《Ascension of a Demon Lord [Progression/LitRPG]》


 Chapter 0: White Room

    <h2>Chapter 0: White Room</h2>


    <h2> </h2>


    I still remember that room. In the beginning, that cell was small. The walls were so close to my face that I could sense the very spiritual essence that confined me. There was nothing. Except for the faint, lingering stillness.


    I remember outstretching a hand, sick of the impounding barrier. The confines were suffocating. They made me feel sick; trapped in a tiny cage like a songbird.


    I tried to feel the cool, porcelain walls, luminescent and radiating a thick ivory.


    Yet, whenever my fingertips came close to brushing the light carpets surrounding me, the barriers would retreat backwards. When I pushed, they pulled. I never even got to touch the tank that ensnared me.


    I still remember feeling taken aback¡ªalbeit the fuzzy consciousness. My mind felt¡­ incomplete. It was as if I were floating in a pool of blinding light, drifting aloft in an ever-expanding prison cell.


    Days, years, maybe even centuries passed. I had lost sense of time. The once obscure, miniscule room had grown marginally, to overreaching lengths.


    My prison was no longer a single, smoldering cell. No, it had expanded far further into the abyss. But, I was still stuck there. I had simply been moved from a bowl to a pond. After all, no matter how big, a fish is still restricted to where the water sways.


    Even great whales could never escape the ocean.


    Fish never truly have freedom. They are limited to where the water reaches. I was that metaphorical fish.


    Even if I squinted my half-awoken eyes in the murky depths, I couldn¡¯t see the corners of the prison. It had stretched on so far. So, so far. And it were my hands that had done the deed. In my eternal sentence, I had pushed the walls away.


    At least I had my sense of direction before. Now, all my senses were gone. I had spent all of time perpetually alone.


    Once finite¡ªnow infinite.


    Nothing was clear. At some point, my memory also began to degrade. It was like hanging onto intertwined threads of identity. I was Rena Shinohara.


    But¡­ What else?


    I think I was¡­ a highschooler?


    No. I was twenty.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡­


    Was I?


    No¡­


    ¡­What¡­?


    I think I went to a private school?


    But¡­ I also remember living for a game¡­?


    <h2> </h2>


    I still remember contemplating for ages in a state of comatose, a sleep of unrepentant delirium.


    Who¡­ am I?


    ¡­ ¡­


    Me? My? I?


    I


    Me.


    Mine.


    ¡­


    Where am I? It¡¯s so cold.


    ¡­


    <h2> </h2>


    Yet, at the end, a mental coin flip was all it took.


    <h2> </h2>


    Huff¡­


    Me? Why, I¡¯m Rena Shinohara, a twenty year old high school dropout, living in her mum¡¯s basement.


    I drifted for a marginally longer period afterwards. Each cycle was identical¡ªa melancholic flight through nothingness, without even a hint of distinction.


    It was like that for such a long time.


    For so long.


    Then, something¡­ something alien happened. Something unique, unprecedented.


    A strange, wired hand materialised out of the light, like a warped, untextured lump of reality. It was armoured in these alien runes. I tried to tilt my head in confusion, but my eroded muscles refused to act. I was simply a corpse withered by age, a relic of a bygone era.


    Something so strange and illegal had never penetrated this prison of mine yet. The metaphoric hand just seemed to protrude further inwards, as I felt its firm fingers restrained my attempted elope, griping me.


    Wh-what?


    It grasped my arm, and carelessly ripped me out of the White Room.


    I lost consciousness afterwards.


    <h2> </h2>


    Yeesh, only being able to talk to yourself after a bajillion years to whatever seriously messes with mental thought processing. Is that why I¡¯m way too mentally expressive?


    <h2> </h2>


    When I opened my eyes, I was in some other sort of room. It was similar to the previous one. But different¡ªmost notably, I could feel the endings. I could see the corners. The white walls. The white ceiling. The¡­ white floor. The glossy walls were cold to the touch but left a lingering flame of warmth.


    My body also felt more alive. I could move more and was no longer rusted.


    I flexed my hands instinctively, testing out my reawakened muscles.


    My senses shot up. I could see clearly, and my mind was in its prime.


    ¡­Uh, maybe not too prime?


    Cause, a moment or two after, I failed to notice a trapdoor or something open underneath me. And of course, I fell down.


    Damn. Talk about negligence.


    Not very self-aware, wouldn¡¯t you say so?


    Eh, at least it was a soft landing.


    <h2>


    </h2>

 Chapter 1: Where am I...?

    <h2>Chapter 1: Where am I¡­?</h2>


    Rena


    Waking up, only darkness clouds my vision. Ambiguous, black clouds obscure the dim night. Not even a ray of light penetrates through. The moon¡ªnothing but a pale smudge in the sky¡ªseems to cower behind the clouds.


    I tighten the grip on my hands, and I feel the crusty texture of dead, unforsaken grass beginning to envelop my fingertips¡­


    ¡­


    Wait¡­ Rewind a bit¡ªand add the record sound. Wh-what do you mean, ¡®grass¡¯?


    Last thing I remember, I was chilling in my room¡ªor rather, my mother¡¯s basement¡ªgrinding Skyl Online! I literally vowed to never touch grass again! Cross my heart!


    In fact¡ªwhy the hell am I even outdoors, huh?


    Uh, I wasn¡¯t kidnapped, was I?


    No!


    I probably, you know¡­ fell asleep after an intense grinding session or something. Yeah, that¡¯s it!


    ¡­


    Th-this is a joke, right? Uh-huh. Yep. One of those hidden prank cams. Well, I¡¯ll be damned. Whoever set this video up is sure gonna get a ton of views after getting a wild reaction from me!


    I mean, I was literally spasming around in shock a few seconds ago, like a fish out of water...


    On second thought, please don¡¯t post that, whoever you are¡­


    Even a reclusive person like me needs some good social reputation!


    Well, now that you¡¯ve got the clip, I¡¯ll gladly take my leave and depart! I have to finish my hourly quest or I might fall off the podium!


    These days, there are too many sweats. Even missing one of those missions could lead to the end for me.


    ...


    ...This is the part where I get jumped and the cameramen laughs at me, right?


    ...


    ¡°Hellooo?¡±


    ¡°Anyone?¡±


    The only response I get is the muffled crying of the wind, as it slaps my hair sideways. Come on! This joke has gone way too far! Come out already, I wasn¡¯t joking about needing to complete my quests!


    As one of the Depunsctist Guilds¡¯ elite four, a little misstep could lead to my downfall! For all I know, ¡®Depunscist¡¯ isn¡¯t even a real word. Either way, joining one of the grindiest guilds leads to tons of pressure, okay?


    I can¡¯t fall of the podiuummmm!!!!


    Top three get free passes!!!


    So let me go back!!!


    ...


    No response.


    O-okay. This is getting¡­ rather creepy. Unsettling, even.


    And concerning. By ¡®concerning¡¯, I mean really, really concerning.


    This isn¡¯t heaven, is it?


    So... did I die from exhaustion or something? H-hey God! Listen and hear me out! I only spent twelve hours online yesterday! I know, right? What a BIG improvement!


    Not bad, right? Mhmm, not bad at all.


    Yeah, believe it or not, I managed to decrease my playtime by a whole entire twenty percent. Pretty impressive, if I say so myself!


    Heh. Welp, don¡¯t mind me, using my premium ticket to get to luxury class heaven! With the zero ping, infinite RAM, and 99G wifi!


    Huh? No?


    Whaddaya mean ¡®no¡¯?


    ¡­


    Explain yourself! Where are energy drinks?


    Huh?


    You wanna fight?


    Alright, let''s take this outside¡­


    No, but seriously, jokes and all aside, where on Earth am I?


    Looking around, I can confidently say that I¡¯m currently in some sort of field. Possibly... If my inner gamer tuition is correct¡­ a meadow?


    Well, say hypothetically, I¡¯m correct, and I¡¯m in the middle of a meadow. Then, there¡¯s gonna be an elephant in the room. Namely, one specific question: How did I get here?


    Look, if you were in my shoes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d have a billion questions circling you at once. You don¡¯t normally wake up in the middle of nowhere, do you?


    I highly doubt that someone broke into my apartment and kidnapped me, considering I live on the 23rd floor and all.


    Alright, ignore the bold lie. I live underground. Like those nasty moles. Actually, I think I spotted one that one time.Though, either way, I still doubt that someone broke into my mum¡¯s basement and kidnapped me.


    I don¡¯t see myself being a high value target. If I had a bounty, it would be 100 yen or something. But, apart from getting kidnapped, I don¡¯t see any other possible¡­ possibilities.


    I wasn¡¯t magically¡ªpoof!¡ªteleported into another world, was I?


    I mean, which otaku hasn¡¯t had that thought at least once? Sure, Skyl Online had no isekai tropes, but I read a light novel before. And a dozen or so manga volumes. Anyone with a crippling life and gaming addiction would dream of getting hit by truck-kun. I mean, look at you.


    Huh? Fourth wall? That¡¯s one or two fourth walls? Elaborate please.


    ¡­


    Alright, forget about it.


    But¡­ Even the kidnapping scenario seems more plausible than the isekai scenario.


    Besides, usually when you wanna teleport from one location to another, there has to be an item or something used as a catalyst, right?


    Like a teleportation circle or warp stone?


    Haha! Ask Rena, the gaming expert on anything! My wisdom knows no bounds! I am the sole forefather of humanity!


    Alright, sorry for getting carried away. And, it would be ¡®foremother¡¯, not ¡®forefather¡¯. Is ¡®foremother¡¯ even a word?


    Don¡¯t mind me, memorising every single drop chance and crafting recipe, yet failing at simple Japanese.


    Whew! Kidnapped and sold for organs it is!


    No trucks involved, not at all¡­!


    Yet¡­ When I squint my eyes and look closely, I can somewhat make out the shape of two faint smudges in the sky. Not one, but two moons. Don¡¯t quote me on that though: these pesky clouds really make things harder!


    This IS a joke, right?


    You know what, I wasn¡¯t kidnapped, nor isekaied. Let¡¯s just stay with the humble it was all just a dream ploy instead. Works in any circumstance! This should¡ªno, this must be a dream. Yeah, yep. There, I¡¯ve gaslit myself. A dream¡ªnothing less, nothing more.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Gosh, my subconsciousness sure is crazy and wild, huh?


    Is this my edgy, emo phase?


    But I thought that was last year?


    Oh well. A phase of some sort. Like that certain boy from the certain anime who had a cringy phase in junior high, became normal in high, and somehow infatuated the chick-iest chick?


    I can¡¯t say the name. Copyright laws or something might send a lawsuit hurling my way.


    ¡­


    Why not say them slightly off-brand, then?


    You know, Coma Can¡¯t Communicate?


    Huh, you don¡¯t know? Talk to me when you have some margin of culture.


    You know, it would be really helpful if dream me started planning for tomorrow''s grind and optimise the best, most efficient route through Crist Rukt Forest instead of waffling about who knows what.


    Helloooo? Subconscious? What happened to revision and planning?


    In fact, why does this dream feel so¡­ realistic?!


    I can feel the chilly wind and the grass tickling my legs. Last time I checked, dreams aren¡¯t able to convey reality to this extent. Which means¡­ this isn¡¯t a dream¡­?


    I even go for the clich¨¦, overused pinch on the arm to prove my point. I wince, flinching in pain.


    Yep, as much as I hate to admit, this probably isn¡¯t a dream. Meaning that I¡¯m actually in the middle of nowhere.


    Based on assumptions alone, I¡¯ve gotten reincarnated into some sort of seemingly fantasy world. Just like the crazily popular (and overused) stories that blew up on the web. You know?


    The ones with millions of views that we all read in our spare time. The ones with the stupidly overpowered main characters who seriously need a nerf.


    How did this happen?


    Despite the foggy memory, I can say for sure that I didn¡¯t get KO¡¯ed by truck-kun. In fact, I don¡¯t remember any death at all.


    ¡­


    Oh! I think I know! Classic of me to connect the dots.


    I paint a mental image of me crouching down, grabbing a scrapped piece of paper from the bin. I then mentally open it up, reading the label.


    How did I get here?


    Reason no. 1: Died from exhaustion, reincarnated.


    Reason no. 2: Kidnapped, sold to shady guys for my barely functioning organs that have been scraping through, surviving on energy drinks for who knows how long.


    I guess I died from exhaustion after all. Even I have my limitations, I suppose. I mean, the former still seems more believable than the latter in my opinion.


    I furrow my brows and slump onto the crispy grass, letting out a thorough sigh.


    Arrggghhh! I was looking forward to the new biome update!


    Dammit!


    Hmm? Why am I not really bothered about dying and all? I¡¯m sure your average joe would collapse onto his knees and start sobbing like a madman or whatever. Maybe he¡¯ll commit suicide from shock?


    Well, to put it simply, and to avoid complications, I¡¯ll be direct. I¡¯m not human.


    W-wait! I don¡¯t mean it like that! Not literally! I¡¯m a perfect, biological human. Thank you very much.


    I¡¯m not some extra terrestrial spy sent to Earth to monitor the human populace or whatever¡ªI swear!


    I probably created more complications than the ones I negated by saying that if I were to be honest¡­


    I suppose a better way to explain it would be to say that I¡­ I¡¯m detached from humanity. So, since I don¡¯t exactly fit into the criteria for social norms, I¡¯m technically not exactly human. I mean, I¡¯m basically an outcast. Certainly not some social, extroverted dude going around greeting anyone they see and such.


    In fact, now that I think about it, the only thing that kept me going were video games, or rather, one specific game. I was basically devout to Skyl, and my sole purpose was to play it.


    Yeesh, talk about a wasted life.


    I mean, when I was going through the nadir of my life and all, I seriously had just considered committing suicide to end it all. I think my online friends would be somewhat upset if that happened though, since I wouldn¡¯t be able to help them power level¡­


    Huh?


    Who¡¯s using who?


    Wh-what do you mean by you¡¯re getting exploited?


    Huh?!


    Who are you looking at?!


    W-Wipe that look off your face!


    Don¡¯t feel sorry for me!


    Alright, I deeply apologise for getting all worked up again. Believe it or not, I actually managed to make it into the top three global leaderboard. Yeah.


    If you wanna sugar coat it, you would say I was an ¡®extreme gaming enthusiast¡¯, but in reality, I was essentially a no-lifer.


    ¡®Crippling gaming addiction¡¯, would be a better way to describe me.


    I wasn¡¯t employed and lived in my mum¡¯s basement¡ªmeaning that I had a lot of spare time in my hands. I think the longest time I stayed online was for three days straight? Maybe a bit more, but I just had to come first in the Lycandraco Event, okay? The rewards were totally worth it, even if I collapsed afterwards and woke up in a hospital bed after being in a coma for a week.


    Sure, I dropped off the top four in my guild, but I managed to push back up in two days, so it was fine.


    If I recorded that grind, maybe I could have gotten a Guinness World Record?


    Getting reward money or something from that accomplishment would¡¯ve been nice. I could buy a years¡¯ worth of the Guild Pass Premium if I got that cash!


    I mean, I did have roughly a decade worth of Premium saved up anyways, since I always came top ten in the E-sports games.


    I blew the prize money on the Premium¡ªbut come on, don¡¯t blame me! It¡¯s the most valuable purchase in the entire game!


    I did the math, and it has roughly a seventy percent higher rewards rate than raw purchases.


    ¡­Even now, I suppose I prioritise my virtual life over my real life.


    Haha¡­


    I¡¯m not even worried about my current precedent. I suppose my mental fortitude must be vaulting.


    Ah. Sorry for getting carried away again. Back to the main question. Where the heck am I?


    Like I mentioned before, this place is flat, grassy, and has a dearth of trees. I only see one or two of those. If my inner gamer is correct, this place screams either ¡®meadows¡¯, or ¡®plains!¡¯


    Well, these locations are usually for beginners, since they only spawn lower rarity mobs and such.


    ¡­


    Wait¡­ mobs?


    As in passive animals and¡­ hostile monsters?


    Okay, maybe this isn¡¯t all fun and games. If there are vicious monsters out there looking for blood, then I could seriously die, you know?


    Though, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any immediate danger, so I guess I¡¯ll be fine for now. Ever since I got here¡­ which is, like, five minutes ago or something¡­


    I¡¯ve been treating this whole place like some sort of video game, but what if there aren¡¯t any fantasy monsters? How can I be sure there are two moons in the sky?


    Rather, how do I know this is some alternate, fantasy world?


    For all I know, I could be chilling, vibing around in parallel universe Japan.


    Oh. There was no need to get all fretful and frolicky after all. Geez, I panicked for no reason.


    I bet if some passersby saw me, they would think that I¡¯m mentally constipated; goofing around like an idiot and all.


    You are not a clown. You are the entire circus.


    Well, I don¡¯t see anyone around me as of now. Although, if I squint my eyes and peer really hard into the horizon, I can somewhat make out a few murky silhouettes off in the distance.


    Then, I hear a howl reverberate in the air. A savage howl¡ªthe vibrations rippling into my eardrums. One that evidently shows hostility and bloodlust. The roar of the wilderness.


    ¡­At least I think it sounds wild?


    Dunno. Never been near nature.


    .


    .


    .


    Seriously, what is up with this anti-plot armour?!


    Even if these are just some rando wolves, I could still totally die!


    I thought that after getting reincarnated, I would get at least some fancy protagonist plot armour, but God just had a grudge against me. What is up with that?


    What did I even do? Did I waste my luck on that one-in-a-million chance drop? It was only a two star though, so it¡¯s not like those shoddy bracelets did much when I only use premium, five star gear. As I rant on stupidly, the distant howls begin to echo closer, as the once remote wolves begin closing in, filling up the gap.


    Now that they¡¯ve advanced towards me, I can actually make out some distinguishable features. ¡®Wolves¡¯ would be a broad term to describe these things. Sure, if you were being generous, you would consider them wolves, but really, a more accurate representation would be rabid, overgrown chihuahuas with blue fur and unicorn looking horns.


    These guys are totally NOT Earth animals, right?


    Or are they some freakish byproduct of mother nature¡¯s misconduct?


    Or were they conceived in some secret laboratory?


    Or what?


    Because as far as I can tell, these chihuahuas are screaming ¡®FANTASY ANIMAL RIGHT HERE!!!!!¡¯


    Either way, I¡¯m in a bad situation right now.


    Like, is this seriously how I die?


    Reborn, just to get spawn killed by a bunch of rabid campers?


    Uh-huh.


    Mmm-mm


    I absolutely refuse to die like this!


    Please, someone come in and save the day! A true hero only arrives late, no?


    As if enticed by my distress, the rabid chihuahua-ish wolves growl louder.The skin on their snouts begin to fold, revealing an unsettling set of canines.


    No no no no no! GO AWAAYYY!!!


    I DON¡¯T WANNA DIEEEEEE!!!!!!!


    Suddenly, a blue, transparent door reminiscent of a portal appears before me, its faint shine emanating around the area.


    I squeal. Loudly.


    In my uncanny, panicked state, I try pushing the door frame away. However, instead of disappearing or retreating away, the door latches onto my forearms.


    Flinching in shock, I attempt to avert my arms, retracting them away.


    The door begins to consume me, sucking me in.


    I try fighting back, but it comes to no avail.


    Soon, I feel the corners of my eyes darkening, and my vision begins to morph, becoming a grim, impish haze.


    Not long afterwards, I feel my consciousness slipping away.

 Chapter 2: Saved!

    <h2>Chapter 2: Saved!</h2>


    Rena


    No way.


    No waaay.


    NO WAAAAY!!


    That was waaaay too close! I almost felt like my life was flashing before my eyes! Okay, maybe my life did flash before my eyes for a couple of seconds¡­


    I¡¯m shivering, convulsed from shock. It feels as if my spine¡¯s been turned into an icicle, churned around, and then smashed into fragments. Only for those pieces to be collected, dumped in a cup, before slowly melting into water.


    And no, it¡¯s not the fear I¡¯m referring to.


    The other thing is the issue¡ªthe unaddressed problem.


    Even though my spine feels like a psychrophile¡ªcold and unmoving¡ªmy entire head actually feels hot. While the rest of my body is frozen in fear, my mind is actually boiling in delight.


    I¡¯m happy¡ªno, ignore the understatement¡ªoverjoyed.


    Oh man. This is actually crazy.


    I¡¯m not the type of person to easily get satisfied with things, but this is¡­ a different story. I mean, whether I¡¯d like to admit it or not, my old life was pretty pathetic. Laughable, even.


    The more I distanced myself from the real world, and avoided reality, the more Skyl would occupy my thoughts. It had gotten past the point of no return.


    I just wanted to do whatever made me feel better about my wasted, worthless life.


    Which, in this scenario, meant holing up in my room, playing the number one RPG game with my VR headset, and over-the-top gaming setup. No lies¡ª714 fps.


    Naturally, that sort of secluded lifestyle would lead to me becoming introverted. Though, the only person I could really blame is probably myself and no one else.


    I abandoned my real life and opted to go online instead, starting a new virtual life.


    Apart from my mum, no one else even knew I existed¡ªlet alone, who I was. Even online, I made few friends and stuck to people I somewhat knew. Although most of the time, they just used me as a tool to help them grind.


    So I was really just a solo adventurer.


    Kinda sad how I was able to talk to people online but not even my own birth giver. Even if the communication was limited, I still chatted with total random strangers on the web. Hey! I wasn¡¯t getting groomed or something okay? I just had to consult with the guild leader.


    I vaguely remember there was this guy who tried to talk to me a few times a couple years ago in class. However, I just froze up, got all mentally constipated, and stared at him blankly, unable to answer.


    I guess he felt embarrassed afterwards, since he eventually gave up on me, and would awkwardly waddle away after every failed interaction. Maybe he thought I was staring him down or something?


    I mean, the mind can wonder a lot in one or two minutes.


    I think¡­ his name started with ¡®R¡¯? Sure, I feel a bit bad about that, but he shouldn¡¯t have bothered consulting with me anyways!


    Don¡¯t you know you should leave the quiet kids alone?


    Well, all and all aside, here I am. Put the chapter of my past life away in a dust-covered bookshelf. Dump it in the river, and let the fish eat the pages.


    Because now?


    This is a new chapter! Being able to make a new start in an entirely different world feels¡­ almost refreshing. Like that feeling when you hold a piss for a long time, and finally get it out?


    Uh, sorry, bad analogy.


    But you get the gist, right?


    ¡­


    Wahoo!


    Oh yeah! Is this the best day ever?


    Because from what I can tell, it totally is!


    YESS!!! IT TOTALLY IS!!!


    My spine, still frozen from shock, begins to heat up again, burning with an everlasting passion. Wait, no. That would be an understatement. My spine is currently blazing. Like an inferno. A wildfire, let loose.


    I rest a palm on my forehead, and brush my fingertips on my smooth skin, catching beads of lukewarm sweat. Wiping my brow, I brush my pants and stand up. Renewed.


    Hoo boy.


    I might burst from pure excitement at this rate. I feel like a child after getting praised for taking a dump without support from their parents.


    Oops. Another bad analogy. So sorry!


    Huh?


    Oh. Riiight, that.


    What exactly happened after the faint, blue door appeared?


    Well, it¡¯s sorta hard to explain, but I think the door was actually more of a portal of some sorts. I mean, before, remember how I said that if you wanna warp from one place to another, you have to use an item?


    Well, I¡¯m pretty sure the door was a teleporting ¡®item¡¯. You know? Those overused, stereotypical portals.


    So, I got sucked in.


    I woke up in this damp cave feeling nauseous and drowsy.


    Surveying my surroundings, I see some dangling threads of limestone. Yeah¡ªI¡¯m in a creepy, eerie cave with no idea whatsoever on how to leave.


    This isn¡¯t one of those dungeons, no?


    If it is, do I have to clear the entire dungeon before I can depart? Or can I leave as long as I kill the dungeon boss or something?


    Dungeons exist now. If so, this world should also have a bunch of other game-like features, right? Like a levelling system or magic.


    Or maybe quests? And a status menu?


    ¡­ Status menu sounds pretty important. How can I check my stats though?


    ¡°Stats!¡±


    Nope, nothing. Now might be a good time to insert a crow cawing sound effect. What if I try more stuff? It''s unlikely I¡¯ll master this system on my first attempt, right?


    Welp, here goes nothing.


    ¡°Statistics!¡± ¡°Status!¡± ¡°Menu!¡±


    No?


    Not even one squeak?


    Argh, screw it! I¡¯ll just hurl every single game-related word in my arsenal, and hope for the best!


    Come on! Fingers crossed, please work!


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Levels!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Details!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Properties!¡±


    ¡­


    Urrgghh! Why? Tell me why nothing works! Tell meee!! Sigh.


    If only there was some way for me to see my own abilities¡­


    Hold up. Abilities?


    So¡­ skills and stuff, right?


    And¡­ wasn¡¯t there a specific skill made just for this?


    Almost comically, a light bulb goes ding! on top of my head, and my eyes roll back, showing the whites¡ªonly for them to be replaced with even more flashing bulbs.


    Okay, not literally.


    I open my mouth to speak, and my tongue hangs on every syllable, quivering and shaking in anticipation.


    PLEASE WORK!


    ¡°A-Ap¡­ Appraise?¡±


    To my surprise, something actually happens.


    <Activate skill [Appraisal]?>


    I jump up, giving myself a fist-bump and a proud chest thump. That worked! Yes, please!


    Come on, show stats! Appraisal, do your thing!


    <Species: Unique Demon (Base: Human)


    Name: Rena Shinohara


    Level: 1     Rank: F     Class: None>


    Erm¡­ Isn¡¯t F the lowest tier?


    Why am I so weak?


    Wh-what happened to insanely overpowered isekai MC boosts? Shouldn¡¯t I be level nine trillion and be ranked SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS+++ or something?


    ¡°Great. This day just gets better and better,¡± I mumble in a low tone with a hint of angst, tossing a rock away in distress.


    Even if this isn¡¯t an action-packed reincarnation, I could at least be a royal princess or aristocrat or whatever!


    Besides, what does it mean by ¡®Unique Demon¡¯ with ¡®Base: Human¡¯ in brackets? Does that mean I¡¯m a demon, but¡­ not human? So¡­ human is, like my original species and I got reincarnated into a demon? Or is demon a subrace of human?


    But, I look like a normal human.


    But my main species is demon?!


    ¡­Wait. I¡¯m guessing that demons and humans look identical, then.


    How confusing¡­


    Or is it totally something else and I¡¯m seriously misinterpreting it? You can¡¯t always rely on wild guesses, huh?


    Eh. Really, there¡¯s no point tossing and turning and crying over spilt milk. It isn¡¯t like I really care anyway. Though¡­ I do wonder if I can appraise¡ªno, [Appraise] some other stuff.


    ¡­


    Wait, wait, wait¡­


    Hold up one moment. What just happened?


    I was going to say [Ap]- rghh¡­ A- a... appraise, but for some reason it became [Appraise]?


    Wait, what?! I can¡¯t say [Appraise] anymore?


    Dammit, it got censored again!


    Okay.


    Basically, just then, I tried to say the skill [Appraise] without the capitalisation and brackets¡ªjust the normal word itself, but then it automatically became [Appraise] again. Saying it the way the system says it just feels more normal. I dunno why, but it just comes to me naturally. And saying it the other way around feels¡­ wrong.


    Am I feeling the aftermath of a system integration or something?


    Don¡¯t quote me though. I¡¯m just making bold assumptions based on the plot and lore of Skyl.


    I mean, calling me a crippled gamer wouldn¡¯t be far off, but the only game I actually ever played is just Skyl. I¡¯m loyal, you see?


    Though, useless contemplating aside, I do wonder if I can [Appraise] others. Say, I use [Appraisal] on this cave. Will it give me a bulk of information, or can I only [Appraise] living things? Or is it only limited to myself?


    Based on my knowledge, it should apply to everything, but it¡¯ll be better safe than sorry. Only one way to find out¡­


    [Appraise] cave?


    <Activate [Appraisal]?>


    Oh? So, activating [Appraisal] on abiotic factors works well enough. I shouldn¡¯t get too worked up though. Sure, I can activate it, but who knows if it¡¯ll actually initiate or not?


    Like, I can plug a charger in a port, but whether the phone charges or not isn¡¯t solely based on that. Well, sure. Activate [Appraisal], I guess.


    [Appraise]!


    <Spontaneous Dungeon Wall>


    Alright¡­ So, this is a dungeon like I originally guessed. But¡ªwhat does it mean by spontaneous? I mean, if this is a Spontaneous Dungeon, then there should also be something along the lines of Permanent Dungeon, right?


    That faint blue door from before¡ªwas that a gateway to this dungeon? Like a dungeon ¡®gate¡¯?


    Well, since the spontaneous dungeon just popped out of nowhere, I think I can safely assume that a permanent dungeon won¡¯t randomly pop out. Maybe they have a set point or something along those lines?


    Mhmmm¡­


    If so, that means I actually ended up getting super lucky, right?


    By some stroke of luck, a dungeon gate just so happened to open right in front of me. Furthermore, I just so happened to force myself into it¡ªalbeit unintendedly¡ªand just so managed to save myself from utter annihilation and demise?


    Oh.


    Whew, talk about a one-in-a-million chance!


    Heh. As expected, my gamer luck came in clutch at the last second. Classic Rena. Well, I guess I saved myself back then, so I only have myself to thank. Thank you, me! Thank you so much!


    Who needs a blonde prince in shining armour with stupidly wavy hair whipping everywhere like a¡­ whip when you have me?


    Now that I¡¯m out of apparent danger. I¡¯m in a dungeon. What should I do? Oops. I didn¡¯t think this far ahead.


    My shoulders slump downwards, as I heave a melancholic sigh. Glancing around the mystical dungeon, my thoughts begin to wonder again.


    It¡¯s too quiet. I¡¯m getting bad vibes right now. Sort of like how those foreshadower dudes do it?


    A dungeon means more monsters, after all. So, although I managed to escape the ghastly grips of Death, I might¡¯ve just found myself in an even worse precedent. Do I have to clear the dungeon to proceed? Or can I leave whenever I want?


    Imma try out the latter. Never know what¡¯s gonna hit you, so I might as well do it, even if the chance of success is point one.


    Straining my muscles, I urge really hard.


    Nothing.


    The only thing that happened was a silent, gasless fart. And my body curled up for some reason.


    Figures.


    Mentally thinking about leaving the dungeon won¡¯t do squat.


    Clearing the dungeon is my only other option then, right?


    Whenever I think really hard, I can safely activate [Appraisal], so maybe I can also use other skills, items or stuff? I¡¯ll try it out, I guess.


    ¡°Inventory!¡±


    ¡­


    Nope. Well, what about this?


    ¡°Skills!¡±


    ¡­


    Yeaah, I think I lack familiarity with this¡­ world. I wasn¡¯t even aware of [Appraisal¡¯s] existence until I unintentionally activated it through dumb luck. In fact, ¡®[Appraise]¡¯ was a pretty specific command. Maybe I have to use a keyword to activate an ability or skill?


    What are some stupidly clich¨¦ and overused skills?


    I can¡¯t exactly think of anything in particular, but when my mind begins to wonder about spells and such, I think of one in particular. To be specific, fireball. I mean, come one!


    Name one game without good ol¡¯ fire magic!


    Or¡­ would it be¡­[Fire Magic]?


    Who knows¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°FIREBALL!¡±


    ¡­


    Huh.


    Nope, I guess not.


    Well, a fireball should be linked to a skill, right?


    And I¡¯m pretty sure that I don¡¯t conveniently have a fire-based spell to boot.


    Maybe I should try some skills that should be intrinsic?


    Hmm¡­


    ¡°Show inventory?¡±


    ¡°Reveal inventory?¡±


    ¡°¡­Access inventory? Please?¡±


    Alright, this is going nowhere at all. Should I think more basic? Think, Rena, think! What is some super simple synonym for ¡®open¡¯?


    ¡­


    Ah. I¡¯m stupid, aren¡¯t I?


    I swear, if this works, I¡¯ll get mocked for the rest of my life!


    ¡°Open inventory!¡±


    <Inventory


    Heroic Broadsword [Rank S]


    Heroic Chestplate [Rank S]


    Heroic Cloak [Rank S]


    Heroic Boots [Rank S]>


    Wait. Rewind. Um. WHAT¡­?!


    This is the insanely overpowered loot I¡¯m talking about!


    Yes, gimme! Give me all of it!


    Kahahaha!!!!


    ¡­


    Erm. How do I equip my loot?


    Ah.


    Awkward.


    Maybe I tap on the little icon representing the item?


    Tap.


    <Error. Transmission failed.


    Heroic Broadsword [Rank S] has become Stick [Rank F].


    Heroic Chestplate [Rank S] has become Rags [Rank F].


    Heroic Cloak [Rank S] has become Cloth [Rank F].


    Heroic Boots [Rank S] has become Sandals [Rank F]>


    Well, my triumph came to an abrupt stop.


    Okay, okay. WHAT THE HECK?


    W-whadayya mean ¡®transmission failed¡¯?!


    Did I just lose all my god items?


    What the hell?


    So these godly Rank S items became some shoddy Rank F rip-offs?


    Seriously, what on Earth?!


    Dammit!! Gimme my loot back!!!


    This is a sham!


    Daylight robbery!


    NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 Chapter 3: Dungeon?

    <h2>Chapter 3: Dungeon?</h2>


    Rena


    After calming down, I take a deep, depressive sigh. Even the air seems to be heavy, as it weighs both me and the mood down.


    I¡¯m not mad!


    Okay? Okay? Okay.


    The random downgrade was pretty inconvenient, but at least¡­ I, uh¡­ At least I have some form of weaponry and armour now! Right?


    Heh. Right.


    ¡­Even if all of it is ranked F¡ªjust like me. Actually, if you put it that way, it seems balanced, doesn¡¯t it?


    Sure, I could¡¯ve gotten something beautiful, but it''s not like I actually lost anything. Like, say the lottery misread some numbers, and you thought you had won, but actually didn¡¯t.


    You¡¯ll be mad¡ªdefinitely. But it''s not like there was actually anything to lose. In fact, you probably still ended up getting free money, even if it were just compensation cash for the misunderstanding. Maybe you could sue the lottery company for negligence?


    Either way, you¡¯d get money that you actually wouldn¡¯t have gotten.


    So, although I can¡¯t say I¡¯m in the brightest mood, I¡¯m not down with the dogs yet. I¡¯d say I¡¯m neutral and in some sort of middle-ground.


    It is better than nothing, after all.


    Sort of like that old saying?


    Umm, what was it again?


    It went something along the lines of¡­


    ¡­


    Oh, right!


    You get what you get and you don¡¯t get upset.


    Yeah. Something like that.


    So, I got what I got, and I¡¯m not upset. Instead of being a pessimist, be an optimist! Being an optimist is tons better. You don¡¯t get down and stuff like that.


    I think there was one of those personality tests that showed if you were inherently optimistic or pessimistic?


    Like, the examiner dude would show a glass half filled with water. They would then ask for the examinee to describe the glass. If they said it was half full, they would be optimistic. If they said it was half empty, they would be pessimistic.


    Personally, I feel like that¡¯s a pretty half-assed way to measure it, but if fancy guys do it, then what can I say?


    From my perspective, it seems like a heretical cult full of devout followers, blinded by logicless faith and belief.


    What good is there in such a stupid question anyways?


    I¡¯m done complaining for the day. Now, let¡¯s check out what these super budget weapons can do. It might just be me, but I swear the feeling coursing through my body right now is the exact same feeling I get when I purchase cheap, very cheap items online.


    Like, I could buy a new VR headset for 2000 yen. I¡¯ll get so excited about purchasing the brand new model for such a steal. And what do I get?


    A potato.


    With the green shoots growing out from the corners.


    Oddly specific?


    Don¡¯t ask why. Please. Just¡­ a bit of advice¡ªdon¡¯t trust shady online sites.


    Well, without further ado¡­!


    ¡°Check item status?¡±


    Yeah, I figured that wasn¡¯t going to work. But, [Appraisal] should be able to work, right? I mean, I can clearly [Appraise] inanimate objects¡ªI did [Appraise] the cave walls and get a response, no?


    Okay, fingers crossed they can still be of some use.


    Guess I¡¯ll start with the¡­ stick?


    ¡°¡­[Appraise]¡±


    <Stick     Rank: F


    Damage: 5     Durability: 100      Resistance: 10


    Specials: None>


    Fwah¡­


    This just might have been far worse than I could ever imagine. I mean, damn. What is with this junk! Talk about crappy equipment!


    Five? Five? Five?!


    I take back everything I mentioned before¡ªI am upset! And mad!


    What about the other items, huh?


    Surely they can make up for the stick! It is a stick, after all! Nothing can get worse than that, can it?


    <Rags      Rank: F


    Armour: 1     Durability: 150     Resistance: 5


    Specials: None


    Cloth     Rank: F


    Armour: 0     Durability: 50     Resistance: 1


    Specials: None


    Sandals      Rank: F


    Armour: 10     Durability: 150     Resistance: 10


    Specials: None>


    ¡­Y-yep. Not good at all. These stats are¡­ copious, even precariously low, rendering all of it essentially useless. The cloth has an armour stat of zero! What good can that do?


    Look visually pleasing?


    Yeah. That¡¯s it!


    And the rags actually aren¡¯t much better. What can an armour point of one do? For all I know, even a splinter could get through¡­


    At least the sandals are better than the stick overall, since both its durability and armour exceed the latter.


    Although, for the stick, it''s damage, not armour.


    It¡¯s a relief that the stick turned out better than I thought, at least relatively. In comparison to my clothing, it sure seems heaps more useful.


    Whether it¡¯s the stick that¡¯s good, or the clothing that¡¯s bad¡­ Well, that¡¯s up for me to decide.


    It does feel slightly weird that some straw shoes outrank my supposed ¡®weapon¡¯, the stick.


    I mean, sure. From a practical viewpoint, I get that a bunch of compressed straw and sticks wrapped in a light coat of cheap leather would be stronger than a thick stick that could be snapped off any branch, but isn¡¯t this a bit too much?


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The average Asian household prefers reliable slippers over a brick¡ªor in this case, stick. Not that I know from experience. My mum was pretty negligent, but what did I expect? I was pretty negligent as well. She simply reciprocated those emotions.


    But here¡¯s the thing that¡¯s got me going. These sandals don¡¯t have any damage stat. So¡­ can they deal damage or not?


    After leaning down and picking up one of the sandals, I experimentally slap myself with it.


    Ow.


    So, it does hurt after all. But¡­ the sandals have no damage stat. The only way to test out my hypothesis is by hitting myself with the stick too.


    Thwap!


    I draw my hand backwards, flinching away in response to the sharp pain. Yowch! T-the stick hurt waay more than the sandal!


    So, damage stat does get taken into accountability.


    To put it in a way that would make more sense, I¡¯m thinking that an item has to be used for its specified purpose, or there will be some sort of resistor.


    What I¡¯m tryna say is that either the stick increases its base damage because it¡¯s an offensive item, or the sandals have their damage resisted¡ªreduced¡ªbecause they''re not an offensive item.


    Still a bit confusing?


    Well, I suppose a better way to explain it is that either an item gets a buff if used for its intended purpose, or it gets a nerf if used against its intended purpose.


    You get what I mean?


    A gun is good for killing. For chopping cabbage? Not so much.


    I guess if you fired a bunch of bullets in a linear line, you could in theory cut the cabbage or whatever, but then that would cause a bunch of other problems like ¨C


    Ah. Forget about it.


    Putting it that way, the latter seems to be more liable. An item gets their stats reduced if used against their intended purpose. I mean, the damage stat exists for a reason. If armour and damage were to get constantly multiplied, well¡­ that would sort of negate the original purpose of those numbers, wouldn¡¯t it¡­?


    My logic might be a bit flawed, but based on the scarce information I have access to, I feel like this is the best conclusion I can arrive at. I barely know anything about this world, after all.


    It took me too many attempts testing out the system to even get here!


    ¡­What do I do now?


    The only thing I can really do is clear the dungeon¡ªbut I don¡¯t really feel like I¡¯m up for the challenge. Can I really do it, being rank F and all?


    Besides, I¡¯m just your average uni student. Though¡­ I actually dropped out of high school and never attended university. But, age-wise, that should be where I¡¯m standing, right? Nothing wrong with that¡ªI totally didn¡¯t dump my life down the sewers.


    ¡­Right?


    ¡­


    Psshhh! What are you talking about?


    After strengthening my resolve and boosting my morale, I¡¯ve decided on one thing for sure. It¡¯s time to clear a dungeon!


    Wah¡­ hoo¡­?


    Not the most enthusiastic group, huh?


    Heh. This is no place for amateurs. If you¡¯ve never gone dungeon diving, you shouldn¡¯t even be hanging around here anymore. You need experience fighting and killing monsters. You have to remember the feeling of the blade piercing through flesh. And other adventure-ish stuff. I dunno.


    And, no¡ªI don¡¯t mean killing virtual monsters online. I mean you need real, bona fide experience. If you haven¡¯t even killed a single monster, you¡¯re essentially pulling your life on auction.


    ¡­W-why are you looking at me?


    I¡¯m a deserter? I ran away from the first monsters I faced?


    H-hey!


    At least I¡¯ve met real monsters, okay? I¡¯m one leg above you, no matter what. It doesn¡¯t if the monsters I met probably had rabies.


    Kahahahaha!


    I aimlessly wonder the dungeon, trudging through the rugged, uneven flooring. Magical lanterns illuminate the passageways, exhorting an ominous green light. The chambers here could have birthed the primal sins. All is still. Silent. Eerie. Immuring, and abysmal.


    The walls¡ªtainted with age¡ªresemble ancient shrines. Every shattered crack; an engraving telling tales from oh so long ago. Musty, uncirculated air ripples, the thick stench enough to cause the face to wrinkle. Everything here seems wrong. An anachronism from the past. An oddity. Something illegal¡ªunforsaken. An anomaly.


    That is until an aloof figure steps down.


    Well, whadda know? When I¡¯m not goofing around, I become a literary talent, no? Mwahaha!, marvel at the power of improvisation and creative writing classes! At this rate, my adventure could get serialised or something!


    Or maybe turned into a web-novel!


    Hmm¡­?


    ¡­What¡¯s a fourth wall..? Or two?


    I¡¯m breaking it?


    How exactly?


    Huh?


    Wh-what do you mean a character can¡¯t have a consciousness outside of their story?


    Weeehhh¡­


    This is all just¡­ so¡­ perplexing. This is the second time!


    I¡¯ve been walking adrift while pondering on these trivial thoughts for some time now. Striding past a rather large lump of stone on the ground, my inner soliloquy comes to an abrupt stop as I hear a distant rustling to the corner of a nearby passageway, hidden by a sharp intersection.


    That¡¯s got to be a monster, right?


    Ignoring the sensible me (as if I have one, heh) screaming to get out of there, I stealthily tiptoe closer, careful not to make any noise.


    They say curiosity killed the cat, but¡­ oh well.


    At first, I press my ear closer to the wall, but my patience runs out of steam soon enough. Furtively glancing past the turn, I dart my eyes around the bend as they fall upon¡­


    ¡°¡­EEK!!!¡±


    An overgrown cockroach.


    Alright, lemme quickly get the panic out of the way so I can get all rational again.


    I take in a deep breath.


    WHY IS THERE A HUGE ROACH LOOKING THING HEREEE?!?!


    SHOULDN''T DUNGEONS BE FULL OF GOBLINS?!?


    Oh wait. Goblins would actually be worse, but¡­


    NOOOOOO!!


    I HATE, HATE, HATE BUGS!!!!!


    Although I had rats living with me in the basement¡­


    WHYYYYYYYYY!!!


    HOW CRUEL IS MY ANTI-PLOT ARMOUR????


    MY NEMESIS IS STANDING TWO METRES AWAY FROM ME!!!


    Whew!


    Done.


    Time to start thinking straight again.


    I quickly [Appraise] the roach in an attempt to figure out its general ability.


    <Species: Dungeon Cockroach


    Unnamed


    Level: 7     Rank: D     Class: None>


    Hmmm¡­? Isn¡¯t that roach heaps stronger than me then? So, if it sees me, I¡¯m totally screwed, right?


    Like getting the royal flush after going all in?


    Weeeelp, shit.


    You see, errr¡­


    Well, let¡¯s just say the roach noticed me after the first squeal.


    Still jesting around in my head, my eyes don¡¯t assess the situation fast enough, as the roach becomes nothing but a blur in my vision.


    A searing pain scatters through my body, with unfathomable amounts of it condensed near my shoulder blade.


    What? Nrrggg¡­? Ow, ow! Crap, this hurts! It really does!


    Worse than the scalding water incident a few years back!


    Still frozen in shock, I nudge weakly at the roach¡ªa hopeless attempt to push it aside. Then, the roach begins to move.


    Gyahh! W-why is it violently shaking its head?! Ngyaaah! Ow, ow, ow!!!


    The roach, driven by nothing but the inborn nature in its blood, suddenly jerks its head backwards. A loud pop! reverberates the dungeon.


    And my left arm snaps out of its sockets.


    WHAT IS THIS BASTARD TRYING TO DOOO?!


    Trying my best to mentally mitigate the pain, I latch onto the stick with my good hand. Vicing the branch, I bash at the roach¡¯s hard, almost metallic exoskeleton.


    Nothing happens. The roach didn¡¯t even give a reaction.


    Stop! Please, please, please! Stop tugging my aarm!


    I thrash and trash again, hopelessly pounding the stick to no apparent avail. I try attacking through a thin membrane¡ªthe eyes¡ªbut my body is convulsing too much to get a steady grip. Let alone to aim.


    D-damn it! I can¡¯t die like this! I cannot! I won¡¯t let some stupid, overgrown pest get the better of me! I-I wish this idiot would just die already¡­!!!


    Gritting my teeth so hard I feel the bone scraping and my tongue crying, I try my best to ignore the overwhelming pain. And I strike once more.


    A faint crack on the roach¡¯s exoskeleton. Is what awards me.


    I manage to break into a faint and fleeting grin amidst the agonising throbbing.


    The roach seems to notice the crack too.


    It suddenly flinches away, releasing its strapping grip on my arm.


    The sudden lack of pressure sends a waterfall of blood flying, and the crimson splatters onto the walls, mingling to form incantations of gore.


    I get sent hurtling, only to ram into the thick cavern walls. I feel cracks in several places, some bones shattered and fragmented.


    But despite all that.


    I-I can win this¡­!


    Without much battle experience¡ªor as a matter of fact; none at all, the best I can opt to is the clich¨¦ kicking up dust from the floor. Grabbing a handful of the withered sand, I shoot up, spraying the particles everywhere.


    The roach gets momentarily stunned, as it freezes in place, and uses its grotesque limbs to rub at its eyes.


    Utilising this window of opportunity as much as possible, I hold onto the stick again, and relentlessly jab at the afflicted area, stabbing as much as my shaking body lets me.


    In an act of rebellious retaliation, the roach mirthlessly attempts to throw me off. I collide with the stone walls several times, and my vision begins to waver.


    I ignore the slipping of my consciousness. Instead, I focus directly on the roach, without even the slightest allowance of leeway.


    This is anyone¡¯s game.


    If I can manage to hold on for long enough, my victory should be assured. Yet, if this stupid bug lands another direct hit¡­ well¡­ I don¡¯t think my tattered body will be strong enough to handle ¨C


    Oof!


    I slam onto the wall. My main weapon¡ªand only hope of victory; the stick¡ªgets flung away as I gasp for air.


    Slumping down on the ground once again, I try to stand up and retrieve it.


    My body says otherwise.


    I try to move a hand, but I don¡¯t even budge a single inch.


    Not¡­ good¡­


    I have to finish this quickly!


    Arrgh!


    I don¡¯t even have enough power to smash the floor with a fist.


    What can I possibly do? What could I do? Am I going to die? Will I?


    However, one thought rings much louder than the others.


    I don¡¯t wanna die¡­


    No¡­ I REFUSE to die¡­!


    Not to some dumb bug. Not to anyone. Anyone standing in my way is an enemy. Enemies should be eliminated.

 Chapter 4: New Weapon...?!

    <h2>Chapter 4: New Weapon¡­?!</h2>


    Rena


    I stagger up, forcing myself to stand upright with my good arm. I break past the pain. And I dash towards my weapon.


    Each step feels like a glacial chill. Devils from below bellowing, gnawing on my body, harvesting my blood and anguish.


    A¡­A-almost there¡­


    I attempt to leap forwards to cover the distance. But I put too much pressure on my right knee, and it begins to buckle, sending me tumbling down.


    The jagged rocks probe at me.


    And worst, I just left myself wide open.


    The roach takes this opportunity to attack, and it swivels sideways to face me. Pouncing, it latches onto my leg. And begins tearing.


    Shit! This seriously hurts¡ªArrgghhhh!!!! Did it just¡­ rip off my foot?


    Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Pain Resistance Lv1]>


    Shut up!


    What good will that do?


    This is seriously gonna be the stupidest, most wasted-potential death ever!


    NO!!


    If I can still fight, then it isn¡¯t over yet!


    I¡¯ll make my own path to salvation even if I have to crawl the entire way!


    ¡­Okay, maybe not.


    In a last ditch attempt, I jam my hand into the roach¡¯s wounded area, and begin repetitively ripping and grasping, holding onto strands of muscle and flesh in an attempt to tear them away.


    Every emotion. From twenty years of solitude. All released at once.


    I hear another snap, and the roach roars in pain¡ªonly for its voice to crack as I rip at another strand of material.


    I go on again and again and again and again and again and again and again.


    Soon, my rage begins to cool down. But I keep on hitting. I ignore the pained clicks and screeches coming from the roach laying on the floor spasming.


    I can¡¯t show any mercy. Or else I¡¯ll die. I keep on tearing. And I don¡¯t stop. Not until I feel my consciousness begin to slip away.


    Only then, do I slow down.


    I feel my eyes roll back, showing only the whites.


    <Experience has reached sufficient level. Rena Shinohara has increased from level 1 to level 2.


    All basic attributes increased.


    Level up proficiency acquired.


    Proficiency has reached required level.


    Skill [Pain resistance Lv1] has become [Pain resistance Lv2]


    Skill Points acquired.


    Skill Points doubled as [Hero] bonus.


    Combat Points acquired.


    Combat Points doubled as [Hero] bonus.


    50% of max health recovered.


    Additional 50% of max health has been recovered as hero bonus.>


    <Error>


    <All hero bonuses have failed to register properly. Summoner has annulled [Hero] contract¡­ User Rena Shinohara will lose all [Hero] privileges as due from now>


    The voice whispers inside my head¡ªan ethereal chant. The words seep, wisping around like wicked willows.


    My fuzzy, shaky vision begins to stabilise. I feel flesh click back in place, and strands of interwoven muscles coalesce.


    I gasp for breath, and begin wheezing maniacally. But not long after, my thoughts begin to stabilise again.


    To be honest, it feels pretty weird.


    But I don¡¯t have time to worry about that.


    Because right now, I¡¯m processing all the information given to me by the system.


    So¡­ I got half my health healed, some ¡®Skill Points,¡¯ and some ¡®Combat Points¡¯. Then, they all got doubled because of my heroic exploit.


    Wait¡­ no, that doesn¡¯t add up correctly.


    The system said ¡®[Hero],¡¯ as in a skill¡­? Or¡­ maybe a class? Right, a class would make more sense. Or maybe a title?


    Well, doesn¡¯t matter what it was, all I know is that I had [Hero] something, but it got yoinked away.


    Uh-huh.


    Okay.


    [Hero]¡ªgone. Just like my fathe- WHAT?!


    Wait- HUH!? SO YOU''RE SAYING EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE PRIVILEGE ONWARDS WAS JUST REVOKED?


    Though I still got the doublers this time. But from now on¡­ I¡¯m normal¡­?


    Sure, if you put it that way, I sound pretty spoiled.


    But seriously, what good is an isekai without any good buffs or advantages to use as a stepping stone?


    I lost all my stuff? What even is with this stupid ¡®[Hero]¡¯ gig anyways? To be honest, I¡¯ve lost so many perks and items to it, that it literally feels subhuman! My rights are getting revoked!


    Seriously? W¡­what the hell?


    I lost epic and insanely overpowered loot!


    What even is a ¡®[Hero]¡¯? Nothing about this feels human! Discrimination! This is discrimination!


    I. Want. My. Privileges!


    Is that too much of a request to ask for?! This isn¡¯t fair, not in the slightest bit! Why is this so scuffed? Huh?


    Cough it up and tell me.


    Maybe it would be better if I never had the [Hero] class to begin with?


    Oh. And sorry for the prior outburst.


    I know I gave some sort of lottery analogy beforehand, but this is a bit different.


    Alright. Think about it this way.


    Who would you feel more sorry for? A young, talented kid with a bright future ending up homeless and living on the streets, or some delinquent junkie who ends up on the streets?


    Obviously the kid with potential.


    The more you gain, the more you lose.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I think I just waffled out a really nice quote!


    Starting off at one hundred and falling down to zero would be heaps worse than starting off at one and falling down to zero.


    Really, I¡¯m just being greedy. I should be content that I even got a [Hero] buff for one level-up.


    But¡­


    Argh, dammit.


    This feels¡­


    Forget about it.


    I¡¯m happy, right?


    Yep!


    Glad I got at least something out of this!


    Yay!


    Well, end of the story!


    Yipee!


    Ugh.


    I always seem to have this habit of getting lost in thought and letting my mind wonder. I mean, I know my current situation is pretty dire¡ªIf I struggled this much on a single roach, how will I ever be able to deal with the dungeon as a whole?


    I should take this to heart and get serious.


    Though, maybe this mental aloofness of mine could be considered a saving grace. No normal person would be able to stay sane in my situation. Not at all.


    Yet, I¡¯m still all calm, sanguine, and¡­ uh, Buddha-like despite the circumstances. Why?


    Cause I allow myself to get distracted from reality¡­


    ¡­ Putting it that way, this bad habit might be a good thing?


    Crap.


    See? Here I go again, thinking about copious amounts of useless stuff that in no way benefit me.


    Okay, veered a bit off track, but that¡¯s alright.


    Let¡¯s get this mission started!


    Mission 01: Survive the night.


    Or something like that. That roach nearly meant the end of me. But if I don¡¯t get taken by surprise, I feel like I should be able to fend off a roach one-on-one.


    If I get jumped by multiple roaches?


    ¡­Yeah, no way am I gonna get out of that alive.


    All I can do is pray to Lady Luck and hope it doesn¡¯t end up like that.


    Not that Lady Luck smiled down on me or whatever these past few hours. I mean¡ªall of this is a tad too much, even for me. Getting randomly reincarnated, attacked by a group of rabid chihuahuas, entering a dungeon full of hostile monsters before finally fighting a gigantic, mutant roach that probably had seven foreign, unseen diseases that can transfer on touch?


    Really?!


    Haha¡­ the outside world sure is scary. Makes me want to hole back up in my room and chug some energy drinks¡­! Who said anything about decency?


    I wanna go back and grind online dungeons and slay some online dungeon bosses. Though, I certainly don¡¯t want to be running into boss monsters this time round.


    My life is literally on the line!


    ¡­


    As I said before, I¡¯m really glad it was just one roach. If I do face multiple roaches at once though¡­ well¡­ sayonara, see you on the other side. If I¡¯m lucky, maybe I get re-reincarnated back to Earth?


    I could go back to grinding on the leaderboard.


    For all I know, time could travel differently or something, and a year here is a second on Earth. Or maybe it¡¯s the other way around? Conversely, one second here could be an hour on Earth. If so, I guess I¡¯ll never see myself on the leaderboard again.


    Competition is too grindy.


    Everything went downhill as soon as the roach struck first.


    If I can strike first, things should turn out less¡­ gory.


    The stick also ended up saving my life. I¡¯m so thankful I didn¡¯t throw it away! Sorry for dissing you before, Mr. Stick! I love you! Not romantically, of course.


    Five attack stat for the win!


    Well, that said, did I get stronger after levelling up? I guess I¡¯ll also use this opportunity to see if anything else interesting happened.


    Alright, time to go ask the go-to-guy, [Appraisal]!


    ¡°[Appraise]!¡±


    <Species: Unique Demon (Base: Human)


    Name: Rena Shinohara


    Level: 2     Rank: F     Class: None>


    Well, there doesn''t seem to be any visible changes, apart from the increase in level, which was expected considering the system message literally said ¡®You just levelled up from one to two¡¯


    Never mind what I said before about [Appraisal] being a go-to-guy. It''s actually a¡­ useless skill, isn¡¯t it?


    I mean, [Appraisal] doesn¡¯t even show me my other skills¡ªI know I have [Pain Resistance], so I can use that as a sort of control to test some functions of [Appraisal].


    Talking about those two skills, I haven¡¯t found anything else I can use apart from [Appraisal], since [Pain Resistance] seems to activate only when I feel the corresponding attribute. Either that, or [Pain Resistance] is passive, and is active the entire time; even now.


    That said, it means I can¡¯t actually test out or train any of my current skills. Not really.


    U-unless if I hit myself a bunch of times to level up [Pain Resistance].


    Whoa. Am I a genius or what? Talk about a genius!


    That way, I can improve my defensive capabilities¡­ well, at least I can improve my resistance to pain, which therefore will lead to my defensive capabilities getting better. I can also improve my offensive abilities by trying out new techniques and stuff.


    Talk about killing two birds with stone!


    ¡­Except, hitting myself obviously means that I¡¯ll take damage¡ªmeaning that I¡¯ll be in a weakened state until I level up and get a fifty percent health recovery. Which means, if another roach shows up after I cripple myself¡­


    Nope, never mind. Talk about a short-lived plan.


    Still though, I feel like I got the right idea. I have to prepare for the next battle if I want to increase my chances of survival and get marginally stronger in a short period of time.


    I could use some better gear to be honest¡­


    I reluctantly scooch over to the roach¡ªignoring the yucky stuff¡ªand salvage its corpse meticulously, hoping to find some stuff that could be of use.


    And believe it or not, I don¡¯t even have to search for long. Why, you ask?


    Just a single glance at the roach gives it away. Some certain parts literally scream the word ¡®WEAPON!¡¯.


    Namely, the roach¡¯s legs.


    It never occurred to me before, since I was fighting with my life on the line and all, but these legs have these weird, spiky prods all over them. These outrank the stick for sure.


    Oh yeah, it¡¯s time for an upgrade!


    [Appraisal], do your thing!


    <Dungeon Cockroach Leg     Rank: F


    Damage: 15      Durability: 150    Resistance: 10


    Specials: None>


    H-hey¡­


    When I asked for an upgrade¡­


    I didn¡¯t mean it like that.


    This sure is¡­ surprising.


    Not in a bad way though.


    It¡¯s just, these stats are way over the top!


    Compared to the stick, of course.


    Was the roach too strong, or was the stick too weak?


    The latter. Hopefully.


    But now I¡¯ve got another question.


    If memory serves right, the roach was rank D, right? So why did the roach leg get a downgrade and fall to rank F?


    I don¡¯t think I got gaslit, so what¡¯s going on?


    How does that work?


    Alright, time to think.


    Well, when I think about it, the roach didn¡¯t actually use its legs when fighting against me. Instead, it was mostly biting me and chomping around.


    So, maybe different parts of the body have different stats?


    Say, the roach¡¯s mouth was a higher rank than its legs. If so, then the ¡®rank D¡¯ I saw before was probably an average of its total body parts.


    I don¡¯t think that would work very well though.


    If every single body part is ranked differently and the [Appraisal] results show an average of them combined, I think it would be too complicated.


    I mean, how do you define a body part? Where does the head end and where does the neck start? And to measure that to utmost precision?


    Nah, I don¡¯t buy it.


    Well, I might as well try something out just to confirm if I¡¯m correct or not.


    <Dungeon Cockroach Mouth     Rank: F


    Damage: 25     Durability: 200     Resistance: 15


    Specials: None>


    Yeah, just like I thought. The mouth also ranked down. Its stats are better than the legs, but¡­


    No way am I gonna carry a decapitated roach head around with me. How would I even fight like that?


    For convenience''s sake, I¡¯ll just stick with the legs. I¡¯ll also [Appraise] the roach as a whole.


    <Dungeon Cockroach Corpse


    Unnamed


    Level: 7     Rank: F     Class: None>


    Just as I thought. The entire thing was downgraded. How the heck did it lose a rank though?


    Unless I have the memory of a goldfish, this guy was ranked D¡ªfor sure.


    Am I incognizant and forgetful?


    I don¡¯t think so¡­ I hope not, at least.


    Which means the roach really did lose a rank¡­!


    How on Earth did that happen?


    Maybe because the roach died, it''s then considered less powerful? Sure, the roach¡¯s body is still intact. Mostly. Meaning that its body is just as strong as it was a few minutes ago when it was still beating me up.


    But the roach can¡¯t attack me now, can it?


    If I were to dump this into another analogy, I think the roach would be some sort of futuristic battle mecha. The robot is dangerous and all, but without energy, what good can it do? Sure, the bot retains all of its missiles, nuclear launch codes and whatever else, but without the fuel to use them, the mecha would just be like any lump of metal.


    If it can¡¯t attack, the only thing that remains the same are its pure defensive abilities, like the density of the armour or something.


    Makes sense?


    So since the roach can¡¯t even do anything, it got ranked down.


    Still, I find it hard to believe that I got a better weapon so fast.


    Its damage is threefold that of the stick! Threefold!


    Times three more!


    I said it ¡®three¡¯ three times because¡­ never mind.


    Forget about me saying the dodgy stick was my lifeline a few minutes ago. If some random monster drops outrank it, then what good was it?


    I can¡¯t believe I was literally worshipping it a few minutes ago.


    Haha¡­ call me ungrateful or unloyal if you want, but I prioritise myself first and foremost! I¡¯ll ditch a crappy weapon any day for a better one¡­


    Well¡­ Watch out, roaches!


    Here I come!

 Chapter 5: A Young Man鈥檚 Soliloquy

    <h2>Chapter 5: A Young Man¡¯s Soliloquy</h2>


    Ray


    I am weak.


    I had thusly known from a very young age. Ever since, the firm belief has been embedded into my head, paved like concrete.


    And because I, myself, am weak, I had to surround myself with others to hide and suppress that weakness.


    I lived under a mask.


    Being the school idol. The ¡®popular¡¯ kid, if you will.


    I was friends with everyone, the teachers loved me, and I aced all my exams. Everyone knew me as the social, optimistic type.


    And that was a persona created to hide my true self. I am terribly, almost laughably incompetent. At everything. And I had tried my best to cover that truth.


    They say sadness and isolation increases the speed of which the brain matures. Perhaps that is why I am who I am now.


    If my friends¡ªcould I call them real friends?¡ªfound out about my true outlook of the world, I was sure to get shamed for being overly serious.


    It¡¯s hard to connect when you see the world through a broken lens.


    Back then, I would cower¡ªslinking into the shadows, too afraid to come to terms with my weakness and scared to face reality.


    Yet not long afterwards, another horror would come by and overwhelm my brooding sense of tentative self-identity.


    Though still etched inside my mind, my weakness now only covers a small portion of my thoughts, residing only in the furthest corners.


    Because I don¡¯t have time to fret about myself. Not after that day. That horrid, horrid day.


    But before that, I should explain what made me who I am today. It all happened many years ago.


    I was young. But I found out about secrets that never should have even been whispered or uttered to life.


    My father was a renowned businessman. My mother, a loving housewife.


    Father was overseas most of the time. He would only come back on holidays, and only for a few days at once. Sometimes, for scarce hours.


    But he made good money. The three of us were a happy family. Every day would bring along banquets of joy. It was nice. Happy. As all things should be.


    Imagine my surprise when I found out that Father was cheating on Mother and had established a second family in America. I had a sister I had never met, a brother alien to me, and¡­ a second ¡®mother¡¯.


    My life shattered at that exact moment. When I clicked on the hard drive and browsed the photos, my naivety cracked. I saw the world through a second angle. Every truth became a distorted fracture of my perceived reality.


    I no longer¡­ I- I¡­ no longer¡­


    ¡­


    No. Even now, such hateful words should not be spoken.


    Later that week on Christmas Eve when Father returned, I didn¡¯t run towards him like I usually did. I didn¡¯t want to feel him cup me up, wrapping his ¡®loving¡¯ arms around me.


    I stayed in my room. The house we lived in was rather big, a large portion of it thanks to Father¡¯s earnings, and a lucky crypto investment. From outside my window, I saw Mother come running up towards Father, hands outstretched. When they kissed, I looked away.


    Not from embarrassment though. Not this time.


    I looked away in disgust. Red was all I saw.


    But I bottled up my feelings and swallowed them down.


    Even if Father was¡­ a traitorous bastard, I wouldn¡¯t allow it to get in the way of Mother¡¯s happiness. I had to lie. And act incognizant.


    Eventually, I reluctantly dawdled out of my room, and sloppily staggered to the yard.


    ¡°Hey Ray, what took you so long? Don¡¯t you miss daddy?¡±


    I was staring down at my feet. Even though Father had done something wrong, Mother didn¡¯t know yet. Back then, we all had the right to be happy. I didn¡¯t want to ruin the perfect family¡ªeven if it was all a fa?ade¡ªFake like plastic. And fragile. Like a painting protected by nothing but a thin layer of glass.


    Oh, so trivially fragile. So I had to step in and act like a second wall of protection. I had to keep our family together. For Mother.


    And so, I forcefully dragged my body up and a crocodilian smile grew across my lips.


    I ran up to him, and gave Father a big, long hug. I squeezed with all my strength. But I wasn¡¯t strong. Father had misinterpreted my hateful hug as one of passion.


    Like intended.


    ¡°Sorry Daddy, I was playing in my room! I miss you so much! Can you stay for a week this time? Pleaase?¡±


    Later that night, the beef wellington was tasteless. It was a favourite of mine¡ªa British dish that I would never be able to eat in Japan if it weren¡¯t for Father¡¯s exquisite cooking.


    The stains of the sauce were in the likeness of a little bird. The cloth covering the spruce table was a few centimetres uneven.


    I tried to focus on little things like that. I had to distract myself. Mother and Father were in deep conversation. Usually, I would try to butt in and somehow weasel into the conversations¡ªin hope of earning the once heartwarming chuckle from Father.


    But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it that time. I lifelessly poked the beef with my chopsticks. I prodded, and the tender beef slightly jiggled.


    ¡°Hey Ray, you sure everything¡¯s good? You can talk to Mummy and I if you want!¡±


    ¡°Helloooo~? Earth to Ray?¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I snapped out of my comatose state. Shooting up, I instantly answered. Perhaps a little too quick, as Mother and Father glanced at each other before starting.


    ¡°Ray, if anything¡¯s wrong, be sure to tell us, okay?¡±


    I broke into the sweetest smile. I was practically beaming with light as I replied. But, where light shines, there will always be a shadow. Underneath the grin, I was flooded with discomfort.


    ¡°No, Mummy, everything¡¯s alright!¡±


    My mother sighed in relief, before returning to her meal.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine, my precious baby!¡±


    ¡°Muuuummy!! I told you not to call me that!¡±


    I was only eight.


    But it was exactly then when that faker was born. I didn¡¯t want to shatter the bonds we had created, so I acted as if nothing had happened.


    But soon enough, reality caught up with me.


    I just couldn''t¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep up the act anymore.


    I was secretly taking anti-depressant pills by the time I entered junior high. Every time I returned to my room and closed the door after wishing a good night, I would instantly slump onto bed, sobbing into my sheets.


    Thus, my personality essentially split in two. I wasn¡¯t bipolar¡ªthe switch could be controlled. I was cheerful and optimistic by day. And an empty shell at night.


    But amidst my suffering, a bonfire of justice had erupted.


    I strongly fought for what I believed in to be good. Because I couldn¡¯t bear thinking that another child would go through the same experience as I.


    The flames of justice burned brightly. And many times, it would lead to me doing whatever it took to make things ¡®right¡¯, even if it meant getting into many fights.


    Throughout junior high, I didn¡¯t have many friends. In my second year I stopped taking meds, but the drawbacks meant that I suffered for months afterwards. After the third month, I couldn¡¯t handle the restless nights and ran back to the pharmacy to buy more anti-depressants.


    But it was too late. I had already changed, and was almost always grumpy.


    Oh, many, many fights I got into.


    Eventually, Mother was called into the principal¡¯s office. They warned her that if I got one more negative incident, it would lead to my expulsion.


    And if that got into my record, even getting into a public school would be difficult, let alone a prestigious private school like the one Mother and Father had planned for me to attend during my senior years.


    She broke down into tears on the spot, and began sobbing, begging for me to end my rebelliousness.


    And the sight broke my heart.


    I wanted to make Mother happy. Instead, I had broken her.


    When my senior years started, I decided to utterly reform my image. The school I went to was slightly further away from my hometown so no one else would know who I was. It was the perfect opportunity for me to change and get a second chance.


    So, I studied hard, made friends, and batted my eye to avoid fights. Everyone loved me¡ªteachers included. Soon afterwards, I stopped taking meds.


    And the drawbacks were minimal.


    I still knew I was weak. But, those thoughts had stopped haunting me. I had come to an acceptance with myself.


    I was invited to many parties, had my fair share of girls, and aced all the mock exams. I would always come at least top thirty in the nationals.


    My network extended further, and everyone at school knew my name. I was friends with everyone¡ªalbeit one aloof girl who stubbornly ignored me whenever I tried to make contact.


    It was a good life. Even if I never opened up to the closest of my friends, afraid they would reject the incoherent mass I really was.


    But I had grown from the hopeless, hapless loser burdened by the pressure of pretentious acting.


    Every day, I lived under a mask. But the mask had changed from abject to just inadequate.


    Now, onto the main story.


    It was just like any other day.


    I woke up. Nervous and groggy. Here came another day where I hid my true identity¡ªa cowering of nothing¡ªand act like someone society would perceive as perfect.


    Every day. Every single day.


    I took a deep, depressive sigh and wiped the drool off my cheek. Rising out of bed like a zombie, I robotically dressed up. Undershirt. Pants. Belt. Shirt. Blazer. The one too many pins signalling my achievements. I went to the mirror, and looked at my gloomy self. Putting a finger on each cheek, I pressed upwards to form a (lousy) smile.


    Quickly brushing my teeth, I marched downstairs to pack my bag. Grabbing the textbooks I would need for the day, I sneakily snatched my phone and wallet, before quickly darting outside the house, careful not to make any noise.


    Going to a school further away meant that the walks were long.


    Therefore, I found it necessary to wake up early in the morning in order to maintain my perfect attendance.


    My mother was a light sleeper. I wouldn¡¯t want to wake her up¡ªhence, the secrecy.


    Stepping outside the door, my gloomy face suddenly lighted up, as I beamed with fake joyousness.


    As I walked through the mundane, lifeless streets where even the break of day hadn¡¯t enveloped fully, I came to a stop at my usual convenience store.


    Walking in, I paid the cashier 1,000 yen. In return, she handed me two onigiris¡ªone smoked salmon, the other teriyaki chicken.


    I thanked her and gave a polite bow before strolling away.


    In the corner of my eye, I noticed a poor, homeless man squatting on the streets, begging for money.


    The sight broke my heart. According to¡­ Father, homelessness was common and widespread in America. But in Japan, a man on the streets was a rare sight indeed. From the bushy beard and the torn clothes, I could presume that he had been like that for a long time, treated like nothing but a piece of garbage. Scanning my surroundings, I noticed many a passerby guiltily eyeing him, before quickly hurrying away.


    Not me.


    I walked up to him, leaning down to pass him the two onigiris I had purchased. Searching my wallet, I yanked out a 5,000 yen note and passed it to him.


    The unfortunate man stared up at me in disbelief.


    ¡°T-thank you so much, young man!¡± he replied, as he tuged on the hems of his clothing. His voice was full of both passion and gratitude, and his widened eyes gaze directly at me.


    Many people glazed past us, and I noticed subtle whispering. But I paid no heed.


    ¡°No problem, sir. Happy to help¡±


    I sat down with him for a while, as I slowly delved into his woeful story. I quickly scribbled down a phone number, before passing it to him.


    ¡°My father¡¯s number. I¡¯ll see if I can get you to work for him,¡± I commented, glad to give the man¡ªRyuuen¡ªa second chance.


    ¡°Anything, young man! Even cleaning!¡± he stammered, before fretfully shaking my hand before I excused myself to go to school.


    Even if Father is an innate bastard, just like me, he also has a second face¡ªan outward appearance. I was sure he would accept Ryuuen.


    Whenever the two of us talk, it feels like a game of charades.


    All fake, each one trying to get atop the other.


    Though, I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t seen through my fa?ade. Only I see the conversations that way. For him, it is a normal chat between father and son.


    On my walk to school, a beautiful girl caught my attention. But her looks were not the main thing that had captivated me.


    You see, this was the one girl who I had failed to befriend.


    It would be hard to describe her in a single word.


    A quick look would make you assume Rena was serious and aloof¡ªshe always had an uninterested expression, and her eyes seemed to phase through anything in her sight. But sometimes she would blurt out childish comments. Most of the time, however, she would keep to herself.


    No one knew her well.


    She always seemed to be lost in thought in class. When I was frantically scribbling down notes to keep up pace with our homeroom teacher, she was looking outside the window and yawning.


    I spent restless nights studying. Hundreds of hours to come first in every exam.


    And while she did nothing but sloth around, she was always in the top ten without even focusing during the lectures.


    Still dazed in thought, I noticed it far too late.


    Rena was crossing the road, her eyes glued on her smartphone. Although the pedestrian light was green, a rogue car burst out past an intersection. The driver didn¡¯t notice Rena, probably because the streets were usually packed with people.


    Perhaps he was negligent enough to not notice a lone girl.


    In fact, the driver sped up, his face contorted with worry.


    Perhaps he was late for a meeting.


    But now, such little facts don¡¯t matter.


    My body moved on its own.


    Though my mind was frozen in shock, my muscles twitched, as if spurred on by something intrinsic. Primal, even. On instinct, I sprinted up to her, and shoved Rena as far away as I could. Rena let out a squeal, as she suddenly tumbled sideways, her headphones bouncing onto the ground. I looked up and saw the car advancing towards me. I heard the rev of the engines. The thick smell of gasoline filled my nostrils. It made my face wrinkle.


    However, amidst all of it, I broke out into a genuine smile.


    .


    .


    .


    I had done good. I saved someone¡­


    .


    .


    .


    Sacrificing my own, pathetic life in the process¡­

 Chapter 6: And thus, a [Hero] was Born

    <h2>Chapter 6: And thus, a [Hero] was Born</h2>


    Ray


    ¡­Two months later, I woke up in a firm bed with no bounce. Confused, I glanced at my surroundings, only to see walls of white.


    I noticed a metallic glint, and saw an IV bag strapped up, the nozzle dripping fluids into my arm. I was hurt badly, but well and alive.


    I burst out of bed, almost ripping the IV syringe from my arm, and quickly asked the first nurse I saw if Rena was fine.


    She averted her eyes and dragged her feet along the chalky floors. She called my doctor over to explain.


    I had a severe concussion and a few broken bones when the paramedics arrived. But in the bigger picture, I was alive and well. Rena, on the other hand, died a gruesome death.


    When I first heard the words slip out of the doctor¡¯s mouth, I shook my head and let out a nervous chuckle.


    This has to be a joke, right? I thought to myself.


    But the doctor looked dead serious.


    And so, his explanation began.


    Shock overwhelmed my body. Then piles of immeasurable guilt.


    Guilt.


    So much guilt.


    So much of it.


    It was suffocating.


    All of it came pouring towards me at once, like a wave that had burst the dam.


    And I collapsed on the spot. My fake smile shattered. I fell down and burst into wretched tears. My face contorted, and I had difficulty swallowing. Covering my anguished form with my hands, I shook, sobbing and trembling.


    Was this justice?!


    The doctor leaned backwards, surprised by the sudden outburst.


    Eventually, he left me to be.


    According to the doctor, the driver was distracted by an incoming call. After I had pushed Rena, the driver suddenly noticed me. He made a ¡®good,¡¯ call in the situation, and quickly channelled the car sideways in an attempt to avoid me, swivelling to the left¡­


    ¡­Where Rena lay on the hard gravel, dazed and confused, with no idea what was happening. The car ran over her, squishing her like a bug. She was treated like roadkill. Her ribs were crushed instantly. Yet¡­ at that point, she was still conscious. She was suffering, like a fish out of water, slowly dying with no hope¡ªonly the knowledge of eventual death.


    Apparently, she lay there, unable to move or even scream in pain. Her spine was shattered and her entire body was paralysed. When the paramedics came, it was already too late. The loss of blood and total amount of injury was far too great for a possible recovery.


    The only ¡®good¡¯ news¡ªthough I¡¯m not sure it can be considered good due to circumstance¡ªwas that after a few minutes of suffering, Rena¡¯s brain entered some state of trauma-rejection and erased the memory from her mind.


    However, the post MRI scans had shown that due to the damaged neurons, other memories were removed as well. Small puzzle pieces, gone.


    But a puzzle can never be completed if even one piece is missing.


    Perhaps in the afterlife, she would have lost sense of herself. Maybe she forgot more than intended and lost her identity?


    At least she would have forgotten about the gore of the incident. At least she would not have to witness such an abhorrent sight.


    However, that did not change the fact that¡­ it¡­ it was I who killed her.


    If I had done nothing, she would be fine. The driver would have noticed her. He would have quickly avoided her.


    Minor charges would have been pressed, but no case of manslaughter. No deaths.


    I was the killer.


    What sort of accursed justice did I uphold?


    The result of my futile attempts was misery to both parties.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Forget about Father. I am worse. Far worse.


    I became a murderer. The worst kind.


    I held the knife, but pointed fingers at the driver.


    I slipped out of the palms of justice, and put the blame elsewhere. On someone else.


    I had to atone.


    So, as a final act of punishment and atonement, I decided to take my own life and forge chains that would permanently bind my soul into the depths of hell.


    I didn¡¯t want people to know it was suicide. I didn¡¯t want it to end flashy. Too many people would be hurt. Traumatised by a public execution.


    I decided to kill myself through overdosage of sleeping pills.


    That way, Mother would be less hurt than if she was informed I jumped out the building.


    I was no stranger to pills. And the pharmacist knew me well. She gave the bag to me without batting an eye.


    In my room, I got ready.


    But willingly swallowing something I knew would end me was difficult. I stood there for a while, motionless. The world seemed so small beneath my feet. I was contemplating whether to do it or not. I considered chickening out at the last second. A cynical laugh escaped my lips.


    But I bit my tongue down, and carried out the order. I let my will win out.


    The wind rushed by me. The apartments(...?) flew past in a kaleidoscope of colour. The ground rushed up to meet me.


    And thus, I fell into an eternal sleep.


    <hr>


    After that, my memory becomes vague and puzzling. I was in a room with expanding walls. Whenever I was about to touch the walls, they would retreat backwards. It felt like I was drifting aloft in lukewarm water.


    ¡­And then¡­ my eyes shoot open.


    ¡°The summoning was a success!¡± chants an unfamiliar voice. I immediately shoot up and scan my surroundings. Bewilderment, then confusion. Yet amidst my perplexion, I notice a miniscule detail: for some reason, the man¡¯s words don¡¯t sync with the movement of his mouth.


    <Ray Tanaka has met the quota.


    Ray Tanaka has been gifted the [Hero: Humility] title!>


    ¡°Hero!¡± I hear the man applaud. My eyes finally zone in properly, and I get a good look at the man. His overall attire: a combination of ebullient green cloth with neon outlines through the centre flaps, as well as a grey, hooded robe with runic engravings etched inside.


    His getup reminds me of the Mage class in the four dimensional VR game Skyl Online.


    What happened¡­?


    Why¡ªwhen I wish to end my life, do I wake up in some strange, foreign place?


    I move my head around, analysing and critiquing my surroundings.


    The walls surrounding me are covered with runic scribbles reminiscent of the writing on the mage¡¯s clothes. For some unknown reason, my vision blurs for a moment.


    The same blurring effect I feel when getting up after laying down.


    Seconds later, my vision returns to normal. Only then do I realise that the once runic text is translated into Japanese.


    Summoning Chamber


    ¡­Occultists?


    After the translation, more questions flood into my mind than ones answered.


    Summoning Chamber?


    But in what unlikely situation would I have to be in to commit suicide, only to wake up in a¡­ summoning chamber?


    I wasn¡¯t resurrected like a zombie and bought here, was I?


    Confused and utterly bemused, I manage to ask my yearning question in nothing but short stutters.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    The words slip out of my mouth, unrestrained. Like a leaky tap.


    The mage collectively answers my question.


    ¡°[Hero], I, the court mage Kequak, have been summoned from your world to ours in order to fend off an upcoming Human-Demon war.¡±


    Still confused, I pressure him for more information till I become content with the responses.


    This world¡ªTravia¡ªhas a certain situation going on.


    Allegedly, there has been profuse tension between demonkind and humankind since the beginning of recorded history. Demonkind is governed by the [Demon Lords], who rule over the territory as a single mass. Humans on the other hand, are divided into five major kingdoms. The kingdom I was summoned to being Alzania, the one adjacent to the borders between the two races.


    And King Braiher¡ªthe one who rules over this kingdom¡ªfears that the situation will get out of hand soon. Although no major conflict has occurred yet, both parties have been discreetly preparing for war. I am told that the demons already have tens of thousands of troops ready for battle at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Yet, there may be even more that King Braiher¡¯s spies have not sniffed out yet.


    Because the demons run as a single body while the humans are split into fifths, Alzania alone cannot stand up to the entire demon populace.


    Although we are getting reinforcements from the four other major kingdoms, King Braiher, along with the other Kings unanimously voted that individuals with immense power were needed to successfully win the upcoming war.


    After all, the seven [Demon Lords] each have power to or equal to that of the court mages. There are only five court mages¡ªthe strongest from each kingdom.


    From a pure statistical vantage point, that would leave two more [Demon Lords] left.


    That is where the [Heroes] come in¡ªone in each kingdom.


    Powerful individuals with the power to surpass court mages.


    And so, I was summoned here.


    To save as many lives as possible.


    I am weak. I am a monster. A murderer and a coward.


    All of the above I will admit to without even a hint of reluctancy.


    Yet, people can change. People atone.


    And gods forgive.


    I will live this new life of mine in order to atone. I will show obsolete power, and wipe demons off the face of this planet.


    And finally, the human race will be able to live in peace without fear. True happiness. Awarded.

 Chapter 7: Understanding Rankings!

    <h2>Chapter 7: Understanding Rankings!</h2>


    Rena


    Alright. So, I¡¯ve been wandering around the dungeon for quite a while now. Every now and then, some roaches seem to pop out and harass me.


    Sure, it was annoying dealing with them, but compared to the first roach, those bugs were heaps easier to deal with!


    Yeah. They were all rank F and only level 1 or 2, but I¡¯m sure my new weapon also played a major role in my massive power boost!


    Literally, this roach leg (the one that looks like a spiked bat) does threefold the damage of the stick!


    Ah. The stick?


    Bah, forget about that thing! I totally threw it away after I was done with it!


    ¡­Totally didn¡¯t splinter it into pieces when I was mocking and defiling the body of that first stupid, abysmal roach. Okay, fine. I was pretty salty, so I kept on bashing it with the stick until it became barely recognisable. And after a few hits, boom!


    The stick just snapped in two. Maybe durability is more important than I thought¡­? I mean, I¡¯m kinda scared the roach leg will also splinter mid-fight now.


    Bah, forget about it!


    Live young, die fast!


    ¡­Or something along those lines. Not die fast, though. I want to live for as long as I can.


    Hmm¡­ Live in the present, not the future.


    Yeah, that works better.


    Well, that aside, I found out something cool. I never noticed when I first got here since I was totally panicking and not thinking straight, but you know when I first popped in here, right?


    I wasn¡¯t wearing my usual musty pyjamas that only get washed per month.


    NO, I WASN¡¯T NAKED!!! WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT?!


    I spawned in with the default clothes or whatever. And guess what?


    The basic clothes actually have better stats than the shitty, downgraded loot I got from the [Hero] pack.


    I mean, just look at the two different sets of shirts as a comparison!


    <Shirt  Rank: F


    Armour: 10  Durability: 200  Resistance: 5


    Specials: None


    Rags  Rank: F


    Armour: 1  Durability: 150  Resistance: 5


    Specials: None>


    Can you believe it?


    Even the greatest painting is nothing but a splotch in the distance. The numbers might not seem like much. But relatively? Those miniscule number changes mean the world to me!


    I mean, the change in the armour stat is tenfold! Times ten more defence!


    Yeah, can you believe it?


    Can you?


    I feel a lot more relieved now.


    I mean, I was literally walking around with a bunch of rags before! Like, I had to strategically tie them in order to hide certain parts.


    A single misslip, and this would get an R-rating on the spot!


    Talking about that, changing is also pretty easy. For example, if I just press and hold on the icon for my pants, then¡­


    ¡­One moment¡­


    ¡­


    .


    Aaaand, Viola!


    My pants changed, just like that!


    It works the same way for weapons and other items, so I can just store the roach leg in my inventory and pop it out whenever I need it.


    Pretty handy, since holding onto the prickly thing got really annoying. Imagine carrying around the stem of an uncut rose barehand! And then amplify the size of that rose to the size of a cricket bat. Yeah, I had to go around gripping that before I figured out I could store the roach leg inside my inventory.


    Also, I accidentally found out that my inventory can only store a maximum of five items. I was stocking up on roach legs in order to see if there was some sort of ¡®craft¡¯ or ¡®fuse¡¯ option that would let me fuse the legs together and get a better weapon. The idea was pretty short lived though.


    Why?


    Because I got some system notification saying that my inventory was full or something. I tried jamming the sixth leg in, but I totally got denied access. Sigh, I guess I have to use my inventory space sparingly.


    Right now, I have three items in my inventory. All of which I have no use for. [Rags], [Cloth] and [Sandals]?


    Nah, get out!


    ¡°Empty inventory!¡±


    <Inventory has been emptied. You have thrown out [Rags], [Cloth] and [Sandals]. You can now store a maximum of five items in your inventory.>


    And so, the useless pieces of unwanted scrap just lifelessly flop onto the ground.


    Who needs trash, revealing armour when you can get slightly better, covered armour?


    And I even got a roach leg¡ªtons better than some random stick I could pick off the floor!


    ¡­I really gotta stop calling my primary weapon ¡®roach leg¡¯. Sure, it¡¯s an accurate description, but it doesn¡¯t sound very cool. It also can get pretty misleading and confusing. In fact, it sounds downright wrong! And weird to the boot.


    I¡¯ll just call it a¡­ errr¡­


    Axe¡­?


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    No.


    ¡­S-spear?


    ¡­


    Sword.


    I¡¯ll stick with ¡®sword¡¯, I guess.


    Still misleading? Yes.


    Do I care? No.


    I wander around for a bit longer, until a challenger suddenly approaches.


    <Species: Dungeon Cockroach


    Unnamed


    Level: 4     Rank: F     Class: None>


    Uh-huh.


    I see, higher level than the other contestants. That¡¯s cool.


    I¡¯m still confident that I can beat the living daylights out of it though. The gap between rank F and D must be pretty huge. Oh yeah. Apparently, the system just skips rank E, so it goes straight from rank F to rank D. Seriously, for only being a single rank up, the first roach was such a menace compared to the others!


    The roach rears up and begins snarling. Sidestepping, I dodge its mindless charge before striking it down with my sword. Using the accumulated momentum from the leap as a foothold, I jam the sword up the roach¡¯s backside.


    The roach spurts out some blue blood before its body goes limp.


    I clear my throat.


    Ladies and gentlemen, did you see that epic display of magnificent swordsmanship?


    It seems like I, the undefeated champion, gets to keep her title as minimum wage bug exterminator of the month!


    The crowd goes wild!


    Cheers erupt everywhere!


    Oh no! Someone fainted!


    Haha¡­ This is pretty stupid, isn¡¯t it?


    But, come on. You can¡¯t blame me for getting cocky after accumulating a winstreak somewhere in the tens?


    Oh wait. I spoke early.


    I think I only knocked the roach unconscious, because it got back up again. Except, its legs can¡¯t support its weight, and the bug collapses onto the floor again, writhing in pain.


    Time to end its misery¡­?


    Crunch.


    <Experience has reached sufficient level. Rena Shinohara has increased from level 2 to level 3.


    All basic attributes increased.


    Level up proficiency acquired.


    Proficiency has reached required level.


    Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Stab Lv1]


    Skill points acquired.


    Combat Points acquired.


    50% of max health recovered.>


    Whew, about time!


    I was killing quite a lot of these F-ranked roaches, so I felt like another level-up was bound to happen sooner or later. Who can¡¯t appreciate a nice reward?


    Besides, I even got a new skill!


    Let¡¯s see what it does¡­


    <[Stab] (passive): A skill that increases damage from attacks with a piercing attribute. Bonus damage increases as skill levels up>


    Hmmm¡­.


    ¡­Fancy words aside, the effect is pretty straightforward. It just lets me, well, stab better. Useful, since literally all of my attacks are stabby.


    This is actually pretty useful. My entire offense got boosted from just that one skill!


    I also gave [Pain Resistance] a little check-up not too long ago. Similarly, the skill does what it says it does.


    It allows you to resist pain.


    Amazing, right?!


    ¡­


    Since I¡¯m already doing analytical stuff, I might as well sort things out now. Alright, let¡¯s see¡­


    As far as I¡¯m aware, I¡¯ve currently got three skills¡ª[Pain Resistance], [Stab] and [Appraisal].


    The first at level 2. The second, level 1. And I don¡¯t actually know what level [Appraisal] is yet, since the system hasn¡¯t said anything about a level when talking about [Appraisal].


    My level as an individual is three.


    And, alas, I am but classless.


    Hey, was that classy?


    Get it?


    Classless and classy¡­?


    ¡­Sorry for the bad joke.


    Alright, I think I got a bit off track. Time to steer back in motion. So in this presumably fantasy world, rank seems to be much more important in determining an individual''s strength than level.


    This seems to apply to monsters, people, and even items. Take my sword for example.


    My current sword is ranked F. And the stick was, similarly, ranked F. Yet the difference in stats is almost threefold. Yet, the two are still categorised under the same rank.


    From this, you can assume there¡¯s a large range in each rank, right?


    Furthermore, say that the strongest F ranker has the exact same specs as the weakest D ranker.


    At that point, you could essentially say that the two are intertwined, no?


    After reaching that point, rank F and rank D would theoretically be the same.


    I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s when the secondary factor¡ªlevels¡ªcome into play. This is all hypothetical, but if what I said above is true, then levels would be similar to stairs, allowing one to move up from one rank to the other.


    If a rank F¡¯s level reaches a certain number, they would ¡®upgrade¡¯ to rank D, and their level would get reset. That way, there would be a clear and distinguishable line between ranks in order to separate them and avoid an overlap.


    However, I don''t know what that deciding level is.


    Meaning I cou¡ªhuff¡­.. huff¡­. wheeze¡ªAh, sorry. Not used to talking smart.


    As I was saying, that means I could get cocky and face a rank F roach close to rank D thinking of it as an easy fight. And get absolutely beat up, like that robber who tried to fight a team of rugby players with fists only. Seriously, the robbers face was beat into the ¡®:|¡¯ emoji!


    Yeeaaahhhh¡­. I can¡¯t see things ending pretty like that.


    The higher level a roach, the closer they are to ¡®upgrading¡¯. Since I don¡¯t know what exact level a monster needs to be in order to evolve, I guess I¡¯ll stay away from rank F roaches if they exceed level 10?


    I mean, levels are still quite an unpredictable variant. I ain¡¯t gonna gamble on anything when my life is at stake. Of course, this is just pure speculation. For all I know, the ranking system could be totally different to what I envisioned it to be.


    Pure statistics aside, classes also seem important. I don¡¯t have any numbers I can use for pinpoint analysis, but in video games, each ¡®class¡¯ gives different perks, skills and such.


    If I want to get stronger, picking a class would probably be a necessity.


    What class would suit me¡­?


    With the current path I¡¯m taking, I¡¯ll probably wind up stuck with a sword wielding class. You know? Those big meatheads that rush in while yelling childish lines like ¡°RRAAAAHHHH, Take this! Holy Sword Strike of Holiness used to Exterminate Evil and other Bad Things like Blue Cheese!¡±


    I personally don¡¯t really wanna wind up like that. In fact, with my slim physique, I don¡¯t think becoming a meathead sword wielder would even be possible!


    I¡¯d much rather stick with daggers, and be an assassin class, ninja class, or some other class that uses daggers.


    I guess [Stab] can also be applied to daggers?


    So I can still go down the dagger path right now, since no skills that bind me to swordsmanship have bloomed yet.


    But if I keep on using this¡­ sword, then I¡¯ll eventually end up with so many sword-based skills that I¡¯ll have to go down The Way of the Katana.


    Aw man¡­


    I wish I could go back and scavenge some parts from the D rank roach corpse to create a set of daggers. Except, the premium corpse is, well¡­ unsalvageable after the atrocities and war crimes I did to it¡­


    That aside, goal time!


    Goals are perfect for motivation!


    I¡¯d say my super short term goal is to find some decent daggers, or at least something that can take me down The Way of the Kunai. Kunai¡¯s aren¡¯t even daggers, but forget about that.


    My short term goal is to escape this dungeon, and rack up some respectable power along the way.


    My mid term goal is to find a good class,


    And my long term goal is to¡­


    ¡­Dunno. What happens in isekai? Rise to godhood?


    Not too sure about long term, but my other goals are now set in place!


    Super short term goal is definitely completable. I just need to find a roach with the same or higher specs than the D ranked roach. If I get lucky, I might even get an actual mob drop or something.


    Though at this point, I¡¯m convinced mobs don¡¯t drop loot. You¡¯d think I would have gotten at least a rank F drop by this point, but¡­ nope. Nothing so far.


    This isn¡¯t a game after all. I guess I need to think within the frame of reason. When I kill a monster, I get a corpse. The monster doesn¡¯t just evaporate into nothingness after they die.


    Evaporating monsters usually mean monster drops. You know, the fantasy clich¨¦s?


    So since monsters don¡¯t evaporate, looting them is crossed out.


    Though looting monsters is technically possible, it¡¯s just more tedious since you have to salvage raw materials and give them to a blacksmith to forge into a sword or whatever instead of getting items after a kill.


    So, a more realistic system.


    Sure, no problem. I¡¯m fine with that.


    Not sure how long my short term goal will take though, since I have no idea how dungeons operate.


    Do I just have to kill the boss to clear the dungeon?


    Or maybe a set number of roaches¡­?


    Or is it like those games where I have to survive a number of nights?


    Who knows. I just hope I don¡¯t regret playing aggressive and jumping into every fight after a quick [Appraisal].


    [Appraisal] is handy though. I can guess the guise of strength pretty well, so I know when to run away. If the roach exceeds level ten, RUN!


    Uh-huh.


    Easy.


    Aw man, did I just foreshadow something bad?