Gentle knocks came from the door. Zed shifted, moving his body in discomfort. He raised his body up, still feeling tired from yesterday's event. More knocks came from the door, though a bit harder this time.

Zed stood up, wondering who could've come to him so early in the morning. It was still quite dark outside as the sun was only starting to rise up. He opened the door to meet this assailant of his peaceful sleep.

"Good morning Zed!!! Did you sleep well?!" Ciara bounced as she said.

"I did before you knocked," Zed replied.

"Boo~!" Ciara pouted, "Oh yeah! I woke you up because we need to go to a meeting," Ciara told him.

"Meeting?" Zed asked.

"Yeah, Blaine set one up this morning and told everyone to gather up."

"Ok, let me prepare," Zed replied.

Zed locked the door and took his clothes off. The Inn's staff provided him with a new set of clothes, which he hastily changed into. It was a dark gray long-sleeve shirt with a light-blue vest. His new pants were also light-blue in color. He requested something of this sort but what they gave him was way beyond his expectation, a little too fancy for him even.

After he finished, Zed went out and saw Aaron and Ciara waiting for him. Together, they went down to the luxurious hall. The place was now cleared of the long table and food, and the previous inn-like setup had returned. There were already a few of his classmates on various tables in the hall, chit-chatting about various random topics. They sat down at an empty table for a while and waited for a few others to arrive.

Blaine walked up the elevated platform meant for speakers and entertainers, followed behind by Kevin, one of his classmates, and someone Zed didn't recognize. The person wore extravagant clothing with the Kingdom's crest and had a sword fastened to his belt. Zed was analyzing the man before he was suddenly interrupted.

"I'm sure all of you are worried about our current situation." Blaine said, "We were thrown into this unknown world where we're separated from our families and friends." The students looked at each other as they listened. "But do not worry. Yesterday, you may have noticed that I left the banquet early. The truth is, I went to speak to the people living in this kingdom, to understand more about the world."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I have learned that what Prime Minister Weiss said was genuine. The people here told me stories of past heroes that defended and won against the invasions. The people teared up as they told me the story, and that truly showed me that the people adored the heroes."

"So you have no need to worry! Follow my lead, and you'll be safe from danger. I, as the one who had received the Hero class, will protect you."

All the students cheered and gave a round of applause. It was an inspiring speech, perhaps a bit too much. But rather than make enemies, Zed clapped as well.

Zed looked around the hall, many had their face lit up after Blaine's speech. Only a small number of people put on a difficult smile, probably the people he had bullied before. Some girls were frantically all over him, which caused some boys to curse their terrible luck under their breath.

Blaine directed his hands towards the unknown officer, "This early morning, this esteemed royal officer had talked to me about the class and skills test we'll be doing later today." Blaine said.

"Don't worry, it won't be anything difficult. They just need to do some minor tests and gather information. We'll set out to the castle barracks where the training ground will be located so please get ready before then. Are there any questions?"

No one asked anything and everyone was dismissed.

...

Zed, Ciara, and Aaron followed along with the class behind Blaine and the royal officer on the stone-paved road. Wealthy merchants, nobles, and middle-class citizens trekked along the walkway as well, smiling as they passed the Heroes.

They were well received for sure, though Zed wondered what would happen if there was a useless hero? Would they throw them out like some broken livestock?

The sounds of hooves reached Zed's ears. It was an approaching carriage drawn by a horse. The students moved to the side to avoid getting in the way, and many were staring at the interesting sight of the carriage—a relic of the medieval era.

Despite the medieval technology, the city was clean. The roads had no horse feces, most likely scrubbed with soap as the air smelled fresh and fragrant. There were also no signs of flooding, which prompted Zed to look for drainage. And sure enough, Zed was right. There were drains on the side of the road, neatly hidden with large stone slabs similar to the ones used in the modern world.

Quite advanced for a city in the medieval period. Zed pondered if there were some kind of sewage system down below as well.

They climbed the stairs up to the castle and arrived at the barrack's training ground. There were a couple of dummies stationed a distance away, presumably for practice shooting. Blaine and the royal officer organized the students into two groups of combatant and non-combatant. Other officers and maids appeared, preparing some things for the tests.

Finally, it was time to see just powerful our skills are.