Chapter 2 - Reincarnation

The black, thick, oppressive aura, which worsened one’s emotional state, spread inside the temple where Saijō Haruto found himself.

A man claiming to be the Evil God and a girl, his follower, stood before Haruto.

“You mean to say you killed me and then reincarnated me into the world you rule… is that it?”

“That’s right.”

Haruto, who had been transported to this temple without warning and was initially disoriented, tried to piece together his situation as he listened to the Evil God’s explanation.

The Evil God had interfered with Haruto’s fate and stolen his life—or so he claimed. Despite his anger towards the one who had ended his life, the overwhelming aura in the space made Haruto naturally use honorifics.

“Was there really a need to kill me? Shouldn’t a god be able to summon others without resorting to murder?”

Haruto had been struck by a car while returning home from school. The collision had been sudden, and although he hadn’t felt the pain of death due to the immediate transportation to this world, the terrifying memory of the speeding car was etched deeply into his mind, potentially turning into trauma.

“To bring you into this world, it was necessary to harness the negative energies of fear and despair associated with death.”

Currently, the only entity with the power to transfer and reincarnate humans from other worlds was the Creator God. However, the Evil God used the Heavenly Realm’s energy, combined with the energy of the summoned individual, to reincarnate people.

“Did I really die…?”

Haruto’s body had turned transparent, resembling a spirit form. When transferring, the entire body would be brought to the new world. In reincarnation, however, the body was left behind, and only the soul transcended.

The reincarnation process would complete when the soul entered the body prepared by the god in the new world. Observing his semi-transparent form, Haruto began to accept the reality of his death.

Despite this, he was not disheartened. The fact that the Evil God intended to reincarnate him meant he would have a second chance.

Though Haruto had no particular grievances with his old life and lacked grand dreams, he had always harbored a desire for reincarnation.

“Excuse me, but… when you reincarnate me, I might receive a skill or something, right?”

Haruto had read numerous web novels about reincarnation and had high expectations for what awaited him.

He hoped the Evil God would grant him a cheat-like ability, such as:

- Immense physical strength capable of overwhelming demons.

- Inexhaustible magical power, even for the highest levels of magic.

- Unbreakable defense that withstands any attack.

- Blacksmithing skills to forge a sword that could kill with a single blow.

Each ability was exhilarating to imagine. Haruto envisioned himself:

- Facing a massive army alone, turning a desperate battle into a victory.

- Hiding his powers, then unexpectedly overwhelming strong enemies while casually saying, “Yare-yare!”

- Rescuing a beauty in distress and enjoying time with her.

As if to validate Haruto’s fantasies, the Evil God spoke.

“Yes, I do have something to bestow upon you.”

“It’s here! Is it a skill? Maybe a special ability? Or a cheat-like status? Oh well, I’ll accept whatever ability you grant me.”

Even if the skill were useless, Haruto believed he could become exceptional through clever use.

Why? In the web novels he’d read, the protagonist always became peerless in the new world through various means.

And now, Haruto was reincarnated.

That meant he was the protagonist in this world—or so he thought.

However, Haruto had forgotten that the one reincarnating him was not a benevolent deity but the Evil God.

Seeing Haruto’s innocent excitement, the Evil God’s lips curled into a smile, though a sinister glint remained in his eyes.

“I bestow upon you… a curse.”

“…What?”

Haruto’s confusion interrupted his thoughts.

“I would be troubled if I allowed you to live in our world. So, I bestow upon you the [Static Status] curse.”

“A curse!? What’s a Static Status?”

“It means what it says. From now on, wherever you go, you will defeat demons and gain experience. However, due to the curse, no matter how many demons you defeat, you won’t level up.”

“Ha, what!? Don’t mess with me! Why—”

Haruto tried to approach the Evil God, but the closer he got, the slower his movements became. His mind was clear, but his body refused to comply.

“In this space, approaching me is futile for someone like you. Now, it’s time for your reincarnation.”

“Wait!”

As the Evil God pointed his finger at Haruto, his body began to disintegrate.

“At least, explain a little more—”

Haruto’s plea was cut off as he was reincarnated by the Evil God mid-sentence.

At the moment of rebirth, the Evil God placed the curse on Haruto’s soul, using a large amount of spiritual energy and a significant portion of his evil energy. He turned it into a super-strong curse that rejected any interference from the Creator God, and even the Evil God himself couldn’t undo it.

The shikigami, who had been silently observing the interaction, spoke. “With this, we’ll stabilize our energy collection.”

“Indeed. I used a considerable amount of this world’s energy for his rebirth and curse. If I could, I would have relegated him to the lowest rank. Unfortunately, due to the old man’s temple rules, he got a [Tertiary Job].”

“Despite his [Tertiary Job], the fixed status means he won’t be strong enough to defeat the Demon King and might even struggle against low-level demons. There’s no need to worry about him.”

“True.”

After saying this, the Evil God slumped into his seat, exhaustion evident on his face.

“I used a large amount of power… I’ll rest for a while. I leave the rest to you.”

“Yes.”

Then, the Evil God fell asleep.

The Evil God had placed a curse on Haruto that even he could not lift.

Unexpectedly, Haruto became a Sage.

Moreover, the Evil God made a critical mistake the moment he cast the curse.

This event turned into a miraculous stroke of fortune for Haruto, while the Evil God found himself in a predicament.

It would be some time before the Evil God realized this.