A flash of silvery blue light illuminated the grand room with its towering ceiling. At the center of a palace hall with golden pillars and gleaming marble floors, a massive magic circle lit up, carving intricate patterns onto the ground. The royal guards took a few cautious steps back, remaining on alert.
They waited for the light to fade and for the hero to be summoned. This was humanity's hope to defeat the Demon King.
"The circle is active! The summoning has succeeded!" shouted an old magus standing near the ceremonial platform.
The light peaked, and then—
BOOM!
A soft explosion echoed. The light became so bright that everyone had to avert their eyes. But within seconds, the brilliance faded and vanished. All eyes turned toward the center of the room. Four figures had appeared there.
Three men and one woman. They wore strange clothes from another world—uniforms, jackets, jeans. Their faces were filled with confusion. Among them was Takuya Minami, who still looked dazed after being sucked from his apartment. This place was vastly different.
As he turned forward, he saw an older man around 45 years old smiling at them. The man wore luxurious golden garments adorned with expensive silk and feathers. His smile looked smug and satisfied.
"Welcome, brave heroes," said the crowned man seated on a jewel-encrusted throne. This was King Aldren IV, ruler of the Kingdom of Valion.
Takuya frowned. For some reason, he didn't like the old man in front of him. He quickly realized that he was a king, but his instincts told him that this man was an idiot.
"What does he want?" Takuya muttered.
While Takuya seemed calm, the other three were panicking. They, too, were confused. Takuya felt the same, but he had read many isekai, transmigration, and similar novels. This was shocking and surreal, but also oddly familiar.
He was the calmest among the four of them.
"Is this… a dream?" muttered one of the men—a muscular guy with cropped hair.
Another, wearing glasses, quickly scanned the surroundings. His gaze was sharp and serious, prepared for anything unexpected. He was the oldest of the group, already 22 years old, while the others were still in their late teens.
Meanwhile, the girl with shoulder-length red hair stared at the floor, eyes narrowing. Seeing people holding weapons frightened her. She moved closer to one of the summoned heroes and clung to one of their hands. It was Takuya's.
"Calm down!" a gentle voice echoed.
A woman with silver hair wearing a long white gown stepped forward. A golden cross necklace hung around her neck. Her eyes were sharp and dignified. She was Lady Seraphina, the Saintess of the Grand Cathedral of Light—the highest spiritual leader after the archbishop.
"I am Seraphina. I will assess your potential, chosen heroes of the Goddess of Light."
As Seraphina tried to approach, one of the summoned heroes immediately stepped forward and spread his arms, full of caution and suspicion.
"Who are you? Why are we here? And where exactly is this place?" asked the man.
His name was Shigeru Takeshi, a diligent office worker with a strong sense of justice. Being the oldest, he felt it was his duty to speak up.
Seraphina respectfully bowed. "Forgive me for being forward, brave hero. I will explain everything," she said.
She then explained that the four of them had been summoned by the kingdom's magi. Their task was to save the world from the Demon King. Seraphina also explained that summoned heroes possessed unique powers.
They were destined by the Goddess to be saviors. That was Seraphina's brief explanation.
"We will provide you with the best facilities. We will support your growth into honorable heroes who can defeat the Demon King. After that, you may choose to return to your world or remain here," Seraphina explained.
Shigeru remained suspicious. "And why should we obey your requests?" he asked sharply.
"Because if you don't… you won't be able to return to your world."
A short answer—but it made Shigeru even more wary. Just as he was about to say something, Seraphina suddenly stepped forward and touched his chest. She gently ran her hand along his chin. A faint purple light shimmered, though barely noticeable.
Shigeru no longer protested.
"Very well, then. Let me assess your abilities," said Seraphina.
A transparent crystal gem appeared in her hand. She walked toward the first man—Shigeru. She was curious about the man who had been speaking up. She also sensed a large amount of Mana from him.
[Name: Shigeru Takeshi]
[Class: Sword Saint]
[HP: 1,220 | MP: 140 | STR: 85 | AGI: 72 | VIT: 68 | DEX: 70 | INT: 20]
[Skills: Sword Aura, Blade Storm, Heroic Charge]
Seraphina was stunned. She couldn't hide her amazement.
"Incredible. A potential legendary swordsman," she commented, nodding. "You have immense potential. I believe you could become one of the most renowned heroes in this world."
Then she moved on to the second man—the one with glasses. He attended the same school as Takuya, though they were in different classes. This student was very well-known for his academic excellence and was consistently in the top 10 of his grade.
[Name: Hiroshi Kanda]
[Class: Beast Tamer]
[HP: 1,010 | MP: 350 | STR: 38 | AGI: 45 | VIT: 55 | DEX: 30 | INT: 70]
[Skills: Beast Contract, Mana Link, Insight Eyes]
Once again, Seraphina was amazed. Not only one, but two highly talented heroes had been summoned. This was an extraordinary blessing.
"Deep insight and the ability to tame magical creatures. Extremely useful," she praised.
When Seraphina turned to the only girl, her hopes were high. She prayed the Kingdom of Valion had been even luckier.
[Name: Aika Mizuno]
[Class: Grand Mage]
[HP: 1,010 | MP: 600 | STR: 18 | AGI: 30 | VIT: 28 | DEX: 40 | INT: 95]
[Skills: Elemental Mastery, Arcane Blast, Mana Flow]
Seraphina gulped. This was even stronger than she had been at the same age. And these heroes were all still level one. Their stats were equivalent to those of someone at level 15 or higher. It made no sense.
"A… a genius mage. Truly extraordinary," Seraphina smiled sincerely.
Finally, she turned to the last summoned hero—Takuya. He eyed her up and down repeatedly. Seraphina felt uncomfortable, but since he was a summoned hero, she tried to ignore it.
[Name: Takuya Minami]
[Class: ??? – Human]
[HP: 700 | MP: 75 | STR: 130 | AGI: 112 | DEX: 100 | VIT: 84 | INT: 40]
[Skill: Unlimited Gacha]
Seraphina was briefly shocked by Takuya's stats. Some of them were higher than the others. But when she looked at his class and skill, Seraphina quietly scoffed. She turned her head away.
"Class… Human? Isn't that a race?" she muttered.
She was confused but ignored it. Looking again at the skill section, it wasn't interesting. Not a fighter, not a mage. Seraphina clicked her tongue in irritation and turned her gaze away again—completely ignoring Takuya this time.
She faced the king and knelt. "Your Majesty, we have summoned three heroes with great potential and talent. We are truly fortunate," she reported.
The king tilted his head. "Didn't we summon four heroes?"
"That last one is just trash, Your Majesty. Useless."
The king nodded. He understood. "Then take them to their rooms!" he ordered.
Seraphina nodded. "As you command, Your Majesty."
She stood and ordered the guards to escort the heroes to their assigned rooms. Each hero was granted living quarters according to their talents. As they were led to luxurious rooms one by one—
Takuya grinned. He thought he would receive the same treatment. But something unexpected happened.
"This is your room, hero."
Takuya stood frozen, shocked.
"Isn't this… the horse stable?" he muttered.