The... Soul Forest...?

"This is the place where lost souls like you all come to receive a second chance in life. You all had some kind of injustice befall you at some point in your lives. Thus it is my duty as the Goddess of this world, Ruler, to entrust your souls to a better place.

But the world I govern coincidentally requires the birth of a hero, thus I have tended to everyone here personally. You will all be reborn as heroes in another world."

As some of us were confused and looked at each other, I saw someone yell out:

"It's fucking here! It's that cliche! Holy shit, am I dreaming?! Wataru?!"

"You're definitely not, I'm hearing this as well. Holy shit indeed..."

"Can you boys shut up for a second? That thing doesn't seem to be finished talking?"

Yaiba, the leader of the two girls Sachi and Hana, snapped at the two guys who was smirking and laughing among themselves, as if they'd struck gold.

Among them, I saw the boy called Kains. I felt conflicted when I saw him, listening attentively to the goddess's explanations. It was as if he was not remorseful at all for his previous actions. In fact, I doubted that he had noticed me among our classmates.

"You will be transported to the palace of the Luna Empire. The king of that country will then convey the divine revelation to slay the Demon King to you all. You will all be granted statuses befitting that of a hero when you arrive at the new world. That is all, I wish you luck."

"Huuuhhh?! Why would I do something as troublesome as that? How do I get back home?!" Yaiba retorted, which incited an uproar.

"That's right, that's right!"

"Like totally, why would we follow your orders?"

"You're a god? Why don't you bring us back and do it yourself then?"

"Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Incompetent god!" "Bring us back!"

Seeing that everyone was agreeing with her and gaining visible momentum, Yaiba became even more daring.

"Yeah! In the first place, what are you? If you're not afraid of showing your face to us, why don't you step out of that thing?!"

As if being provoked, the sarcophagus slowly creaked open.

Everyone became a little tense again.

...

But contrary to everyone's expectations of it being a monster concealed within the sarcophagus, a little girl came out of it.

As she let out a slow yawn, she patted her cheeks softly.

The little girl had white streaked hair to her chest with some greyish hues, and a pair of red droopy eyes with lifeless pupils. The black nightdress with some black strings laced around her shoulders and white frilly patterns on it did not seem very appropriate for someone that looked as young as her.

Ruler, as she called herself, was just a little girl in tailored adult clothes in the students' eyes.

Thus Yaiba immediately blurted out her true thoughts.

"A little girl?"

This seemed to be a triggering word for her, as she made a quick gesture towards Yaiba.

Her head exploded instantly.

But instead of the expected gore, she just disappeared like that when her head popped.

"W-what just happened?!" One of Yaiba's followers, Sachi, exclaimed.

"What the fuck, little girl-" Hana triggered Ruler again with those words.

Hana's head exploded as well, and she vanished like Yaiba.

Seeing two of her close friends disappear so easily, Sachi realized that she was at the will of this little girl who had appeared from the sarcophagus.

"Finally, some peace and quiet. I had intended to finish this on a good note, but this human just had to ruin it right. Ahh... temper temper... Gotta keep it down..."

As if ignoring everyone else here, she talked to herself absentmindedly. We did not dare speak a word after seeing two people vanish from existence like that.

"Hmm... hmm... alright. There seems to be no more objections? ...Alright, of-"

"I have a question."

Everyone's eyes were trained on me who asked that question in this tense situation.

"-f you g-... hmm? You have a question?"

As Ruler stared at me with her lifeless eyes, I braced myself as I spoke out.

"Yes."

Ruler suddenly made a gesture of zipping her mouth, and made me realize that I couldn't speak suddenly for a moment.

She made a thinking pose, before nodding to herself a few times.

"... ...Hnn... I guess... I could spare time for one. Speak."

I-I can speak again...

Wetting my lips, I tried to speak fluently but it came out wrong the first time.

The second time, I managed to ask properly.

"May I ask, what happened to our bodies in our original world?"

"They were erased of life, of course. What are you even saying at this point."

Ruler replied tactlessly, which triggered a series of emotional responses among our classmates.

Some of them seemed to recall what had happened to them and threw up, just like me.

The white surface was now stained with quite a few puddles of vomit...

"S-so is it safe to say that we have essentially died, and reincarnated? To this new world that you speak of...?"

"That is speaking the obvious, aaand a second question. Though I must definitely correct you on one part. You are not reincarnated. You are being transported upon death. There is a big difference there, human."

?!

"Well that's one question down. I have no more time for you lot. Begone."

Everyone, including me was exclaiming in shock, as they all fell into the white surface like quicksand.

Some of the guys were ecstatic as they continued to shout "Fuck yeah!" and "I'll get myself a harem at the slave market!!!" while disappearing into the bottom of this place.

My classmates slowly disappeared from the Soul Forest.

Leaving me in this white space with Ruler.

"Well then, back to s-...?"

She stopped right in front of the sarcophagus that contained her, as if remembering something.

I was looking at her from a distance, not knowing what to do.

"? ...Really... how many of these fellows have infiltrated this place... Looks like I've got a lot of work to do..."

Work? Infiltrated?

"Seems like they've rigged my console as well and stole some administrative rights... ...human, you coming here was a mistake after all."

"Mistake?! W-what do you mean?!"

"I should have realized, you don't have the qualities of a hero vessel in you. It's usually pretty simple to acquire, but looks like you're not very normal already and the system is rejecting you."

"I-I don't have the qualities of a ... hero?"

"Stop repeating what I'm saying, it's annoying. Well, basically, someone put you here intentionally knowing fully well that you wouldn't acquire any sort of divine blessings from me."

"W-why would they do that?! So... does that mean I can return?"

"Haven't you heard anything I said? You died, human. You cannot go back. But you can still choose to be transported, or return your soul to the purgatory state."

"What happens in the purgatory state?"

"You soul will cease to exist, but your isolated consciousness will drift around endlessly, until something happens."

"Isolated?! Until something happens? And what would that something be?!"

"You really ask alot from a god huh? ... I can't be bothered. Hmm... it's probably the lifespan of a human? That's probably it, ... ah don't worry. I'll fix that bit. ...Aaand done. I've given you the blessing of Immortality. Now go on, go back to nothingness-"

"Immortality? What the... and wait!!! I didn't agree to that! Transportation! I'll take transportation! I'll be alone if I lose my soul right?! I'll transport! I'll transport!"

"...Last call. Transportation or Nothing."

"Transportation!"

"Alright, goodbye. Sigh, finally... ...wait! Ah, jeez! This console is so rigged...! I better get a new one..."

As Ruler turned her back towards me and entered the sarcophagus, she realized something halfway and looked back at me with a keen gaze.

I dropped into the surface slowly, not knowing why she'd done so.

"Well, good luck. I can't interfere anymore either way. You're going to need that luck, human."

She spouted her last few words, before I could no longer see her anymore.

I awoke abruptly.

I slowly opened my eyelids.

Eyelids? I don't have eyelids?

Wait... Where is my face?

I can't feel anything? Where are my hands?

I can't hear anything?

???!

Transmigration complete.

Status created.

Name Cave Slime (Hikari Shinkawa Lestia) Level 1 Unused SP 0 Rank 1 Race Slime Gender Undetermined Occupation Undetermined Alignment Neutral Class Undetermined Health 10 Mana 0 Strength 1 Dexterity 1 Luck 2,000 Intelligence 1 Defense 0 Magic Defense 0 Equipment Traits Leader, Undeterred Titles Transmigrated One, Miracle of a Goddess, Monster Passive Skills Partially Intangible LV1, Acidic Body LV1, Immortality, Potential Absorption LV1 Active Skills Status Check Foreign Elements

Monster Aptitude [0%], Chaos Serum