Truths and Status Screens

The throne room felt heavier now, not because of its grandeur, but because of the weight of what had just returned.

King Alfor Dagonhart slowly stood again, gripping the edge of his throne as if it helped him bear the crushing truth he had just shared with the heroes. His voice cracked slightly, but he forced calm into his tone.

“This is a world where humanity teeters at the edge of extinction. Our cities lie in ruin. Our people live in fear. If nothing changes… we will vanish.”

He looked across the room at the wide-eyed, newly summoned heroes.

“You eight are humanity’s final chance. Each of you has been gifted with magic. By fighting monsters, exploring ruins, and growing stronger, you can help us rise again.”

Kaito, still lounging lazily at the edge of the stairs with his arms behind his head, blinked slowly.

“Oh, please,” he thought. “Like I’m going to grind levels in the world I once ruled. I never needed permission to destroy things — I was the damn demon lord.”

King Alfor took a breath, then added, more carefully:

“Should you succeed, you will be rewarded with land, titles, treasure… and perhaps, a way home.”

That got the heroes’ attention.

Rin Aisaka stepped forward, arms crossed. “And how exactly are we supposed to know what magic we have? We just got here five minutes ago.”

The king nodded solemnly. “Close your eyes. Focus your thoughts inward. A ‘status screen’ will appear before you. That is the divine interface — it reveals your class, abilities, and potential.”

One by one, the heroes obeyed. A soft shimmer of light flickered around each of them as their personal systems activated. Gasping. Murmurs. Excitement.

“Sword Saint class?” “Spirit Channeler!” “I got Illusion Mage!” “Why does mine say ‘Support Tank’… what the hell is a tank?!”

But when Kaito tried…

Nothing.

Then — a loud red warning flashed before his eyes:

⚠️ SYSTEM ERROR: MAGIC OVERLOAD DETECTED. CLASSIFICATION FAILED. POTENTIAL UNDEFINED.

He stared at the message blankly.

“What nonsense is this?” he muttered. “A bug in a magic system? I guess even gods can’t measure me anymore…”

He yawned, stretched, and flopped onto the throne steps, using his jacket as a pillow. “Well, I don’t care anyway. Wake me up if someone needs to be vaporized.”

A beat passed.

Then, in an awkward tone, the king added, “Once… Master Kaito destroyed three kingdoms in a single week. Then he vanished without a word.”

Kaito’s eyes popped open again. “Wait, me? That’s… wow. That’s actually embarrassing. Did I really level three kingdoms over that priest who called me ‘a walking sin’?”

He scratched his head. “Okay, that was an overreaction.”

Mila Vostrikov folded her arms coldly. “So you’re telling us we have to rebuild this world by defeating the guy who already destroyed it once?”

She turned toward the others. “Honestly, we might as well go home. Except—oh wait—we can’t.”

Leo Kingsley stepped forward, fists clenched. “We’re heroes. We can take him down if we have to. He’s just another summoning like us.”

Kaito smirked and casually raised one hand.

A tiny snap echoed in the room.

Leo instantly froze. His foot, mid-step, trembled in place. A chill ran down his spine.

“That wasn’t magic… that was a warning.”

Kaito didn’t even look at him. “That’s close enough, knight boy. I’d prefer not to turn another royal carpet into charcoal.”

The king stepped in quickly. “Please, all of you… Master Kaito is not your enemy. He saved those who were worthy. He spared us when he could have ended everything.”

Kaiya Tanaka, the shy illusion mage, raised a hand meekly.

“Um… if we don’t want to help… is there any way we can just go home?”

The king’s face fell.

His voice turned low and regretful.

“We… we used the last of the Heart of the Golden Dragon to summon you. Without it, no portal can be created. I swear on my kingdom: once humanity is restored, we will seek another way. But for now… there is none.”

Everyone was silent.

Even the flames on the candles seemed to quiet themselves.

Then, slowly, Kaito spoke.

“King. Just one question.”

“Yes, Master?”

“Last time I was here… did I kill the golden dragon?”

“You… You didn’t kill the golden dragon, Master. You killed its mother.”

“Ah,” Kaito nodded. “Makes sense. No more dragons.”

Every head slowly turned toward him — some in horror, some in awe, but most… in quiet hatred.

He stood, brushing off his jacket.

“Don’t look at me like that. I was young, dumb, and extremely powerful. Honestly, I regret that. A little.”

“Master…” the king said softly. “You did what you thought was right. For us.”

From the side, Diego Cruz laughed, arms behind his head. “Man, King, you flatter this guy so much it sounds like you owe him your soul. Did he save your dog too or something?”

Alfor cleared his throat but said nothing.

“I like this guy,” Diego added, jerking his thumb at Kaito. “He’s crazy but honest.”

Isha Mehra — soft-spoken and kind-eyed — finally spoke up.

“Maybe this world really is in trouble,” she said. “If they had to summon us — and him — then things must be worse than we think. We should help them.”

James Carter, still reading his magic interface like it was a smartphone, raised a hand.

“I don’t care about the end of the world or dragons. I came to this fantasy world for one reason: to find a cute elf girlfriend. Let’s go rest already.”

The king tried not to react. Kaito just chuckled.

“Spoken like a true legendary hero,” he muttered.

King Alfor clapped his hands gently. “Then rest, heroes. You’ll sleep in the palace tonight. Tomorrow… your journey begins.”

The guards opened the doors to the hallway.

The heroes shuffled out — some nervous, some still whispering to each other about the system, their powers, and the terrifying boy who snapped a muscle-bound warrior off his feet with a flick.

Kaito rose last, walking behind them in silence.

His face was calm… but something in his heart stirred.

“The king… he’s hiding something. That look in his eyes when he saw me. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t loyalty.”

“It was guilt.”

He glanced back at the throne room, then followed the others into the shadows of the corridor.

“Guess I’ll let the king breathe tonight. Tomorrow, we start peeling back this rotten world… layer by layer.”

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