"So how does this five wishes thing work?" the soul asked.
The Watcher continued in the same deep, space-grinding tone.
Whoa, that is almost everything I was going to ask for...
The soul sighed, slightly amused.
The Watcher sounded almost irritated, like someone tired of repeating the same speech.
"Were there others before me who tried to make those kinds of wishes?" the soul asked quickly.
The Watcher said in an annoyed tone.
That really narrows down what I can even ask for…
The soul thought in silence.
To think that even a being of such magnitude had rules it had to follow...
Minutes passed in contemplation, yet the Watcher waited without the slightest hint of impatience.
It felt as if time itself held no meaning to him, as though an eternity and a single second were the same.
"I am ready to state my wishes," the soul finally said.
"For my first wish, I want a body unlike any other, one naturally forged for extreme adaptability. A body built to grow stronger with every challenge, one that bends and transforms with training, responding far faster than normal. A body that draws out the absolute maximum from every effort, every movement, achieving results in the shortest span of time that nature itself allows."
The soul looked into two eye sockets that held entire universes, drifting slightly up and down as the Watcher nodded.
"For my second wish, I want a mind of incredible power, one that expands my ability to think, reason, and understand to the fullest, one that can store the maximum amount of memory my body can hold, allowing me to learn and comprehend anything at the fastest pace my body permits, and enabling me to recall every memory perfectly," the soul said.
I don't know if what I'm asking for makes sense, since I have no idea how the things I'm asking for work, but I hope the All-Powerful Watcher knows what I mean and will grant my wishes…
The soul sighed as it thought about its third wish.
"Before I state my third wish, I want to ask if it is possible to use a wish to make myself the most beautiful person in the world, you reincarnate me into," the soul asked.
"Then yes, I would like that as my third wish," the soul nodded.
"You said you are reincarnating me into a world where I would have access to the supernatural, right? Does that mean I would have the ability to wield supernatural energies like Mana or Qi, or something similar?" the soul asked.
"Then my fourth wish is to possess energy reserves far greater than anyone of my age or power level, both physically and spiritually, making me unbeatable in terms of energy capacity."
"Before my final wish, I want to ask something. Is it possible for my last wish to be for an innate ability? By my understanding, an innate ability is something one is born with, right?" the soul asked.
The Watcher confirmed the soul's suspicion.
"Then, as my final wish, I want an innate ability that lets me permanently acquire the powers and abilities of anyone for myself,"
The soul spoke its final wish.
<...It's done>
Unlike when he granted the previous wishes, the Watcher went silent for a moment before confirming it was done.
"I guess this is it, I—" the soul began to speak, but was cut off as it suddenly disappeared, the Watcher having sent it away to one of the infinite realities he oversaw, the one he had chosen for the soul to reincarnate into for its second life.
...
POV:???
Darkness.
That was the only thing my eyes could perceive.
I could not hear anything, nor could I feel anything.
No temperature.
No wind against my skin.
It was as if all my senses had been shut off or dulled.
Strangely, though, I did not feel uncomfortable.
It only lasted a couple of minutes, because the darkness clouding my vision slowly began to fade as light started to grow.
Rattle~
Chatter~
It seemed my other senses were returning as well, because I could make out faint noises, maybe voices or distant chattering.
Within a few more seconds, my senses gradually returned completely.
Everything felt normal again.
I could see.
I could hear.
I could feel the somewhat cold wind brushing against my skin.
Along with it came my sense of self.
Finally, I seemed to have a physical body.
Thank the Watcher, he did not reincarnate me in the body of a baby. I do not want to go through growing up again...
It would have been a hassle being self-aware as a reincarnator while still having to grow up.
Dealing with diapers and tantrums, having someone wipe my ass after I uncontrollably shit in my pants, and being dressed while I could do nothing about it sounds like its own kind of torture.
Pretending to be a normal child through all these embarrassing moments for several years would have driven me insane.
I took a slow look around.
People in normal human clothing moved about, busy with their own lives, just like they would in some ordinary, random park in a random part of the world.
Nothing felt out of place, nothing strange or otherworldly.
By the looks of it, I'm in a human world.
I glanced down at myself and checked my body, my gaze moving over my arms, my hands, the rest of me.
I searched for horns, wings, fangs, anything at all that did not belong on a normal human.
I looked for any extra appendages beyond what a person should have.
There were none.
I'm a human...
So this is reincarnation, huh?
I could feel a grin form on my face.
How could it not be?
This was a second chance at life, and I knew that even though everything looked normal around me, this was a world where the supernatural was real.
If what the Watcher said was true, he had reincarnated me into a reality where it was possible for me to pursue all my desires. I
could not help but think about all the beautiful women, power, immortality, status, and an endless supply of food, drinks, and other delicacies, just to name a few things I could pursue.
It took me a few more minutes to fully process everything that was happening.
Then I tried to recall any memories in my mind.
Just like the Watcher said, I could remember the entire conversation I had with him, but nothing from before that.
I did not remember anything from my previous life, only that I had one.
I remembered everything we spoke about up to the very end, right before he cut me off and did something beyond my comprehension that seemed to have reincarnated me.
After that, I had no idea what happened before finding myself sitting on this bench in a random park, wearing shabby clothes with faded colors.
The fabric was coming apart, and I could even spot small holes.
Goddammit, I'm broke, aren't I?
I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
It was obvious from the state I was in.
I was poor.
I checked myself to see if I had anything on me, but there was nothing.
No car keys, no house keys, nothing at all.
It wasn't completely bad, though, considering I had just reincarnated.
Wait a second. I'm reincarnated in this reality, and my body seems to be that of an adult, or at least a young adult.
Does that mean the Watcher made my soul possess a random person in this reality?
[No, Master. The Watcher did not make your soul possess someone in your reincarnation.]
I hadn't expected the Watcher to answer my question, but something else had heard me and responded instead.
I thought the Watcher strictly said he wouldn't be giving out a system. So how are you answering me?
[I'm not a system. Please refrain from referring to me as that in the future.]
The same feminine voice replied, sounding slightly annoyed this time.
...
[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider adding my novel to your library and supporting it with some Power Stones. No pressure though—arigato!]