Chapter 2 – Questions
The students sympathized with the plight of the kingdom. The princess’s request moved them. Meanwhile, a man watched from behind, looking a bit ill.
At first glance, this man appears average. His neatly combed dark hair and face exude warmth and kindness. His black eyes are filled with intelligence and compassion. He is wearing glasses, which hide his well-shaped face. Aside from looking pale, he is a subtle form of handsome.
“Excuse me, I have a few questions for you.”
The man spoke to the princess with a worried tone.
“What are these heroes you are looking for?”
Elizabeth was unsure what to make of this man. He seemed like an average person to her, but his words sounded strange, and his clothes seemed out of place for the students.
The princess looked puzzled. One of the students spoke out.
“He is our substitute teacher for our field trip.”
He spoke out to impress the princess and be helpful.
“That’s right, I’m watching over these children for the day. My name is Nolen Clark. I am their substitute teacher.”
He looks at the princess.
“Sorry for asking. How exactly can we help you in this war? Why do you need heroes? Also, Why do you need my students?”
Elizabeth and her group looked bewildered by his questions. She also did not know what a substitute teacher was. Was it like a tutor for royalty?
“Otherworldly Heroes are individuals with unique powers and abilities summoned to this world. They use their abilities to aid their respective kingdoms in their battles against the Demon King and his army, protecting their lands from harm.”
The young princess looks at the students, waiting for them to ask something else. They are confused and do not know what to ask. One of the students asks the question in his mind.
“Excuse me, I’m Tom. Could you tell me where we are and what exactly this place we are at is?” He asked her after awkwardly raising his arm.
One of the priests with the princess answers the student’s question.
“You are not in your world anymore. This world is different from where you all came from.”
The unexpected turn of events took aback the students. Some were worried about the possibility of being trapped in this strange land, while others were still in shock since they had been transported to another world. A few were wondering how they could find their way back home. The reality of the situation quickly set in, dampening the enthusiasm they had shown earlier.
Tom looks around.
“Wait, what exactly does that mean?”
Elizabeth seems confused.
“What does what mean?”
“What he means is, do you have a way to get us back to our world?” Nolen responded.
“Yes, I believe so. It will take time and require a lot of energy.”
Nolan and the others were relieved to hear that they might be able to return home.
“Before we continue, I would like to check the gifts given to you by the gods. We will check the skills you received as other-worldly heroes.”
Elizabeth said in a calm tone.
“That sounds good.”
Tom excitedly replied as if he was in one of those stories he had read about.
The priest then slowly moved around, bringing a flat slab of rock that looked like a monitor screen to each of the students and asking them to place their hands on it.
“These are our Skill Reading Stones. They will measure your stats and show your title and skills,” the princess said with a tone of reverence.
She placed her hand on the stone. The stone shone brightly with the light emitting from it. Then, her information was shown on the stone’s surface, similar to a monitor. These demonstrated how it worked.
“Alright, let me show you the gift I received from God.”
One of her priests flatteringly said to Elizabeth, “Her status, skills, and title are of such high value that they are fit for a princess.”
“The princess’ status is as amazing as always, with stats and a skill set as befits of our princess,” Another priest exclaimed
Elizabeth was looking at her stone as if what she saw was normal. She then turned and looked at the students.
“Let me ask you guys. Does anyone feel any different since arriving here?”
Everyone looked at each other.
“No, I don’t think so. Well, how about you, everyone else.” One of the students answered and then looked around to confirm with his classmates.
“I don’t feel any different.” Another one responded.
“That’s alright. Let me ask you this. Do you guys want to become heroes?” Elizabeth asks.
“Is this real? We were randomly transported here; now we get to be heroes.” Tom looks at Elizabeth expectantly.
“To become heroes, we need to understand your skills. The skill stones can help reveal your true potential and tell us how we can help.”
Said Elizabeth, then looked at the students.
“Are there any more questions?”
Most students shook their heads and did not know what else to ask. Some were even excited about what they were about to see, so they placed their hands on the stones to see what kind of skills or stats they had.
One student received the title of Sage, another was named Great Mage, and another earned the title of Sword Master. One of the female students was awarded the title of Spear Knig, along with many other notable titles. Additionally, they all displayed above-average stats and excellent skills.
Nolen’s turn also came. He placed his hands on the stone with a hint of anticipation. He then felt an electric shock run through him and was surprised. He had a look of worry on his face right after this happened. However, when he saw it, the status sheet was empty. Only the word Artisan was written on it.
Nolen looked confused at what was happening.
“Hey, what happened? My stats didn’t appear on that stone. Unlike my students, no other information came out, only the word ” Artisan.”
The priests and the princess were also baffled by this. According to the princess, the rest of the students showed off their stats and skills with no problems, which were even higher than expected since they were heroes from another world. Each one of them has a unique skill. Everything followed the summoning ritual they described in their holy scriptures about hero summoning except for one. Even the loud and excited boy that goes by Tom got the skill and even the title of hero.
After seeing everyone’s results, Elizabeth asked Nolen to come closer.
“Why do you think you didn’t get any skills or stats?” She asked, looking very puzzled.
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. You tell me?”
