5 Reincarnation

"... However. The weight of every life saved remains on Asumi's shoulders. She stayed on earth, struggled to find a cure, all the pain she must have felt in failure... Getting benefits from something that I have only the slightest influence on makes me feel really guilty. Taking advantage of her success like this would be hypocritical."

Haru was surely touched in the depths of his soul by her resolve, but he didn't want to take advantage of these successes. As he understood it, even Eichiro suffered the direct influence of his death to write a book that became in a very short time popular, and would receive additional points from this too, yet he couldn't bear the burden of being reincarnated for such a reason. He preferred them to keep their points.

"...As expected of an irregular."

Gaia said these words sighing. With a snap of the fingers, the room changed again, they had returned to the judgment room only that instead of being on the bed, Haru was always in a wheelchair, with a table placed between him and Gaia, and above it a contract.

"I think I understand how you feel. You don't want to take their points because you think once they're taken you'll have no way of paying them back, do you?"

When asked, Haru gasped. It was essentially what he was thinking, but only now did he realize that Gaia could actually read into his mind. But before he could respond by stating that her words were equal to the truth, she showed another smile, similar to when she showed Haru what would happen in the future.

"What I just made appear on the table is a contract that you will sign strictly with me. Normally we don't use this kind of trade with humans, but an irregular like you deserves at least this much. Long story short, since you don't want to take part of their points because you think it's unfair that you can't pay them back, now you won't have that excuse any more. By signing this contract, you will let some points you collect in your next life go to your loved ones, especially your girlfriend, the main source of your points. All you have to do in the world is make your memories the inspiration that will make the world a better place. When the time for their judgment comes, I will remember my contract with you, and I will take the amount of points based on how much they have influenced your future choices."

Haru was surprised by it. As if her words were nothing more than a catalyst, he saw that words in gold began to appear on the paper, and when finished, that simple leaf had become like an ancient parchment, shining enough to seem like a sun for Haru, while Gaia brought forth a pen, signing her part in the process.

"...It's up to you now. Who knows, maybe you'll even be able to score more points than Asumi, and that will only improve her status in heaven, otherwise you can let her be alone and choose to not take her points."

It was a bet. He didn't know what he would have to accomplish in the next world to collect more points than Asumi had collected during her life, but Gaia's provocative gaze, as if to challenge him, was enough to make him understand this was the best choice he had in front of him. More than a bet, this was purely a game he could win only if he was confident enough, Haru chose to repay Asumi with much more points than she had.

"...In that case, I have nothing to lose. I may have only lived 17 years, but that doesn't change the fact I will give my best to bring the world to a better view, no matter how long it takes, it won't stop me at all."

Haru was sure he wasn't good at anything, yet he was convinced that whatever world was before him, he would adapt and find his way to improve the world, such was the desire to repay Asumi for the second opportunity that was being granted him only thanks to the commitment she had put in the study, in research, and not to fall even after the first failures. It would have been embarrassing for him if when Asumi was in that same judgment room with Gaia, she couldn't have heard herself say that he had been able to make the world better for the most part because of her presence in his life. It might seem rather stupid, but Haru really believed it, even if he wouldn't be there to watch it, he wanted Asumi to smile at Gaia and reflect on the words she should have said to her.

"...By the way, can I ask you one last question?"

Before they began to talk about his reincarnation, Haru had only one question left for Gaia of which he really wanted an answer and, when she nodded, he didn't hesitate to ask.

"..You said I can't ascend to heaven because I still have my human desires in my body and therefore I would definitely be thrown out of heaven, but isn't that also true for Asumi?"

When asked, Gaia shook her head as if she had been told the stupidest thing she had ever heard.

"Her points are enough to ignore any complaints the Angels might have about her. And even without those, the mere count of how many people and families she saved is too high. Even the highest-ranking Angels would have to stay silent at the vision of such a human being."

Sighing with a smile, Haru took the last of his doubts from his head. Now that all was in place, Gaia sighed as he took the pen that had been given to him, signing the paper completing the contract.

After barely a second, the table disappeared.

"..Now that you've signed the contract, your points will be awarded based on how much you've affected the lives of the people you loved."

In his own words, Haru saw a number appear from the air, which didn't surprise him at all. What really surprised him was the number itself.

[741,434,577,842]

741 billion. That's an exorbitant amount for Haru, and so was for Gaia, to be honest. After all, the maximum that some of the most influential humans had managed to reach was around 40 50 billion, but Haru had quietly raised almost 20 times that amount.

But leaving aside the figure itself, Gaia didn't hesitate to make some points clear.

"..The reincarnation with all the memories, both of what happened on earth and of what happened in this room where normally nothing could come out amounts to 600 billion, since you can also choose the world in which to reincarnate"

He expected nothing less from such an incredible thing, but the fact was he still had 141 billion left, but before moving on to this, Gaia took the liberty of adding

"...Of course, you can choose to try to make this less expensive, but as is logical, you will be given fewer privileges than the ones you just listened to. Can you confirm that you want to deduct the first 600 billion for this?"

There was simply nothing Haru could take away. He wanted to remember this place, otherwise the promise he made to himself and the desire to repay Asumi would fade, and choosing the world where he would go was much better than being in a world that might have been impossible for him to change.

After deducing the first 600 billion, Gaia explained something even before it began.

"With any world, I really meant any world you could have in mind. Even the work of fiction can become a reality."

Gaia knew that Haru certainly had no idea how many worlds there could be more favourable than Earth for him, so she had decided to specify that any world, even just existing in his world in the form of books, video games, nothing was impossible for the exorbitant 600 billion points.

"...Really?"

If this was the case, Haru had the ability to reincarnate himself in some games he had heard of, but having never even played any of them, he couldn't randomly choose one of them. Thinking back to the last things he had taken an interest in, he remembered something he wanted to continue before his death. It was about Danmachi. Among the various visits from his relatives, his girlfriend, and treatments, Haru had never had time to deeply cultivate his passion for anime. Although he hadn't seen that much anime, he believed that what inspired him most was precisely Danmachi.

'The protagonist's fight against the Minotaur was truly compelling' He couldn't think of any other world he'd be better off in. Although there was a chance of entering modern worlds, Haru had deduced that with his points, it would be easier to get some sort of skill that would allow him to succeed in a world where monsters roamed free in the dungeon, being an adventurer was something that inspired him particularly, almost as much as the protagonist of that story, although his goal wasn't to get a harem.

He had some questions about how such a thing was possible though, and was also doubtful whether he would be forced not to interfere with the story of the original protagonist, but at these questions, Gaia shook her hands.

"You should know that many of the stories that are present in your world are nothing more than legends and inspirations of worlds that are already present in other universes. Or rather, the world of Danmachi simply exists in a universe where there is no history of Danmachi."

Since Haru seemed to have already decided to go to that world, Gaia didn't hesitate to explain to him that in reality, any story was nothing but truth in other parallel worlds. No matter how 'distant' that reality might appear in a universe, as long as something existed, then it would exist in any other universe in different forms and shapes, but Haru couldn't immediately grasp what Gaia was saying. After a few seconds of reflection tough, he came to understand her speech.

According to this reasoning, however, every single change in the story he made would later change all the other universes, but Gaia calmed him down by explaining that a universe where a fantasy world was reality, was so distant from his universe that no matter how much it would change history, this universe wouldn't be affected in any way, and this reassured him as changing history in this universe and making his name appear here after he died was something he certainly didn't want, because he had in mind to keep the name that was received from his mother and father.

"... Cleared the reincarnation point, let's move on to the remaining 141 billion. There are so many things you could require with this amount, but actually wasting all your points on individual skills for your journey isn't efficient..."

Now that only the 141 billion were left, Gaia had an idea of how to use them. One of the most comfortable things that could be useful in the world of Danmachi, was the ability to update statistics whenever one wanted, or rather, automatically. But this wouldn't be enough to cover 141 billion, so Gaia had thought of uniting more powers together. The ability to see your skills, abilities, magic and parameters once he got a falna without having to resort to the Goddess every time. The possibility of obtaining rewards for specific actions, the possibility of directing one's growth in the direction one wanted, and many other things that put together, formed what Gaia had dubbed 'Reincarnation System'.

Presented with the idea, Haru knew that Gaia was trying to give him the best advice on how to proceed with the points, and from what he understood, remaining even only 1 point was equivalent to losing it, so it was necessary to spend them all as he could.

Nodding as he accepted her idea, Haru saw his points go down and seeing that in front of him the number had reached a zero, he felt an almost feeling of loss, but at the same time he knew it was Gaia herself who came up with this, it meant the System was the most convenient tool he could have instead of many abilities he could've chosen...

"Since the price is a bit high though, I will send you a gift that will compensate much more than you think, consider it my second and final gift. The only thing I have left to ask you is one. Do you want to be born again as a child, or with your actual age? You will be reborn in a village near the city known as Orario, the only difference is that reincarnating as a child will grant you parents, on the contrary you will simply find yourself in the version of yourself that can be found in Danmachi, and you won't have parents."

It was complicated for Gaia to explain all the differences, so she decided to put the choice before him, and whatever he would choose, it wouldn't change anything in the end. But it changed a lot for Haru.

"...I want to start with my actual age, reincarnated in the Danmachi's version of me."

Haru wouldn't have been able to see his parents in Danmachi as such, for as it should be, a soul that had only two parental figures in memory would have had difficulty recognizing other people as biological parents, and in the case of Haru this was even more evident, precisely because his mother had left a great mark on his life, as much as his father.

'It would be cruel to be born into a family and not to show the love that two parents deserve.'

With this thought, Gaia nodded to her choices, and seeing Haru wrapped in a white mixture that she had never before glimpsed, she smiled for the last time.

"That being said, this is a farewell, at least until you die again. Even if you have a goal to achieve, live life to the fullest, now that you really have your chance, Yamaguchi Haru."

Before he could respond, however, Haru felt a feeling of drowsiness, almost similar to what he had felt in the hospital before waking up in the judgment room, and as these feelings pervaded his mind, Gaia saw Haru's soul vanish into thin air, leaving behind a sigh of wind.

---

(Finally it begins in Danmachi, From the next chapter there will be the beginning of the story of Haru, a simple villager in a village near Orario...)

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