My name is Matsumoto Kunio.

I was born and raised in the renowned metropolis known as Tokyo.

At the tender age of 17, I found myself facing an earth-shattering event.

That’s right, I died.

Not many people live to tell the tale of their deaths. After all, people die when they are killed.

As a certified NEET from the twenty-first century. My life wasn’t much to talk about.

I dropped out of high school, for various reasons.

I always felt out of place. While others studied seriously, competing over grades, I couldn’t do the same no matter how hard I tried. Ultimately, it seemed pointless.

High school just didn’t suit me.

And so, without a single penny to my name, I decided to apply for an interview for a cashier job.

Why a cashier job? It was pretty close to where I lived.

On the day of the interview, I was walking down the street when I saw a small cat trying to cross the street.

I am very much a cat person. I even had one myself, but she unfortunately disappeared one day, never to return.

As I was reminiscing over my cat, a white truck came speeding down the road, heading directly towards the cat!

I knew I had to do something. And so, I put power into my legs and ran.

Fifty meters…

Thirty meters…

Ten meters…

SCREEEEECH!

The truck swerved before skidding to a halt.

Lying crouched on the sidewalk was me, eyes shut tight with anticipation.

But the impact never came.

It turns out, I managed to save the cat! The little critter was snug within my embrace.

That was probably one of the proudest moments in my life.

The onlookers were all shocked by the turn of events but still praised me for my very courageous act.

The truck door slammed open, and out came the truck driver, looking very flustered. Amidst the boos from the gathering crowd, he offered a hand and pulled me up. The man scratched his hair in embarrassment, offering me a ride to my destination. He most likely did it out of guilt, but I wasn’t going to turn him down.

After making sure the cat was safe and sound, I hopped into the truck with the driver, before speeding off to my destination.

PLOT TWIST!

The driver was my boss and my interviewer!

I landed the job pretty easily and managed to give my new boss a good, lasting impression.

You know, all was good until the earth-shattering event happened.

Yup, it was literally an earth-shattering event. On my way home, I was humming a tune without a care in the world, when my foot hit a patch of soil that just crumbled. And then I lost my footing, fell headfirst onto the busy road, had my head pop like a balloon, and died!

‘What? What just happened?’

The truck didn’t kill me, but the earth did!?

***

A blinding light burst forth at the very center of the dark void. Out from the light, and into the darkness, came a teenager, his hair floating upwards like seaweed.

The teenager’s eyes fluttered open, before shifting his beady eyes all around him. His eyes couldn’t adjust to the absolute absence of light, and it strained his eyes, so he just shut them.

“Is this how death feels like?” he questioned. “If it is, I feel wronged.”

Where was hell? Where was heaven? Where’s the god that’s supposed to judge whether I was worthy of Heaven?

The teenager couldn’t wrap his head around it and eventually gave up thinking too.

One minute…

Two minutes…

Or not.

Recalling his past life, Kunio was surprised by how empty it was. There was no noteworthy experience whatsoever. He didn’t travel the world, nor explored new things outside of the city he lived in. He wasn’t sure if the reason was because of his young age or something else, but his whole life he achieved a grand total of nothing.

If I could relive my life, he thought, maybe I would try something new.

Greetings, my child.

A soothing and nurturing voice rang out in the void. The voice sounded feminine, motherly, and maybe he was just imagining it, but it sounded powerful and omnipresent. Kunio turned around, or at least he thought he did. It was hard to gauge the direction with how dark it was.

“Who are yo- ” Kunio paused, before continuing, “You must be the person that sends me to the afterlife, right? Where were you this whole time?”

You sure are a peculiar one. But no, I am here to give you a new chance at life.

“A new chance at life? Could this be? Am I… perhaps one of the chosen ones? This is just like the light novels I read!”

Indeed, my child. It is exactly as you think. Let me introduce myself, I am Gaia, goddess of the—

“EARTH!!!”

‘Crap, don’t tell me… I was killed intentionally?’ After all, it was an earth-shattering event that killed him.

If that was the case, Kunio was going to reject the offer if he could. His mind spun round and round, coming up with all sorts of conspiracy theories of how Mother Earth was secretly plotting against him.

Cough. Cough.

It can’t be, right? I mean, why would someone as powerful as—?

COUGH. COUGH.

“You good?”

Dear, you ought to be more careful around gods. After all, we can read mortal minds.

Kunio was speechless.

Do not worry, my child. I will send you to the world of Eden, where might and magic triumphs all. To aid you in your journey, I will bless you with powers. I’m sure this is something you are very familiar with.

The goddess snapped her fingers.

[System is awakening…]

[System awakening successful!]

[Confirming user…]

[User successfully registered!]

A series of notifications was conjured out of nowhere and floated in front of Kunio’s face. The words were accompanied by a cold, robotic voice, very similar to the voice of Alecsas back on earth; clearly human but spoken in a tone that hints otherwise.

‘Amazing! This is just like those systems in the novels! Although, I think I would prefer a cute little fairy companion that tells me all the info and accompanies me in my travels.

‘Oh! Oh! She could also fight alongside me. It would be good if she had a cheery personality and nags at me constantly but is secretly in lo—' Kunio trails off into a wonderland that only he can perceive.

A dreamy expression formed on his face as he explored the wild fantasies that he never thought he had.

Gaia was not amused.

The goddess snapped her fingers again to draw his attention. Thankfully, the teenager obliged.

Let’s get back to the topic, shall we? I sense that we have dragged this banter out long enough.

Gaia snapped her fingers again, and a gentle light starts consuming the void at a rapid pace. The light eventually fades to reveal a planet, not unlike earth, but with notable differences. It didn’t seem like a projection or a video, it felt like he was physically present, standing high above the planet itself.

The planet slowly rotates, giving Kunio a better look at the entire planet.

But beware…

A spark lit up on the surface of the planet, before exploding into a raging inferno. Fiery tendrils snaked their way across the only landmass on this planet, before blowing up to form towering pillars of scorching hot flames. Kunio swore he could feel the heat cooking up his face. These flames died down and revealed the aftermath:

What was once a large landmass, has now split into five separate landmasses. The edges of these were all burnt to a crisp. Once large and powerful civilizations weren’t spared from annihilation, and the world seemed to cry in agony. Seeing the scale of this destruction, Kunio couldn’t help but hold his breath.

A calamity is sure to descend onto this world, just as it had multiple times before. To prevent its impending destruction, I have chosen you to be the savior of this world.

The planet starts zooming in towards the central landmass.

Of course, that event you witnessed happened a long, long time ago. And time heals all wounds.

The zooming soon stops at a certain point, allowing him to look down. Surrounded by tall mountains on all sides, a beautiful city stood tall and proud. Outside the southern, western, and eastern walls laid three long roads that stretch all the way into the distance. These stone walls looked ancient, but reliable all the same with a metal portcullis hanging over the entrances, ready to drop down at a moment’s notice. This was Dragonsteel city.

Holy [email protected]#$, the castle's size is larger than Himeji Castle!

At the back of the city was a towering castle that loomed over the surrounding buildings. To the back of the castle lied a sprawling lake that reflects a spitting image of the back of the castle. The lake was so huge he was sure he could fit the whole castle in it.

This will be your birthplace. I think you will find it quite suitable to your tastes.

“It’s where I live?!” Kunio couldn’t keep the excitement from his voice. “Awesome!”

I am glad you are excited. Now, I’m sure you can’t wait, so it’s time for me to send you off.

The goddess spread her arms wide and drifted towards the teenager. Kunio felt her arms wrap around him. It was a loving embrace, and to Kunio, it felt… warm.

Once again. Welcome to Eden. Stay safe, my child. If you ever start to feel homesick, just remember, that I, will always watch over you.

A gentle smile formed on the goddess’ face, and Kunio started to feel a suctioning force threatening to pull him somewhere.

“Ah, before I forget! Make sure to make me super handsome. I never got a girlfriend in my past life and it sure would be great if— “

The teenager disappeared, leaving only the goddess, floating, alone in the empty void. Her smile was strained, and she rested her knuckles on her forehead.

I swear, my children keeps getting weirder and weirder. And it’s getting more difficult to maintain this form…

The original motherly goddess with long auburn hair and green robes started transforming. Her hair shortened to that of a bob haircut, and even her auburn red hair became a light blue with patches of green on it.

Her robes burned away to form a loose T-shirt with a blue logo on it, and her emerald-green eyes lit up, before dimming down to form an azure blue. Even her tall, busty figure shrunk down to that of a young girl.

And what’s with this form! Who’s the child that portrayed me like this!

The goddess reached out to touch her face, before removing a band-aid from her nose.

I suppose she had good intentions.

Sighing wistfully, the goddess turned around to look at the planet of Eden. She flicked the band-aid into the void and her emerald eyes contained a trace of melancholy.

Even ridding myself of magic could not prevent my eventual destruction. Eden… I hope you know what you’re doing. The fourth calamity should have been prevented…