A translucent blue screen suddenly appeared before my eyes.
"Huh! Could this be one of those awakenings from webtoons?"
"..."
"No, is this a dream? Am I seeing things because my body hurts?"
"It’s not like this world is some hunter story. An awakening..."
Even though I could see the screen right in front of me, I couldn’t believe it, so I waved my hand through the blue display.
[Your value of existence has been verified.]
[Calling an employee.]
The blue screen simply vanished, like a television being switched off.
"Of course. It was a dream. I’ve been reading too many comics..."
[Excuse me, can you hear me?]
"Gah!"
A human voice suddenly rang out from the darkness, startling me so badly that I fell backward.
[It’s awfully dark in here. Just a moment~ Don’t be startled.]
Snap!
There was the sound of fingers snapping, and the bunker slowly brightened, revealing the figure standing in front of me.
"Huh? Aqua?"
A sky-blue-haired girl stood before me, looking exactly like Aqua from Konosuba and wearing the same outfit too.
[I am not Aqua. For convenience’s sake, I have taken the form of a character from a work of fiction you have watched often in order to guide you.]
"A customer... guide me? Guide me through what?"
[To put it simply, long ago, a certain god was enjoying works of fiction from another world. But that world was destroyed before the story could reach its conclusion, which made that god extremely angry. A fight broke out between him and the god of the world that had created that work. The aftermath shook multiple dimensions, and the other gods who had been standing by could no longer bear to watch, so they intervened. After much discussion, they created a system to give worlds that produce good works of fiction another chance.]
"So a god got pissed because he got Togashi’d, and that’s why this system was created?"
[Well... yes. That is more or less correct.]
[In any case, when gods from other worlds browse that world’s works of fiction or visit on vacation, they contribute a small portion of their power as a usage fee. This system gathers that power, and if that world is destroyed, it transfers it to the final sentient survivor, then guides and assists them so they can use it properly. That is why the system was created.]
[You can think of it as an insurance company.]
"I have a question. Why the final survivor?"
[There was actually a great deal of opposition when this system was created. Many gods believed that things should simply be allowed to run their course. After lengthy deliberation, they concluded: ‘The system will decide whether a world deserves another chance, but whether to accept that chance and restore the world will be left to the final survivor who witnessed its end.’]
"So you’re saying I can take the power and not restore the world if I don’t want to?"
[Yes, that is correct.]
Perhaps they had given the final choice to someone who had witnessed the end of the world because that person would know all its filthy, ugly sides.
"Then how do I use this power?"
[It is usually used in the form of wishes.]
"How many wishes do I get?"
[That depends on the scale of the wish and the amount of power that has accumulated. Would you like me to check?]
"Sure."
[Hmm...]
The girl who looked exactly like Aqua closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and stroked her chin as though she were thinking. She looked so cute that I stared at her for quite some time.
Come to think of it, I spent all my time preparing for the apocalypse and surviving it, so I reached forty-eight without ever having any dating experience.
I suddenly felt incredibly sad.
They say a thirty-year-old virgin becomes a wizard. Does that make me a great archmage?
Just then, provisional-Aqua seemed to have finished calculating and spoke with a bright expression.
[Wow~ This world was truly loved by the gods!]
"Oh~ Really? How many wishes can I make?"
[There is enough power left over even after restoring the world twelve times.]
[Hmm... In other words, you could make roughly one hundred and thirty wishes such as, ‘Please make me rich enough that I’ll never have to worry about money for the rest of my life!’]
"Hmm..."
When I looked hesitant,
[Hm? What is it?]
"I get that it’s a lot, but I don’t have a sense of what you mean by the ‘scale of a wish’..."
[Then why don’t you tell me one wish? That should give you a rough idea, shouldn’t it?]
"All right~"
I decided to name the ability I had envied most while reading all kinds of fiction.
"How about [Game Life]? Not something I see on a phone, of course. I mean a translucent window floating in front of my eyes that only I can see, like in Solo Leveling."
[Ha~ You certainly know how to make an utterly absurd wish!]
Provisional-Aqua made a dumbfounded expression.
"Huh? Is it really that absurd?"
[Of course it is! Think about it. ‘Entering various worlds from works of fiction’ is no different from ‘creating various worlds.’ In other words, that is power comparable to the authority of a supreme god.]
"Aw~ So it can’t be done?"
[Whew~ Please wait a moment.]
[Hmm...]
[Because so much power has accumulated, it is possible. However, you would need to use enough power to restore the world ten times.]
"Then give me that."
[Pardon? Ah... all right.]
When I made my wish without hesitation, provisional-Aqua was briefly flustered and stammered. Then she quickly composed herself and placed her hand above my head.
Ding!
[[You have awakened [Game Life].]]
[What would you like to do with the remainder?]
"Hmm... then..."
"Give me an ability that analyzes a target the moment I see them, copies their abilities, traits, techniques, skills, and so on, and turns them into skills and traits that I can use easily."
[You are making another absurd wish!]
[That is impossible. A wish of that magnitude would require enough power for roughly five restorations. You only have enough left for about two and a half.]
"Oh, yeah? What if I add a restriction? For example, change ‘the moment I see them’ to ‘when I touch them’?"
[Hmm... That would reduce it to roughly four restorations, but it is still impossible.]
"Whew~ Then I guess it can’t be helped... What if I have to kill the target?"
[Ah! Then it would be the [Murderous Plunder] ability. That should be possible.]
Once again, provisional-Aqua placed her hand above my head.
[[You have awakened the [Murderous Plunder] ability.]]
[There is very little power remaining now. I recommend using it to restore your body.]
"All right. Do that."
Vitality suddenly surged through my body. My emaciated body returned to a normal weight, and my hair and teeth, which had all fallen out, began to grow back.
[I converted what remained after restoring your body into mana.]
"Oh, thanks~ I feel energetic for the first time in a while!"
[That is the end, then. You are the first customer like this I have encountered, but it was an enjoyable experience in its own way. I wish you luck.~]
With those words, provisional-Aqua vanished. The bunker was once again filled with nothing but darkness.
"..."
"Aaaaaaah~~~~~ Fuck! Holding out really does pay off~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
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