1-1. Summon




 There are many unreasonable things in the world.

 We may be accused of a crime we didn't commit, or have the credit taken away from us.

 If you live, you will experience unreasonable things over and over again.
 In a sense, that is natural.

 But is there anyone else who has been so unreasonable to me?
 Why did I have to go through this? What has he done?

 No matter how many questions you ask in your head, there is naturally no one to answer.

 However, I, who was in a desperate situation at the bottom of this dimly lit, otherworldly valley, couldn't help but ask.

 .........Time goes back to a few days ago.


 ○


 It was late September, a weekday, and the time was evening.

 I was on my way home from work, physically and mentally exhausted.
 I am what we call a bottom-feeder, working in a factory for low wages.

 The only reason why I became a bottom-feeder is because I had too much fun in high school.
 I played too much, and I don't mean with my friends and girlfriends.

 It was the internet games. I was so addicted to the internet that my schoolwork was neglected.
 My grades kept getting worse and worse, I couldn't get into the university I wanted to go to, I failed to find a job, and I ended up being a bottom-feeder.

 I have no friends, I'm a virgin, and by the way, my face is not particularly good. I was the very man who drew the picture of the bottom of the barrel.

 In the end, the reason I was like this was because I didn't take life seriously.
 I was living my life in a way that I could handle it. It wasn't going to happen, though.

 If I could meet the 16-year-old me, I'd tell him.
 "Don't suck up to the world. That it's hard to live.
 I'd tell him to quit playing games and study hard.

 It's impossible to do, though.

 I wonder if I can't reincarnate in another world, or if I can't transfer to another world or something... I was living my life while having a meaningless fantasy about it.

 While I was thinking about this, I arrived at a park near my neighborhood.
 I would be home soon.

 There are a few miscreants in this park area.
 I'd better not run into them.

 As I walked around with that in mind, I quickly ran into them.

 There are four of them, each of them a delinquent, and they are wearing uniforms from a nearby bottom-rung high school hanging out in front of me.
 There are four of them, and each one of them has an appearance that makes a statement about being a delinquent.

 I try to hide my presence so as not to be entangled, and then leave.

 But something is wrong with me.

"Hey, come on, it's okay, it's just a little bit...
It's a pain in the ass. Can I take you with me now?

 They were having a disturbing conversation.
 When I looked at them carefully, it looked like they were tangling with someone.

 The one girl who is being entangled with the delinquents is a girl.
 She's quite a pretty looking girl. She doesn't seem to be the type of person who can deal with the delinquents very well, and she has shrunk back in fright.

 If left unattended, they are likely to be violent.

 You want me to call the police? No. Are we going to make it? Are there people around? No one but me. I'm not popular to begin with.

 Bottom line, the only way to get them out of here is for me to do something about it.

 Normally, I'd be running for my life.
 I'm not a strong fighter, and there are four of them.
 It's because it's impossible for me to help them.

 But for some reason, that's the only time.
 Maybe it was because I'd been thinking about my life earlier, I don't know.

Hey, hey, come on, you guys.

 I made the choice to go save the girl from the delinquents.

 As soon as I said it, I regretted that I should have made a setting and voiced my sister or something like that.
 Since I said it out loud, it's hard to change the course now. I decided to push through with it.

'Huh?'

 The blonde punk gives me a glare.
 He looks dumb, but he's tall.

'What are you old man?'

 The shaved-headed punk said.

 I'm 25, so I'm not an old man yet. I wanted to say it, but I couldn't say it.

'Well, that boy looks like he's in trouble, so you should let him go... no, let him go!

 I tremble a little, but I make my intentions known.

 The bad guys look at me and

'Hahaha! This old man thinks he's a righteous hero!
'You look like a nerd! Hahahaha!
I'm shaking, old man!

 He laughed loudly.

'Well, but you're in my way, so get the hell out of here. We're not in trouble yet, you know.

 The long-haired punk threatened me with a scary look on his face.

 I want to go home too.
 It would be too disgraceful to leave here after I just called out to him once.

 I took a deep breath.

 I stopped shaking.

"Boys, you'll be sorry.
Huh?
I can assure you. You're going to be at the bottom of the barrel like I am, and you're going to regret it big time. If you don't want to regret it, you don't do this kind of thing.

 I threw a few things at the delinquents that I had wanted to say to my past self.

'....What?

 The blonde delinquent gives him an angry look, as if he's mad.

'Who's going to be the bottom of the barrel? Huh? What is your kind of garbage talking about? I'm really pissed off, though!
Guffaw!

 He punched me in the stomach as hard as he could.
 I stopped breathing for a moment.

 An intense pain shot through my abdomen and I fell forward.

'Ora!' Die! The garbage! f*ck this shit!

 Kick after kick comes flying in one after the other as I fall.
 I instinctively curl up and try to protect my insides.

 I can't resist, and I'm being kicked all over my body.
 The pain is so intense that it hits me one after another.

 It hurts! Ouch! Ouch!

 You weren't supposed to do what you couldn't...

 My whole body hurts. There isn't a place in your body that hasn't been kicked.
 You cut your mouth and the taste of blood floods your mouth.

 The kicking lasts for a long time, and I gradually feel less and less pain.

 Could it be that I'm going to die like this?

 I glanced up.

 For some reason, the girl was still there. The delinquents are so busy kicking me that they could have run away if they wanted to.
 The girl is looking at me with a very worried look.

 I don't know if she's too sorry to go home, or if she's too hobbled to move, but she just stands there looking at me, and I don't know why.
 I'd like her to get away as soon as possible, though.
 That way my sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.

 I was being kicked for a few seconds.
 But suddenly, the kicking stops.

 Just when I thought I'd had enough of kicking, my vision suddenly turns completely dark.

 What, what?

 Maybe you've been kicked so much that you've lost your mind?

 Immediately after that, my vision, which had been pitch black, changes.

 The scenery around me switches from the mountains, to the snow, to the desert, to the forest, to the city, and on and on and on.

''.........!

 I'm so surprised by this that I can't even speak.

 The scenery keeps changing, and eventually the change stops at one view.

 The floor is made of marble and there's one woman in a robe in front of me.
 In addition, there were many people in the vicinity, some equipped with armor and others dressed in luxurious-looking clothes, who were looking at us.
 All of them were white.

 At the back, there is a throne. There was no one sitting on it.

 I was too confused to think about anything else, because the scenery was so incomprehensible.

 Looking around, the delinquents from earlier and the girl who was entangled with the delinquents also seem to be here.
 All of them have a puzzled look on their faces.

 Towards us who are in such confusion.

Welcome to the world, my brave friends. You have been summoned to this world by the Great Secret Art of Summoning Heroes.

 A woman wearing a robe told her with a calm look on her face.