Chapter 1

I finished revising the second volume of "The Transmigrator's Adventure in a Different World," so I decided to write a new story.

Now, as I stand still, all I can see is an endless expanse of grassland.

I am dressed in a robe over the cloth clothes I was originally wearing.

―How did I end up here?

The end-of-day bell rings through the office.

"I'm done with today's work. I'll go home quickly and play my game."

I am Tokusa Shoya, a thirty-five-year-old single man. I'm just an ordinary salaryman.

Every day after work, I go straight home to play the online multiplayer game I'm currently hooked on.

I prepare for the nightly wars between countries to gain territory, which start at nine o'clock at night.

The game is called "Pandemic World," and it features three countries, with nightly wars in this multiplayer online battle arena. The country with the highest win rate over seven days gets to hunt in a field with better experience points for the following week. Rare weapons also appear, and to level up efficiently, I fight every night as a soldier of my country.

The country I belong to is called the "Generate Kingdom," and the other two are the "Lunette Empire" and the "Sifanxi Empire."

The Generate Kingdom and the Lunette Empire are at war every day, while the Sifanxi Empire supports one of the two as mercenaries.

This cycle repeats on weekdays. On weekends, there are large-scale monster hunting events where players from different countries work together.

I play as a "Fierce Warrior," the highest-level warrior class, with a character that looks like an ogre with muscles covering its entire body.

I wear a full set of mithril armor and wield a two-handed sword longer than my height, fighting on the front lines every day.

As a single salaryman, I have a decent amount of money. Thanks to efficient in-game purchases, I have a reputation as a strong player within the game.

Among the thousands of players, only 1% have a level over 500, and I am one of the few who have surpassed level 700.

After an hour-long war, I stretch my back and take my hands off the keyboard.

"Good job, Toya!" "We won today!"

The chat log is filled with celebratory messages from the party members.

"Finally done. We won today, so maybe I'll look for some hunting partners. I might even invite Din from Sifanxi."

In this MMO, it's not a problem to create a separate account and play in another country. However, using a separate account during wars can lead to being exposed on certain forums.

I log out and then log back in with a different account.

This is my alternate account in the Sifanxi Empire.

I haven't been leveling up this account much; I mainly use it to chat with friends and store materials for my main account.

I've completed events and obtained magic wands and high-level clothing for magic users, but I have no use for these items as a Fierce Warrior, so they are stored in the event inventory along with a certain amount of currency.

A male character with the appearance of a beautiful young man appears on the screen. I created the character with silver hair and the appearance of a sixteen-year-old.

Moreover, he is a "High Healer," a higher-level healing class. It seems I am drawn to characters different from my main one.

When I log in, I stand in the main square of Deliruta, the capital city.

Since the war just ended, the square is crowded with people who have just logged in, and I immediately check to see if my friends are online.

I find the name I'm looking for in my friend list.

"There he is. I'll invite him right away."

I click on the name 'Din' in the list and open the chat.

"Good job today."

"Oh, good job. Did you come to visit our country?"

"I thought we could go hunting. What do you think?"

"Sure, I'm relaxing in front of the church to the north of the square. Come over."

"Got it! I'll head there now."

I close the chat window and run towards the church from the square.

At the meeting place, there are three others besides Din.

"Good job today."

"Good job, Toya." "Good job."

The four people at the meeting place are my friends: Din, a high-level black mage; Russell, a high-level thief; and Merilia, a high-level healer.

"We were just missing a tank. Thanks for coming."

In this MMO, parties can consist of up to five people.

With my addition, we form an efficient party.

"Let's go to the Roralka Cave, okay? I'll switch back to Fierce Warrior, so let's meet at the entrance."

"Okay." "Got it."

Our characters wave, bow, and Din even prostrates himself.

As I try to log out, a magic circle appears around my character.

"What's this?" "What?" "It's a teleportation circle! Haha!"

Everyone is surprised as the magic circle around my character begins to rotate and glow. Of course, I am too.

Gradually, the display turns completely white.

"What's happening?"

The light from the display spreads and fills the entire room.

At that moment, my consciousness, sitting in front of the computer, disappears.

My vision, which had turned completely white, gradually returns.

When I open my eyes, I see a ceiling that is completely different from my room.

It is over ten meters high, and it has paintings like those in Italian museums and churches that I have seen online.

"We did it!"

"Your Highness, as expected! I didn't think it would succeed on the first try."

Amidst the applause, I sit up, confused.

"What's going on here...?"

As I look around, I see a beautiful girl standing in front of me, wearing a luxurious dress, with well-maintained golden hair down to her waist and a tiara on her head. She is surrounded by men in similar luxurious attire and knights in armor with swords drawn.

"I apologize for the suddenness. Sir Hero, I am Princess Sharon von Generate of the Generate Kingdom. Our country is at war with the Lunette Empire, and they have already taken two-tenths of our territory. I have summoned you using the summoning gemstone, which is one of our country's treasures."

I don't understand what she is saying.

"Even if you say that, I'm just an ordinary salaryman. And I'm thirty-five years old, a middle-aged man."

"Salaryman? I don't know that term, but you don't look thirty-five at all. Is your race known for longevity? You look like a human to me."

―What is this girl talking about? I look like a middle-aged man, don't I?

I pinch my bangs.

They are silver. ...Silver? Why are they silver?

I look at myself in a panic.

I am wearing a robe over cloth clothes.

My slightly protruding belly is now tight and toned.

As I lift my shirt to look at my stomach, I am shocked, and the knights around me call out.

"What are you doing in front of the princess!"

The knights point their swords at me.

"No, no! I didn't mean to!"

I quickly pull my shirt down.

"It's understandable to be confused after being summoned. If you check your status, you should see the title 'Hero.' Please try it. You don't need to say it out loud; just think it in your head."

Status? Does this world have a status system like in the game?

"Status"

I think it in my head.

◇――――――――――――――――――――◇

【Name】Toya Kisaragi 【Race】Human 【Gender】Male 【Age】16

【Class】High Healer

【Title】Summoned One

【Level】1

【Special Skills】Divine Eye, All Attribute Magic Usable, All Skills Obtainable

【Skills】None

◇――――――――――――――――――――◇

A semi-transparent panel appears in my mind, and I check my status.

There is no mention of "Hero" anywhere.

"Is it there? The title should say 'Hero'..."

The princess looks at me with a worried face.

"...No, it doesn't say 'Hero.' It says 'Summoned One.'"

"―What...?"

At my words, the princess and everyone around her slump their shoulders.

"I didn't expect it to fail..."

I feel sorry for the sighs I hear around me.

―Am I no longer needed? What should I do with my silver hair and robe? Can I go home?

"Can I go back...?"

I ask the dejected princess.

She looks apologetic.

"Even without the title 'Hero,' it is said that all summoned individuals are of high level. You must be beyond level 100, which is considered the limit?"

"No, I'm level 1."

I crush the princess's slight hope.

"Level 1? Really?"

"Yes, level 1. But I have some skills..."

"Level 1!? You're no better than a toddler. The knights are better off."

A middle-aged man, presumably a noble, interrupts and shouts angrily.

"―I understand. I apologize for summoning you. The summoning gemstone is paired with a return gemstone, which can send you back to your original world. However, I can only use the summoning gemstone one more time today, as it only works when the moon is full. I can only use it once more. The return ceremony will be held tomorrow."

The apologetic princess suggests this.

"―I understand."

I nod, thinking that I can return tomorrow and that I want to check my current state.

The knight tells me to move away from the magic circle on the floor, and I decide to watch the summoning ceremony from the corner of the room.

The summoning ceremony resumes.

The summoning gemstone is placed in the center of the magic circle, and the princess infuses it with her magic power. As she continues to chant, the magic circle begins to glow, and the light gradually intensifies.

"The light is stronger than before. This might be..."

As the gemstone shatters, the room is filled with a blinding white light. I close my eyes due to the brightness.

The light fades, and the original world returns.

When I open my eyes, a young man with golden hair is lying on his back where the gemstone was placed.

The young man, dressed in luxurious silver armor, quickly wakes up and looks confused.

The knights around him are admiring his armor.

"What's going on? Why am I here? I was fighting a monster..."

The young man, who looks to be about twenty, is a beautiful youth.

He is more beautiful than any idol in Japan, with a face that looks like it was created with CG.

The princess, who had a different expression from before, approaches the young man with a blush.

"I apologize for the suddenness. Sir Hero, I am Princess Sharon von Generate..."

She repeats the same lines she said to me earlier.

The young man checks his status as instructed.

"The title says 'Hero' and 'Holy Knight.'"

The entire hall erupts in joy at his words.