Hiroshi materialized mid-retch.
One second he was tumbling through dimensional chaos, the next he was on his hands and knees on cold marble, vomiting in front of what looked like forty people in fancy robes.
Great. Perfect. Exactly how he wanted to arrive in a fantasy world.
The throne room was massive. Vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, golden throne at the far end. And people everywhere. Nobles in silk and velvet, clergy in white robes, all staring at the summoning circle where Hiroshi was currently dying of embarrassment.
Three other figures materialized around him. They didn't vomit. They didn't stumble. They just... appeared, standing tall as the magical light faded around them.
The first was a guy around Hiroshi's age, athletic build, who immediately struck a confident pose with his hand on his hip. Natural main character energy.
The second was a woman with white hair, ice already crystallizing around her fingertips. She looked around with sharp, analytical eyes.
The third dropped to one knee, hands clasped together. "Thank you, divine ones, for this sacred purpose!"
Hiroshi dry-heaved into the marble floor.
An old man in elaborate robes stepped forward, arms spread wide. "Behold! Four heroes answer our call in the kingdom's darkest hour!"
The crowd gasped. Awed murmurs rippled through the room.
Well. Awed murmurs for the three heroes who looked like they belonged in a fantasy epic. Confused whispers for Hiroshi, who looked like he belonged in a hospital.
"Why does that one look ill?" someone whispered.
"Perhaps the summoning ritual was flawed?"
"Or perhaps he's simply... inadequate."
I'm right here, Hiroshi thought. I can hear you.
The old man—Archbishop something, probably—gestured toward the throne. "Heroes! Please, rise and face your king!"
The three others stood gracefully. Hiroshi pushed himself up, swaying, trying very hard not to vomit again. A clergy member had to physically steady him.
He looked down at himself. Still wearing his FamilyMart uniform. Still had his name tag on.
Cool. Cool cool cool.
The king rose from his throne. Tall, maybe sixty, wearing a crown that probably cost more than Hiroshi's entire life back on Earth. He projected authority just by standing there.
"Heroes from beyond," the king said. "I am King Aldric III. You have been summoned to aid us in our time of great peril."
The athletic guy bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, we're honored to help."
The ice woman did a formal curtsy. "We shall endeavor to meet your expectations."
The religious guy bowed deeply. "It is our sacred duty and privilege!"
Hiroshi managed an awkward half-bow and stumbled. "Um. Yes. Thank you for... summoning me?"
Several nobles coughed. One might have laughed.
"Please," the king said. "Tell us your names and what skills you possess."
The athletic guy went first. "Kenji Takahashi. I was a college athlete back home. I feel stronger here, faster. And there's this feeling, telling me I know how to fight even though I never really trained."
The ice woman went next. "Aria Frostborne—though I suspect that surname is newly granted by your summoning magic. I was a physics graduate student." She held out her hand and created a small ice crystal in her palm. "I can feel elemental magic responding to my will. Fascinating."
The religious guy was practically glowing. Literally. His hands had a soft golden light around them. "Marcus Lightbringer—again, a blessed new name, I believe. I was studying theology. I feel divine grace flowing through me, a calling to protect and heal."
All eyes turned to Hiroshi.
"I'm Hiroshi Yamada," he said. His voice came out smaller than he wanted. "I worked at a convenience store. I don't feel anything special. I'm honestly not sure why I'm here."
The silence was long and painful.
The archbishop broke it with forced cheer. "The gods work in mysterious ways. Each hero has their purpose."
The queen, sitting beside the king, leaned forward. She had kind eyes. "You must be frightened, having been brought to a strange world."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Hiroshi said. "Very much yes."
"That is honest. Honesty is a rare virtue."
The archbishop clapped his hands. The sound echoed. "Let us now verify the heroes' divine blessings through the Sacred System!"
Blue screens appeared in front of each of them. Glowing, floating, covered in text.
Hiroshi stared at it. "My what now?"
"The Sacred System grants quantified blessings," the archbishop explained. "These numbers represent your divine potential."
Kenji was already reading his screen, eyes wide. "This is insane! My Strength is 22! Agility 20, Vitality 18, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 10, Charisma 25!" He looked up, grinning. "And I have a Unique Skill called [Blade Saint]!"
The crowd erupted in excited murmurs. "Incredible!" "Such high initial stats!" "A unique skill at summoning!"
Aria read hers next, calm and analytical. "Strength 8, Agility 15, Vitality 12, Intelligence 28, Wisdom 24, Charisma 18. My unique skill is [Frost Empress]."
More gasps. "Magnificent intelligence scores!" "A perfect mage!"
Marcus was beaming. "Strength 20, Agility 12, Vitality 22, Intelligence 15, Wisdom 18, Charisma 20. My unique skill is [Divine Aegis]."
"Balanced and strong!" "The gods favor him clearly!"
Every eye in the room turned to Hiroshi.
He looked at his screen.
STR: 5
AGI: 5
VIT: 5
INT: 5
WIS: 5
CHA: 5
Unique Skill: [Adaptive Evolution]
His brain processed the numbers slowly. Five. Everything was five. Next to him, Kenji's Strength was 22. Hiroshi's was 5.
"Young hero," the archbishop said gently. "Would you share your blessings?"
Hiroshi's mouth was dry. "All my stats are... five."
The silence deepened. Heavy. Suffocating.
A noble spoke too loudly. "Five? But civilian average is seven or eight!"
Another joined in. "Below civilian baseline? How is that possible?"
Hiroshi kept reading. He had to say it all. "My unique skill is called [Adaptive Evolution]. The description says: 'Grants slight stat bonuses based on recent combat. Effects are minimal and temporary.'"
The word "minimal" hung in the air. So did "temporary."
"Is he defective?" someone whispered.
The archbishop's smile was strained. "The gods' wisdom is... inscrutable."
The king's voice was measured. Diplomatic. "Archbishop, has a hero ever been summoned with such... modest initial blessings?"
"Not in recorded history, Your Majesty." The archbishop paused. "But precedent is not prophecy."
I'm going to die here, Hiroshi thought. They summoned me and I'm going to die and everyone knows it except they're too polite to say it.
Kenji turned to him, friendly and kind. "Hey man, don't worry! We all start somewhere, right?"
Aria was more blunt. "Those are... concerningly low. Even civilian averages are higher."
Marcus was relentlessly optimistic. "The gods work in mysterious ways. Perhaps you're meant to support us from the rear!"
"Right," Hiroshi said. He forced a smile. Polite. Always polite. "Support. That's... yeah."
A servant entered through a side door. "Your Majesties, the Heroes' quarters are prepared."
The archbishop gestured toward the exit. "Rest, heroes. Tomorrow, your training begins."
Training. Combat training. With stats at 5.
Hiroshi followed the other three out of the throne room, trailing behind. Kenji and Marcus were already chatting excitedly about their skills. Aria was still examining her status window, mumbling calculations.
Hiroshi stared at his screen. All fives. Below civilian average. Weakest hero in recorded history.
He'd signed a soul contract for this. He'd agreed to be a "Hero Candidate" and could apparently fail, and if he failed there were "contingency protocols," and he still didn't know what any of that meant except he was pretty sure it involved dying.
Again.
The servant led them down a corridor. Marble floors, tapestries on the walls, more wealth in one hallway than Hiroshi had seen in his life.
"Individual rooms, but connected by a common area," the servant explained. "His Majesty hopes you'll find them comfortable."
Comfortable. Sure. Hiroshi was definitely going to be comfortable knowing he was the weakest person in this entire castle and tomorrow he had to start training to fight whatever threat was bad enough to summon four heroes.
Three heroes and one mistake.
The numbers didn't lie. 22 versus 5. They were heroes. He was... something else.
His stats proved it.