**Episode 005: Awakening**

“Well, let me introduce myself again. I’m Souta Sanada. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Kanji Yamada. It’s been a short time, but nice to meet you.”
“I’m Yua Takatori. Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Rumina Shinozaki. Nice to meet you.”
After Sanada introduced himself, the others followed suit. Yamada had a tough appearance, Takatori seemed assertive, and Shinozaki was a healthy, athletic-looking girl from the track and field club.

“I’m Kotaro Rokudo. I’ll be relying on you for a while.”
Each one of them was so accustomed to greetings, radiating such a sunny personality. Even though I agreed to go with them, I was already starting to feel tired.

“Alright, let’s aim for the nearest city hall from here without being spotted by those creatures.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
We walked together, sneaking towards the city hall a few kilometers away.

“Hey, check this out!”
“Shh! Your voice is too loud!”
“S-sorry.”
Yamada showed us his phone, and despite Shinozaki scolding him for the loud tone, he apologized, scratching his head awkwardly. After confirming that there were no creatures nearby, we sighed in relief.

“What’s up with this!?”
“Look at this!”
Yamada, showing the video again to Sanada, made Takatori widen her eyes in disbelief. I leaned forward to see the screen.

The video depicted people fighting against the creatures that emerged from the vortex. Each of them was armed, but their weapons were not modern. They looked like characters from a game, wielding swords, spears, casting spells with staffs, and chanting healing spells with staves.

“What does this mean?”
“Well, it seems that similar events are happening worldwide. Moreover, people with seemingly fantastical powers are increasing globally.”
Representing us, Sanada asked Yamada, who shared the knowledge he obtained from social media. The internet seems to be safe for now.

“Could this be made up or fake?”
“Uh, no. People who gained these powers commented on this video. There are even Japanese among them. So, maybe we might have those powers too.”
“With those powers, we might be able to counter those creatures.”
“Do we know the conditions for awakening?”
“We have no idea about that. However, when awakening happens—”

Just as Yamada was about to continue, a medieval-sounding voice echoed in our minds.

“Status has awakened. Status has awakened. Status has awakened. Status has awakened. Status has awakened. Status has awakened.”
“Wha—?”

All four of us, shocked by the sudden event, exposed dumbfounded expressions.

“Did you all hear that?”
“Yeah, I heard it.”
“I heard it too.”
“I heard it.”

After a brief silence, Sanada looked at each of us and asked. We all nodded in agreement.

*Brrrr*
A sound similar to when you turn on an old TV resonated, and six translucent windows appeared in front of me.

“Whoa!?” “Woah!?” “Kyah!?” “What!?”

Just like their status, they were equally stunned by the unexpected situation, raising voices of amazement.

“What’s this…”
“It looks like a game status screen.”
“That’s right. I’ve seen my older brother playing, so I’ve seen something like this before.”
“I’ve seen it in mobile games too.”

Though they couldn’t see each other’s status, it seemed like windows had appeared for each of them. But in front of me, there were six windows, and I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.

“What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Isn’t there supposed to be only one floating window?”
“Hmm? Yeah, you’re right.”

When I inquired with Sanada, although I couldn’t determine if he was lying or telling the truth, considering that Sanada, who is willing to help someone like me, wouldn’t lie, I assumed that his window was indeed singular.

“I see. Thank you.”
“No, don’t mention it.”
As I expressed gratitude and bowed my head, he smiled and replied.

“So, what’s everyone’s role? I’m a swordsman.”
“I’m a warrior. Seems like there are no parameters.”
“Yeah, looks like it. We have levels, jobs, and skills. I’m a mage.”
“I’m a thief.”
“As for me…”
With six status windows floating in front of me, I hesitated as I didn’t know which one to mention.

“Wait a moment. I have a skill called Appraisal, so let me try using it.”
Before I could respond, Takatori activated her skill.
“Rokudo-kun seems to be a Crafter. It seems like a crafting job that produces items like tools. Not good at combat, but can create various things with the right materials. A swordsman excels in skillful sword techniques for dealing damage, a warrior uses a shield to block attacks and takes the initiative in battles, a mage attacks from a distance using magic, a thief is quick and adept at silently subduing enemies, excelling at reconnaissance and sensing abilities.”

Not only me but the other members seemed to have checked their statuses as well, each listing the characteristics of their respective roles.

I didn’t understand what was going on, but although six windows were floating in front of me, I had apparently acquired the status of a Crafter.

―――――――――――――――――――
■ Name: Kotaro Rokudo
■ Job: Crafter (Rank 1)
■ Level: 1
■ Skills: Storage, Production, Repair, Enhancement
―――――――――――――――――――

This was the status of my Crafter.

“Now that we have these, it seems like we can fight against those creatures. It might be better to fight than to run away.”
“What do you mean?”
Now equipped with powers, Sanada seemed eager to confront the shadows that had devoured a human.

“If we defeat enemies, there’s a high chance our levels will go up. With higher levels, our strength should naturally increase. If that happens, our chances of survival will significantly improve. So, if there’s only one creature, it might be better to try fighting.”
“Indeed, that makes sense. If we encounter a stray creature while heading to the shelter, it might be worth trying to fight.”
Others seemed entirely agreeable to Sanada’s opinion, showing positive reactions to his words.

“Then let’s actively engage if we find a straggling creature.”
“Yeah!” “Yeah!” “Yeah!”

And so, we found ourselves committed to fighting against the creatures.
I haven’t agreed yet, though…