Chapter 1: My second chance
> I was there when the Hero reached the culmination of his journey but refused to do his duty. The Hero was supposed to be the most righteous one of us all, yet even for him the prospect of inheriting the power of a dead god was too appealing to decline.
>
> The previous owner of the Throne sought to unite this world. She may have been a bit naive in her ideals, but it was something everyone could get behind. Taking her place, the Hero pursued the path of a tyrant. He sentenced all other otherworlders to death to avoid any hindrances on his path to godhood. Even though some of us had reached the pinnacle of strength, with our ambition reflecting on the night sky as a star, the ceiling always existed. With the Throne, the Hero rewrote the rules in his favor. I wish that I could have stood against him, made him change his ways, but I was too weak. In order to avoid The Madness, I could do nothing but run and hide.
>
> The Hero's journey ended in failure. But I have always been a firm believer of the good guys triumphing in the end. If only an otherworlder who does not fall for the allure of power arrives at this world to finish what the Hero could not, then perhaps the universe can still be saved.
>
> But I should know better. No one is coming to save us. Heroism is dead, and our god died with it. So who am I praying to?
>
> - Rachel, the twice summoned
No one likes to be average. "You have to be extraordinary, otherwise you are a failure."
There it was again. Tom always had that one reoccurring dream. He would be sitting in the middle of a large room, whilst everyone he had ever known stood around him. This was his punishment for wasting his life. They would berate him, especially his parents, yet it never hurt as much as when his little sister looked at him with her empty eyes. She looked up to him, he knew that, but how would she act when she realized there was nothing to look up to?
He tried to push all those thoughts away. His exams were coming up soon. He couldn't afford to break down before it.
[Request for DREAM received]
[Validating…]
[Validating…]
[Request denied]
[ERROR. Request requires permission from ADMIN]
[ADMIN status: UNKNOWN]
"Huh?" He couldn't quite make it out, but it felt like he could see something in corner of his subconscious.
[???? Has requested access to ???? with PERMISSION SLIP]
[Validating…]
[Validating…]
[Access granted by ADMIN]
[…]
[Request granted]
He figured it must have been a bad dream from all the stress, so he rolled to the side to go back to sleep, but his bed felt strangely uncomfortable.
Then he felt a sudden wave of cold wash over his body.
"How could you throw cold water at him without discerning his background?"
"Soldier. This is the battlefield, not the backside of a bar."
Feeling the hard surface against his skin, Tom realized he was outside laying on the ground. "H-Huh? Where am I?" Tom squinted his eyes open, adjusting them to the light to see who was arguing. The first person was a short old man with a bushy white beard. He was wearing a purple uniform and a blue tophat almost covering his entire head. The other person was a blonde haired guy wearing a similar uniform, but it seemed as if someone had thrown several different buckets of paint on his clothes.
The old man took a step closer to Tom. "Perfect. You are finally awake. Please save everyone the trouble and speak your name." The old man demanded.
Tom nervously nodded. "My name is Tom."
The old man looked him up and down, mumbling something to himself. "Hm, let me see. Brown hair, green eyes, the smell of alcohol, an ugly face, and a terrible attitude. You have to be the rumored Tomassio, son of Duke Rossi. You are late."
Toma-who-now? Also, did he say Duke? "Wait, I am sorry but—."
"Ha! I knew you were a noble. And a Rossi no less! Do not worry for I, Leonard, will offer you my aid. There is no need to apologize to these commoners."
Wait, what nonsense was he spouting? Was this some kind of weird roleplay prank? Or, had he actually—?
Tom shook his head. What a stupid thought.
The old man glared at Leonard who flinched in response. "What you nobles do in your own barracks is up for debate. However, I would kindly like to remind you that getting drunk and falling asleep outside the first floor of the commoners' barracks is not acceptable behavior. Especially when it has happened for the twelfth time this month."
Taking a proper look around, Tom noticed a crowd had formed near the ground level. Most of them glared at him with annoyance, which made him quickly divert his gaze. He had no idea how he had gotten himself into this situation. Tom wasn't much of a drinker, and he should have been sleeping in his room.
"Although inconvenient, the ordeal is now over," Leonard said. "Lord Rossi, please follow me. I will guide you to proper accommodation befitting of your status."
The old man shook his head. "Unfortunately, actions have consequences. There is no place for slackers in this camp. So, if you are that comfortable with freeloading, let us see if your skills are on par with your attitude."
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That statement seemed to have intrigued the crowd and the chattering intensified.
"Finally, we can get some payback," someone said.
"But ain't he a Rossi? I wonder how he fights."
Before he could protest, the old man, quite strong for his age, dragged Tom by the arm with the crowd following.
"C-Careful!" Leonard stammered.
Tom had no idea what was happening. It wasn't until he was let go and able to look up at the sky that he realized the truth. The Sun was starting to rise, but he could still make out the faint silhouette of three moons. This wasn't Earth. After all these years of praying to God, he had gotten his wish fulfilled: an isekai adventure.
Everyone at some point in their life has wished for a redo. To be able to have a second chance, with the knowledge of all our past mistakes, in order to become someone extraordinary. Be it living in another world as a famous Hero, a talented mage, or even living the slow life. If you find yourself being isekai’d, the rule of thumb is that your life will turn for the better.
"I know this is a sudden turn of events, young man. But please do not run away from—."
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeees! Finally! Thank you Truck-kun."
Everyone seemed caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor.
The old man was the first to react. "Enthusiasm, a good trait for a budding soldier."
Enthusiasm and Tom didn’t usually make it in the same sentence. If it wasn’t about a new isekai novel at least. Everything still felt surreal. Although, for some strange reason, he felt as if he knew this all was real. But even if this was some strange dream, he wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste. Today was his first day in this world; so it has to be the day he gets introduced to his cool otherworldly powers, right? Did he have cool ninja powers, or maybe super OP Hero powers? Nah, demonic evil powers were more in trend these days. Like, for revenge as stuff. Although, he was uncertain about the target of his revenge.
Taking this seriously, Tom made the most respectful bow he could to the old man. He was aiming for a 90-degree bow, but his back was slanted from bad posture, so it felt more like 75 degrees.
"What should I do, Master?"
"It’s Vice-Commander Zev. Also, there is no need to bow." He gestured to the side.
The training ground was huge with different sections. The part they stood in front of started with an elevated platform. In front of it were wooden poles on the ground with mud at the bottom, leading to yet another platform. There was a wall with small rocks to climb over. Peeking ahead, Tom could see an overhead ladder to get to the next platform.
"Your task is to successfully finish this obstacle course."
Zev stood behind Tom. Everyone else had taken their seats on the benches beside the start of the course. They were all waiting for his big moment. "Just jumping on poles? Seemed easy enough," he told himself.
Tom smirked. "Am I able to use any means necessary?"
"Yes, you may." Zev responded, with a hint of intrigue.
Well, now was the time to say the cheesy line. Tom raised his hand. "Open status window!" He said confidently.
Nothing happened.
"Open window," he tried.
Again, nothing happened.
"Open System. Open sesame. Show me. Gimme gimme power. Isekai window, appear! Superpower window … please?" Nothing happened.
"What are you doing?"
"Uhm, this may sound stupid, but is there not a status window in this world? Like a floating screen that quantifies one's abilities and skills?"
The old man lowered his brows. "That does not sound stupid, it is stupid. Why would a status window show up? That makes no sense. How would one even quantify the strength of an individual? Stop making a fool of yourself and begin the obstacle course. We do not have all day."
Tom gulped, glancing at the poles ahead. Perhaps his powers would awaken in moments of danger? Yeah, that made sense. LitRpg was getting too crowded anyway.
Tom took a deep breath and readied himself. In his usual world, people would probably warm up their bodies with a few exercises first. However, this was an isekai adventure, so why put in the effort?
"Watch me!" Tom said loud enough so everyone would focus on his epic moment.
Tom leaped towards the first pole ... and missed it completely. He had jumped too far ahead and fell into the muddy ground.
"Wait," he shouted, before getting up and walking back to the start platform. This time he would be able to do it.
Tom tried jumping at the poles. He managed to get on the first pole, but when he jumped at the second he slipped, making the pole collide with his crotch, and falling face-first into the mud.
Tom groaned and curled up into a ball from the pain. Definitely not a dream.
This doesn't make sense. Where are his OP powers? Shouldn't he at least have gotten more athletic? He is an isekai protagonist, so there is no way he could fail such a simple obstacle course. There must have been some kind of invisible force that pushed him. He was being set up!
"I think someone pushed me off with magic!"
What followed was a moment of silence, and then laughter broke loose.
"Bwahaha! I was worked up for nothing. The fool barely managed one pole. How?"
A girl giggled. "He was so confident and intense for nothing."
"See? I knew they were all slackers, looking down on us."
In the crowd full of laughter, Tom only heard a single voice of support. "You stupid commoners, how dare you all laugh at a nobleman. You all ought to be executed!" Leonard said. "He may be a bit unskilled, surprisingly weak, and — but he is still a noble."
"We should rather execute the one that pushed him. I have never seen an invisible person die before."
Uncontrollable laughter followed that comment.
After explaining that Tom could do no more being hit in such a sensitive part of his body, something that made those who hadn't noticed laugh their asses off, Zev made the crowd leave for the morning assembly. That noble, Leonard, was the only one who tried to cheer Tom up to the very end.
"Do not worry my lord, it is all these commoners' fault. You are not delusional or the weakest noble I have ever met. It is all their lies!"
Rather than trying to cheer him up, Tom had the impression that Leonard was attempting to deceive himself if anything.
After Leonard excused himself, Tom was left alone with Zev, trying to wipe the mud off his own face. Rather than making fun of him, Zev seemed to be the only person who looked genuinely disappointed. Didn’t the old man plan on humiliating him?
"Child, regrettably your skills are … lacking."
"Sir, I am sorry. Perhaps my true powers have not awakened yet?" Surely that was the case. Surely.
"Perhaps." Zev murmured something to himself. "The best place to start learning is at the bottom, therefore—." He turned to look over his shoulder. "Hiro, come over here. I know you’re there."
Someone sighed and walked over to them. It was a guy with jet black hair and brown eyes, wearing a black hoodie over his uniform. "Sir, I was just heading over."
"Do not take me for a fool. I know very well that you have skipped the last assemblies. Your combat prowess is impressive, but building team spirit is also a strength on the battlefield." He coughed. "Well, let us save the lecture for another day. Take this one with you. If I remember correctly, there should be one empty bed in your accommodation."
Hiro gasped. "Sir, I refuse to live with him. He should be staying in the nobles barracks anyway."
"Then I presume if we are to follow protocol, you would agree to be executed for ignoring the Commander's direct order to attend the morning assembly?" Zev replied.
Hiro sighed. "I understand sir. I will do as you say. But only if it’s temporary."
"That is acceptable. Young lord, please follow Hiro for now. I have other business to take care of, but do your best to follow the commoner's routine. Oh, and later on I will have someone sent to get you so that we can confirm your class. It is protocol, so we have to do it."
Class? So, there was a possibility to get an OP class after all. Hearing the news made him almost forget about the public humiliation he had just experienced — almost.
Tom nodded enthusiastically, throwing mud all over the place. This was only the beginning of his EPIC ADVENTURE, so some mishaps were inevitable. "Also, sir. I would prefer it if you just call me Tom. It's, erm, a nickname. It's also shorter and simpler for the battlefield." He saluted. "I will do my best as a soldier."
"Fine then, Tom. But you seem to have misunderstood. You are not a true soldier, yet." Zev turned away and started walking. "I look forward to how you will alter the destiny of this war."
The old man stopped halfway through his walk. He held his back and shook his head before continuing.
"What a cool wise old master exit. So authentic. But if he had properly walked towards the sunrise it could have gotten a perfect score. He was 15 degrees off."
"Dude, you’re weird."
***
Zev walked into the Commanders Office, making sure to close the door behind him. Walking up to her desk he saluted. "Greeting to our Commander, lady Alice Richardson, daughter of Duke Richardson. May the Wandering God forever be in thy favor, and bless our kingdom with eternal prosperity."
Alice laid down her pen. "Stop stalling Zev. What is he like?"
"Of course, but—."
"I am not calling you Grandpa! Now give your report. That is an order."
"Little Alice, no need to be so harsh." He cleared his throat. "The otherworlder is a failure. He was no better than an untrained civilian." Raising his hand Zev manifested Lightbringer, his aura sword. "Say the word and I will kill him. The only good otherworlder is a dead otherworlder."