you.”

Still, that was an interesting thing to hear.

Is it really okay to casually talk about something that sounds like the truth of the world?

“Now then, let us move on to the main topic.”

“For now, we will decide your ‘skills’.”

“That world has skills.”

“If we do not grant skills to you who will become part of that world, you would remain nothing more than a foreign object.”

“First, roll this six-sided die.”

“The number you roll will determine how many skills you can choose here.”

As the old man said that, a six-sided die suddenly appeared in midair and fell to the ground.

The die wasn’t something you could hold and roll with one hand.

It was large enough that you’d need both hands to hold it.

More importantly, why is this conversation proceeding on the assumption that I’m going?

I haven’t agreed to anything.

People who ignore others’ circumstances and push things forward selfishly like this—

I hate them.

‘Going to another world’ is the kind of experience a normal person would never have in their entire life.

It sounds interesting, so I have no intention of missing this opportunity.

So I won’t refuse this offer.

But the way he completely ignores my situation honestly pisses me off.

I firmly decided in my heart that I would make this old man regret it.

For now, though, it’s about the die.

He said “skills,” so it’s probably like what you see in games.

If that’s the case, then maybe that thing exists.

“I want to confirm something.”

“What is it?”

“If there are skills, then there should be something like a status screen, right?”

“If there is, I’d like to check it first.”

“Hmm, checking your status, is it?”

“Very well.”

“However, you currently have no means to do so.”

“I shall temporarily grant you the ability to check your status.”

“Ah, and can I practice rolling the die?”

“Hmm, you’re the first one to say something like that.”

“Practice, you say.”

“Well, I suppose it’s fine.”

“This die roll is like the ‘world’ itself.”

“No matter what tricks you use, in the end, only the ‘result’ of the number rolled matters.”

“Ah, but if cheating is discovered, you will not receive any skills.”

Honestly, I thought both requests would be rejected, but they both went through.

I see.

“The world,” huh.

Whether you fight fair and square or poison someone in a despicable way, if you die, the result is the same—death.

The “world” is, in the end, something where anything goes.

Being told to roll the die and obediently doing so, or trying to manipulate it to get a better result—

In the end, only the number that comes up matters.

That’s what he means.

“Now then, I shall grant you the power of appraisal.”

Power flowed into me from the old man.

That sounded really unpleasant.

Why did it have to be an old man?

At least make it a pure and innocent girl.

At this rate, I might start hating all old men in the world because of this guy.

“Good, now if you say ‘Status,’ you will be able to see it.”

“How do I check my status?”

“Look at yourself and say ‘Status,’ and it will appear.”

“Hmm.”

“Status.”

Haiba Aki — Level 0 (Spiritual Body)

Race: Hero

Occupation:

Abilities:

• [Room Creation] (Locked)

Skills:

• Appraisal — Max Level (Granted)

Unique Skills:

• Hero’s Charisma
• Hero’s Blessing
• Potential Boost — Max Level

There’s less information than I expected.

I thought there would be stats like LUK and such, but it seems this is a different type of status.

Still, “Hero” being listed as a race is surprising.

I thought being a Hero was more like a job.

Strange.

When I go to the other world, maybe it’ll be interesting to explore its systems and culture.

I’m also really curious about that ability.

[Room Creation].

Is it literally the ability to create rooms?

I’ve always liked making things, so this actually makes me happy.

Curious about the details of [Room Creation], I used [Appraisal].

But nothing was displayed.

Is it because it’s locked?

“Well, were you able to confirm it?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“But what does this ‘locked’ mean?”

“That ability will manifest the moment you are summoned into the other world.”

“It is triggered at that time.”

“You have not yet awakened to it here.”

“You could say it is in preparation.”

I see.

Then I probably can’t rely on that ability right now.

I was thinking this dice roll would be the best chance to make this old man regret things, but I can’t come up with a good method yet.

“My race is listed as Hero, but what exactly is a Hero as a race?”

“Hmm.”

“It is not that different from humans.”

“If I had to say, a Hero is simply one who has passed through here.”

“Through here?”

“Yes.”

“A ‘human’ who rolls the die here and receives a blessing becomes a ‘Hero’.”

“Well, their abilities are slightly higher than humans, but if they slack off, they can easily be surpassed by ordinary people.”

“However, unlike normal humans, they possess unique racial skills.”

“You can understand their effects just by looking.”

“And also, they no longer have a lifespan.”

He said that as if it were an afterthought, but that last part is extremely important.

That changes how you live your life.

Immortality, huh.

I’ve always dreamed of staying shut in forever, just creating things as I please.

Well, probably not literally forever.

Also, this old man is surprisingly talkative.

If I get the chance, I should try to extract as much information as possible about the world I’m going to.

“Can I check the skills I’ll be able to receive later?”

“Hmm, the skills?”

“I don’t know why you want to check, but that is not allowed.”

“It is unrelated to rolling the die.”

I see.

It’s not allowed because it’s “unrelated” to the dice roll.

But if that’s the case—

“Then it’s fine as long as it becomes related, right?”