POV Logan
My eyes had gone blind.The only thing distinguishable was that blinding white light, but I felt reassured when I realized I could still feel Maïli's hand holding mine tightly. At least she was with me, and that was what mattered most. Then, slowly, the light began to fade, and I gradually came back to my senses.
When the light had fully dissipated, I was taken aback the scenery had completely changed.
Now, I stood in an immense and magnificent hall, radiant in a beautiful shade of white. The walls were adorned with stunning black and gold tapestries.
But what surprised me the most, and at the same time filled me with a hint of fear, were the people watching us, standing as still as statues. There were many men in black armor, all standing with weapons in hand, and closer to us were others dressed in robes, holding staffs.
Yet among them, one man stood out with an undeniable presence. He sat atop a throne, gazing down at us as if we were nothing more than ants. He had long hair, a mustache, and a beard that gave him an air of great charisma. He wore black and white garments adorned with golden ornaments, one of which took the shape of a raven. His golden crown also bore at its tip the head of a raven.
If I had to compare him to anyone I had seen in my life, his face resembled that of Clovis I, King of the Franksa French king.
The man to his right a rather slender man dressed in a black and purple robe spoke up:
"The summoning was a success, my king," he said, bowing deeply.
"Well done, Moïse," the king replied with a smile.
His gaze briefly turned toward the man on his right, then returned to us. He observed us for a few seconds before speaking:
"Welcome, heroes from another world. I can only imagine how troubled you must feel after these events. But we will explain everything. Allow me to introduce myself: I am the King of the Kingdom of Sigma, and if you are here today, it is because we need your help."
The students began murmuring among themselves, expressing all kinds of emotions:
"Is this for real? We've been summoned to another world!" said a bewildered young man.
"I want to go home," complained another.
"I'm scared, what's happening?"
Hearing some of their words, the King responded with both cordiality and candor:
"Unfortunately, young ones, we cannot send you back home. Regrettably, it is impossible for us to return summoned people to their world," he admitted with an apologetic look.
I let go of Maïli's hand, anger taking over me. I couldn't accept such a situation, because this bastard had just confessed that he knew full well he couldn't send us back home. Yet he chose to summon us anyway, knowing there was no return ticket. He had played with our lives as he pleased.
"Hey, tell me, are you kidding us right now?" I shouted, glaring at him.
"How dare you speak to the King in such a manner!" Moïse exclaimed in outrage.
The guards in the room immediately aimed their weapons at us.
"Logan, shut up!" pleaded one of the students in a panic.
But that student was the last person I cared about. I shot back coldly:
"Shut your damn mouth, Shawn. This bastard dared to toy with our lives, and you're telling me to keep quiet?"
"If you're not happy, I can beat the crap out of you again," he retorted furiously.
"You've been bullying me for years, but I don't recall ever lowering my eyes to you, scum."
"Your slut of a sister sure lowered hers plenty while she was sucking me off."
"I'll kill you!" I roared in rage, stepping toward him.
"Don't make me laugh, orphan," he mocked, ready for a fight.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure crushed us, instantly ending our conflict. All the students in the room collapsed or fell to the ground. Our bodies felt as heavy as if we were carrying giant boulders on our shoulders; even breathing became difficult and suffocating.
"I ask that you listen to me," the King declared firmly.
I glared at that bastard straight in the eyes, and the pressure intensified in response. The King's gaze grew sharper and more severe.
"My patience has limits, young man," he growled with a piercing stare.
My head grew heavier as if it were about to explode; blood began dripping from my nose and I had to lower my head to avoid passing out.
"Well then, are you ready to listen now?"
Some groaned as a sign of agreement, and the crushing pressure vanished. Several students looked at me with contempt, silently blaming me for what had just happened and warning me not to try anything again.
The King resumed speaking calmly:
"Some time ago, dungeons began appearing throughout our vast lands. Their emergence dangerously stimulated all monster activity. We even tragically lost one of our territories to a massive monster assault. And before we could react and wipe out all the monsters, we lost an astronomical number of soldiers. Many of our beloved citizens my subjects were killed and horrifically devoured. That is why we need you to clear these dungeons and eradicate the monsters, for they threaten our entire kingdom. That is the reason you were summoned here today. We need you."
"And how are we supposed to fight those monsters?" asked a brown-haired girl named Emma, her voice trembling.
"People summoned from another world are granted numerous exceptional abilities, as well as professions and titles," the King replied.
"And what are they?" Shawn asked with curiosity.
"First of all, say Status. It should appear before your eyes."
With such a simple explanation, everyone's voices echoed all at once. Everyone played along—except me.
At the same time, Moïse brought over a crystal orb.
"Please place your hand on it one at a time so we can also see your status," Moïse invited.
Shawn stepped forward with a smirk, strangely confident, and placed his hand on it. Then a card appeared, projected from the orb. The information displayed made many people in the room cry out in astonishment.
[Status]
Name: Shawn | Race: Human | Age: 19 | Profession: Hero | Level: 1
Vitality: 90 | Magic Power: 40 | Attack: 35 | Defense: 35 | Speed: 40 | Endurance: 25 | Agility: 20 | Intelligence: 20 | Physical Strength: 35 | Willpower: 25
Skills: Fireball | Unique Skills: Mana Source, Regeneration | Legendary Skills: Holy Sword, Heroic Boost, Miraculous Strike
Elements: Water, Fire, Light
"Incredible three legendary abilities! And mastery of three elements as well!" Moïse exclaimed joyfully.
"Not to mention all his other skills and attributes. He is indeed worthy of being a hero," added the King with a broad smile.
Everyone then rushed to place their hands on the orb, driven by curiosity, excitement, and a desire to be praised.
Name: Emma | Race: Human | Age: 19 | Profession: Holy Priestess | Level: 1
Vitality: 50 | Magic Power: 80 | Attack: 20 | Defense: 25 | Speed: 23 | Endurance: 15 | Agility: 20 | Intelligence: 30 | Physical Strength: 20 | Willpower: 35
Skills: Heal | Unique Skills: Purification, Healing, Advanced Heal | Legendary Skills: Forbidden to Die, Angelic Grace, Reset to Zero
Elements: Lightning, Light, Water
"Oh my God! She's amazing too!"
"The Church will be thrilled with this news."
Name: Maël | Race: Human | Age: 19 | Profession: Mage | Level: 1
Vitality: 40 | Magic Power: 45 | Attack: 15 | Defense: 25 | Speed: 19 | Endurance: 11 | Agility: 20 | Intelligence: 25 | Physical Strength: 18 | Willpower: 22
Skills: (None) | Unique Skills: Fire Resistance, Water Resistance, Earth Resistance | Legendary Skills: Tempest
Elements: Fire, Water, Earth
Name: Méverick | Race: Human | Age: 18 | Profession: Great Warrior | Level: 1
Vitality: 70 | Magic Power: 30 | Attack: 27 | Defense: 30 | Speed: 29 | Endurance: 19 | Agility: 17 | Intelligence: 20 | Physical Strength: 30 | Willpower: 28
Skills: (None) | Unique Skills: Pain Resistance, Tough Skin, Herculean Strength | Legendary Skills: Berserk
Elements: Wind
Name: Maïli | Race: Human | Age: 19 | Profession: Paladin | Level: 1
Vitality: 100 | Magic Power: 40 | Attack: 35 | Defense: 35 | Speed: 30 | Endurance: 25 | Agility: 28 | Intelligence: 29 | Physical Strength: 35 | Willpower: 32
Skills: (None) | Unique Skills: Beast Tamer | Legendary Skills: Twin Blades, Shield of Life
Elements: Wind, Fire
"Woah, the paladin has even higher stats," Emma exclaimed, intrigued.
"Yeah, but clearly fewer skills, right?" Méverick wondered, curious.
We were twenty in the class; everyone kept showing their status, revealing a festival of various professions such as: Magic Knight, Lancer, Gray Mage, Magic Swordsman, Barbarian, Witch, Tracker, Blue Mage, Soldier, Archer, Grand Healer, Master Blacksmith, and Grand Alchemist.
While everyone was caught up in the general excitement, I quietly decided to check my own status.
"What... what does this even mean?" I thought as I stared at my status, shocked.
While I was still caught in surprise and reflection, the King's voice rang out, and everyone's eyes turned toward me, curious about what my status would reveal. Most of them had obtained amazing professions and abilities; feeling somewhat pressured, I finally placed my hand on the orb.
Name: Logan | Race: Human | Age: 18 | Profession: Commoner | Level: 1
Vitality: 10 | Magic Power: 0 | Attack: 5 | Defense: 8 | Speed: 8 | Endurance: 9 | Agility: 7 | Intelligence: 9 | Physical Strength: 8 | Willpower: 10
Skills: (None) | Unique Skills: (None) | Legendary Skills: (None)
Elements: (None)
Laughter immediately began echoing throughout the hall, from among the King's retainers and some of my classmates, while Maïli looked at me with a worried expression.
"Ah, ah! Even here you're still a loser," Shawn laughed without any restraint.
"Leave him alone, Shawn!" Maïli shouted furiously.
"You have to admit though, that's not exactly glorious," Méverick added, laughing just as hard.
As the mockery rained down, the King eventually spoke again:
"All of you who have been summoned will be taken care of by the kingdom. You will be trained, housed, and generously paid. You will represent the new force, the new hope of our realm."
"Where's the exit?" I cut in, defiant once again.
My voice silenced everyone; the hall turned toward me, and the King gave me a careful look before speaking again:
"It is true that, given your status, you won't be able to help us in any way. In other words, you are useless."
He snapped his fingers, and a guard stepped forward with a pouch in his hand, as if this had already been planned.
"Here is compensation for the inconvenience."
The sound of a slap rang out as I smacked the pouch away; it flew into the air, spilling coins that clattered across the floor.
"I don't want your money! Just take me to the exit," I growled with a dark glare.
"You! How dare you disrespect the King again!" Moïse fumed, ready to intervene.
"Let him go. Guards, escort him to the exit as he requested," the King ordered, indifferent to the situation.
As I was being led away, I spoke one last time, letting my rage take control:
"I'll destroy you all every single one of you!"
"I'd love to see how you pull that off," Shawn burst out laughing.
"You should've taken the money," Méverick added.
"He's right—ungrateful," Maël joined in with a smirk.
"Don't come crying to us for help later," added another classmate named Jay.
I was then escorted out by the guards, while the King remained frozen for a moment.
"My King? My King?" Moïse asked, puzzled.
"Moïse... that boy just now, didn't his eyes turn red?" the King asked, his face troubled.