Talent Assessment

What is this feeling...?

It feels like I am floating in a pool. No, this must be the afterlife, the place where all souls wander before facing judgment. Or isn't that the case? Maybe all the shit about sins that I learned isn't real. Perhaps they were merely rules imposed by grumpy old narcissistic men.

Suddenly, a strong stench invades my nose, tingling my brain as if electric currents are running through my body. The power of the stench forces my eyes open, and my upper body jerks up in reflex, my breath quickening.

"Haa~ Haa~ Haa~ Haa~" I pant heavily, perspiration coating my face.

"Wait... I thought I was dead!" I exclaim in shock as my brain processes the situation.

Many people are currently surrounding me, sitting on the floor like me with confusion etched on their faces too. Raising my head, I see a burly man in a strange black armor with horns protruding from the shoulder pads. He's administering a substance to the unconscious people, causing them to wake up abruptly.

"Haa~! Haa~! Haa~! Where am I? Get away from me, you fucker?!"

A familiar voice causes me to turn my head instinctively.

"I-Isn't that Okun?" I mutter in shock, and seeing him here sends my mind racing. Everything seems so strange, but I am starting to understand what's going on. The strange circle that appeared when I jumped must be what brought us here, as I should have turned into meat paste upon contact with the ground.

And what the man used to wake us up, is it some sort of smelling salt?

Scanning the room, I notice that we are in a temple with a huge statue in front of us and red liquid flowing down from its head. Furthermore, a bald man wearing a golden vestment, accompanied by about five similarly attired men is standing behind the statue. Just from a glance, I can tell that he's a priest.

"Can you fucking tell me how I got here? I was about to woo the girl of my dreams, you fuckers!" A familiar voice loudly reverberates inside the temple.

Damn it! Okun's attitude could get us killed. Isn't he meant to be cautious about where we are and the creepy statue in front of us?

Suddenly, the priest in the golden vestment flashes a creepy grin at us, sending chills down my spine.

"Hello, otherworlders. My name is Lance Caine, the High Priest of Hileocia Kingdom," the man announces in a strange language that, surprisingly, I understand, including the others.

"I see that you are all confused, but don't worry, I will explain things thoroughly to you. Firstly, I want to apologize for bringing y'all here without your consent, but I guess you must be the chosen ones," Lance continues.

"The chosen ones…?" A familiar girl beside me mutters.

"Yes, the chosen ones. As the name suggests, you were chosen by our Lord to save our kingdom from the chaos that's about to befall us according to the prophecy. According to the prophecy, once we complete the rituals, seven chosen heroes are going to be summoned, that's why you are all here," the priest explains.

"Are you kidding me, or is this some sort of joke? I was receiving a blow job from a slut a while ago, and you have the nerve to tell us that we have been summoned here to save your shitty ass when I can't even beat two men!" A blonde-haired guy suddenly bellows, gritting his teeth in frustration.

The high priest simply smiles at the words of the blonde-haired guy.

"Don't worry, as heroes, you will all have a unique skill and specialization," the high priest explains.

"Unique skills..." Everyone mutters to themselves.

"I'll explain everything, but first, there's a problem at hand," the high priest announces, his expression serious. "The heroes that were supposed to be summoned should have been seven. However, eight people were summoned instead, which means that there's a fake among you who happened to come here by mistake," the high priest explains.

For some reason, my heart skips a beat upon hearing his words.

"I know who the fake is," a voice suddenly says, causing everyone to turn their heads toward the source only to find Okun raising his right hand.

"The fake one is him," Okun says, pointing at me. With this accusation, everyone turns their gazes on me, their stares almost piercing my skin.

"You can't call anyone a fake ye-"

"Trust me, I know him; he is an ugly pathetic loser," Okun cuts the high priest short.

"Okay, if that's the case, then we'll check everyone's specialization and unique skill. Let's see what unique skills each of you possess," the high priest suggests, trying to diffuse the tension in the air.

________________________________________________________________

Right now, we are inside a large throne room standing in front of a king, who is seated on a meticulously carved throne made of gold and exquisite wood.

The king on the throne is a middle-aged man with a tiny dark scar on his left cheek and a small black goatee on his chin.

"My name is Heskel Shackleton, the 133rd king of Hileocia. I'm glad to see you, Heroes. And I'd like to apologize for bringing you here without your consent. However, I promise to fulfill almost anything you want, give you authority akin to a prince, and bestow important titles and districts for you to govern. Before I elaborate on the important details, Lance told me what happened; about eight people being summoned instead of seven. Before I go into details, let's get that sorted out," the king says, snapping his fingers.

Instantly, the doors of the throne room swing open wide, and two huge, bulky men carry a strange device into the room. Approaching us, the men drop the device in front of us and remove the cloth covering it.

Looking at the device, it's a huge green crystal orb embedded in a wooden stand and glowing with a strange energy.

"Before we get started, I want you all to introduce yourselves to us," the king orders.

The first person steps forward.

"My name is Okun Edano... from Japan."

"My name is Ross Avanth... from the USA."

"My name is Razor Killoran... from the USA."

"My name is Carmin Delarosa... from Brazil."

"My name is Abby White... from Australia."

"My name is Mika Takishima... from Japan."

"My name is Owen Hunter.... from Japan," I say when my turn finally arrives.

And when it gets to the last person's turn…

"My name is Graham... only Graham."

Silence follows Graham's peculiar introduction, surprising everyone. He's the only one with a weird introduction.

"Alright, now that everyone has introduced themselves, I think we can begin!" The king announces. "Once you hear your name, all you have to do is touch that orb," the king adds, and everyone nods their heads.

As the process begins, a sense of anticipation and dread fills the room. The king watches the whole process closely, and Lance stands by, ready to note any reactions or changes.

"Okun Edano..." Lance calls out. The next moment, Okun walks forward and places his hand on the orb. The orb glows with a bright green light and displays some letters that I don't understand. For some reason, a smile appears on Lance's face.

Suddenly, Lance waves his hand, and a floating window appears in the air.

[Name: Okun Edano]

[Status: Hero]

[Talent: Mage]

[Mana Pool: Bronze Rank 5]

[Unique Skill: Eagle eyes << With this skill, the hero can spot and shoot a target on sight about 2-3 miles away without missing a shot.>>]

[Specialization: Wind Magic]

Seeing the stats, even the king gets surprised as he leans back in his seat, almost like he can't believe his eyes.

"Even though he just got summoned, his Mana Pool is already at Bronze Rank 5," the king mutters. "With his unique skill and specialization, his weapon of choice should be the bow," the king orders.

Okun can be seen grinning at the result of his stats. He glances at me for a brief moment before averting his gaze. With his short black hair, black eyes, small nose, and small mouth, his expression makes him look extremely cocky right now.

Lance then stares at the rest of us before calling the next person.

"Ross Avanth..." Lance calls out. Then a slim, tall, blonde-haired guy who looks about twenty-one years old emerges and places his hand on the orb. The orb glows for a few moments before diminishing. Then the floating screen appears by itself this time without Lance activating it.

[Name: Ross Avanth]

[Status: Hero]

[Talent: Mage]

[Mana Pool: Bronze Rank 2]

[Unique Skill: Energy Projection <<With this skill, the hero can create bursts of energy from their palm which cause significant damage>>]

[Specialization: Ice Magic]

Seeing Ross's stats, the king breaks into a bright smile while Lance also has a huge smile on his face.

"T-This is just too good. He might not have a large Mana Pool like Okun, but I believe his talent is also unprecedented!" The king comments, his excitement obvious in his voice. Ross walks towards Okun and stands beside him as directed by Lance since they have been assessed. Compared to Okun, Ross doesn't have any expression whatsoever on his face.

Suddenly, Lance clears his throat, indicating that he is about to call the next person.

"Owen Hunter..."

Hearing my name unexpectedly, fear grips me, and the urge to empty my bowels at this exact moment overwhelms me.

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