"Haaah..."
I took a deep breath while staring at the phone screen that displayed the number of the time 09:27. The sun was high enough, but I was still sitting in my study chair, with a pile of light novels scattered on the table. The lecture textbooks were instead lying in the corner, dusty as if they had been forgotten for a long time.
My name is Takeshi Ryuu, an eighteen-year-old freshman. If you ask me what is special about me... To be honest, the answer is: no. I'm not a genius student, I'm not a cool athlete, I'm not a popular guy who is always surrounded by girls. I'm just an ordinary person who is more familiar with the fantasy world than the real world.
"This life... It feels like a status screen stuck at level 1 forever."
I muttered as I glanced at the small shelf in the corner of the room. Rows of manga, light novels, and some cheap figures are neatly lined up. It's my only treasure.
RPG games, isekai novels, anime about heroes summoned to another world... All of that is the fuel of my imagination every day. I like to imagine what it would be like if I was suddenly summoned to another world, given a cool sword or magic, and then became a hero that many people rely on.
It's just a fantasy, anyway. But sometimes, I wish my life could really turn out like that.
"Ryuu, have breakfast there! Don't just lock yourself in the room!" My mother's voice came from downstairs. I snorted slowly. If there is a ranking of "the most good mother", she will definitely be in the S tier.
"Yes, wait a minute," I said softly.
I went downstairs and found the dining table already arranged. There is rice, instant miso soup, and a slightly charred omelet on the side. It's not a fancy meal, but it always tastes good.
My father had left for work early. He is the type of office worker who rarely comes home on time. My mother, although chatty, is still the most attentive.
"Tomorrow I'll start going to college again, don't play most games, yes," he said with a sharp glance at me.
"Uh... "Yes," I replied originally.
If he had known last night that I stayed up playing online RPGs until three in the morning, maybe my breakfast today would have been poured on my head.
While chewing, my mind drifted. Will I be able to survive in the real world? College, work, and eventually become a corporate slave like my father? It feels suffocating.
I returned to my room after breakfast. The sun shines in through the curtains, making small dust fly in the air. My laptop is still on, showing the game login screen. I stared at him for a long time.
"Level 45... It's really bad."
The character I created in the game was stuck, not developed since two weeks ago. I don't know why, but lately I've lost my passion for playing. Even though I used to be able to marathon grind until I forgot time.
I sighed. "I'm not good at the game, especially in the real world."
I threw my body on the bed. My eyes stared at the ceiling, empty. Every once in a while, I ask myself: Am I just passing through this world?
If the main character in light novels usually has a path of destiny, then me? I don't even know what it should be.
My phone reads, notifications come in from the chat group of high school friends.
"Hey, Ryuu, let's hang out tomorrow and karaoke together. Don't be fooled by the NPCs!
[Ken]: Yes, I agree. Bring your own money, don't be a freeloader anymore, wkwk.
I snorted. They are not close friends, more like acquaintances who sometimes invite them out to get married. Every time I hang out, I just become a listener. No one really cares if I don't show up.
"NPC, yes..." I muttered as I closed the screen.
Sometimes I feel like it is: NPCs in other people's games. There is, but it doesn't matter.
I got up, walked to the shelves, and pulled out one of the old novels. The cover depicts a hero with a glowing sword, standing gallantly before the beautiful goddess. The title is a bit cliché, Sword of Eternity.
For some reason, every time I read this kind of novel, my chest feels hot. There is a kind of envy.
Why is it that only fictional characters can be heroes? Why not me?
I opened the first page, skimming through the prologue about an ordinary young man who was summoned to another world. The story is not much different from other novels, but it still makes me drift.
"If I were called to another world, what would I be?" he asked himself. "Sword hero? Witch? Or even the cleaners in the guild?"
I laughed bluntly.
In reality, I couldn't even hold a real sword. If I had been told to do fifty push-ups, I might have lost my style.
The sound of a motorcycle passing on the road in front of the house. I closed the novel and stared out the window. The afternoon sun was getting hotter. The outside world continues to run as usual, nothing has changed.
But, for some reason... My heart was pounding. Strange feeling. It was as if something was approaching.
I shook my head. "Ah, most of the time I read novels, yes."
However, I don't know. That day—a seemingly boring and mundane day—was actually the beginning of everything. The day where my life is stuck at level 1... will eventually change.
That strange feeling continued to plague my mind, even after I tried to ignore it. I paced back and forth in the room without a clear purpose, until finally my eyes fell on the bookshelf again.
Novel Sword of Eternity The one I just read is still lying open on the table.
"Strange... I'm sure I've put it back on the shelf." I picked it up, and that's when I saw something.
There was another book tucked behind him. The cover is shabby, the skin is black-brown, with a vague title that is almost unreadable. Old kanji writing is engraved there, like carvings from ancient times.
"Seiken... Yuusha...?" I whispered reading the blurred letters.
I frowned. This book is very strange. I don't even remember ever buying it. My left hand gave goosebumps as it touched its surface, as if there was cold energy spreading from the book's cover to my fingertips.
"Like... cursed items in the game."
I chuckled a little to cover up the unease. But curiosity is far greater than my fear. Carefully, I opened the first page.
The page contains ancient text mixed with mural images. There is an illustration of a young man carrying a glowing sword, flanked by white light and black shadows. Underneath it, it reads:
"When the world is filled with betrayal, the Hero of the Holy Sword will be summoned. However, the sword he was carrying was not just light... but also a curse."
I froze. Those words seemed to instantly pierce my chest.
Curse? Hero? Holy Sword?
"This... It's just a coincidence, isn't it? It's just like the isekai novels I used to read..."
I continued to turn the next page. The writing is getting blurred, some pages are even blank. But when my index finger touched a certain sheet—
Sruuttt...
A white light gushed out from inside the book, dazzling my eyes.
"What—?!"
The book shook violently, then the letters on its pages moved on their own, floating in the air. They spin to form a halo of light, as if they were magic formations that I've only seen in games.
My body suddenly felt heavy. My gaze flickered, my head turned as if it was being pulled into a vortex.
"G-crazy... Ini... It's not a dream, is it?"
I tried to drop the book, but my hands were stuck as if they couldn't be released. My heart was pounding, my ears were buzzing.
The light grew brighter, filling my entire room, engulfing the walls, the table, and all the objects in it.
A faint voice sounded in my ears. Not my mother's voice, not the voice of anyone I know. The voice echoed... like an ancient whisper.
"… Holy Sword Hero... come..."
My eyes were wide open, but all I saw was an endless white light. My body felt light, as if it had fallen from a height.
"No way... I really... Called...?"
My consciousness slowly faded. And before I could shout again, my whole body was already engulfed in light.
"… Ugh."
I opened my eyes with my head throbbing. Nausea strikes, as if I have just fallen from a height of tens of meters. As my vision slowly focused, I realized I wasn't in the room anymore.
The stone walls loom, adorned with ancient carvings glowing blue. The white marble floor reflected light from the large magic circle where I was lying.
And I'm not alone. Beside me, there were two other young men who had also just woken up. One of them has short disheveled brown hair, his eyes are sharp like people who often play sports. The other had straight black hair, a slightly pale face, with thin glasses that gave the impression of nerds.
I stared at them blankly for a few seconds. "Eh... who are they?"
Before I could ask further, a heavy voice echoed in the room.
"Welcome, Holy Heroes."
I looked up. In front of us, several white-robed people stood in a circle. Their faces were partially covered with veils, but their eyes were full of authority. Most strikingly, an old man with a white beard with a long stick stepped forward.
"Fate has answered our prayers. Three heroes from another world, are here to save this country."
I swallowed saliva. "T-three...?"
I reflexively turned my head to the side. The brown-haired young man snorted softly, then said softly, "What the hell is this... "Don't you think we're really going to die?"
I almost choked on my spit. So he too... Do you think the same as me?
The bespectacled youth to our right also panicked, holding his head. "Wait... I was still at home. Ini... What kind of lucid dream?"
Before we had time to make a fuss, the magic circle below us shone brightly.
Sret—!
Three lights flashed, and in front of each of us, a weapon appeared.
In front of me: a long sword with a faint aura, but engraved on its hilt a sinister black symbol.
In front of the brunette youth: a wooden crossbow, simple but dimly lit as if storing the power of sleep.
In front of the bespectacled young man: a magic wand made of dark wood, the tip of which was adorned with small crystals of pale blue color.
My hands trembled as they touched the hilt of the sword. Heavy. Too heavy for a beginner like me. But when I touched it—
—You finally came.
A strange voice echoed inside my head. I jumped, almost dropping the sword.
The brown-haired youth also looked shocked, staring at the crossbow in his hand. "Wait... I can hear the voice... this?!"
While the young man with glasses held his breath, his fingers trembled while holding a stick. "There is... something... into my head."
The white-robed leader smiled contentedly. "Sword. Crossbow. Stick. The Three Holy Weapons have chosen their master."
The three of us looked at each other, faces confused with fear. I can feel... Starting from that second, our destiny could not go back.