"Before I begin this explanation, there is some foundational information you must understand. Each of us Gods is responsible for overseeing multiple worlds at once."
"Hmph... 'God' seems like a generous term. Monitoring our world as a part-time job... how utterly irresponsible can one get?"
"Marcos, please. Just be quiet and listen for now."
Melt cut off Marcos's irritation.
After Adam directed a remorseful look at Marcos, who had growled softly before falling silent, he began to speak about the Root of the Anomaly that had occurred in this world, based on the premise he had just established.
"...It began with a single God's mistake. By a complete accident, he killed a man living in a world under his watch."
"How do you accidentally kill someone as a God?"
"I don't know the specifics. It was something like trying to bring rain to a drought-stricken region to provide a blessing, but a stray bolt of lightning struck the man instead. The crucial part isn't the death itself, but the God's next move."
"And what did he do?"
Fee bluntly voiced the question.
To his query, Adam replied with a pained expression.
"That God bestowed a host of Cheat Abilities upon the man who should have lived and cast him into another world under his dominion."
"Wait a minute. What kind of logic is that? Why would anyone think that was a good idea...?"
"Who can say? He likely panicked. He probably wanted to resolve the issue within his own jurisdiction before news spread that a soul that wasn't meant to die had passed because of his negligence. Or perhaps he simply felt guilty and wanted to apologize to the man. It is all speculation on my part."
Due to a foolish God's failure and the subsequent blunder that followed, a man endowed with Cheat Abilities was unleashed upon another world.
To Yugo and Zenon, who were well-versed in such novels and manga, this sounded like the most cliché setup imaginable for an Otherworld Reincarnation story. But thinking about the consequences that followed filled them with a creeping sense of dread.
"In truth, it started well enough. The reincarnated man used his newfound power to his heart's content, but since he was a virtuous person, he used it to bring happiness to others. Though he was a Foreign Object in that world, a sort of harmony was achieved. The trouble began afterward—specifically, with the reaction of the other Gods who watched his life unfold."
"Let me guess... other Gods saw it and decided to do the same for fun?"
"Precisely. Tragically, the Gods—bored with the mundane task of managing worlds—were captivated by the chaotic narrative that man produced. They wanted to write their own stories just like it."
Yugo and the others were stunned into silence.
It was becoming clear that "God" was nothing more than a title. Their essence was equal to—or perhaps even lower than—humanity. The realization that these were the administrators entrusted with the fate of the world left everyone aghast as Adam continued to deliver even more shocking information.
"A faction of Gods conspired to seed their own worlds with Reincarnators, granting them Cheat Abilities just to watch what they would do. They turned existence into their personal theater."
"That’s insane! Doing something like that would throw any world into total chaos!"
"Exactly. That first man was an anomaly among anomalies. Ordinarily, the world descends into madness. The humans the Gods handpicked would use their power selfishly, laying waste to nations or the world itself. Some Gods even chose people with the most wretched personalities imaginable, just to savor the spectacle of a world's demise."
"That's horrible! They’re treating entire worlds like playthings...!"
It was an incredibly shocking revelation, and a desperate one at that.
The Gods had abandoned their duties, prioritized their own amusement, and destroyed countless worlds. Unsure of how to process such a tale, Yugo and the others continued to listen to Adam’s words as if they were trapped in a nightmare.
"But their cruelty didn't stop there. Even the most entertaining game loses its luster after a while. As they grew bored with simply sending Reincarnators, the games became more extreme to keep the Gods' interest, and more participants joined in."
"Extreme scenarios? Like more Reincarnators or even stronger abilities?"
"They’ve already moved past those phases. The current fad—the trend—is known as the 'Reincarnator Zamaa' style."
"Reincarnator... Zamaa?"
"They select people familiar with the tropes of Otherworld Reincarnation and set up scenarios specifically designed to make them think they’re the hero, granting them decent Cheat Abilities to bolster their confidence. Then, they systematically crush those Reincarnators with overwhelming force, driving them to ruin. They enjoy every moment of the downfall."
"Then that means... this is the True Nature of the Anomaly?"
"Yes. This is the truth behind what has happened to your world. It is a spectacle for the heavens known as the 32nd Reincarnation Game—a divine amusement where Gods watch unsuspecting Reincarnators get hunted by the Masterminds."