It happened in an instant.
The morning sun had barely risen over the city when Class 2-B of Kaisei High School gathered for homeroom. Laughter echoed through the room, desks were cluttered with half-finished assignments, and students milled about in the usual chaos of teenage life.
Riku Aizawa sat quietly in the back row, his notebook open, pen in hand but he wasn't writing notes. He was sketching out a boss strategy for a game he no longer had time to play. His grades were average, his social presence minimal, and his life unremarkable.
He was used to being invisible. And that was fine.
Until the sky tore open.
Without warning, a white light brighter than anything natural flooded the classroom. The windows shattered inward. A force like a hurricane ripped through the space and everything dissolved into light.
Screams rang out. Some students collapsed. Others vanished mid-sentence. In that brief second, Riku's world disappeared.
---
He awoke on cold marble.
The air was different cleaner, crisper, and laced with something unnatural. Magic. Riku sat up slowly, surrounded by his classmates, each of them just as dazed and confused as he was.
They were no longer in a classroom.
They stood within a grand hall vast and cathedral-like. Towering crystal pillars lined the walls, pulsing with a soft blue light. Intricate magical runes floated through the air, rotating slowly as if alive. At the far end stood a staircase, atop which an old man in white robes held a silver staff.
His voice boomed, though his lips barely moved.
"Welcome, Heroes from Another World."
Gasps rippled through the crowd of students.
"We are the Elders of the Kingdom of Arzallia. Our world faces annihilation. Only you heroes summoned across dimensions can save it."
Behind the robed elder, armored knights and robed mages stood in perfect formation. This was no joke. No dream. No VR simulation.
The students were stunned silent.
Riku, blinking slowly, tried to make sense of it.
"Wait… another world?" he murmured. "This is… isekai?"
The term felt ridiculous to say out loud, but it was the only explanation that fit. Every anime he'd ever watched about world-hopping protagonists raced through his mind.
Then the light returned.
One by one, each student was enveloped in a soft glow. Translucent screens like floating holograms materialized before them. Everyone stared, frozen, as foreign characters shifted into readable text.
---
[Status Identification: Riku Aizawa]
Level: 1
Class: ARCHIVIST (The Archivist)
Skills:
– Observe – Analyze enemies and detect patterns
– Archive Slot Lv.1 – Store 1 enemy skill
– Note Editor Lv.1 – Create strategic notes manually
---
"…What?"
Riku squinted at the screen, brows furrowed. No attack power. No spells. No defense. Just skills related to observation and analysis.
A support class. A weak one.
Around him, excited voices exploded.
"I got Holy Knight! It's got healing and sword skills!"
"Mine says Mage of Eternal Flame! That's gotta be rare, right?"
"Yo! Dragon Tamer! I can ride a dragon?!"
Laughter. Cheers. Awe.
Riku glanced around and felt the weight of eyes slowly turning his way.
"Oi, Riku… your class is what, Archivist?"
"Hahahaha, no combat skills? What're you supposed to do, take notes on the battlefield?"
"Even the new transfer kid got Necromancer! And you're the party secretary!"
The laughter stung more than he expected.
He clenched his fists.
Before he could reply, a loud metallic clang silenced the room. A man clad in golden armor descended the steps. The crest of a sun burned on his chestplate, glowing with divine energy. His gaze swept over the students with the cold efficiency of a judge.
"The Hero Summoning is complete. The Trial now begins."
"Those who pass will be accepted as Arzallia's saviors."
"Those who fail… will be deemed unworthy. And disposed of."
A chill swept through the room.
"Disposed of?" Riku echoed. "Wait, what does that"
He was cut off as knights began organizing students into groups for the "Trial." Dozens were ushered toward glowing portals each bound for a dungeon to prove their worth.
When Riku's name was called, he stepped forward but the knight only raised a hand.
"Apologies," he said flatly. "Your class does not qualify for combat trials."
"You will be sent to the Disposal Zone."
"No exceptions."
"Wait, hold on, at least let me"
Too late.
A spell circle flared beneath his feet. Magic surged.
And in the blink of an eye, Riku was gone.
---
He landed hard his body slamming against stone. The air here was colder, damper, and filled with the faint stench of rot.
The portal behind him sealed shut with a hiss.
Glowing letters above the stone gate read:
---
[Dungeon Level: SS-Rank]
---
Riku groaned, slowly pushing himself up. His clothes were torn, his limbs sore.
He was alone.
No weapons. No potions. Just his notebook. The Initial Notes.
From deep within the dungeon, a low growl echoed.
"They threw me in here to die…"
A flicker of light appeared in the corner of his vision. A small red slime oozed into view.
Riku's screen lit up:
---
[Observe Activated]
Target: Red Slime
Behavior: Slow, circular movement
Weakness: Fire, ice
Note: No central brain. Reacts to sound and vibration.
---
The data unfolded like a strategy guide. Not just stats, but patterns. Weaknesses.
Suddenly, Riku understood.
"If I can't fight… I'll learn."
"If I can't win with strength… I'll win with knowledge."
He reached into the dirt, grabbed a stone, and tossed it.
The slime shifted.
He ran.
With precise timing and calculation, he baited the creature to leap and sidestepped, letting it fall off the narrow ledge into the abyss below.
---
[Enemy Defeated: Red Slime]
[Skill Detected: Acid Body (Passive)]
[Archive Slot Full]
[Record this skill? Y/N]
---
He pressed Yes.
And smiled.
"You called me trash…"
"Fine. I'll be trash. But I'll be the trash that breaks your system."
---
And so began the story of Riku Aizawa.
Not a hero.
Not a warrior.
But the last-class outcast who would claw his way from the abyss and rewrite the fate of an entire world.