The loud ringing of a bell rang again, marking the end of the fifth period of school. With the echo of that noise, some rumbling began in the surroundings since lunch usually lines up after that said term.
Something similar to school bustlings could be heard in Section B of high school's second-year classroom. Even though the math teacher was present before them, the students stood from their respective seats and gossiped.
The teacher snorted and glanced at the students while going with a bitter expression. From the scene, one could infer his respect was low or the students had that kind of behavior with every teacher on their school staff.
Among those cheery and haughty students, there was one with the least presence, sitting in the last seat of the last row. The sudden bell startled him awake from his deep dream world. His black hair and ordinary face had the least charm one could have.
In those groups of students in the classroom, he belonged to no one. One could even say nobody remembered such a person was in their attendance the whole year. Many of them set out to have their lunch outdoors, but that wasn't the case for him.
Kazuma, the said student, didn’t have any companion to eat his meal with, nor did he have any meal, to begin with. He was the typical case of an orphan and a scholarship student. A lot of his early years had hardships seeping into every next second of his life.
His financial situation was evident by his worn-out uniform and tattered schoolbooks on his bench. The school bag had enough holes for him to be sick of stitching them day after day. His vibe had the narration of his daily life's struggle.
Some would say at least he could live ordinarily while he came and went to school as if he were a typical high school boy. However, reality hits harder than one thinks. In that atmosphere of students, where one won't even respect or fear their teachers, a person like him was certainly going to have bullies all around him.
For certain students, his presence amounts to nothing, but for some others, he was their shuttle, or one could even refer to him as a slave. At that moment, as his daily schedule, another rough voice belonging to a person also startled him, other than the school bell.
"Hey, my shuttle! With the whole year ahead of us, you should engrain my daily command into your head. Are you going to bring me something for a meal or do you need a beating as always?"
He turned around to glance at the student to whom that voice belonged. As he assumed, that was Jack, the most feared and notorious bully in the classroom, with a spectacular record of gang fights in the neighborhood.
No one in the classroom or the school had the guts to deny his command or face him head-on, yet some exceptions are present everywhere. Some of the popular students who are either studying or involved in group activities may be able to avoid him in some way.
Even he avoids certain types of them because some students had certain levels of influence with either staff or management. His targets were usually nerds or people like Kazuma, with no background or connections.
Although this bully should be placed in his rightful place, the one with such a might would have had no reason to pick up a fight with him. What could a person like Kazuma provide for help from a classroom rep or a rich heir of a conglomerate?
Kazuma swallows his self-respect as always and sets out to bring some quality snacks for Jack. While stepping out of the classroom, some chuckles and chortles still rang in his ears. Those hearty laughs belonged to Jack and his goons, targeting Kazuma. He didn't even need to turn around to prove that fact.
On his way out to the same snack shop, the cheerful facial expressions of all the people around the hallway or playground irked his heart. He had no sufficient reason for this sudden bitterness he felt daily.
Those smiles or relationships that people build in the structure known as school, what is their purpose, or why he couldn't properly gain their outcome from these years of his life: such questions lingered in his mind.
School should be a place where everyone can spread or follow equality, but that function has the least value anywhere in the world. If he ever raised that question, one would say, "Ask your teachers or elders for help, but that never worked for the poor."
Teachers, principals, or management, nobody helps a person regarded as worthless in the strongly ruled jungle called society. In his early years, he understood that no equality or justice survives in this selfish world.
Those who either trample others or the ones who bend their necks live in each corner of the world. The ruling group, as expected, tramples others through power, money, or talents. Kazuma belonged to the later group that bowed before the ruling class.
His whole life should be that way until he somehow wins a lottery or some rich family appears out of nowhere, claiming him as their lost heir. Another option was for him to be suddenly transported to a fantasy world, where he could fight back on equal terms with a powerful skill.
Unfortunately, such fantasies remain daydreams because people of their status usually watch with open eyes. When reading such stories, Kazuma never gained hope, or he never wanted to hope for an unnatural thing to happen, but rather he would work even harder to at least earn enough for himself.
While pondering those thoughts, he, at last, reached the shop near the school premises. He always chooses that one since the owner now remembers him and sometimes gives him a discount, given that Jack never pays him back for the snacks.
He asked in his weak and tired stuttering voice, "Uncle, give me my usual chips and coke!"
The man standing before him, an old man in his forties with concerns and expressions of pity towards Kazuma, gave a glance at him. He replied in his rough tone, "Boy, you’re here again for those boys! You should at least ask them to pay for their stuff."
"Do you want me to stay in the hospital for my life or so while giving such preposterous and sinister advice?" he thought inwardly. His resolve had already faltered when he last denied Jack for such a lousy reason.
If he did it again, Jack would certainly send him to the nearest government hospital, either crippling him for life or wearing him out for at least a month.
"Money! I can earn sufficient money if I have my own life. Respect! It doesn't put bread on my plate." He had built this mindset in those years of suffering alone in society.
Ignoring the owner's advice, he gave him a glance and a polite smile. The owner understood its meaning and packed the stuff with a deep sigh. He passed the order to Kazuma and received payment.
Kazuma gave a slight bow and backed off to his destination. When he retreated from the shop, the owner whispered, "Does the weak have to live while suffering all their life?"
It was hard to contemplate whom his question was aimed at. Was it towards God? Or was that a general question the owner asked himself? Well, it's not like anything would change for those useless concerns for others. He focused on his own work while gazing at the boy fading from his eyes.
Kazuma, on his way back to the classroom, had many such thoughts of rebelling after hearing the owner's advice. Even though he knew the circumstances and outcome of those actions, it wouldn't cost anything for one to dream big from time to time.
"Should I ask him for money today? No! I already bought the stuff for now. I should ask for money the next time that bastard orders me around!" He thought inwardly.
Such thoughts were normal for him since the beginning of his school year. Every day, he would decide to rebel; the horror of a particular event would resurface in his mind. The first time Jack ordered him to do a task, Kazuma firmly denied it, and that was the beginning of the daily suffering and hell.
Since that day, a deep fear was ingrained in his heart, which never allowed or granted guts for him to escape or revolt against Jack. He was terrified and quivering at the sight of Jack. How could he raise his voice in that condition?
He had already accepted the enslavement for the year, yet in his head, he knew such people would cross paths with him in every structure of society. He would be trampled with his current mindset and nobody could help him.
Even with all his circumstances, he was actually a spectacular student with a good head on his shoulders. That was one of the reasons for his scholarship. However, after enrolling in the school, his marks dropped significantly. The argument would be his part-time job and the bullying he had to endure.
While contemplating his future through these daily hardships, he reached the classroom gate. Before entering that hellhole again, he let out a deep sigh with a poker face expression. He realized the more he would react to their bullying, the more pleasure they would feel while intensifying the bullying.
Henceforth, he learned his current non-existent facial expressions and personality!
He now stepped into the gate, and a bright gleam shrouded the entire surroundings. His vision gradually cleared to reveal the bizarre view. The ground had a magic circle thing gleaming under the students.
Everyone had wide eyes and jaws dropped at the unnatural phenomenon. Most of them lost their composure and panicked, but some fantasy geeks had a creepy smile creeping on their faces. Even Kazuma had such a mixture of feelings involving a surge of ecstasy and fear.
This moment could be one of the fantasies he always reads about in fantasy novels or webtoons. A magic circle always leads the said person to a different world and grants them a position of hero with a variety of skills.
Meanwhile, the rumbling intensified in the classroom when that magic circle shined even brighter than before. Nobody had the reflex or time to run away from the classroom. In those moments, Kazuma didn't notice until a voice from a fellow classmate rang in his ears.
"Hey, you man! You're only half inside the room!"
"Huh! What does that mean? " Kazuma thought inwardly when he gradually glanced underneath, where one of his feet was in the classroom while the other one wasn't. Before he could take the initiative to step further in, the magic circle activated!
A sudden surge of pain emerged from his body as if splitting him apart. That magic circle tried to apply to every concerned person, but Kazuma was half in and half out, which complicated things for him.
That splitting pain was the outcome of his tardiness. Enduring that pain, Kazuma screamed with all his might. Tears followed down his cheeks as he gradually lost consciousness.
Related Chapters
Astroth : The Last Dragon Zoukar' The Mad
In never-ending darkness, his consciousness hovered around. Nothing other than loneliness and pitch-black surroundings could be seen. "Did I die due to my blunder of half entering the circle? If I knew such a thing could happen, I would rather not have stepped even half inside the magic circle," he thought inwardly. In that never-ending darkness, a bright gleam shone from a bit far from his current position. That shine attracted him while captivating his consciousness. Kazuma had no other option but to check out that thing. "At least let me see what that thing is! What could be worse than death for my consciousness living in this nothingness?" he pondered inwardly. Gradually, he approached that brightness and that gleam blinded him for a while as he lost his vision. That moment felt like another moment of darkness for him until some chants entered his ears. "Oh! My Lord, please accept my offering of a worthy soul for my heed [Soul Speaker]." Kazuma opened his eyes to find himself
Astroth : The Last Dragon Flame Element
After learning the name of that old man, Kazuma learned some more things from the events that occurred until now. First, that man’s name was Zoukar the Mad, which somewhat gives justice to his personality.Another thing he contemplated was his arrival in a strange world where magic exists and some weird people wield them. When that magic circle activated in his classroom, Kazuma, due to his blunder, lost his soul to nothingness, from where this capable and senile black magician caught him and transmitted his soul to a lifeless animal.His enslavement was another subject to drive. However, he tried to feign ignorance towards that thing since that's what he usually did all his life. To live and learn, he had to obey the magician until he was capable enough to achieve freedom.Now the question arose as to where the hell was in the cave that the old man summoned him to. Other than darkness and some weird rumblings after slight periods, he could infer nothing from that place."Can you invo
Astroth : The Last Dragon Dungeon
That revelation slipped the ground underneath Kazuma's feet. The dungeon, a topic among fantasy-loving teens, is used in all fantasy novels or webtoons. A place where monsters stroll around and adventurers eliminate them for some rewards. "Is this the same dungeon I'm thinking of?" Kazuma sweated profusely. Although he couldn't ask for the magician's knowledge through words, he tried to crawl around and jump to attract attention towards him.Unfortunately, his actions had the opposite effect on the magician. He scowled and yelled at him, annoyed with his ignorant actions. He thought Kazuma was an ordinary beast and was delighted to live once again with some skill.His nickname 'The Mad' has some reality and meaning behind it!Furthermore, he even kicked Kazuma and activated some restraint magic on his soul, marking the beginning of a striking pain in his head. That pain somehow tried to split apart his existence."No! Stop it, you bastard. I get it! I get it!" Kazuma screamed in his
Astroth : The Last Dragon Dungeon (2)
The bustling sounds came a lot closer to Kazuma and Zoukar, but Zoukar wasn't the one to feel panicked or frightened; it was Kazuma who had his brows wet. He squinted his eyes to get a closer look at the incoming enemies.Two massive silhouettes appeared out of nowhere as he focused his gaze. Their aura and crackling sounds were more explicit than before. Now the vague rumbling was crystal clear.Furthermore, their silhouette had lots of giant limbs with numerous jointed attachments and tentacles. Those creatures stepped forward. They looked like black giant ants with long tentacles and sharp teeth, which freaked Kazuma out of his wits.Their large pointed teeth could easily grind him, and their long legs could serve as a cage to catch small creatures. They could easily bind and gnash any small being at their leisure."Wh-what the hell are those damn scary ants? Am I supposed to fight them with this small ass body?" Kazuma stuttered in his head.His brows became wet as he frowned with
Astroth : The Last Dragon Dungeon (3)
Kazuma wriggled and squirmed around, slithering his way through their appendages. He crept behind them and took a deep breath before the ants could again try to trample him. He attempted to concentrate on his back while narrowly dodging their pounding strikes.The ants crackled together as if talking their way to each other. Those sounds clutter Kazuma's head, forcing him to lose focus. Gradually, he had to concentrate on only defending rather than flying.However, the ants strategized a way to encircle him and jumped around, trapping Kazuma in between the two of them. Their enormous legs resembled a large cage, built for rhinos or something.Kazuma swallowed as his mouth dried due to fear. Now all his progress has been halted by those giant beings. Continuing down Kazuma's path, they again crackled in loud noises, as if mocking the tiny reptile to crawl and beg for its life.Meanwhile, Kazuma felt his head blank in those bustles. His life was nearing its end, whether he would beg or
Astroth : The Last Dragon Dungeon (4)
Breaking the melancholy and solemn heart of Kazuma, a voice echoed in the caved dungeon, "Let's go, Astroth! We have to move faster to conquer the dungeon sooner or the ants will gather after hearing the crackle of those dead ants."Kazuma turned to Zoukar and stared at him for a while. From his statement, he could infer this dungeon had a lot more monster ants than he thought. However, he had yet to believe everything Zoukar said since he had never witnessed his might other than the soul binding.Keeping his faith in Zoukar aside, they marched forward while carefully sneaking their way further into the dungeon. Even so, nothing contrasting or particularly strange crossed their path; everything was the same dark cave.While on their way, Zoukar suddenly began speaking to Kazuma, "This dungeon had lots of ants around. Even the cave is larger than one could think. If you felt we were at the beginning of the dungeon, then you’re outright wrong. We’re in the middle of nowhere in the ant h
Astroth : The Last Dragon Dungeon (5)
With a slight incline, Zoukar scrutinized the chamber from the entrance. He squinted his eyes and then said, "We can attract the whole ant army if we can somehow blaze this chamber filled with their beloved offspring."An intense gaze and a smile crept onto Zoukar's face as he glanced at Kazuma and the ants. He was ready to cut the corners on this strategy. Even Kazuma had shivers down his spine.Zoukar snorted and commanded, "Astroth, you have to smolder this chamber into ashes and bits while I'll distract the soldiers and worker ants with my magic.""Huh! At last, he'll show me something worthwhile. Let me see what magic he can display to distract those monsters," Kazuma hummed and chuckled.Zoukar pointed to the eggs and said, "Swiftly go and do the deed when you find the opening."He closed his eyes and concentrated the mana around his skulled staff. Don't know how, but Kazuma could also feel the mana concentration increasing around Zoukar, maybe due to him being a beast or whethe
Astroth : The Last Dragon Dungeon (6)
Kazuma glanced around and resolved to again dive into enemy territory. Although this whole dungeon was the ants' home, Kazuma and his so-called master black mage, Zoukar, invaded that home of theirs.However, their attempt wasn’t limited to invading; this time they were going to massacre ant offspring, who could rise against the enemies as workers or soldiers. With a deep sigh, Kazuma resolved his heart to steel over his next action.He stepped forward into the chamber while the ants were involved with Zoukar’s undead soldiers. A loud pumping sound could be heard from the tiny heart of his small reptile body. He swallowed as a chill trickled down his body.Gradually, he closed the distance between him and the eggs, but the black ants were still protecting the eggs with their lives. Someone had to attract the attention of those ants for Kazuma to use his trick.As if Zoukar realized what he was doing, he summoned more of his undead and directed them at the black ants. Meanwhile, the re
Latest Chapter
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Outer Divine Appearance!
Kazuma directed the path to Zoukar towards the watery sound he heard a while ago. He hovered above the surface and flew all the way while concentrating on the sound ahead. The relieved expression on his face was evident since now Zoukar may think Kazuma was a worthwhile profit for him.Both of them marched forward while being cautious since they could sense some slight presence of someone around peering at them. Although none of them could feel any threat from this being, they still moved alarmed.After a few more steps, the fluid-moving sound enhanced and Kazuma's eyes widen from the picturesque scenario before his eyes. Nature's beauty captivated him since he witnessed such a scene after a long time surviving in the pitched black dungeon.There was a small water stream glittering on the surface due to sunshine falling and reflecting back from its crystal clear water. Kazuma had never seen such a water source in his life while living back on earth.This sort of clear water source cou
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Outer world?
After a few more steps, Kazuma and Zoukar saw a bright gleam shining through a small hole. This light suddenly delighted them since it was certain that they had found the exit from this dungeon. Their never-ending night was about to reach its conclusion.Zoukar and Kazuma rushed to the exit and, at last, leaped out of the dungeon. The sudden gleam enshrouded their vision and almost made them blind since they spent a lot of time in darkness, and this sudden shine would strike their eyes.Kazuma scrunched his eyes and closed them to adjust his vision for these new surroundings. He even tried to shield his eyes with his arms, but to his disappointment, they were not big enough to support him.Even then, after a few moments, he opened his eyes and found them adapted to the flash before him. The moment his vision seemed crystal clear, he was astonished by the scene before him and even baffled to some extent.Kazuma found him and Zoukar in a green, dark forest with a thick canopy of leaves
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Way back!
While Kazuma was escaping the dungeon along with Zoukar, he witnessed many corpses of ants lying around in a terrible state. Aside from the ones he scorched with his fireball, the rest were either smashed or mixed into minced meat.Such scenarios before Kazuma perplexed him. He could only imagine how Zoukar would've smashed so many ants by himself, given that he was capable of thrashing even the queen ant and her royal guards.It was obvious Zoukar did not need Kazuma to conquer this dungeon, but he only used the divine body he found in this dungeon to preserve his mana and decrease the time he may have to spend in this dungeon.Zoukar’s way of doing things was certain and most likely planned, even though he seemed like some deranged and frenetic person. He had one of the best mindsets and strategies in his head, backed up by many magical spells.From the time Kazuma spent with Zoukar, he realized this mage had enough to face any opponent, whether humongous in the constitution or huge
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Another Artifact
Kazuma shifted his attention onto Zoukar to find whatever he was going to pull from his robe. The last time Zoukar shuffled a mess of his robe to reveal the elemental stone, hence the curiosity for another such artifact was intense.Kazuma concentrated on Zoukar’s actions and waited patiently, since last time it took him a long time to search for the elemental stone from his robe. To his surprise, Zoukar found his way very quickly this time.Zoukar chortled and exclaimed, "Haha! Now it's time for us to retreat from this fucking trashbin!" He took out a small pouch about the size of a pocket and chuckled. His expressions certainly pointed to that pouch as something special.Kazuma frowned and sighed with disappointment after a wide gaze at the pouch. He was eager to watch another amazing artifact, however, Zoukar advertised a small leather pouch that seemed somewhat worn out from continuous use.He pondered with a scowl, "What the hell? This bastard of a mage is displaying that worn an
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Dungeon Rewards!
Kazuma swiveled around to search for the rewards, but there was nothing in sight before him. He was bewildered and dismayed at seeing nothing in his vision to be called rewards after conquering the dungeon.He was assuming the rewards would appear similar to games or comics he often used to play or read back on earth, and for this reason, he was eager to watch something similar appear before him in reality.However, there was nothing like that in his vision. More likely, it would be better to say the queen ant chamber was shrouded in an eerie silence after the douse of the flames on the queen ant. Only some slight giggles could be heard from Zoukar.When the confusion and rumblings in Kazuma’s head are heightened a lot, he then turns towards Zoukar for answers since only he can state where and how the reward would appear in the dungeon.Zoukar, on the other hand, was in his reverie beside the queen ant’s corpse, as if scrutinizing and analyzing it with precision. This baffled Kazuma e
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Queen v/s Zoukar (3)
Kazuma shuddered at the scene before him. The flesh melting from the living queen ant could tremble anyone with a slight glance. Her screams shivered the small creature Kazuma inhabited since the view was torturous and horrific.His expressions become pale from the agony-filled noise resounding in the whole chamber. The chilled sweat trickled down his spine, and his whole body also became stunned while hovering above them.He glanced back at Zoukar to notice his reaction to the anguish the queen ant felt. According to his expectation, he witnessed Zoukar chuckling and being delighted by the suffering and torment the queen ant advertised.Not only that, but Zoukar ordered his leftover undead to resume their attack on the queen rather than backing off from the effect of the spell. He had no emotions regarding his soldiers or anything.Although the undead also took a toll due to the spell. Even their bones and flesh decayed and fell from the death aura, which even halted most of their mo
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Queen v/s Zoukar (2)
Zoukar smirked when he noticed his soldiers surrounding the queen ant. Her dismayed and disturbing behavior was exciting for him. He stumped his staff again on the floor and cast something that shrouded him in intense dark mana.Those dark shadows creeping and mixing over the flaming aura shrouding Zoukar seemed more daunting than before. His figure was astounding and intimidating to even his allies.Although he had only one living ally among his undead supporters, even Kazuma felt haunted by that fact. Watching Zoukar use more and more new spells along with his elemental stone, he felt a new world before him.He gazed at the full show without missing even a slight glance and also kept his distance from Zoukar, who was using more threatening spells that even had the capability to destroy his own loyal allies.When Zoukar cast the new spell around him, the queen ant became even more restless than before. She began throwing tantrums and lashed out at the undead surrounding her. She thre
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Queen v/s Zoukar
Kazuma was dismayed and shook at the raw strength of the queen ant. A single swing of her limb shattered the thralls, who had enough strength and endurance to face the royal guard ants head-on in a face-off.This scene baffled and left Kazuma stunned while he hovered above Zoukar. He glanced at him to capture his reaction to this act that occurred against his powerful thralls. However, contrary to what he expected, he witnessed something entirely different.Zoukar had an inscrutable grin on his face as he watched his soldiers get smashed by the queen ant. He rubbed his chin and said in a slight voice, "Hmm, so she certainly had the strength to define her position in this dungeon. Her elegance and arrogance were backed by this strength; that must be why no one was ready to accept this quest!"Kazuma frowned and his brow twitched as he heard this specific statement from Zoukar. He got to know about the quest that Zoukar accepted from someone. Although Kazuma didn't know who and when Zou
- Astroth : The Last Dragon
Queen Ant's Chamber (7)
Kazuma kept his gaze as he observed Zoukar boasting about his skills and magic. Although Zoukar's pride was obvious since he smashed the sturdy royal guard ants into a terrible condition through their own kin.He didn't even grant them enough time to ponder whether to mourn for their dead kin or pity them for the unwanted resurrection into something ominous. Even so, they had to fight it out either way since their loyalty lies only with the queen, and her life matters the most.Gradually, the thralls prevailed over the royal guard ants with their continuous outrage and assault. They wrecked the ants and smashed them into bloody minced meat, then shredded them at the end.However, the guards still retaliated with their might before going down to their end. At least they struck back and wounded the thralls enough to last them a tough time against the queen later, which was the last of the living of their kin and their top priority.Kazuma once again witnessed the trembling those ants di