## **Chapter 1: The Blessed Ones**

The clock ticked slowly, each second dragging on longer than the last. **Haruki** stared out the window, watching the sun begin to dip behind the horizon, casting long shadows across the classroom. The day's lesson droned on in the background, a familiar lullaby of boredom. It was the same as always.

Just another ordinary day.

The teacher's voice faded further into the background as Haruki’s mind wandered. Around him, his classmates sat upright, their eyes forward, engaged, or at least pretending to be. He wasn’t like them, not really. He wasn’t *gifted* like most of them—no sports star, no academic genius, just plain old Haruki. The one who people said had a name like a blessing, but with none of the fortune to match.

He sighed, glancing at the clock. Only ten more minutes and he could escape this mundane routine.

*If only life could be more than this.*

The thought lingered in his mind, heavy and hollow.

And then, without warning, the world shattered.

A deafening crack echoed through the room, and the ground beneath their feet trembled violently. Haruki lurched forward, gripping his desk as students screamed and chaos erupted around him. Before anyone could react, a blinding light engulfed the room, consuming everything in sight.

*What the hell is happening?!*

Haruki’s pulse raced as the light swallowed him whole, burning brighter than anything he'd ever seen. His vision blurred, and the last thing he heard was the distant, desperate scream of one of his classmates.

And then… darkness.

---

When Haruki opened his eyes, he wasn’t in the classroom anymore. The air was colder, heavier, and carried a strange scent—something unfamiliar and unsettling. The landscape around him was vast, stretching out into endless fields of jagged, black stone and dark skies, broken only by the faintest glimmer of a crimson moon.

It was like a nightmare, only all too real.

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"Where... are we?" someone whispered. Haruki turned to see his classmates standing around him, looking just as confused and terrified as he felt. But before anyone could speak again, a voice boomed from the heavens.

"Welcome, Heroes of the Blessed Realm!"

Haruki flinched at the sound, a voice so commanding it felt like it was coming from the very core of the earth itself. He looked up, only to see several figures descending from the sky, their robes shimmering like the stars themselves. They landed gracefully before the group, their faces obscured by the light they radiated.

"Heroes?" one of Haruki’s classmates echoed, her voice shaking. "What’s going on? Where are we?"

The leading figure stepped forward, his piercing gaze sweeping over the crowd. “You have been summoned to our world,” he declared. “Blessed by the gods, you are chosen to defeat the Demon God who threatens this realm.”

Haruki felt a shiver run down his spine. *Summoned? Demon God?*

"This has to be a joke," one of the boys muttered. "This can’t be real."

But it was real. And deep down, Haruki knew it.

"Each of you has been given a divine blessing," the figure continued. "A gift from the gods to aid you in your quest. Step forward, and your true power will be revealed."

His classmates hesitated for only a moment before they moved, one by one, to stand before the shimmering figures. As each approached, a bright light enveloped them, and the air filled with gasps of wonder and awe.

"Blessed as the Holy Knight!" one figure announced as a boy named **Kenta** stepped forward, his body glowing with divine energy.

"Blessed as the Flame Sorceress!" another declared as **Yuki**, one of Haruki’s classmates, was granted the power of fire.

The titles went on—each more grandiose than the last. One by one, Haruki’s classmates were adorned with powers, each blessing more brilliant than the next. They were special. They were chosen.

And then it was Haruki’s turn.

He stepped forward, his heart pounding in his chest. *Maybe this is it. Maybe I’ll finally be someone.*

The figure before him raised a hand, and for a moment, the light began to form around him. But then... nothing.

The light flickered once, then died. The air grew cold and still.

Silence filled the space.

"Unblessed."

The word fell like a hammer, shattering the brief moment of hope that had welled up inside him. Haruki stood frozen, staring up at the figure, his heart sinking.

"Impossible," someone muttered. "How could someone be summoned here without a blessing?"

The figures looked down at him with a mix of pity and disdain. "You are… unblessed," one of them confirmed, their voice cold and detached. "You have no place here."

Haruki felt the weight of the word settle in his chest. *Unblessed.* It echoed in his mind, over and over, until it was the only thing he could hear.

Without a word, he turned and stepped back, away from the light, away from the heroes, away from everything.

*So that’s it,* he thought bitterly. *Even in another world, I’m still nothing.*

---

Hours passed, though it felt like an eternity. Haruki sat alone at the edge of the camp that had been set up for the blessed heroes. No one spoke to him, no one even looked at him. He was invisible, just like he’d always been.

But something in him was different now. A spark of anger, of defiance, flared deep inside him. This world, with all its grand titles and divine blessings, had no place for someone like him. And yet...

*I don’t need their blessings.*

He clenched his fists, determination rising in his chest. *I’ll make my own path.*

As the moon rose higher in the sky, a strange sound filled the air. A deep, resonating bell, distant yet close, ringing inside his mind. His vision blurred, and his body felt heavy, like he was being pulled away from reality.

And then... nothingness.

---

When he woke again, the world was different. He was no longer at the camp. Instead, he was lying in a dark, unfamiliar place—an ancient ruin, perhaps. Above him, the sky was blood-red, and a cold wind whispered through the broken stones.

And then, a glowing screen appeared before his eyes.

```

[System Activation]

[Survivor's Blessing Unlocked]

[Skill: Death's Resolve Acquired]

```

Haruki blinked, his mind racing as the words flashed before him. *A blessing?*

No. Not a blessing.

This was something else.

Something far more dangerous