Chapter 1 – Deceiver
The pain in his chest vanished all of a sudden.
One second earlier he was still feeling the constant beep of the heart monitor, the strong smell of hospital alcohol, and the muffled voice of someone begging him to hold on. The next instant, there was only water. Clear, luminous, weightless. As if the entire world had turned into a silent, endless lake.
He opened his eyes, surprised.
A female figure with long blue hair floated in front of him, smiling with exaggerated confidence.
"Welcome! You died. But don't worry, I am the goddess Aqua!"
He remained silent for a few seconds, taking in the scene. The water, the light, the far-too-familiar face…
'This… is Konosuba?'
Aqua didn't even notice his silence. She was already pointing at a floating crystal with complete naturalness.
"See, this was your life. Your name was Haruto Takahashi, you were twenty-three years old, worked in a boring office, and died in a rather… let's say… pathetic way. You choked on a piece of chicken while watching anime late at night. A monotonous life with no great achievements. But now you have a second chance!"
He blinked slowly.
'Haruto Takahashi?'
'Choked on chicken?'
None of it matched. The name was wrong. The cause of death was wrong. The age was wrong. Aqua was describing someone else's life with absolute certainty, without the slightest idea that the soul in front of her was not Haruto's.
'She didn't notice the switch… Interesting.'
"Now, the options!" she continued, raising two fingers. "You can go to heaven. But honestly, it's pretty tedious. Or you can return to Earth and be reborn without any memories of your previous life. Or… and this is the best one!… you can go to a fantasy world with all your current memories, receive **one** special skill or item, and help defeat the Demon King!"
He took a deep breath, still processing.
'Tedious heaven… rebirth without memories… or fantasy world with intact memories.'
There was no doubt.
"I choose the fantasy world."
Aqua clapped her hands, excited.
"Great! Now choose your special skill or item! Legendary sword, immortality ring, super strength, eagle vision, whatever you want!"
He raised his gaze with seriousness.
"I should think carefully. After all, my choice may decide the future of the world. You don't mind, right, goddess?"
Hearing how Haruto cared so nobly about the future of a world that wasn't even his, Aqua felt moved.
"I don't mind. Take as long as you want to choose."
Those words would soon backfire.
He remained silent, examining all the skills, while internally thinking about how to gain an advantage over that goddess.
Hours passed.
Then an entire day.
A young man could be seen staring at a pile of papers on the ground and magical items, as if he possessed divine wisdom and was contemplating enlightenment.
'I don't feel hunger or thirst here. That only makes my plans easier.'
Aqua, who at the beginning had been gesturing excitedly, gradually lost her enthusiasm. She started yawning. Then complaining under her breath. On the second day, she was already lying on her side in the water, drawing circles with her finger and grumbling:
"Just choose already… anything… a sword, a ring, super strength, whatever…"
'She's losing her patience. Perfect. The more impatient she gets, the less attention she pays.'
On the third day, her patience had reached its absolute limit.
That was exactly the moment he had been waiting for.
He raised his gaze with a calm smile.
"Actually… can I write the skill myself?"
Aqua looked at him as if she had just heard the most absurd thing in the universe.
"Write it? Seriously? Can't you just pick one of the normal options?!"
'She's about to explode. Great.'
"It's just that I'm very specific. I prefer to put it on paper so there are no misunderstandings."
Aqua threw her head back and let out a long groan.
"Fine! Fine! Write whatever you want! Just finish this already!"
She materialized a small piece of paper and a pen, which he held as if his life depended on it. He immediately began writing. His handwriting was tiny, almost illegible, filled with long and complicated terms that resembled the elaborate contracts of the lawyers from her world… and also the confusing, faith-filled speeches of the Axis Cult.
He handed the paper to Aqua without saying almost anything.
Aqua, already completely out of patience, barely read the first lines. Her eyes skimmed over the difficult words without truly absorbing them.
"…physical body… projection… fraction of divine power… without overloading the mortal plane… blah blah blah… whatever! I grant it! Now go already!"
She extended her hand with a hurried and careless gesture.
The water around him shone intensely.
His previously dark hair lightened into a vivid blue identical to hers. His eyes burned for a second, and when the light faded, they held the same crystalline color as Aqua's. His entire body cracked — muscles reorganized, bones became denser, his breathing deeper and more stable. He felt complete. Stronger. Lighter. As if the water itself had recognized him as a physical vessel capable of channeling a fraction of divine power.
'It worked…'
The teleportation circle formed beneath his feet.
At the exact moment the light swallowed him, Aqua brought a hand to her chest.
The reserves of faith power she had always felt as an infinite ocean… were at half.
She stood frozen in the middle of the void, blinking.
"…Just a physical skill, right?"
She remained silent for a few seconds, frowning.
"I didn't mess up, did I…?"
The silence of the water was the only answer.