"What the hell... is this?"
Shin gulped as he realized that he—no, he and his friends—was in an extremely strange place.
With a worried expression, he turned his head left and right. The place was vast, resembling a palace hall straight out of a royal-themed novel.
But there was one glaring difference: the hall seemed to have no boundaries. In the distance, there were only white clouds, and nothing could be seen beyond them.
Ten white pillars with strange carvings towered high—so high their tops disappeared into the sky.
If not for the rapid beating of his heart, he would have thought he was dead—that this place was the so-called afterlife.
And it wasn't just him. His classmates were equally overwhelmed by fear and anxiety.
"Where is this? Why are we suddenly here?"
"I don't know either! Could this be some kind of illusion, like in the movies?"
"I thought so too at first. But after looking around... it doesn't seem like an illusion. Everything feels real. And look at that beautiful woman floating in the air—she's real!"
Frantic whispers and cries of fear spread among them. Some were trembling, others anxious, curious, or even on the verge of tears. But one thing was certain—this wasn't an illusion.
"Welcome, heroes," greeted the beautiful woman.
She smiled gently, then slowly descended and placed her feet on the ground.
Her appearance was flawless—like that of a goddess. Yet her height stood out; she was tall, around 1.97 meters.
In front of her, almost everyone looked short—except for Shin. He stood at about 1.87 meters, far above the average for boys his age, who were typically around 1.70 to 1.80 meters.
Still wearing her gentle smile, the woman spoke in a soft tone, "I know you're all confused by what just happened. But please, allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Quinella, Goddess of Truth, and I am one of the Twelve Supreme Gods of the Heavenly Palace. It is a pleasure to meet you, heroes."
She lightly tugged at the hem of her gown and gave a graceful bow.
Her polite and non-threatening demeanor helped ease the tension in the room.
Even so, they were still taken aback by her words—a goddess?
"Excuse me, Goddess Quinella," a boy's voice suddenly rose from the crowd. "I have something I'd like to ask. Will you answer it?"
All eyes turned toward the speaker—a handsome teenager who stepped forward confidently.
He had a tall, well-built frame and a strikingly handsome face, with blond hair and blue eyes—like a prince straight out of a novel.
That teenager was Axel Tharvis—the most handsome student at their school, famously known as the Prince of Fairyland.
The moniker wasn't without reason—Axel was not only handsome but also highly intelligent.
He consistently ranked first in the entire class. On top of that, he was born with a golden spoon.
His family founded the country's leading automotive company, which is now one of the largest in the world.
If there's a saying, "No one is perfect," then it clearly didn't apply to Axel.
The moment he stepped forward, every gaze shifted to admiration. Normally, people might feel envious of someone with so many advantages.
But when the gap becomes too wide, envy disappears. What remains is admiration—sometimes even adoration.
And that was exactly what everyone felt when they looked at Axel.
Quinella was slightly surprised by the sudden question, but she showed no sign of anger. Instead, she responded with a warm expression.
"Of course, young one. Ask whatever you wish," she replied gently.
Like humans, Quinella had a strong sense of aesthetics—and Axel happened to fit that ideal. Without realizing it, she became even more friendly toward him.
Axel stopped about two meters ahead of the group and looked up at Quinella.
Although he was tall, the height difference between them was still noticeable.
"Can you explain why we're here?" he asked cautiously. "I apologize in advance, but as you can see..."
He turned his head and glanced at his friends, worry written across his face, then continued, "They're scared and anxious. So please, tell us what exactly happened."
His words weren't overly polite, but they weren't disrespectful either.
His tone was calm and straightforward—as if he were speaking not to a goddess, but simply to a woman older than him.
Everyone who witnessed his composure was impressed. They also silently agreed with what he said.
Admittedly, they were all confused. No one understood why they had been brought to such a strange place. More than anything, they needed an explanation.
Quinella wasn't offended by his question. She simply nodded and said, "I understand. I will explain everything to you. But I hope you listen carefully—because I won't repeat myself."
Upon hearing that, everyone slowly nodded. Then, Quinella began the explanation they had all been waiting for.
There was no clear sense of time in that place, but they guessed nearly an hour had passed by the time she finally finished.
Silence fell over the group. Eyes widened, expressions stiffened—it was as if they couldn't quite believe what they'd just heard.
'This is insane...' Shin muttered, staring down at the floor.
His face was tense, filled with fear. According to Quinella's explanation, they were now in a place called the Hall of Glory—a location not on Earth, but within the Heavenly Palace.
Quinella didn't go into detail about what the Heavenly Palace was, only describing it as the dwelling place of the gods.
The reason for their summoning was clear: to save a world called Solira from an invasion of mysterious beings known as the Void.
As for the Void, Quinella provided little information. She described them only as savage, powerful entities with terrifying abilities—creatures capable of devouring entire planets.
Solira was their next target—and it was now their duty to save it.
Suddenly, a horrifying realization struck Shin. His body froze as he murmured in disbelief, 'Don't tell me... this is the spiritual phenomenon?'