Swept Away, I Became One Of Them

I had been swept into a Hero Summoning.

The Apoca Kingdom, a kingdom in this other world, was said to be the last bastion of humanity on this continent, a kingdom of magic. It had long upheld and maintained the Hero Summoning Circle through the generations, guarding against the grave enemy known as the Demon God. The problem was that the magic circle had activated, and because I happened to be on the same bus as the one chosen as the current “Hero,” I was dragged along into this world.

There were supposed to be five heroes, but it seemed that at least twenty people of all ages and genders had been summoned.

Naturally, I was not chosen as one of the heroes.

“I am sorry for what has happened to you. Considering that you come from the same homeland as the current heroes, I will not treat you poorly. But that will only matter if humanity survives against the Demon God. For now… the only thing I can do for you is provide a modest travel allowance and grant you status as a ‘Free Citizen.’”

These were the words of the man who called himself the King of the Apoca Kingdom.

And so, with nothing but a modest allowance—twenty gold coins and a card to prove my status—I was driven out of the royal castle.

Before being cast out, I had heard that a single gold coin was enough for four commoners to live on for a month. Yet all they gave me for being dragged here was enough to survive for just a few years, with no way to return home. It was absurd and outrageous.

“What… should we do?”

Two schoolgirls who looked like they were my age trembled anxiously as they looked around. To put it bluntly, all fifteen of us who had been cast out stood abandoned at the gates of the royal castle, with no idea what to do next.

“Damn it…”

A man spat out a harsh curse as he walked off, a woman clutched her child with unease, and even an elderly man with gray hair looked lost. Everyone was different, yet I doubted how many of us would actually survive.

No, survival itself might not be the problem. If each of us found a fitting job, we could probably live a somewhat peaceful life with the allowance we had. But there would surely be those in this world who sought to exploit the ignorant people from another world, and I had already heard that slavery existed here. No doubt, there would be those who would capture and sell people like us as slaves.

‘I just have to be careful… right?’

The only saving grace was that this world felt like a game.

“Status, open.”

A strange window appeared before my eyes. It only displayed age, level, occupation, and disposition. My head grew heavy as I stared at it.

Ordinarily, one would become a Hero, gain levels, and their status would automatically rise according to their aptitudes. I was told that the people of this world were born with one to ten skills, called “aptitudes,” and if they lived according to their aptitudes, survival would not be difficult.

“They did say that checking aptitudes costs money, right…?”

Apparently, if I paid a fee at a temple with an Aptitude Orb, I could have mine examined. That was where I planned to go first.

I felt sorry for the others, but from here on out, I had to focus on surviving alone. If I let misplaced sympathy drag me down, I could end up enslaved, cursing my life in some unknown place until I died.

That was not the life I wanted.

Hoping my talents would prove useful, I headed toward the temple that the city guards had told me about.

People stared at me curiously as I walked through the streets. It was probably because of my clothing.

Wearing a suit, polished leather shoes, and carrying a strange bag must have looked very odd in this world.

Keeping up the poker face I had honed during three years of working life, I walked without showing weakness. Soon, I came across a rather imposing church building, and a priest standing at the entrance approached me.

“You wear unusual clothing…”

“It just happened this way. Anyway, can I check my aptitude now?”

The priest gave me a strange look, then nodded and led me inside. As we walked, he spoke.

“There are rumors that the Heroes were summoned again. A few hours ago, we saw a great light fall from the sky. Did you, by any chance, come from another world?”

I answered honestly that I had. I figured lying wouldn’t help me.

“How curious. While it’s not unheard of for non-Heroes to be summoned, never have so many been brought here at once…”

I found it remarkable too. Summoning people from another world was strange enough, wasn’t it?

That was how I saw it, but apparently, Hero Summonings were common here.

“So it happens often?”

“Not too often, but I believe it occurs whenever the magic recovers enough power. The interval varies.”

“And yet, despite summoning so many heroes, you still can’t defeat this so-called Demon God?”
The priest sighed and told me the grim truth.

“It cannot be helped. The Demon God commands three Demon Kings, and each Demon King has countless nobles under their rule. Usually, the summoned heroes struggle just to face those nobles.”

It was the worst truth I had heard yet.

As I fell into despair, the priest stopped before a glowing orb and addressed me.

“Since you are a foreigner swept up by the summoning, I will not take payment this time. It is a pitiable fate indeed.”

What a wretched gaze. Not a hero, but merely someone dragged along—he looked at me with sympathy. It left only bitterness.

Still, there was no reason to reject a free service.

“I’ll gratefully accept.”

“Place your hand upon the orb, and your aptitude will appear to you. Only you will see the truth revealed by God. But… it is best not to tell others what you learn.”

“Why is that?”

“Those summoned from other worlds often possess excellent aptitudes. Naturally, there are those who would capture and exploit them. While some may be good, the wicked are far more common. The truth… is best hidden.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on the orb. It glowed faintly, and words appeared before my eyes.

“The number of words you see indicates your aptitudes. Every human has between one and ten. There are no exceptions—this is God’s law, the very foundation of the world. Your talents will shape your life and determine your fate. May blessings be upon you.”

Leaving me behind, the priest stepped out, as if to give me time alone to read.

“How many…?”

It wasn’t a small number. Five words floated before me.

‘So, above average?’

Five didn’t seem bad at all. Interestingly, the words appeared in Koreans.

Was that divine consideration?

I didn’t know, but I began to examine them.

‘Pharmacy… does this mean talent for making medicine?’

If I thought about the many uses of medicine, then surely I could at least make a living.

Next was ‘Construction.’

‘So something to do with architecture?’

It literally meant “to build,” so perhaps I had a talent for building. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about shelter.

The next was ‘Linguistics.’ I figured that meant I could learn languages quickly and communicate easily.

‘So I’ll have no problem with social interaction…’

Then came ‘Blessing of Mana’ and ‘Blessing of Magic Power.’

‘Wait, what’s the difference between mana and magic power?’

So, those were the five. But since I understood little of this world, only ‘Pharmacy’ really stood out to me.

Honestly, if I could make medicine, I thought I could live a stable life anywhere. After all, medicine could improve the quality of life.

I knew too well how suffering and pain could drive a person into despair.

As a child, I had been very frail. I often fell ill, my bones broke easily, and injuries healed slowly. Once, when I fractured my shin, it took me over four months to recover, while most people healed in two.

My body had always been a wreck, and I had no choice but to accept it as being born weak. The only small comfort was that, somehow, I still grew past 180 cm tall. But my frame remained thin.

Strangely, after coming to this world, my body felt much lighter. I didn’t know why—perhaps it was simply that the natural environment here was cleaner than Korea’s, and my body responded well to it.

So I confirmed the five talents, deciding that only Pharmacy was immediately useful, and left the temple.

The priest who escorted me outside asked quietly.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“Well… I’d like to travel a bit first. Once summoned, I can never return to my original world, right?”

“It is a sad truth. The summoning circle only pulls others—it cannot send them back. It is random, after all…”

He ended his words with regret.

I looked back at the grand royal castle and said,

“If there is a peaceful village without war, I’d like to live there.”

“That will not be easy. No such place truly exists. And even if it did… it would disappear the moment humanity fell to the Demon God.”

“Then I can only pray that the Heroes succeed.”

I recalled the so-called Heroes who had been summoned with me. I didn’t trust them much, but I could only hope.

And since the magic circle would summon new heroes whenever it recharged, I believed humanity wouldn’t be crushed so easily by the Demon God.

Perhaps one day, a truly great hero would rise to save everyone. That was what I chose to believe.

“Thank you for your help. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

“May peace be with you.”

With that farewell, I parted from the priest and steeled myself for the future.

‘Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to live well. I won’t be defeated by fate!’

It was my vow.