A gentle breeze brushed against Akari's face as her consciousness slowly returned.
The scent of grass, the chirping of birds, and the warmth of sunlight greeted her.
"Ugh… where am I?"
When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on soft grass in the middle of a vast forest.
Tall trees swayed above her, their leaves glittering under a sky far too clear to be from Earth.
Akari stood up, blinked twice, and then grinned ear to ear.
"Fantasy world… here I'm!" she shouted with her arms spread wide, her voice echoing through the forest.
A few birds flew away from the sudden noise.
"Hehehe~ This is amazing! It's really like in the games!"
She wandered through the woods with light steps until she found a crystal-clear lake.
Curious, she leaned over and saw her reflection.
"Oh? I still look the same?" she said, adjusting her glasses. "Short black hair, same face, same everything. At least I reincarnated pretty."
Then, as any true otaku would, she tried the obvious command.
"Status open!"
A glowing blue screen appeared before her eyes.
[ Name: Akari Sato
Race: Human
Level: 1
HP: 1,200
MP: 267,980
Strength: 120
Agility: 140
Intelligence: 350
Unique Skill: Adaptability, Storage
Unique Gear: Maid's Blessing Outfit
Inventory: Silver Sword, Book of Knowledge, Letter from the God of Fashion ]
Akari's jaw dropped. "Two hundred sixty-seven thousand mana?! That's not just overpowered—it's broken!"
She tapped the "Skill Info" box, and text appeared.
Adaptability: Instantly learn any skill, spell, or technique once observed. Works on all forms of arts, magic, and combat.
Her eyes sparkled like an anime protagonist discovering her cheat power.
"This is literally the most OP ability ever!"
She checked her items next: a silver sword, a book containing knowledge from her previous world, and... a maid outfit?
"Wait—maid outfit?"
She tilted her head and selected "Gear Info."
Maid's Blessing Outfit: A divine attire crafted by the God of Fashion.
Boosts all stats by 200%. Immune to all status ailments (poison, curse, virus, etc).
Auto-cleaning enchantment.
Akari stared at the glowing description. "It's actually overpowered… but—why a maid outfit?!"
Then she noticed a letter tucked beside it.
Dear Akari,
This divine uniform was made upon the request of the God of Reincarnation. It perfectly suits your bright aura and adaptability. Please wear it with pride! ♡
—The Goddess of Fashion
Akari twitched. "Even fashion has a God?!"
She sighed, glancing at the outfit. "I swear, that reincarnation God probably has some weird maid fetish…"
Still, she couldn't deny that it looked high-quality. After a minute of hesitation, she changed into it behind a large rock.
When she stepped out, she blinked in surprise.
"Wow… this actually feels… comfy?"
She twirled slightly, the maid skirt fluttering as the sunlight shimmered on the fabric. The sword on her waist felt perfectly balanced, like it belonged there.
"Alright! Let's start this adventure!" she said cheerfully—
—when suddenly, rustling echoed from behind the trees.
"Eh?"
From the bushes, five green, ugly figures emerged—goblins.
Akari froze.
"…Okay, that's… definitely not cute."
The goblins snarled, brandishing crude weapons.
"Realistic goblins are way worse than in games!" Akari muttered, backing up.
But her gamer instincts kicked in fast. "Alright, kiting strategy it is!"
She ran, drawing the goblins into a chase. Despite being Level 1, her boosted stats made her faster than lightning.
Then one goblin suddenly glowed blue and dashed forward.
"Wha—?! It's using a skill?!"
A calm voice echoed in her head.
Ability detected: Haste. Would you like to learn this ability?
"Huh?! Oh—ohhh, it's my adaptability skill!" she realized. "Yes, of course, I wanna learn it!"
Ability learned: Haste.
Akari grinned. "Nice. Now let's test it out!"
She activated the skill—her body felt light as wind. In a flash, she appeared in front of the sword-wielding goblin and swung her silver blade.
SHIIING!
Its head rolled before it could even react.
The remaining goblins froze in terror.
"Wanna run? Too bad~"
Moments later, the forest went silent.
Akari stood victorious, her maid outfit splattered with blood. But then the red stains shimmered and vanished.
"Ohhh! Auto-clean! Bless the God of Fashion!"
She sighed in relief, wiping imaginary sweat off her forehead. "Alright, first battle cleared!"
She opened her status again.
Level Up! Lv. 3
"Wow, that was fast. Guess this is what a cheat build feels like."
She began analyzing the goblin remains, thinking aloud. "In games, you can sell monster parts, right? Maybe I should keep these."
She opened her palm. "Storage!"
The corpses vanished into glowing particles.
Storage capacity: Mana-based. Current usage: 0.001%
"Hehehe~ My mana pool is massive. This is going to be fun!"
As Akari hummed happily, the scene faded—
Meanwhile in the Divine Realm
Four deities sat around a glowing table: the God of Reincarnation, the God of Death, the Goddess of Fashion, and the God of Swordsmanship.
"She's adapting faster than expected," the God of Swordsmanship said with a grin. "Her sword form was flawless for a beginner."
The Goddess of Fashion giggled. "And she looked fabulous! That uniform was my masterpiece~"
The God of Death crossed his arms. "Still, I don't understand. Why her? And why did you have me mark her for death in the first place?"
The room grew heavy.
The God of Reincarnation closed his eyes. "Because… the Great Calamity has begun."
The others fell silent.
The God of Swordsmanship clenched his jaw. "That pseudo-god again… he's resurfaced?"
Reincarnation God nodded gravely. "Yes. And Akari Sato—though she doesn't know it yet—will be one of our greatest assets."
The Goddess of Fashion smiled faintly. "Then let's hope she enjoys her new world long enough to save it."
Back in the Forest...
Akari sneezed. "Achoo! …Weird, someone talking about me?"
She shrugged. "Eh, whatever! Time to find a town!"
With a bright grin, sword at her side, and her maid outfit fluttering in the wind,
Akari stepped deeper into her isekai life—completely unaware that destiny itself had its eyes on her.
To be continued...