This is just another one of those Fics where an OC gets reincarnated/transmigrated or something. And sorry about using the cliche method but honestly I just couldn't figure out a different way to start the story.
I will be making a few changes with the timeline and stuff like that. Some characters might be OOC because I will be making quite a few changes from the canon so characters might develop differently.
And please tell me how it is, as it is my first time writing I am sure that I have a lot to improve on. I would appreciate your feedback.
In an open room surrounded by clouds and stars, two figures were having a conversation
"Are you serious?" asked a trembling voice resembling that of a young man
"Indeed we are" replied another voice which somehow sounded like a mix of a man, a woman ,and something else all at the same time
The one who asked the question took a deep breath to calm himself down
"I see..." he said in a quiet voice
The two figures just sat there, with one processing all the information and revelations that he had just learned about and the other just nonchalantly staring at the sky above them
After what felt like an eternity the first figure finally calmed down enough to continue the conversation
"So to summarize everything you have just said, I was in a car accident and d-died, and now I am going to be transmigrated into the world of The Rising Of Shield Hero as the shield hero. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that is correct" the other figure replied, still gazing at the beautiful stars
The conversation again devolved into silence
"Do you have any requests?" breaking the silence the second figure asked
"Requests?" the first figure asked, confusion evident in his tone
"Yes, requests. Any kind of specific power, skill, you can ask for anything, but remember there will be a price for anything you ask for" the second figure replied
"W-what kind of price?" the first figure asked a bit unnerved
"That will depend on your request" the other figure answered
"I see...can I have some time to think about it?" the first figure hesitantly asked
"You can have as much time as you need" the second figure replied still looking at the sky
"Thank you" the first figure thanked them and started to think about what kind of powers he will need in his upcoming adventure which will surely be full of danger
After a few hours? Days? He did not know how much time he had spent thinking, as he did not feel any hunger, thirst, or the need to sleep, though considering he had died it was to be expected, he had finally figured out what he will need to survive and become strong and it was unexpectedly simple.
Since he was going to be the Shield Hero there was only one thing he needed.
"Looks like you have finally made up your mind" the second figure, who had sat there the entire time staring at the sky said.
He did not know what the said figure was staring at. Was it the stars? The clouds? Or something else that his mortal eyes could not see? But he did not ask, so as to not offend the figure in any way. The figure had given him a second chance and could also take it away, the only thing he knew about the figure is that whatever kind of entity they were, they are far beyond the comprehension of mere mortals.
"Yes, I have" He stated "I have two requests"
The other figure just gave him a nod, still not looking at him. Taking that as a sign to continue he stated his requests
"My first request is fairly simple, I would like to have a way to attack. As I am going to be the Shield hero, my attack stat is going to be stuck at 1, so I would appreciate it if you can give me a way to increase it" He stated his first request
"That is a fairly simple request, but are you willing to pay the price for it?" the other figure asked
"Can you please tell me what kind of price I will have to pay for this?" he asked
To be honest, he did have some sort of speculation as to what the price might be but it was nothing more than a guess. And if the figure refused to tell him about what kind of price he would have to pay then he might just have to forget about both of his requests, because there is no way he was going to receive power with an unknown price tag attached to it.
"Your stats, specifically your defence stat. A percentage of your defence stat will be sacrificed and turned into your attack stat, though the amount of stats sacrificed will depend on you. This cannot be changed so you will have to decide upon the percentage before you leave this place." the other figure stated
"I see" he said
It was pretty much exactly as he had guessed, that he would have to lose some other stats to be able to attack. It was a reasonable price, one that he was willing to pay. Even though he will have less defence, he will at least be able to attack his enemies which was one of the main problems that Naofumi faced
Though he was later able to solve it by having counterattack skills, in situations where he had run out of SP, those skills would have become useless leaving him unable to attack
"Then I would like to sacrifice 25% of my defence stat" he said
"Are you sure? You won't be able to change it later and you also won't be able to use any other weapons except the shield" the figure said
"Yes, I am certain" he replied with confidence
His defence was going to be abnormally high, and since he was going to be a hero his stats would be higher than other people in that world. So even after sacrificing 25% of it, there was probably no one that could match his defence, granted that their level was not surpassing his by a huge amount.
As for not being able to equip other weapons, sure it would limit his attack variety but he could still use his shield and his body to attack which was better than nothing
"I see, then what is your second request?" the figure asked
He hesitated a bit before saying his second request because he did not have any idea about what kind of price he will have to pay for it. It wasn't even something that would make him powerful, no it was a fail-safe mechanism that he had devised, in case things went wrong. Chances are that he might never need it but he still wanted to be prepared in case it happened
"My second request is..." he stated his request and then asked, "What kind of price will I have to pay it?"
"That is an interesting request" the figure simply stated and for the first time since he had arrived here, they looked down from the sky and stared directly at him
He could feel the hair on his back stand up, the figure or whatever it was, said nothing else and just stared at him. He could finally see the face of this mysterious entity and what he say baffled him, its face was ever-changing. One second it was the face of a man the next a woman, the second after that it looked like an abomination, it never stopped at a single face for more than a second, just kept on cycling through different types of faces.
Humans, demi-humans, animals, monsters, aliens, mythological figures, it never stopped. He was entranced seeing the different kinds of beings and then he felt something inside of him, something was reaching out to him. No, it was reaching out to the figure in front of him, it was like his entire being wanted to be a part of the entity in front of him. Even if it was for a single second, he felt that if he joined the entity, his body, his soul, everything he has would be in ecstasy, pure bliss, parad-
NO! WORDS WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TO DESCRIBE THAT SENSATION!
HE HAD TO FEEL IT, HE NEEDED TO FEEL IT, HE HAD TO JOI-
Then suddenly as if it never existed in the first place the sensation went away, when he came back to his senses he realized that the entity was once again staring at the sky above them
Now though he no longer felt any curiosity about this being sitting in front of him, only dread. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible
"The price you will have to pay is simple, instead of being transmigrated on the day when the Four Cardinal Heros are summoned. You will be transmigrated the next day instead, specifically at night" the entity said with a hint of amusement in his tone
That's it? That's the price he has to pay? It's not like he is going to lose that much in just one day. And since he isn't going to be summoned as a Hero then what about his body? He is going to take over Naofumi's body instead?
He wanted to ask all of these doubts, but after witnessing THAT. He no longer dared to speak to this entity
"Since it seems like you cannot speak, we will go ahead and clear your doubts for you. Yes, that is the cost of your request, a single day. As for your body, you will be taking over Naofumi Iwatani's body, more specifically your soul is going to be exchanged with his. If you are worried that his memories might mess up your personality then you don't have to because you will not have any memories of Naofumi's life on his original planet. Only the memories that he has from the day he was summoned will be available to you"
He had no idea how the entity figured out his doubts, maybe it read his mind or something, but he did not care it's not like he had any way to resist. His doubts were cleared though, he was thankful that he will not have to worry about his personality going through a drastic change. As for taking over Naofumi's body, he did not know how to feel about that
He did not know what was going to happen to Naofumi's soul, but he hoped that like him, Naofumi will also be given another chance
Well, it's not like there is anything that he can do about it, though he still couldn't figure out why the price of his request was only a single day. He is pretty sure that if he thought about it with a calm mind he would be able to figure out the reason, but right now he was not capable of doing that
Right now the only thing on his mind was getting out of here
Though maybe he should have tried to calm down and think about it because the reason was pretty obvious and it would have saved him a lot of trouble
"And you don't have to worry about skills or techniques that attack or force out the spirit/soul form of the people since we will make your spirit/soul look like Naofumi Iwatani's. Now will you pay the price?" the entity reassured
He did not speak and just gave a nod, with sweat poring down his face
"Alright then, since you had only two requests and both of which were fulfilled are you prepared to begin your new life?" the entity asked
He just gave another quick nod
"I see, then we wish you the best of luck in your new life"
With those last works his vision started to blur and eventually everything went black
Now the entity sat alone in the room, it did nothing except stare at the sky with its ever-changing face
Though suddenly it stopped at a particular face, a face with messy black hair, teal green eyes, and a neutral look on his face
A face that looked exactly like Naofumi Iwatani
And after a few seconds, the cycle of its ever-changing faces started again
That's it for the prologue
Feel free to try and guess what the second request was and what kind of entity we are dealing with
I will try and publish the next chapter as soon as I can
Until next time Cya