Volume 1: Encounter with the Malice and Ignorance of the Beginning

Chapter 1

“Alright, it’s decided, right? So, what will you wish for? Your wishes can’t overlap, and if they result in the same outcome, that’s considered overlapping too. What do you wish for? You could even wish ‘Kill the ones who went ahead’ and wipe out the people who betrayed you. Look, it’s exactly ten characters long.”

A literal “whisper of the devil.”

The wishes are restricted to ten characters.

If the others already made their wishes, then I… well, I wouldn’t go as far as wishing to kill them.

If I did that, what would I even do afterward? I’d have nothing left.

“Do small letters count as characters?”

“If it’s not a small ‘tsu’, then no, they don’t count!”

“Can you tell me what the others wished for?”

“Nope, not telling. So if your wish overlaps, it’s game over at that point~.”

I see. Then I should wish for something those guys wouldn’t think of.
And if I want to survive, it has to be something with a strong effect.

“Then… ‘Turn me into my MMORPG avatar.'”

“Didn’t I say proper nouns aren’t allowed?”

“It’s not a proper noun. Look it up.”

“…Huh, you’re right. ‘My avatar’ isn’t a proper noun… okay, I’ll accept it.
So, you’ll become your MMORPG avatar and set off from outside this mansion into another world. Good luck~!”

Then, as I was enveloped in a blinding light, I realized my perspective had risen, and the clothes I was wearing had changed.

“Whoa! No way! I’m really my ElderSea Online avatar! Can I open the menu and stuff?”

Yeah, I could. The status display was exactly the same.

Does that mean I actually got all the strength too!?

Watch me, you rotten b**** and your crew—I’m not helping you losers out!

Seriously… why the hell did things turn out like this?

This school trip… man, I don’t even get why they randomly assigned groups.

I thought back on how we ended up here.

Maybe it was my fault for skipping school the day they did the group assignment…

“I’m Yoshioka, the chaperone for Group 7. Once you’re all on the minibus, keep quiet until we get to the destination.”

“Yoo! Hey, where should we go first when we get there? I wanna hit up the food stalls!”

“Sounds good, let’s see what they’ve got!”

It was our school trip.

Based on the school’s policy to finish big events early in the second year and focus on exam prep before third year, we had come to Fukuoka in early spring.

Because the teachers assigned the groupings for our free time, I got shoved into a group of so-called extroverts I’d barely spoken to before—honestly a nightmare.

But truth be told, I didn’t really mind them.

They weren’t pushy about talking, so I figured it wouldn’t be too bad.

—That is, until the bus suddenly slammed to a stop and we were thrown into an unfamiliar sky.

“What the hell!? Are we falling!?”

“Where the hell is this!? We were just driving through the city!”

“No, no! I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die!!”

The bus was filled with screams. I was yelling too, even though it didn’t mean anything.

Then came the sudden sensation of floating—and we found ourselves stopped in an unfamiliar forest.

Huh? Is this a dream? Mass hypnosis?

Chaperone Yoshioka quickly moved, asked the driver to try contacting someone via radio, and pulled out his smartphone too.

“The radio’s not working!”

“Same here… No signal.”

“H-Hey, sensei, maybe the people in that mansion can help us?”

Someone said that, and when we turned to look, we saw a grand Western-style mansion looming next to where the bus had landed—something you’d never see in the countryside.

“…Guess we don’t have a choice.”

I didn’t get it.
Why? Why are we here?

Still confused, we followed the teacher to the mansion.
Before we even knocked, the door opened by itself.

“Guess that means we’re supposed to go in… Sensei, let’s hurry.”

“Wait. We should at least announce ourselves.”

The teacher called out in a loud, clear voice, “Excuse us, we’re coming in!”
The moment all of us, including the driver, stepped inside—the door slammed shut.

And wouldn’t open. We were trapped.
Then a voice echoed from within the mansion.

“What would you do if I said you all died? That this is the entrance to the afterlife?”

“What!? Who’s there!? Show yourself! Don’t mock adults, you brat!”

The teacher, thinking it was just a kid’s prank, yelled angrily.

But—we were soon forced to realize this was something supernatural.

“A brat, huh? Shut the hell up. You’re just a human who’s barely lived 40 years. I’ll erase you.”

At that moment, a boy suddenly appeared in midair.

“How rude. Don’t you know basic manners? Go get an adult for me.”

He had wings on his back, horns on his head—he looked exactly like a devil out of a fantasy.

Did the teacher not see that?

The boy raised a finger, and the teacher was lifted into the air, writhing in pain.

“Hey, watch your mouth. I was gonna give you all a chance, y’know?”

“Ugh… stop…!”

“If I kill one of you as an example, the rest will fall in line, right!?”

And then—the teacher exploded.
Like a water balloon, splattering red everywhere—just like that.

“Alright, everyone stay quiet now, okay? You don’t want that to happen to you too, right?”

No one even screamed.

All of us, myself included, just clutched our mouths, holding in any sound.

“Okay, listen up. You guys were summoned here by idiots from this world. But I, feeling kinda sorry for you, decided to give you a chance to survive. Unfortunately, one dumbass just wasted that chance and bloomed like a red flower. Got all that?”

Yes. Yes, got it. Please stop glaring—it’s terrifying.
What the hell is this? Summoned to another world?

This isn’t some web novel…

“Generous as I am, I’ve decided to add some information to you guys, since your existence hasn’t been confirmed in this world yet. Sounds fun, right? So now, I’ll grant each of you one wish.”

Right then, the bus driver shouted out:

“Then send me back to where I was!”

“Okay, bye-bye~”

And just like that, the driver vanished. For real.
Wait—what? That works? Then maybe I could—

“Hey now, I wasn’t finished talking. Be quiet, okay? The driver? He probably popped back onto a road, so… if he’s unlucky, he’s dead already.”

The original place… oh, right, we were on a bus…

“Here are the rules for the wishes: One, it must be ten characters or fewer in your world’s language. Two, no overlaps—if your wish overlaps with someone else’s, it’s invalid. And overlapping includes different wordings that result in the same outcome.
So, for example, ‘Send me back to Earth’ and ‘Send me back to Japan’ are both out.
Too bad! Because of that guy, none of you can go back to your world now.”

No way! I really thought we’d be able to go back! That hope just vanished!?

“‘No proper nouns in wishes.’ ‘Wishes that affect others won’t be granted.’
So things like ‘Bring sensei back’ or ‘Give me this person’s heart’ or ‘Make me Superman’ are all invalid. Also, if you try to make a wish that harms me—I’ll kill you.
Don’t worry, I can get all the knowledge from your world with a quick search.
So don’t think you can outsmart me, okay?”

…So basically, he’s saying we can’t game the system…

“Since it’s hard to decide on the spot, I’ve prepared a private room for each of you to think things over! Feel free to talk, scheme, or whatever. But be careful—make your wish wisely. Once you leave this mansion, it gets real dangerous out there.
So if you want to survive… choose carefully, or you’ll die, got it?”

After saying just that, the devilish-looking boy suddenly vanished, and only his voice echoed through the air.

“Alright then, take about an hour to think it over. I’m gonna go check things out outside.”

Everyone fell silent. They even forgot about the teacher’s blood that had splattered on them.

“What the hell is this… What the hell is this!!!”

“Hey, don’t freak out! We need to think. We have to figure out how we’re going to survive…”

“He said something about a wish, right…? I wonder if there’s some way we can go back to Japan…”

“Should we just try asking on the off chance it works? If it doesn’t, protect me, okay?”

“What are you talking about? He said it’s dangerous outside—we can’t afford to weaken our fighting force, right?”

“Fighting force…? You think we’re actually going to have to fight something out there…?”

Some were stepping up to lead, some were panicking, others were afraid, some stayed calm, and a few seemed indifferent. Honestly… I didn’t even have the energy to speak.

Why the hell is this happening?! Why does something like this happen in real life?!

“Anyway, let’s all go to our rooms. We’ll each think for a bit, then meet back here and decide.”

“Yeah, Isaka’s right. Everyone, let’s go to our rooms and calm down first.”

The one who calmly wrapped things up was Iori Isaka, a male student. He seemed to be the brain of the group—cool-headed and analytical. I’ve never talked to him before.

The one showing leadership was Kouhei Kazunuma, the class rep. He was one of those popular guys—well-liked by everyone. I heard he didn’t even volunteer to be class rep, he was just chosen. Honestly, sounds like half a prank. I’d never agree to that kind of thing.

“Damn it… Yoshioka’s dead too… And if it’s dangerous out there, someone else could end up getting killed… Damn it! Then we’ve got no choice but to wish for strength!”

“Ehh, then protect me, okay? I’ll try asking to go back to Japan.”

That was Shigeru Muraki, who usually takes the lead on everything. He sounded pissed off, his voice rough.

The girl who responded lazily was Yuko Samie, who always gave off a careless, indifferent vibe.

I hadn’t talked to either of them. I’m the go-straight-home-and-play-MMORPGs type after school. Don’t call me a loner—I just don’t waste energy on unnecessary stuff.

The two other girls were quietly observing everything, like me.

For now, we decided to head to our rooms.

“Wow… this place is way fancier than our hotel.”

I muttered that to myself as I lay down on the bed.

Crap, what should I wish for? They flat-out said we can’t go back to Japan—or even Earth…

“’Move us to a safe place’… no good, that’s too long… And even if we got to a safe place, how would we survive there…? Then maybe wish for power?”

Immortality? No, no way. Living forever after escaping this place would be a nightmare!

And wasn’t it said that making the same wish as someone else cancels it out? Which means… if someone already made a wish, and I unknowingly make the same one, mine could be wasted!?

Just as I reached that worrying thought—there was a knock at the door. I cautiously opened it, and there stood—

“Shizuma-kun, can I talk to you for a minute…?”

“Whoa, you scared me… Um, Inami-san?”

Standing there was Kaho Inami, one of the high-ranking girls I always figured would end up dating someone from the popular crowd. Why was she here?

“The other guys seemed really deep in thought, like they wouldn’t listen to me… Hey, Shizuma-kun, are you going to make a wish to protect yourself from danger…?”

“Yeah, I think that’s probably all we can do. If we can’t go back, then we have to move forward. And if it’s dangerous, we need a way to fight back. Something like that.”

“Then… what kind of wish are you thinking about? Weapons, maybe?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. A powerful weapon with infinite uses would be ideal, but I can’t think of anything specific… Maybe magic?”

“Magic! Oh, I see…”

But in games, magic usually uses up MP every time you cast a spell. That might not work as a wish…

“Oh right, on the way to our rooms earlier, I overheard the others saying ‘maybe we should think until the very last minute.’ So I’m going to keep thinking for a while longer. Also, I kind of snuck into your room, so keep this a secret, okay?”

“Oh, got it. Well then, see you in an hour. I hope everyone comes up with some way to protect themselves. If we work together, I think we can make it out of here safely.”

This is it—my chance. The MMORPG-addicted me might actually be helpful for once in this cliché situation. Usually they ignore me when I talk, so I’ve been kind of invisible in this group—probably because I was dumped in with the popular kids for some reason, even though I don’t fit in at all.

“Then I’ll keep thinking until the last minute too. I’ll head back now—see you later, Shizuma-kun.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

A little while later, Muraki—the angry one—showed up at my room, even though we’d never talked.

What? Why’s he here?

“Hey, do you know a lot about games or situations like this?”

“How could I? This is a freaking supernatural phenomenon.”

“…Got any good ideas?”

“Hmm… Still think wishing for power is the way to go, so we can get out safely.”

“Power, huh. Then… I guess I’ll go with a weapon…”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know you well enough to say anything.”

“Nah, that’s enough. Sorry to bother you. I’ll wish for a weapon.”

Huh… Did he just come to get my input? Well, if it helped, I guess…

Still, saying what he planned to wish for before leaving—that’s… kinda sincere, right?

After that, no one else visited. My phone didn’t have signal, but the clock still worked, so when the hour passed, I stepped out of my room.

And what I saw was… everyone else heading outside the mansion—the door closing behind them.

“Huh!? What the hell?! No way—don’t screw with me!!!”

I rushed downstairs and ran to the door—only to have that damn devil show up and block my path.

“You’re not making a wish? Once you leave, you can’t come back.”

“Tch… So they all made theirs…?”

“Yep. I figured there’d be backstabbing and tension, so I gave everyone their own room—and bam, they all ditched you, just like that! You even gave out some decent advice, too. But still—this treatment. Man, I just can’t get enough of this.”

Damn it… That demon’s garbage, but… what the hell is their problem?

So what—they’re saying I wasn’t part of the group? That I didn’t matter?

Damn it… DAMN IT ALL!!

“Well then, let’s hear your wish.”

—And that brings us to the present.

You guys, I’m done with you. It wasn’t you who cut me off—I cut you off in this very moment. I’m never, ever going to cooperate with you again.

“Still… wow, I can feel the power coming from you! So, are you gonna use that power for revenge? This is getting super exciting!”

“Shut up. You’re just as detestable as the rest of them.”

“Huh? Don’t get cocky, you little—I’ll kill you too if I have to—”

I opened the menu screen, and sure enough, all the items I owned were still there.

From them, I pulled out one of the highest-tier items against demons and undead:
“Holy Water Blessed by the Grand Church.”

According to the description:
“Purifies and eradicates all demons.”

“Let’s see you bloom into a nice, bloody flower— Huh? Why isn’t this working…?”

“Don’t get full of yourself, idiot. I’ll let you go this time, so get out there and stir up some chaos already!”

Looks like this demon brat tried to kill me with the same kind of power that got  Yoshioka-san.

But… I didn’t feel anything. It had no effect on me. So—

“Then drink this, why don’t you!”

I shoved the bottle into his mouth. Instantly, the demon boy’s entire body started to glow—and then—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

With a death cry, he vanished without a trace.

Then—thud—something dropped to the ground.

[Grimgram’s Heart Core]

A magic gemstone that is the heart of Grimgram, the worst dungeon master.
Holds immense power.

Also functions as the dungeon’s control core.

---

Huh… It just went straight into my menu inventory like normal. It even has a full description.

This… could be really useful.

“Hah… Serves you right. Now then… what should I do about them? Maybe I’ll just leave them alone.”

Suddenly, the mansion began to melt away and disappear.

So that’s it… The item said Dungeon Master. That means this whole place was a dungeon!

Then maybe the forest outside is another, separate dungeon?

“The forest doesn’t seem to be disappearing… So it really is separate, huh…”

Alright then… Next, I guess I’ll go meet whoever summoned us to this world.

Fortunately, it doesn’t look like my wish was nullified even after the demon vanished.

And the strength of my fully-maxed-out game character?
Well, clearly it was more than enough to wipe that demon out like it was nothing.

“Hmm… Maybe it’s my gear, since it’s focused on resistances… or maybe it’s just the level…”

Either way, I left the abandoned minibus behind and made my way into the deep forest— where the others had disappeared.

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