The guild hall was as lively as ever, filled with voices, movement, and the constant clinking of armor and weapons. For most people inside, it was just another ordinary day, but for Nagumo Hiroto, this moment carried a different weight. Standing in front of the class selection board, he felt a quiet tension building inside him. This decision, as Gilbert had explained, would shape his path in this world. It would determine how he would grow, how he would fight, and ultimately, how he would survive.
Gilbert stood nearby with his usual relaxed posture, arms crossed as he watched. He explained that choosing a class was the foundation of every hunter's journey. Alice, standing beside Hiroto, added gently that most people chose something that matched their natural abilities. Classes like mage, archer, and warrior were the most common, and each came with its own strengths.
Hiroto nodded, but deep down, he felt uncertain. He had never been exceptional at anything in his old world. The idea of choosing something that defined his future felt overwhelming. Still, he stepped forward, knowing he couldn't hesitate forever.
As he approached the board, glowing symbols began to appear, floating faintly before him. Each symbol represented a different class, reacting to his presence as if waiting for him to choose. Hiroto focused on the first one—mage. The symbol shimmered briefly, but the moment he tried to reach for it, the light flickered and vanished.
He paused, confused.
He tried again with another.
Archer.
The same thing happened. The symbol appeared, responded for a moment, then disappeared as if rejecting him.
A faint murmur began to spread behind him.
Hiroto's chest tightened as he moved to the next option.
Warrior.
Once again, it appeared—only to fade away.
One by one, he tried every class available. Each time, the result was the same. The symbols would respond briefly, then vanish, as if refusing to accept him. The murmurs in the guild grew louder, filled with confusion and disbelief.
It wasn't normal.
Everyone could choose at least one class.
But Hiroto—
Couldn't choose any.
A cold feeling spread through him as he stared at the board. Was he really being rejected by everything? Was he that incapable?
Alice stepped closer, clearly concerned, while even Gilbert's expression shifted slightly from his usual calm demeanor. Neither of them seemed to understand what was happening.
Then Hiroto noticed something.
At the edge of the board, there was one remaining symbol. It hadn't stood out at first, its glow faint compared to the others, almost as if it had been hidden.
Slowly, he reached toward it.
The moment he did, the symbol reacted.
It didn't flicker.
It didn't disappear.
Instead, it grew brighter.
"Duelist…" Hiroto read under his breath.
The word felt unfamiliar, almost distant, yet it was the only one that responded to him.
The murmurs behind him grew louder. Some people questioned what kind of class it was, while others wondered why it was the only option available to him. It wasn't normal. It didn't make sense.
Hiroto hesitated. This wasn't what he wanted. He tried once more to choose something else, reaching toward the other classes again. But nothing responded. It was as if the system itself was refusing him.
Only one choice remained.
Duelist.
The pressure became clear. He had no alternatives.
Slowly, reluctantly, Hiroto reached out and touched the symbol.
The moment his fingers made contact, everything changed.
The sounds of the guild disappeared instantly. The light faded. The world around him dissolved into darkness.
Hiroto's eyes widened as he found himself standing in a void. There was nothing around him, no walls, no people, no ground he could clearly recognize—only endless darkness stretching in every direction.
His voice echoed faintly as he tried to speak, but even that felt distant.
Then he heard something.
A heavy, rhythmic sound.
It grew louder with each passing second.
Hoofbeats.
Hiroto's breath caught as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness. A towering knight clad in black armor appeared before him, mounted on a massive horse that seemed to be formed from shadows. Its eyes glowed faintly, piercing through the void.
The presence of the figure was overwhelming. Hiroto felt as if something invisible was pressing down on him, crushing him under its weight. His body refused to move. Fear rooted him in place.
The knight held a dagger.
Its blade was dark, twisted, and unnatural.
Hiroto tried to step back, but he couldn't.
The knight raised its weapon.
Before Hiroto could react, it moved.
In an instant, it closed the distance between them. There was no time to think, no time to defend himself.
A sharp pain exploded through his chest.
Hiroto gasped as he looked down, his vision shaking violently. The dagger had pierced straight through him. The pain was real, overwhelming, spreading through his entire body as his strength faded.
He tried to speak, but no words came out.
The knight said nothing. It simply stared at him, cold and silent, as if this outcome had already been decided.
Darkness began to consume everything once more.
The pain.
The fear.
His thoughts.
Until suddenly—
He heard a voice.
"Hiroto?"
It was soft.
Familiar.
A light sensation touched his arm.
His eyes snapped open.
The guild hall returned instantly. The noise, the people, the light—it all rushed back at once. Hiroto staggered slightly, his body trembling as he tried to steady himself.
Alice stood in front of him, her expression filled with concern, her hand still slightly raised from where she had poked him.
Gilbert stood nearby, watching him closely.
Hiroto's breathing was uneven as he looked around. Everything was normal.
But his chest—
There was no wound.
Yet the pain lingered faintly, as if it had truly happened.
He slowly placed a hand over his chest, trying to steady himself.
The class selection was over.
He had become a duelist.
But whatever he had just experienced—
Was not normal.
And as Hiroto stood there, surrounded by people who had no idea what he had seen, one thought settled deeply in his mind.
This path he had been forced onto—
Was something far darker than he had ever imagined.