My name is Saiga Matsushiro. I'm a typical high school student attending Alpico Private Academy, Class 1-E.
In terms of academics and physical ability, I'm average. I don't have any friends.
In the class hierarchy, I'm at the bottom. I don't belong to any clubs, and my only hobby is reading web novels.
And now... here I was, standing in a vast, empty white space.
"W-where am I? What's going on? I was just in the classroom a moment ago!"
Around me stood my classmates from 1-E, all equally bewildered by the situation.
"Hello, brave hero candidates!"
A voice rang out suddenly, and when I looked up, I saw a stunning woman with silver hair floating in the air above us.
"W-who is that?"
"She's so beautiful!"
"Wait, she's flying!?"
A blank white space, a god-like being—it felt all too familiar. The term isekai flashed through my mind.
"Correct! You're absolutely right, Saiga Matsushiro!"
The woman had said my name. And not just that—it seemed she could read my thoughts as well.
"Yes, that's right! I can read your mind! Want to know why? Because I'm a goddess! That's why! ★"
Figures. It's just like in all those web novels I've read. The plot usually involves people who've died by accident being summoned to a white space, meeting a god, and getting special powers before being reincarnated into another world.
"Exactly! But in your case, it wasn't a mistake★"
What does she mean by that?
"It's simple! Everyone here from Alpico Academy's Class 1-E has died in the real world. You'll now be reincarnated into a world of swords and magic, where you'll become heroes★!"
The goddess began explaining, her voice casual yet full of weight:
All 40 of us are dead in the real world. We're about to be sent to a world of magic and monsters, with a civilization akin to medieval Europe. Each of us will be reincarnated into new bodies in this world and, once we've grown, we'll act as heroes .As a perk for reincarnating, we'll each be granted special skills based on our aptitude for heroism.
It was all straight out of the web novels I loved. And, honestly... I was starting to feel a little excited.
I hated my current reality. I was plain, talentless, and a constant target for bullies.
Now, I could leave this awful life behind, reset everything in another world, and even get a cheat ability.
It was perfect. Or so I thought—until that moment.
"But as for you, Saiga Matsushiro... you're going to be discarded★"
...
...What?
What did this goddess just say?
"Yes, yes, you heard me★ You're going to be discarded~!"
"Wh-what... do you mean?"
"Your hero aptitude is... an F!"
"F... rank?"
"That's right! Your hero aptitude is a ranking of how suited you are to be a hero. S is the highest, followed by A, B, C, D, and E... and then there's you. You're an F! I didn't even know an F-rank existed! Isn't that funny?★"
What the hell? You're the one giving the ranks, aren't you!?
"Actually, the ranking process is outsourced★ I thought E was the lowest rank, so imagine my surprise to find out there's an F! I'm just as shocked as you!★"
The goddess's playful smile disappeared, her expression suddenly cold.
"Sorry, but someone with an F-rank hero aptitude is dead weight. In fact, you're worse than dead weight. So, we won't be giving you a new body or any powers. Instead, we're going to toss you into the other world just as you are!★"
...
...What?
"We're going to drop you into a dungeon full of terrifying monsters★ You'll die there, F-rank hero, without any skills to save you!"
No skills...?
"That's right! Each of your classmates will be given a skill based on their talent and potential. But you? Saiga Matsushiro, you get nothing! You're the only one without a skill. Unbelievable! Everyone else gets at least one★"
Suddenly, a translucent window appeared in front of me:
―――――― Saiga Matsushiro
Level 1
Skill: [None]
――――――
It was true. I had no skill.
"That's your status screen★ It shows your abilities as a reincarnated hero. You can open it anytime by saying 'Status Open'★"
I looked at it over and over, hoping something had changed. But no matter how many times I checked, my skill was still [None].
"So, now that we've established how utterly useless you are, it's time for your disposal...★"
But just then—
"Wait a minute!"
The voice that interrupted was none other than Misaka Kamisaka, the most beautiful girl in our class.
"Misaka Kamisaka..."
With her long black hair, large, bright eyes, and stunning features, she was the class idol.
"Why are you throwing Saiga Matsushiro away? He didn't do anything wrong! He just has an F aptitude, right? That's no reason to abandon him!"
She was defending me. Misaka Kamisaka was standing up for me.
"You can't just throw him into a dungeon to die! That's so cruel—cough!"
Suddenly, she choked, clutching her throat as if something was strangling her.
"Misaka!"
Her friend, Selma, rushed over, panic in her voice.
"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?!"
"Oh my! It seems that the F-rank hero has cast a curse on poor S-rank hero, Misaka Kamisaka★"
"A curse?!"
What the hell is she talking about?! I didn't do anything!
_"Oh no... but it makes sense."
_"Yeah, if he's an F-rank, maybe his only ability is casting curses."
"Did he curse Kamisaka because she tried to defend him?"
My classmates began to murmur, eyes filled with suspicion.
"N-no! I didn't do anything! I don't even have a skill! How could I curse anyone?! You don't have any proof!"
But still—
_"He could've done it without realizing it."
_"Yeah, he's the only F-rank here."
"Maybe that's the one thing F-rank heroes can do—cast curses!"
"Wow, Matsushiro, you're the worst. Cursing someone who stood up for you? You're trash."
What... what the hell? Why are they turning on me like this? Aren't we all in this together?
"That's not true..."
"Shut up, loser."
Suddenly, Kisogawa, the class bully, kicked me hard in the stomach.
"Even in the real world, you were worthless. An F-rank suits you perfectly. A useless, pathetic waste of space."
Kisogawa... He used to torment me back in the real world, too.
"You're trash. You don't belong in this class, you worthless scum. Get lost."
_"Yeah, get lost, Matsushiro!"
"Who needs an F-rank hero like him?"
What... what the hell is wrong with all of you!?
"...?"
I looked back at the goddess, and there she was, grinning smugly behind the crowd. She'd done this. She'd framed me for Misaka's curse.
I won't forgive her. Or Kisogawa. Or any of them.
"Alright, Saiga Matsushiro! Time to send you off to the dungeon★ Any last words?"
A magic circle appeared beneath my feet, glowing with power. It seemed like it would teleport me away.
Did I have any last words?
"Go to hell, all of you."
The magic circle flashed brightly, and the next moment—I was unconscious.
+++
When I woke up, I found myself in a dark, dank cave.
"So... she really did throw me into a dungeon."
A dungeon, filled with terrifying monsters... just as the goddess said.
"What kind of monsters are—"
Suddenly, I heard a loud hiss.
"JURARARARARARARARAAAA!"
In front of me was a giant snake. Not just any snake, though.
It was oozing liquid from its scales, and as soon as that liquid touched the ground—
Sizzle...
The ground began to melt. This thing was a massive, acid-spitting monster.
Drawing on my knowledge of web novels, I realized—
"A hydra..."
No way. There's no way I could defeat something like this.
I'm just an F-rank hero with no skills.
There's no way I'll survive.