*"Huh!? And you are?"*
The goddess, with her ethereal radiance, turned her gaze towards me, her expression a mixture of shock and curiosity. It was clear that my sudden appearance had gone unnoticed until this moment, and I felt an inexplicable blend of awe and bewilderment in her presence.
"M-me am..." I stammered, barely able to collect my thoughts.
*Tadano Kasumi?* Her voice reverberated with an otherworldly quality. *Hmm, it appears a mistake has been made. The magic circle I conjured was intended only to transport three individuals from your realm. Somehow, you have been inadvertently swept along in this spell. Unfortunately, it's too late to rectify this—the soul corridor to your world is now sealed and will not open again for another century.*
As she spoke, the goddess crossed her arms thoughtfully, assuming a pose that reflected her deep contemplation. I stood there, at first speechless, grappling with the shock of discovering that even deities could err.
*Ah, I have a suggestion. To make amends, I can grant you some abilities to help you navigate the world below,* she proposed, her tone shifting to a more casual, almost breezy manner. *That way, you can live freely and peacefully until the heroes arrive to save the realm. According to divine law, once the heroes complete their quest, they may choose to return to their original world. At that time, I can send you back as well, if you wish.*
Her apology felt heartfelt, and I couldn't help but notice how her sincerity radiated through her informal speech. Truth be told, I wasn't particularly longing to return to my old life, nor did I have any desire to engage in a perilous mission to slay monsters. The goddess's proposal seemed to hold a certain allure that was hard to resist.
"I-I'll take that offer, please," I managed to reply, my voice trembling with both fear and fascination as I continued to be captivated by her otherworldly beauty.
Instantly, she flashed a radiant smile, a brilliant light enveloping her as she began to glow more intensely. Squinting against the brightness, I watched in awe as the light gradually faded. When I could finally see again, I was astonished to find her form had changed. Now standing before me was a woman resembling the goddess, but slightly shorter—about a foot less than my own height—yet her beauty remained undiminished.
*Much better,* she said, her voice warm and lively. *Staying in that divine form is incredibly tiring, so I rarely use it unless it's for special occasions. Now, Sir Tadano, allow me to clarify something: while I can't bestow blessings like I did with the other heroes, I cannot call upon another deity to assist, as it would be disgraceful for the head goddess to make such an error.*
She stepped closer, drawing near enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from her aura, the distance between us shrinking to less than a meter.
*Here's the deal: Although I can't grant blessings, there are other abilities known as skills. Typically, one acquires these through leveling up or by meeting specific conditions. However, I'll grant you a special exception—you can choose ten skills. But one must be unique, while two of the remaining nine can be seven-star ranked. The rest will be one-star-ranked skills. Don't worry; as you use the skills and enhance their proficiency, they will increase in rank and power.*
With a snap of her fingers, a translucent blue panel appeared before me, hovering in the air.
*On this panel, you'll notice a divide—the section on the left is marked as unique, while the right is labeled general. Unique skills are exclusive to particular individuals or groups, while general skills can be obtained by anyone through effort and experience.*
The goddess stood intimately close, her presence overwhelming as I inhaled the sweet fragrance of peaches in her hair. She pointed at the panel, drawing my attention to the various skills displayed as she eagerly explained them to me.
*Now, choose wisely. You'll have one unique skill, and I encourage you to select two from those listed as seven stars, while the rest will be one star.*
I carefully scanned the array of skills before me, each one seemingly more awe-inspiring than the last—abilities I had only encountered in fictional tales and legends. My focus sharpened on a few in particular: Conceal, Appraise, and a set of linguistic skills that would enable me to communicate and understand the diverse languages of this unfamiliar world.
After deliberating, I selected Conceal and Appraise as my two seven-star skills, and paired them with my linguistic skills, designating them as one-star.
At last, I had made my selections: one unique skill, two seven-star skills, and seven one-star skills, a choice that filled me with anticipation.
*Aye, you've completed your selection. I hope these skills will bolster your chances of survival in Engrasia,* the goddess declared, her tone a blend of encouragement and warmth. *Is there anything else you would like to request? If not, the portal is ready.*
With another snap of her fingers, a shimmering portal materialized beneath my feet, swirling with vibrant colors reminiscent of a summer sky.
I hesitated for a moment, considering the gravity of this new chapter ahead. "Oh, I have one last request," I said, brimming with a mix of uncertainty and hope. "Could you make me a few years younger when I descend?"
A wry smile crossed my face, unsure if she would grant such a request.
*Hmmmm... okay, done,* she replied, a hint of playfulness in her voice.
As she snapped her fingers again, I was enveloped in a cascade of dazzling white light, filled with the expectation of adventures yet to come.
As the blinding glow began to fade, I mentally prepared to activate my Conceal skill. I didn't want anyone discovering my abilities—even in this world brimming with magic and wonder.*Huh!? And you are?*
The goddess looked towards me in shock.
It was obvious no one noticed my presence a moment ago.
"M-me am..."
*Tadano Kasumi?...hmmm it seems a mistake has been made the magic circle I sent was only supposed to grab three people from your world. It seems you have been accidentally taken and it's too late to return the soul corridor to your world has been closed off and won't reopen until the next century.*
The goddess crossed her arms and assumed a thinking position. I was speechless and in awe with a bit of shock that the gods could make mistakes.
*Ah I know, why don't I grant you some abilities to be able to survive in the world below that way you can do as you please and live peacefully until the heroes save the world. It's the law that if the heroes wish to return upon completing their quest, they can be reborn in their previous world, at that moment I could send you back to your world if u so wish it. That should be enough to make up for our mistake right.*
The goddess' way of speech got way more informal as she spoke to me but I could see that she was sincerely apologetic about her mistake plus it's not like I want to return to my old world nor do I want to have to fight monsters as a mission to save to world that's too much of a burden so her proposition isn't that bad.
"I-I'll go with that please."
I shakily replied still enamored by her beauty.
She then smiled and started to glow even brighter than before which made me cover my eyes from the lights. When the lights disappeared before me stood a woman about 1' shorter than me. I was even more speechless upon realizing it was the goddess as her beauty was unchanging.
*Much better, staying in that form is so tiring so I rarely use it unless it's a special occasion. Now, Sir Tadano, I am unable to grant you blessings like I did with the previous heroes and I can't call upon any other god as it's appalling for the head goddess to make a mistake.* The goddess walked closer to me until we were almost face to face just the distance of about a meter between us
*So how about this? Besides blessings there are things that beings get called skills, normally one has to level up and or meet a certain condition to acquire skills but I'll allow you to choose, hmm let's see ten skills to take with you. It can be any skill except title-granted skills like the hero's skill to wield the fairy king's sword for example.* The goddess then snapped her fingers and a translucent blue panel appeared before me.
*On the panel you will notice a small divide between the skills one section is marked as unique and the other is marked as general. On the unique side there are skills unique to a specific person or group of people and on the general side are skills anyone can get by leveling up.*
Now the goddess was practically in my face standing right beside me. I could even smell the scent of peach in her hair as she looked at the panel and pointed things out as she spoke.
*Here is the Deal, I'll allow you to choose one unique skill and nine other skills, of the nine others you can only make two of those seven stars the other seven skills will be ranked one star no matter the ability. Don't worry though the more you use a skill and increase its proficiency the more stars it'll get and the stronger the skill will become. Oh and FYI all unique skills are ten stars which is the highest level of stars a skill can have. Now Sir pick as you'd like.*
I scanned the panel with my eyes and almost all those skills were amazing, stuff I've only seen in fiction. I started to tap each skill and read about the abilities of the ones that interest me my main two were conceal and appraise those are skills every fiction MC always had along with the linguistic skills that would help me speak and understand the languages of the people in this other world. I conceal and appraise my seven-star rank skills and my linguistic skills as one star.
Before long I'd already chosen all the skills I'd seen and liked one unique skill two seven-star skills and seven one-star skills.
*Aye you've finished your selection, I hope all these skills will help increase your survival rate in Engrasia. Is there anything else you want to request if not the portal is ready*
The goddess snapped her finger and a portal appeared below my feet like with the others earlier.
"Oh I have one last request, can you make me a few years younger when I descend?" I made a wry smile unsure if she'd grant that request.
*hmmmm... okay done.*
She snapped her finger and I was engulfed in a white light.
Let's activate my conceal before I reach down and conceal my status wouldn't want anyone seeing my skills.