Feeling hungry, I was walking along the sidewalk, hoping to spot a convenience store, when a trio of high school girls approached from the opposite direction. The two in the front, chattering excitedly, wore skirts so short that it made me question if they were actually school uniforms. A step or two behind them was a girl with black hair braided into two pigtails, wearing thick black glasses and quietly trailing along. They all wore the same uniform, so I assumed they were a group, but it felt more accurate to say they were a pair and a singleton.
Just as I passed them, the sidewalk at my feet suddenly glowed with a bluish light. Rings of that eerie light enveloped me and the three girls, spinning slowly around us. Upon closer inspection, the rings appeared adorned with intricate patterns. Was this a magic circle?
Could I be about to be transported to another world? As I entertained this whimsical thought, the area in front of me was swallowed in darkness. It seemed I lost consciousness at that moment.
...
I must have regained my senses, but I saw nothing. It wasn't that the surroundings were dark; I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed, and I couldn't focus on my eyelids. It was as if my vision was completely gone. Amidst my hazy awareness, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind.
"Skill Point System has been installed."
Had I been transferred into a game world? As I pondered this, my vision slowly began to return, and I could finally see my surroundings.
As I looked around, it became clear that I was in a large hall. The floor was made of stone, and in the center, a glowing blue magic circle was painted with what looked like luminescent paint. Standing inside it, apart from me, were three high school girls I had just passed by.
The girls seemed distinctly confused as they scanned their surroundings, yet for some reason, they wouldn't look in my direction.
A few steps away from the magic circle stood an old man in lavish clothing, red fabric adorned with golden embroidery. Flanking him were four men who appeared to be his subordinates, two on each side. Behind them, about ten soldiers stood at attention, swords hanging at their waists. The old man's attire resembled that of a ceremonial robe. He turned to face me and began to speak.
"△＄〇％..."
I couldn't understand a word he was saying. In the typical trope of otherworldly transfers, one usually already knows the language or can acquire it using skill points.
Suddenly, a sound echoed in my mind, and a blue, transparent board materialized right in front of me.
Seeing that no one else appeared to notice it, it seemed to be visible only to me. The board read:
"Would you like to use 1 skill point to learn the otherworldly language? Yes"
There was no option for "No." Well, I would learn it anyway. I pressed "Yes."
The term "otherworldly language" might sound simplistic, but since I'm the protagonist here, it must refer to the language of this new world for me.
"I have used 1 skill point to acquire the otherworldly language."
"You have 199 skill points remaining."
That's surprisingly generous; I started with 200? Well, I'm pleased about that.
"...And that's why I have summoned all of you. Let's confirm your classes and skills right away. We will conduct the confirmation in another room, so please follow me."
The three high school girls and I were escorted by soldiers, surrounded in a way that made it clear we wouldn't be escaping easily. A sense of foreboding washed over me.
As we walked down a long hallway, we entered a room at the end, which had a single table in the center. On it sat a black box, featuring a crystal ball typical of a fortune teller's.
"If you could please touch the crystal ball, your class and skills will be projected on the white wall behind you. Let's proceed in order."
The first girl, a brown-haired high school student, approached the crystal ball. She wore a navy blazer and gray skirt—what school could that uniform be from? A closer look revealed earrings in both ears; she didn't seem like someone I wanted to get involved with.
Name: Keiko Yamada
Age: 17
Class: Hero
Skills: Swordsmanship: Lv.3, Magic: Lv.2
Her class and skills were projected onto the white wall. While she was classified as a Hero, her skills seemed a bit lackluster for that title, didn't they?
"Oh! A Hero by profession. With a swordsmanship level of 3, that's on par with a legendary swordsman. And a magic level of 2, qualifying as a magician. Truly, Sir Hero, I have high expectations for you!"
Next came another young woman with brown hair, clearly quite close to the Hero, Yamada Keiko. They called each other by their first names.
Name: Ichha Tahara
Age: 17
Profession: Ranger
Skills: Swordsmanship: Level 2, Magic: Level 1, Exploration: Level 3
This doesn't seem too impressive either. If swordsmanship at level 3 is considered legendary, perhaps the maximum level is around 4, making level 3 truly remarkable?
"Oh, another one summoned as expected. High hopes here as well! Exploration at level 3 is on par with the greatest adventurers!"
It seems level 3 exploration marks you as a prominent adventurer.
The third individual was a glasses-wearing girl with black hair styled in twin tails, radiating a classic committee chairwoman vibe.
Name: Hana Sanzenin
Age: 17
Profession: Sage
Skills: Magic: Level 4, Alchemy: Level 1, Appraisal: Level 1
"Oh, how splendid! A sage, I've never encountered that profession before. A level 4 in magic exists? It exceeds the level of a level 3 magician, so we may well call it a grand sorcerer level. Quite formidable!"
The old man certainly has nothing but praise!
It seems all three must have allocated their skill points before coming to this room. They handled it efficiently. I didn't have that kind of time. In fact, it's more likely they were automatically assigned their points. Furthermore, there's a good chance I'm the only one subject to a skill point system.
At last, it was my turn.
Name: Zenjiro Iwanaga
Age: 27
Occupation: None
Oh, no occupation. I really don't have a job right now, so it's not surprising. And I have no skills either.
The old man just stares in silence. He's probably at a loss for words. He exchanges glances with the soldiers.
Two soldiers move in beside me, grabbing my arms and pulling me along.
The three who had been praised by the old man are watching me now. The two with brown hair look at me with disdain, like I'm trash. I'm not used to being looked at like that, but in this situation, worrying about it is pointless.
"Hey! I'm about to gain some skills!"
"I have plenty of skill points!"
I turned my head and shouted, but no one paid me any mind. I realized that yelling had become futile.
Leaving three high school girls behind, I was taken to a different room. No, I was dragged away.
At 27 years old, I was experiencing my first real-life "Dona Dona" moment. I demand to be treated like a civilized person!
Since the situation was unclear, I decided to stay calm and go along with the soldiers.
The room I was brought to was messy, resembling a storage room, and dusty.
We had descended a flight of stairs to get here, and it felt like we were at the bottom of those stairs. I couldn't tell if it was the first floor or a basement. It would be troublesome if it was underground, but there was a skylight set high in the wall opposite the door, so at least it didn't seem to be in a basement.
I was walking down the street, thinking about where to grab a bite since I was hungry, when I suddenly found myself abducted to another world. It seemed I had been declared useless—specifically, an unwanted old man. So, what's going to happen to me now? By the way, I'm still hungry.
The room I was brought to by some soldiers was dimly lit, with only a small skylight near the top of the far wall. When the door closed, the place became dusty and gloomy. Inside, a variety of dusty wooden boxes were haphazardly strewn about, making it feel like a storage room. Backed against the door, I crouched down, deep in thought.
So, what happens next? Those people brought me here from Earth for a reason. The fact that I—jobless and skill-less—was deemed unnecessary suggests that they place great importance on occupation and abilities. I can't be wrong about that.
But what will they do with someone like me? If I were in their shoes, I'd dispose of unwanted items. However, carelessly tossing me aside could risk exposing the truth about my abduction. If they frequently summon people from other worlds, they might not want that information getting out. Therefore, rather than just discarding me, it would be safer for them to silence me as well. They seem like the type who can easily abduct humans. They will probably try to kill me soon.
"Then I just need to escape before that happens.
I should quickly acquire some useful skills to help me get out of here. First up: the classic 'Item Box.'
I really want this one. Without it, I'm at a disadvantage, and honestly, I still don't quite understand how to use any of the skills. Worse yet, I might end up wasting my skill points.
With a leap of faith, I silently hoped, *Please let me have the Item Box.*
*Ding!*
Once again, that blue, semi-transparent board appeared before me.
*"Would you like to use 1 skill point to acquire Item Box Level 1? Yes or No?"*
Naturally, I selected *Yes.*
*"You have spent 1 skill point and acquired Item Box Level 1. You have 198 skill points remaining."*
*"Would you like to use 2 skill points to acquire Item Box Level 2? Yes or No?"*
I chose *Yes* again.
*"You have spent 2 skill points and acquired Item Box Level 2. You have 196 skill points remaining."*
From my gaming knowledge, I knew that as skills level up, they typically offer additional benefits and greater effects than their levels might suggest.
Thinking this, I continued to increase the level of my Item Box skill.
...
*"You have spent 10 skill points and acquired Item Box Level Max. You have 144 skill points remaining."*
The maximum level of the item box was 10. I realized that to increase its level, I would need to expend a certain amount of skill points corresponding to the level.
Even if I considered escaping, being completely broke in this world wouldn't be ideal. I would appreciate it if I could find something valuable before I go. Thinking this, I started lifting the Wooden Boxes scattered around the room, but they all resembled the Sky box—things weren't going as smoothly as I had hoped.
Perhaps I should check the adjacent room, where I sensed there were no people. The wall separating us felt about thirty centimeters thick—an unusual sensation for me, likely due to the effects of the item box skill.
I silently thought, 'Storage!' and imagined the thick, two-meter-square section of the wall being stored in the item box. As I passed through the square, Sky-shaped hole I had created, I entered the next room. It was similar in size to the storage room I had just left and appeared to be used for storage as well. Various Wooden Boxes were scattered around, all covered in dust, indicating they weren't frequently accessed.
Next to the door leaned a wooden stick, about my height. Picking it up, I found it to be quite sturdy and surprisingly heavy.
"I spent 3 skill points and learned Staff Mastery at Level 3. I now have 138 skill points left."