The Sun above the Checli Kingdom shone brightly, as if some kind of blessing descended from the heavens.

Makoto was peacefully sleeping in one of the simple, yet comfortable bedrooms of the Royal Castle, as if he was making up for all the sleep he didn't have in his previous life.

Out of nowhere, a loud bark tore through the silence, proceeded by several more barks, which sounded excited but slightly desperate.

“This sound is familiar…” he thought, while still half-asleep.

Suddenly, Makoto felt a wet sensation on his face, making him jump out of the bed.

“AAAH!” he shrieked, surprised.

A familiar face, the source of all the loud noises and wetness, stood in front of him: It was none other than Hachi, his long-lost friend.

“Hachi!” he screamed, hugging him.

Hachi barked, jumped, licked and whined uncontrollably out of excitement.

“I've missed you, little buddy!” Makoto said, as he started sobbing. “I'm so sorry for making you wait!”

The session of cuddles and kisses continued for over ten minutes, only for it to be interrupted by someone stepped into the room.

“Oh! I see that you have awoken, Hero,” they said. “I'm Isaac Killton, one of the army captains of this kingdom,” he introduced. “I know this might be sudden, but please let me explain the dire situation we are in!”

“I- Uh- What?” Makoto said, overwhelmed by this entire situation.

“The Demon King has returned from the dead once again to terrorize the people of this land. The number of monsters has dramatically increased recently, and many innocent civilians were killed because of the Demon King's evil doings. Us and many other kingdoms armies have been trying to fight against it, but the number of enemies are overwhelming, and the Demon King is far too strong,” Killton explained. “But we believe you can save the world.”

“This sounds awfully like every Isekai manga I ever read” Makoto thought. “Though I guess it makes sense. I am in one of those worlds after all.”

“According to the ancient prophecies, a man and a beast would descend upon the heavens, bearing powerful skills that could exterminate the evil and save the world from the Demon King's antics,” Killton said. ”And we believe that that man and beast are you two.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I see,” Makoto replied.

“Please, help our kingdom and the world to banish this evil!” Killton pleaded.

“Hmm. I don't know dude…” Makoto said, jokingly. “What do you think about this, Hachi? Should we accept their request?”

“P- Please!” Killton exclaimed. “Please, Hero! Save our world! Help us defeat the Demon King!” he pleaded harder.

“Y'know… This sounds pretty dangerous. Don't you think, Hachi?” Makoto joked. “Woof if you think that this is dangerous.”

Hachi nodded his head, while letting a low-pitched woof.

“HERO PLEASE! WE NEED YOU!” Killton implored, kneeling down.

“I'm kidding! I'm kidding!” Makoto said. “I'll accept this mission!”

“Thank god!” Killton sighed, with his face looking like he aged five years in less than five minutes. “Now, let me direct you to the King!” he said, as he started walking to the Throne Room.

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After a short walk, the duo, accompanied by Killton, entered the Throne Room – a place filled with fancy gold-plated furniture, a huge chandelier, and a long fancy red carpet that started on the door and continued until the thrones.

“Welcome, brave Hero and remarkable beast!” the King said. “I’m Checli Misrut, the king of this kingdom.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” Makoto replied.

“I see that you two accepted our plea for help,” Checli continued. “And for that, I cannot thank you enough.”

“It's an honor serving you, my majesty. I'll do my best to protect this Kingdom and the world,” Makoto said. “Is this what they usually say? I tried copying the protagonists from mangas,” he thought.

Hachi, with no knowledge of anything related to mangas and obviously unable to speak, decided to copy the aura that his owner was emitting, letting a proud sounding bark, confirming that it was indeed an honor to fight for your majesty.

“I shall provide some basic items, such as a map, weapons and armor for your journey, as well as gold coins for you to buy food, gear and rest in inns,” the King said. “As for your first objective, you should go to the nearest kingdom from here: Agnir,” he suggested. “You should be able to get more information, better gear and maybe create a party there – unlike our kingdom, they have better shops, a guild center, a merchant guild center, and a better structure overall,” he explained, with a face that looked sorry. “Good luck, Hero. Now, follow Killton to receive your items.”

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A few dozens of minutes passed, with Killton running from one side of the castle to another, trying to assemble a starter kit.

“Sorry for the lack of items! Our supply took a huge hit from this chaos, and we weren't expecting for the hero to descend here,” Killton apologized. “Honestly this place is pure chaos right now.”

After receiving an iron dagger, a map, and ten gold coins, the duo decided to quickly leave the castle.

“Well, that was a lot to take in, wasn't it?” Makoto said.

Hachi growled, as if he agreed.

“Anyways, we should get going while it's still day…” Makoto said, while looking at the map. "Looks like we need to go through the Semli Forest" he completed, while looking at the forest nearby.

Hachi barks to Makoto, as if he was saying “let's go”.

“Impatient, are you?” Makoto laughed, petting Hachi. “Alright, I got it! Let's go!”

Makoto started running, and Hachi followed soon after, entering the Semli Forest, on course to reach the Kingdom of Agnir.