Naofumi rubbed the sleep out of his green eyes as he was led towards the throne room, his dagger having become familiar enough that he had gotten a decent nights rest. He was a little nervous, having realised prior that the king did not like him. Which was not the most beneficial of situations. He didn't know the reason why and maybe there was none, so the once college student chalked it up to natural dislike.

Naofumi had come to dislike a lot of people in his young life. Most deserving of his disliked either mocked his hobbies or just plain out bullied him. So he could partially understand the feeling, although it didn't quell his nerves. The big guard with the even bigger sword led the way, his armour clicking as the group moved. The other three heroes talked animatedly amongst themselves, about guilds, NPC's and the such.

Naofumi couldn't help but rub the bridge of his nose in defeat, as his peers still foolishly thought that this was a game. They may be summoned heroes, capable of levelling entire armies once their legendary weapons became strong enough, but they were still mortals. No matter how much the deluded themselves into thinking that they were invincible, they would still bleed.

They would still die.

It might be in a month, a year or a decade, it might even be a century but they would die. Eventually. Naofumi knew this, he wasn't a deluded fool like the other heroes, who thought this reality was nothing but a game for their own amusement. Unlike them, he thought he was rather intelligence, after all, he had been accepted to a good university for literature, where he begun to polish his skills as an author. Maybe he could accomplish his dream after he defeated the waves, wouldn't that be great.

The once college student shook his head, dispelling any hope that his dream might come to fruition. His immediate goal was to get the king to like him, as that would improve his odds in living a somewhat normal life. His long term goal was to survive the wave, beat it and write a book about it. It sounded easy in his head, but Naofumi knew these goals would be increasingly difficult, with varying chances of success.

The guard opened the wooden doors, their oak wood dressed in gold that he had failed to notice last night. They depicted scenes of war and obvious victory, but that sight of defeated corpses left a bad taste in Naofumi's mouth. Inside the throne room rested the Aultcray in his throne, dressed in fancy robe and the ridiculously expensive crown on his head. Twelve people stood beneath him, dressed in leather, some wielding staffs and otters wielding swords.

"Great heroes, these young men and women are your comrades to be," the king exclaimed joyfully, spreading his arms in what Naofumi assumed was relief. As the heroes stood side by side, awaiting for Aultcray's next words. They didn't have to wait long, as he simply waved his hand eagerly as he spoke "They will choose whom they serve. May they be of great use to you!" It happened all too fast, the twelve young men and women walked towards their desired heroes.

Motoyasu receive five comrades, each and every one of them being women. Ren and Itsuki received three each, the sword heroes recruits being all men while the bow heroes were a mixture. Fortunately, a single men, don in leather, with a bastard sword on his back stood up behind Naofumi. The man was taller by an a couple centimetres, his jaw held stubble, his hair was ash black and his onyx eyes held a sharpness to them.

Everyone bar the other three heroes seemed surprise by this outcome, as if something didn't seem to go to plan. Naofumi's eyes narrowed in anger, having realised that the king had planned something that would ruin his reputation. Although, this man must have ditched the plan and joined him out if his own accord. The college student couldn't help but smile at that. He held out his hand, attempting to form a bond between them. The man smiled, shaking the hand eagerly. "Sir hero, I am Akuro Kazamo and I will be your companion during these tough times. I hope we can get along," Akuro smiled, showing his perfect teeth that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

"Same here Akuro. My name is Naofumi Iwatani and I'll be in your care," The handshake ended, leaving both men feeling rather pleased with their introductions. Aultcray however looked furious! His lips were tight, like he had smelt a pile shit that rested beneath his throne. His eyebrows were narrowed as he glared p daggers at Naofumi and Akuro, but suddenly, he smiled. A sick, cruel smile that promises pain for his enemy. If Naofumi saw this, he would have known that Aultcray's plans had changed.

Naofumi was led through the crowded streets by Akuro, his pocket four hundred silver heavier than it was before, thanks to Aultcray who looked dissatisfied about handing it over. Long the way, Akuro had told him about the large fields outside Castle Town where low levelled mobs called 'Balloons' were located, he had also created a party with the dagger hero. Which Naofumi presumed shared experience within the group. The Balloons netted low experience, but would provide safe training for the college student, who had no idea how to use his legendary weapon.

As he walked, he noticed the strange looks he received, as his clothes were not of this world. Whispers followed and Naofumi couldn't help but shrink in size. He had never been that good in front of crowds, as his only con for literature was public speaking. Oh, how he despised it! Akuro, oblivious to the dagger heroes woes led him through the gates that led to the so-called 'sword fodder'.

The guards didn't spare them a second glance, already looking at the next person to let through their gates. The Balloons were round and somehow orange, their eyes narrowed in anger and their rubber teeth looked gritted in fury. They charged (or bounced) towards him, comping their teeth like pac-man running after those yellow orbs. It took a couple of seconds to free his dagger from the scabbard. The Balloon jumped and readied it's teeth to chomp on the young man's flesh. Naofumi closed his eyes and swung the blade, he heard a satisfying 'pop' as the Balloon died.

[Enemy Defeated + 2 EXP]

"Well done, sir hero," Akuro clapped his hands in encouragement, as if supporting him mentally. Naofumi smiled, his teeth could be seen and he uttered on sentence.

"Akuro, let's level up!"

A/N

Yo, sorry it took me a while to update, year eleven is a bitch to get through and I'm seriously not looking forward to what is to come. Hopefully, you guys have enjoyed this chapter and this story so far.