Chapter 2
The laughter of countless women echoed from behind the radiant curtain.
"Ohhh, my sides—! And here we thought we didn't even need to explain it to him! No objections to that ridiculous power request!"
"I'm shocked! Trading everything for that? Who would even protest?"
"No objections… Guess he really doesn't want the 'great responsibility' he mentioned. But will he survive without any cheats?"
"No objections, nyaa~! Let's humor him, nyaa~!"
"One less competitor, huh? Genius! 'Lose 10 to gain 5'—brilliant! No objections here!"
"Go for it! Let the human have his dumpster-fire ability!"
"Aww~! Curses at full power for half-strength blessings? No objections~!"
"Heh. He'll die within 30 days. Zero objections."
"Pfft— Look at this loser's summon! No objections. Give him that 'power'!"
"Kekeke! A perfect match for her, don't you think? No objections!"
"Like a roach paired with a rotten shoe, right? giggles No objections!"
"Approved! Let him have it!"
"No objections~ But should we toss him a little something extra?"
"I'll chip in! Can't let her get demoted to unicorn poop duty… snickers!"
"Oho? But your face says you want her to fail! No objections to the trash power—or to 'helping' him a teeny bit. His penalty points do leave room for it~"
Other goddesses' voices? Hearing this, I finally understood… Even deities have hierarchies—looking down on each other, clawing for status. No different from corporate life. And the weakest, underperforming ones? They get trampled hardest.
"Sniff… Damn it… See?! They're already mocking me! I don't wanna be the Trash Deity!"
The humiliated goddess clung to my leg, tears dripping. Pathetic. Adorably so.
*"Even slimes get 3 basic skills. Even the lowliest villagers have 4-5 from life experience. So we'll grant you decent (but non-cheat) starter skills—no conditions. Hmm… 4 normal skills, 1 rare? Agreed, everyone?"*
"Agreed!" x98
A breathtaking goddess—golden hair cascading, chest ample, aura radiating seniority—emerged from the light with the proposal.
"But I—"
Grk.
My personal goddess tightened her grip on my leg.
"Your blessings are… hic… useless! Pick something good from their offers! No more stupid choices!!"
"Worry not. These 5 skills won't burden you with 'great power' or responsibility."
"…Okay."*
No choice but to accept. Freebies? Perfect. Even if I'd already planned my real cheat. Heh.
The golden-haired goddess spread her hands, and a grid of millions of skills materialized, complete with a search box.
"Choose, human. Take 4 Normal skills and 1 guaranteed Rare—no race, class, or condition restrictions. Pick wisely. Don't embarrass Melt further."
Melt? So that's her name. Cute. Fitting for how she's melting down.
I searched meticulously, reading every description. The goddesses waited patiently… for an hour.
Finally, I decided:
[Item Box]
[Doppelganger]
[Perfect Shapeshift]
[Stealth]
And my ultimate skill:
[Overlimit]
"All… survival skills? You really don't plan to compete… Tch! At least live the full 100 years!"
"Heh. I'll avoid fights for a century. But if I die from illness, murder, or old age—"
"Ugh! Fine! We'll add no illness, no aging. That's it. No objections?"
"No objections!" x98
Perfect.
"Any last words for your goddess?"
"Melt… Sorry for only thinking of myself. I'll live this new life fully—and not disappoint you."
*"Hic… W-Well… Good luck! Don't die before 100 years!"*
"Thanks!"
The world flashed white—
Open Field, Daytime
Enemy Encountered:
Pink Slime LV 1 | HP 50 | EXP 1 | SkillXP 1
I stabbed the slime with my LV1 dagger. Swish! 10 damage. It counterattacked; I barely dodged. Another 10 damage. Repeat until—
Splat!
Displayed Values:
[XXX gained EXP 1 | SkillXP 1]
[XXX LV UP: LV1 → LV1 (50%)]
[XXX Skill UP: SLV1 → SLV1 (50%)]
My Hidden Values:
[XXX gained EXP 2 trillion | SkillXP 2 trillion]
[XXX LV UP: LV1 → LV9121 (CurseHBless → LV1 (50%)]
[XXX Skill LV: LV1 → LV1511 (CurseHBless → LV1 (50%)]
[XXX gained Status Points: 45,600 (CurseHBless → 27,800)]
[XXX gained Skill Points: 1,510 (CurseHBless → 755)]
[CurseHBless]
Curse #0:
All stats/items/skills appear drastically weaker when inspected. Cannot adjust values without observers.
Blessing #0:
All stats/items/skills appear drastically weaker when inspected. Can adjust values with observers.
Curse #1:
Against Pink Slimes (4PM–8AM): EXP divided by 4 trillion. Attacks heal 40% of slime's max HP.
Blessing #1:
Against Pink Slimes (8AM–3:59PM): EXP multiplied by 2 trillion. Attacks deal 20% max HP damage.
Curse #2:
Gain EXP until reaching true level's stat/skill points, but level-ups capped at +1 per battle.
Blessing #2:
Gain EXP until reaching half of true level's points, but level-ups capped at +0.5 per battle.
I stared at my curses and blessings—and smirked.
It's working.
Heh. Hahahaha—!
Melt, my adorable goddess… Don't worry.
I'll become the strongest in this world—secretly. While everyone still thinks I'm trash.
Everything…
"Just as planned."
End of Chapter 2 Just as planned.