Vol. 1 Chapter 1

Mist drifted before my eyes, and my feet felt light and floaty.

In this place that was neither hot nor cold, with not even a sound, I found myself drifting.

“Are you conscious, Klaus?”

At some point, a woman had appeared in front of me.

Bathed in a dazzling light, she possessed an otherworldly beauty and figure…

“I am Muse, the goddess who governs this world. You are currently on the brink of death.”

“You… you’re the goddess!?”

I was stunned by the sudden words. The goddess Muse is revered as a benevolent deity, worshiped by people all over the world. There’s even a church in the town where I live, and I had offered prayers during the coming-of-age ceremony.

“Wh-why is the goddess appearing before someone like me?”

I’ve led a rather unremarkable life for the past sixteen years. I’ve never committed any notable misdeeds, nor have I achieved any heroic feats to save the world.

The goddess only reveals herself to heroes who save the world, saints who receive divine revelations, and those of noble status.

“In fact, the reason you are on the verge of death right now is because of me.”

However, Muse, the goddess, spoke with an apologetic look on her face.

“Could you please explain?”

I couldn’t just let that go, so I asked.

“To maintain the balance of the world, I perform various adjustments. Recently, I’ve noticed that monsters have been becoming more active in the demonic realm, disrupting the balance. So, I decided to bestow power upon a human.”

The goddess Muse continued her explanation.

“Normally, I would grant this power to royalty, nobility, or those with exceptional talent, but I accidentally gave that power to you.”

“How does that even happen?”

I was baffled by the idea of suddenly being granted power.

“The power I granted is meant to expand and draw out a person’s latent abilities. If given to royalty or others of similar status, it would likely awaken significant abilities, enabling them to subdue monsters and restore balance. However, such power also comes with great strain. Klaus, you couldn’t handle it with your current capacity.”

“So… as a result, I’m on the verge of death?”

When I confirmed this, the goddess Muse nodded.

“I see… so I’m going to die.”

The faces of my parents and my sister Celia came to mind. They had raised me with care, and we were close. The thought of dying without being able to say my final words to them filled me with sadness.

“No, no, you won’t die.”

But then, the goddess Muse waved her hand and smiled.

“I don’t want to kill a human by mistake either. I’ve increased your capacity and repaired you with my power.”

The goddess Muse placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly. Despite the situation, I found her cute.

“So, why did you appear before me then?”

“Although you won’t die, I’ve used up almost all the power I had accumulated on you, so it will take time to gather more. If possible, I was hoping you could use that power to help the world a little…”

She looked a bit guilty. If what she said was true, then the world was facing a crisis.

“Alright, I promise to help with whatever I can.”

“Really? Thank you so much!”

The goddess Muse grasped my hand, her eyes sparkling.

“Ugh…”

My vision blurred, and my consciousness began to fade.

“Don’t worry. Your family just gave you medicine, so you’re about to regain consciousness.”

The goddess’s figure wavered, appearing as ten or twenty different images.

“Listen carefully, Klaus. When you wake up, you will have a skill. Use it to—”

I could hear her voice, but I could no longer maintain my consciousness. Without hearing the goddess Muse’s words to the end, I lost consciousness.