Chapter 001: An Unexpected Opportunity

Author: WolfSpatial

Co-Author: Lucifer

[Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them.]

•••••

I had never given much thought as to why anime characters had colored hair. Maybe it was because they were the main character, or important to the story and that difference in color helped to set them out against the backdrop of dark and colorless people with no hope for the future.

Whatever the reason, I found myself going all the way in my pursuit of becoming that main character. My hair, eyebrows, even my… less lit places, were dyed a very dark green in my attempt.

My long, black, free-flowing robes were made from a light, airy fabric that felt cool and comfortable against my skin – I wasn't wearing anything underneath it except underwear. The material draped elegantly over my body, creating a graceful silhouette. They were loose and billowy, allowing me to move freely and flexibly. It was designed to hug my neck without feeling suffocating or itchy, which was a large bonus because my skin was sensitive to friction.

The black color created a contrast to my skin, which never saw the light of day, and made me stand out a fair amount. I felt that the robes create a powerful, enigmatic impression and suggested I was confident, – I wasn't – sophisticated, – Only my search history – and perhaps a bit dangerous – Only to cotton candy.

I wore a black felt eyepatch over my left eye, and though it covered the red contact I had put in, I still felt the plot armor building around me. I wielded a wood staff that looked like a large red and black spider attached to the end of a black and crimson rod.

In the center of the spider shape was a large blood-red orb made of plastic that reflected light well, so I just grabbed it from my neighbor's trash and carved it into a ball. The legs, being completely symmetrical, extended out like pincers on the top and extended upwards. The next set extended out about an inch below that and curved upwards like a blade.

After that, the legs extended out to the side, though they turned upwards shortly after. The second to last set curved down toward the rod of the staff and looked like crude swords that an orc might wield. The last set of legs was only about two-and-a-half inches long and look like the pointed end of a scorpion's tail.

The rod itself was thin where it connected to the crimson orb and widened out before tapering as it went down. It connected to a piece of black wood that got larger as it reached down to another section of crimson. That last piece of crimson maintained its width as it reached a second crimson orb which connected to a final point at the bottom of the staff.

I truly felt like the protagonist of an anime, and I got looks of appreciation as my staff tapped across the concrete floor of the convention hall. Despite the smell – lesser characters didn't bathe often – I strut my stuff with a smile.

It was initially weird walking around with an eyepatch on, but I had practiced for two weeks before the convention in preparation. I looked like a natural, not bumping into anything on my left side, as I made sure to steer clear of it before it reached me.

I looked around the convention, going from stall to stall and staring at the occasional female that wore a Ryuuko cosplay. Most of them wore the skirt – hot – and one wore the, much more revealing, combat armor. She caught a lot of attention – she wasn't my type, though. I liked women who didn't display themselves in pursuit of vanity and attention.

I sighed, not finding any real-life waifus for me to claim like my Dating Simulator. Seems I would be going back home to stare at Sayori again. Truly a woman worth millions.

I had modded the game to allow me to save her and enslave Monika for my own purposes of ensuring that Sayori lived the best life she could as a figment of my imagination.

When I first witnessed her suicide, I almost wrote a flaming review that was sure to send the company bankrupt by my three whole Steam followers. But, I restrained myself and simply played the game up to that point again and again. Just to hear her voice and see her face.

Then, I found the miracle of mods and saved my beautiful waifu. It was a shame that no girl here could ever compare to her. Or so I thought.

There was a single girl, maybe a year younger than me. She was petite and had bright pink hair that fell down in soft curls around her face and shoulders. It was half-up, half-down tied with a ribbon.

She wore green contacts that made her eyes big, bright, and full of intellect. I couldn't tell if she had used makeup, but her skin was fair and flawless and she had a small nose with a slightly rounded chin.

She wore a white blouse with a blue vest, a short blue skirt, and knee-high white socks.

She was perfect, but she had a boyfriend. Or, at least, she was walking around with a boy in tow. He was strange, wearing a tracksuit to a convention.

So, unless he was cosplaying a worthless NEET wannabe… she could do much better than him. Not me, obviously. She wouldn't be able to deal with me saving the world, but she could do better than him.

I yawned, bored of the constant assault on my nose, and sat on a bench near the tall wall of the convention center.

Setting my staff between my legs, I leaned it toward me and nestled it into the crook between my right shoulder and my neck. I was tired, evidenced by my yawn, so I leaned my head against the wall for a split second before my eye burned with the desire to be set free.

It was then I realized my eye actually was burning. It wasn't an intense burn fueled by anything special, but it stung and the small throes of pain made me cover my eyepatch with my left hand.

I found myself standing in the center of a large stone room with four other people. It then dawned on me that, for all of my jokes about becoming the main character and being special, I really was the main character.

Clearly, the people I had been summoned with were new to their items; a sword, spear, bow, and small shield. Whereas, I had nothing new. My staff, robes, hair, eyepatch; all of it was the same. That meant I was perfect as I was.

I squeezed my fists in excitement, finding it odd that my staff no longer had the wooden grain that once ran along its length, 'So even my weapon was perfected.'

The room boasted an impressive height and overall width, being about four times the size of my bedroom, and the architecture itself was nothing to scoff at. I could see that great detail had been put into the arching ceiling, the carved marble pillars, even the circular red carpet that sat beneath me.

I let out a deep chuckle as the other four collected themselves and looked towards me, "So… hahaha, you have summoned me?"

"Uh," A priestly looking man off to the side looked nervous — making me feel better — and stepped forward, "I'm sorry we weren't able to ask your permission, Great Heroes. Please forgive us."

"It's-" I cut off the twink with the bow.

"Think nothing of it," I swiped my hand in front of me, "I am the great, magnanimous, benevolent, Jayce Fateweaver. For what reason have you summoned us, O Priest?"

Three smacks resounded loudly, causing me to side eye the other summons. They clearly weren't as cultured as me — or the one that held the shield, it seemed. I grinned, my white teeth dazzling all who saw.

I took a closer look at the Shield boy, his black hair and slanted eyes making me think he was from the motherland of culture. Of course, I meant he was Japanese.

The Japanese were my second favorite, right after the Germans. Only because the Germans had cool looking uniforms for a while.

But I digress. He was a taller boy — taller than me anyhow — and looked around with the reserved look of a lonely college student who had stayed up last night studying for a history exam.

Other than that, his black hair was spiky — meaning he used gel or it was naturally so — and his green eyes flicked to me after he was done scanning everyone else. I gave him a single nod, hoping he would understand our newfound camaraderie.

"I do apologize, Sir Fateweaver," The Priest bowed to me slightly, his nervousness evident as he spoke, "We were not expecting more than four heroes. We… are ashamed to admit that we don't know anything about your legend."

"Why would you?" My chuckle resounded again, causing the Priest to look up at me in confusion, "I am not one to be stated in your small legends and stories. I am of the bigger picture. I am not bound by your beliefs or the rules of your world!"

He shrunk back at my shout, though the sword, spear, and bow heroes groaned at my display of verbal prowess.

"The King would still like to meet you," The Priest seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, though his graying hair and saggy skin told me that he wouldn't be around for too much longer, "All of you."

The Priest moved next to a large dark oaken door, which I noted was one of two doors that seemed to lead away from the room.

I could see him glance at the Shield Hero, his eyes holding something I couldn't place. It felt like… something, I don't know.

"My name is Itsuki, by the way." The bow user, a small twink — being about five-two — with light brownish-blonde hair and greenish-diarrhea colored eyes, stepped up to me and held out his hand to shake, "I thought the way you dealt with our summoning was cool."

"I'm Ren," The swordsman, a man about five-foot-four, with smooth black hair and blue eyes that screamed 'I'm pure, please ruin me,' spoke but did not extend his hand.

I ignored the duo, as they weren't worth my time yet, and looked toward the spear user who looked around in thought. He was the second tallest of our group, being a good bit shorter than the Shield Hero but still taller than me. They all seemed older than me, yet I still stood at five-foot-five, which was taller than Ren and Itsuki.

"Motoyasu…" He felt his chest as he spoke, making me think that maybe he was having a heart attack. He was a bit young to be having one, but certain vaccines were known to cause such things even in young people.

My eyes flicked to the Shield Hero who stood separate from the four of us. I walked over to him and released my staff from my right hand. It floated in place, causing me to smile and extend that hand for him to shake, "I'm Jayce."

"Naofumi Iwatani…" He gripped my hand and I found myself unable to even shift the skin of his hand with all of my strength.

"You're truly a proper Shield Hero," He seemed to shy away from my compliment, causing me to pull my hand away and turn toward the Priest. I grabbed my staff and began walking.

I could see Itsuki looking at me strangely from the corner of my right eye as I walked past him. The Priest opened the door, letting me view a large open corridor of walls lined with paintings, suits of armor, knights — which looked like the empty suits of armor, a nice touch — and some people wearing expensive clothes who gawked at us behind their champagne glasses and fold up fans.

"Please," The Priest began walking down the corridor, showcasing us to, who I assumed to be, nobles, "Follow me."

The path to the next area was fraught with danger, multiple sets of eyes scanning my body and looking for a piece of meat that they could cling onto. I wouldn't let them, or their rather beautiful daughters, get a piece of me before I found my perfect waifu who loved me and let me give her plenty of head pats.

The Priest stopped in front of an even larger wooden double door with intricate carvings and two silver handles. He stopped and turned to us, "Please be respectful in front of the King. I don't know how he will take the news of you being here, Sir Fateweaver."

"I'm sure it will be fine," I couldn't help but sink into my role as a powerful Mage who demanded great respect and commanded immense strength, "Let us proceed."

I could almost feel Itsuki's eyes beaming into the back of my head, his pupils seeming to turn into stars. It almost felt like he wanted to say something, but he restrained himself.

The Priest sighed, "I see… very well then."

He pushed open the door, and entered. The first thing I noticed was the grandeur and sheer size of the room. I didn't think that a society of such limited technology could've produced this.

It was simply massive, with a high-vaulted ceiling which seemed to reach the sky. Walls lined with polished stone that gave the room an imposing, regal feel.

At the far end of the room sat a grand throne made of gleaming gold, ornately decorated with carvings that shamed the wooden door and precious stones along the top of the backboard. The throne was raised on a dais, making it the centerpiece of the room and the ultimate symbol of power.

Standing along the sides of the throne room were rows of soldiers in armor that outshined the ones in the hallway. They stood at attention, weapons at their sides watching us as we approached. Their armor was polished to a shine, and their helmets gleamed in the flickering light of the torches above them. They looked to be a formidable presence, a reminder for those seeking an audience with the King of the Kingdom's might and power.

Our footsteps echoed through the vast space and the smell of incense and subtle fragrances filled my nose. It made the tip of it twitch in discomfort at the sudden bombardment of different scents.

Sitting on the throne was a confident old man — it was always an old man — with long white hair and striking purple eyes. He looked regal, yet condescending as he stared down at us from his raised platform. He wore purple robes with white fur along the edges and a golden crown that housed violet jewels.

"The fou- five heroes!" A man proclaimed as we neared. I could see the Spear, Sword, and Shield kneel to the King, whereas Itsuki followed after me nervously and stood.

"Are you not aware of our customs?" The King questioned, sitting slightly forward on his throne, "You're supposed to kneel to royalty."

"I am aware of the customs of lesser beings," I nodded, staring up at him and meeting his gaze, "But I do not bend to them."

He flinched as our eyes met, showing me that he relished his power but feared those with more than him. His right hand clenched into a fist, "Are you challenging the authority of the Crown?"

"I'm not challenging your authority." I spread my arms wide, showing my presence to the world, "I'm completely denying its existence."