On a peaceful afternoon in Tokyo, the city hummed along like usual. Buses wheezed past vending machines that glowed like they held the meaning of life. Somewhere in a lesser-known corner of the city, a Lawson convenience store baked under the sun, radiating heatwaves from its sun-scorched blue sign. Inside, the air conditioning whirred lazily, half-hearted in its attempt to fight off the sweltering heat.

  Satoshi Tanaka, 23 years old and chronically unmotivated, leaned against a stack of soda crates in the stockroom. The LED lighting buzzed above him as he took a deep sip of expired melon soda, which had somehow aged into a flavor resembling melted jellybeans and sadness.

  "Ugh," he muttered. "Still better than anything from the vending machine outside."

  He adjusted his apron with one hand and stared blankly at the floor. His shift technically ended ten minutes ago, but he wasn’t in any rush. He had no date. No plans. No RPGs to grind. He’d already rage-quit Legend of Fallen Dragons XII after spending three hours stuck in a sewer dungeon. Again.

  “This is my life,” he said out loud to no one in particular. “Sipping poison juice, surrounded by instant ramen and sadness.”

  Then, the lights flickered.

  “Huh?”

  And suddenly, silence. Absolute silence.

  The hum of electricity vanished. The buzz of Tokyo traffic disappeared. Even his melon soda fizzed itself into nonexistence. Satoshi looked up and found himself staring at what could only be described as anime.

  There was no other word for it. A glowing white void stretched in all directions, and standing before him was a woman who looked like she’d stepped right out of a high-budget fantasy gacha game.

  She had long, silver hair that shimmered like moonlight, flowing despite the total lack of wind. Her eyes sparkled with divinity, her skin glowed like a beauty filter was applied in real life, and her white robes fluttered with a regal elegance that screamed Limited-Time SSR Character.

  “Welcome, Chosen Hero!” she proclaimed, her voice echoing like she’d just equipped the Holy Microphone of Exposition. “You have been summoned to the world of Eldoria to vanquish the Demon King and bring peace to our realm!”

  There was a dramatic pause.

  Satoshi blinked. “Pass.”

  The goddess faltered mid-pose. “...Excuse me?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “I refuse.” Satoshi casually sipped his soda. “Do I look like someone who can beat a Demon King?”

  He gestured to his reflection in the magical void, which was unfortunately accurate: slightly above average height, perpetually tired eyes, messy hair that hadn’t seen a comb in days, and the upper body strength of a bent chopstick.

  “I’m barely qualified to handle the microwave at work,” he added. “Let alone a sword.”

  “But… you’re the chosen one! This summoning ritual has taken twelve hundred years to prepare!”

  “Wow. That’s impressive. And a colossal waste of time.” He gave her a thumbs up and turned to walk away. “I’m going home. You can try again with someone who owns protein powder.”

  The goddess stared, utterly stunned. “Y-You cannot refuse! This is fate!”

  “Pretty sure fate has a return policy. I didn’t even press ‘Accept’ on anything.”

  And then, just as he reached the invisible edge of whatever cosmic room this was—

  DING!

  A sound not unlike a PlayStation trophy alert chimed, and a glowing blue screen appeared in front of his face like a bad popup ad.

  > [Mandatory Summoning Pact Activated!]

  You have been forcefully accepted as the Hero. Enjoy your stay in Eldoria!

  Note: No refunds or exchanges.

  Side effects may include dismemberment, emotional trauma, and sudden death.

  Press [Start] to scream.

  Satoshi blinked at the screen.

  "Wait, what—"

  The ground beneath him lit up with ancient runes. A magic circle began spinning. He looked down just in time to see a glowing blue glyph spiral outward beneath his feet.

  “Oh crap.”

  With a flash, the floor vanished, and Satoshi plummeted into a vortex of light, wind, and enough sparkles to blind a unicorn. He tumbled end-over-end, melon soda flying from his grip and splashing into oblivion.

  ---

  THUD!

  He landed on solid ground with a grunt, flat on his back. Birds chirped overhead. The sun was way too bright, and the sky was unnaturally blue—like someone had maxed out the saturation slider.

  Satoshi groaned and sat up.

  He was lying in a grassy field surrounded by rolling hills and distant forests. A cobblestone path cut through the landscape. The air smelled like flowers and fresh dirt—none of that Tokyo exhaust and secondhand ramen smell.

  Off to the side, a group of armored men on horseback were arguing loudly.

  “Sir Eldric, I’m telling you, this is the Hero! The prophecy said he’d fall from the heavens, clad in strange garments!”

  Satoshi blinked and looked down. His apron was still on. His nametag read:

  [SATOSHI - NIGHT SHIFT]

  He also noticed the cap he forgot to remove still perched on his head like a crown of minimum wage shame.

  "Is that... a demon beast?" one of the knights whispered, eyes narrowed.

  “No,” said another. “It’s… it’s worse. It’s a civilian.”

  “Behold, Sir Hero!” the lead knight dismounted and bowed, clanking in polished armor. “I am Sir Eldric of House Thorne! We are honored to escort you to the royal castle!”

  Satoshi stood up, wobbled, then gave them a flat look. “Do I get health insurance?”

  They looked at one another in confusion.

  “I’ve got a cavity that’s been bothering me since February,” he continued. “Also, are you paying for the dental plan? Because I’m not fighting some hellspawn with a toothache.”

  “Sir Hero,” Sir Eldric said with mounting concern, “you… do realize that you have been summoned to save our world from certain destruction?”

  “And you do realize I was in the middle of drinking expired melon soda, right?” Satoshi crossed his arms. “The highlight of my day was not dying from that. Now you want me to fight a Demon King?”

  “Yes,” said the knight solemnly.

  “Hard pass.”

  Another glowing window popped up in front of his face.

  > [Quest Updated!]

  Main Quest: Defeat the Demon King of Eldoria

  Optional Quest: Don’t Die in the First Week

  You have received:

  Rusty Sword (Junk Tier)

  Beginner’s Rags (Smells like cabbage)

  Title: Reluctant Hero

  Satoshi groaned.

  “This is just like that gacha game I deleted last month,” he muttered.

  Sir Eldric clapped a hand on Satoshi’s shoulder. “Come, Sir Hero! Your journey begins now!”

  “No, really. Is there a button to uninstall this game?”

  ---

  As they started walking down the path, Satoshi already regretted all his life choices. A butterfly landed on his arm. He flicked it off.

  “This better come with a skip button.”

  But the skip button never came.

  And somewhere, high above, the goddess facepalmed so hard a thunderclap echoed across the divine realm.

  ---

  To be continued… probably.