It was dark outside. I couldn't tell what time it was because I couldn't see the sun, and there wasn't a single working watch or clock left in this house. The food in the fridge had already started to spoil, and there were only a few snacks locked away in the pantry. The television had been broken and hastily-packed belongings were set aside in a forgotten corner of the living room. The laptop and other computers in the house had been shorted out, with the Internet having gone dark barely days prior. Phonelines were no longer functioning, and the portable radio's batteries had died before I even arrived. It didn't really matter. Wasn't like it was my house to begin with. Some part of me hoped that someone I knew would still be here, waiting for the end.

But they were already gone. Everyone was. Everyone but me.

Was I really the last person on planet Earth? It certainly felt that way. I spent a whole day walking here and saw no signs of human life as I crossed the road full of empty cars. Somehow, my tired body managed to make the journey with only what I could carry along the way. But it didn't matter. Because the house was empty. The state was empty. The country was empty. The world was empty. Empty of everything human, anyways.

I didn't know what was making those loud noises and smashing glass in the dead of night, but I didn't have enough courage to investigate it myself. I was tired, the Internet was dead, and I could hear the distant howls of something stomping and tearing through the city I had abandoned. Noisy bastard sounded like seven dying elephants with a reverb. The healthy human mind doesn't wake up one day and think to itself ‘this is my last day alive’, but it helps put things in perspective. When you're about to die, you have a lot less to worry about and regret about what you could have done or what you're going to do, because it's not going to be your problem. You don't have to worry about the existence of a hereafter or the religious question of if you have a soul. Because the moment your consciousness fades, it's not a problem anymore. If you're right about it, you're off to whatever just desserts your life set you up for. If not, well, you can't be upset about it anyways.

So I was taking stock. Even if I was somehow ‘immune’ to the storm had erased my friends, family, and everyone else, then the things stalking around the night would get me. Maybe I could survive. Live off of the food left untouched in houses if the looting hadn't gotten to them, move from house to house, store to store. But what would I do? Turn into that guy who wrote apocalyptic logs detailing how the world ended up this way until something killed me at a suitably dramatic moment? Just age on this planet as the last human who ever was? Or search some distant country for the one or two other people who were miraculously left alone like I was? Did they even exist?

I scoffed. “What good is a second chance now...?” I asked nobody in particular, remembering a conversation from two days prior. Where had that strange girl gone? Did she find that place she was looking for after our last talk together? The last thing I saw on her face was a grim determination I was all too familiar with by now. Maybe that's what I'm feeling now, too.

Because I had no desire to let myself just age and die in this decaying world.

Walking up to the second floor and then to the tallest window I could find, I stepped onto the roof of the house and I stared up at the black sky. The wind began to howl, and the air turned cold and dry, like the other times it had passed through. The hair on my body began to stand up as lightning struck the streets in front of me. My heart was pounding with instinctive fear and hesitation, but I forced it all back. It would be here and now. My act as the last human being on Earth. “Come on...come on!” I screamed to the heavens, daring them to strike me down. “You took everyone else! Take me, too! I'm right here, you stupid son of a bitch...!”

I felt the sparks intensify, my fear growing as the wind blew harder and I stumbled where I stood. Something red was burning on the back of my right hand, searing me with pain. A bright flash. And then nothing.

That's the last thing I remember from my original life.

Jump 1: Hero BBS
Origin: Drop-In
Age: 17 [950]
Class: Warrior
Perks:
Exchange BBS
Princely Charms [900]
Pretty Boys Should DIE! [800]
Magnetic Destiny [500]
Railroading [300]
Unshakable Resolve [200]

Companions:
Party Call
Name: Wick
Class: Magician
Level: ?

Items:
Bag of Convenience [150]
Dollarydoos [100]
Magical Map [0]

When the lightning struck me, I was expecting to black out or at least be greeted by the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, I fell facefirst onto some very cold stone. A group of people in black and purple robes stood around me in a circle, their hands outstretched as if in greeting, before they began to murmur amongst each other.
>"Did it work...?"
>"Has our savior returned to us?"
>"No, this one doesn't have blue hair...who is he?"
The murmurs continued as I stumbled onto my feet, looking around myself in obvious confusion. A shorter robed figure would hesitantly reach out and offer a hand to me.
>"Do you understand us?"
“I...yeah, I can.” I answered, reaching back as they helped me step out of a circle that was drawn onto the floor, a hexagram on its outer layer and a smaller pentagram within its center.
>"Marlieus, is this the summoned hero?"
>"Are you blind, George?! This young man is the strapping image of a hero, even if he isn't the same one as before!"
...what kind of name juxtaposition was that? Marlieus? George?! Was this some kind of Purgatory?! Just when I thought I had enough sensory overload for the past five minutes, I could suddenly ‘see’ several chat windows pop up in my mind.
>"Welcome to the Active Hero BBS! Be sure to read the rules and-"
>"Oh hey, a new summoned hero!"
>"Hey, these coordinates look weird...they're from ‘Lost Earth’?"
>"lol scrub who's clumsy enough to lose a planet in their backstory"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF
>"...Marlieus, he appears to have curled into fetal position and won't stop screaming."
>"I CAN SEE THAT, GEORGE."
What was going on? Where was I? What was happening? I was ready for whatever unknown fate awaited me within the winds of the storm, and suddenly being hit with the mental equivalent of pop-up messages while being in a cold room of stone surrounded by a bunch of LARPers wasn't QUITE what I had in mind. Unable to process what was happening to me, I could only scream in frustration and confusion up until there was suddenly a corgi puppy in front of me. The ball of fluff jumped in front of me before starting to lick my face. And...okay, I'll be honest, it's very hard to stay terrified and anxious when there is a puppy nearby. The robed men had since broken the circle, with ‘Marlieus’ and ‘George’ standing side by side in front of me.
>"Hmph. Kittens would have worked even faster." George scoffed.
>"Shut up, George. Now, erm...your name is..." Marlieus would hurriedly take out a blue book and flip through the pages. “Tatsuya?”
“I...no.”I said, awkwardly petting the equally confused pupper, which had rolled over for tummy rubs.
>"Okay, not that one..." He flipped through the pages again. “Tendou?”
“No.”
>"Saito?"
“No.”
>"Subaru?"
“No.”
>"Kazuma?"
“I'm not Japanese.” I say, finally.
>"Okay, not Japanese, not Japanese..." Marlieus continued to flip through the book.
>"He CLEARLY wasn't, Marlieus."
>"Shut up, George."
“My name is Anon.”
>"Anon, anon..." He flipped through the book. Then he reached the end of it. He flipped through it a second time, and then threw the book away. “Whatever, it's outdated anyways. Look, Anon...I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but we're in a bit of a pickle and need your help.”
“Uh-huh.” I said, only half paying attention and being much more interested in the puppy that was now running around in circles.
>"Several years ago, a great hero we summoned, like yourself, defeated a powerful Demon Lord with the help of a cadre of Holy Swords - the most powerful weapons in our entire country's arsenal."
“Sounds important.”
>"And they were! But when the Demon Lord was defeated, the Summoned Hero ran off with all of the swords and departed to another world. Originally, we thought it was a suitable reward for their service, but...one of the Holy Knights has gone rogue and has taken both the King and his daughter hostage. He demands that we surrender the Key of Eternity to him within the next month or he will slay both of them."
“Key of Eternity? What's that?" I was starting to pay more attention, looking up at my apparent summoner questioningly.
>"That's the problem. We don't know."
“...then what the hell is he even holding them ransom for?”
>"We don't know. Ser Ral...no, just Raland now, was one of the hero's original companions and helped saved the world. He was a noble knight and a good friend to the King and Princess. We don't know what inspired this sort of madness or what this Key he's searching for is. We tried to summon the hero back to our world, but...he didn't respond to his True Name. On our third try, you appeared."
“...I'm...” I stammer a bit. Had these old coots miraculously saved my life at the last second? Was I brought to another world just before the storm turned me into atoms? I didn't know whether to tearfully collapse in gratefulness or be upset I was probably about to be saddled with a task I wasn't equipped for. “Not a hero.” I say. “I'm just a normal person.”
>"So was the Summoned Hero. And while the Holy Swords may be gone...you're our only hope."
>"Marlieus, this is kind of a lot to dump on a kid, you know."
>"Shut up, George."
“...kid? I'm in my mid-twenties.”
They held up a mirror in front of me, showing that I was now back in my late teens. Except...different. I had a full head of hair again and my face was mostly without blemishes. My eyes had also turned into an icy blue. My surprised face stares back at me. “...OKAY, I GUESS NOT.” The corgi barked in agreement. Or was just hungry, I don't know.

They didn't take no for an answer, though. I was obviously hesitant, even as they handed me a castle-forged steel sword and some light armor for me to wear. My body had changed from slightly out of shape into something that was actually a bit more fit and young. They told me they would give me a day to rest and get my bearings, as well as acclimate to my surroundings. My first instinct was to run away because I was so under-qualified for this that it wasn't funny - except we were located within a castle located deep within snowy mountains. So that idea was out. I took a deep breath and stepped into my room, still holding the new sheathed sword in my hand. The room had a simple bed in a corner with a dresser in another.
>"Ooof, bad luck, hey buddy?"
...then I turned my head over to see a short boy with dark hair, ram horns, and a black cape with the stereotypical garb of some kind of mage. He didn't have any of the extra colors or heraldry of the summoners, though. He was also wearing a pair of sunglasses that looked amazingly out of place with the rest of his attire. I stared at him, and he tilted his head to the side with a playful grin.
>"What? Not gonna comment on my good looks?" The vaguely demonic kid asked.
“My suspension of disbelief rolled up into a corner to die a few minutes ago.” I say bluntly.
>"Aw, that's no fun, buddy. No fun at all." The demon boy shook his head and sighed exaggeratively. “Takes all the enjoyment out of this, you know.”
“Who are you?” I asked sharply.
>"Straight to the point, I like it! I was worried you were just gonna mope the entire time." He flicked a small card out of his sleeve, a hand on a fingerless black glove handing it ove rto me. “My card.”
I took the card and...it was a Joker playing card with the word ‘WICK’ written on it in black sharpie.
“Wick?”
>"That's me. Wick, the Demon of Misfortune, Ambition, and Overripe Peaches.
“...one of those isn't like the others.”
>"Hey, you have to work a couple of odd jobs to work your way up the infernal hierarchy."
“Are you here to kill me?” I said, immediately wondering if this was someone sent by this ‘Raland’ to kill the summoned hero. He just laughed that off.
>"Buddy, buddy, chill. Good ‘ol Raland doesn’t even know you exist yet. No, I'm here to help you."
“Help me? Why?” I asked. “Are you going to take my soul?”
>"Nope. Couldn't even if I wanted to. No, I'm here to be your familiar from now to the end of your journey."
“Why?”
>"Because she asked me to."
“...she?” I hadn't seen a ‘she’ since I arrived here, aside from some of the servants I had seen on my way over to the guest room.
>"Don't tell me you forgot? It was only a couple days ago for you, you know."
I immediately realized who he was talking about. That strange girl had sent a demon to help me? Just who was she...?
>"The deal is that I am to protect you and explain the basics of your new state of being to you. After that, I'm just on board for the ride until either the day you die or the day you choose a place to die. Whatever comes first. Ain't you lucky, buddy? Most ‘summoned heroes’ don't even get that. After all..." A toothy grin formed on his face. “It's not much of a ‘second chance’ if you die before the stroy even starts, right?”
...so that was what happened. I made a careless wish in front of a strange person, and now they were granting it. That was the conclusion I could draw after a few minutes of thinking. Things like ‘how was this possible’ didn't even cross my mind at this point. I had watched my entire planet and the whole of humanity be spirited away and replaced by monsters I could barely fathom over the course of a week prior. I spent a long time just sitting on my bed while Wick just watched me curiously and quietly, holding the sword in my hand. I could question this. Fight it. Let myself dive into the comfort of insanity. But the fact of this was that I might have been the last human being from my planet Earth, and now I was suddenly going be on an epic fantasy journey. I might die. I might fail. Even so...I wouldn't just be standing on a rooftop waiting for the end, now. I had a quest.

I had a -purpose-.

I drew the sword a few inches out its sheathe, and I see the reflection of my new face staring back at me.

“Tell me everything. About this world, about what happened, and what my part in this is.” I said, with determination.
Wick grinned widely, clapping his hands together.
>"That's more like it."

I was explained everything I needed to be familiar with: I was put on a cycle of reincarnation where I would gradually amass more powers and skills with each time I entered a new world, and my first stop had taken me to a universe - or ‘multiverse’, rather - full of heroes who were summoned under similar conditions. Kind of like an Isekai Anonymous, funny enough. Once I got used to the fact I had a limited, telepathic Internet to access, it was just like the image boards back home. You know, before everyone disappeared. I also learned that Wick was an extremely powerful spellcaster, as well as able to hide his presence from anyone except me.
>"Truth be told, I could probably defeat this rogue knight in the time it takes to blow your nose. This is just a valuable learning experience for you, buddy! Be proud."
Things are never that easy, so I relented on the subject pretty easily. I had to level up to defeat Raland, who was himself an experienced ex-hero, or at least a companion to whoever the last guy was. That meant I had to go on an epic quest to collect equipment that would help me power up. My first swordfight against a bunch of goblins went...well, poorly. They hit me with their shoes and a bunch of rocks. Assholes. I eventually got the hang of it after some pointers from Wick, and was soon cutting my way through common monsters. The demon was willing to be in a supporting role, but warned me that if I got in over my head, he'd leave me to die.
>"What were you expecting? I'm evil! Look it up!" Wick said cheerily.
There was a learning curve, but I had soon gained enough equipment and skill to be able to confront Raland. Contrary to his role as the obvious final boss, he hadn't taken to waiting in a gigantic castle, but instead wanted to meet on a tall hill where where a broken shrine rested - the now-shattered statue of the Demon Lord. All I can infer about the Demon Lord from the statue is that he really, REALLY liked spikes. Wick had disappeared a little while ago...he made it clear this was my battle, and mine alone. I walked to the center of the ruined shrine, a soft snowfall outside as the high noon sun shone past the clouds above. I saw the chained forms of the King and the Princess resting on their knees with their wrists and ankles bound. Standing in the middle of them was a young man - only years older than my new self, holding a glowing blue sword dressed in the armor of a silver-and-red knight.

His eyes opened and he stared at me. His irises were a soft hazelnut color, but the whites of his eyes were bloodshot and full of hate. Raland spoke in a calm voice, his tone as icy as the chill in the air.
>"How does it feel?"
“...how does what feel?” I asked, my hand on my sword.
>"To wield power you neither earned nor deserved?"
...truth be told, I don't know what he's even talking about. This journey had been an uphill battle, even if I had grown in skill faster than anyone had any right to. I was still risking my life. I was still fighting alone, aside from Wick's whimsical ‘help’. So I feel no guilt and anger when I shoot back at him: “I'll let you know when I do.”
>"...ha." He laughed. There was no mockery. He seemed almost pleasantly surprised by my answer. “Brave. Just like he was. Brave and stupid.”
I drew my sword and took a stance. I didn't plan on waiting around for a monologue, pointing the blade in his direction to signal my challenge. He picked up his sword from its relaxed stance - it was a heavy, two-handed sword to contrast my lighter blade.

So we fought in the ruins of the Demon Lord's shrine. Two blades clashed in the otherwise empty halls. The King and the Princess both watched in silence, both anxious and uncertain. It was funny, in a way. All those hurried weeks fighting monsters and perfecting my physical abilities, hurriedly preparing for a great confrontation...and it just boiled down to two men fighting to the death in a forgotten location. When the melee broke and there was distance between us again, I stopped to take a breath. So did he.
>"Stubborn, aren't you? Give me the Key and I'll let you live. Surely you can understand something that simple."
I would if I knew what it was...no, scratch that, I wouldn't give it up just out of spite if I knew what it was.
“Never.”
>"Fool."
He was the one to attack this time, and I hurried to dodge the incoming swing before answering with one of my own as we clashed again.

I don't know how long we fought, but eventually it was sunset, my arms felt like they were full of steel pudding, and the both of us were exhausted and bleeding out. It came down to one final charge. And it boiled down to the simplest, stupidest possible difference between the both of us: Raland had used up more stamina due to wearing heavier armor, while I had mostly been using light plate and relying on being quick instead of durable. The blade plunged into the fallen knight's stomach and he fell down to his knees, blood trailing from his mouth.
>"Hahaha...how stupid. Even now, I can't defeat the likes of you..." He coughed with a humorless laugh. “Victory is yours, ‘hero’...”
“...why did you betray your King, Raland?” I asked, unable to deny my curiosity. Did I feel bad for this man, even after he spent hours trying to kill me?
>"...because he was so fucking stupid."

...

I beg your pardon?

>"I spent years of my life training to be the world's greatest hero. My life began in the gutter, and only through years of determination and work did I get to be to where I was...and then they summoned an idiot from another world. He was given the Holy Swords I was hoping to one day wield, and they wouldn't accept me as their wielder. I was told to be his companion, his guide, his protector."
>"And he was a complete idiot. He ran into battle only to spontaneously gain new powers I had to spend years on, the Holy Swords changed into beautiful women obsessed with him while he completely ignored them, and he didn't regard any of my advice as worthwhile...and it always worked out for them, in the end! A completely useless, mouth-breathing fool made a mockery of my life's work...and then the Swords followed him back to his home world! This idiot even offered him the throne before he left...!" The awfully talkative but still dying Raland pointed to the King, who started whistling innocently.
>"Prophecies told me of a Key...a Key that could take me to other worlds, and give me another chance at life. That Key would come to this world, around this time...but I supposed all it talked about was another summoned hero. Another cheap existence made to mock me."
>"Ha...dying like this, as a villain...it's better than living in the shadow of an idiot for the rest of my life..."
Raland finally died, having exhausted his last breath a bit too hard with that monologue.

...I guess he never knew the ‘Key’ was...whatever Wick was tied to.

The one lesson I can take away from this knight's tale of envy and wrath?

>"Don't be a dense jackass?"
“I was going to say something like ‘jealousy breeds contempt’, but I like that version better.”