Volume 4 - Chapter 40: The Isekai Expert

I initiated the pre-reincarnation soul consultation, a privilege reserved for priority cases. A portal shimmered into existence next to my desk, showing the soul of Kenji Tanaka floating in the ethereal waiting room. He looked exactly as I'd pictured: a young man with an arrogant slouch and an expression that said he'd already won a game no one else knew they were playing.

"Kenji Tanaka," I said, my voice resonating with polite, divine authority. "I am Akane, your case manager. I've received your… extensive request."

"Yeah, so just sign off on it," he said, not even looking at me, instead trying to inspect his own translucent, ghostly hands. "I know how this all works. I've read all the web novels. The Goddess usually shows up, is super impressed by the protagonist's knowledge, and grants all his wishes. So let's just skip to the part where I get my overpowered sword."

The sheer, unadulterated confidence was almost impressive. He wasn't like Kenta, who was just arrogant. Kenji genuinely believed he had the system figured out.

"It's not quite that simple," I said, a smile playing on my lips. "There are rules. Balances to maintain. For instance, the world of 'Aethelgard' is a licensed intellectual property. Reincarnating you there would be a copyright violation of cosmic proportions."

He scoffed. "Loophole. Just send me to a world that's exactly like Aethelgard but with a different name. Call it… 'Behelgard.' Done. Next."

"And the 'Chaos Blade Master' class," I continued, ignoring his suggestion. "It's far too unbalanced. The system's auto-balancing protocols would reject it immediately."

"Then turn the protocols off," he said with a wave of his hand, as if I could just flip a switch. "Look, I'm the protagonist. The rules don't apply to me. That's, like, the number one rule of this genre."

He was trying to use my own tropes against me. It was adorable.

"And finally," I said, leaning forward, "your 'System Appraisal' skill. A very powerful ability. It would allow you to see the truth of everything around you, wouldn't it?"

"Exactly!" he said, finally looking at me, a smug grin on his face. "I'd be able to see every weakness, every hidden quest, every stat. I'd be unstoppable."

"I see," I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully. An idea, a wonderfully, creatively, maliciously perfect idea, was beginning to form. He wanted a world like Aethelgard. He wanted an 'unbalanced' class. And he wanted to see the 'truth' of the system.

Oh, I could give him that. I could give him exactly what he asked for.

"Very well, Kenji Tanaka," I said, my smile turning sweet and accommodating. "You've convinced me. Your knowledge of the system is indeed impressive."

I began typing at my console, crafting his new life. I would create a world that looked, on the surface, exactly like his favorite game. I would give him a class that broke all the rules. And I would grant him an appraisal skill that showed him the absolute, unfiltered truth.

He was going to get everything he ever wanted. And he was going to regret it for the rest of his very, very interesting new life. This, I thought to myself with a flash of glee, was going to be my masterpiece.