.

.

.

He-Honjou Masayuki-is a "Chosen Hero".

Although Masayuki had never once proclaimed himself a Hero, for some odd reason, people he encountered just started referring to him as such. It hasn't even been a year since he first appeared in this world, just out of the blue, yet the name

Masayuki was now renowned throughout the Western Nations. He's become a celebrity known to all.

How did this happen?

He felt puzzled from the bottom of his heart.

How did things end up like this?

In order to explain, we must go back one year in time.

...

...

...

Masayuki was on his way home from school with several friends, when suddenly, he laid eyes on an unbelievable sight, a nordic maiden with lustrous blue hair and skin fairer than that of any model or celebrity. Even from afar, the vibrant hues of her hair still managed to catch his eye. Masayuki had never once laid his eyes on such a beauty, one who could make everyone she passed by do a double take.

"Hey, check out that babe-"

Masayuki called out to his friends with the frankness of any male high schooler.

But-there was no response. Hmm, Masayuki thought to himself as he turned around-only to find himself in front of the scenery of an unfamiliar street.

"-W-wha?"

His mind couldn't help but go blank as he froze at the spot.

S-sensei-! I don't know what's going on!

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care too much about the civic tutor that was his sensei, but in this situation, it was all his heart could ask for. But his prayers proved to be futile... Masayuki was at an impasse.

Masayuki sat by the water fountain at the town square, at a complete loss for what to do. As time trickled by, Masayuki finally began to regain some of his

composure. After all, worrying about it wouldn't fix the problem. He resolved to give his current situation some thought, retracing his steps to figure out where it all went wrong.

Now that he thought about it, that woman was quite suspicious too. For all her dazzle, strangely enough no one else noticed her. Although he had no rational

basis for that conclusion, he had a gut feeling that that was the case. But now she was gone. No matter where Masayuki looked, he couldn't spot her again. She was nowhere to be found.

In times like these, isn't the beautiful girl who started the whole thing supposed to tag along?

Speaking of which, ehh? Is this really not some kind of a prank? Have I really just been transported to something like an isekai?

In a normal Isekai plot he'd at least have someone who had some inkling of what was going on come with him as well. But Masayuki didn't seem to be quite that fortunate.

The sun was about to set, and minus the school lunch that he had earlier, Masayuki was running on an empty stomach. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was starving.

Wait a minute-Masayuki thought to himself seriously. At least this is a town.

He was lucky enough to have not spawned in some forest or in front of a monster.

But given how things had developed, it was still too much for him to take in.

Normally under this type of circumstance, shouldn't there be a king or someone like that waiting for me in order to explain the whole ordeal, or at least help me start off?

But alas, those were simply web novel fantasies found in the stories that he and his friends used to passionately discuss, he complained to himself. Reality was cruel, and sitting there sighing wasn't going to offer him any solutions, so Masayuki

was once again forced to reevaluate his situation.

His name was Honjou Masayuki. Age 16. First year student at a renowned high

school.

Although unrelated to the current topic, Masayuki had plans to make changes to his appearance after high school. In addition to tailoring his uniform, he had also dyed his hair.

He was quite the handsome lad, likely due to his Russian heritage. His mother was also a beauty, to which he guessed was the source of his good looks.

While it was nothing significant, dying his hair blonde had made him stand out.

As a result, he was quite popular in school. While in truth he wasn't remarkable in any way, people nonetheless treated him differently.

In addition, Masayuki had some secret hobbies-watching anime and reading manga. He never really showed it at school, but in reality, he was actually a closet

otaku. And so he wasn't really fazed in spite of the bizarre predicament he had found himself in... As Masayuki pondered, he checked the pockets of his uniform and rummaged through the contents in his backpack.

There was a wallet in his pocket. In it were one Yukichi-sama (A ten-thousand yen note), three Noguchi-san (Three one thousand yen notes), and some change. As for his textbooks-he stowed them all away in the desk and locker at school.

Given this to be the case, all he had in his backpack right now were the magazine he had just bought, a smart phone, and gum. In other words, his act of clearing items from his backpack for the convenience of transportation had inadvertently caused him more trouble. Sigh. Had I known things would've turned out this way, I woulda prepared a bit more... Masayuki lamented.

He had an apocalypse-kit for emergency situations. If he had brought it with him, he could have lasted for at least three days.

At the very least, I shoulda brought a swiss army knife. Perhaps that thought could have reassured him a little. Although he had no clue what to do with a single knife anyway.

All in all, he had nothing useful at hand.

If anything, perhaps the gum counted as something. He picked up the gum and put it in his mouth. At the very least it could help ease the gnawing hunger in his stomach.

And now, the only useful item he had was gone. A truly sad predicament.

Although Masayuki was able to get by for a couple hours, one thing became very apparent: he couldn't understand what anyone was saying, meaning that the language of this world was nothing like that of his original world. Even begging for food would be a difficult task in and of itself.

This is just way too much... I can't continue like this. Worst-case scenario, I can use my phone and backpack as bargaining chips for food-

Steeling himself, Masayuki stood up from the fountain.

Although he did not quite understand the laws and customs of this world, he came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to find a public

institution to seek asylum.

Before that however, he had to figure out a way to sustain a living-in other words, to somehow obtain food.

Not being able to communicate with people sucks.

And at this rate, he was definitely going to starve to death.

He might still be able to get water, but getting food, on the other hand, would prove no easy feat. Although he didn't wish to resort to such desperate measures, he had to see if there were any leftovers for him to salvage.

The best places to search, Masayuki deduced, would be areas with high food traffic, such as grocery stores and restaurants.

He had cast away any semblance of dignity that he once had over the course of just a mere couple of hours. That's the type of flexibility Masayuki has as a man.

After walking for a few minutes, Masayuki successfully made his way to the town's banquet hall. He had no other reason to come here other than the enticement of food.

Now I just gotta negotiate with them. Ask them if they'd let me work here... Ah crap... That's not gonna happen. I don't even know their language... The language barrier was insurmountable.

As someone who has read plenty of Isekai fiction, for god knows what reason, the protagonists always seemed capable of communicating with the Otherworlders.

Looking back on it now, he realized just how lucky having that ability would be.

I don't expect to become some OP powerhouse, but ahhh, at least spare me on the language-

But regardless of how much he complained internally, no one would answer him.

Mustering his resolve, Masayuki made to push open the door.

Before he could do that, however, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Masayuki's ears were assaulted by the din of numerous chattering voices from the inside of the store.

"!"

Startled, he took a step back. He felt a soft sensation in his chest. The person coming out was a cute, petite lady, but her expression was a bit timid.

Eh? Don't tell me I've got caught up in some trouble...?

No way, Masayuki thought. But his prediction unfortunately came true.

"○×△...!"

The woman in front of him blurted out a bunch of words that sounded like complete gibberish to him. However, despite his complete ignorance, Masayuki flashed a warm, caring smile and nodded in response. Upon seeing Masayuki's

expression, the woman quickly regained her composure. Her cheeks were flushed bright red as she drunkenly stared at Masayuki.

It would've been wonderful if things had just ended there, but of course, once again Masayuki got handed the short end of the stick.

A fierce-looking man barreled his way out. His target: the woman asking for Masayuki's help.

Agh, if I slip up, I might just be a goner...

Masayuki had a very good reason to believe so.

Although Masayuki himself stood over 170cm tall, the huge man in front towered over him by at least one whole head. The man's face was dyed a crimson red as if he were drunk. He was also armed, a longsword strapped about his waist.

Masayuki had no hope of winning in a fair fight in the first place, to say nothing of his chances with a weapons disadvantage. Even if he somehow managed to avoid screwing up, there was still a high probability that his opponent would end

up killing him regardless.

Masayuki wanted to run away, but the woman clung onto his chest tightly.

Shit, looks like I'm done for now...

His smile was frozen on his face, and he couldn't quite keep his feet from shaking. Masayuki wanted to praise himself for not pissing his pants on the spot.

However, it was at this point that an inconceivable voice rang in his ears.

<>

Ummm, I guess?-Masayuki answered with a fair bit of skepticism. This became the turning point of his fate.

<>

Some strange words began to echo in Masayuki's mind.

-What? What happened...

While his head was swimming with doubts, given his current situation, he had no time to worry about any of that.

"Oi oi, what'cha doin' buddy??? Yer' ain't tryin' to get in my way, are ya?"

He could suddenly understand what the large man was saying thanks to the effects of the Unique Skill 'Chosen One' that had just awakened within him.

However, that was no cause for celebration.

What was more important was figuring out a way to get out of the pickle he

found himself in. One wrong move and it might be game over.

No, Little ol' me doesn't plan on that AT ALL-Masayuki had planned to drop on his knees and apologize. But before he could do that, the woman holding on to

Masayuki made her plea.

"That's right! This person here promised he'd save me!"

"-Ho ho?"

Veins popped on the large man's temple. He bulged out his muscles, exuding an aura of pure strength.

Oh, he doesn't even need to use his sword. I'll be done for if he just smacks

me down...

Despite being overwhelmed with sheer terror, Masayuki was able to think calmly. But still, he could not think of a way out of his current predicament.

"Interesting!" the man yelled, "Let's see you try taking me down and protecting

that girl."

The commotion attracted a crowd as passersby, along with the people from the surrounding shops, came to check out the ruckus.

"Oi oi, that kid's picking a fight with Jinrai, the 'Crazed Wolf!'"

"Shouldn't we stop them? He's gonna get himself killed."

"That bastard Jinrai... After failing the B-rank exam, his temper's been flaring up. Even Katya refused to serve him, knowing that."

"Damn...so that's how it is. He's gone into a rage after she cold shouldered him. Ah man... Nothing anyone does is gonna stop him now..."

"Ah, there's no time for chit chat now. If an adventurer ends up killing civilians in town, it's gonna be a huge problem. Quick, someone contact the guild!"

"Someone's done that already. Moreover, rather than just talking, why don't you go stop him?"

"What nonsense are you on about? Jinrai might only be ranked C+ on paper, but his strength surpasses even B Rank! The only reason why he didn't make it was due to inappropriate conduct during the test, but his strength is the real deal. That's not someone I can take on-!"

The people bantering were likely colleagues of Jinrai.

Overhearing their conversation, Masayuki's heart filled with a mixture of both hope and despair.

They seemed to have sent someone to inform some guild. Cavalry was on the way as long as he could stall for some time. However, without knowing when the rescue would arrive, and with the surrounding people not willing to help, Masayuki was left to fend for himself. That was the equivalent of a death sentence.

"Katya... How could she drag that innocent boy into this whole mess..." some bystander whispered.

(1) Name means "thunderclap" or "thunderbolt".

That's right! Why me? Masayuki thought to himself, though he did recall nodding and smiling to the girl despite not understanding anything she was saying or what he was getting himself into. Considering the outcome, he had only himself to blame.

"You made up your mind yet?"

Definitely not.

Masayuki was far from making up his mind, but the burly man was running out

of patience.

At the very least, he was going to go out in style.

He didn't mean to become an edgy delinquent when he changed his hairstyle during high school. He merely dyed his hair for the sake of it and had absolutely zero combat experience. Although he had learnt some basic kendo, it was of no help to an unarmed Masayuki at the moment.

With that being said, talk-no-jutsu was his best bet as of now.

"The weakest dog barks the loudest. Have YOU made up your mind? How dare you come bothering me!?"

Masayuki had already resigned himself to getting sent to the other side with just one punch from the guy. He threw out bluffs left and right in a desperate

attempt to save his hide. Best case scenario, he got to stall for some time. Even if he couldn't, he might still get lucky and escape with only getting beaten to a pulp.

If he wasn't quite so fortunate, he'd be dead meat.

He was frozen with fear just a moment ago. Now, however, his feet had stopped shaking...

"...We got a badass here. Sure, then I won't hold back."

Jinrai glared at Masayuki with a devious smile. Masayuki immediately regretted his decision upon seeing the bloodthirsty look on Jinrai's face.

I can try to slip away now-oh yeah, there's a girl called Katya behind me...

"Can I ask you to leave for a moment?"

"Alright!" Katya responded with enthusiasm. "That guy has been ogling at me like a pervert for quite some time. Please teach him a lesson, big bro!"

Masayuki only told Katya to stand aside so he could plan an escape. Katya probably thought that she would get in the way of Masayuki's fight. She left him

to his own devices just as she was told, slipping back into the crowd.

...Ugh. No matter what I do, I'm already surrounded by people. Now I'm definitely done for-that was an absolutely wrong call, thought Masayuki. The only

reason Jinrai didn't attack before, was because Katya was around. Masayuki thought she'd interfere with his escape plans and told her to go, but doing so only

seemed to have hastened his death.

"Hehe!"

Jinrai's smile deepened.

With how things had developed, Masayuki had to utilize his last resort. He'd need to use the chewing gum in his mouth as a distraction and then find a way to turn tail and run.

<

unleashed.>>

No no no, I was just thinking about running away!-But Masayuki's wish was ignored.

Speaking of which, what's up with that voice I've been hearing for a while now?

Masayuki was a bit perplexed despite hearing the phrase "fully unleashed."

Unique Skill sounded pretty strong, but there was no way a skill that could be so easily obtained would be any big deal, Masayuki concluded.

Seriously though, I don't have any time to be worrying about all that.

Masayuki was not trying to fight Jinrai at all. As a matter of fact, his escape plan was quite despicable. He intended to spit out his gum to startle his opponent, which quite frankly didn't sound anything close to being heroic at all.

Yet all those concerns were of the past. There had been a new development.

"-Woah, su-such an oppressive aura...who are you really...?!"

Jinrai, who was brimming with confidence just moments ago, was now covered in cold sweat.

Masayuki unconsciously chewed on his gum. He thought chewing gum would calm himself down, but all it did was further intimidate Jinrai.

"Ugh, what type of weird sorcery is this!? It doesn't matter who you are-! Just watch as I slaughter you-!"

After his declaration, Jinrai immediately set himself upon Masayuki.

As for Masayuki, he was caught completely off guard.

"?"

Confused, Jinrai froze on the spot. He then took a step forward with the intent of striking Masayuki down. Masayuki gawked dumbly at Jinrai's giant fist slowly approaching him right in front of his eyes.

Shit, it's over-!

Whatever I do now is already too late, Masayuki thought to himself as he shut his eyes and ducked his head, attempting to dodge the fist and ease the pain.

Yet the worst-case scenario that Masayuki imagined did not happen. Pain began to set in, but it was only limited to a small part of his forehead. He opened

his eyes, full of surprise and fear. Before him was a Jinrai, who, for some reason, was sprawled on the ground with his eyes rolled to the back of their sockets.

"Eh?" Masayuki mumbled in confusion.

Masayuki had no clue what had just happened.

The crowd erupted into cheers, drowning out his own voice, much to his surprise. Then-

"S-so strong! That guy didn't even move a finger and he defeated Jinrai the Crazed Wolf!"

"Unbelievable! Did you catch his movement just now?"

"Yeah... He avoided the punch by a hair's breadth and went on to deliver a headbutt to Jinrai. He's no doubt a master of combat."

"Just who the hell is this kid-?" the bystanders murmured amongst themselves.

In reality, this was the result of Masayuki's Unique Skill 'Chosen One' being activated.

Hero's Haki: A Skill that Dwarf King Gazel also possesses. It's an aura that only heroes (eiyuu) are capable of exuding. Opponents who are weaker than them

would be rendered motionless under the imposing aura. It is a Skill that responds to only the Skill holder, a special aura of sorts.

Hero's Blessing: User experiences a great boost to his luck stat. Even a normal attack will become a critical strike2. This effect is also applied to party members.

In addition, onlookers will remember all actions committed by the user (Chosen One), in a positive light. Its power is astounding.

Hero's Charisma: Onlookers who witness the actions of the hero will be inspired. Any sense of fear will be replaced by courage. In the end they will be filled with confidence to fight alongside the user. Another effect is that anyone who the hero defeats will automatically become a follower, barring death of course.

This effect also applies to sentient monsters.

Heroic Action: The first step to becoming a hero. The user will become a role model for his companions and will eventually earn the praise of everyone around him. Moreover...

-These are the abilities of the Unique Skill "Chosen One".

As a matter of fact, this was an especially rare Skill even among the Unique Skills. It was comparable to 'Absolute Severance' and 'Unlimited Imprisonment', both previously used by other chosen heroes in the past. Although it was only a

Unique Skill, its real power was akin to an Ultimate Skill. It possessed extraordinary

capabilities.

Although Jinrai was considered to be among the strongest in the town, he was still no match for Masayuki's Skill.

Unfortunately, Masayuki was not aware of any of this. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he unleashed an astonishing power.

But that wasn't a big deal, since 'Chosen One' was a passive Skill.

'Chosen One' manifested itself from Masayuki's wish to become a hero.

However, it was now ignoring his personal will, ferociously pushing Masayuki down the path to a hero...

"So he is the blonde chosen hero..."

"Oh! Oh ho, I've heard of him-"

"Was that the chosen hero that was rather active in the past? I heard he went

missing-"

"Could it be that he has been resurrected?"

The clamoring in the crowd gradually grew louder.

"The chosen hero?"

"He's the chosen hero?"

"There's no way-"

(2) Not to be confused with Crit attack in video game/table top, here it only means "deadly/lethal".

"But look at those skills. He's definitely the real deal!"

It didn't take long for the crowd to come to the consensus that Masayuki was indeed the chosen hero.

Actually, my hair was only dyed...

By the time Masayuki noticed, however, it was already too late. The bystanders were all staring at him with sparkling eyes, as if their biggest idol was standing

right there in front of them.

"Huh? A-about that, y-you've got the wrong guy-" Masayuki tried to deny in panic, yet his voice was suddenly drowned out by a booming voice erupting next

to him:

"Back down all of you! How dare you all try to befriend the mighty chosen hero who defeated me in one blow!"

It was Jinrai, who just moments ago was on the ground, now bellowing at the crowd gathered around them. He then turned to Masayuki and bowed with great respect.

"I am sorry to have offended you," Jinrai apologized. "I didn't know that you were the chosen hero..."

"Hold up! I just said you got the wrong-"

"My name is Jinrai. People around here call me the 'Crazed Wolf', and I'm quite the well-known adventurer. But I was too full of myself and I sincerely apologize. Having experienced the truly wonderful techniques of the chosen hero, I realized that I still have much to learn. While I am far from being a master, I still wish that you may take me in as your subordinate."

Jinrai bowed even more earnestly.

Masayuki was at a complete loss. He didn't know what to do with this bulky man suddenly wishing to become his subordinate either.

"No, I'm telling you," Masayuki pleaded, "I'm not a hero-"

"Oh ho, are you trying to hide your identity? Then how should I address you? And if you're ok with it, could you tell me your name?"

Ignoring Masayuki's words of denial, Jinrai bombarded him with questions while putting on a big smile.

Masayuki had no way of shaking him off.

The onlookers, silenced by Jinrai's scolding, were also watching with bated

breath. Masayuki couldn't help but think, whatever goes now, I guess.

"My name is Masayuki, and just calling me Masayuki is fine. I only recently arrived at this town-"

Since this man called Jinrai had put things this way, Masayuki figured that he would at the very least treat him to a meal. Masayuki planned on acting dumb in order to gather information. It wouldn't be that bad of an idea.

But it was a lot smoother sailing than he had expected.

"I understand," Jinrai nodded with clarity.

He squeezed his face next to Masayuki's ear and whispered: "Hero-sama, you've only been revived recently, right?"

This made Masayuki go "Huh!?" internally at first, but he immediately turned

around, realizing that he might be able to exploit Jinrai's misunderstanding. The man looked as if he would take whatever Masayuki said as gospel.

Moreover-

If I stop pretending that he lost to a chosen hero, this guy will probably be dishonored for life. It's probably better to play along.

And so from that moment on Masayuki no longer denied the "Chosen Hero" claim.

This would become a painful miscalculation later. Because...

At this moment, the "Chosen Hero"-the legend of the Shining Hero Masayuki was about to unfold.

Later on, Masayuki was escorted to the capital of the Ingracia Kingdom by the staff of the Freedom Association.

There, he met Yuuki Kagurazaka.

"You've been through a lot too," Yuuki said.

Hearing this, Masayuki couldn't help but choke up a bit. However, after learning a bit more, he realized that this young man called Yuuki had been in this world for nearly ten years. His body's age was frozen, causing his appearance to remain like a teen. From his actual age, Masayuki deduced he should have been here since

secondary school.

He's been through a lot more than me...

Realizing this, he felt that he shouldn't be the one tearing up right now. It gave him a sense of encouragement and inspired him to keep on fighting.

After his talk with Yuuki, Masayuki decided to become an adventurer.

Fortunately, Jinrai was willing to be his companion, and Yuuki approved. Masayuki didn't want to be dependent on Yuuki and instead wanted to earn his own living by being an adventurer.

"For some reason I can understand their language, so I'm probably a little bit luckier than Yuuki-san."

"That's my line! You can't imagine the hardships I had to go through at first... Although, fortunately, I got my mentor to take care of me, so it wasn't that bad for me, to be honest. There's magic in this world, which makes communicating with others surprisingly simple."

Learning to read and write seemed daunting to Masayuki, but Yuuki explained to him that pure oral dialogue could be resolved through magic. Yuuki then read through the document in his hand which contained potential candidates for being

Masayuki's adventuring companions.

"Oh yeah, Bonnie here also used magic to learn the language."

It seemed that the young man named Bonnie also relied on magic to talk to people. He was a graduate of Ingracia Academy and an "Otherworlder" under

Yuuki's protection. Apparently, he could only speak English, having been born in the United States, making communication with Yuuki completely impossible. That's when magic came in handy, and ever since then, Bonnie became obsessed with magic, hoping to study at the academy. He became an adventurer rather recently,

and he was looking for companions. It just so happened that Masayuki's party came along at that time.

This was how the three-man squad was formed.

Masayuki and his crew progressed at an overwhelming rate. In only about half a year, his squad was already given the nickname "The Shining".

Although Jinrai was ranked C+, his strength was comparable to that of a Rank B. With the additional aid of Bonnie's magic, they were able to safely handle any quest they attempted.

Masayuki was only an amateur with a bare minimum knowledge of kendo, yet he possessed the ultra-rare Skill, the "Chosen One". This Skill also applied to his

teammates, causing all of their attacks to be deadly (critical strikes). Under the effects of this Skill, his companions were able to perform beyond their actual

capabilities. Jinrai could display strength beyond even Rank A. With the additional buff that increased their dodge chance, they were practically invincible.

And so, the "Chosen one" was utilized to its fullest.

It was such an amazing Skill to him.

Even the good deeds of his companions were ultimately attributed to Masayuki.

With all the positive opinions of the team "Shining" directed towards Masayuki

alone, his title "Masayuki the Shining" eventually became a household name.

Later, they happened to participate in the martial tournament held in the Ingracia Kingdom, causing Masayuki to accumulate even more fame.

They entered the tournament hoping to win the prize money given to the champion in order to purchase new gear for themselves, but it was a lot easier than expected. As soon as Masayuki unsheathed his sword, his opponents had already surrendered, declaring "I've lost".

The audience was under the impression that Masayuki's attacks were too fast to follow. But in reality, he didn't do anything at all.

However, the audience was unaware and proceeded to overhype Masayuki due

to his title, the "Shining" (like a flash of light).

All in a day's work for the Unique Skill 'Chosen One'.

Masayuki had become aware of it at this point, but he couldn't stop, wouldn't stop.

In order to stand a chance against this Skill, his opponent needed to, at the bare minimum, possess a Unique Skill. Since Masayuki was unable to stop it with his own will, rumors began to spread. This gave Masayuki quite the headache, but it didn't cause him any harm, so he gave up on resisting it. He decided to play along with the public's expectations of the "Chosen Hero".

It was around that time that a fourth companion joined the party.

It was a girl named Jiu (ジウ). She was a high-level Spirit Magic user. She came to see them for herself after hearing the rumors about Masayuki.

At first, Jiu called Masayuki a scumbag that waved around the name of "Chosen Hero". But for some reason, Jiu began to worship Masayuki over time.

Although Jiu had a strange temperament, she turned out to be adept with healing magic, and soon became an integral part of the team. And so, Masayuki and his companions flew up the ranks, kicking ass during

martial tournaments and achieving A rank with ease.

With the Ingracia Kingdom as their base of operations, they joined the ranks of heroes in less than a year.

...

...

...

Under these circumstances, a year filled with fierce progress passed.

Although Masayuki was quite dumbfounded himself, he had gotten used to being called a chosen hero by others. Humans are indeed creatures that possess strong adaptability, Masayuki casually thought to himself.

Masayuki was always filled with doubt even though he was praised by tens of thousands of people every day.

It was then that Masayuki ran into the opportunity that would forever change his life.