The Heavenly Realm, a temple.
In a pure white space, a six-pointed summoning circle shimmered. Before long, a middle-aged man with a weathered face stepped out of it.
The goddess, who had snowy wings and a halo above her head, said, "Suzuki Atsushi, age at death: fifty-one."
The instant he heard his name, the man drew the dagger at his waist and cleanly slashed the goddess's throat.
But that little bit of physical damage could never kill a goddess.
Holy light flashed, and the cut healed instantly. The goddess said approvingly, "Your file says you were the world's greatest assassin. You certainly live up to it."
A human could not keep talking after having their throat slit.
The man put away his dagger and asked, "Could you explain the situation?"
He calmed down so quickly.
He must be a one-in-ten-thousand talent. I've hit the jackpot.
Stroking her long golden hair, the goddess introduced herself. "A pleasure to meet you. I am a goddess of the Heavenly Realm, responsible for selecting Heroes across the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Worlds to save worlds."
The man asked, "So I've been chosen as a Hero?"
"Of course. Sending a powerful soul like yours off to reincarnate would be such a waste."
"Tell me, who needs killing?"
"I hear assassins discuss payment before accepting a commission."
"Keeping my memories and continuing to live is payment enough."
The goddess tossed him a book. "This contains every ability in the Heavenly Realm. Pick one."
After spending an unknown amount of time poring over it, Suzuki made his choice. "I want this Rank A blessing, Ten Thousandfold Attributes."
The goddess was surprised. "After looking through hundreds of millions of abilities, I thought you would choose the Rank SSS hidden class, Shadow Lord, or the Rank SS cheat ability,