Well I hope you liked chapter one, I thought this was an original idea, and if you can't tell this story is going to make it so the sword hero isn't stupid. Anyways, I do not own The rising of the shield hero. Also, I'm going to have to take some creative liberties with the power up system of weapon mastery.

"What..? Are you joking Naofumi?" Ren is shocked. He looks like his entire world has been turned upside down.

"No. After we started asking questions to verify if we were in different worlds I said names of people like runner up prime ministers to see if those clicked. They definitely did not. But then you said the same prime minister I had and my priorities changed." I explained

"Naofumi, name the top guild in Brave Star Online." Ren asked

"Desert Mirage. The leader's screen name was Sword_Saint. I was in that guild, one of the more common members online." I told him.

"So it's not just a different world with the same game. We both got transported into the game. And with you we have all the knowledge we need to finish this game!" Ren exclaimed.

"Game?" I inquired.

"Yeah I mean come on, the hub world in Brave Star Online was even called Melromarc, this is definitely Brave Star Online." He informed me.

"REN THIS IS NOT A GAME! THE WAVES AREN'T IN BRAVE STAR, THERE ARE REAL LIVES AT STAKE REN! STOP BEING THICK-SKULLED AND USE YOUR HEAD!" I yelled. Maybe a little too loud because I'm sure some other people heard me.

"Whatever Naofumi, believe what you want to believe. But anyways, How high is your weapon mastery and proficiency with your shield?" Ren asked from me.

"Weapon Mastery?" I ask "That was in Brave Star Online, not in this WORLD, not game might I add."

"What do you mean it's not in this world?" He then pulls out his menu and shows me his highest proficiency swords, the 'Legendary Sword' and 'Light Metal Sword' which both have a mastery of 4, the Light Metal Sword maxes at 15 and the Legendary Sword maxes out at… 200!

Then I see a sudden help menu appear on my screen, detailing the entire process.

"Whoa, I just got a help menu dedicated to it, but it wasn't there before… Do all heroes have different powering up methods?" I wonder out loud.

"Wait, then what have you been doing Naofumi?" Ren questioned.

"Basically, If you find anything, and absorb it, you unlock different shields, which all have different stats and sometimes skills, like my Leaf Shield which grants higher quality herbs when I pick them up, they also give permanent stat bonuses that follow my stats no matter what shield I use." I pause because humans need air for breathing.

"Like my orange balloon shield which gives me +2 speed. Different monster parts also give different shields, and it also works on non living things, when I put a silver coin up to it I unlocked the 'Bank Shield' which lets me store up to 99 silver and 99 copper coins." I explained to Ren

"I'm not so sure about that Naofumi…" Ren said.

"Why would I lie to you Ren?" I shot back. I show him the Bank Shield to try to prove it some more but I don't really have much to absorb to prove anything else.

"I guess you have no reaso- oh! I see what you meant now, a help menu just popped up explaining your method as well. We have to tell Itsuki and Motoyasu and get them to tell us their methods as well." Ren told me.

"Yeah for sure!" I said "Come talk with me in my room, we have a lot of things to talk about." I invited him to come to my room.

"Nah, come to my room in 20 minutes, go put a body double or something on your bed if you really care that your party member thinks you're asleep, you guys rented two beds in one room right? It doesn't really matter anyways though. Oh, and before I forget, do you know the crafting system? Just take materials in your shield and your weapon makes things out of it. I haven't used it much so I'm just telling you now before it gets off my mind."

"Oh! Thanks Ren I wasn't aware." I waved and went to my room

(I am aware that it's not two beds in one room in canon Shield Hero but I have no other reason for this story to work so bear with it)

So I decided to just leave the money I couldn't store in my shield in my room and it turns out you can make a 'Large Ball' with the balloon scraps I collected so I just used that for the head, did some blanket maneuvering and voila! Body double so Myne doesn't think I was kidnapped or something. That'd be a nightmare situation

I head over to Ren's room and we chat about Brave Star Online and we speculate if the other places we know from Brave Star Online are in this world, and during our chat I finally manage to drill it in that this world isn't Brave Star Online, and isn't a Fantasy Game. Thank god because that would have been annoying to deal with.

Luckily, I doubt the other two heroes are so stupid to think that. I tell him that we should try to learn as much as we can of the world, and see if places like Lute Village and Corrupted Canyon exist here too. Maybe just one does? Maybe none? But either way it's valuable information and we agree to meet up a week before the wave starts here in this Inn to share our findings.

We end up talking throughout the night and I'm about to leave and Ren speaks up and says "Don't leave, you should probably just sleep on the floor tonight, you might get called out or suspicion raised for no reason if you wander the inn at sleeping hours." Ren tells me.

So I decide that I'll just take one of his blankets and pillows and crash on the floor.

I wake up, to go to my room and I see several knights banging on it.

"SHIELD HERO, YOU ARE HEREBY UNDER ARREST FOR SUSPICION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT!"

Fucking pardon?

So now I'm facing the king and Myne is hugging Motoyasu while looking scared of me.

What the fuck is going on?

I start getting paranoid, thinking this is a setup, which was right, but I hadn't any idea the political plays at move here. I catch Ren's eye and then I say "Forgive me but I really have to use the restroom, Can I use the restroom?" Oldest trick in the book but hey I did kind of need to go use it.

Ren follows up and says "I'll make sure he doesn't try to escape." And follows me to the restroom.

"What the fuck is going on Naofumi? We both know there was no way you could have raped her, she's said this bullshit story while we waited for you to arrive many times supposedly, at the dead of night, you woke her up and started saying "The night is still young!" And proceeded and then tried to violate her, but she shoved you and ran to Motoyasu, but that's impossible. We both know it. You were in my room and I woke up hearing Motoyasu speak to someone, I just thought it was a team member, but I was way off. They are FRAMING you Naofumi! Motoyasu might be helping!" He whisper-shouts.

"I know, that's why I need you to KEEP QUIET. If you back them up they will find a way to turn it on you. Only speak up if it's the worst case scenario, but I heard from Myne, bitch she is, that the waves get stronger when a hero dies, so they won't kill me. I hope. Just lay low. If you tell anyone, tell Itsuki. Motoyasu seems to think with his dick so he will trust Myne more. Even if he isn't intentionally trying to frame me." I take a breath for air and then continue speaking.

"And if you do end up telling Itsuki make sure he says nothing until we have concrete proof. A week before the wave, don't go to the tavern, go on the outskirts of town and stay there for a bit. I'll find you and we can see if we have any evidence." I explain that and then start walking back towards the throne room with one mission in mind.

Survive.

Alright I'm hoping this was a decent 2nd chapter. I feel like it might have been too dialogue heavy but feel free to let me know! My writing is just kind of when I feel like it so updates definitely won't be this often but I'll try to get one once a week!