Chapter 1

The smell of iron filled the air. Iron and smoke. The smoke was from the man in the room, Dante MacRory. He'd just lit a cigarette after he sat in his recliner. Relaxing after a long day was important, after all. As for the smell of iron…

"Grr…" He clenched his stomach as he tried to stand. The fridge still had some beer in it, and Dante really wished he grabbed a bottle before he sat down. He brought his hand up to his face and saw it coated in blood.

Guess that's not happening.

Dante had been shot. Movies try to glamorize the protagonist fighting through a gut shot to save the day. Honestly? Big enough round sitting in your stomach will keep you from moving around. Dying really sucked.

"Bet you know all about that, don't you?" Dante turned to the other person in the room, who lay on the ground, staring back at him. The fear and anger still plastered on his face as blood ran down his forehead to the floor. "Probably not. Lucky bastard."

It wasn't all bad. He was able to kill the man before he did Dante in. I should feel at least a little good about that. However, he couldn't help but turn his head to see the two bullet holes in his wall. One of said holes was made after the bullet had passed through some metal tubing he'd set on the table.

"Who the hell can get their hands on armor-piercing pistol rounds and miss two shots at fifteen feet? 'The hell did you get that stuff anyway? Eh, doesn't matter."

Dante wasn't really in any position to judge. Sure, he killed him in one shot after the man missed two and hit him in the gut with the third, but…well, that didn't matter either.

In a few minutes, he would be at peace.

…Thank god.

His vision had started to blur. It started to feel like things slowed down. One last drag on his cigarette, then—oh. He dropped it on the ground.

Damn. Oh well. I guess that's it then.

Darkness finally covered his vision.

And then…

Dante felt his body was moving. It felt as if he was falling. I suppose that's confirmation of where I'm headed.

But then, he slammed into the ground. He let out a groan as he tried to move.

"The summoning ritual was a success!" A voice called out.

He shifted on the floor to see who was talking. Several robed figures stood before him. Dante immediately reached into his jacket for his pistol, only to find it missing.

Right. I dropped it before I sat down. But…what exactly is going on here?

"Where are we?" A voice next to him called out.

He looked over and saw three men with weapons in their hands. No, not men. Two of them looked to be teenagers. They all seemed to be eastern as well. Maybe Japanese?

It was the boy with a sword in his hand who had spoken. He had short black hair and wore a blue jacket. The sword had some sort of blue gem near the hilt. Wait, why does this seem familiar?

"Oh heroes, please save our world!" The robed man in front said.

Dante began to stand as the man continued.

"Our world stands at the brink of destruction. We summoned you four heroes to help us in our time of need."

"Summoned?" The blonde man with a spear voiced Dante's thought. He wore a red jacket and the gem near the end of his spear held a similarly colored gem.

Wait a minute. Dante looked to the last one standing with them and, sure enough, it was a boy with short blond hair and a bow. Then, for me…

Dante had a shield connected to his arm.

This…This is Rising of the Shield Hero…

What the hell is this? Is this my brain shutting down and remembering this book series?

…Or is this actually hell…

Either way, maybe I should go with it. I can figure this out later.

"Yes, Sir Hero. Please, lend us your strength."

If Dante remembered correctly, then…

"I don't think so." The boy with the sword, Ren, said.

"Yeah, me neither." Motoyasu voiced next.

"We can go back to our world, right? We'll talk about your problems after that." Itsuki said.

Yeah, there it was. Really, the arrogance on these guys was something else. Those three died to get here, so what would they be going back to? Aside from their corpses.

Well, Dante died too, but he wasn't the one making a fool of himself. Most people would be thankful to have a second chance at life. Most people.

Ren pointed his sword at the lead robed man. "Don't you feel any guilt for calling people into your world without their permission?"

"Besides," Itsuki added in, "even if we save you and bring peace to your world, you'll just send us back home, right? That just sounds like a job to me."

Motoyasu gave a quick twirl of his spear. "I wonder how much you've considered our opinion on this. I wonder how it could be worth our while. Depending on how the conversation goes, keep in mind that we might end up enemies of your world."

Dante couldn't recall exactly how the conversation went in the books, but that sounded about right. Ah, Naofumi initially said he would listen to them, right? Should Dante? Well, it probably wouldn't make a difference.

"We would like you heroes to speak with our king." The robed man said. "He will discuss your compensation."

The other three gave their half-hearted responses and they were all escorted out of the room.

As they made our way down the spiraling stairs, Dante took a look out the window. A sprawling city in a medieval setting was what greeted him.

Yeah, I really am in Shield Hero, huh?

Wait, was that a circus tent? Ah! That's right! What's his name…Beloukas! That's his monster and slave tent. Well, I know where I'll be going tomorrow. Or the day after. I should start thinking of a plan.

They arrived in the throne room, where Aultcray sat on his throne. The Queen's empty throne sat next to him.

"So, these are the four holy heroes?" He said, gazing at them. "My name is Aultcray Melromarc the Thirty-Second, and I rule these lands. Heroes, name yourselves."

Well, here we go.

"My name is Amaki Ren, sixteen years old, high-school student."

Huh. Dante heard his family name first. The holy weapons translated for them, but English had the given name before the family name. Was it because he knew how Japanese names are said? Thoughts for later.

"I'm Kitamura Motoyasu, twenty-one, and a university student."

"I'm next then. I am Kawasumi Itsuki, seventeen years old, and a high-school student as well."

Well, I might as well.

"I'm-"

"I see." The king said over him. "Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki."

Dante saw that coming a mile away.

"Excuse me, your highness. You've forgotten me."

The king looked down at him. It wasn't quite with disdain, more like indifference. "Ah, yes. Pardon me."

"Dante MacRory, twenty-eight, bodyguard." He almost didn't bother. It would be pretty weird when the four of them talked later and they didn't know his name. Actually, that might have worked in his favor. Crap.

The king, however, gave him a strange look for a moment before returning to address everyone.

"Now then, I will explain our situation to the four of you."

The story was about what Dante remembered. The waves brought monsters that attacked everything in sight. One village was already destroyed and the knights and adventurers were only barely able to fend it off. The dragon hourglass predicts when the wave will appear.

It was a good refresher.

"Alright, I think we get the gist of it." Motoyasu said. "But what's in it for us?"

Ren took a step forward. "You don't expect us to work for free, do you?"

"I wouldn't want to do all this work and then be sent away when I'm done." Itsuki finished.

Yep. The novelty of their antics finally wore off. The king promised to support them financially and reward them when the waves were defeated. The others gave their self-important agreements. He had them check their status to confirm their standing as heroes.

It was a bit strange to see this information pop up like it did.

Dante MacRory

Class: Shield Hero LV 1

Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Weapon), Otherworld clothes, Otherworld armor, Otherworld item, Otherworld item

Skills: None

Magic: None

Huh. Neat.

After they confirmed their status, and the fact that they couldn't form a party with the four of them, the king told them to rest for the evening and set out with provided party members tomorrow.

A maid came forward and escorted them to their rooms. On the way, Dante noticed the other three giving him a strange look. Well, I am the only American with the others being Japanese, so it isn't really unexpected.

After being shown their rooms, they decided to meet in Motoyasu's to talk about everything that had happened. They sat around and ate the food the maid had brought them for supper, if his terminology was right.

I have to say, it was pretty good, if not a little strange. The others voiced similar things.

"Man, I can't believe we're actually here." Motoyasu said. "To be in Emerald Online like this is crazy."

"Emerald Online?" Ren looked over at him. "This is Brave Star Online."

"What? I've never heard of that game. This is definitely Emerald Online!"

"This looks more like Dimension Wave to me." Itsuki added in.

Right. These three played games that were similar to this world before. Dante wasn't sure what he should say.

"What about you, Dante?" Motoyasu asked. "Doesn't this game seem like Emerald Online to you?"

Well, guess I need to talk now. Damn. I need to come up with a plan.

"Sorry, I don't know about any of those games. Honestly, I'm still a little shocked I'm not dead."

Maybe he could lead with this.

"Oh, you died too?" Itsuki asked.

"Wait, both of you died too?" Motoyasu looked between the both of them. "Then, Ren?"

Ren gave a nod.

"Man. So, how did everyone die?" Motoyasu asked. He continued before anyone could answer. "I had a couple of girlfriends who found out about each other and, well…" He gave his side a quick rub.

Yeah, that sounded right.

Itsuki began next. "As for me, I was on my way home from school when a truck came racing down the road. Next thing I know…"

Again, that's about what Dante remembered. As for Ren…

"I got caught up in a murder case on my way home. I was able to save my friend, but…"

None of them were exactly happy about how they got here. Not that Dante was surprised.

"How about you?" Motoyasu turned to face Dante.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Someone was waiting for me when I got home. He shot me in the gut before I shot him back in the head. I sat in my recliner as I bled out over the next few minutes."

The look of horror on their faces was pretty funny.

"Americans are scary." Motoyasu concluded.

"You think so?" Dante asked. Was it really that bad?

"Is it true that all Americans carry a gun?" Itsuki asked. Dante wasn't that surprised by the question. Didn't America have more guns than people?

"Maybe in more rural areas, but some states have more restrictions than others. I think New York City takes a few months to get a license to carry, while other areas don't have any requirement, aside from passing a background check. Where I lived, I could go into a gun store and be out with a gun and ammo in under fifteen minutes."

They looked even more frightened than before. If Dante came from a country with really strict gun laws, he'd probably be scared too.

"It's still weird that you owned a gun." Motoyasu said. "Don't you have to be twenty or something?"

"I think eighteen is the adult age in America." Itsuki added. "Still, for you to own one…"

Was Dante missing something here? "What are you guys talking about? I'm twenty-eight, and I said I'm a bodyguard." Former bodyguard, at any rate.

There it was again. The strange looks.

Ren shook his head. "I don't know why you're making that up."

"Maybe it's an American thing?" Motoyasu chimed in.

"What is?" Dante felt like they were talking around what they meant.

"You look to be my age, maybe slightly older." Itsuki pointed out.

Have they never seen an American before? No, that can't be it. They must have seen Americans on TV before. Even considering different ethnicities, there's no way he'd be confused with a teenager.

"Is this some Japanese joke I'm not understanding?" Dante wouldn't say he's well versed in Japanese culture, but he knew a decent amount.

Motoyasu looked at the other two. "I think he's serious. Maybe he doesn't know?" He stood from his bed and walked to the nightstand. He brought a mirror back with him. "Here."

One look in the mirror was all it took for Dante to understand. His face wasn't how he remembered it. Well, it was, but much younger. He looked to be a teenager, maybe seventeen, like Itsuki said. Hell, his hair was about as long as it was back then too, going down just past his shoulders. Mom always liked that. Said I looked like her brother when he was young.

Dante set the mirror down and gave his arms a flex. While he couldn't see the muscles under his jacket, they were definitely there. Not as big as before, but bigger than when he was this age.

"Well, this is pretty strange." Was there some sort of age limit for summoned heroes? Another thought for later. Or never. Of all the things he needed to think about, his age was near the bottom of the list.

But wait…seventeen. It was around that time that…yeah, really don't want to think about that.

"Guess I have no real way to prove it, but I am twenty-eight. Maybe being murdered in my own home got me a small bonus?" He did feel a bit more energetic since he arrived here, but he assumed it was the shock of it all.

"I suppose it doesn't matter either way." Ren concluded. The cool guy act was a bit annoying, but Dante was happy enough to move the conversation along.

"Anyway, about this new world we find ourselves in." Dante wanted to steer the conversation in the right direction. "Any of you have any tips for someone completely new to all this?" Really, he just wanted some XP farming areas. He could be like Naofumi and stick to the fields and forest, but he wanted to be a bit more prepared.

"I think I can help you with that, little guy." Motoyasu joked. Dante could already tell this would be a reoccurring thing with him. That was, until two days from now, when he was framed for rape.

The three of them preceded to tell Dante of a few hunting grounds for monsters, as well as a few other bits of information, like possibly going to an adventurer's guild or town message board for quests. He was a little surprised Ren and Itsuki helped. Dante was under the impression they'd be a bit more arrogant about it, though he supposed that was when they all had their hero meeting. That was, what, three months after being here? They would probably be set in their ways by then.

"Got it. Thanks, this will really help."

"Of course!" Motoyasu beamed. "Besides, we can't have you falling too far behind us, what with you being the shielder and all."

There it is.

"What do you mean?" Dante decided to play along.

"Well, you see, the shielder class is good at the beginning, but, well…"

Dante nodded in understanding. "It plateaus or drops off, right?"

"Yeah."

Dante looked to Ren and Itsuki. They both nodded.

Motoyasu went on. "You see, your defense should be really good right now, and it will stay good for a while, but monsters will start overpowering your defense before too long. By late game, you won't be able to do much."

"It's the same in Brave Star Online."

"Dimension Wave has that problem too."

"I see." The shield wouldn't be much of a holy weapon if it was that useless in the end. Dante didn't think he should say that here, but maybe…

"In that case," Dante stood from his chair, "I'll just have to do more than defend."

"What, like attack?" Motoyasu held back a laugh.

"Not at all. There's more to combat than simply attacking and defending. There's skills and magic, if my status magic is to be believed. Also," he gestured towards Motoyasu, "there's combat techniques and strategy. Can I give a demonstration?"

Motoyasu stood as well. "Alright. What do you want me to do?"

"Thrust your spear at me."

That got a reaction out of him. "You sure?"

Dante smiled. "Positive."

A little unsure, Motoyasu took a simple stance with his spear. When he thrust forward, Dante quickly moved out of the spear's path and got right in front of him. He grabbed ahold of his right arm and patted him on his shoulder.

"Done."

Motoyasu raised an eyebrow at Dante. "Done?"

"Done."

Motoyasu shook his head. "I don't get it. All you did was grab my arm. All I have to do is-"

When he tried to pull away, Dante followed with him. After a couple more attempts, he pushed against him with his other arm, until Dante grabbed that as well.

"What are you doing?" He was starting to get annoyed.

"Two things. First, I'm proving a point that shielders can be useful in other ways than just defending. Second…" He slipped behind Motoyasu and put his arms around his and behind his neck. "To show you your weapon's weakness."

"Come on, let go!" Motoyasu wriggled around, but Dante's hold stayed firm.

"The spear is a good weapon." Dante explained. "There's a reason it was used from ancient times until gunpowder, even then changing to a pike. Being able to hit enemies from a farther distance is a great advantage, but it's also a weakness. Once someone or something gets past the danger zone, the spear suddenly becomes a stick."

Dante released him from his hold. He didn't look to happy about the whole thing.

"I'm not trying to make fun of you. I just wanted to show you what I could do later on if taking hits was no longer an option. If my party and I are fighting a group of monsters, I can single out the most dangerous one while they deal with the rest."

"I can do that too!" Motoyasu all but yelled.

"True, but as I just demonstrated, I prevented you from moving. Unless you're willing to get that close, and give up the primary benefit of using a spear, whatever you're fighting will have the option to move around and change targets, or run away if it's smart enough."

"Yeah, okay. Fine." Damn, he was still sore about it.

"Hey now, don't take it too hard. Just consider it a bit of ribbing from a fellow easy weapon wielder. If anything, I'm more concerned about Itsuki and Ren."

"What's that?" Ren snapped up. Was it really that big of a deal?

"What do you mean by that?" Itsuki added.

"I mean no offense." Dante said as he raised his hands. "The sword is a more difficult weapon to learn, and the bow even more so. I suppose you'd be fine if you took archery or…what is it called, Kendo?"

Itsuki nodded along. "I was in archery club at school for a time, so I should be fine."

Not really the same as killing monsters that fall from a hole in the sky, but Dante didn't want to say anything like that.

Ren just crossed his arms. "I was one of the top players in Brave Star Online. I'll be more than fine."

Dante gave him a shrug. "I mean, wasn't that just a video game?"

He just shook his head. "It's a VRMMO."

"VR…Ah, I see. Maybe you are the best off out of the four of us."

That got a smile on his face. It was small and it disappeared after a moment, but it was there.

"Wait, VR?" Motoyasu perked back up. "As in, virtual reality? You have something like that."

"Huh, what do you mean? Isn't that pretty common?" Ren asked.

Well, this seemed like a good time to head off. Dante said goodnight to the boys and headed for his room. While that wasn't really a masterful deception, he did get some good information out of them. He thought he ended with a somewhat positive standing with them. Motoyasu may be annoyed, but he should get over it.

Eddy would definitely have something say about how I handled that.

With that done, Dante could check out a few things. First, he took off his leather jacket. He felt around the bullet proof vest he was wearing. Dante couldn't feel where the bullet had passed through, so it might have repaired itself before he was summoned here. His status magic didn't give him any bonus to defense from the armor, so it was probably useless. Still, he might be able to sell it. I think Erhard worked on some things from Glass' world, so there's that.

Next, Dante took out his cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He looked inside and saw his remaining twelve sticks.

This is going to be a shitty next few weeks. And I'm about to make it even shittier.

He pulled one of the sticks out and fed it to the shield. It didn't seem to have enough material, so he fed it another. Then another.

You're killing me, Shield!

After the fourth stick was fed to it, he got a notification. Two shields were revealed to him.

Leaf Shield (LV locked)

(abilities locked) equip bonus: gathering skill +1

…Well, fuck you too, Shield. Had I known, I wouldn't have wasted four cigarettes. Wait, what was the other shield?

Filtration Shield (LV locked)

(abilities locked) equip bonus: poison resistance (tiny), skill "Detect Poison"

…I'm pretty sure cigarette filters don't actually protect you in any way, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Anyway, Dante couldn't remember how Naofumi got that skill before, so this was very much welcome. Now to give it a try.

When he willed his shield to change, he got a notice.

Insufficient level

That was odd. Now that he thought about it, Dante didn't recall Naofumi saying the names of shields he couldn't use. Just that he wasn't high enough level. Maybe he could see them, but didn't bother saying anything since he couldn't use them. Well, Dante could see them, but he didn't see a level requirement.

There was one more shield he could unlock. He reached inside his jacked and pulled out the extra magazine he had. Dante detached a few bullets and fed them to the shield. After the third one, he got a notification.

Bullet Shield (LV locked)

(abilities locked) equip bonus: attack bonus (tiny)

He was a little surprised that worked. The stats on the shield weren't too great, but just like the Leaf Shield and Filtration Shield, he cared more about the equip bonuses.

Speaking of which, didn't the equip bonuses look a little strange? Dante thought they were supposed to give a number, not 'tiny' or anything like that. Wasn't that just for equipment and such? Maybe I'm remembering that wrong.

Now then, on to the main issue. What do I do about the trial?

Honestly, there isn't much he could do. Even if he somehow got the others on his side, that wouldn't end well for them. The king could just kill them all and summon new heroes, if the Reprise web novel was any indication. Man, I'm glad I read through all that. Really, he wished he had a spear wielding madman to help him going forward. That could really make his time here that much more-

Wait. Sadeena! How could he forget about that harpoon wielding juggernaut?! Wasn't she supposed to be in Lurolona around this time? Okay, this changes things.

First thing he did should be to find and recruit her. If he mentioned Raphtalia, that should be enough to at least get her attention. But with the rape accusation happening in a couple days, when should he search her out? Maybe he could travel there real quick and leave a note. A note written by someone who spoke Melromarc's language. How far was Lurolona from here anyway?

This could have a lot of moving parts. Dante thought he should sleep on this. Whatever the case, he definitely had a leg up on the other three. Aside from a high level fighter, he had access to all the power up methods, including the vassal weapons.

Wait…how did those three power up their weapons again?

…Crap. I need to figure a lot of shit out.