Chapter 1: Crossing Over

 

It could have been a moment, or it could have been eternity.

 

Half-asleep and half-awake, Marcusfound himself in a spacious, empty room.

 

Dark and profound, it was also somewhat chilly.

 

"Where is this...?"

 

"Mr. Marcus, welcome to the afterlife," a voice came from behind him.

 

Despite the nervousness from the sudden change, the tension gradually eased under the gentle and accommodating voice.

 

Marcus Turned around to look.

 

she had long aquamarine hair, aquamarine eyes, an aquamarine long dress, and a light purple feather coat draped around her.

 

"Are you... the Goddess of Water, Aqua?!"

 

This image was exactly the same as the Goddess of Water, Aqua, from the anime "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!" known as "KonoSuba" for short.

Cosplay?

 

No, not cosplay. She was the real Goddess of Water!

 

Marcus suspected she was a fellow otaku brought in to tease him.

 

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

 

This girl was a true goddess, the Goddess of Water—Aqua!

 

Her ethereal and unpredictable presence, her flawless bare face surrounded by a divine glow, if she wasn't the Goddess of Water, then who was?

 

At least, Marcus, who considered himself a seasoned anime fan, wouldn't mistake her.

 

"Ah? My name has reached your world?"

 

Aqua's perfect goddess image instantly collapsed, proudly tilting her nose as if she was something grand.

 

"Ah, sorry, sorry."

 

The next second, realizing her lapse, Aqua immediately returned to her goddess demeanor.

 

She coughed lightly, "Cough, let me explain again: Mr. Marcus, welcome to the afterlife. I'm sorry to tell you, but you have died."

 

Marcus Sighed, unsure whether to be happy or disappointed.

 

He had crossed over, but he was also dead.

 

"Excuse me, may I ask a question?" Marcus Raised his right hand to ask Aqua.

 

"Please ask."

 

"How did I die?"

 

"You died suddenly!"

 

Aqua solemnly told him, "Years of staying up late weakened your body, and finally, at 3 a.m. yesterday, you died suddenly!"

 

"That's impossible!"

 

"Eh?"

 

"I said, that's impossible!"

 

Marcusfirmly denied Aqua's claim, "I, could never die suddenly!"

 

"But..."

 

Aqua wanted to say more but was interrupted by Marcus, "Impossible means impossible!"

 

"My name is Marcus, 20 years old.

 

I live in a small courtyard house on the Third Ring Street of the Magic City, unmarried. I work in a photo studio three kilometers from my home. I never work overtime and only stay at home watching anime after getting off work at 5 p.m.

 

I never smoke, and I only drink a little.

 

I go to bed at 11 p.m. sharp, ensuring I get at least 8 hours of sleep no matter what.

Of course, I also exercise regularly, often going to the gym during holidays. My physical fitness is far above average.

 

Doctors have always said I'm perfectly healthy."

 

After his declaration, Aqua was left speechless, unable to respond.

 

"You're not Japanese?"

 

"No."

 

"Liar!"

 

"I'm not lying."

 

"Liar!"

 

"I'm not lying."

 

She started to be unreasonable, "If you're not Japanese, why do you speak Japanese so well?"

 

"As an anime fan, it's not too much to be fluent in Japanese."

 

"But your surname is satou!"

 

"My surname is 'hunter,' not 'satou.' I am a true citizen of the Celestial Empire."

 

"…!!!"

 

She messed up!

She, the Goddess of Water Aqua, had brought the wrong person!

"Why isn't it a Japanese person, but I, a goddess from Japan, guided you?!"

 

Aqua roared loudly, "By the way, where did the original 'kazuma' go?!"

 

After a while, she finally accepted the fact that she had brought the wrong person.

 

"Goddess Aqua, can you send me back?" Marcus Sought a way to return.

 

Truthfully, compared to crossing over, Marcus wanted to go back more.

 

He still had parents waiting for him to provide for them, and he hadn't seen his sister in her white wedding dress yet!

"No."

 

"What?"

 

"I said, no!"

 

Aqua collapsed into a chair, her gaze vacant as she stared at the ceiling, "People who come here cannot return to their original world. That's the rule of the heavenly realm, and I can't change it."

 

"What should I do?!" Marcus's mind was trembling.

 

His parents, his sister, and he hadn't even watched this season's new anime yet!

 

"By the way! Young man, do you like games?"

 

Aqua suddenly perked up, as if tempting Marcus, "Since you're an otaku, you must like games, right?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"Compensation, compensation!"

 

Aqua pulled out a stack of papers that looked like flyers from her bosom and handed them to Marcus.

 

"Next, I will send you to another world to live another life. In return, I won't erase your memories and will also give you a cheat ability! This will allow you to live freely and prosperously in the other world!"

 

Aqua's plan was clear.

 

This way, she could resolve the mistake of guiding the wrong person and compensate Marcus, naturally suppressing the matter.

 

It was a win-win situation!

What about the original kazuma?

 

Who cares about him!

 

If the heavenly realm found out about her negligence, she could be punished or even lose her job!

 

If she lost her job, she wouldn't be able to indulge in eating, drinking, and living freely here anymore!

"How about it, do you accept?"

 

Aqua looked at Marcus Confidently, as if she had him figured out.

 

If Marcus didn't know the original story, he might have compromised. But knowing that he would receive a cheat ability, how could he be satisfied with just one?

As an adult, he would want more!

 

"That's not right, Goddess Aqua."

 

"What?"

 

"This cheat ability is inherently mine, right?"

 

Marcusbluntly exposed her lie, "Guiding the dead to another world and giving them a special ability is your job!"

 

"That's correct!"

 

Aqua didn't hide it and spoke frankly, "Of course, if you don't want it, there's another option: going to heaven, a world without a body, entertainment, or food and drink ,no sex. It's super boring!"

 

"Hmph, don't try to deceive me!

Goddess Aqua, your main purpose is to guide those people to another world, right? This might be related to your performance or your reputation among the gods!

I guess if the number of people is wrong or insufficient, you will definitely be punished!

 

So, there's only one truth!

You wouldn't easily give up on any person from another world, especially one you brought by mistake!

 

Goddess Aqua, playing dumb is useless! You've deceived me!"

 

Marcus Adjusted his imaginary glasses, striking Conan's classic pose.

 

"Ah..."

 

Aqua, who had a confident 'I've got you now' expression, suddenly had tears welling up in her eyes the next second after being exposed.

 

"That's right, that's right! So what, what do you want?!" Aqua started throwing a tantrum, tears streaming from her azure eyes.

 

Really, at first, he thought she had the demeanor of a goddess, but he was so wrong.

 

He thought the anime exaggerated her character, but in reality, she was even more exaggerated!

"Alright, alright, Goddess Aqua, I didn't mean to bully you."

 

Marcus Pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "How about this, give me three abilities, and I'll..."

 

"No, I can't do that."

 

"Hmm?"

 

Aqua sobbed, "The heavenly contract is one per person, and each person can only choose one ability. That's the rule of the heavenly realm, and I can't change it."

 

Damn, those heavenly realm rules.

 

Wait, there's a way!

 

"Then let's change the conditions. Two abilities, how about that?"

 

"Huh? As I said, I can't change the rules of the heavenly realm!"

 

Aqua huffed, "No matter who it is, they can only have one contract..."

 

"Right, that's it!" Marcus smiled at her, "The rule of 'one contract per person' applies to the heavenly realm, but I'm different. 'Marcus ' 'and 'marcus’ are not the same person."

 

"What, you mean..." Aqua's not-so-deep thoughts finally caught up, realizing Marcus Wanted to claim the contract meant for his namesake as well!

 

"This..."

 

Aqua fell into thought.

 

"How about it, do you agree?" Marcusdidn't rush her, giving her enough time to think.

 

Unfortunately, as she pondered, the teleportation circle in the spacious room lit up again, and a vague figure appeared within, flickering in and out of visibility.

 

"Oh, time is running out, Goddess Aqua, you need to make a decision soon!"

 

Marcus applied some pressure, urging her to make a quick decision, "Make sure to leave me time to choose my abilities."

 

Aqua clenched her teeth and stomped her foot, "Fine! I agree to your request, but you must not speak of this to anyone!"

 

"Of course, I won't say a word!"

 

"Then, please choose your abilities quickly!"

 

Aqua posed as a goddess, signaling Marcus to begin.

 

"I want the ability to travel between worlds!"

 

Marcus's request was astonishing.

 

"Do you still want to return to your original world? Don't delude yourself, without coordinates, you can't go back!"

 

"I can't give up. As long as I keep searching, I will find a way back one day!"

 

"Alright! The contract is established, next!" Aqua urged him to make his next choice quickly.

 

"The second one, I want the ability to analyze and mimic!"

 

"Granted!"

 

A white light surged into Marcus's body, and a blue magic circle unfolded beneath his feet. Aqua spoke solemnly and seriously:

"Brave one! May you stand out among the many reserve heroes and become the one to defeat the Demon King...

 

Now, set forth!"

 

PS: The original work features a white space, but the anime has a black space, so I chose to use the same black background as the anime.

 

(End of Chapter)