Ryo Shirakome – författare

Seventeen-year-old Hajime Nagumo is your average, everyday otaku. However, his simple life of pulling all-nighters and sleeping in school is suddenly turned upside down when he, along with the rest of his class, is summoned to a fantasy world! They''re treated like heroes and tasked with the duty of saving the human race from utter extinction. But what should have been any otaku''s wet dream quickly turns into Hajime''s nightmare. While the rest of his class are blessed with godlike powers, Hajime''s job, Synergist, only has a single transmutation skill. Ridiculed and bullied by his classmates for being weak, he soon finds himself in despair. Will he be able to survive in this dangerous world of monsters and demons with only a glorified blacksmith''s level of strength?

After being summoned to a new world and thrown down into the depths of hell, Hajime Nagumo met Yue and together they conquered the Great Orcus Labyrinth. The pair was planning on taking it easy on the surface for a little bit, but a meeting with the bunny girl Shea Haulia throws a wrench into those plans. She has the peculiar power to see the future, and according to her, Hajime''s the one saving her family in her visions! Hajime was planning on refusing, but it appears she might be able to help him on his quest to return home. And so, the adventure continues in Reisen Gorge.

Meetings old and new await our hero, who has begun to walk down the path of the world''s strongest. Along with some farewells...After clearing the Reisen Labyrinth, Hajime and Yue welcome Shea into their party and make for the independent city-state of Fuhren. They get roped into helping the adventurer''s guild look for a certain missing person, leading to an unexpected reunion with someone Hajime thought he''d never see again. Shortly thereafter, Hajime has a run-in with one of the strongest creatures in the world, a black dragon. Does Hajime have the resolve to bear the burden of being the strongest!?

With their business in Ur concluded, Hajime and his party return to Fuhren. After getting Yue, Shea, and Tio their Status Plates, Hajime decides to rest in the city for a while. But as always, if he doesn''t go to trouble, it manages to find him. During a date with Shea, he runs afoul of a shady underground organization. There he rescues a girl named Myuu and becomes... her father!?

With the addition of Kaori into their party, Hajime and his friends make for Myu''s hometown, the coastal city of Erisen. While crossing the Gruen Desert, they save a young Ankajian man, Bize, from a sandworm attack. Apparently, he was searching for a cure to the mysterious disease that has struck his people. His travels led him to conclude that a mineral known as stillrock held the key to saving his country, but it can only be found inside the Grand Gruen Volcano, a labyrinth far too dangerous for most. Hajime agrees to help Bize procure some, and the party begins their quest to conquer yet another labyrinth. But along the way, they meet a most unexpected foe...

Hajime and his party are on their way to the Haltina Woods when they run into Heiligh''s princess, Liliana. What she reveals shocks Hajime. Aiko, the teacher that Hajime owes so much, has been kidnapped. Hajime decides to alter his plans and run to her rescue. However, in order to save her, he''ll need to first make it up the Divine Mountain. Awaiting him there is the toughest challenge he''s faced yet: a battle with God''s Apostle.

With the battle at the capital settled, Hajime''s next destination is the empire. Together with Lilliana and Kouki, he takes to the skies with his newly built airship. Kouki still has his misgivings, wondering why it is that Hajime doesn''t use his power for the ''right'' reasons. However, he doesn''t have time to dwell on it long, as in the middle of their journey, Hajime discovers that the Haulia have been fighting against both the empire and the demons, and that Verbergen has been sacked. Suddenly, Hajime has a new reason to head to Hoelscher''s capital.

With the Haulia clan’s battle behind them, Hajime and the others return to Verbergen. Amidst the cheers of the freed beastmen, Hajime is forced to reexamine his relationship with Shea. Still unsure of his own feelings, he heads to the next labyrinth, the Haltina Woods. But this time there''s a challenge like no other lying in wait; the party is forced to deal with impostor doppelgangers of themselves! Will they be able to find their way through the most difficult labyrinth yet as Hajime and the others’ bonds are tested like never before?!

Having finally found a way home, Hajime and his party head to the final labyrinth--the Frost Caverns. There, in that frigid land, the party seeks out the last ancient magic they''ll need to go back to Earth. Upon entering the caverns, a maze of ice and an ever-present sinister whispering chips away at their concentration. As they proceed through it, the party is split up. Separated from the others, Shizuku is forced to fight a copy of herself. Will she be able to overcome this trial and surpass her limits?

The end of Hajime''s journey is finally in sight. So long as he and his comrades can overcome this final trial, his long-awaited dream of returning home can be realized. But one last obstacle stands in their way: Yue, Shea, Tio, and Kaori must still overcome their copies. With all of the baggage they''re carrying with them, will they be able to accept themselves for who they are?