The Next Day
Victoria: "I hope all of you had a good night's sleep. By now, you must have a basic understanding of your abilities. Heroes?"
A voice emerged from the crowd, "Yes, of course! Yesterday, I discovered how good I am at cutting hair. I should have become a barber!"
Hearing this, Victoria looked slightly puzzled. "I don't understand," he said.
Aniket was about to say something further when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his foot. He looked down to see Alice, standing next to him, stomping on his foot with force.
Her face seemed calm, but Aniket knew she was furious. If there weren't people around, she might have grabbed and beaten him.
In a low voice, Alice threatened, "If you mention this again, next time, I'll use my ability on you and turn you into a complete ape."
Controlling his pain, Aniket pleaded, "Oh, my dear sister, please let go of my foot. I won't say it again, I promise."
Setting this drama aside, someone asked, "Why exactly have we been called here?"
Maintaining his composure, Victoria responded, "That's a very good question.
You've been gathered here to learn about your potential.
For your information, potential is not directly related to your abilities. Instead, it is tied to your physical strength.
Potential determines how quickly you can grow your stats, which is crucial since you cannot always rely solely on abilities."
He continued, "Potential is divided into several tiers. First is Bronze, then Silver, followed by Gold, Diamond, and finally Platinum, which is considered the limit. However, legends speak of another level, referred to as…"
Everyone was now fully attentive, hanging on his every word.
Victoria confidently concluded, "I don't know."
The crowd collectively gasped. They had expected to learn something critical, but Victoria's answer dashed their hopes.
Victoria then gestured towards the devices in front of them. "As you can see, these instruments will help determine your potential. If you face any issues, feel free to ask us."
A boy raised his hand and asked, "I have a question. What if someone doesn't know their ability?"
Victoria: "In that case, you'll need the help of an Appraisal Artifact. If required, I can arrange one for you. Hero, Akira Nakamura."
Akira, beaming with excitement, said, "Thank you so much for that."
Standing nearby, Aniket remarked, "Don't you think these people are being a bit too nice?"
Alice, taking a deep breath, replied, "I don't know. But honestly, we have no choice but to trust them in this unfamiliar world."
Then, irritated, she added, "And could you stop staring at my face now?"
Aniket quickly defended himself, "I was just noticing how well the hair removal spray you enhanced worked. Look, no one can even tell that your beard…"
Alice: "Enough! Stop reminding me about that thing again and again, or else..."
Avinash interjected, "Mr. Victoria, we still don't fully understand why we've been brought here. You've only mentioned that it's to restore humanity's old glory, but we genuinely don't know what that means."
Victoria, turning toward Avinash, replied, "It seems you haven't read the books properly. They contain all the necessary information. Judging by your faces, it appears most of you haven't gone through them either."
He continued, "In recent years, humanity has grown significantly weaker. Compared to other species, it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to survive. We've even been forced to sign a treaty with our greatest enemies—the Demons—for protection.
"Other species have been encroaching on human borders steadily. If this continues, it won't be long before humanity is reduced to being slaves to those species."
Victoria paused and then declared, "This is why we need your strength, heroes. You may be weak now, but your powers will grow rapidly over time."
A nervous voice from the crowd asked, "Does that mean we'll have to fight a war?"
Victoria reassured them, "Nothing of the sort is expected. But if the situation arises, we won't back down."
Someone muttered sarcastically, "So it's the same old story—heroes summoned to another world to defeat the Demon King. We just have to do the same, right?"
Victoria, with a calm yet firm tone, corrected them, "I'm sorry, hero, but you're mistaken. The Demon King has already been killed. I think it's time I tell you everything."
15 Years Ago
Victoria began, "Due to the terror caused by the Demon King, we summoned a few heroes. When they reached his castle to defeat him, they discovered that the Demon King was already dead. Not a single member of his family had survived.
"It seemed like the Demon King had taken his own life. But why? The answer was found in his diary. The heroes learned that someone had been forcibly controlling the Demon King's mind to carry out their plans.
"To protect his race, the Demon King sacrificed his family and his own life.
"But that's when the true evil emerged—a malevolent spirit that thrived on every form of negative emotion. It came to be known as the Devil King.
"The heroes gave their lives to defeat this evil spirit and put an end to the endless cycle of war.
"However, the aftermath of the war left humanity in a dire state. While the Demons quickly regained their strength, humanity remained weakened.
"Other species, sensing our vulnerability, betrayed us and began seizing our territories bit by bit."
Victoria concluded, "This is why we desperately need your help, heroes."
Back to the Present
A voice called out, "Miss Victoria."
Victoria turned her attention toward the speaker.
Aniket quipped, "The story was kind of boring."
Victoria, maintaining his composure but with a hint of sadness, responded, "I'm sorry, hero, but this is the truth."
Another voice chimed in, "So, how do we check our potential?"
Victoria explained, "You've been provided with special artifacts, crafted under the guidance of past heroes. These artifacts will give you accurate information about your potential and stats."
Some Time Later
Everyone now had a bracelet in their hands. Someone asked, "What do we need to do to activate it?"
"Maybe we have to say 'status'?" another suggested.
Victoria clarified, "To activate any artifact, both authority and command are essential. Authority is established when the artifact comes into contact with your blood. The command, however, is usually set to the word 'activate,' but for some specific artifacts, it can vary.
"As for the artifact in your hands, the command to activate it is: 'Mai Ka Lal Jai Kishan.'"
Someone quipped, "You mean 'Michael Jackson,' right?"
Victoria repeated sternly, "Absolutely not. It is Mai Ka Lal Jai Kishan."
Aniket, grinning, remarked, "Whoever designed this must definitely be from India. So, we need to drop a single drop of blood on it first, right?"
After Activation
One person exclaimed, "Wow, I have Bronze rank!"
Alice turned to Aniket and said, "You're at Bronze? My rank is Gold."
A loud voice interrupted, "There must be a mistake! How can I be Bronze?!" It was Akira. "I think something's wrong with this system!" he added, but no one paid much attention as everyone was too absorbed in their own results.
Avinash, filled with hope, checked his status, praying for a good rank. However, when he opened his eyes, he saw it: Bronze. The lowest rank. His heart sank.
Meanwhile, someone shouted joyfully, "I got Diamond rank!"
Another voice chimed in, "Mine's Gold. I wish it had been Platinum or Diamond."
The chatter continued, with everyone reacting to their ranks.
Amidst this, someone stared at their status and muttered, "Nameless. What rank is that?"
Victoria, noticing this, quickly apologized, "Excuse me, but I need to leave for an urgent matter. Xavier will explain everything else to you."
With that, he left the room. After walking some distance, he took off a ring, put it on, and recalled the face of a girl sticking her tongue out at him. With a mix of irritation and embarrassment, he muttered under his breath, "Mai Ka Lal Jai Kishan."
Saying it made him feel utterly humiliated.
A status window appeared before him, displaying the ranks of all the participants. Scanning the list from top to bottom, Victoria muttered, "What a trash. Most of them are Bronze rank."
The calm demeanor he usually wore was replaced by visible frustration.
Then his gaze fell on a name: Saira - Potential Rank: Nameless.
Victoria froze. Time seemed to stop as his hands began to tremble.
Suddenly, he sprinted down the corridor, muttering to himself, "I must inform His Majesty about this immediately!"