Where am I…? Am I dead…?
There was nothing around him—only endless black. His own voice echoed faintly, swallowed by the void. Then suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice rang out.
[Congratulations. You have been successfully summoned to another world.]
Haruto froze. "…Summoned…? What?" he muttered, confusion filling his voice. "Is this the afterlife…? Am I dead?"
[System processing… You are not dead. You have been successfully teleported to another world.]
His thoughts spiraled. "What are you talking about…?" Haruto said, his voice trembling. "This is insane… Just now, I was in a deep dungeon with my childhood friends… "
His expression darkened.
"They… tricked me."
Memories flooded back.
They had abandoned him.
Left him alone in a black dragon's chamber.
They pushed him inside and suddenly sealed the stone door behind him. The heavy wall slammed shut with a loud echo… and then—The dragon woke up.
Haruto clenched his fists. "I remember… a huge fireball coming straight at me…" he whispered. "That dragon attacked… I thought I would die…"
His voice grew bitter. "They left me because I was only E-rank…"
He paused, looking into the endless darkness. "…But somehow… I ended up here."
Silence.
Then
[After the war between humans and demons, a summoning ritual was performed to summon a hero.]
Haruto's eyes widened. "That means… I'm the hero?"
[Negative. You are not the hero.]
"…What the hell did you just say?" Haruto snapped. "I was summoned, right? If I'm not the hero, then why am I here? Why this place?"
[Multiple individuals were summoned from another world. However, before your summoning was completed, the chosen hero had already arrived. The ritual was stopped prematurely, resulting in your accidental summoning.]
Haruto went silent for a moment.
"…Then I can go back, right?" he asked quickly.
[Negative. Return is not possible.]
His heart sank. "…So I'm stuck here… forever?"
[I am attempting to find a method to support your survival.]
Before Haruto could respond, a sudden flash of light engulfed him.
The next moment— Haruto lay sprawled across the grass in the middle of a wide forest clearing. His body was motionless as a gentle wind brushed past him.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then—His fingers twitched. Slowly, his eyes opened. A dull pain throbbed through his head as he pushed himself up, one hand pressing against his temple.
"…Ouch…" he muttered weakly. "Why does my head feel so heavy…?"
His vision blurred, then slowly cleared.
Confusion filled his face.
"…Where am I now…?"
As he tried to steady himself, something passed over him—a shadow.
Haruto froze. Slowly, he lifted his head toward the sky.
And then he saw it. A massive red dragon soared above the clouds, its wings spreading wide as it cut through the air.
His eyes widened. "…What the hell…" he whispered. "Why is a dragon… outside the dungeon…?"
He forced himself to stand and looked around.
Forest.
Endless forest.
"…What the hell…? I got summoned into the middle of a forest?" he muttered. "Isn't this supposed to be a city or a kingdom…?"
Suddenly—A blue holographic screen appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations. You have re-awakened as a Beast Tamer.]
[Hidden Class Unlocked]
[Unique Skill: Absolute Domination]
[You can tame intelligent beings.]
[Level Up x3]
Haruto stared at the screen, his expression darkening.
"…Congratulations?" he said bitterly. "Are you mocking me? You drop me in a forest at level one and expect me to survive in a world like this?"
His eyes narrowed. "What the hell is 'Absolute Domination'…?"
[Do not worry. As you grow stronger, you will understand.]
"…Then explain how my power works," Haruto demanded. "I just got here and suddenly gained all these skills. In my world, I trained every day and only gained one or two levels in months. Here, I get this in seconds?"
[When you tame a target, you can obtain their skills. When you defeat a target, you may also acquire their abilities.]
[Additionally, you possess a special power.]
Haruto frowned.
"…What special power?"
[You can tame any being against their will. However, there are limits.]
Haruto fell silent, thinking.
"So… they summoned me by mistake… left me here to die…" he muttered. "If I want to go back, I need to find the one who summoned me and force them to send me back…"
He looked at the system.
"You're a system, right? Then there must be others like you in this world."
[Incorrect. This world does not possess systems.]
"…What?" Haruto blinked. "Then what about you?"
[I am an exception. While analyzing this world, I confirmed that its inhabitants rely on magic and magical items—not systems.]
[When you were summoned, I was brought here with you.]
Haruto's eyes widened."…So you were originally my system…?"
[Correct. After the summoning, both you and I evolved. I have become more advanced than before.]
Haruto clenched his fists."…Then I understand," he said quietly. "You said a hero was summoned before me. That means they came from another world too… right?"
[Correct. However, the hero does not possess a system. They use magic energy.]
[Additionally, you and the hero originate from different types of worlds. The hero came from an ordinary world without magic or systems. You, however, came from a world where dungeons and systems already existed. That is why the hero was chosen over you.]
Haruto's expression twisted. "…What the hell…" he muttered.He looked around the endless forest,frustration building inside him."No system… no way back…"
Suddenly—Slap! He struck his own face.
"I'm not staying here," he said firmly, his eyes filled with determination. "No matter what… I'll return to my own world."