Chapter 0: Prologue, The Otherworld Gender-Swap Marriage You Wanted
"Old Duan! Old Duan! I've got the World-Ender Sword!"
"My combat power now is definitely enough to easily take down that stinky dragon. I'm taking my teammates to raid its nest right now; this brings us one step closer to the Demon King's Castle! By the way, how's it going on your end?"
"Duan? Old Duan? What are you doing? Nothing happened to you, right?"
"Say something, buddy! Noooo—"
,
"Ho-oh-oh-oh-oh~"
??????
————
That day, my buddy and I were crouching by the roadside, holding two unfinished cigarettes in our hands.
Just like the opening of every cliché, third-rate novel, we saw an out-of-control truck speeding past, heading straight for a little girl crossing the road—to save that child, both of us instinctively rushed out at the same time.
The sound of a massive collision was my last memory of that world.
When I opened my eyes again, we had arrived at this place... The surroundings were a space of pure white, with no walls and no sky, only endless radiance filling our vision. At the center of that light, a Goddess radiating a soft golden glow was looking at the two of us with a smile.
"Welcome, O lost souls!"
The Goddess's voice was ethereal and divine, as if sounding from all directions at once, echoing within this pure white space.
"There is no need for panic or confusion. You unhesitatingly gave your precious lives to save an innocent girl."
She leaned down slightly, her gaze as gentle as if she were looking at a rare treasure, her voice full of admiration:
"In this filthy mortal world, to sacrifice oneself for a stranger... such noble and heroic souls should not simply vanish into nothingness. Therefore, as a deity, I have decided to grant you a gift—a brand new life! The kind where you keep your memories!"
"I... I'm dead?"
The young man lowered his head and looked at his translucent palms, clearly not yet able to fully accept this cruel reality.
On the contrary, his Best Friend beside him reacted as if he had won a five-million-dollar lottery. His whole body trembled with excitement, and he jumped up:
"Holy crap! Reincarnating in another world! Something like this actually happened to me! This is awesome!"
"Hey, hey... what is this kid talking about?"
The young man glared at him in disbelief, his expression as if he were looking at an idiot:
"We're dead, you know? We'll never see our parents again, and we'll never eat the barbecue downstairs anymore!"
"You can actually laugh? I haven't even had a girlfriend yet! This death is way too unfair!"
Thinking this, the young man clutched his hair in extreme frustration, looking very distressed.
On the other side, the Goddess seemed long accustomed to this kind of reaction from the two of them, her smile remaining gentle and inclusive:
"That's right, I will reincarnate you into a fantasy world of swords and magic! As a reward for your courage, if you have any special requests for your next life, you can voice them now, and I will do my best to fulfill them~"
As soon as she finished, his Best Friend impatiently raised his hand high, a burning light of 'chunibyo' shining in his eyes:
"Me! I want to be the Hero!"
The Best Friend said without a second thought:
"I want the most classic Hero experience! Holding a Holy Sword, wearing Divine Gear, leveling up by killing monsters all the way, leaving my legend in that world, and finally saving the world and marrying a princess!"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Hearing this, the Goddess nodded with great satisfaction, her gaze as if she were looking at an excellent employee:
"To have such a grand ambition is truly heartening! In that case, I grant your wish."
Then, her gaze turned to the other side:
"And you? What requirements do you have for your new life?"
"Huh? Me?"
The young man pointed at himself with a bewildered face.
To be fair, he hadn't yet recovered from the phantom pain of being sent flying by a truck.
But looking at the situation, if he didn't answer the Goddess's question, and she just assigned him the identity of a Slime or a Goblin for convenience, wouldn't his new life be completely ruined?
Since it's another world, survival must come first.
So he took a deep breath and said seriously:
"I hope... I can become a bit stronger. Ideally, top-tier combat power right from the start. Even if not number one in the world, at least among the very best."
"And then... if possible... I want to be a bit better-looking, more handsome, the kind that attracts the opposite sex... After all, I've never had a partner before..."
Saying this, the young man scratched his cheek, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
But he soon remembered something and, glancing at his Best Friend who was still grinning foolishly, added:
"Also, make the lifespans for me and my brother longer. Since we're finally reincarnating in another world, I want to live for a long time; I don't want to die young."
"Yes, alright."
The Goddess nodded slightly, her voice still ethereal:
"Those are all very practical requests. I can gra—"
"Wait a minute!"
Just as the Goddess raised her hand to cast the spell, the Best Friend suddenly shouted, interrupting her.
He turned his head, looking at the young man with a face full of disappointment, and shook his head:
"Old Duan, you don't understand anything!"
"Uh, what do you mean?"
The young man blinked in confusion.
Meanwhile, the Best Friend grabbed his shoulders and explained indignantly:
"Who reincarnates into another world and becomes the world's strongest right away? Only a life where you work hard to cultivate and gradually become stronger is a truly fulfilling otherworld life!"
"If you're the world's strongest from the start, how is that different from playing a game with a cheat engine? It's dull! Boring! And then with an infinitely long lifespan, it'll become very meaningless!"
"Uh..."
Hearing this, the young man was stunned for a moment.
Thinking about it carefully, what this guy said seemed to make some sense. If one is max level at birth, there really is less joy in the struggle. Like watching the ending cutscene of a game immediately upon playing, it's indeed easy to get bored.
So, after a bit of thought, he changed his request to the Goddess:
"Then add a little bit of difficulty to my life... Of course, I only mean a tiny bit. I still want to live a smooth life."
"Understood."
Hearing this, for some reason, the Goddess's eyes lit up, and she nodded heavily!
"As expected of the people I'm looking for! You are both talents perfectly suited for crossing over to another world!"
A meaningful smile curled at the corners of her mouth, giving the young man an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
But it was too late to back out now. The Goddess looked at the two of them again and repeated emphatically:
"You want a classic Hero's life, saving the world and marrying into royalty. And you want top-tier physical attributes, exceptional charm, a long lifespan, and... a little bit of interesting 'twists and turns.' Since these are your wishes, then I, the God of Pure Love, shall grant them as you desire!"
Saying so, two balls of light appeared in the Goddess's hands:
"By the way, to make it easier for you to contact each other in that world, I'll bring your mobile phones along as well. They've been transformed into divine artifacts that allow for infinite-distance communication across planes, and you can even use the System Store to buy items from Earth."
With that, the Goddess gave a grand wave of her hand.
"Go forth, brave souls! I wish you a pleasant journey. Give your all to gi... oh no, to save the world!"
"What?"
"Give what?"
"Did she just let something slip?"
Amidst bewildered confusion, a brilliant white light instantly swallowed the two of them. Then, the young man felt his vision go dark and completely lost consciousness.