“All right, I’ll go next. My name is Motoyasu Kitamura. I’m 21 and a college student.”
The Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura. He came off as light-hearted and kind, something like an older brother. His face was at least as well kept as Ren’s—the type of guy who was sure to have a girlfriend or two. He was probably around 170 centimeters. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I normally don’t like ponytails on men, but it seemed to suit him. Overall, he seemed like a caring older brother.
“Okay, my turn. I’m Itsuki Kawasumi. I’m 17 and still in high school.”
The Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi. He looked like the calm, piano-playing sort of character. How do I explain it? He seemed vain, and yet, at the same time, he held some unrevealed strength. There was something indefinite about him. Something vague. He was the shortest among us, probably somewhere around 155 centimeters. His hairstyle was slightly wavy, as if it had been permed. He was like a soft-spoken younger brother.
Apparently we were all Japanese. I would be pretty surprised if any of the others turned out not to be, anyway.
Oh, my turn already?
“I guess I’m last. My name is Naofumi Iwatani. I’m 20 years old and a college student.”
The king looked down at me condescendingly. I felt goose bumps crawl up and down my spine.
“Now then. Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, correct?”
“Your Grace, you’ve forgotten me.”
“Ah yes, pardon me, Mr. Naofumi.”
So the old guy was a little slow on the uptake. But you know . . . I was still feeling somehow out of place among them all there. And now he forgot to include me in such a short list?
“Now then, heroes, please confirm your status and give yourselves an objective evaluation.”
“Huh?”
What did he mean by status?!
“Excuse me, but how are we supposed to evaluate ourselves?” asked Itsuki.
Ren sighed loudly like he couldn’t be bothered to explain it to us. “You mean to say that you all haven’t figured it out yet? Didn’t you realize it the moment you arrived here?”
Oh come on. He just knew everything. Was that it? I guess he was some kind of genius.
“I mean,” he went on, “haven’t you noticed any weird icons hanging out in your peripheral vision?”
“Huh?”
But since he mentioned it . . . if you looked off vaguely toward the edges of your field of vision, there were little marks there. I could see them, too.
“Just focus your mind on that icon.”
I did, and I heard a soft beep, just like I was sitting in front of a computer, and the icon expanded to take over my field of vision. It was like opening an Internet browser.
Naofumi Iwatani
Class: Shield Hero LV 1
Equipment: Small Shield (legendary weapon)
Other-world clothes
Skills: none
Magic: none
There were still quite a few things listed, but I decided to ignore them for the moment. So this is what the king meant by status? Wait. Just what the hell was all this? It felt like I was in a game.
“Level 1 . . . That makes me nervous.”
“Good point. At this rate, who knows if we’ll even be able to fight at all?”
“What is all this?”
“Do these things not exist in your world, heroes? You are experiencing status magic. Everyone in this world can see and use it.”
“Really?”
I was amazed at how normal everyone seemed to think it was, this numerical expression of your physical body.
“And what are we supposed to do? These numbers seem awfully low.”
“Yes, well, you will need to go on a journey to further polish your abilities and to strengthen the legendary weapons you possess.”
“Strengthen them? You mean these things aren’t strong right from the get-go?”
“That is correct. The summoned heroes must raise their legendary weapons by themselves. That is how they will grow strong.”
Motoyasu was spinning his spear and thinking. “Why don’t we just use different weapons while these ones are bulking up? Seems smart to me.”
That did seem like a good idea. And besides, I was stuck with a shield, not even a weapon in its own right. I’d better get another weapon.
Ren cut in to clarify. “We can work all that out later on. Right now, we should focus on improving ourselves, just like the king has asked us to do.”
It was so exciting! We were heroes summoned from another world! It felt a little like manga, but any otaku worth his salt would jump at a chance like this. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t get myself to calm down. It looked like the other heroes around me felt the same way.
“Are we going to form a party? The four of us?”
“Wait just a moment, heroes.”
“Hm?”
Just as we were preparing to set out on an adventure, the king spoke again. “The four of you should set out separately to recruit your own companions.”
“Why is that?”
“According to the legends,” he began, “the legendary weapons you possess will interfere with one another should you form a party. Both your weapons and yourselves can only grow when you are apart from one another.”
“I don’t really understand all that, but if we stay together, we can’t level up, right?”
Huh? Everyone found instructions for their weapons. We all began to read at the same time.
Attention: the legendary weapons and their owners will experience adverse effects if they fight together.
Caution: it is preferable that the heroes remain separated when possible.
“I guess it’s true then . . .”
But why did all of this sound so much like a game? It was like I’d been transported into a game. Anyway, games don’t feel this real, and there were real humans living here, so I guess it was still a reality of one kind or another. Still, the system reminded me of a game nonetheless.
The instructions for the weapons went on at great length and detail, but there wasn’t enough time to read them right then.
“So you think we should try to form our own parties?”
“I will attempt to secure travel companions for you all. Regardless, evening draws near. Heroes, you should rest for the night and prepare for departure on the morrow. In the meantime, I will find companions for you from the village below.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Thanks.”
We all thanked the king and retired to our own rooms for the night.