Chapter 7
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A bug could be seen crawling through the outskirts of the forest behind the imperial palace. The bug was rather big, possessing eight long appendages and being the size of a rat. This would be something terrifying back on Earth.
For six days even before the arrival of the heroes the bug had been steadily eating and growing in both size and strength. Having already outlived the average lifespan of its species it could be considered a tiny anomaly.
If left to grow it could have become something unprecedented for its species.
Could have.
Unfortunately, the bug's life would end in a rather anti-climactic way crushed by a human's foot, specifically Sekou's foot as he seemed to be running away from the forest in a surprising hurry.
To find out why exactly our young saint was running we need to go back about two hours ago when he had just entered the forest on a whim whilst talking to Fallacia.
Walking for around eight minutes he'd accidentally enter deeper than he had originally planned.
How? Someone might ask and the answer to such a question would be rather simple.
Firstly Sekou possessed a subpar sense of direction which mixed with the fact that he was actively talking to someone wouldn't help him in the "paying attention to where you are going." Category.
Secondly. Fallacia was talking to him and it just so happened that the subject was the possible creation of the church which had her extremely invested. Unfortunately, this would also result in her not paying attention to where they were going.
These two simple things would lead to Sekou running into a pack of these rabbit monsters. Possessing shining red eyes and pure white fur they not only looked menacing and dangerous but also made the young man certain that he shouldn't fuck with them.
Sadly the rabbits had better senses than him… way better senses than him this resulted in him being spotted before he could run away.
All of the rabbits' heads would snap towards Sekou their mouth opening as blood seemed to be dripping from them.
"…Shit"
Now in such a situation what were Sekou's thoughts?
'I'm screwed.' Followed by the sound of his footsteps as he started moving at heightened speeds.
He didn't have good physical stats so out-running the rabbit creatures would remain a pipe dream and as for actually fighting them?
Also a pipe dream as once again he had no physical stats and his magic wasn't even good enough to qualify as first circle magic.
Sekou was currently running through the forest passing trees and bushes accumulating minor cuts as he kept on moving.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host to go right.]
Sekou would follow the instructions and turn right as he kept running.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host to now go left.]
Sekou would once again follow the instruction as he'd take a sharp left turn his shirt getting a slight cut as he kept on moving.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host to duck.]
Sekou would immediately lower his head as he kept on moving barely evading a tree branch that would have otherwise hit his face.
Fallacia was the only reason he hadn't gotten caught yet as thanks to her he didn't need to think of where to go or how to react to a situation.
This however didn't mean that he was out of danger as the rabbits moved at heightened speeds jumping and bouncing off trees, rocks and even bushes constantly getting closer.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host that they won't be able to outrun them.]
'I know!'
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host that the beasts are gaining ground on them.]
"I know!" He'd say as he kept on running irritation slipping into his tone but not his expression. His face still looked rather cold as he kept on moving no doubt due to his Poker Face ability.
"I need to cause a distraction or something like that." He'd mutter to himself as he kept on moving. He could use magic just not to an extent where he could damage the incoming enemies but that didn't mean it was completely useless.
'I've yet to explore the extent of my abilities… maybe I can do something useful to get myself out of this pathetic situation.' He'd think to himself.
'Fallacia how many of those rodents are there?'
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax says that rabbits are not rodents.]
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax says that about 7 rabbit creatures are chasing the host.]
'Damnit it doesn't matter right now if they are rodents or not! What matters is that I need to find a way to get out of this situation without making a fool of myself.'
He believed that people were watching he was certain of it and if he was correct then he adamantly refused to show a lacklustre performance.
Maybe he was just being paranoid but on the off chance he wasn't…
Sekou would suddenly stop running and turn around the 7 rabbits still heading towards him. Raising his hands he'd quickly move his mana and cause a flash of light to appear temporarily taking the creature's sight.
Afterwards, he'd jump to the side into the shade of a tree activating the effect of his robe of Dolus, his presence completely disappearing.
The 7 rabbit monsters would stop, some falling to the ground as they were mid jump when they were blinded whilst others shook their heads as they had slammed into nearby trees.
As the creatures regained their senses they'd start to frantically look around for Sekou trying to spot where he had gone as he seemingly disappeared.
Some sniffed around whilst others jumped on trees looking around yet no matter how hard they tried looking or sensing his presence no results would ever come out.
The robe of Dolus completely got rid of the wielder's presence. This included scent, body heat, sound, anything that could give away their location even their mana signature was suppressed to such an extent that it might as well not be there.
The rabbits would soon realise that it was a pointless endeavour to try and find this prey again and decided to head back not before however making their irritation known by having one of them slam their head into a tree at random.
Although soon after they'd all depart one after another completely oblivious to the fact that the very tree one of them had slammed into was the location in which their prey was hiding.
…
'Well that was close… almost got bitten a couple times right there.'
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tries to resist the urge to tell the host 'I told you so'.]
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax fails.]
'I know! I know! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going so yes that's on me! Let me be now.'
Sekou would think as his eye twitches slightly in both irritation and embarrassment. Quickly gathering his wits he'd step out from the trees' shade and look around.
'You think that they are still around?' He'd ask Fallacia.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax thinks it's unlikely.]
Sekou nods in slight relief as the effects of the robe of Dolus would deactivate and he'd become visible once more.
"That aside, time to get out of this forest. I think that was enough of a walk." Turning around he'd leave the forest.
'I'm really not built for stuff like this… fighting isn't looking like my forte…'
Although he hadn't really thrown any attacks and just evaded the entire fight that in and of itself was a rather large sign that he wasn't meant for fighting.
He had a mental aversion to it and would rather just try evading a fight if he had the option to which already showed signs of a lack of determination.
'This stuff is more for Kim than anyone else…' Sekou's thoughts would end there as he reached the rock he had sat on when he met Kim. Going back to sit on it he'd take a deep breath.
/Inhale/
/Exhale/
The young man's hand would move to his pocket and take out a phone.
'I said I'd destroy it first chance I got yet it's been two days…'
The battery had gone out a bit ago and he didn't really have anything he could use to charge it again. He'd frown slightly as he realised that.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax asks what the host is planning to do with that.]
"What am I going to do with it?"
He'd tilt his head. He had long since told Fallacia what a phone was and although intrigued she wasn't particularly interested in such a device.
'With no internet, I can't really use the phone for much even if I recharge it and since I already deleted all my information inside of it destroying it is kind of pointless.'
Sekou's hand would move to scratch the back of his head as he started to think.
"What to do? What to do?" He'd wonder aloud.
"Maybe you could return to the palace before breakfast is over?" A voice would say.
"Yeah, you'll miss out on the weird-looking food that they are giving us." Another voice would add.
Sekou's eyes would widen as he turned around and saw two figures standing there.
One was a tanned young man with dark brown eyes a high top and a rather unassuming appearance, the young man seemed to be wearing the oddly noble clothing that the heroes had been given. Sporting a dark blue overshirt with a pair of white trousers and a white undershirt that was slightly visible through the neckline.
Both white pairs of clothing possess golden accents.
The second young man bore the same complexion as the first one whilst also possessing similar facial features. The difference this time was that instead of a blue overshirt with white pants and undergarments, they possessed a red overshirt with black pants and a black undershirt.
They seemed no doubt to be related to some extent although that wasn't what Sekou cared about right now.
"Who are you? No. Why are you here? Isn't it a bit too early to be out?" He'd ask whilst narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Names Dante and the other guy that looks like me is Josh, my cousin." The young man wearing a blue overshirt would say.
"As for why we are out here isn't it obvious? To level up. We assumed that's the same reason you are out here is it not?" The second young man, the one named Josh would say.
They'd both look at Sekou with genuine confusion. Since the guy in front of the two of them was also in front of the forest they had assumed he'd also come out this early to try and level up.
"That still doesn't tell me why or how you two managed to come out this early?"
"Eh? We just walked here?" Dante would say.
Josh would look at his cousin with a questioning look as if the guy they were talking to was an idiot.
"It's 5:09 AM sure it's a bit early but they still let us through?" Josh would say.
"Plus how are you going to tell us that we are out early when you are doing the same thing?" Dante would add.
"Ah." Sekou would say. It would seem that he had been in the forest for the past hour and a half.
"Fair point guess I was just surprised by the fact that other people were also out this early."
"Understandable although more and more people will start to do this. Some will probably also attempt to come in earlier once they realise levelling up makes you stronger."
Dante would nod at what his cousin was saying. They had both been avid gamers before this whole transportation to another world shenanigan so they had a general idea of what to do in such a situation.
Unfortunately, however, only a minority of heroes knew or were even accepting of their current situation like that so most would rather just laze around and do nothing.
Well until they were forced to do something that is…
"That aside, haven't you seen you around before, what's your name?"
"Sekou. You can call me Sekou, fourth year at the university before well… all of this happened." Sekou would say with a smile whilst extending a hand for a handshake.
Dante, the one who had asked the question, extended his hand and accepted the handshake. Sekou would note that the young man seemed to have a firm grip.
When the handshake with Dante was done he'd do the same with Josh and nod at him.
"Are you both also university students?"
"Yup."
"Mhm"
One would reply whilst the other would nod as they answered Sekou's question.
Soon after however Dante would tilt his head slightly before looking at Josh as if trying to convey something to his cousin.
Upon seeing the look Josh would nod and speak.
"Well if that's all you needed to know I think we are going to start going." The young man would say to which Dante would nod.
"Sure." Sekou would say whilst looking at them as they seemed to hurriedly walk away.
'Odd.' Was the only thought that Sekou would have as that happened.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax says that she didn't notice them approaching you.]
'That so?' Sekou would think before deciding to start moving.
Upon confirming that they were out of sight he'd get up and start to walk towards the palace in a slight hurry.
He had been slightly caught off guard by the sudden arrival of two other heroes although now that things were settled he was just left wondering what his next move would be.
"Wait a second the rule book states that we can't exit the building before 6? How did they-?" Sekou would look back once again in slight apprehension.
Times like these are when he realised that paranoia had always been his greatest ally.
Reactivating the effects of the cloak of Dolus he'd disappear and carefully sneak his way back into his room.
This time it turned out to be a bit more difficult than before as more people were moving around due to it almost being breakfast time.
However, with Fallacia's help and a good bit of luck, he'd manage to find himself in front of his room once more taking a deep breath as he entered and closed the door behind him.
Looking at his bed the pillows were still under the bed sheet making it look like someone was sleeping there and after a preliminary examination of his room, he'd sigh in relief.
"Looks like no one was here. Good." He'd say to himself as he would move towards his bed and sit on top of it.
"How long has it been since we arrived here? 2 days? Such a short time…" he'd almost start to daydream about his situation before shaking his head.
Focus was necessary.
"Before I forget…" he'd mutter to himself as he moved his mana and made a bright flash of light come from his hand.
He'd squint before closing his eyes and making the light go away.
It was this neat trick that allowed him to escape those rabbits… or whatever they were. That light gave him just enough time to move and use his robes' effects.
"Minor magical phenomena. At first I didn't really put much thought into this but really what counts as a minor magical phenomena?" He'd say before falling back onto his bed and looking at the roof of his room.
What he had figured out till now was that no magical effect he could conjure up right now was powerful enough to be classified as a first tier spell according to Fallacia.
But other than that there didn't really seem to be limits which intrigued him.
He could conjure fire,wind,water and even create tiny rocks. There didn't really seem to be a limit to what he could do with this ability which made him curious.
'What are the limits of magical phenomena? Or can I just do anything magical just to a really minor extent?' Sekou would think to himself.
He'd look at his doorknob and raise his hand.
His eyebrows would crease slightly as all of a sudden the knob shook slightly even tilting to the side before Sekou lowered his hand and panted slightly.
A frown still on his face.
"What kind of shitty telekinesis downgrade is this? Can't even turn a doorknob without getting tired…"
This was pathetic and sad but at least the positive side was that he now knew telekinesis was something he had.
'This is getting confusing… are there no limits to this? That seems highly imbalanced and improbable?' The young man would think whilst tilting his head.
Looking at his phone he'd get an idea.
Raising his index and thumb he'd focus slightly envisioning lightning as a spark went through his thumb and into his index finger.
A slight smile came to his face as he looked back at his phone. It wouldn't be long however before the smile disappeared.
"Well I can't use raw electricity to charge my phone that will just fry the circuits inside and damage the battery but it's good to know that I can act as a battery if I ever find something to convert this energy with."
[Skill, Fallacia looks at what her host is doing with interest.]
[Skill, Fallacia says that the host should start focusing on ways to get strong instead of playing around.]
'Well I'm open to ideas if you have any? Otherwise I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. Matter of fact, when's the bird arriving?'
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax says that the host should give it at least two days.]
"Haaa why's the capital so far away…"
…
One hour later
Sekou and Kim would find each other looking down at purple eggs on their plates questioning if they were really hungry.
In contrast…
/Chomp!/
Emma was eating the food which they were given pretty quickly and with no hesitation. Seemingly having eaten something similar before whilst in the pool area she wasn't really freaked out by how it looked.
Kim feeling as if it was shameful to be fearful of the food whilst the only girl in the group eat it would also soon after take a bite and start to eat.
/Poke/
/Poke/
Sekou really being the only one who hadn't tasted the food yet. Poking it with a fork whilst having slightly creased brows.
"I can guarantee it tastes good so you should try it."
Emma would say before taking another bite.
"I agree." Kim would validate as he kept on eating.
"Hmm" Sekou would slightly hum before using his knife and fork to cut out a small piece and carefully taking it to his mouth.
'Sweet.'
That was the single thought that occupied Sekou's mind as he ate the egg although his expression wouldn't change.
He'd simply start to eat faster whilst trying to keep a kind of dignified appearance.
"So? How does it taste?" Emma would ask before taking a sip of the weird green juice the had also served along with the eggs.
She strangely enough was getting used to the mannerisms of the locals faster than Kim and Sekou were probably because she was the most social of the group.
"It tastes good I guess…"
"What do you mean by 'I guess…' It tastes really good!" She'd reply.
With Kim just nodding to the side in agreement he wasn't really saying much. He seemed to just be trying to regain his thoughts.
"That aside we have to talk about what's going to happen today." Sekou would say.
"What's happening?" Kim would suddenly ask in confusion.
Emma would also look at Sekou in curiosity.
The young man would just blink at his two companions being so clueless.
"You two… what am I going to do with you two." Sekou's right hand would go to massage his temples as he held back the urge to facepalm.
"Don't drag it and just tell us." Kim would say in slight irritation.
Meanwhile Emma would look down at her plate in clear embarrassment.
"It's no biggie. First of all it was written in those little booklets they gave us y'all should read them since they detail events." He'd say notifying them.
Although Kim had lost his and Emma seemed to have just tossed it somewhere in her room.
"That aside we were told to gather in the training grounds? They are probably going to inquire about our abilities and classes…"
"That so? Not that big of a deal." Kim would say whilst leaning back on his chair.
"Not that big of a deal?? No! It's a really big deal! Especially after having a giant conversation about not revealing what we can do!"
Emma would say slight panic evident in her tone although Sekou was also leaning back in his chair not particularly worried by the look of it.
"Why aren't you more pressed about this? This literally goes against what we talked about!" Emma would ask him feeling as if she was the only one worried about this.
"Eh… well they've already made it pretty clear that they want to have a positive relationship with us. I doubt they will force us." He'd say as he started to lean forward again.
"And since they aren't forcing us there's bound to be more than just a couple heroes who also refuse to reveal what they can do other than us. Believe it or not, some people who were summoned aren't complete idiots." Sekou would say.
"Okay but that doesn't change the fact that they could still ask!" Emma would say still not completely calm.
"They could… but I doubt they'll ask directly… Like a diplomat offering wine so the other side forgets that they are being interrogated we will be most likely tricked into speaking willingly."
Emma and Kim looked at him in a confused manner. Sekou would sigh, questioning their intelligence.
"I'm saying they'll ask in a roundabout way and likely mask it as a good or competitive thing. They'll try and make us naturally give up the information."
Sekou's eyebrow twitched slightly as he spoke.
"Ohhhh"
"Ahhhh"
They'd both make sounds of understanding at the same time.
"Anyway just don't fall for any trick they might be planning and we are good." He'd say before giving them a bright smile.
Kim would seem to scoff at the very thought of falling for a scheme whilst Emma would nod.
"Actually I got something to notify you about!" Emma would say.
"Hm?" Kim would hum questioningly whilst Sekou would raise an eyebrow.
"So you know how there's monsters in this world? Turns out that they also have a ranking for how dangerous they are! They are called Danger Levels I believe."
Sekou and Kim would start to listen intently as Emma spoke.
"It goes from zero to ten with zero being the lowest and ten the 'highest' although there may be some exceptions to that judging by what I heard and read up on."
"Each danger level other than zero has ten states associated with it. States are what we call levels by the way." Emma would say whilst looking at them.
"Ten states associated with them? I assume that means danger level one is one to ten and danger level two is eleven to twenty and so on."
Sekou would ask whilst one of his hands grabbed the nearby glass of green juice, he'd quickly start drinking the oddly refreshing beverage.
Emma would nod as Sekou spoke whilst Kim just started to wonder what the danger level of the monsters he had killed were.
/Later…/
Time passed, and when it was just shy of eight o clock, a group of knights entered the cafeteria and escorted them all towards the training grounds... One of the many training grounds.
A large building with a dome-shaped ceiling.
It looked rather modern, but upon closer inspection, I saw that it wasn't at all.
The feeling of familiarity wasn't odd, after all…
/Yawn/
Covering his mouth with one hand Sekou would just yawn as they arrived at their location. Looking around he'd note that this place resembled a gymnasium.
A simple passing thought however as the young man and his companions had greater things to worry about.
/ Swoooum!!/
At that moment, a blue light pillar manifested in the middle of the room like a geyser erupting in the earth.
From within, a muscular man holding a large spear stepped out. Frowning as his forehead tensed.
"Urg... I hate portals..."
/ CLANK!/
He knocked the bottom of his spear with the ground, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
"Is everyone here? I hope so because I am not going to repeat myself!"
His voice was thunderous, it echoed around the training area, assaulting their eardrums.
He was like a drill sergeant. His words were short, heavy, impactful, and above all, he had no respect for any of them at all.
"The fact that everyone here is so loud is starting to piss me off."
Kim could be heard muttering to the side whilst Emma lightly covered her ears to no avail.
Everyone was reacting to the sounds in different ways although the vast majority did so in an unfavourable way.
Sekou himself didn't seem to show much of a reaction although his ears were slightly ringing and internally he was pissed off.
Perks of his ability poker face once more!
"To better your comprehension, we shall be using terms you are most used with. If there is anything you aren't understanding, point it out later after we are done talking." The man said as he scoffed out loud, taking a step forward as he climbed onto a small platform precisely laid before the portal, giving everyone the chance to look at him.
.. My name is Edmund Huhuf! 1st Rank General of the Army. And I am here today to guide and help you all in training your "gifts"!"
Edmund raised his hand as he stepped aside, saying:
"But I am not here alone!"
From the blue portal, three more people stepped out:
"I shall be introducing them from left to right!"
"Eriny Guyk! 7Th tier Archmage from the Academy of Mystics!"
"It's a pleasure~.." She said with a light smile as she adjusted her hair.
Eriny was around 1.80 M tall. Having long dark green hair and an impressive figure.
Her long robe wasn't enough to hide her assets, and with her sensual voice, being the very definition of an alluring witch, half of the boys in the room were already entranced by her appearance, much to some of the girl's displeasure.
"Next, Paupa Tione! Head scholar of the Tower of Knowledge!"
"Cough... Can you talk in a lower tone? My old ears are about to burst..." He said lightly as he reached for his ears.
Paupa was a very charismatic old man. His eyes were green and bright while his hair was fully white, reaching all the way to the ground.
He had a nicely trimmed mustache, and he held a large book under his armpit as his back hunched slightly.
"…And lastly..."
But before he could finish…
"Berinou Gargo, Sky-Rank adventurer…"
A woman with a fierce look.
Her sharp eyes scanned the crowd, and aside from a few individuals, she seemed highly displeased with what she was seeing.
"Tsk. It seems I am going to have some trouble. Look at how skinny those kids are."
Berinou's personality was just as direct as her clothes.
She wears a tight tank top and cut-out shorts. If one looks from the right angle, one can even see... She clearly doesn't care if others look at her... Which many did.
In particular, the many boys in the room.
With a pair that size being squished by her clothes... It's quite the sight. Her hair is dark, and her skin is also slightly tanned.
Kim would be one of the dudes who were looking at her with less than pure reasons the opposite however went for Sekou.
He'd have an impassive face as he looked at her and everyone that came out of the portal as if not really bothered by what was going on.
Emma would smile as she saw this unaware of the struggle that Sekou was currently going through.
'I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires,I possess no earthly desires.'
[Veil of Lies Lv5 Activates.]
[Truth is whatever you want it to be.]
[Veil of Lies Lv5 Activates.]
[Truth is whatever you want it to be.]
[Veil of Lies Lv5 Activates.]
[Truth is whatever you want it to be.]
Yeah… perhaps it was good that Emma wasn't privy to the struggle that was currently going on with Sekou.
Back to the four people who had just come out of the portal however.
"... Humph. Do you want to do the rest?" He asked as he crossed his arms.
"I'm not paid to talk." She replied as she smirked.
"…"
The General looked at the Adventurer with a sharp gaze but dropped whatever was on his mind soon after, turning to the Heroes before him:
"Presentations finished, let's begin." He said as he tapped his foot on the ground, causing a small altar stand to rise from the platform.
He took a small piece of paper from the altar, taking a few glances at it whenever he talked:
"For the next month, we will be your teachers in everything from common knowledge to more advanced fields such as mathematics."
He looked at everyone before placing his paper down, saying:
"I know you have many questions, but you can keep them, for I'll not be answering any for now."
"First things first, we need to properly classify each of you, and that's because we are looking to create a better learning environment for you all... Or something along those lines." He said with a scoff as he shook his head.
"So let me go over how we'll be doing that:"
A large holographic image appeared behind him. It showed four images: a sword, shield, book, and a box filled with various items.
"We will be dividing you all into four categories."
"Offense, Defense, Support, and everyone else."
"If you believe you have a class suited for combat, follow miss Gargo." He said as he took a pen from his shirt, writing something down on a booklet by the Altar.
"Pfft! Miss... I am as much of a miss as you are a gentleman, Huhuf."
"Your point has been taken, mercenary..."
"Mercenary? I'm a bit more than that..." She added with a light smile as she shrugged.
"…"
Seeing this made both Paupa and Eriny cover their ears…
"STOP.INTERRUPTING.ME!"
/TREMBLE!/
His thunderous voice echoed in the room, shaking its every crevice.
/Thud.../
Some of the weaker-willed kids even fell on
the ground unconscious.
Sekou himself would almost fall to the ground having to catch himself and lightly shake his head in annoyance.
"So loud." Emma would say as she covered her ears with her hands.
"I'm going to fucking punch someone if this continues." Kim would say whilst frowning. Clearly enraged.
Sekou's hands would move to both of them as he touched their shoulders and used a skill.
[Heal Lv2]
The ringing in their heads accompanied by the headaches they were feeling would disappear although a slight nausea would overtake Sekou.
As he did this however he wouldn't notice that Eriny briefly glanced in their direction before her gaze shifted away from them.
"Hope you two are feeling better now. Supernatural things like this still surprise me."
Sekou would say to his companions.
Meanwhile the four people who had caused this would start to speak to each other once more.
"My ears are ringing a little."
"Just a little?..."
"My... You should be mindful of your surroundings~..."
Eriny stepped forward, taking a small wand from her waist and pointing it above everyone.
/PLINK!/
A large, gray magic circle appeared above them, and slowly, the pain in most people's ears faded as some of the students got up.
Slightly dazed.
It would seem that even if Sekou hadn't acted they would have all still been fine which was good to see.
Nevertheless even if he knew this he'd have still acted as he was trying to make the two people next to him trust him more.
"Well at least now we know that they are worth learning from." Emma would say.
"Huff... That's it, I am forever deaf now..." Paupa said as he sighed out loud.
"…"
'Kinda feel bad for the old man...'
…
Around a minute later, everything went back to normal.
"…Ahem... Let's hope this doesn't happen again." Huhuf said as he cleared his throat.
His voice was calmer and gentler. Having calmed down quite considerably.
Whatever those two talked with him in the past minute had greatly calmed him.
"Now... Where were we?... Right. Class distribution.."
"As I was saying... If you believe you have a
"Class" suited for combat, follow her." He said as he pointed at Gargo
"If you believe you're more suited for Defense, I will be your teacher."
"If Support is what you think suits you best, then go with Eriny."
"If you believe your specialty doesn't fall into the three classifications, Tione shall be your mentor."
"Usually, one works in tandem with their Role… But blindly following a set path doesn't always lead to success. Discipline can do wonders, but without creative thought, we're nothing but machines, repeating the same routine over and over again."
"At any moment, if you believe you aren't suited for any of the courses, then you are free to change classes. We are here to help, not to limit your potential."
"…"
'Hm they are being oddly nice today aren't they? Feels like a carrot before the stick.'
/Step step step.../
When Huhuf finished talking, Alfus entered the gymnasium with a smooth marble orb in hand.
Without saying much, he gave the orb to Edmund and went to the back of the crowd
where he remained in pure silence besides
Lingy.
It was just now that Sekou noticed their presence and frowned, especially when he saw Lingy. Knowing that the woman standing there could mess with people's minds just like him made him extremely weary.
If he had paid more attention to her he could have noticed that she was waving at another uni student in the fourth year, one with black hair and blue eyes.
Alas Emma tugged at his shirt before he could pay notice that happening causing him to turn around in surprise.
Emma would soon speak.
"Which class will you be going for?"
With a slight tilt of his head Sekou would look at the four instructors and think.
He hadn't put much thought into this before due to it being so sudden but then again it's not like he had a lot of choices.
He couldn't go into Combat or Defence due to possessing no abilities related to that. He'd almost immediately be found out if he even tried to sneak in there.
That only left Support and the unspecified section. He had a healing skill and due to both his robe of Dolus and Manuz traits he was pretty confident he could fake being a support.
The unspecified section didn't particularly appeal to him since he felt like a lot of questions would be asked in order to figure out the abilities the heroes possessed and where they would fall into.
'Although maybe I could wizzle my way into a diplomat position… they never said the heroes were needed purely for combat.' Sekou's thoughts would go in a strange direction.
'No focus. The less people know about my abilities the better especially due to their lie related nature. I'll just go for support.'
"Support. I'll probably be going for the support class since I'm a healer." Sekou would say with a smile as he looked at Emma.
"How about you? Where will you be going?" He'd ask in genuine curiosity.
He knew that she could create invisible appendages but that was pretty much it. In his mind she could qualify for everything other than support.
"Defence. I'll probably be going for defence since I don't particularly see the appeal in fighting… plus I don't really wanna hurt things." She'd say with a look of contemplation.
As that was said they'd both look at Kim and as expected he'd answer with a single word.
"Combat."
No surprises there after all he had by far both the most aggressive personality and most offence related powers in the group.
The instructors would once more gather their attention and speak.
"…This will be the last thing for today."
"In my hands, I have a "Ranking" Orb. What is a Ranking Orb? It's pretty simple:"
"There is only one use for this orb. It is used to measure the rank of a Class."
"How does it work? That's not for me to explain."
"I can~..."
"Not now!"
"... Anyhow, until tomorrow, this Orb will remain in this room for anyone who wishes to measure their Class' potential. We are not forcing you into doing it, but it would surely help our job if you did."
"And above all, do not feel overwhelmed by the results of the Orb. We're here to provoke growth, not halt it."
"The same can be said for the contrary. Don't be cocky, that's the last thing you'll ever do out there."
That said, he silently placed the orb on another pedestal, this time, one made of hard stone.
"Should we go and use it? To see how good our classes are?" Strangely enough Kim was the one who spoke as if a competitive spirit was overtaking him.
He clearly wanted to show off although Sekou didn't know if that was a good idea right now.
"I won't stop you if you want to do it but please don't be the first. That will just garner unnecessary attention."
"What's your obsession with being low-key?" Kim would ask back in irritation.
"I'm fine with being known and I'm not going to tell you to deliberately act weak or anything of the sort but needless attention is just not something you want this early on." Sekou would say.
Emma remained silent during this whole conversation between Sekou and Kim.
"Look. Let's just wait and see if anyone steps up this will both tell us how the item works and who's bold."
Kim would reluctantly nod.
Emma would quickly gather Sekou's and Kim's attention.
"The explanation isn't over yet."
And just as she said this the instructors would carry on speaking.
"For some context, Paupa Tione will now give a very brief introduction to ranks."
"Eh? Wach'a say Huhuf? My ears' ringing from your screaming..."
"... Sigh. Can you help him a little, Guyk?" Huhuf asked as he reached from his collar.
"Yes~" She replied gently as she stepped next to Tione.
/Whispers.../
She whispered something in a shallow tone.
Causing a pair of triangular projections to enter the old man's ears…
"…Hm?... Phew... The ringing is gone."
"Huh? It's my turn?"
Huhuf approached him, saying a few words before stepping aside, letting Paupa take his place.
"Cough! As Huhuf said, "Roles" usually have a Rank associated with them. But so is the nature of men, classifying everything they come across…"
"They are also referred to by many names across many Cultures and research circles, some officialized in the Empire and beyond, others... Not so much."
"For the sake of contextualization, I will use several in this presentation."
"Roles.. How they are made and why they exist is a complex subject and something from the distant past discussed until today.
So, let's leave that to the scholars for now."
"What about Ranks?.. Normally, a higher rank correlates to higher potential. But this is only sometimes the case."
"Nevertheless, it's much easier to assume people with a higher potential will achieve more than someone with a lower potential."
"But what exactly constitutes... "Potential"?...
It is a metric. An amalgamation of...
Parameters. Put together by scientific bodies over the centuries to evaluate the success
rate a Role will achieve in society."
"Relying on this metric can often lead to misjudgment, but ignoring it may be equally if not more foolish, as Potential isn't entirely a manmade creation but something intrinsic to the world at large. Just like how some excel in certain subjects more than others."
"Think of a sapling that will eventually grow into a tree. This is your Class..." He said as he opened his book, gesturing with his other hand and causing sparks of light to ignite and gather in the shape of a growing tree…"
"Now think of a treehouse... This is your
'strength'..."
"You can have the best Tools, be the best Architect and Carpenter while carrying on with the best techniques available... But the tree can only sustain a certain amount of weight... The treehouse can only be so tall as its roots are deep."
"In this case, potential refers to how tall and strong the sapling can theoretically grow. It is the base that shall sustain everything you'll eventually build. Your little treehouse..."
"Although you can make the tree stronger and taller... Maybe even add support to it.
That can be challenging depending on its stage of development."
"Difficult, expensive, time-consuming, a shore... By the time you realize, in your endless pursuit of progress... You've grown old."
"…"
"Happy and well-cared Trees grow better and more robust than neglected Trees, but some species are still stronger than others."
"No matter how much you try... you can't turn a bush into a mighty Oak... Not if you aren't ready to push yourself to your limits."
"Let's use the Orb as an example."
"We divide Ranks into eight categories.
However, there are records of special Ranks in history. But let's leave those out of this conversation to keep it short."
"Those being, from the lowest to highest:
White, Gray, Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange, and Red."
"You can increase the Rank of Class through a series of complicated procedures, primarily unique to your particular Class... But without putting in the effort, you won't go anywhere."
"... Most of the time, even that won't be enough..."
"It isn't easy to increase from White to Gray.
Many stay in that Rank for decades trying...
Much less increasing from Orange to Red...
Cough..."
"But in the end, some still manage to do that, like the legend of the Fisher who went from a White Class, all the way to a Red Class anomaly... But times were different then."
"As I said, there are many discussions about why Ranks exist and are the way they are... I hope we can discuss this later... / Chukle/...
Now... Back to you, army kid... Cough!"
In a light coughing fit, Paupa stepped away from the altar, letting Huhuf speak once
more:
"... Next! Most of you should have received Class supplies, right?"
"It's normal for a summoned person to gain a Tool and some clothes as part of their "awakening"... It's okay if you want to keep some things private, but be aware we cannot provide assistance in things we're unaware of. Don't blame yourself later for your own decisions..."
Once again, before he could finish…
/ Shake!/
""?!"'
"Sigh, this is taking too fucking long "Huhu". I will be direct! Just take out the stuff you have been hiding!" Gargo said loudly as she stepped on the ground, shattering the stone and making the entire place tremble once
more.
"…"
Sekou's face would remain impassive as he looked at her and the other instructors.
'Was I wrong? Did they bring an outsider to strong arm us into revealing our gear and abilities?' He'd think.
'No matter how I look at it however they definitely wanted a positive relationship with us heroes tho? So what's with the approach? No. I'm probably just overthinking it. I shouldn't associate one person's actions to a whole group's intentions.'
'She cut off Huhuf so this is probably just her acting out. Some people are just like that.' Sekou's thoughts would spiral, no doubt his paranoia acting up.
"Gargo..."
Huhuf, on the other hand, was on the verge of exploding due to how red he looked.
/Tap.../
Paupa touched Huhuf's shoulder from the side, shaking his head as he tried to calm the man. And in the end, he stopped.
With nothing else to say it was time to test their potential…
/Silence.../
But no one stepped forward.
... It was pure silence... Everyone was somewhat afraid and skeptical of this situation.
No one wanted to take a step forward and become the center of attention, so they looked at each other silently, thinking of who would be the first to step forward…
Be it willingly or not.
'Yea Kim is the odd one for wanting to show off almost immediately some self control is necessary.' Sekou would think to himself whilst glancing at Kim.
Surprisingly enough now that the speech was practically done it looked like Kim didn't want to step up anymore whether because of what Sekou said or perhaps due to having thought about it for extra long the young punk had decided against that.
A pleasant surprise for our young saint.
Not long after an even bigger surprise would come.
/Step/
Some courageous soul decided to walk under the spotlight, taking a step forward:
"Well... If no one volunteers, we'll be here all day. Besides, I don't have anything to hide anyway." A young asian man with long hair would say as he walked through the crowd, approaching the instructors with a strong stride.
"HAHA! FINALLY! Someone with some balls!
And quite cute... Nah. I am not into young boys." Gargo said as she scratched her chin
"…"
Dae was momentarily intimidated by her presence…
"Sigh... You are scaring the young ones, Lady Gargo." Palpa said as he sighed out loud!. Young man, don't be afraid, she doesn't bite..."
"Heh..."
"A-Ahem... Show us your Class... No. Just put your hand over…"
But before he could finish, the young man clasped his hands together, and from a ray of shimmering light, a sword manifested in the air.
He took hold of the sword, putting it before his chest as he inspected it, saying:
"My class is called Legendary Hero... I didn't gain anything else other than this sword. This is everything I have to show."
"I believe its based on a myth from my world and it goes by a well know name, Excalibur."
"! Damn…"
"Oh?"
Sekou and Emma marveled at the boy's powers.
And so did many others…
/Chatter.../
As whispers ran uncontrolled, Dae continued:
"... Just like me, the sword also has Stats and Skills. Being an entity in itself..."
"As for my Skills, I started with a little.
Although most have changed recently as I experimented with it... They are, Heroic spirit Lvl; Mythical strike LvO; Swordsmanship Lv6; Command Lv3; Empower Lv0; Soul Sword LvO; Comradeship Lv2; Challenger LvO; Monster Slayer LvO; Charge LvO..."
He went on to list ten more Skills…
"…"
"... As for the ones on my sword, they are..."
He listed even more Skills…
".. And that's all." He said with a light smile as he sheathed Excalibur with his right palm, causing it to disperse into speckles of light.
"I don't know why I became like this, but maybe it's because I played many RPGs back home. I wonder if my hobbies ended up becoming reality..."
"…"
'What the fuck? What kind of bullshit is this??? Why's he so busted whilst all I can do is lie and heal people? Hello?? Protagonist alert??'
Sekou's eyes would slightly twitch in disbelief.
Emma would rapidly blink in both surprise and incredulity.
Kim would ball up his fists in anger and astonishment.
How come this guy got to be so insanely strong? If they were heroes then he had to be some sort of hero among heroes.
"While I know this number may be pretty low, I will do my best to improve! Oh! I was quite rude. My name is Dae Kyoung. A pleasure to meet you all." He said as he bowed to the four instructors.
"... Quite the respectful boy, aren't you?...' Tione said with a light smile as he patted Dae's head.
"He's a bit more than that..." Huhuf said as he closed his eyes in deep thought.
"Hooo... I finally understand those sayings now... And I thought I had seen everything." Gargo said as she sighed out loud.
"Hum..."
/ Silence.../
Meanwhile, everyone else stood in shock.
Most of them at least.
Some people were mouth-opened because of the immense skills this man just listed. Others were just stunned because of his courage.
'So this is the Dae that Emma spoke about? Wonder if Vincent and the girl she mentioned are as strong as him?' A strong sense of doubt would overtake Sekou as he thought about this however.
'Nevertheless the sheer amount of skills that he possesses is insane. I don't know why he stepped out like this revealing his cards but one thing I'm definitely gonna do is staying far away from him.'
It was pretty clear to Sekou that the guy would grow up to be a monster and although his goal is to get strong people by his side he dislikes the thought of having attention on him this early on.
'I don't know if he's trying to become a pawn for the crown or if he just wanted to show off and inadvertently decided to do all of this but the guy is definitely a giant red flag.'
Sekou's paranoia would keep him questioning every action his fellow heroes committed which could prove to be both tiring and useful.
"... Ahem! You sure have potential kid!"
Berinou was initially stunned at Dae's potential, but her expression soon eased, returning to how it was before.
"Would you like to test your Class Rank?"
"Yes!"
He approached the Orb, and for a moment, Dae felt great fear, the same as before but magnified beyond even that.
It took him a lot not to step back in fear. He couldn't stop now, he had to act first. Be the beacon so others can follow.
This was the path he had chosen.
With a deep expression and some momentary hesitation, Dae placed his hands into the Orb.
/ Shinnng! /
The Orb shinned in resplendent light.
"…"
/Puc!/
The Orb suddenly stopped shinning, remaining still.
"Did... Did it break?" Dae asked as he touched his head in confusion
"…"
Huhuf's expression became tense for a moment as he turned to Tione.
Without even looking back at the general, he grabbed the Orb and examined it. Shaking his head in the process.
"The Orb is fully operational, it just didn't manage to fully grasp his Class' potential. Congratulations."
/Tap.../
"Work hard, boy." He said as he walked past Dae with a light smile.
/Applause.../
"It seems you have a promising future ahead... But remember everyone, your potential is created by your hands alone. TAKE IT!" Berinou said as she raised her hand.
Her words spoken and everyone rilled up, willing to experience it as well, Huhuf said:
"If there is anyone who still wants to take the test please take a step forward..."
/Move.../
This time, a large crowd of people moved forward.
Like sheep following a dog, how predictable…
"Haaaa" Sekou would sigh as he saw this happen. It really just took a few flashy lights accompanied by some positive words to convince everyone to rush and rank their classes.
Kim would have long since already gone and joined the forming line to get their Class ranked meanwhile Emma looked at him with conflicted eyes as if she also wanted to go but at the same time didn't wish to betray the agreement they had made.
Sekou would put a hand on her shoulder and smile.
"It's fine we should probably also go join the line." The young man would say.
"B-but what about us not trying to gather attention?" Emma would ask.
"Look around. The majority of heroes are doing the test. We'd be more suspicious if we just stood around doing nothing." Sekou would say.
Emma still didn't look convinced as he looked at him so he'd speak once more whilst he started to walk towards the line.
"Really it's cool. It's just a ranking for our classes; we don't even have to tell them what the effects are." Sekou would say.
Emma would soon nod and quickly hurry to join him in the forming line.
/Around Fifteen minutes later, it was his turn.../
Sekou stepped into the podium with an impassive gaze.
"I can tell this one will be joining my class~…" Eriny would say with a smile.
Sekou would blink whilst remaining silent although his mind was anything but calm.
'What is she on about? She's the support instructor isn't she-'
Before his thoughts could spiral however.
"Let's start, we are still not even half way through this."
Sekou would nod at the muscular guy before being directed by Tione.
"Place your hands on the Orb and it will assess your class potential."
It was a pretty straightforward procedure that didn't require any complicated movements. Originally Sekou had thought that they would require him to move his mana but on second thought.
[DING]
[An artificial ***** is currently gauging your Class' maximum potential.]
[***** Is currently calculating the potential of your Class, Saint of Deceit]
'What's this? Why is it censored? Did no one say anything about this?' Sekou's thoughts would quickly turn to suspicion.
[Your Inner potential is being drawn by *****]
[Skill, Holy Presence Lv0 has awakened]
'What? Did I just awaken a skill? What the hell is going on this was only meant to…'
[***** is trying to alter your memories.]
[***** Succeeds in altering your memories.]
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax witnesses this action.]
The system messages would subsequently delete themselves after this action was performed. Any memory about a skill being awakened removed from his mind.
The young man's eyes momentarily glazed as his memories were tampered with.
Sekou would have also been unaware of this happening if it wasn't for a certain other skill he possessed.
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host to focus.]
Sekou would blink as he regained focus on his surroundings.
'Did I space out? Odd I usually don't-'
[Skill, Fallacia LvMax tells the host something messed with their mind!]
Sekou's brows would almost furrow as he read this although he couldn't find anything when thinking back on what happened moments ago.
'Just tell me what happened later I have to focus on my rank.'
Just as the young man thought about that…
/Shine…/
The orb lit up with light as the colours within it started to shift and change.
[…Calculation finished]
[Your rank is: Dark Yellow]