Yamada Kuusama was your average schoolboy. He didn't really have anything going for him, except that one could consider him extremely 'cultured.'
He knew all about the latest manga and anime and tended to indulge in the new popularised genre. Isekai. Ask him any trivia, and he would respond within a heartbeat.
And as a connoisseur of such culture, he often had delusions of getting run over by a truck and reincarnating in a fantasy world where he would slay evil demons and get a harem. Mhm, the normal eighth grade delusions.
Yeah, he was quite 'cultured,' indeed.
Walking home from another boring day of school, he ambles through the same shortcuts he uses every day. Past alleys and through shopfronts. A new issue of Jobfull Rebirth came out today and he was dead set on reading it. He didn't have any friends to burden himself with and could fully indulge in the otaku lifestyle.
You really have to iterate how cultured this boy was.
Though whilst his mind whirred with the fantasy of other realms…
*BEEEEP!*
A loud blare screeched as an oncoming truck sped toward him, like an eagle swooping on its prey. There was nothing he could do.
Stuck in the middle of the street, his legs tensed as he stared straight into its cold headlights. He could see his own miserable expression through its tinted windscreen.
Huh? I wonder where the driver is? Is Truck-kun finally getting me today?
Though, it would come that his destined death on this day was not to come, as a tear opened up in front of him. A dark swirling vortex pouring out of it, like a tsunami made of viscous tar. It filled the area in an instant, Yamada was immediately swallowed by it and swept into the tear immediately after. He couldn't move, too stunned by the tension to even breathe.
The tear closed and the truck continued its route as if that whole ordeal never happened. A gentle breeze swept by as if to mask all traces of the schoolboy.
Having been sucked into the tear, Yamada found himself in a black space, his heart racing at the deep black void that surrounded him, threatening to swallow him. As if it desired to assimilate his fleshy form.
Countless possibilities flashed past his mind, but it was quickly broken by a deep voice.
"Young hero, it is your time to shine!"
"Take up your arms and save the world!"
The voice spouted inconceivable things, however to Yamada, it only fueled his chuunibyou tendencies.
"Are you god!?
"Are you gonna send me to another world?!
"What cheats am I gonna get?
"Can I choose?"
Although he could see no figure in the endless pitch black, he instantly let out a barrage of questions.
"Alright, it looks like I have jumped the gun, let me explain the situation to you,"
Yamada's eyes lit up brightly as he listened intently to every word said,
"It is correct to assume that I am a god, and yes, I will be sending you to another world. The world of apostles and heretics otherwise known as the Corrupt Realm to be exact. Though do not fear, for I will be bestowing upon thee the great Hero System to guide you on your quest to save this realm!"
Yamada felt like this was a dream. Everything was just too good to be true!
"Really? Okay, so who do I have to defeat? Is it the Demon Lord? It has to be the Demon Lord, right?!"
"Haha, you will find out your quest when you reach the other side, for now, I can only tell you to be prepared as your adventure will be perilous and fraught with danger. Even if you have the almighty Hero System, of which I bequeath upon you, there will be dangers that will force you to your wit's end, so be prepared."
The voice was extremely over the top with the way it said each word. So much so that it almost sounded fake, not that Yamada in his state of ecstasy was able to notice such subtlties.
"Alright, alright, Kami-san, can you tell me a bit more about this world?"
"Of course, of course, it is a world of magic, kingdoms and empires! Civility is a rarity and conflict is mounting! You will learn the rest through the System, now off you go!"
Giving a rather perfunctory answer, the 'god' sent away Yamada. Tendrils of the void grasped him once more, shovelling him through another rip in space.
Bright!
That was his first thought after exiting that inky plane. His eyes now adjusting to his regular sight.
Looking around, he saw he was in a hall of some sort. However, there was something that immediately caught his attention, intently gazing at something in front of him, Yamada's eyes shone. In his vision, he saw a translucent blue box, with the words,
'Welcome to the Hero System,'
This really is an isekai!
Kanata Yamada was thrilled. His fantasies had come true!
He isn't kept waiting for long, as a figure promptly came and greeted Yamada.
He wore rich flowing robes and a crown atop his head, a clear indication of his sovereignty in the kingdom. He was the King.
The duty of welcoming and negotiating with the summoned being was given to the current King and high class summoner, Edgar Astra.
He looked composed as he treads his way toward the being, though it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.
With arms outstretched he acclaimed,
"Welcome, great being, for we have summoned you to our lands for we are in dire need of your resplendent assistance!"
Having watched many isekais, Yamada already more or less understood the generic trope at play here. Cutting off the king he spoke,
"You need me to slay the Demon Lord, right?"
"What?" the King seemed a bit taken aback by that answer, however, Yamada felt as if he had just stupefied the King with his 'prophetic' seeming knowledge.
Though contrary to what Yamada thought, it only puzzled the King and making him twice as nervous.
Daemon Lord?
They didn't border any daemon territory and The Pantheon often launched frequent crusades against the daemons, consistently suppressing them. So the daemons should be in no position to try anything against a Kingdom so far from their lands.
Does the being know something we do not?
"I apologise for my obscene behaviour, but may I asketh thee, what is meant by daemon lord?" Usually, a King shan't dare make such a humble display, but before an otherworldly being, there was no shame in such an action.
"Do you not have a Demon Lord hounding you? I mean, isn't that why you summoned me?" The summon seemed strangely perplexed as well as if his worldview was shattered.
The King didn't actually know the strength of this summon, but it was assumed that it would be quite strong.
Considering the cost required to summon it, it was estimated to be at the rank of a legend. Minimum.
Even in a Kingdom as large as the Astra Kingdom, the power of a legend was not to be underestimated.
As the summon seemed to be in a sort of trance, King Astra took it upon himself to carefully examine the summon.
He wore a strange coat and uniform, of which seemed to be the wealthy kind. But other than that, he could not see much else special about this summon. His physique was nothing special and his essence didn't seem very foretelling of anything either. It was as if he was an average teenager.
However, there was a strange feeling the King got as he examined him. There was some kind of overpowering almost malevolent essence that lingered on the summon. The King couldn't make head nor tails of it so he dropped the matter, reasoning that it was likely due to the fact it wasn't from this realm in the first place.
Which made sense, though, he would come to regret this decision.
After all, it is always the small things that get you.
*Ding!*
A bell sounded in Yamada's mind as a notification popped up in front of him.
Outlined in a blue box, it read,
[Grade F Quest Received!]
[Basic Info]
[Find out the reason for your summoning]
[Reward: Fire Magic (Beginner)]
My first quest! And it's actually so generous.
Yamada was itching to obtain the rewards, he couldn't wait to try out magic.
"Okay, okay Mr King tell me what ails you,"
Recomposing himself, he spoke in a high mannered tone.
"Ahem, of course, my Kingdom is currently being pressured from multiple sides and we humbly seek your assistance to aid us in battle. We can discuss a remittance when you so desire,"
The King did a low bow, signifying the huge amount of favour he gave to the other being. It was not a simple gesture for a King, especially a King of such a strong Kingdom to bow to just anyone.
"For the meantime, we can provide you with our utmost accommodation until you regain your strength,"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ah! What I mean to say is that you must be weakened from the summoning across realms so if you are in need of anything you may call upon the servants attending to your accommodation."
"Mhmm, anyway, can you tell me more about who's pressuring you," the mission wasn't complete yet, so it was obvious he needed to inquire more about the circumstances.
"As you wish, we, the Astra Kingdom are located in between two major forces, being The Pantheon and the Empire of Steel. However, The Pantheon wants us to become their vassal state, slowly putting sanctions on us whereas the Empire of Steel frowns upon magic and too, wishes that we become their vassal, threatening a war. If only the situation was this bad, we could handle it, but on our back borders, the elves have…"
At this point, Yamada had stopped listening to the introduction.
*Ding*
[Grade F Quest: Basic Info complete! ]
[Obtained: Fire Magic (Beginner) ! ]
At that moment, Yamada could mildly sense the fire essence in the surroundings. Unable to hold himself back he started to play and mould the fire essence.
Seeing this, King Astar was dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, it looked as if the kid had no talent whatsoever, but then in the next second, he was playing with fire essence.
What talent!
Truly this was worth the trade!
The doubts he had about the summon's strength were slowly fading. Perhaps in time, it will grow into an indispensable power!
Suppressing his inner excitement, the King led the summon to his room.