~ Chapter 7: The details of my new life ~

All that was left to do now was to choose my new life and have another take at my abilities, but to be honest, while I had some ideas about that last part, nothing crossed my mind for the first one.

“So... a family...” I said as I pondered about what I wanted.

This was the eight time already when I repeated myself. Some of the gods returned to playing board games and doing other stuff until I made up my mind. The only one who HAD to pay attention all the time was Sapherya.

“It's not that hard... How about we start off with erm... social class? YES! The social class you wish to have! Commoner, Nobility, or even Royalty, your choice!” the goddess nodded three times at super speed.

“I would suggest to be reborn as a noble, a lower one. That's always a fine pick for heroes. Not too far from the common folk but not too close either. Not too far from Royalty to not be able to get involved in the problems of the state but not right in the middle of it either.” said the dwarf god from before.

“Is that so? Hm...” I started to rub my chin.

Thinking about it, this god had a good point. Being born as a lower noble of sorts allowed me to properly interact with those on the upper stratum of society but also with those on the lower one. If I fell in love with a commoner, it wouldn't be such a big deal, and the same could be said if I fell in love with a noble lady. Looking at it, I probably even had a shot with a princess.

“Alright! Then a lower noble it is. No point in playing a new game on a very hard difficulty.” I said after I made up my mind.

“A fine choice, but I'm going to guess you want them to be a loving family, not too rich but not too poor, not very influential at the time of your birth but not lacking in it either?” asked the big breasted goddess.

It sounded like a good idea, so I gave my approval with a nod. Sapherya also agreed with it.

“I never had a sister or a brother, so maybe you could put me in a family where I have one? Either is fine, I just want a sibling whom I can pamper or be pampered by.” I shrugged as I gave my surprisingly simple request.

“Whew! For a second there, I thought you had perverted intentions when you said 'sister'. The number of idiots out there who lust after their own blood related sibling is too damn high!” complained Sapherya.

With that last part, she reminded me of a certain meme.

“Hey! Please spare me from such a messed-up family! A normal one is absolutely fine with me!” I cringed at the very thought of it.

“Haha! Of course! Of course! So, a sister in a loving noble family? That works. I should have several of them where I can place you.” Sapherya nodded.

“No arranged marriages please.” I added before I forgot about it.

“Aaand... the list was narrowed by a lot.” the goddess replied tilting her head to the right.

“Well, that's about it in regard to the family. I don't have any other specific preferences... Just make them human, maybe? Oh, but I already said I wanted to be reborn as a human, so it's logical that they will be human as well... Hm...” I crossed my arms at my chest and tilted my head to the left.

There was really nothing else I could think of that needed to be specified. I marked all the important things and all that was left were the minor details.

“I guess now we can work on those abilities?” I asked.

“Certainly!” Sapherya nodded with a smile while the horde of gods began to actively talk among themselves.

I felt like I was in the middle of a marketplace. Everyone was so noisy, I could barely hear my own thoughts.

“For regeneration, that can be done with a genetic mutation, but this means your children will inherit it as well. Also, you might end up immortal or with a VERY long lifespan... probably your sister as well. She will possess similar genetic abilities as you.” the office lady goddess explained.

“Works for me!” I nodded and smiled.

“Flight can be achieved in three ways: a mutation that allows you to grow a pair of wings; a mutation that grants you the Telekinetic ability; or inherent magic of a gravity and wind combination.” explained Sapherya.

“Definitely not wings but having the Telekinetic power does indeed sound interesting. I want that one!” I nodded and smiled.

I just hoped no bald old man was going to come and recruit me to his school once this ability of mine manifested itself.

“Very well... Now about the magic you can use. As a noble with a high physical regeneration, your Magic Energy pool will most likely be abnormally high for your given age, but it won't matter the quantity if you don't have any elemental affinity. If you want to struggle a bit, we can just let you have an affinity for all the elements instead of giving you all the magic knowledge you will ever be able to learn in that lifetime. This way, you are free to experiment and advance at your own pace.” explained Sapherya as she even showed me a small diagram of sorts.

According to her, I would have enough Magic Energy by the time I was an adult to become one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom. Compared to normal people, I would have outstanding talent in magic just because of my affinity for the elements and Magic Energy pool. However, it all came down to me if I was able to properly use it or not.

Just like saying: you could buy the strongest horse on the market, but it will be useless if it behaves like a donkey.

“Your suggestion sounds good to me. An affinity for all the elements and enough Magic Energy to make the court magician envious. If you can make sure I won't lack the ability to learn it faster than the average magician, it actually sounds really cool!” I nodded satisfied.

The last part was mentioned because as much as I wanted a challenge, spending countless hours in a library just to read the same book over and over again wasn't what I would call... fun.

“Understood. Although, the ability to learn fast is considered a prerequisite for the Telekinetic power. However, I wish to point out that I would be against choosing an All-Language Translator ability.” Sapherya told me with a serious look in her eyes.

“Huh? Why?” I asked surprised.

It didn't sound that bad, to be honest, but after they claimed that all skills and abilities were a go, it made me wonder why they would be against me picking this one. Or maybe this was just a request from the main goddess of the world I was going to be reborn on?

“Well, language is different from species to species because of the way their vocal cords are formed as well as the range of sounds they can perceive or emit. Then we have different orders of sounds in their alphabets and countless variations of characters for each language, including secret and dead ones. An auto-translator would require using a LOT of Magic Energy or Divine Energy, depending on the case, in order to decipher and access the required information. It will also make it almost impossible for you to naturally learn other languages, even that of your own parents. In your mind, you will think and speak as you do now, in Romanian, while for everyone else around you, your words will be translated in their native language.” the goddess let out a small sigh.

“This would become a problem if they spoke in a secret language.” I pointed out.

Even in the medieval times of Earth, it wasn't that unlikely for nobles or secrets organizations to use completely made-up languages in order to communicate among themselves. If someone who can easily understand and translate those languages suddenly appears, suspicions will arise from both sides.

“Well, it's not like we can't offer it, but it will constantly consume a lot of your Magic Energy, when you could just as well use it in order to cast more powerful spells.” Sapherya told me.

“From your explanation, it sounds to me like this skill could end up becoming really troublesome from several points of view.” I raised an eyebrow.

“Sigh... Yes. Because it sounds like it would be boring to learn other languages, many heroes end up using a lot of their [Hero Potential] in order to acquire it. For some it's even given unwillingly when they are summoned.” she nodded.

“Seriously?” I asked surprised.

“To put it in gaming terms...” Elisaya, the office lady goddess, took a step forward and began to explain “it would mean that out of 100 Skill Points, you would use about 90 just for this one. I have witnessed various gods hiding the actual cost of this skill or even forcing it upon their heroes before they realized they can just choose something else. This is considered by some gods a good way to control certain Heroes. It limits the potential of their Cheat Abilities by a LOT.”

“Is this the reason why many heroes in Earth's novels end up with this skill and only one or two other cheat skills?” I asked curiously.

“Those writers mostly use it as a convenient plot device, but this choice of theirs does hold a seed of truth in the fact that the main god of Earth actually allows a great deal of individuals with a talent for creation to peek unconsciously into other universes and dimensions or remember events and situations from their own past lives through the form of their imaginations.” she pointed out.

“So, an earthling's cheat skill on Earth is his imagination?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Indeed. How else would you explain the rapid growth of technology and culture on your planet? If it would have been limited as it is on certain worlds, then humans would have remained in each historical era for at anywhere between 10000 to 20000 years as they slowly advanced and perfected themselves.” Sapherya explained.

“That's slow...” I blinked surprised.

“For you, who was born on Earth, yes, but for those born on my world, for example, it's actually quite normal.” the dwarf god shrugged.

“What happened to curiosity?” I asked.

“It's limited by the need to survive. As a result, humans of such worlds tend to be far more physically apt or biologically evolved when compared to those of Earth. However, going back to the topic, do imagine how it would have been if certain heroes from those stories exchanged this all-language translator skill for let's say... 9 other Cheat Skills with the equivalent power of their first one?” the office lady pointed out.

“Hm... End of story in three chapters?” I raised an eyebrow.

“That too, but the damage they would cause to the world would be unprecedented. The power struggle would shift. The civilizations would shatter, and countless lives could be lost at the single flick of their hand.” she explained.

“But why give them such powers in the first place?” I asked a bit confused.

“Hm, that is a question we cannot answer at this point. Maybe in the future when we meet again, we will tell you. Just think of it as one of your challenges... How to use ALL of your powers without breaking the world apart.” she put on a gentle smile.

“I understand, thank you. Even so, why did you tell me all of this? Wouldn't it have been better to hide it all from me as well?” I asked.

“With your high [Hero Potential] it matters not, besides, we felt like we could trust you with this information. A god's intuition is not one that should be taken lightly!” Elisaya showed me a smirk.

“I see...”

“Instead of that costly skill, I think I may have an alternative.” Sapherya said with a smile.

“I'm listening.” I told her.

“How about the ability to simply pick up with ease any language and learn it much faster than others can. You saw it in your world as well. Those people who can study a new language in a matter of days or weeks? Something like that? It would still require you to put some effort into it, but it won't cost any Magic Energy.” she explained.

“Hm... Is that so? Sounds good, but what are the extra perks?” I asked.

“You may speak with uncommon or mythical beings as well, such as fairies, spirits, and even us gods.” she pointed out.

“That sounds quite useful. And it won't use up my Magic Energy?” I asked.

“No.” she shook her head.

“What's the cost on my [Hero Potential]?”

“About 30% of it.” she replied.

“That much, huh?” I said.

“Communication is the mother of all civilizations.” pointed out god in full plate armor, who also happened to be in control of a warmongering planet.

That was indeed true. The humans on Earth reached their current level of civilization only thanks to their ability to communicate. Without it, we would have still been monkeys dangling on tree branches and eating fruits and bugs.

But this also reminded me of another thing. Almost all the heroes in the stories I read had this ability of an auto-translator. They were quite limited to a certain number of languages, but in the end, it was something they received most of the times without even asking for it. They saw it as luck or maybe a default setting of sorts, but from what I was told just now, it was highly likely that it wasn't so. The gods, no matter how goofy or incapable some appeared to be... were still gods in the end. Their worlds, their rules as they say.

“Will I be able to learn body language as well?” I asked out of curiosity.

“With proper study, yes.” Sapherya replied with a nod.

“I'll take it then!” I agreed immediately.

30% was far better than 90%. If I chose the auto-translator, I might have ended up needing to give up on the Telekinetic power or magic. Besides, back on Earth, I was really really bad at body language. It didn't matter how one moved or behaved around me, I was simply unable to tell the meaning behind their gestures. I even had trouble understanding the simple 'thumbs up' or 'middle finger' at one point. For a while, I actually thought they were just weird ways people greeted each other.

The embarrassing moments which ensued as a result of my terrible misunderstandings were endless and rich in humor.

“Well, besides our usual Blessings and the before mentioned luck, is there anything else you would like us to offer you?” Sapherya asked curiously.

“Hm, you said your world holds the concept of slavery, right?” I asked.

“Yes...” she nodded “Not one of my world's most admired features. Although I initially introduced it as a way to prevent the overpopulation of dungeons with locked up criminals, it sort of got out of hand, and now certain individuals in both politics and my own church have went as far as to declare it to be my solemn will.” she complained.

“I understand. So, it's your fault it exists in the first place.” I nodded to myself.

“Nooo! I just suggested it as an alternative way... Uuu! I just didn't want blood to be needlessly spilled for every petty crime!” she complained.

I find teasing this goddess to be a rather enjoyable past time activity. I thought.

“If that's the case, then grant me the ability to override those slave contracts, collars, or whatever they are using. Make me completely immune to slavery magic. Also, those you personally wish for me to free and are in my power to do so, please make it so that I can see them or meet them?” I suggested.

“Wouldn't this turn you into an Apostle of mine?” she asked tilting her head to the left.

“No. I will use this power only when I feel like it. It will be my type of 'eccentric behavior' as a noble if you wish to call it like that. Just a noble who buys and frees whoever he feels like it. Although, I'm going to make this clear. I don't want to end up freeing slaves at every single step I take! Or turn it into some sort of life mission. If in the future I can do something about it, very well, if not, then don't make me.” I warned her.

Leading that sort of life could easily turn my future and happiness upside down. I was 100% sure I didn't want to become a martyr, but freeing one or two now and then didn't sound THAT bad. Besides, the main reason I wanted this goddess to be the one guiding me in this matter was so I didn't have to worry about trying to figure out who needed to be set free and who didn't. As the one ruling this world, she had to know this sort of stuff.

If it were solely up to me, I would probably free all of them, but seeing how this specific slavery system was introduced mostly as a way to punish criminals, chances were I would encounter a lot of death row inmates. Freeing criminals and all sorts of bad characters wasn't something I wanted to do or experience.

“Ten souls he's planning on making a slave harem filled with beautiful sexy women?” whispered one of the brawny gods to another one.

“Deal!” he complied.

These gods... are they serious? Who bets on something like that?! I wanted to scream out, but then I realized that I would also make a similar bet if I was in their place.

I kept my mouth shut and only let out a sigh. I honestly didn't care who was going to win that bet in the end.

“Very well then. I will grant you the ability of [Oracle Eyes], which will allow you to see my Divine Light around those I wish you and only you to help or save. I will also give you the skill [Divine Contract], which is similar to [Make a Slave]. It can override the former spell and any other similar ones. It grants you immunity towards any type of [Charm] and [Enslave] abilities cast upon you. Of course, items with such function will appear to work properly, but in reality, they will have no effect on you.” Sapherya explained with a small smile on her lips.

With this, I was pretty much set. There was only one last thing I wanted to ask of her.

“Is it possible to grant me a mutation that strengthens my skeleton and reflexes without changing my outer appearance? Not something ridiculous like a metal alloy covered skeleton. If that thing bends, I'm pretty much done for. Besides, winters and hot summers will be a nightmare...” I asked with a wry smile.

“Of course, I can! But are you satisfied with only this?” the goddess asked me.

“Yes, although, are you certain I didn't ask for too much?” I worriedly inquired as I looked towards the other gods, but they all shook their heads.

“With your [Hero Potential], even if you asked for a game-like God Mode ability it would still be acceptable!” a brawny redhead warrior god laughed it up.

“God Mode? No, thank you! I want to have fun not get bored.” I retorted.

“If you don't mind though, how about a Status Window?” Elisaya asked.

“Like in a game?” I asked.

“Yes.” she nodded.

“Will I be the only one?”

“Yes.” this time, Sapherya was the one who replied and showed me a cute smile at the end.

“I don't mind... as long as it's nothing too outrageous.” I shrugged.

“Not at all! This way, you'll be able to see the status of your contracted companions as well. It will require Magic Energy to invoke and can even be used as a means of identification.” Elisaya explained with a business smile on her face.

“Back on her world, this sort of spell is quite common... Hm, maybe thorough you, I can also introduce it on mine? Of course, if Elisaya permits it?” Sapherya looked back at the office lady.

“I do not mind. The people of my world found it to be quite helpful in many things.” she shrugged.

“Great! Then I guess with this we're done!” Sapherya smiled and clapped her hands.

“Once more, we apologize to you, mortal, for the trouble the people of all of our worlds had brought upon an innocent and brave soul such as yourself.” they all bowed before me.

No matter how big of a pride they had, as true gods with a kind heart, they couldn't turn a blind eye from their own mistakes even if the ones to blame were actually those living on their worlds. Because of this honest gesture of theirs, I couldn't bring myself to either hate or blame these gods. On the contrary, I found myself to start liking them.

“Farewell, mortal! May you lead a life filled with happiness in the world I call my own.” Sapherya spoke in a solemn tone of voice as white particles of light began to surround me.

“Thank you as well, fair gods...”

As soon as I said this, I vanished from that place.

Now, a new life awaited me... one of new hopes and dreams, one without idiotic kings summoning me across worlds because of my [Hero Potential].