A light shimmered...
What is happening?!
The brightness grew so intense that I had to close my eyes.
Then, all at once, I felt my body drop.
Weightless.
Like I had been thrown into a bottomless void.
I kept my eyes shut, my fear of heights made it impossible to look.
All I could do was feel the endless fall and hear the rush of air roaring in my ears.
I felt like I was plummeting for miles.
SWOOOOOOSH!!!
A light breeze brushed past me, and I realized I had landed somewhere unknown.
My feet touched solid ground — though it felt more like something set me down.
I slowly opened my eyes to take in the view of my surroundings.
What I saw made my breath catch for a brief moment.
I was inside a massive hall, its high ceiling disappearing into darkness.
Golden rays of light poured through stained glass windows adorned with angelic scenes.
And at intervals, the loud sound of a bell echoed from a distance.
'This place, it looks like a church.'
My gaze had been lifted as I took in the strange view, but when I looked ahead, I was amazed at what I saw.
Beautiful maidens surrounded me in a loose circle.
Their garments resembled nun habits, but were… skimpier, enough that I had to swallow a nervous lump in my throat.
The moment I met their gaze, they all knelt hurriedly.
'Am I dead? Is this a heavenly cathedral?'
To be surrounded by so many beautiful maidens, that was the only assumption I could come up with.
Then I heard their lovely voice, echoing off the shining marble walls and tiled floors.
They all raised their heads in unison, their veils fluttering in the sudden action.
"O great heroes! Honorable Otherworlders, please save our land."
I struggled to take in those words.
Just as the voice was beautiful and angelic, the tone, there was something I could sense.
It was a grieving one, as if they were pleading to their last hope.
But...
If I were dead, why would they need my help? And what did they mean by 'Honorable Otherworlders?'
Something that I had been neglecting came to my notice: this faint eerie hum that permeated the air, it was emanating from beneath me.
I looked down, what I saw was a glowing circle etched with strange symbols, pulsing beneath me.
What is this? A magic circle?!
I instinctively stepped out of the circle, and immediately I did so, the glow went out.
I was in my room reading a hot serializing novel.
I had just bought the first volume of the hard copy and was in the early chapters when I came across a blank page.
My mind rewound. I had been furious — a blank page in a brand-new book.
I was thinking of returning it when the page started to glow.
And that was when...
"Don't tell me I was summoned!"
I instinctively squeaked out in panic because I was about to read the chapter 'Hero Summoning' when I realized that the chapter page was blank!
Did that mean I had took on some great responsibility or what?
Judging from the maidens' plea, they talked about saving some land just now, right?
The thought swirled around my mind for some moment, and with each passing second, my heart grew heavy.
It still felt so unbelievable that I was summoned to fulfill some great purpose.
'Damn! goddamn it! why didn't I read the novel spoilers!'
I clenched my teeth hard in frustration. I had read a few chapters when this crazy stuff happened. No major plot!
They say information is power, but I was just in the early chapters, how unlucky could I be?
"Ahem!"
Who is that?!
I was shocked by the clearing of the throat I heard beside me, then I turned to look.
It was a guy with blond hair, tall and lean with a great physique.
He turned and stared intensely at me, and then, after a moment, he used his hand to brush back his hair in a practiced pose.
"Adrian Wells?"
One of my classmates. My eyes scanned him all over. Why was he here? Was I summoned here with him?
"It seems we have been summoned to an Isekai, Rei boy."
Why did he look so calm? I could hear my heartbeat even though I had the idea of how I got here.
The blank page must have triggered something.
But what about him? Did he get a head start before coming? Had some goddess explained that he would be summoned?
The distant echo of footsteps made me glance up.
The beautiful maidens stood and from behind them, a fat man in flowing white robes approached.
A tall cap sat atop his head and his white garment billowed with each step.
"That is the Pope. We should be able to get some information."
Without even looking at me, Adrian's eyes were locked on the man whom he called the pope.
When one found themselves in a foreign environment, they had to be on the lookout, but in Adrian case, he looked strangely relaxed.
I swallowed a heavy lump as the Pope stopped in front of us; his gaze shifted to me for a brief moment.
During that moment, I caught a glimpse of his face; a crease appeared on his brow for a split second, then he smiled.
"You have been summoned by the help of the goddess. This is the holy church of the celestial light goddess."
"Please, we beg for your strength to defeat the Dragon Empress."
Compared to the maidens who were still kneeling, the man remained standing when he asked for help, but he wore a worried expression, and his voice also carried a hint of grief.
Adrian stepped out of the magic circle, his steps quiet and elegant as he approached the Pope.
He took and held the man's hand; this action surprised the man, prompting his eyes to widen.
"You see, I was on vacation, enjoying the surrounding view while driving, when a truck suddenly hit me."
Adrian held his head, looking despondent, then he used the hand to brush his long blond hair backwards.
"Then a goddess, the most beautiful being I had ever seen, appeared in my vision, telling me she would send me to a world where my help was needed."
"Her six pairs of wings were whiter than snow, her white garment, everything about her was screaming perfection. A beauty that put even mine to shame.
If I am the perfect human, then this goddess is the perfect being."
I scoffed, that bastard narcissist. It wasn't an exaggeration that Adrian was a brilliant student, but he placed extreme emphasis on his look.
He was the perfect definition of a narcissist.
Adrian sighed heavily, as if what he had just said took a toll on him. It seemed he found it difficult to say there was someone else above him in perfection.
"Then I thought to myself, if a powerful being was gracious enough to give me another chance after I died, why wouldn't I give it my all? That is when I realized I had been teleported here.
He released the Pope's hand and took a small step backward.
The pope gave a soft nod, then he looked at me again with a confused expression.
I had a strong feeling something was wrong.
'Crap! Am I not supposed to be here?'
Since I never saw any angel or goddess, doesn't that make me the literal 'buy one get one free' bonus?
An Extra...
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Hi Everyone!
This is my new book for the WPC.
Please I need your support, and of course, I mean your collections, power stones, reviews, and comments, they all go a long way in motivating to write.
Thanks so much in advance.