THE GODDESS MISTAKE: FIVEFOLD DESTINY

The final bell rang at exactly 3:30 p.m. Ren Takahashi closed his textbook and leaned back in his chair. Around him, students rushed toward the classroom door, talking about homework, club activities, weekend plans, and the upcoming exams. Ren wasn't interested in any of it. He was eighteen years old, a final-year high school student in Tokyo, and his greatest talent was probably finding ways to avoid unnecessary conversations. He slipped his headphones around his neck and looked outside. Rain covered the windows. "Another rainy day." Ren packed his bag. His best friend, Daichi, stopped beside his desk. "You're coming to the arcade?" "No." "Again?" "I have a book to return." Daichi stared at him. "You'd rather read fantasy novels than play games?" "Yes." "You're hopeless." Ren smiled. "See you tomorrow." Daichi shook his head and left. Ren waited until the classroom emptied before heading toward the library. He had borrowed an old fantasy novel several weeks earlier and had completely forgotten to return it. The librarian gave him an annoyed look. "Finally." "Sorry." "You've had this for twenty-three days." Ren placed the book on the desk. "I got distracted." "By what?" "Life." The librarian sighed. Ren laughed quietly and left. Outside, the rain had become heavier. He opened his umbrella and started walking. Tokyo was beautiful after rain. Neon lights reflected against wet streets. Cars passed in the distance, their headlights cutting through the gray evening. Ren stopped at a pedestrian crossing. The light was red. He waited. Then something strange happened. The sound of the city disappeared. No cars. No rain. No footsteps. Nothing. Ren slowly looked around. A white glow surrounded him. "What...?" The world vanished. --- Ren opened his eyes. He was standing in a place that couldn't possibly exist. There was no ground beneath him, yet he wasn't falling. There was no sky, yet everything around him was bright. Golden clouds floated in the distance. A massive staircase made of light disappeared into the heavens. And standing before him was a woman. She appeared to be in her twenties, with long silver hair and brilliant golden eyes. She wore a white dress decorated with strange symbols. Ren stared. The woman smiled nervously. "Welcome." Ren blinked. "Where am I?" The woman hesitated. "Well..." She looked at a glowing tablet in her hands. Then she looked at Ren. Then back at the tablet. Her expression slowly changed. "Oh no." Ren frowned. "What?" She lowered the tablet. "I made a mistake." Silence. Ren stared at her. "What kind of mistake?" The woman swallowed. "You weren't supposed to be here." Ren's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" "I was performing a reincarnation procedure." "You killed me?" "No!" The goddess immediately raised both hands. "Well... technically, your life ended because of an error in the divine system, but I didn't intentionally—" Ren stared at her. The goddess stopped talking. "That sounded worse than I intended." Ren sighed. "So I'm dead." "Yes." "Can I go back?" The goddess became quiet. "Unfortunately, your original body has already been processed through the reincarnation system." Ren's face went blank. "Processed?" "I mean—" "Forget it." He rubbed his forehead. This was insane. A few minutes ago, he had been walking home from school. Now he was standing in some heavenly dimension talking to a goddess who had apparently made a clerical error with his soul. Ren looked at her carefully. "So what happens now?" The goddess smiled. "I can give you a new life." "Where?" "Another world." Ren's eyes narrowed. "What kind of world?" The goddess raised her hand. A glowing image appeared in the air. Ren saw enormous castles, magical cities, forests filled with strange creatures, knights riding horses, elves, dwarves, dragons, and people casting magic. His eyes widened. "You're serious." "Very." Ren stared at the image. He had read countless fantasy novels about worlds like this. "What's the catch?" The goddess looked embarrassed. "There isn't one." "Really?" "I would like to compensate you for my mistake." She waved her hand. A massive golden screen appeared. Ren read it. REINCARNATION PACKAGE Race: Human Age: 18 World: Asteria Special Gift: SSS-Rank Skill Experience Gain: ×5 Potential: Unlimited Ren stared. "SSS-rank?" "Yes." "And five-times experience?" "Yes." "Unlimited potential?" "Yes." Ren looked at the goddess. "Why do I feel like you're trying very hard to make me forgive you?" She smiled awkwardly. "Is it working?" "Maybe." The goddess laughed softly. "There is one more thing." Ren's expression became suspicious. "What?" "You will be reincarnated in the body of an eighteen-year-old boy." "Okay." "He was born in that world, but his soul has already departed." Ren nodded slowly. "So I'll basically take over an empty body?" "Yes. Your memories will remain intact, but you'll receive the body's basic memories so that you can function normally." Ren considered it. "Do I get magic?" "Yes." "Sword skills?" "If you learn them." "Inventory?" The goddess blinked. "Inventory?" "Never mind." She laughed. "You truly are strange." Ren smiled. "Probably." The goddess raised her hand. A blue light appeared around him. Before Ren disappeared, she spoke. "Ren." He looked at her. "I'm truly sorry." For the first time, the goddess looked genuinely sad. Ren didn't know why, but he felt his anger disappear. "Then make sure my second life is worth it." The goddess smiled. "I promise." The light became brighter. Ren felt himself falling. --- He landed face-first in the grass. "Ouch!" Ren immediately pushed himself upright. He looked around. Trees towered above him. They were enormous. Some were wider than houses. Birds with bright blue wings flew between the branches. A strange insect the size of his hand crawled across a nearby stone. Ren slowly stood. "This is definitely not Tokyo." He looked down at himself. He was wearing a dark shirt, leather trousers, boots, and a short black cloak. His body felt different. Stronger. Lighter. He clenched his fist. Then a transparent blue window appeared before his eyes. Ren froze. [System Activated.] Name: Ren Takahashi Age: 18 Race: Human Level: 1 Strength: 12 Agility: 14 Vitality: 13 Intelligence: 15 Mana: 20 Skills: None Unique Skill: Locked Experience Gain: ×5 Ren's eyes widened. "She actually did it." A second window appeared. [Would you like to unlock your SSS-Rank Skill?] Ren smiled. "Absolutely." The screen flashed. [SSS-Rank Skill Acquired.] ABSOLUTE GROWTH Description: A unique skill allowing its owner to rapidly adapt, learn, evolve, and surpass normal limits. Ren stared at the description. "That's completely broken." A roar echoed through the forest. Ren slowly turned. Something large moved between the trees. Two yellow eyes appeared. Then a massive wolf stepped into the clearing. Its body was covered in dark fur. Sharp claws dug into the ground. Ren's heart began pounding. The system displayed: [Forest Fang] Level: 5 Ren swallowed. "I'm Level 1." The wolf growled. "Of course." It charged. Ren jumped aside. The wolf's claws tore through the tree behind him. "That would have killed me!" Ren ran. The wolf chased him. He searched desperately for something useful. A branch. A stone. Anything. Then he remembered something. The goddess had given him unlimited potential. He didn't need to start strong. He only needed to survive long enough to grow. Ren picked up a thick branch. The wolf charged again. This time, Ren watched carefully. Its shoulders moved before it attacked. Its right paw always came first. Its body leaned slightly before it jumped. Ren waited. The wolf leaped. Ren moved. He swung the branch. CRACK! The blow struck the monster's side. The wolf stumbled. Ren attacked again. And again. Finally, the creature collapsed. A golden light surrounded its body. [Forest Fang defeated.] [Experience gained: 50.] [×5 Experience Bonus activated.] [250 EXP obtained.] [Level Up!] Level 1 → Level 3 Ren stared at the screen. Then he laughed. "I'm actually doing this." He looked deeper into the forest. For the first time, he wasn't afraid. He was excited. He had a new world. A new body. An impossible skill. And five-times experience. But Ren didn't know that the moment he defeated the Forest Fang, something far away had awakened. Deep beneath an ancient ruin, a sealed eye opened. A voice whispered through the darkness. "The otherworlder has arrived." And somewhere beyond the stars, the goddess suddenly felt a terrifying presence. Her smile disappeared. "Already?" She looked toward Asteria. "The cycle has begun again." Back in the forest, Ren had no idea what awaited him. He simply picked up the branch again. If this world was going to become his new home, he decided he would become strong enough to survive it. He had no idea that his journey would eventually bring him face-to-face with gods, dragons, ancient kingdoms, forgotten heroes, and a mystery connected to his very soul. For now, however, he had one simple goal. Survive. And level up. [Main Quest Unlocked: Survive in Asteria.] [Reward: Unknown.] Ren grinned. "Let's begin." The forest answered with another distant roar. Ren tightened his grip on the branch. His second life had officially begun.