Everyone hates me in this new world and they will pay for it

Solara abruptly let him go, and Arthur fell to the floor. She then walked away, huffing with rage towards her crystal ball, visibly indignant and angry.

The boy, still on the ground, caught his breath, overcome by a hatred he had never felt before. He gathered his strength and shouted at Solara:

"I want to go back home now! You all can fight your own wars! I don't care about this supposed honor of being a hero, and I don't care about your world! No one asked for my consent in this!" Arthur exclaimed in a fury.

"If it were possible, I would do it immediately, boy! But unfortunately, I can't. Your only option is to defeat the Demon King or watch this world fall!" Solara responded, seething with rage.

"What's the point of a fourth hero with that mentality? I would have preferred if you had never been summoned."

"And it SHOULD have happened as it always does! Three heroes! Only three!" she exclaimed in a fury, placing a hand over her face.

"Finally, something we agree on, Solara," Arthur replied, getting to his feet.

The rest of the heroes watched the conflict in silence. They had already realized their fate and their mission. Either the Demon King dies, or they never go home.

With no other options, Arthur dusted off his clothes and exclaimed:

"If there's no other choice, I'll do it. I'll carry the burden that's been forced on me. But don't you ever dare tell me this is an honor," he responded, staring down Solara with a melancholic tone.

Solara nodded. Even though she didn't agree, she was relieved that Arthur would help. After all, whether she liked it or not, he was still a hero.

She approached the crystal ball located in the middle of the room and recited a few inaudible words. The ball immediately lit up, emitting bright, white rays.

"Heroes, let's begin measuring your potential. Please, one at a time, place your hand on the crystal ball," she said, her voice irritated and rushed.

The first to step forward was Kaien. He hesitantly approached the mage. The young man gathered his courage and placed his hand on the crystal.

A hologram appeared in the room with a loading bar that read "Measuring Potential." Everyone anxiously awaited the result, especially Kaien. It felt like his heart was going to leap out of his mouth. He tapped his foot rapidly on the floor, trying to ease his anxiety.

Suddenly, a mysterious voice emerged as the loading finished.

"Congratulations, Hero Kaien. Your potential is extraordinary. You have the fifth-highest potential ever recorded," the robotic voice exclaimed.

Everyone turned their attention to Kaien, surprised.

"Y-you have the fifth-highest potential? Out of everyone?" Mirella asked, startled but happy.

Solara approached the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What a magnificent surprise, Hero Kaien. I hope you can reach your full power. Work hard. You could become the strongest hero to ever set foot in this world. I believe in you."

Kaien couldn't hide his smile of satisfaction. Knowing his potential was so high pleased him greatly. Feeling motivated, he responded to Solara:

"Thank you for your trust, Solara. I will strive to become the strongest hero," the boy exclaimed with a smile.

"I'm counting on your help, my fellow heroes. We will certainly emerge victorious from this world," he said, looking at the others.

Everyone nodded, now more confident. After all, with such a strong ally, their chances had increased significantly.

Alden immediately stepped forward and said:

"If Kaien has the fifth-best potential, I will definitely have the highest," he exclaimed, arrogant and confident.

Arthur truly hated Alden. Deep down, even though it was a terrible thing for the group, Arthur profoundly wished for him to have the worst potential. Alden would probably be a burden to the team, but his reaction to that news would be priceless.

Alden placed his hand on the crystal ball. The same loading bar appeared, and anxiety filled the air. Arthur rooted for a bad result, already imagining the idiotic look on Alden's face, but something in his subconscious made him feel disappointed for wishing ill on someone so strongly.

After a few moments, the mysterious voice exclaimed again.

"Congratulations, Hero Alden. Your potential is the tenth-best among all. Equally extraordinary," the voice said.

Solara wore a smile from ear to ear. Two such powerful heroes together—this could only be the work of fate.

Alden, on the other hand, was visibly irritated, probably because his potential was lower than Kaien's. He swallowed his pride and remained silent.

"Rest assured, Hero Alden. As I said before, potential is just a measure. You can surpass him with hard work and dedication," Solara exclaimed.

Alden nodded. He didn't seem convinced, still frustrated, but now his focus was on leveling up and reaching his potential as quickly as possible.

"Well, I guess it's my turn now," Mirella said, pale.

Mirella stepped forward and placed her hand on the crystal ball. Just like the others, the same loading screen appeared.

This time it was faster. In just a few moments, the result was ready, and the mystical voice announced:

"Congratulations, Heroine Mirella. Your potential is the fourth-highest of all. Incredible," it said, congratulating her.

Solara could hardly believe it, much less hide her joy. She was witnessing the generation with the highest potential of all. She had never seen anything like it. Usually, one of the three heroes was a little stronger, but in the current generation, all three had incredible potential. They could easily surpass their predecessors and defeat the Demon King with ease.

"Incredible, Heroes, incredible! You are the generation with the most potential I have ever seen. It's almost unbelievable," she exclaimed, clasping her hands with happiness.

Mirella seemed satisfied, smiling brightly. Kaien was also happy, as with such strong companions, they could very well overcome any challenge. Arthur was happy for them; after all, the boy just wanted to go home as quickly as possible, and with all this potential on his team, it would be a thousand times easier.

The only one who didn't seem happy was Alden. He was visually irritated, clenching his fists and biting his lips in fury. He couldn't believe he had the lowest potential. Arthur watched it all with glee; seeing Alden's ego get shattered was a sight for sore eyes.

Solara was about to end the ritual when Arthur interrupted.

"And me?" he asked, confused and anxious.

"That's right. Come on, let's measure your potential, you insolent boy," Solara said, her voice irritated and rushed.

Arthur approached and, like the others, held the crystal ball. The loading bar appeared again, but something was different.

After a few moments, the bar simply stopped halfway. Everyone began to grow impatient and anxious.

Arthur couldn't contain his emotions. He paced back and forth, trying to calm himself.

'This would happen to me… Unbelievable,' he thought, indignant and anxious.

Solara also seemed nervous. She sensed something strange in this delay. Then, the wait finally ended.

A large "Error" symbol appeared, and the robotic voice announced:

"ERROR, ERROR. Unable to measure Arthur's potential. Reason: No sign of magic," the voice exclaimed.

Arthur broke into a cold sweat. In desperation, he pleaded:

"That can't be possible, right? There must be a mistake with this machine. Please, measure it again."

Solara agreed, performing the test again. But…

"ERROR, ERROR. Unable to measure Arthur's potential. Reason: No sign of magic," the voice exclaimed again.

Arthur's world had just shattered.