The Beginning of It All.
Rob Freeman is the name of our protagonist, and he is a common weeb.
As a weeb, his passion lies in the popular subculture of Japan, such as Anime, Manga, and novels (both light and web versions).
He also enjoys movies, games, comic/manhua/manhwa, and fanfics.
However, his true passion lies in adult-themed entertainment, such as h-anime, h-manga, and erotic literature.
Yes, he is perverted. His collections that have consumed more than a hundred GB of his external hard disk are proof of that.
He isn't ashamed to admit it because it's how he is. Why would he feel ashamed and deny a part of him?
Besides that, he is somewhat reclusive. He lives alone in the suburbs.
He rarely goes out. Unless he has important things to do outside the house, he prefers to stay at home.
He doesn't work outside. He is quite skilled and lucky in online business and bitcoins trading.
Though he can't say he's overly successful in that field, he earns enough money to support himself with a little extra to save.
He's still single despite already in his late twenties. He also has no plans to get married.
He doesn't want a relationship like that and the problems it brings to interfere with his comfortable lifestyle.
Unless he meets a pretty, sexy, and wealthy woman around his age who doesn't mind his lifestyle and is willing to take care of him, he'll probably stay single to old age.
However, he's not a virgin. Nowadays, you can get a bed partner, from a teen to an adult woman, as long as you know the number to call and have the money to pay her service.
As stated before, he's perverted. Therefore, his bottom line is quite low.
However, he's recently addicted to Isekai stories and self-inserted fanfics. He likes that kind of literature because he can put himself in the place of the main character who is overly powerful and has cheat powers.
That kind of protagonist, combined with how he can live as he pleases in another world, is very addictive and enjoyable.
It's better than dwelling on an unfair, harsh, dreary, and somewhat dull reality.
Therefore, he won't mind getting transported to another world if he can have cheat powers that turn him overly powerful like the protagonists in Isekai stories and self-inserted fanfics.
Otherwise, he prefers to stay in his original world to enjoy his lifestyle as a weeb.
Nevertheless, he was binge-reading some self-inserted fanfics that night.
When he finally felt sleepy, he decided to stop and charge his smartphone.
After that, he went to sleep, expecting that he would wake up, as usual, the next day.
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Rob Freeman, who had just regained consciousness, woke up to the incoherent murmurs of the people around him. Realizing he wasn't alone, he immediately sobered up.
After opening his eyes, he blinked in surprise. 'Did I get transmigrated to another world as someone else?'
He couldn't help but draw a conclusion like that. After all, his situation reminded him of the opening scenes in many Isekai stories and self-inserted fanfics.
First of all, he discovered his bangs were longer than they should have been. It was the typical hentai protagonist's hairstyle that covered his upper face.
Second, his hair color had changed. It was currently black.
Third, he didn't feel his soft, fluffy bed beneath him. Instead, he felt the cold, hard floor.
Last, he didn't see his bedroom ceiling. Instead, he saw a dome ceiling far above him.
That all made Rob wonder if he had gotten transmigrated to another world as someone else.
To figure out if that all was a dream or reality, Rob decided to pinch his cheek as hard as he could. But, he immediately regretted it.
'Ouch! Damn it! It hurts so much!' Rob complained in his mind while rubbing his sore cheek.
Then, Rob froze when he noticed his situation didn't change.
'Holy shit! I did get transmigrated for real!'
Rob had mixed feelings about that. However, he somehow got his composure back.
Rob decided to sit up and observe his surroundings. He immediately found many strangers standing around him.
Those strangers seemed to be Japanese teenagers. However, their hair and irises were colorful, not the typical Asian characteristics he knew, such as black hair and dark irises.
Nevertheless, what caught Rob's attention the most was their uniforms.
That uniform consisted of a light blue blazer over a white shirt and a gray bottom (trousers for boys, and pleated miniskirts for girls). On top of that, the boys had a dark blue tie with slanted red-and-white stripes, while the girls had a red bow tie.
'It's the uniform of the summoned students in the arifureta series, isn't it? So, am I in the world of Arifureta? Well, yeah, it looks like it. But, when is this?'
After discovering where he was, Rob gave himself a brief cursory inspection. 'I also wear the same uniform, so I've indeed taken over one of the summoned students. Does this mean I have indirectly killed this unknown guy?'
Rob felt uncomfortable with that assumption. 'Nah, I didn't ask for this, so this wasn't my fault! Yup!'
After that, Rob continued checking his surroundings. A shorter-than-average Japanese woman immediately caught his attention.
That woman had green irises and brown hair in a bob style. She wore a pink blazer over a white shirt with a white bow tie and a gray pencil skirt.
'That shorty must be Aiko Hatayama. I have to admit that she's pretty cute. Unfortunately, I'm not into loli, no matter how legal she is. I'm a proud member of the 'mature women with a thicc body' faction, after all!'
Rob soon stopped checking Aiko and continued observing his surroundings.
Looks like Rob and the summoned heroes (well, kidnapped earthlings, really) were on a type of plinth in a majestic room that seemed to be the inside of a cathedral.
Besides that, Rob saw many pillars with intricate engravings. They towered above everything in the room and rose to the dome ceiling above.
Rob also saw a wide painting, around 10 meters wide. It showed a figure with long blond hair, an unidentifiable gender, and outstretched arms as if the depicted figure tried to reach the mountains, lakes, and rivers painted in the background.
It was a piece of awe-inspiring art. However, seeing it made Rob feel uneasy.
'Maybe it's because I know the drawn guy's identity and true nature,' Rob mulled it over.
Yes, the figure depicted in the painting was Ehit, the self-styled God of the world of Tortus. He was also the last boss in the main series of 'Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest.'
On top of that, Ehit was a sadistic bastard that toyed with all living beings in Tortus for his sick amusement.
Rob paused, followed by feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach. He finally realized that he was in the headquarter of the religion worshiping Ehit.
Besides that, one of Ehit's fake Angels should be there posing as a silver-haired nun.
'Okay! Keep calm! No need to freak out and attract undue attention! Don't give them any reason to arrest you, me! Dying is a far better alternative than what I may experience if I ever get caught by Ehit!'
Somehow, Rob managed to stop himself from falling into a panic. Then, he decided to think of something else to take his mind off any distressing topic.
'Oh, yeah! Whose body am I inhabiting right now?'
Rob began collecting clues about the identity of the person whose body he inhabited.
Surprisingly, it isn't hard to figure out. There is only one male with the hairstyle typical of a hentai protagonist!
'I transmigrated as Kousuke Endou, huh?'
After realizing whose body he was occupying, Rob wryly smiled. 'Of all male students, why must it be him?'
Do not take it wrong. As a fan of the arifureta series, Rob loved Kousuke Endou (As a character! No homo, okay!). After all, Kousuke was a funny character.
However, transmigrating as Kousuke is a different matter. Rob could see the headache he'd face because of Kousuke's Presence Isolation that he inherited.
'Oh, well, at least, I didn't inhabit Kouki's body. I didn't want to be that bastard's target!'
Suddenly, Rob heard a jingling sound. He tried to look at the source, but the students in front of him blocked his view.
After moving aside slightly, Rob finally saw many priests lined up below the plinth, their arms crossed in front of their chests as if praying. Some had a stave with flat disks dangling on the top end.
One of the priests, looking older than his colleagues, climbed the stairs of the plinth to reach the kidnapped earthlings. His stave was the source of the jingling voices that caught Rob's attention.
The old priest wore a white robe with intricate gold embroidery and a papal hat around 30 centimeters tall. His robe seemed more luxurious than what his colleagues wore.
Rob could guess the old priest's identity right away. 'Ishtar Langbard, the head honcho of the religion that worshiped that bastard, huh?' he thought with a nod.
Ishtar soon stopped in front of the kidnapped earthlings and said, "Welcome to Tortus, O Brave Heroes. It is our pleasure to welcome you here. I am the pope of the Holy Church. My name is Ishtar Langbard. It is an honor to make your acquaintances."