The world burned white.
One moment, Rengoku Hayate sat in his classroom, chin resting on his palm, the usual boredom weighing down the afternoon. The next, the floor beneath him vanished, and the world folded like shattered glass.
His ears filled with whispers — ancient, hungry voices that didn't belong to any god he knew.
"Heed our call… brave souls of another world…"
The classroom dissolved into a grand hall of obsidian and gold. A thousand candles floated in the air, casting soft light on a woman standing at the center. She was breathtaking — too beautiful, too cruel. Her crimson eyes shimmered like fire reflected on blood.
The Evil Goddess Lilith.
"Welcome, chosen heroes," she said, voice smooth as silk and twice as sharp. "You have been summoned to serve my realm — the land of Ascalon — to fight against the forces of chaos that plague it."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room.Hayate's classmates looked around in awe.
"Whoa… where are we?""Is this real?""Look — she's a goddess!"
Lilith smiled, the kind of smile that promised paradise but hid poison.With a wave of her hand, golden symbols appeared before every student — glowing Status Panels.
[Name: Sakurai Kenji | Level: 10 | Class: Sword Saint | Skill: Heavenly Slash][Name: Ayane Sora | Level: 9 | Class: Spirit Healer | Skill: Blessing Light][Name: Haruto Daichi | Level: 10 | Class: Dragon Knight | Skill: Flame Heart]
Each student cheered, faces glowing with excitement. They were heroes now — blessed, chosen, powerful.
Then came Hayate's turn.His panel flickered weakly.
[Name: Rengoku Hayate | Level: 1 | Class: — | Skills: None]
The hall went silent.
Lilith's eyes narrowed. "…No class?"
The students began whispering.
"Wait, what? He doesn't have any skills?""Level one? That's pathetic.""Even normal villagers have something."
Kenji — the self-proclaimed leader — stepped forward, smirking. "Guess every class has a deadweight, huh?"
Laughter rippled through the group.
Hayate clenched his fists. "There must be a mistake. I—"
But Lilith interrupted, her tone sharp."No mistake. You have no blessing. You are unworthy."
Her beauty twisted into disdain. "Every summoning brings forth one impurity. A useless soul that drags down the chosen. You are that impurity."
The floor beneath Hayate's feet cracked open.He tried to shout, but shadows wrapped around him like chains.
"Wait! I didn't ask to be here!"
Kenji's laughter echoed above as Hayate was dragged downward — into a pit of darkness.
"Good riddance, loser."
The Dungeon of the Forgotten
He fell for what felt like forever.When he finally landed, the impact shattered bone and breath alike.
The air was damp, filled with the stench of decay.Pale fungi glowed faintly across jagged stone walls.He tried to stand, but his body screamed in pain.
[You have entered: The Abyssal Dungeon.][Survival Chance: 0%.]
He laughed bitterly. "Even the world's mocking me now…"
Minutes turned to hours. His voice echoed against the cold stone until even the echoes died.Then, the first monster appeared — a gaunt, skeletal beast with red eyes and claws like knives.
Hayate staggered back. "No weapon… no skills…"
The creature lunged.
He swung a rock, hitting its jaw. The beast screeched, tearing his arm open with a single swipe. Blood splattered the stones.
Pain blurred his vision. The world dimmed.
Is this it? Am I… dying?
Memories flashed — his mother's gentle voice, his quiet mornings, the laughter of classmates who never saw him.
And then — a voice.
Cold. Mechanical. Ancient.
[System Detected: Host Soul Unbound.][Initiating Emergency Protocol – Rebirth of Vengeance.]
A black sigil burned into his chest.Light — dark and pure — flooded his veins.
[Welcome, Rengoku Hayate.][The world has deemed you worthless. I will make you the instrument of retribution.][Skill Acquired: Devourer's Awakening.][Ability: Absorb power from what you kill.]
The next thing he knew, his hand shot forward on instinct, plunging into the monster's chest.
The creature howled — then shattered into red light.
[You have slain a Lesser Ghoul.][Level Up: 1 → 2.][Stat Increase: +5 Strength, +3 Vitality.]
Hayate fell to his knees, gasping. The wounds on his arm sealed shut before his eyes.He looked down at his bloodstained hand, trembling.
"This… power…"
The System spoke again:
[Rise, Rengoku Hayate. For every tear they made you shed, you will make them bleed tenfold.]
He stood slowly. His crimson hair glowed faintly in the dim light, his golden eyes burning with something new — rage, and resolve.
"They threw me away."He looked toward the darkness beyond the dungeon."Fine. I'll crawl out myself."
And when I do…I'll make them remember the name they tried to bury.
Rengoku Hayate — the one they abandoned… will be their doom.