six_eldrago

When Hikaru Kageyama and his entire high school class are summoned to another world, it’s supposed to be the start of a grand adventure. The kingdom promises them power, glory, and the chance to become legendary heroes.

There’s just one problem—the ranking system is rigged.

The strongest students are given Gold ranks, trained as the kingdom’s elite warriors. The second-best receive Silver ranks, still valuable, still useful. But Hikaru? He’s slapped with a Bronze rank and thrown aside, along with the other “weak” students.

While the Gold and Silver heroes are trained by knights and scholars, Hikaru is sent to the Adventurer’s Guild, a place where misfits, mercenaries, and troublemakers gather. But instead of despairing, he embraces the chaos.

Because Hikaru doesn’t fight with brute strength.

He fights with trickery, sleight of hand, and deception.

Armed with the Deck of Deception, an ability that allows him to manipulate reality like a magician’s trick, Hikaru starts bending the rules of this world. He joins forces with the Five Strongest Adventurers, a legendary group not bound by the kingdom’s authority. Along the way, he meets Budi, an Indonesian exchange student with a mask-based power, who may be his greatest rival… or his closest ally.

As Hikaru pulls cons, scams nobles, and tricks his way through dungeons, he begins to uncover a deeper truth: The heroes weren’t summoned to save this world—they were summoned for something far worse.

The kingdom is hiding secrets.
The Demon Lord might not be the true enemy.
And the gods of Earth’s mythology are involved in ways no one understands.

If Hikaru wants to survive, he won’t just have to fight.

He’ll have to outplay fate itself.

Sleight of Fate

Hikaru flipped open the leather-bound book, feeling the weight of its history in his hands. The ink on the pages looked old—aged, yet somehow rushed, as if the writer had been desperate to get the words down before something—or someone—erased them.

Budi crouched beside him, his mask resting on his knee, expression unreadable. "So, what does it say?"

Hikaru adjusted his glasses and scanned the text. The first few pages were filled with normal historical records—rulers, wars, treaties. Then, midway through, the script shifted.

"The Forgotten Ones were not lost to time. They were removed."

"Not by war. Not by death. But by a force greater than both."

"Their names were stricken from the records. Their deeds unmade. Their existence unwritten."

Hikaru felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"There were gods before the gods."

Budi's eyes narrowed. "That's… new."

Hikaru's grip tightened on the book. This wasn't just some old myth. The Magisterium had buried this for a reason.

He flipped to the next page—only to find it missing.

Hikaru frowned. "Of course. The most important part is gone."

Budi leaned forward, studying the torn edge. "Not burned, not destroyed. Just… removed."

And that someone knew things Hikaru and Budi weren't supposed to find out.

Hikaru exhaled, closing the book. "This keeps getting better."

Budi stretched, slipping his mask back on. "So, what's next?"

Hikaru flicked a card between his fingers. "If the Magisterium went through this much trouble to erase them, then someone still remembers."

Budi smirked. "And you think you can find them?"

Hikaru grinned. "I don't need to. I just need to make them find me."

Budi chuckled. "This is going to be fun."

Hikaru pocketed the book and stood. "Let's stir up some trouble."

And with that, the game moved to its next phase.

Chapter 12 – Reading Between the Lies