"Ahem!" "Now let me tell you more about the system."
Then, the goddess Rebecca explained to them that each of them has been given one unique skill from the beginning that will evolve into a stronger version of itself when they go through the thing called awakening.
She also stated that some of them may be able to use a diminished version of their unique abilities from the beginning. The others would just have to wait some time before they could employ their unique abilities.
The goddess told them to keep this skill as a hidden card and that they should keep it hidden and only tell the people they trust about it.
As she and the eight figures were conversing, Karna, who was standing alone on one side while looking at all of this, suddenly heard a mocking laugh and words. The voice belonged to a guy.
'Hehe. I am sure you might be thinking about changing your decision after hearing this. Trash like you can fool them, but not me.'
Karna frowned upon hearing the mocking words; he felt both offended and confused at the same time. Because all he has been doing up until now is standing on the side and listening to the conversation silently without disturbing anyone. He had tried his best not to offend both the goddesses and the heroes.
Karna looked around to see where the voice came from and saw that James was looking toward him while grinning; then it dawned on him that it was he who had spoken inside his head.
'Hmm, it must be his unique skill; it is related to the mind. Can he only send his thoughts to others or even read some of their thoughts? Or more stuff like mental attacks?'
'Hmmm, Hey, you sh*thead, can you hear me? Can you listen to my thoughts, you d**khead?' Karna thought in his mind, but there was no change in the expression on James' face; he was still grinning while looking toward Karna. After a second or two, he turned away to look toward the goddess Rebecca, who was still explaining the important features of the system.
Seeing that there was no reaction from him, Karan thought that, for now, his skill could only send his thoughts to others. 'Hmm, it's a unique skill; for now, it can only do that, but maybe it can even read other thoughts after he goes through the thing called "Awakening." Reading others' minds can be a dangerous skill—knowing your enemy's next move and stuff like that. Killing him would be a tough job in a one-on-one battle, but there is still a way of—hmm, why am I thinking about this? It's not like I am going to see anyone again; why am I imagining killing him?'
"Ahh! All this stuff is making me go crazy. I just hope that I can go back home before my dad or mom return back home," he thought to himself.
Karna, who had become lost in his thoughts, was jolted awake by the abrupt increase in the goddess Rebecca's voice.
"Now that everything is done, I bless you all to be successful in your quest to defeat the demon emperor."
All eight who heard the words of the goddess smiled and bowed in gratitude.
"As I previously stated, you will all be sent to Pandora in pairs of two." Miyuki and Sophia are the first pair to be transported to the Ellylon Kingdom.
"Ana and Nadia, the second pair, would be transferred to Kasera Kingdom."
"Akash and Kevin would be the third pair, and they would be transferred to Harland Kingdom."
"Ron and James, the fourth pair, would be sent to the Forland kingdom."
Rebecca then turned to look toward Luxuria.
"Luxuria, could you escort them all back to the hall and make sure their descent on Pandora goes smoothly?"
Luxuria smiled and nodded as she heard her words.
Rebecca then half-raised both of her hands, and the next second, both Luxuria and the eight humans were gone from the room. Karna, the goddess Rebecca, and the seven heavenly goddesses were the only beings left in the room. Karna looked toward the seven figures that had been simply standing still and all this time had not even spoken a single word.
"You can also leave," the goddess Rebecca said, looking toward the seven, who, hearing her words, nodded at the same time and also left.
Now there were only two beings left in the room: one was a GOD, revered by millions, if not billions, of people, and the other was a mortal called Karna.
Rebecca had her back toward Karna, who, looking at the elegant back of the goddess, gulped—not in lust but in nervousness—because a whole minute had passed since the seven goddesses left the room and goddess Rebecca had said nothing.
Suddenly the still figure of the goddess moved; she walked toward the golden throne in the room, and then, with elegance, she sat on it. Karna looked at all of this, sighed, and then tried to speak.
"Um, goddess…"
But he was cut off by Rebecca's stern voice.
"Silence!"
Hearing the stern voice of the goddess, Karna's eyes widened. Till now, the goddess had spoken in a calm voice with a smile on her face, so seeing her stern expression, he was a little taken aback.
"Ha, not only did the summoning consume a huge chunk of my divinity, but I also had to do all that explaining to those mortals; well, at least they were all worth it." After saying this, she stopped to think, and then a cold glint passed through her golden eyes. "And that mortal named Miyuki was a real gem; if it's her, then she might just..."
Hearing the goddess murmur, Karna realized why the goddess was acting like this. 'Oh, so it must be that divinity thing that the goddess spoke about. She is just feeling sore about losing it.' He thought to himself.
"And then there are you."
Suddenly, goddess Rebecca, who had remained mute after grumbling under her breath, spoke while glancing at Karna. When he saw the goddess's expression, he gulped in terror.
Because the facial expression shown by the goddess Rebecca was completely different from the one she had been showing all this time. She looked at him with utter disgust and contempt, like she was looking at something insignificant that was not worthy to be standing in front of her.
"The magic circle could only summon eight humans with only two criteria: the first being that they needed to have excellent talent and a high mana affinity, and the second being that they needed to have a strong desire to grow strong and gain true power—a desire that would be enough for them to choose this chance above everything that they had in that puny little world of mortals. But from what I can see, you either don't have that desire or you hide it deep within you."
"Hmm... oh, Karna, you are an unknown factor in my plan, and I don't really like uncertainty; you see, the last one has already caused me a lot of problems."
Realizing that things were going in the wrong direction, he tried to speak.
"Um, goddess Rebecca, about sending me back..." Before he could even complete the sentence, the goddess Rebecca spoke again.
"Ah, again with that. Come here." saying that she made a motion of pulling her index finger. And the next moment, Karna was pulled toward the goddess by an invisible force. He barely came to a stop a little distance from the goddess. He made an attempt to move his body, but soon understood it was futile. He was unable to even speak.
"Now let's see if what you said is true." Saying that, she put her index finger on his forehead and then smiled, but before, if the smile brought a warm feeling inside his heart, now it made his whole body shiver.