All Good Novel
Chapter 1
Author’s Note:
This is a work of fiction. The characters, organizations and names are fictional and have no relation to any real people.
For example…what if the total population of the world actually decreased contrary to the currently predicted increase in the year 2100.
Also, I think there are various things that can be criticized, but please overlook them with a lenient attitude.
Following that day—one month has passed since the great 『Cataclysm』 that swallowed up the whole world.
I am currently getting ready for the expected invasion in the innermost area of my dungeon, which is my very own Domain.
The one waiting at my side is a half-human, half-dog monster equipped with a silver sword at its waist — a kobold.
In front of me, a group of evil fairies — goblins awaiting my orders.
We are ready for you—self-alleged heroes.
On that day, I desired freedom, chaos — and creation.
Let’s first repel the heroes who are going to invade.
I will show you that I can survive in this world.
In order to grasp freedom with these hands.
As the first step to that, I aim to become the strongest demon king in this area — 『Kanazawa』.
◇
Year 20XX
The world was heading towards its ruin.
Year by year the decreasing birth rates and the shrinking population aggravates.
The excessive aging of the population went beyond its peak. The total population of the world declined to less than 50% of its peak time.
The developed science provided peace for everyone, yet at the same time, it brought about laziness.
Science offered pleasant conveniences for everyone, but it also stole ambition from everyone.
As a result, many people refused to search for success in life — for growth.
Excessive weaponry caused the vitality of the planet to deteriorate while easily eradicating human life.
If you followed the TV, many commentators insistently gave warnings.
However, their words were perceived as distant noise coming from another world that was somebody else’s problem.
It’s an end-of-the-world-like era.
And yet, it’s an era where no one harbors any sense of impending danger.
I — Kurosaki Shion have entered university.
The criterion for my chosen university is scholarly ability.
It’s a university centered around economics, but even if it means that it’s particularly focused on economics, it’s not like I’m in a department related to a specific job I want to do in the future.
I simply matched my choice with my scholarly ability.
That was the only reason for me choosing that particular university.
However, since I wanted to live alone, I chose a university located in the western Kanazawa, instead of the one located in Tohoku’s Sendai City, which is my hometown.
Although it’s called a university, it’s a strange school.
All the educational institutions I attended so far – elementary school, middle school and high school – were different.
Compulsory education lasted until middle school.
Why is high school and university so different?
First off, there’s no uniforms.
There might be many students who are happy about that, but for me, who’s ignorant of fashion, it’s hell.
If there was a uniform, it would be fine for me to wear the same clothes everyday, but once it came to plain clothes, there was no way for me to wear the same set of clothes all the time.
Furthermore, the good fashion sense also included the possibility of producing a caste system.
Next, the lessons.
In university it’s necessary to create a timetable by yourself.
There’s no schedule offered by the school.
In short, you decide for yourself what lessons you want to take.
Although compulsory courses exist, it’s even possible to have three days off, depending on your course selection.
Lessons you want to take? Micro Economics? Macro Economics? Are there really any students who want to attend such classes?
And last, the classes.
There are no classes at university.
At my university class-like lessons called seminars apparently began with the second year, but for first years they didn’t exist.
How am I supposed to make friends?
I came from Sendai, okay? Let alone friends, there’s not even a single acquaintance here.
Even when taking a lesson, the seats are always free for everyone.
There are no fixed neighbors either.
Start a conversation? How?
Enter a circle? Joining such a dazzling group?
Is university possibly an educational institution where you polish your communication skills? In that case, give me a tutorial…er, rather a lecture.
Today as well, my lonely university life passed by with such emotions.
◆
Three months have passed since entering university.
As usual I’m a loner today.
When I was eating lunch by myself on a bench after having bought a bento at a convenience store located on the university grounds—an electronic sound reverberated.
Eh?
The source of the electronic sound was the smartphone trembling inside the pocket of my trousers.
Hah? Why is it ringing?
I always keep it on vibrate mode.
Or rather, probably because I’m hearing the ring tone for the first time in a while, it sounds to me as if the electronic sound is overlapping.
Since it’s embarrassing, I take out the smartphone in a hurry and barrage the【ＯＫ】button.
Mail?
Or rather, in spite of pressing 【ＯＫ】, the annoying electronic sound keeps ringing in my ears.
Once I looked around me, all students in sight had taken out their smartphones.
At the present time, the diffusion rate for smartphones is 180%.
The reason why it’s exceeding 100% are the people possessing two or more smartphones.
Nowadays there’s no one that doesn’t own a smartphone! The propagation of smartphones allows for one to actually state that.
It’s not just me, but everyone?
J-Alert?
I remember having seen it on TV. There’s such a function forcibly included on every smartphone.
What’s going on?
The electronic sounds that reverberate in the vicinity gradually diminish. The students around me stare at the displays of their smartphones.
I also lowered my sight on mine once again.
What the fuck?
My smart-phone had received a suspicious mail.
『～Notification of the World Salvation Project’s start ～
In order to rescue the world, we will examine the aptitude of all mankind.
Please carry out the aptitude test according to the following entries.
The people who don’t take the test, will be treated as 【Neutral】. Since there’s a possibility that you will suffer disadvantages from now on, we recommend participation.
The period for taking the aptitude test is limited to 24 hours from now on.
The test itself requires approximately 3 hours.
Well then, please click the following button and start the aptitude test.
【Start】』
—?
Virus?
I suspected that I got a virus.
Once I press 【Start】, I will be asked to pay money or personal information will be extracted.
It might be that kind of virus.
Is there any idiot that will be tricked by that kind of virus nowadays?
I put the smartphone back into my pocket and resumed eating my lunch.
◆
After that the topic of the spam mail was a hot topic among the students at the university.
Because I didn’t have a friend to talk to, I attended the afternoon lessons as planned.
And afterwards, I went home.
Once I returned home, I booted up my tablet and surfed the net.
The net news and the news blogs were centered on the spam mail.
Once I read the news stories, I couldn’t believe it, but…that spam mail was apparently sent to all of humanity.
All telecommunication companies simultaneously held press conferences, simply appealing to not click 【Start】. And even the government held an exceptional press conference because of the big damage, appealing for the same.
Once I looked at a certain, anonymous bulletin board, several threads about this topic had already started. When I looked at the thread with the most user input, it was filled with people who had clicked 【Start】.
２２８ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｔfｄｙｋｇｒ
My aptitude was 【Law】 lol.
２３１ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ａofｈoｑw
＞２２８ Ha? For real? I’m also 【Law】 though.
２５７ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：nｓfoｉｈf
＞２２８ I’m 【Law】, too.
Ah yeah, I scanned for a virus, but didn’t find any.
２７６ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｉｈｓfｈoａ
＞２５７ ViRUs sCaN lol
Your personal information was stolen, lol. Sleep while trembling in fear lol.
２８１ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：nｓfoｉｈf
＞２７６ Ha? Don’t fucking look down on ○ー○○-sensei!
２８２ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：nｓfoｉｈf
By the way, I know it’s a trial version, but is it safe?
２８５ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｉｈｓfｈoａ
Human Test Trial Version lol
３０５ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｄｈoeｈｄｂ
Are there no other heroes except for 【Law】?
３０７ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｈｓｕeｂａｄ
＞３０５ I’m 【Second】 rofl.
３１４ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：woｄnｒｕｕ
＞３０７ 【Second】 Gear, right? lmao
３２０ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｑoｄｋｒｕn
＞Well, I’m 【Chaos】 lol.
３２３ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：oｉoｈｄｐａ
＞３２０ ○○ reincarnation, right!? I sure played too many games lol.
After that, a large chunk of the thread continued to be dominated by 【Law】 and 【Neutral】.
After looking at other message boards and blogs as much as possible, I felt like the aptitude 【Law】 might actually exist.
However, all the other aptitudes except that one were treated as jokes.
【Neutral】, if you didn’t take part in the aptitude test.
And if you did, 【Law】?
I continued surfing the net after that out of curiosity.
◆
9 hours have passed since the spam mail has been sent.
The situation has developed towards an unexpected direction.
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