The light coming from the door was blinding. There was a faint, musty scent coming from behind it, hinting at the age of the space beyond. Mixed with it was the reassuring aroma of fresh air and a hint of something fancy. “We were expecting you, please follow.” Said the manly voice once more. The girls huddled like a flock of nervous birds, their murmurs rising and falling like a secret symphony, then looked towards us and the professor.

  “Who are you? where are we?” inquired Mr. Taka. his face became tense and his brows furrowed as he gestured for us to gather behind him. His jaw was set and he was Quick to become defensive, which i wouldn’t blame him for.

  Yet we were disappointed as the shadowy figure faded towards a direction beside the door. Quite the trick i must admit, to force us out seeking answers.

  'Could it be what i think it is?'

  Such intuitions were easy to achieve after years of being a fan of light novels.

  "Mr. Taka, it is best if we follow. they must know something."

  Some of us, Including myself much to my dismay, nodded in agreement as Aira, our class representative suggested. I glanced at my two close friends, Okaya and Akiyo, who were dumbfounded. Unlike me, they were more into live-action movies. and their taste in the genre of novels? well, nothing like my particular fantasy ones at least. not one bit.

  "Yeah! who knows, maybe we are teleported into another world? Mr. Taka let's proceed for now."

  It was Mako, another boy who joined our class this year. He was outgoing, extroverted and put on a cheery face most of the time. I, myself, never really figured how to communicate with him and after a while i gave up. He was a person of many friends and small talks. No, thank you kind sir. Also not to mention his above-average looks, which made him more likeable. A sharp jawline and spiky dark blue hairs were all it took for him to start dating a girl in our university a month after he transferred. Yet the attribute that would make him useful in our situation is that like me, he also used to read a lot of Manga, Manhua and eventually web novels. he was known for it. I talked about that hobby too, but oh well.

  I distorted my face after noticing some girls supportively nod after him. My friends also followed me. In a normal situation we would have laughed hard, trying not to be too obvious. But right now? We were essentially kidnapped. Finally most of us agreed to exit through the passage, and those who were reluctant had no choice but to follow.

  "God, please let it be a prank for once." Murmured Okaya, a sweat drop visible beside his right eye.

  As we came to pass through the big ancient doors, we found ourselves in a grand, expansive space beyond. As we stepped inside, our eyes widened at the opulence of the throne room. Golden walls adorned with intricate designs, and crimson flags which were hung proudly. Each had a sword and a Leopard emblazoned on them, catching the light with a majestic glow. The taste of metal lingered in the air, almost like pennies on the tongue, a reminder of the wealth and opulence within these walls. The doors behind us clanged shut, and the echoes reverberated through the throne room.

  Then we noticed Two long, ordered rows of knights, their silver armor gleaming and reflecting the light from the golden walls. Dukes and counts stood proudly in their regal attire, their faces stern and determined. At the end of the room, on the gigantic, masterfully carved stone throne, sat a middle-aged king. His jeweled crown shining atop his head. His features were fierce and commanding, with piercing gray eyes and a bushy black beard. But his playful smirk indicated a mischievous side.

  I became uneasy and displeased with that indication, yet we were to show our most respectful behavior as the environment obliged us to.

  "At last! The heavens have heard our prayers, and our relentless efforts have not been in vain! Welcome, esteemed visitors from another realm!" proclaimed the king, his voice filled with pride and charged with anticipation.

  'Well, here it goes.' i wanted to sneeze, an urge calling to me to yawn. Yet still the situation was real and serious. Also Ironic, so much that i could almost snort. while others needed time to process it all or were excited, I, even though seeing a dream of mine come true, wasn't satisfied. No, lets rephrase it: it was more suspicious than a typical fantasy. It was totally not my tendency to seek something new and far from the known tropes. yeah!

  I took a glance at the big Stoney throne. wondering where the Queen or the Children of the Royalty could be.

  Mr. Taka however, was still too defensive for our sake, re-adjusting his brown coat and short gray hair, he indicated us to move further.

  With deliberate, measured footsteps, we approached the one, absolute patriarch. Each step felt heavier as we moved across the polished marble floor, our eyes fixed on the king's imposing presence, his jewel-encrusted crown glinting under the grand chandeliers. I never grasped why they needed to be on even during the daylight too. Perhaps they simply wanted to avoid the hassle of managing them.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Do enlighten us, chosen saviors! Has the divine principle bestowed its mighty blessing upon you as it guided you into our world?"

  'In such era and historical settings they do have such ways with words, don't they?'

  "Greetings, your majesty," Mr. Taka began hesitantly, glancing around with uncertainty. "May I inquire where exactly we are? And what, if anything, is happening here?" His voice wavered between curiosity and apprehension. He articulated our shared question with exceptional skill, which was only to be expected from a professor holding more than three degrees in computer science, linguistics and related fields.

  “Ah, indeed! Forgive the indiscretion. The Apostle will unveil the profound reason for your arrival in our realm, oh divine saviors.”

  Then, the king gestured with a commanding sweep of his arm, beckoning a hooded figure from among the noble dukes and counts to approach. Adorned in white robe, she wore a luminous golden crescent moon necklace, radiating. The Apostle was an adult woman of otherworldly beauty, her features striking and finely chiseled. Her ears elongated to long, graceful points, and her eyes shimmered with vibrant hues of glowing green. Could she be an elf, a being of ethereal grace and ancient wisdom?

  Some of the boys, including Okaya stood transfixed, awestruck by her presence. With a graceful motion, she tucked a strand of her cinnabar red hair behind her pointed ears and offered a poised nod to the king. Then, with an air of elegance, she turned to face us fully.

  “Honorable guests, the fate of our realm hangs by a thread. The Demon Lord Jae’zal, a wicked and formidable adversary, seeks to annihilate all civilization. By the grace of our Almighty God, we have been granted the sacred boon to summon you. We implore you to aid us in this dire hour, to safeguard all that is holy and dear to our hearts.”

  There it was, going exactly as could be expected. but there was a disturbing difference. Perhaps it was just due to the fact the she was an Elf, but i had a subconscious thought that called her out. i hope that it is only my mind playing games with me. She was subtly casual about it. I hope that she is not acting.

  even so, that wasn't all. This is the real world, not a fictional trope!

  Yet it seemed exactly as shallow as one. But bothering to criticize it all would be such a hassle. And even worse, could spell jail time for offending the royal court.

  Meanwhile everybody was flabbergasted. When was the good part starting? I was looking forward to getting powers or acquire a job- or maybe a class(?) which i was, like every fantasy game fan, some times curious about.

  Wait...

  Are we supposed to get excited? What happens to our past life? Mom and Dad would be so sad and devastated!

  I hate my own mind and way of thinking sometimes. But how long are we going to go on such journey? And even after we fulfilled our duty...

  Can they really send us back? My heart clenches in my chest. Once again it burns. Is nobody else thinking about what i think?

  "And to enable this, each of you has been bestowed with a divine blessing upon your entry into this realm.”

  She grasped her golden necklace, whispering what seemed to be an incantation while her eyes closed, as if to call upon a higher authority. In that pivotal moment, one by one, we witnessed translucent, shimmering panels materializing before our eyes. they were electronic system windowed screens, each displaying vital information about our person. The closest i could describe was a 'player character profile'. a picture of us minimized on the top left. our name, age, gender, all written right next to it. then there was the Level, which was 1, much expected. Then there were two bars, first one was green and full, 'HP' indicated right next to it. The one under was blue, called 'MP'. Alright! All good till here! and the class was...

  "Huh?" was the first sound i made since i first woke up in this world. It couldn't be-

  I stood in a mix of bewilderment and dread as I dared to gaze at the screens before everyone else. Seeing the different pinkish color added to my confusion. mine was green, and most importantly: there were only two question marks in front of my Class name.

  "What's wrong?" Professor Taka abruptly asked, which got the attention of Mako and my friends too.

  The Apostle had narrowed her eyes in interest- no! - skepticism too. Why was the throne room so small now? Why was it so crowded?

  My fingers went cold, and my stomach felt empty. At that moment, as if everybody had lost interest in their own system window screen, gathered around. All my 15 classmates and our professor in addition. What i heard next made me feel lost even more:

  "He's a what now?"

  "Ah! He is a bard!"

  "Like, a musician?"

  As others naturally made a discussion about it, my first instinct was to play it cool. Maybe there was an error? After all, as a computer science student and someone with profound knowledge towards fantasy progression system for players, this should be just an inconvenient mistake by this world. right?

  I wish i wouldn't be proven wrong. And in the first place, why am i getting worried? maybe it gets fixed after some time. Maybe i will just need to always travel with another player to help me read what is not shown to me. A bard? The least expected magical class, but welcome nonetheless. The amount of Charisma it would give is what i like the most about it too. With a hand wave, i quickly dismissed the screen. which fortunately made the crowd of classmates surrounding me disperse too.

  I only wish that it is just an inconvenience and nothing more that cannot be handled. Although, let us be optimistic as usual! Maybe this means i have a hidden and powerful class! A key to something far greater...

  Or far worse...

  Why not wait? For now it is going to be my secret. A secret between me and this so called "Fantasy World".