This Reincarnation Requires a Subscription Fee

It was already frustrating to have to pay to live, but now they were telling me I had to buy the powers of a saint as well! I let out a hollow laugh at Heaven’s shameless behavior, and Serlus, oblivious to my reaction, began his promotion.

“The magnificent and splendid powers of saints provided by various gods! You can check them out right now at the Heaven Market! This is a perfect chance to get new items at a special price!”

I couldn’t see Serlus, but I could easily picture his actions in my mind. Just imagining it made my head spin.

“Seriously? Now you’re telling me I have to pay for my powers? Heaven was the one who chose me as a saint. Shouldn’t they at least provide me with the basic powers of a saint?”

“I apologize, subscriber. Our Heaven’s Reincarnation Subscription only includes the basic lifespan. Everything else is an additional paid option.”

Despite the polite tone used to explain the situation, the message was clear: “Just pay up quietly!”

“Serlus, if you keep this up, I won’t do any more quests.”

“I’m sorry, but you have already been neglecting the quests, dear customer.”

“Th-that’s… I meant I won’t be any more proactive!”

“Yes, customer. You’ve already been quite actively avoiding them.”

“…”

The way this was turning back on me after all the times I’d ignored the quests was a harsh reality. I realized I’d better start completing some quests, at least to have some bargaining power with the gods in the future.

“Darn it!”

Muttering to myself, I opened the Heaven Market, and a familiar window sparkled into view. It looked exactly the same as the first time I opened it, except now it was filled with new products stamped with “Highly Recommended!”

I began to browse the items, hoping to find something useful among them. The first item that caught my eye was a product called “Saint of Steel.”

[Package: Saint of Steel]

*The path of a saint is always fraught with hardship. Open the history books right now and read about saints who were misunderstood as witches and met an early demise due to their extraordinary powers. To avoid such tragedies, a body as strong as steel and iron is necessary! By purchasing this product, you can obtain a body sturdy enough to withstand even the flames of a pyre…*

“What?”

A pyre?

“They’re explaining such a terrifying scenario in such a cheerful tone!”

As I recoiled in horror, Serlus burst into a hearty laugh, as if to say there was nothing to worry about.

“Don’t worry too much, subscriber! Historically, there have only been seven true saints who were burned at the stake. The rest were just imposters.”

“In other words… seven people were unjustly burned?”

Quietly, I moved my finger to add the “[Package: Saint of Steel]” to my cart. It wasn’t the kind of power that would allow me to flaunt my saintly status, but…

“Having a strong body is always a good thing.”

Being prepared for the worst certainly had its merits! Nodding vigorously, I checked the price of the item I had added to my cart.

Eight million Heaven Coins was by no means a small amount, but I had a Divine Card that allowed me to purchase the item at half price—four million Coins. 

“Still expensive, but…”

My pockets were still full, so it seemed wise to secure some life insurance. Though I had some time left on my Reincarnation Subscription, I didn’t want to risk losing a high-grade Divine Card I had been lucky enough to draw. Especially since, if I lost a card, it wouldn’t be one of my choosing; it would be randomly deleted. Losing an essential card like “That Gut Feeling” would be a significant setback.

And with the random nature of card draws, there was no guarantee I’d be able to draw the same card again.

“Oh, right. The Divine Card Draw!”

I suddenly remembered the Divine Card Draw ticket I had received as a quest reward during a special event week. I could hold up to five Divine Cards, but with one slot empty due to the death penalty, I had been saving the ticket to draw cards all at once. With everything that had happened, I had completely forgotten about it.

“I should do a draw while I’m at it.”

But first, I needed to finish my shopping! 

As I was about to turn my attention to the message box, my eyes caught a part of the description for the item I had just added to my cart. It was written in tiny, almost imperceptible text that I had nearly overlooked.

“Why is it written so small?”

I squinted and leaned in close, almost pressing my nose against the screen to make out the letters.

**Note: This item can only be purchased if certain conditions are met. The purchase condition for this item is completing one quest given by the ‘God of Steel.’**

As I read through the text, my brow furrowed deeply.

“So they’re basically telling me to pay for the quest and complete it!”

With a sinking feeling, I began to check all the other new items. Maybe this was just a condition set by the ‘God of Steel’ and not a universal rule. However, every item had the same fine print, stating that in order to purchase a saintly power, I had to complete the quest provided.

“Heaven’s nothing but a bunch of con artists!”

I couldn’t understand why Bael revered and trusted these Heaven folks so much. If he knew the truth about them, he wouldn’t be such a devout servant of the gods.

I could accept paying for powers, but expecting me to complete a quest as well? That was going too far.

“Serlus!”

I was ready to throw a fit, calling out Serlus’ name with the intention of raising a fuss. But the chatterbox who had been talking non-stop just moments ago was now nowhere to be found. Clearly, he had realized he was in a disadvantageous situation and had vanished like a ghost.

“Just when I thought I’d finally get to play the saint comfortably…”

It seemed that the Heaven folk had no intention of letting me enjoy a peaceful and pleasant life as a saint.

And then, something happened.

Grinding my teeth in frustration, I continued to scan the new items, when suddenly, I noticed a power that didn’t seem to have any purchase conditions attached.

“Huh?”

Suspicious that there might be some hidden stipulation I hadn’t noticed, I carefully examined every detail. But no, this product really had no additional requirements. Moreover, it was priced at a mere 20 million Coins—a bargain compared to the other powers. With my Divine Card’s discount, I could acquire this ability for just 10 million Coins.

“Unbelievable. Who knew there was still a conscientious god left in Heaven!”

Feeling a surge of gratitude, I checked the name of the product.

[Package: Saint of Prophecy]

“Prophecy!”

The title alone was impressive. Surely, any self-respecting saint should possess at least one power that allows them to foresee impending dangers and warn others.

Grinning to myself, I eagerly read through the product description.

[Package: Saint of Prophecy]

*Prophecy is an essential ability for a saint. People are always curious about the future and hold saints who can foretell it in the highest regard. However, seeing the future always comes with a great cost. On the flip side, as long as the price is paid, you can make splendid prophecies at any time.*

***Warning! You can only prophesy events that you have personally experienced. The usage guide will be provided after purchase.***

“What?”

I could only prophesy events I had personally experienced? The description didn’t seem to make any sense. After all, the future is something no one has experienced yet—it’s the very definition of the “future.”

“So, if I can only predict events I’ve lived through, that means I can’t actually predict anything…”

Was this product outright scamming me? Yet, my gut instinct was telling me otherwise. My intuition, which had a 100% success rate, was assuring me that this wasn’t a scam.

“Well, alright.”

Even if it turned out to be a scam, I’d only be out 10 million Coins. Considering the healthy state of my finances, this was a risk I could afford to take.

I made my decision with a sense of relief.

“Purchase!”