Russian Shield Hero

From the Beginning! A cold, quiet night. I stroll through the winter streets of Moscow. By the way, my name is Ruslan, I'm twenty, studying to be a manager. I can't boast of much, unfortunately. My parents died in a car accident when I was seven. I lived with my grandmother until I was 18, and then moved to a country house. To cover my living expenses, I took on a part-time job. Can't say I don't like it, but dragging around the city, delivering packages, is quite tiring. No real friends, especially no girlfriends. In general, a complete loser in life and a fan of computer games. A perfect combination. You might ask, what am I doing outside at night? It's just regular insomnia. I also love snow. It shimmers beautifully under the light of street lamps. Now I'm heading to the nearest kiosk; I want to read a magazine about new technologies. Haha, everyone reads about nonsense in the middle of the night, right? Well, I'm doing the same. Reaching the newsstand I had in mind, I faced disappointment. Although this kiosk is supposed to be open 24/7, it seems to be on a nightly break. Damn it. What should I do now? I approached the nearest pebble and kicked it with all my might. I heard the sound of breaking glass. Damn it, time to get the hell out of here. I ran through the deserted streets at Usain Bolt's speed. Suddenly, I stumbled over something and hit my head quite hard on the asphalt. The snow didn't soften the fall at all. What made me fall, you ask? Damn it, no one will believe me when I tell them. I stumbled over a damn manga with an unknown anime. Can you believe it? Taking a closer look, I read the title. Rising of the Shield Hero! What the hell is this? I'll burn it right now, luckily I have matches in my pocket. Where did they come from? Doesn't matter... I picked up the book and was about to get rid of it when suddenly a white flash blinded me, and I blacked out. Damn, where the hell am I? Why are priests standing around me, and there's a shield with a green crystal attached to my hand? And why does everything around me look like it's from a manga? — It worked! — stuttered some guy in a black cloak. — We summoned all four heroes! — Who are you?! — exclaimed a tall blond guy next to me, holding a spear of some kind. — Why did you bring us here? — the guy with the sword asked cautiously. — Please, Heroes! Save our world! — shouted the priests. — WHAT THE HELL?! — I shouted throughout the room. — Please, Shield Hero, calm down, the King will explain everything to you! — a young girl said in shock. I clicked my tongue and understood... ... I'm screwed! The four of us were led to the throne room. Seated in the center was the gray-haired king. Am I in a fairy tale? Or did I really end up in an anime? — Welcome, brave heroes. I am the king of this country, Altcrei Melromark XXXII, — he threw a contemptuous glance at me. Wait, I didn't understand, what did I do wrong already? — We summoned you to protect our world from waves. What the hell? Okay, I'll listen to what this madman has to say. And then it began. The country is in a precarious situation; we need your help, blah blah blah. I didn't bother listening further. Boredom, nothing else. Although I'm still trying to figure out where I am, the main question is where is my body? Right now, I was in the body of a tall brunet with green eyes, and it seems his memories were transferred to me. The guy's name was Naofumi Iwatani. What language is this? Japanese, perhaps? Oh damn, I'm screwed. He was a gamer, an otaku... in short, not interesting at all. —... heroes, please go to the rest room. Tomorrow we will continue our meeting, and we will also arrange troops for you, — I heard. Oh, I think I overslept. And who cares. If life gave me a chance to live in a new reality, why not take advantage of it? We were let into some room, and then the guide disappeared. Well, nice, huh! These clowns decided to bother me. — Sorry, but... we would like to know your name. You remained silent at the coronation, so the king missed you, — said the archer. — If it's a secret, we won't bother you, — I looked at the guy with the sword and sighed. — There's no secret, my name is Naofumi. The last name is not necessary to know. Forgive me, but I often fall into depression, so you can introduce yourselves to me? — No problem, I'm Kitamura Motoyasu, — introduced himself the blond with a ponytail. He's the spearman. — I'm Kawasumi Itsuki, — another blond said. — Well, and I'm Amaki Ren, — the narrow-eyed guy. — Nice to meet you, comrades, and now answer the next question: does this world remind you of anything? — hahaha, this question is tricky; maybe these guys know something? — Yes, this world resembles a game from my world, — scratched his head the archer. Hmm, and he's actually right. Only now I realized that in front of me was a whole holographic system. While three clowns argued, I started studying the system. Oh, this is really cool! I always dreamed of being in a game, but something is not right here. Most likely, I guess what's going on, but I won't talk about it. First, I'll deal with the interface. It's not complicated, by the way. I've seen worse. I'm a gamer, I know. In general, a typical RPG with skill leveling. In my case, I'll have to level up the shield. Exciting. I wanted to think further, but the idiots started yelling even louder, which distracted me. — Hey, can you stop making noise? Everyone is probably asleep already. What's your dilemma? They wanted to impose something on me, but I stopped them. — We are from different worlds, didn't you understand? Probably from different countries. Judging by your appearance, I guess you are all from Japan. I'm from Europe, although my mom is also Japanese, — you learn to lie in 20 years. The argument subsided. We talked a little more; they started blabbering about how the shield is the weakest in their games, but I know that tanks are one of the most powerful characters in RPGs. You just need to find partners, which the king will provide us. Or not? With a clear conscience, I fell asleep waiting for tomorrow."

****

I wake up to annoying knocks on the door. I feel like shouting for them to leave me the hell alone, but unfortunately, I'm not in that position. Then a girl in white enters my room, bows, and says. — Respected Shield Hero, please proceed to the throne room. The king's orders, — and she leaves. Time drags on. Dressed up, I yawned for the last time and headed to the king. When I arrived, all the clowns were in their places, and the king began to speak. — So, heroes, at this meeting, we are going to assign you a team, as well as give you 800 silver coins. A cash register sound was heard. My eyes probably turned into dollars. Please, give me this money; I'll go back to my world and sell them. It's so much money! I would buy a Lamborghini and a powerful gaming PC. We were given the money, and then the future teammates began to choose who to be in a team with. Ironically, I didn't get anyone. Honestly, I didn't care at all. I won't have to buy equipment for noobs. More money will remain. — Esteemed king, there has been a misunderstanding, — said the red-haired girl with a sly face, — during which I would like to join the Shield Lord. The king nodded, and his eyes sparkled strangely. Something is fishy here. Do I have to take some whore with me? — My name is Myne Sophia, nice to meet you, I'll be glad to help you, — her smile made me cringe. And I'm not glad at all. — I don't think I need help, but if you want to join, look me in the eyes, — Ruslan's clever move. She shrugged and looked into my eyes. This is your fatal mistake, bitch; I see through you. Screw you, not Team Play. — Unfortunately, I have to refuse you. You know the saying Eyes are the mirror of the soul? — she nodded uncertainly. — So, your eyes are shattered, and I'm not going to team up with a girl who only wants my money, and maybe even to kill me. So, sorry, but I'd rather stay a lone wolf. I began to move away from the stunned losers. The hall was silent, the girl and the king's jaws dropped to the floor. Well, the other Heroes aren't any better. — By the way, king, this applies to you too. Next time, close your eyes, you gave yourself away, — I looked at him with disdain. He flinched and wanted to say something, but I waved my hand and left the throne room, then started running. I don't care that I ruined my reputation. However, it won't stop me from reaching unprecedented heights.

If only I knew how it would end, I would never have blurted that out.

To be continued...