The entire hall fell into silence.
The once cheerful atmosphere filled with excitement and divine praise... vanished in an instant.
Everyone—from the holy knights, robed priests, and even the summoned heroes—stood frozen, unable to comprehend what they had just heard.
A strange tension began to rise in the air...
"...C-Chimera... King...?"
"What is that...?"
"Is that... an actual Job Class...?"
Confused murmurs slowly began to stir among the crowd. Even Zane's classmates exchanged uneasy glances.
But... the old priest raised a hand to calm the noise.
"Please, everyone... there is no need for alarm," he assured them all, voice composed and comforting. "What we have here may very well be a rare divine role—a unique class gifted directly by the Gods themselves...!"
The crowd quieted slightly, unsure... but continued to listen.
"Let us confirm the details," the priest continued, waving his hand toward Zane's still-floating status window.
With a flick of his hand, Zane's status window expanded... revealing more information for the old priest to read.
He narrowed his eyes, silently scanning through the information presented... until he reached the skill section.
"...'Graft'...?" the old priest muttered, confused. "I've never heard of such a skill..."
Zane, the only one who caught the priest's words, furrowed his brows.
"Graft…?"
He'd heard the term before—something from biology or farming. It was... the act of attaching one thing to another... so they grow as one.
The old priest continued reading the description attached to the skill, his eyes scanning the contents in silence...
But then—his expression twisted. The color drained from his face.
His eyes widened... slowly shifting toward Zane—!
"—!"
Zane flinched at the look he was given...!
Because...
It wasn't awe.
It wasn't curiosity.
It was as if… the priest was staring at something inhuman...!
Zane's breath caught—just like everyone else who managed to catch a glimpse of the old priest's face.
'Why is he looking at him like that…?' That thought crossed everyone's mind.
One of the younger robed priests stepped forward, whispering urgently, "I-is something wrong, elder?"
The old priest... didn't respond.
He simply let go of the appraisal stone, allowing the status window to vanish in a shimmer of light. Without another word, he turned and gestured for a few senior priests to follow.
They moved to the far corner of the summoning hall... and began whispering in hushed tones, just out of earshot.
The others left behind could only watch in confusion.
"What's going on now...?"
"Why are they acting like that...?"
Even Zane's classmates glanced around, baffled by the sudden shift in behavior.
The tension was starting to become unbearable...
And Zane... clenched his fists—a terrible feeling clawed at his chest.
Those priests... they weren't just confused.
They were scared.
Disgusted even.
He could tell from the way they kept glancing at him—mixed expressions of fear... suspicion... and even revulsion.
As if... they were looking at a 'monster.'
Eventually, their group's discussion ended. The old priest returned to the center of the hall and raised his voice.
"Ahem...! Everyone, allow me to offer a correction," he announced with the same smile as before, trying once again to calm the crowd. "We have confirmed that Zane Ashfield possesses a most divine role granted by the gods. An incredible blessing—! One that must be handled with the utmost care."
Even so, the confusion didn't exactly fade... but no one dared to question him openly.
The old priest then motioned to the rest of the heroes.
"Now then... all of you shall be brought before His Majesty, the King! It is time you present yourselves properly."
The doors to the summoning hall slowly opened, revealing several holy knights standing in formation outside.
One stepped forward. "Heroes... this way."
The group of summoned heroes hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. But eventually, Arthur—the de facto leader of the group—nodded and took the first step.
The others soon began to follow.
Even Zane followed after them—
"Zane Ashfield, please wait."
He stopped in his tracks.
Slowly, he turned around... and met the 'smiling' face of the old priest.
"There is a special task we must discuss... one befitting your 'unique' divine role."
Zane's gut twisted.
That terrible feeling was flaring up again.
He looked back over his shoulder. Some of his classmates were already out the door. A few paused, glancing curiously at him... but then continued on, disappearing beyond the threshold.
Eventually... the large doors closed shut with a thud.
Leaving Zane behind.
He turned to face the priest fully.
"...Special task, huh?" Zane muttered, eyes narrowing. "What kind of task are we talking here...?"
The old priest... didn't answer.
Instead, he gestured kindly to the center of the summoning circle where they had first arrived.
"Please. Step forward."
Zane didn't move.
His instincts screamed at him to run. Every fiber of his being told him to turn and bolt for an escape—!
But then he noticed—
The holy knights remaining in the room... all had their hands on their swords...!
"...Tch."
Zane clicked his tongue in frustration... before he forced himself to move.
Step by step, he walked to the center of the circle.
Once he arrived... he looked back to the old priest's 'smiling' visage—
"—!"
But it quickly faltered...!
His faux 'kind' expression had shattered—replaced by disdain...!
Zane's eyes widened, taking a step back in alarm...!
"—! Agh...!"
A bright glow burst from beneath him—!
The same summoning circle lit up violently with blinding white...!
But before he could flee—
CLANG—!!CLANG—!!
Glowing chains shot up from the circle, wrapping around his wrists and ankles—!
"What the—?!"
They burned with divine radiance, latching onto him with crushing force...!
"Nngh—! What the hell is this?!"
But the more he resisted, the tighter they pulled...!
His knees buckled under the weight... as if the heavens themselves had declared judgment...!
"Zane Ashfield... you are a heretical existence," the old priest addressed coldly. "And you must be purged."
"W-what—?! Ugh...!" He gritted his teeth as the chains burned into his skin...! "The hell do you mean heretical...?!"
"Your Job Class... 'Chimera King,' was it? Quite the unique one, I say."
The priest's voice remained calm—but Zane could feel the venom lacing his words...!
"A 'gift' we have never seen before. However, it comes with a peculiar skill... 'Grafting'."
"G-Grafting...? What even is it...? What's so bad about it?!"
"I'll tell you what's bad about it: it's an ability to attach and fuse... 'monster parts' into your own body... wielding their power as if it's your own...!"
"...Huh...?"
Zane's breath caught in his throat.
"...T-that's what it does...?!"
"We cannot allow such an abomination to exist—a 'hero' that would taint their flesh with the filth of monsters..."
The old priest pointed an accusatory finger at Zane.
"You are an 'error' in The System created by the Gods—a mistake!!!"
"The hell?! FUCK YOU! You fuckers kidnapped us from our world—trying to force a goddamn suicidal job!"
Zane threw a murderous glare—! Eyes filled with fury—!
"And now just because I lucked out on the job class lottery, you scumbags are just gonna kill me?! Is that it?!"
The old priest simply shook his head... a sly smile etched across his face.
"Not quite. We will not risk letting you go berserk. You're not the first troublesome hero we've dealt with. After... previous failures, we've discovered the most efficient method—"
The circle flared even brighter!
"—is by casting you into one the most dangerous dungeons in the world."
"WHAT—?! DAMN YOU—!!!"
Light soon engulfed Zane's whole figure—blinding and all-consuming...!
And just like that...
He was gone.