Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
The sound of the heart monitor echoed through the quiet hospital room.
Each pulse was weak.
Barely holding on.
No one had visited in a long time.
At some point, they had already accepted the outcome.
And so had I.
The ceiling above me never changed.
The smell of medicine never faded.
And my body
Never got better.
Every breath was shallow.
Every movement felt heavy.
As if I was already halfway gone.
Then
The sound stopped.
…
Silence.
When I closed my eyes, I was still lying in that hospital bed.
But when I opened them again
Everything had changed.
A blinding light flooded my vision so suddenly that I instinctively shut my eyes again. It was far too bright, far too overwhelming compared to the dim, lifeless room I had grown used to.
For several moments, I could see nothing but white.
Then slowly
The light began to fade.
And what replaced it was something impossible.
Beneath my feet, a glowing circle stretched across a cold stone floor, covered in intricate symbols that pulsed faintly with a strange, unnatural energy. The patterns twisted in ways that made no sense, as if they belonged to something beyond human understanding.
The air felt different.
Cleaner.
Lighter.
I inhaled instinctively
And froze.
There was no pain.
No tightness in my chest.
No weakness dragging my breath into a shallow rhythm.
Instead, the air filled my lungs smoothly.
Effortlessly.
I took another breath.
Then another.
Deep.
Steady.
The illness that had chained me to that hospital bed for months…
Was gone.
Completely.
For a few seconds, I simply stood there, unmoving, trying to understand what was happening. My body felt light, too light, as if a weight I had carried for so long had suddenly vanished.
A quiet, disbelieving laugh almost escaped my lips.
Because for the first time in what felt like forever
I felt alive.
Truly alive.
But that feeling didn't last.
Because I wasn't alone.
When I lifted my head, the sight in front of me immediately erased any sense of relief.
Dozens of figures surrounded the glowing circle.
They stood at a distance, dressed in long ceremonial robes that brushed against the stone floor. Some wore hoods, others did not but all of them were staring.
The chamber itself was massive, far larger than any building I had ever seen. Towering pillars stretched upward into a distant ceiling, making the entire space feel overwhelming.
This was not a place I recognized.
Not a place from my world.
And then
I realized something else.
There were others inside the circle.
Four people stood nearby.
Around my age.
Wearing normal clothes hoodies, jackets, jeans, sneakers.
People who looked like they had been taken straight from their everyday lives.
I studied their faces carefully.
Strangers.
All of them.
None of us knew each other.
Five people
Brought together by something none of us understood.
But as I glanced down at myself…
The difference became painfully clear.
I stood barefoot on the cold stone floor.
Wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown.
Compared to them
I looked completely out of place.
Weak.
Out of place.
Wrong.
The murmurs started almost immediately.
"There are five…"
"The ritual was meant for four heroes…"
"That one…"
"Why does he look like that?"
"He looks half-dead…"
"Was he really summoned as a hero?"
Their voices weren't quiet.
Every word reached me clearly.
And with each whisper, the same thought grew stronger.
Even before anything was confirmed
They had already decided.
Something had gone wrong.
And I was the mistake.
At the far end of the chamber, seated upon an elaborate golden throne, was a man whose presence alone silenced the room.
A crown rested upon his head.
His expression was cold.
Irritated.
His gaze moved slowly across the five of us.
Examining.
Then
It stopped on me.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"There are five."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
The words struck like a hammer.
The whispers grew louder, spreading rapidly among the nobles.
The King remained silent for a moment, his gaze never leaving me.
Then he spoke again.
The ritual had been carefully prepared.
Designed to summon four heroes.
No more and yet
Five stood before him.
Once such a ritual was completed, it could not be undone.
There was no known method to reverse it.
No way to send someone back.
Because of that
He reluctantly allowed me to remain.
For now.
Though his expression made one thing painfully clear.
I was nothing but an inconvenience.
A mistake he had no choice but to tolerate.
He continued, addressing all of us this time.
The kingdom, he explained, was currently under threat.
Not from war.
But from curses.
A growing corruption that had begun to spread across the land, twisting creatures, destroying territories, and slowly consuming everything in its path.
That was why the summoning had been performed.
To call forth heroes capable of fighting back against that darkness.
To save the kingdom.
The words had barely settled before the reaction came.
"What do you mean save your kingdom?" one of them snapped.
"We didn't ask to be brought here," another added.
"Send us back."
Voices rose quickly, frustration and anger mixing together.
None of them had agreed to this.
None of them had chosen to be dragged into another world and forced into a war that had nothing to do with them.
The King listened without interruption.
Then answered.
Calm.
There was no way to return them.
Not yet.
The summoning could not be reversed.
The only known method to open a path between worlds again…
Was to eliminate the source of the curses.
Only after the threat was gone
Only after the kingdom was saved
Would it be possible to send them back.
Silence followed.
A heavy, reluctant silence.
None of them looked convinced.
But none of them had a choice.
One by one, the resistance faded.
Frustration remained.
Anger lingered.
But in the end
They accepted it.
Reluctantly.
Soon after, we were escorted deeper into the castle.
Into a chamber known as the Testing Room.
At its center stood a glowing crystal sphere resting upon a pedestal.
The Status Orb.
One by one, the others stepped forward.
And one by one
The room erupted with excitement.
Clara
S-Rank Crimson Blade Hero.
A warrior whose blade burned with magical flames.
Shira.
S-Rank Divine Support Hero.
A wielder of holy magic capable of protecting entire armies and supporting magic.
Collen.
SS-Rank Elemental Archmage.
A prodigy capable of commanding multiple elements.
Liam.
SS-Rank Legendary Sword Saint.
A figure whose presence alone commanded awe.
The atmosphere changed completely.
Excitement.
Admiration.
Hope.
The nobles looked at them as if salvation had arrived.
Then
It was my turn.
I stepped forward slowly.
The excitement faded.
The room grew quiet.
Waiting.
I placed my hands on the orb.
For a brief moment
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly
The light changed.
Darkness spread across the surface.
Black.
A heavy silence filled the chamber.
And then
The words appeared.
Class: F-Rank Healer.
For a second
No one reacted.
Then
Laughter.
Low at first.
Then spreading.
"A healer?"
"F-Rank?"
"He really is useless…" of all the classes, it's the useless healer class, when healing could be done by mages.
The voices weren't hidden anymore.
They didn't bother lowering them.
The excitement from before disappeared completely.
Replaced by disappointment.
Disgust.
The King leaned back slightly in his throne.
His expression hardened.
"So the fifth hero possesses nothing but the lowest class."
His gaze fell on me again.
Cold.
"In other words…"
"He's useless."
The judgment was immediate.
Absolute.
As the king left, I was dragged away.
As I was dragged away, I turned my head slightly.
Looking back at the summoning circle.
And that was when I saw it.
A figure.
Standing silently within the fading light.
Tall.
Motionless.
Made entirely of shadow.
No one else reacted.
No one else noticed it which was strange.
It wasn't looking at the others but only me.
As if I was the only one it could see.
Then
It smiled.
And in a voice that echoed directly inside my mind
It spoke.
"My successor."
A chill ran down my spine.
And before I could react
I was pulled away.
Deeper into the darkness of the castle.