In a pure white, empty space, I was granted skills and magic by a cottony figure who called itself the God of Creation.
I never wanted to become a hero, but there was no choice if I wanted to save my brother, Tohma .
Since then, the cottony figure somehow convinced the Japanese gods and secured Tohma ‘s soul. Although they couldn’t bring him back to life, they reincarnated him in this world. His body may be made from otherworldly materials, but his soul is still his own, and he retains all memories from his previous life.
We felt a wave of relief.
With Tohma reincarnated as promised, we accepted the abilities given to us as heroes by the God of Creation.
We were told to check our skills and magic on a status board, so I whispered, “Status Open,” without speaking aloud. Thankfully, it worked without needing to voice it, and I felt a huge sense of relief.
(It’s way too embarrassing to say that out loud.)
But the boys seemed to think differently. My brother and cousin, both looking thrilled, yelled, “Status Open!” They’re probably just thinking of this as some kind of game. Even Akimi, who usually acts so cool, did it, and I couldn’t help feeling a bit exasperated.
Casting a cold glance at the two of them, I returned my gaze to my own status board.
〈Status〉
Natsuki Date (16) 〈Summoned Hero〉〈Saint〉
Level 1
HP: 10000/10000
MP: 1000/1000
Strength: 100
Defense: 300
Agility: 100
Dexterity: 70
Intelligence: 100
Luck: 30
Skills: 【Universal Language Comprehension】【Appraisal】【Item Box】【Daily Life Magic】【Archery】【Naginata Art】【Light Magic】
Unique Gift: 【Sacred Shield】
Title: 【Blessing of the God of Creation】
“…So, is this strong for a hero? My HP seems unusually high, though.”
“Of course! Your stats are far higher than those of an average person in this world! At level 1, no less, so there’s plenty of potential for growth!”
The fluffy cottony figure—the God of Creation—was fluttering happily above me. It seemed able to see my status board.
It explained that the skills included both my own abilities and those granted by the gods. In other words, 【Archery】 and 【Naginata Art】, which I honed back in Japan, were skills I had earned through hard work. Apparently, standout abilities are reflected as skills, which made me feel a bit proud.
“Oh, and you know, I had always planned to grant you 【Universal Language Comprehension】 and 【Appraisal】, but I had to hurriedly add 【Item Box】 and 【Daily Life Magic】 after a little pressure from your cousin!”
“Tohma did that?”
Using my 【Appraisal】 skill, I checked the details of each skill and nodded in understanding. Each one was useful, perfect for surviving in a different world.
Having storage magic would be handy when I eventually set off on my journey as a hero.
More than anything, I wanted to thank Tohma —good job!
“I’m grateful, especially for 【Daily Life Magic】! In fiction about reincarnation or teleportation to another world, basic needs like baths and toilets are a huge deal!”
As a Japanese person, the cleansing skill in 【Daily Life Magic】 is a lifesaver. I don’t know about Haruto , but I’m sure Akimi is grateful too.
(He’s even more of a clean freak than I am.)
“What I gave Natsuki ki as a hero is [Light Magic]. It’s a very powerful, holy force. It can banish undead monsters and demons. Also, the special, unique gift only you can use in this world is [Sacred Shield]. It can even block dragon breath, so make sure to level up and develop your skills.”
It seems like quite a useful magic.
Especially the shield, which is really appreciated. For someone unaccustomed to close combat, it will be an essential skill.
“What does this title mean? Your blessing?”
“That’s right! Those of you blessed by the Creator God will level up more than twice as fast as the average person. Your stamina and magic power will also recover more quickly. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Well, yeah. Levelling up faster sounds good.”
I should just level up as quickly as possible to the maximum, and then take down this Demon Lord or whatever, right?
“Not the Demon Lord, but the Evil Dragon… the being of destruction that opposes me. It’s currently sleeping in the lowest level of a dungeon to gather strength, but in a few years, it plans to destroy this world.”
So, the final boss is a dragon.
Now I understood why my unique gift, the Sacred Shield, was designed to block dragon breath.
“The demons who follow it are controlling monsters and trying to destroy the human world. I want you to gain strength while stopping that.”
“So, I just have to defeat those demons and tackle the dungeon?”
“You’re quick to understand, Natsuki ki. That’s a relief.”
I glanced over at the two boys.
Three of the fluffballs were busy explaining skills and gifts to each of them, but were being bombarded with questions.
My older brother, Haruto , was pressing the fluffball with excitement, while Akimi was persistently asking for clarification.
“…Well, I’ll leave the questions and stuff to them.”
After finishing the explanations, the three of us were sent to a country in the other world— the nation of Shirane, where gods, led by the Creator God, are worshipped.
The oracle had already been given to the temple, and it seemed the whole country was prepared to welcome us as summoned heroes.
Enveloped in white light, I closed my eyes.
After a moment of indescribable floating, I felt solid ground beneath my feet again.
When I opened my eyes slowly, I found myself inside a magnificent building. The floor under our feet was carved with the same magic circle pattern that we’d seen when we were taken from Japan.
“We’ve been awaiting your arrival, heroes!”
“You are our hope, the saviors of humanity…!”
Kneeling in welcome was an elderly man dressed in a white robe with elaborate gold embroidery on the hem and cuffs, suggesting a high status.
I guessed he was the chief priest of the temple.
Beside him knelt a middle-aged man and woman dressed in lavish noble attire and crowns, likely royalty.
Akimi, who had been quietly observing the surroundings, stepped forward. He’s reliable for negotiations in situations like this. Even Haruto , who usually takes the lead, stayed calmly behind Akimi.
And so, our life as heroes in this other world began, though I never expected our first enemy to be unpalatable food and peculiar bedding.
“We’ve prepared the finest high-orc meat for you, heroes. Please, enjoy.”
Encouraged by the smiling queen, I took a bite of the steak, and while it was indeed good quality meat…
“All I can taste is salt…”
“Same. At least some pepper would be nice.”
“But the meat itself is tasty.”
We whispered to each other while savoring the dinner provided by the royal palace.
Seeing the king and queen enjoying the same meal, we realized this must be a delicacy for them.
“This bread is so hard I can’t bite it…”
“We’re in the same boat. I can’t tear mine apart either.”
“Would it be bad manners to dip this bread in soup?”
“The king, queen, and the high priest are dipping theirs in soup, so it should be fine.”
There’s no way we, three Japanese high schoolers, could understand the manners of a different world.
We made an effort to avoid offending anyone and discreetly imitated the dining manners of the people around us.
The differences weren’t too significant, which was reassuring, but we were still challenged by the salt-only seasoning of the dishes.
The meat, vegetables, and fruits were all delicious, on par with those from Japan.
Particularly, the monster meat was so good that I personally thought it outclassed A5-grade wagyu.
But only salt? Didn’t they have pepper in this world? What about sauces?
If only I had some Japanese steak sauce, this meat would be so good it’d bring me to tears.
The bread, served alongside, was just endlessly hard.
When Haruto picked up a piece without thinking and took a bite, a grating sound I wasn’t familiar with echoed from his direction, and both Natsuki and Akimi subtly put their bread down.
Haruto , looking rather puzzled, started tapping the unchewable bread on the table.
Thump, thump. Good sound.
The soup, too, was only salted. However, the vegetables floating inside were tasty, with a perfect texture. Maybe some herbs were used for aroma, making it drinkable.
But there seemed to be no concept of broth.
We quickly gave up on the bread and quietly ate the steak, soup, salt-seasoned salad, and cut fruits. For dessert, there was another hard, shortbread-like pastry, heavily coated with honey.
It was dry and had an odd texture.
Slightly softer than the bread, I chewed on it little by little. The honey was sweet and delicious.
Sipping herb tea after the meal, I couldn’t help but worry about future meals. That night, the fluffball arranged for me to speak with Brother Tohma.
With the unique gift I received from the fluffball, he could send items from Japan.
Our camping gear was returned to us, which made us cheer. It contained not only changes of clothes but also basic skincare products and snacks, all very welcome in this otherworldly land.
“Maybe we’ll manage somehow with Brother Tohma’s support.”
Still, to be reborn as a high elf…
Brother Tohma, who was already quite handsome, had transformed into someone breathtakingly beautiful.
It made me worry about him attracting even more trouble.
“I’ll just get stronger quickly, defeat the dragon, and bring him home.”
