Skills

“Can you believe it? It says my skill is ‘charm.’ Apparently, I can make a person fall for me if I look into their eyes for five seconds. As if I need to!”

Ai, the most well-endowed and curvy girl in class, struck a suggestive pose while she complained.

Any other time I would’ve stolen a glance at those generous assets, but right now, I had more important things on my mind.

Was I the only one in the class who didn’t have a skill?

As if being dragged to a strange place weren't bad enough, I don’t even receive any benefits?

This can’t be good at all.

“Wh-what kind of skill did you get, Daigo?” I stuttered.

“Oh. This.”

Daigo showed me his phone in response.

Student number 3 (male), Daigo Oyama.

Skill: Enlargement. The more air you inhale, the bigger you become.

Daigo already has a large frame, and he’s going to get even bigger?

“All right, everyone. Have you confirmed your skills? The war will begin shortly. Make haste!”

I debated whether I should tell Charlotte about my lack of skill.

If my classmates find out that I don’t have any skills, they might consider me a burden and cast me out.

The thought flickered through my mind. I held my tongue.

“‘War?’ Who are we fighting against? Are we even on Earth right now?”

At Hiroshi’s questions, Charlotte frowned a bit before replying with a trace of annoyance in her voice.

“We don’t have much time, you know. This is a war, so we’re obviously battling against our enemy. Your job is to wipe out the monsters who have invaded our country.”

“‘Monsters?’ So we aren’t fighting humans?”

“No. I believe that on your planet, all people, regardless of age, undergo simulation training on how to slay monsters. That training allowed you to obtain a skill when you came here. Many talented Saviors have saved our planet in the past.”

“Simulation training?” Is she talking about role-playing games?

Did I not obtain any skills because I didn’t play those types of games then?

“This is the planet Eminema, which is 38.7 billion light-years away from your home, Earth. Due to the infestation, 99 percent of our territory has been seized.”

So, we’ve been abducted to a faraway planet over 30 billion light-years away from Earth.

They probably used an illegal intergalactic transportation device to bring us here.

“The barrier protecting this church will crumble soon, and the monsters will swarm in. Please use your skills to destroy them. I’m sure it won’t be too difficult for you.”

Charlotte’s bizarre explanation only served to exacerbate my classmates’ fears.

“Why the hell should we listen to you?”

Eiko stepped to the front.

I noticed his right arm glowing faintly.

Eiko pointed his right arm at Charlotte and chanted something.

Whoosh! An arrow of pure light shot out from his arm. It grazed Charlotte’s cheek, before embedding itself into the statue of Mary behind her.

“Return us to Earth, now, or I’ll kill you.”

A hush fell over the church. Charlotte continued to smile, unfazed. Blood oozed down her cheek; it was red, just like our blood.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. To do that, you will have to retrieve the transportation device that’s located in our fallen castle.”

“You bitch!”

Eiko pointed his right arm at Charlotte once again.

“You may hit me if you want. This is merely a remote-controlled dummy. However, you might want to be careful since there’s a bomb inside.”

“Eiko, don’t!” Hiroshi yelled.

Cursing, Eiko lowered his right arm.

“I’m glad you understand. Now, everyone. Please come up with strategies, form groups, whatever you deem necessary. I will be here to back you up.”

“Um...”

As Charlotte finished talking, one of the girls spoke up.

The girl who spoke was our student librarian, a quiet girl wearing glasses. It was Shizuka.

“What is it now?”

“There were our teachers and a bus driver and a tour guide beside us. What happened to them?”

“Oh, there’s an age limit to those who can possess a skill. We disposed of...I mean, we left them behind.” Charlotte replied.

She definitely said “disposed” before she corrected herself.

Shizuka must have heard it too. Her face had turned pale, and she seemed frozen to the spot.

At that moment.

“They’re coming. The enemy’s approaching!” Someone with a detection ability shouted.

At the same time, the stained glass ceiling shattered, and shards of glass rained down upon us.

“It’s a dragon...”

Someone croaked.

An all-powerful foe that you only encounter at the final stages of a video game.

An enormous dragon had invaded the church.