NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 3: Hero summoning
Over 50 years ago, after the mysterious angel brought the world back together and placed a shield around reality itself, Hakiaas—strange monsters that once destroyed the world—began to show up again.
They came in small numbers, slipping through the cracks of the shield with the aim of terrorizing the world from the inside out.
How these monsters were able to appear was still unknown, but one thing was certain—before the monsters slipped through, a countdown would begin, indicating the start of the monster surge and ending when the gate closed.
On average, it took over 10 minutes for the gate to open and close.
Meaning that for ten minutes, the world was being flooded by monsters.
Humans had no way of fighting these creatures; all they could do was stay on the defensive.
That was until the world discovered the beautiful priestesses blessed by the angel herself.
With the power of the angel, they were able to summon four powerful heroes—each hero summoned by a particular priestess.
And though these heroes were able to defeat the monsters, they could not fully kill them, as Hakiaas could not be slain. To make matters worse, most heroes barely lived past 20 years.
Thus, a hero summoning was done every 20 years with the help of the priestesses.
Though only the chosen priestesses could perform this ritual, Eri was simply one of the chosen.
Baam!
The door to the church swung open, and Eri barged in with her summoned hero.
"Sorry I'm late!" she shouted, gripping her staff tightly as she panted.
All eyes immediately fell on her.
From the head priest to the other priestesses, who had almost finished presenting their summoned heroes.
The church was large enough to hold hundreds of people, most of whom were simple peasants, though the majority were noble families who wanted to be first in line to witness the birth of the heroes.
Eri, feeling the hard gazes of those around her, managed to make her way to her spot.
Standing beside the last priestess, she whispered...
"How late am I?"
"Late enough to be ashamed. How are you going to save the world if you can't even be on time for a hero summoning? Don't hold us back."
The other priestess whispered back, her eyes filled with disgust.
'I knew it. They're pissed at me. Well, I don't blame them. The hero summoning is kind of a big deal.'
Eri took a quick peek at the heroes her fellow priestesses had summoned.
They all seemed to fit the exact definition of a hero.
Their entire bodies were surrounded by layers of blessings and divine authority.
Of course, Eri knew her own summon did not have this.
Since he wasn't a hero, the gift of blessings and authority didn't apply to him.
Luckily for her, she had come up with a solution before they arrived at the church. Using her magic, she created an illusion that made it appear as if Rashin was surrounded by a powerful aura, complete with fake blessings.
However, the illusion could only last a couple of minutes, and Eri couldn't help but feel anxious.
Just then, the head priest spoke...
"I welcome you all to this auspicious day. A day of hope. A day of joy, as we announce the rebirth of the five heroes that our lovely priestesses have summoned for the world."
Everyone listened.
Including Rashin, who was simply lost about the whole thing.
"As much as it pains me to admit this, we are on the losing end of the battle against the Hakiaas. As days pass, they grow stronger and appear more frequently. It's becoming terrifying. But I beg you all to hold on to your beliefs, as God has not abandoned us. Instead, he has sent us five powerful heroes to come to our aid."
Every eye in the room shifted to the men standing beside the priestesses.
Whispers began to spread throughout the room.
"Please, heroes, step forward for your evaluation."
Each hero stepped forward.
Before arriving at the church, their respective priestesses had explained to them why and how they were summoned, including the state of the world.
After they accepted their roles, they were led to the church for the official hero summoning.
All five of them now stood before the head priest. None had spoken a word since their arrival.
"Please, place your hand on the magic orb. This will register your magic powers," the head priest instructed.
The first to respond was the summoned hero of the first priestess, Jane Esteban. She was considered the best among the priestesses.
Her summon was a man from another world, with long black hair and a red scarf tied around his neck.
He gently placed his hand on the orb, watching as a bright light enveloped his hand.
The gathered audience gasped in shock as a massive template appeared in front of the altar.
[Name: James Charles]
[Class: Swordsmanship/Warrior]
[Blessings: Iron Sushi, God Sword, Elemental, God Speed...etc.]
[Authorities: ???...]
"Unbelievable. Heroes only seem to be getting stronger with each summoning," the head priest said, his voice filled with a mixture of pride and surprise.
"We hope you continue to be of service to our people," he added, bowing slightly.
"Ugh, nah, it's okay. If you need help, I don't mind helping. Besides, nothing fun about my old world anyway," James replied.
With a smile from the priest, the next hero stepped forward, placing his hands on the orb.
Unlike James, this hero was a bit timid. His priestess was none other than the fourth priestess, Shandy Roland.
Unlike the others, the heroes she summoned rarely needed much convincing to agree to save the world. Hence, she had no issues getting them to cooperate.
After the timid hero, the rest of the summoned warriors placed their hands on the orb, each one revealing their stats.
Finally, it was time for the false hero to prove himself.
Eri stood at the back, focusing her mana to maintain the illusion of Rashin's blessings.
The orb reading itself wasn't an issue—almost everyone in the world had some kind of blessing. There was no way Rashin would have nothing.
"Place your hand on the orb," the priest instructed Rashin.
Without hesitation, Rashin rested his palm on it.
Then...
The template appeared.