The stale air of the academy hung heavy with the anxieties and muted excitement of youth. Ryel, a young man of twenty with an unremarkable presence – short for his age but not conspicuously so, with ordinary brown eyes and short, practical black hair – navigated the familiar chaos of the school corridors. He was a face in the crowd, one of the many unremarkable students about to be thrust into a world far beyond their classroom walls.
The summoning had been abrupt, a blinding flash of light that had enveloped the entire student body. When the light subsided, they stood in the grand courtyard, facing a delegation of armored knights and richly garbed officials bearing the crest of the Kingdom of Eldoria. The explanation that followed was swift and brutally efficient: the five great kingdoms, perpetually locked in a delicate dance of power and occasional conflict, were once again in need of heroes. Those with the strongest magical affinities and combat potential were immediately identified and whisked away, destined for rigorous training and the front lines against the encroaching darkness – the three Demon Kings and their monstrous legions.
The remaining students, those deemed to possess "lesser potential," were left to their own devices, a discarded afterthought in the face of a looming global threat. A wave of resentment and fear rippled through the crowd. There were tearful pleas to be taken back, indignant shouts of unfairness, but the officials were unmoved. The world had no time for the mediocre.
Ryel had remained quiet throughout the ordeal, a familiar sense of his own insignificance settling over him. He hadn't been surprised when he wasn't among those chosen. He'd always been… average. Good enough to get by, but never exceptional.
In the aftermath, small groups of the "lesser potential" students began to band together, necessity forging alliances. Ryel found himself part of a small, somewhat ragtag team of four. They weren't heroes, not by any stretch of the imagination. They were survivors, scraping a living by taking on odd jobs – hunting minor beasts, retrieving lost items, escorting merchants through safer routes – the tasks that the powerful heroes deemed beneath them.
While the chosen ones battled Demon Kings and saved kingdoms, Ryel and his team fought overgrown wolves and mischievous sprites, their victories small and their rewards meager. Yet, it was a living.
The heroes, meanwhile, became legendary figures, their names whispered with awe and gratitude throughout the land. Tales of their incredible feats against the Demon Kings filled the taverns and town squares, a constant reminder of Ryel's own perceived inadequacy.