Kazuto Yamashita was, in the most generic way possible, walking home from school. The kind of walk where nobody trips, nobody gets hit by a truck yet, and absolutely nothing of note happens.
He sighed. He was tired. Life was so ordinary. And yes, dear reader, I know you've heard that line a thousand times before. It's boring, I know, but bear with me. This is an isekai; the clichés are unavoidable.
As Kazuto rounded a corner, a truck came out of nowhere—well, it's supposed to come out of nowhere because that's the kind of "dramatic" thing these stories need. And yes, I know, another "tragic death triggers reincarnation" moment. How original.
Kazuto screamed. Or maybe he didn't. Honestly, I wasn't paying full attention either. Whatever.
Then, as if the universe finally got bored of him too, everything went white.
"Congratulations, Kazuto Yamashita," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like it was reading off a script. "You have been reincarnated in a fantasy world where—"
Stop. Stop right there, I mutter. Do I really need to go through the whole "fantasy world exposition" nonsense? Fine. But I warn you, it's all the same: swords, magic, vaguely medieval villages, ridiculously overpowered villains, and a prophecy. Yes, the prophecy. Yes, the MC is special. Everyone's happy now? Good.
"You… are the Chosen Hero," the voice continued, clearly ignoring me. "You must defeat the Demon Lord and save the world!"
Kazuto blinked. He had a thought. Do I get cheat powers? Do I get a harem? Or—
Oh for the love of—don't even get started on the harem. Not yet. Let's pretend you're just, you know, a guy with basic stats. That's more realistic… and painfully boring.
"I… I see," Kazuto said cautiously. "So I'm… special?"
"Yes," the voice said, "but only in the way that the plot demands. If you die, we'll just have a flashback scene where you were actually training in secret. Anyway, off you go."
And with that, Kazuto was dropped into a world full of…
I could describe it in lavish detail, but honestly, who cares? It's a forest, it's green, there's a village somewhere, probably some monsters. Typical. Let's move on.
As Kazuto stumbled forward, he encountered his first monster: a slime. Surprise. Another cliché.
The slime bounced. The slime attacked. Kazuto—again, the MC—somehow survived, because obviously the plot won't allow him to die in Chapter 1.
"Ha! That was easy," he said, and I sighed audibly. No, it wasn't. It was the most generic fight in existence.
From behind the slime, a mysterious old man appeared. He looked like he was designed in a character template, which, surprise, he was.
"You, young hero, are destined to—"
Please, I'm begging you, stop. We've read this line a million times. He's destined for the prophecy, he will gain powers, blah blah blah.
Kazuto nodded. He was ready to begin his journey. And I was ready to nap.