At that moment Akutagawa remembered a scene from the past — how a man had called him names when he was a child. He was carried back into those memories. He listened to him say that it was all his fault. They couldn't even collect the payments, because he had been born a freak with no powers. That was why his mother had left. It would have been better if she had never given birth to him.
This was Akutagawa's father, who absolutely hated him.
Sometime later, when Akutagawa got home, he decided to gather his strength in his palm, release the mana, and give it form. Why had he been born without powers? He examined his hands and couldn't understand it. He created a little fog, minimized the losses, and decided to try again. He knew there was no point in it, but he imagined what life was like for a hero.
Even if he concentrated all his strength on his skeleton and his muscles and increased his speed, it might still be impossible. If skill development improved in the other categories, he would definitely be stronger. And in the only game he had played as a child, he knew, all the classes could use magic. Every skill he learned on his own, becoming the strongest — that was the talent stage. There, he was a hero.
At that moment someone watching clapped their hands and remarked that it was interesting. He suffers more during the performance. The blade that tortures him will become a weapon in his hands.
One day, when the boys gathered on the field to play, Guda grabbed a club and blocked a blow, knocking Akutagawa to the ground. But he caught it, and the boys rejoiced. Guda got angry and shouted that he had rolled face first into the dirt, so they shouldn't talk such nonsense. Igarashi chuckled at them for defending him. And then he said, "All right. Now he'll drink tonight." And Igarashi blurted out that he had powerful balls.
Apparently the world of sport had changed completely in the past sixty years. Physical education used to be introduced to make students stronger and healthier, but now it was just about showing off. Modern society changes day by day because of its capabilities, and he had been born into this world.
Akutagawa took the hit and saw fire in his glove. The guys shouted that it was awesome and that first base was open. They should hit Akutagawa, and so on. They would definitely win.
Akutagawa was horrified by this and turned around abruptly, and then Guda started being rude to him, declaring that he'd had enough of missing the ball. The teacher yelled at him to calm down, but he told him to shut up, you worm. He allowed Akutagawa to rest for now, and turned around abruptly and said that at least he'd wrestled.
A moment later everyone started discussing the fight and chatting among themselves. Even being on the same platform with him was disgusting, but it wasn't that hard for him. Igarashi asked — but he couldn't live the life of such an insect. Why did he even live? Akutagawa stepped aside while they discussed him.
Sometime later at school, the girls were also discussing the new news, that a high-ranking dungeon had appeared on the mountain. Another girl asked, "Is that really true?"
"Great. That's why the sirens were screaming so much at night. It's close."
It's a natural phenomenon, of course, so nothing could be done. There are two types of dungeons: those that have existed since their inception sixty years ago, and those that appear completely at random, like this one. Specialized personnel gathered near the dungeon to measure the damage. A dungeon's danger is determined by the level of mana it allocates. Like the ability levels, they arrange the monsters within, and this is almost directly related to the mana levels. The difference between permanent dungeons and spawning dungeons is probably that the latter disappear after the monsters inside are killed. If dungeons aren't cleared for too long, the monsters escape. To prevent this, countries prepare squads of heroes and gather them in places called guilds.
"But don't professionals usually head into dungeons like that almost immediately?"
They do, but it would be a shame if their ranks were weaklings. This time, though, everything would surely be fine.
Guda, hearing this, chuckled. And after a while the guys remarked that they'd done a good job.
The guys were surprised. Was Akutagawa injured again? He apologized to the captain, since he'd failed again. The guy asked him to run to the hospital, since this had happened. Did his family know about this? His classmate said he was always getting hurt. Was he all right? Akutagawa laughed and said it was fine. The balls just kept hitting the same spot.
She wondered if he'd got used to it already. She hoped he didn't take joy from pain. At that moment she apologized and said she'd found it and couldn't satisfy him. He didn't understand what she was talking about, and she grabbed a box cutter and said she could kick him with it. She shook with fear and he yelled at her to stop. What was she thinking?
While he was taking the box cutter away from her, the class president suggested they get down to business. He had some important news today. The guys exchanged glances.
The Second October Club, which he was a member of, was a new drama based on power-based fighting and action. Their own club focused on old-time dramas that weren't power-based. Their small club had only the president and two young guys in it, but he liked it. You can find something new in drama every day, and despite the hardships of life, he always found time for the club.
Akutagawa was surprised by the news and asked if the club was really closing. The guy replied that if he knew that modern productions were like that, then they would be closing the last access to the classics. There was no point in a second acting club, and that was the school's decision.
This upset Akutagawa, and the guy informed him that he and Yui had been invited to the first club, but Akutagawa hadn't been invited anywhere.
He smiled and said he understood everything, and that there was no point in expecting anything useful from him or from the club. He said that everything was for the best and wished the guys good luck, then smiled and stood up, saying that he was already bored anyway and that the three of them couldn't do much any more. He hoped they would get great roles.
He left the office, and the guys didn't know how to help him. Yui was upset with him too, and realized that he must have done it on purpose, to get them into the first club.