It was an all too normal day for me. Until it wasn't.

I was a high school junior just minding his own business, walking home from school. The sun was long gone as I had stayed in school later than usual due to club activities. It was pitch black, save for the few street lamps along the little street I walked.

With some hefty textbooks in my arms, I shuffled on home with a gloomy aura about me. My head hung low as I thought to myself.

Bah, it was another troublesome day again.... Those stupid normies think they're so cool just because they're natural athletes or geniuses who don't need to study..... They look upon us average folk like we're dirt! If  I had those talents, I wouldn't let them go to waste like those lazy bums!  If I weren't such an average Joe, I'd tell 'em all off! It's truly a pity that I was born with mediocre ability....

At school - no - everywhere man can reach, there is always an hierarchy. In the past, it was the strong who ruled. If you didn't have the power to defend yourself, you could only hope for the mercy of those who could.

The determining factor for this hierarchy has changed since the modern times, but the concept remains the same. If you were popular, smart, or handsome, you could find a way to climb the social ladder and proclaim yourself a "king".  The rest of us who had none of those qualities, however, could only hope to secure a safe position.

If you were a talentless drudge like me, you could only hold back your words while the "kings" of society got their way.

For now, I could only settle with being a white knight from behind a computer screen.

When looking back on this mindset, it appears like I'm some kind of whiny crybaby who blames everyone else for his problems. In a way, that is true.... but I like to romanticize it to make myself look better.

If I had the same talents as the kings of the social hierarchy, I'd smack some sense into those delusional talents and tell them they're nothing special. I'd show them how awesome I was and how they were mere fishes in a pond. I'd humble them as best I could so they wouldn't flaunt themselves.

Yup. I like the sound of that. It makes me sound like some kind of righteous hero....

Foreboding words.

As those foolish thoughts formed in my head, I had unknowingly met a disaster.

I had taken another step into the dark night and suddenly felt myself falling.

It turns out someone had opened a manhole on the sidewalk and never closed it. With how dark it was, I hadn't noticed the safety hazard.

Just what kind of luck did I have for this to happen?

I prepared myself to hit the bottom, moving my legs and arms as to make the safest landing possible. I tensed my body for what felt like minutes, but had yet to hit the bottom.

I stared down the dark pit with several questions in my head.

Just what was going on?

Why was it taking so long to hit the bottom?

Why was a manhole made so deep?

Where was I going?

I would soon learn the answer to the final question.

Soon, my journey as a hypocritical hero would begin.

After an unknown amount of time, a blinding light shined from the bottom of the drop and I was thrust into a situation I could have never imagined.

---

 

 

Within a dark room which looked like a sort of dungeon was a red robed man accompanied by a few other white robed men.

The robed figures surrounded a pentagram of white chalk. Each man held a staff within their hands and chanted in a strange language.

After a few minutes of chanting, the man in red raised his staff. In response, those garbed in white immediately silenced themselves. It seemed that they were worried of offending this man dressed in red.

The man smiled, obviously pleased with the obedience of his companions. Although the man was significantly younger than the others, only being in his twenties while the rest were well into their senior years, he had a much higher status.

This man was Master Anstoff, a genius who appeared in the kingdom once every generation. Thanks to being blessed with arcane veins, he was able to become an eighth level mage by the time he was eighteen, and at his current age of twenty, he had nearly broken into the ninth level.

"I have decided to summon a hero! A hero who will slay the demon lord and bring peace to the world! You all should be grateful that you may participate in such a world-shaking event!"

A hint of dissatisfaction could be seen in some of the men. They hated Master Anstoff's arrogance, but hated that he could back that arrogance even more. They would celebrate the day he would receive his karma, but for now they could only hold their tongues.

"Today will forever be remembered as the day when I, Master William Anstoff, summoned the hero that would slay the demon lord! Without further ado, let us begin the chanting!"

As much as the men in white hated Anstoff, they too wanted to see a world safe of the demons' tyranny. Thus, they could only choose to help the arrogant master.

The men continued their strange chant from earlier and began increasing their volume as time went on. Soon enough, their voices filled the dark room and a bright orb of light formed within the pentagram.

The voices grew louder and the light grew brighter. After a few minutes of chanting, the once dark room was full of blinding light, forcing everyone to shut their eyes.

---

 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lose your legs? You wouldn't have that luscious leg hair anymore, but there were still many prosthetics which would let you run again.

How about life with no arms? Sure, the dexterity of the hands couldn't be as easily replaced as the legs, but hey, most edgy main characters end up losing an arm or two, right?

If you're like me, you have probably even thought of life with neither arms nor legs. Even then, life as a human loaf of bread would still be bearable as long as you were the main character of a VR novel.

What I hadn't realized, however, was that there was a situation worse than those previously mentioned.

Compared to my current situation, living as a human meat loaf was a blessing.

"What led you to realizing such a tragedy?" you may ask.

Well, see for yourself.

.

.

.

The bright light faded away, and the robed men were finally able to open their eyes again. Once their sight was returned, the men excitedly looked toward the center of the pentagram.

Had they done it? Had they succeeded in summoning the demon slaying hero?

"W-what happened? D-did we fail?"

The center of the pentagram was empty.

There was no tempered warrior. There was no flustered high school student. There wasn't even a commoner with hidden talent.

There was nothing.

The men in white took nervous glances toward Master Anstoff.

Only terrible fates awaited these men. The last time the master failed a task, he had blamed his assisting magicians and had them all executed. If they were lucky, they could at most get off with a missing arm.

One of the mages prostrated himself before the red mage.

"M-master Anstoff, have mercy please! I-I have a grandson who is about to be born! At least let me see his birth!"

The other men followed suit.

"Master Anstoff have mercy!"

"Master Anstoff, please spare me!"

"Master Anstoff, I'll repay you with my life's savings!"

After a full minute of pleading, the young mage had yet to speak.

Too afraid to read his face, the men could only stay prostrated, refusing to meet his gaze.

The men continued to plead for ten minutes straight. It was then that they realized something could be wrong.

One of the braver magicians decided to lift his head and sneak a peek.

What he saw sent a chill down his spine, momentarily paralyzing him.

Master Anstoff was glaring down at the magicians with an expression full of hatred. It was as if he was looking at dirt rather than fellow humans.

"M-master Anstoff...."

The magician was prepared to be blown to bits right then and there. All it would take was a single spell by the genius magician.

The magician shut his eyes in terror, but had yet to feel the pain of death. He braved another peek at the master and was surprised to see him pacing about the room.

"M-master Anstoff, is everything .... alright?"

A dissatisfied grunt was the magician's only reply before the young genius paced out of the room.

---

 

 

What the heck's going on!!!!!!!

Who in the world were those geeks? Is this some kind of bad dream? I can't even move my own body!!!!

"Is this the afterlife?!"

An angry yell escaped my - or rather - Master Anstoff's mouth.

The red robed mage quickly covered his mouth.

W-what? Did I say that or did he? ..... That's a legitimate question, though. That drop was so long, I must have definitely died when I hit the bottom.... 

Master Anstoff stormed away even faster after the shout. His face was flushed with concern as he went this way and that through a labyrinth of halls.

After a few minutes, Master Anstoff arrived before a large stone door.

The magician youth stood before the door and let out a grunt.

If you're gonna say something, then open your mouth, idiot.

Master Anstoff was obviously frustrated, and he let out a flurry of grunts.

Dude, if you wanna say something, then say it! All that grunting's gonna screw up your throat! .... Huh? Wait, are you trying to open this door? Hmmm, I guess it's too heavy to open it yourself. Perhaps he's trying to call the people inside?

Hold on, aren't you a wizard or something? Your'e dressed up like one at least..... Why don't you just say something magical like-

"Open Sesame!" A grand voice escaped the mage's mouth, and he was once again flushed with surprise.

After the magical phrase was chanted, a blue light enveloped the stone doors, and the blocks of stone began opening up for the mage.

Oho? So you can talk.... Why did you wait so long, then? Was the grunting part of the chant?

Master Anstoff took a quick glance behind him, making sure noone was following him. He then shuffled into the opened room.

.

.

.

The room was very large. Fancy too.

There were large, fluffy sofas and elegantly carved tables. Colorful lamps adored the ceiling and impressive painting adorned the walls.

This guy seems to be living the high life..... Tch, you scum! I get it now! You're one of the "kings" of society, aren't you?! That's why those old guys were bowing down to you!

Master Anstoff strutted straight to a closet and opened it. He then began rummaging through dozens of boxes and papers. He breathed heavily. He was obviously getting more annoyed as more time passed. Soon he was thrashing the boxes and papers everywhere.

The disappointing scene of a grown man throwing a tantrum was amusing.

I couldn't help but snicker to myself. If not finding a paper or whatever was enough to make this guy go berserk, then he must have been living with a diamond spoon not only in his mouth, but shoved down his throat to the point of choking!

"Peh! I hope you get off your high-horse and get a good thrashing, you scum!"

Mater Anstoff froze in shock once the words left his mouth.

I would have frozen in shock as well if I actually had a body.... it's strange, everything I see seems more like a third person perspective of this guy. It's much like watching a show.

Back on topic, though, I was surprised by this "Master Anstoff's" words. Those were clearly "my" words. Why was he the one saying them?

The first two times this dude spoke, I pushed them aside as flukes. "Open sesame" was a legitimate magic chant back on earth, and asking about the afterlife seems like something a magician would ask, right?

This, however, was different.

There is no reason why a cocky mage like this guy would trash talk himself.... especially with the specific words that I thought.

Master Anstoff's eyes lit up. Had he figured something out?

He grabbed a blank piece of paper from the ground and picked up a pen from the other side of the mess.

What're you doing with tha-

I was caught mid-thought as I read the mage's writing.

Begone, demon! A lowly being like you is unfit to possess me! If you do not leave on your own, I'll banish your soul for eternity! Leave my mouth and I promise to let you leave in peace.

"Holy crap! This dude is breaking the fourth wall! Why's he talking to the audie-mmph!"

My thoughts once again escaped through Anstoff's mouth, but this time they were stopped by his hand.

Screw you, dude! You can't silence me! A mouth is all I've got left, it seems. I don't have a body, so I'll use the mouth as much as I want!

Anstoff seemed pretty smug as he covered his mouth. That smug look disgusted me.

What would happen if I thought of eating an apple or something.....

"Gah!"

A sharp shout of pain escaped the mage's mouth.

"Haha, fool! You bit your own hand! How does human flesh taste, hmm?"

A look full of killing intent arose from Anstoff's face.

Amusing.

Who exactly are you going to direct that look to? Your mouth?

A violent grunt came from the man's throat as he began slapping his cheeks.

"Hahaha! You idiot! I have your mouth, not the rest of your body! You're the only one suffering pain right now!"

"GaH!!!"

The mage continued to assault his face with his hands.

What was this idiotic scene?

A grown man was furiously slapping himself while letting out an insane laughter.

"Heheheh! You're powerless! You're opposing someone too grand for you to handle! - Wait - what do you think you're doi-"

It seems Master Tantrum had enough. He had pulled his trump card.

Measly slaps weren't enough to beat a "demon" out of him, so he was planning on using an even more brutish force.

The mage made his way to the nearest table. He then proceeded to slam his head into the furniture.

The last thing I saw was the stupid mage's body slump to the floor.

---

 

Like an interlude between scenes, a void of darkness was slowly replaced with the image of Master Anstoff sprawled on the floor.

That was soooo boring! You may have fallen asleep, but I was stuck in that empty darkness for three hours! I guess I can't see anything when you're unconscious.....

The red robed man picked himself up from the ground, massaging his beaten head.

"If you don't like the feeling of pain, then don't beat yourself you dumb magician!"

Master Anstoff scowled as he realized he had yet to rid himself of me.

Hmmph! I don't like that expression.

I began imagining myself with a wide grin.

If I can make you talk and bite, then I must be able to make you smile or frown too! Soon enough, I'll take control of your mouth completely!

The scowling Anstoff continued to scowl. As soon as I began thinking of a smile, however, the corners of his mouth reluctantly rose into a grin.

"Heh! A fool like you can only surrender to my will! You might as well call me master!"

Hah? What's he doing? Writing again?

I watched as Master Anstoff began writing a new line with his pen.

If you do not leave, the high priests will come to personally destroy you. Leave. Now.

"You think I'm scared of those old farts? If I go down, I'll take you all down with me!"

The mage's brows furrowed.

And how do you plan on doing that?

"Like this!"

I proceeded to quote the closest thing to a magic chant I could remember.

"Ka-meh! Ha-meh! HAAAA!!!!!"

As if he were possessed - scratch that. This guy was possessed. - Master Anstoff went through with the popular anime character's motions.

Once I chanted the iconic words, a blue beam of light was shot from Master Anstoff's arms.

The blue beam of light blasted through the room's wall, leaving everything in its path in cinders.

The flashy attack went on for a minute straight, and Anstoff was forced to keep his pose in fear of destroying even more of his home.

Once the blast ended, we took a look at the result of the attack.

A sigh escaped Master Anstoff's mouth.

I'm pretty sure that sigh was coming from both of us.

Luckily, the beam was shot through a wall leading to the outside - not another room of the building.

If breaking a wall was the only result, then there was no need for surprise. Master Anstoff was already capable of doing such a feat....

The surprise came when we looked out the hole we made.

"Holy crap!!! We just blew the top off of that mountain!"

Indeed we did.

Where once should have been the peak of a tall, imposing mountain was now a moon-like crater. It reminded me of when I used the largest setting of the eraser in digital paint.

"Y-you scared n-now?"

I stuttered as I was shocked by the power presented.

It seemed that Master Anstoff was just as shocked. Sweat could be seen on his neck and forehead. His hands shook as he wrote with his pen.

O-okay. It seems I overestimated you.....

We didn't speak after that exchange, but I was sure we were thinking the same thing.

We have too much power.

---

 

 

Three days had passed since I was summoned to this world.

In that time, Master Anstoff and I have avoided making a fuss. The mage seemed wary of the power I could bring out. Meanwhile, I was afraid of accidentally killing the guy.

Whenever the mage was asleep or unconscious, my sight would be replaced with darkness and I would no longer be able to sense the world around Anstoff. I was still conscious, but I would have to bear with having all of my senses cut off. It was torturous to be left alone with only your thoughts.

What would happen if Master Anstoff died? Would I eternally live in darkness? Was that the usual fate after death? Had I just been lucky to be tethered to a living being?

I didn't know, but I didn't want to find out through first hand experience.

Over the three days, Master Anstoff avoided leaving his room. He didn't want anyone learning of his predicament.

After we blew up the distant mountain, some castle guards had rushed to our room asking what happened. This led to the first cooperation between me and the mage.

Master Anstoff had written me a script to read to the guards from behind the stone doors. Thanks to that, I was able to mimic his arrogant tone and dissuade the guards from bothering us further.

Honestly, I'm sure the guards could tell something was wrong with the mage, but given Anstoff's violent record, they probably didn't want to test if they were right.

Anyways, thanks to this routine, we were able to fool any visitors who tried to speak with Anstoff.

We used these three days to adjust to our situation. The first thing we tested was our limitations and how much we could affect each other. If we were going to be stuck with each other, we had to learn our capabilities.

.

.

.

Hey, demon, you don't feel pain, but it seems that you can see and hear. Can you feel the things I touch? Or maybe taste the food I eat? How about smell?

This arrogant mage. Still calling me a demon, are you?

"First off, don't call me a demon. I was just a normal human until you summoned me. Second, I'm more like a spectator rather than a spirit that's possessing you. I can hear and smell and see, but only as a spectator who's also in the room. Besides that, I can't taste or feel anything."

Anstoff furrowed his brows. He obviously didn't like my tone of voice, or rather, his tone of voice.

Yeah, how does it feel to be the receiver?

The stupid mage stopped demanding a respectful tone from me ever since I displayed my power. He still didn't like it, but there was nothing he could do about it.

It was a small victory for the average Joes.

Fine, then what should I call you? Hero?

"Hero is fine I guess."

It's not like anyone but Anstoff will be talking to me. I guess it doesn't matter as long as it's not insulting or embarrassing.

Anstoff nodded his head before writing with his pen again.

Alright then, Hero, first we need to know what exactly happened. If the summoning went as planned, your whole body should have been summoned. You shouldn't be tethered to me as you are now.

I responded in an irked voice.

"Okay, then figure it out! How should I know what happened? You're the magician here!"

Anstoff replied with a dissatisfied grunt.

I don't have a clue as to what happened either.... I can only blame the incompetence of my assistant mages.

This guy... actually still blaming others for his problems....

"Alright, then why am I tethered to you? And why only your mouth?"

The mage tapped his chin with his pen before writing again.

You seem to have a massive amount of mana. I can only guess that your power was drawn to me because I was a superior vessel to the other mages. Only my arcane veins would be able to handle your magic output. It is also thanks to my arcane veins that I was able to resist a full possession. My veins seem to be able to harness all of your mana, allowing me to keep control of my limbs and other parts of my body..... but because you're the main source of this body's mana, you naturally have control over the mouth, which is what activates the mana to create spells.

Okay? So it's like he's in control of a machine's parts, but I'm the one with the remote that turns it on.....

"So you're saying that all spells are cast by the mouth? Like by chants and stuff?"

Anstoff nodded.

Alright, so I'm able to cast insane spells but not control this body, huh?

"Okay, and you summoned me, a hero, to do what again? Kill the demon lord? Can I go home after?"

That is correct. Only a summoned hero could match his strength. You can return once he's dead.

These idiots... did they not think I had a life of my own to worry about?

"No matter how much you justify it, this is both kidnapping and the employment of underage soldiers."

Hmmph, if it gets the job done, then it gets the job done. No one wants to fight a monster like the demon lord.... And I'm sure you would be considered an adult in this world. The age of maturity in this kingdom is sixteen.

Sixteen, huh? So I just barely fit that category.... Tch, but this is still considered an abduction!

A wicked thought then formed in my head.

"So you were planning on summoning an unsuspecting hero and sending him off to battle? That's quite convenient to have someone fight your battles for you."

An evil grin grew from the sides of Anstoff's face. It a pretty comedic when matched with his nervous eyes of realization.

"You know, you half succeeded in the hero summoning. Unfortunately you're now tethered to this hero.... doesn't that mean you'll personally face the demon lord as well? I guess you won't get to leisurely sit on your butt anymore, huh?"

Anstoff began writing in a panic.

I'm a genius mage! I'm meant to be nurtured into a pillar of the kingdom! I wouldn't be sent on such a suicidal mission!

"Too late! You're no longer a genius mage, but a mute with a hero's power! Without your mouth, you might as well be a commoner! Hahaha!"

Hmmph! This is what you get, you spoonfed magician! Feel the hopelessness of the common folk! For once I actually  have the upperhand! ..... but dealing with a demon lord does sound scary..... To be honest, I too think it's best if no one figures out that a hero was actually summoned.... I'm not in a rush to lose this second chance at life, albeit in a spectator's position.

"Alright, Anstofff, I still need to know one more thing. Is there a way for me to get an actual body? To be blunt, I don't want to be stuck with you."

Defeating a demon lord sounds cool and all, but do I really want to go back to earth? Nope. Not really. Staying here as an OP mage sounds much more appealing.

Anstoff seemed to be recovering from his mental shock. He picked up his pen and once again began to write.

You would need a vessel on the same level as my body, but without arcane veins so you can move on your own..... it would have to be on the same level as a eleventh level mage....

Eleventh level? Is that rare?

"Hmm, okay! Anstoff, if you don't want to fight the demon lord, then you have to help me get a body!"

In contrast to the excited voice coming from his mouth, Anstoff let out a tired breath through his nose.

I'm no magician, but I'm sure he's thinking,

"It's not like I have a choice..... If the demons don't kill me, you will."

There. I said it for you.

---

 

 

On the fourth day since my summoning, Master Anstoff and I finally decided to head off on a journey.  We deemed that it would be best if we traveled alone. That way, less people would find out about our situation.

Anstoff made his way to the castle's kitchen to meet with the head chef.

"M-master Anstoff! What a p-pleasant surprise! Did you need something? Oh, of course you did, that's why you came here.... Y-you must be hungry! Yes, yes. You spent quite some time in your room after all...."

The head chef was a short man with very long whiskers. He was much like a mouse. Both in appearance and personality.

The red robed mage glared down at the chef. I bet if he could speak, he'd be chewing this man out with his words. I could only shake my nonexistent head at this.

It's a shame for you, head chef. You may be talented in the art of cooking, but in face of terrifying power, you're as good as an average Joe. You can only blame your incompetence.

Hold on. Am I looking down on this guy for not being talented enough..... Hmmm. I'm starting to sound like a hypocrite..... Nah. I must be imagining things. Anyways, it's time to put my acting skills to use. I didn't practice for an entire day for nothing!

"Hmmph! You're lucky you know your place. Let me remind you that if you were even slightly worse at cooking, you'd have been thrown out a long time ago!"

At the mention of being thrown out, I could've sworn the mouse-like chef  had a brief panic attack.

"Thank you Master Anstoff for your mercy! I'm truly lucky to serve such a capable talent! S-so what was it you wanted?"

"Rations. Enough to last me a month. I expect them to be packed by this evening."

Master Anstoff left the chef with no time to respond as he walked away immediately after giving the order.

On the way out of the kitchen, I could've sworn I saw a satisfied smile on Anstoff's face.... or was that my own smile? It's hard to tell.

.

.

.

After leaving with the kitchen, Master Anstoff went straight back to his room. What a NEET.

I watched in interest as the mage began organizing his belongings on the floor. Despite not having a body, my time in this world has been pretty amusing.

Among all the stuff he's bringing, at least half of these should be magic treasures, right?

"What are all those books for? Are those spells?"

"What about that staff? Will that amplify our power? We're already pretty strong, y'know."

"How 'bout that teapot? Will opening it summon another dimension?"

"Ooo~ What about  that golden ring? Is it some type of storage device?"

Master Anstoff's brows began scrunching together. He seemed to be getting more irked by each of my questions. I could almost make out the veins on his forehead.

Heh, I'll ask even more questions then.

"You're a mage, right? Where's your oversized hat? .... Oh, you actually do have one?"

The mage seemed to have had enough. He slammed his palm on the floor before reaching for his pen. He wrote with the fury of a fire. I'm most probably exaggerating, but I swore I saw smoke coming from the pen.

Will you shut up! Let me pack in peace! I have no time to answer your foolish questions!

Pfft. I think he's mad. I guess I'll leave him alone.... after he answers my questions.

"Okay, okay. Answer my 'foolish' questions and I'll stop."

Master Anstoff let out a defeated sigh.

The books are for my notes. Every mage makes a log of his discoveries and journeys.... The staff is to help me walk. I'll get tired traveling, after all.... The teapot is my personal teapot. I like the way it brews.... The ring is a symbol of importance. It'll work as identification when visiting towns.... As for the hat, it'll keep the sun out of my face when we leave.

Booooring!!! What about the magic? Why is this foolish wizard packing such ordinary things? Are you going on an adventure, or are you going camping? Flaunt your power more, man!

I could only grumble in disappointment (In my head of course.) as I watched the mage pack his non-magical (though very practical) items.

Just as he finished fitting the items in a large bag, a loud yet polite knock was heard on the door.

Tsk. Which fool dared to bother this grand mage? Are you looking to die?

I answered in an annoyed tone.

"What is it?"

"Master Gray has arrived. He wanted to meet with you."

Master Gray? Who's this chump? To think he's worthy of getting an audience with me is delusional. Oh? What's Anstoff writing?

I hate to admit it, but Master Gray is a talent greater than even I. He was blessed with Eyes of Crimson and is able to accurately gauge magic potential. Thanks to that, he was able to locate the best ingredients to boost his power..... He's only sixteen but he's already reached the mid-stage of the seventh level. He'll probably reach the eighth level by his eighteenth year, thus surpassing my record.

This kid's even better than Anstoff? Hmmm.

"Can I use him as my new vessel? If he's a better talent than you, it should work, right? He doesn't have the arcane veins to restrict me."

Anstoff shook his head.

Master Gray is a better talent, but his body wouldn't be able to store your mana. He's still only at the seventh level.

I sighed in my mind.

So this kid is useless to me, huh?

I sighed again, but this time audibly.

"I guess we gotta meet this brat. Lead the way."

---

 

 

Before leaving the room, Master Anstoff  informed me of his relationship with Master Gray.

The two did not get along at all. They would show each other respect on the surface, but the overflowing contempt was still obvious.

Master Gray had taken every opportunity he could to belittle Anstoff. Whether it was surpassing records, winning competitions, or just being more popular, Master Gray would wring out every last drop.

Everyone in the kingdom already expected Master Gray to surpass Anstoff in a few years.

The world really is made up of small ponds.... Here I though I took possession of the "top dog"

Master Anstoff led us to a comfy looking lounge.

Seated comfortably on a sofa was a orange haired youth. He was slumped in his chair with a cup of tea in one hand and a pastry in the other. His feet were propped up on the table in front of him.

The youth who I assumed was Master Gray didn't even lift his head. Was he ignoring us?!

This brat. Who's home do you think this is?!

Master Anstoff seemed to have similar thoughts as I saw a brief twitch in his brow.

I still had to keep up a proper front. It'd be bad to openly oppose another person of status.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Master Gray. Has something good happened recently?"

The brat propped himself up only after he stuffed the pastry into his mouth and chugged the rest of the tea....

"Greetings Will! Someting good has indeed happened! Oh yeah, I also heard you failed your hero summoning! Did you actually think you'd succeed? Pfft!"

This kid. He's already bringing up the failed summoning....

I chose to ignore it.

"Is this good fortune the reason why you came to see me?"

Just keep your cool. Once you're done dealing with this brat, you can go find a vessel.

"Yup! I've become an eighth level mage! I came to duel you and prove my superiority!"

Th-this kid. He's saying it likes it's a walk in the park.

"Oh? Congratulations. I don't think challenging me is a good idea, though. I'm a half step into the ninth level after all."

There. Just be satisfied with my acknowledgement. Go screw off now.

"Pfft. I ain't scared of you! I'm getting tired of second place. Just give me the title of best talent and I'll get out of your hair."

This kid really has no respect for Anstoff.

"I don't want to hurt a fellow talent... Anyways, I'm busy right now. We can do this after I'm done traveling."

"Eh~ I'm not satisfied being a 'fellow talent' though. I want to be the star of the younger generation."

The brat smirked before continuing.

"You sound like you're scared!"

You idiot scum. Do you think such a weak prod is enough to provoke me? Well you're right. He's the one asking for it, so I see no fault in beating up a minor.

"Fine. I'll put you in your pla-mmph!"

What the heck Anstoff?! Are you going to let this kid walk over you like this?!

I bit Anstoff's hand, earning a pained grunt.

With blood smeared on corner of Anstoff's mouth and a bleeding hand, I finished my sentence.

"I'll put you in your place, brat!"

.

.

.

We made our way to the castle's courtyard and took our positions on opposite sides.

Master Gray was stretching this way and that as if preparing for a morning jog.

You really aren't taking this seriously, are you?! I'll make sure you regret it!

As Master Gray did his stretches like some middle school brat in physical education, Master Anstoff took off his robe and other accessories that could get in the way of his mobility.

Tsk, how long does it take for you to get ready? You're the one who's challenging us, so why are we the one's waiting?

"Brat, are you ready or do you need to do some warm up laps?"

Master Gray held his chin.

Brat, don't tell me you're seriously considering it....

"No. I don't think I'll need it."

Hmmph, so it's a fall-back excuse in case you lose, huh?

"Alright, so we'll start on three. We'll keep going until one of us faints or surrenders."

"Fine by me."

An evil grin grew on Anstoff's face. He and I knew the level of power we were capable of. Master Gray will be lucky if he gets by with only broken limbs.

Now for the countdown.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Ka-meh! Ha-meh! HAAA!!!!"

I went straight to our power move. I wanted to end this quickly..... It seems Anstoff wasn't as eager.

I could see sweat forming on the back of Anstoff's neck.

Don't tell me you're worried about the kid? So what if this attack can obliterate a mountain top. This kid is a "talent".

The blue laser projected from Ansoff's hands for only a second. We didn't want to kill the kid after all.

A large cloud of smoke came up from the ground. I watched for any movement in the dirt, but started getting worried the longer I waited.

"D-don't tell me the kid actually died..."

"No need to worry."

Anstoff heard an annoying voice behind him and instinctively turned around.

BAM!

Anstoff was punched in the face, making him stagger back a couple steps.

"You didn't think I'd lose to such a simple attack, did you?"

A short stream of complicated words left the youth's mouth. Once the chant finished, the boy disappeared.

T-teleportation?

Anstoff felt a light tap on his shoulder and knew what was coming.

BAM!

Master Anstoff was punched in the face once again.

"Haha! What are you doing, Will? Going easy on me? I'll be sure to humiliate you a bunch for looking down on me!"

This is kinda irratating...

Master Gray would teleport to and fro, giving Anstoff a good punch each time.

As a third-person spectator, I could see Master Gray's movements clearly, but I wasn't fast enough to warn Anstoff.

Tsk, I don't know any of this world's spells. All I've got are the bootleg chants from cartoons, and I'm not even familiar with those either....

"Anstoff, use discharge!"

This was the closest thing to a chant I could think of.... a Pokémon move!

Once the chant left the mage's mouth, a sphere of electricity was emitted from Anstoff's body.

Heh, let's see you deal with this. You may have teleportation, but you won't be able to dodge this!

I was right.

Master Gray was caught by the wave of electricity and his body was shaking on the floor.

"Hmmph, you've had your fun. Give up yet?"

Hyah! I didn't think I'd ever be able to say such a cool line!

Master Gray glared from his position on the ground. It seems discharge was able to give him the paralyzed status.

"W-w......"

"Huh? What are you saying? Don't eat your words, brat."

"I said, why are you saying spells in the third person! Moreover, why is your magic in the common language!"

The brat yelled out his frustration before letting out a string of strange chants.

"Hah?"

Master Gray seemed to get rid of his paralysis. He once again teleported away.

"Eat this!"

"Uh oh. Anstoff move to the side, he's behind us again! Looks like he's using a strong spell!"

A complicated chant left Gray's mouth. This was sure to be a finishing move.... 

Why couldn't there be any instant transmission spells? Why do so many magical fictions leave out their spell chants? They'd be so useful to have right now!

"HAA!!!!"

The brat completed his spell and a large, fiery sphere came crashing down from the sky.

"What do you think of my eighth level meteor? I've improved it a bunch since our last meeting!"

So this is the brat's signature move?! How do I defend against this.... more importantly, won't this wreck Anstoff's castle?!

"Ka-meh! Ha-meh! Ha--BwaH!!"

I was about to blast the meteor out of the sky when Anstoff was pelted by a rock.

I looked back to the rock's source and saw Master Gray twirling rocks in the air. A stupid smirk covered his face.

"You're fighting me, not the meteor." A strange chant left his mouth soon after, and the rocks began flying towards Anstoff.

"Crap! Anstoff, use protect!" I could only use another Pokémon move as I was too flustered to think of anything else.

Bang!

Bang! 

Bang!

The light shield that formed before Anstoff began cracking against the impacting rocks. As we were busy keeping the shield up, Master Gray once again teleported behind us.

Bam!

Another punch was thrown, knocking Ansoff over once again.

Tsk. Are we going to lose to this brat? The meteor's about to hit. I guess there's nothing we can do.... Wait!

Anstoff slowly stood back up to face Master Gray.

The meteor would land in a minute.

"Surrender now and I'll stop the meteor. I already restricted you from using teleportation or movement spells. You won't be able to escape."

Again with such arrogant talk, huh? I don't need teleportation to beat you.

"Aren't you worried about the punishment for causing so much trouble? The kingdom would surely punish such recklessness."

The meteor was only thirty seconds from landing. It was getting hot.

"Peh! They won't dare to punish me! I'm a talent seen once every thousand years!"

"Hmmph. Children like you deserve a beating."

The meteor was only twenty seconds from landing.

A grunt then came from Anstoff's throat.

Are you getting nervous? I have a plan now, Anstoff. Have faith in the 'Hero'.

"Your end is here. I'll leave you alone with the meteor."

With that, Master Gray teleported out of view.

Anstoff was left alone to meet the meteor.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Anstoff was in a scramble. He was actually running toward the castle to seek cover.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

A smirk grew on Anstoff's face as the time ticked.

Three.

Two.

One.

"The World!"

The instant I said those two words, everything seemed to change colors, and the meteor that was only a few inches from the castle slowed to a stop.

Gah! I can't believe I said something so cringey! Screw you, Master Gray! You made me say something so embarrassing!

"Mmhph? Mmph!"

"Quit your grunting, Anstoff. Haven't you seen a time-stop spell before? Anyways, get ready to face the meteor. We'll blow it away!"

"Ka-meh! Ha-meh! HA!!!!!!"

The blue beam of light met with the fiery meteor and began pushing it back.

In no time at all [literally]. We were able to blast the meteor away from the castle and even destroy it completely.

"Yahoo! We did it! Wait, huh?"

Poof.

Color returned to the world around us, and Anstoff fell to his knees.

"Crap, Anstoff, you can't rest yet! The fight isn't over!"

I began yelling, trying to psych up the mage, but to no avail.

"Hmm? What did you... do? How did you get rid of the.... nevermind. Whatever cheap trick you did seems to have worn you out. I'll finish this in the next move."

The brat Gray teleported before Anstoff and shook his head as if watching a foolish child.

Anstoff may be worn out, but what about me, the hero? I should have a near infinite amount of mana.

I whispered only for Anstoff to hear.

"Anstoff, I don't know how this will affect your body, but I'm going to use another spell."

I then raised my voice for Master Gray.

"Hmmph! I'll finish this in the next move as well."

We both prepared our final moves.

One annoying mage stood on one side. A badly beaten mage stood on the other.

Two scums of society were about to settle things.

"⊕#♦•∩←×◊[] ... ∝ø»Θ%*@..."

Master Gray spewed more strange, complicated chants from his mouth.

As for me, I quoted a simple word from a popular novel. I had no idea what it did, but it was all I could recall in that moment.

"Stupefy!"

As Master Gray was relaying his wordy chant, he was suddenly hit by a blue light. He immediately slumped to the floor.

I have so much power, I guess one spell was really all it took to beat this kid.

---

 

 

After the battle, I was able to completely recover Anstoff's health by using Pokémon moves again.

After using 'Recover' twice, he was as good as new.

Master Gray, on the other hand, was still out cold after three hours.

The sun was beginning to set, and we didn't want to delay our adventure..... More importantly we didn't want to be here when the brat, Master Gray, woke up with a tantrum.

"M-master Anstoff, will you really be alright? You just finished a tiring duel...."

The castle staff prepared our cart and horses as they saw us off.

"I'll be fine. That brat wasn't a challenge.... I was holding back, obviously."

"I-if you say so...."

Master Anstoff climbed onto his cart before ushering the horses.

"Keep good care of the castle. Don't overwork yourselves."

Left with those words, the castle staff watched as Master Anstoff rode away.

"H-hey, I'm surprised he didn't leave us with a ton of chores... he actually warned us against overworking ourselves...."

.

.

.

Demon, what are you saying "Don't overwork yourselves!" That's way too out of character!

"Excuse me, you tyrannical mage, but that's stupid. We average Joes are people too.... How would you feel if that brat Gray told you to do back-breaking chores?"

Anstoff looked like he wanted to write more, but after pondering to himself, he put his pen back down.

"Anyways, we need to work on our battling strategies. That was a disaster earlier. You're a near ninth level mage, yet you nearly lost to that brat."

Well excuse me for not being able to use spells! If I still had my mouth, that battle would've been over in an instant!

"We definitely have the power to beat anyone, but I don't know any spells... Our moves aren't synchronized either. We need to come up with plans beforehand.... As we are now, I won't be able to possess those stronger mages."

I could teach you spells, but I doubt you'll be able to learn many in a short amount of time. For now, let's come up with something with what you already know.

.

.

The red robed mage and I continued to travel the land.

We stopped in town after town, solving problems here and there... for a price of course. This way, we were able to train our battle prowess, and soon enough we began challenging other talented mages.

It had been six months since I was summoned.

We were no longer the clumsy tag team who struggled against Master Gray. We were able to wipe the floor with any eighth level mage we met. Not even Ninth level mages were our opponents.

We had yet to meet any, but I'm sure we could even take on tenth level mages.

We were an unstoppable force sweeping the land at a terrifying speed. 

"Hey, Anstoff, are you sure there's an eleventh level mage in these woods? Shouldn't they be living in giant cities or something since they're so useful to the kingdoms?"

I'm sure there is. High level mages tend to be recluses, choosing to only come out under dire circumstances. They like to hide away so they can proceed with their experiments.... The one in this area is Master Sol. He saved the northern kingdom on multiple occasions and has probably reached the peak of the eleventh level by now. He should be suitable as a vessel.

"If he's so important, is it really a good idea to fight him? Won't it cause problems to attack the neighboring kingdom's savior?"

Anstoff smirked.

I don't care. We've had so many conflicts with the northern kingdom, one more won't hurt. Besides, if we can beat Master Sol, who in the kingdom would dare to fight us?

Hmmm. Yeah, that sounds reasonable.

We went as far into the woods as we could before ditching the cart.

Taking only his walking stick from the vehicle, Master Anstoff headed in further.

"¥öφ♣ßÜϖϒ"

I chanted one of the spells Anstoff taught me, and a blue light scanned the area around us.

"I detected a lot of mana north east of us. He must be doing something crazy."

Anstoff nodded before heading in the direction of the mana.

As Anstoff walked, we began hearing explosion after explosion.

What the heck is this guy doing?

I found out soon enough.

After walking for ten minutes, an explosion went off right beside us.

"Evil demon! Do you think you think you can survive this great master?!"

A disgustingly old voice sounded in the distance.

I looked ahead and was shocked at the scene.

There was a devil winged human with gray skin facing off with a bag of bones old man.

The old man, who I guess was Master Sol was missing an arm and bleeding profusely. Meanwhile, the gray demon was missing one of its horns and covered in cuts.

You idiot demon! You're ruining my body!

I didn't hesitate to attack.

"Anstoff, use hyperbeam!"

An orange beam shot from Master Anstoff's mouth and collided with the demon.

"Gah?!"

The demon released a roar as it was blasted aside.

"Old man, don't overdo things. You look pretty injured."

Master Sol tilted his head.

"Little brat, get out of here. Demons are no joke. If you take your eye off of them for even a moment, they-BwaH!"

While his attention was diverted, Master Sol was pierced in the stomach by a black spear. His body fell to the ground.

My precious body!

"Demon, you'll pay for that!"

I chanted a teleportation spell and Master Anstoff appeared in front of the demon.

"Falcon! Puuunch!!!!"

Right after teleportation, a fiery red bird covered Anstoff's arm. With the power of the fiery falcon, the red robed mage threw a punch towards the demon's chest.

POW!

The demon was sent flying back, destroying all of the trees it crashed into.

"Heh, that thing is of the ninth level at most."

I cast another teleportation spell and appeared next to the demon's body.

There was a smoking, fist-sized hole in its chest. Blood leaked down the corners of its mouth.

"Good job, little brat. I didn't think you'd be strong enough to face a demon!"

Master Sol suddenly appeared beside Anstoff. He was clean of any injuries and he even had both his arms back.

"Hah? Didn't you die, old man?"

"Haha! Do you think it's so easy to kill a twelfth level mage?"

Tw-twelfth level? If it weren't for his disgustingly old appearance, he'd be a top grade vessel! Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.

I was about to unleash an attack when Master Sol ripped out the demon's remaining horn.

"Little brat, you seem like a worthy talent. Since you helped me kill that demon prince, I'll let you watch me slay the demon lord. Then I'll let you be my disciple. How about it?"

Master Sol then began chanting a strange spell while holding two demon horns in his hands.

"As if I want to become your disciple! I came here to fight yo-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence when we were suddenly transported into a large throne room.

Sitting on the throne was a large, muscular demon. Two black, spiraling horns grew from his gray forehead, and an unamused expression covered his face.

Master Sol approached the throne.

"Demon lord, today you shall die!"

Dang it! It's the guy I least wanted to see! I don't even have my own body yet! I swear, demon lord, if you kill that vessel, I'll kill you too. Each great mage that dies is another vessel wasted!

---

 

 

Master Sol chanted multiple spells and sent a flurry of attacks towards the demon lord. None of them even scratched the demon.

"Filthy human! Do you think you filthy mortals can match up to us demons?"

A booming voice came from the demon lord as he stood up.

The demon lord raised one of his hands and shot a purple laser towards Master Sol.

What the heck?! Demons don't need to chant?

The purple laser was insanely fast, and as soon as it was cast, it collided with Master Sol, knocking his frail body across the room.

"Hmmph! You humans are so fragile. Much unlike the strong bodies of us demons. You can only blame yourself for being born a human!"

Hah? The more this demon talks.... the more I hate him. He's just like Master Gray and the people back on earth..... flaunting his strength while pushing aside us common folk.

"Anstoff, I change my mind. Let's just kill the demon lord right here, right now."

"Hmmph! Hmmmph!"

Master Anstoff had been sweating bullets ever since we were transported into this room. When he heard my desire to fight, he began protesting with grunts.

"Ka-meh! Ha-meh! HAA!!!!"

Heh. This is my signature move at this point. Not Goku's.

The demon lord's face showed a trace of surprise when he sensed the beam.

"Oh? So your race isn't complete trash, hmm? It's unfortunate, but it's still futile to fight me."

The demon lord raised his hand and shot another purple laser which collided with my blue beam of light.

Holy heck! I feel like I'm in a kaiju fight! Well guess what, my beam is stronger than yours!!!"

My attack slowly pushed back the purple laser, surprising the demon lord.

"Fine! I'll show you even more of my power! HAA!!!"

The demon lord's laser seemed to power up, and we were once again at a stalemate.

Like idiots, we stood across from each other, putting more power into our attacks if the situation called for it.

Yeah.... this definitely isn't how a final battle should be.....

"Hey, demon lord, this is kinda boring, no?"

"It is indeed...."

"Don't forget about this old man!"

After three minutes of my confrontation with the demon lord, Master Sol seemed to have recovered and once again threw himself towards the enemy.

"Insects should stay out of this!"

The demon lord waved his other arm and shot a blast of purple energy, knocking the old man back once again.

"My vessel! Oi! Demon lord, I want compensation for that!"

"Hmmph! You aren't worthy to demand anything from this great lord!"

Even more power was sent int the demon lord's laser, and I was beginning to be pushed back.

Tsk. I need to finish this quickly. I know it's tradition to fight the demon lord alone, but I'm still worried more demons will come....

"The World!"

Everything changed colors and time was stopped. I had quoted a cringey line yet again.

"Okay, Anstoff, we should be able to stop time for a minute. Let's make full use of this time."

We walked around the beam and approached the demon lord.

Being up close now, I could see how large the demon lord was. He was at least two feet taller than Anstoff, and his thighs were as thick as our torso.

Anstoff gulped.

"Yeah, it's a good thing we aren't physical fighters... We'd be screwed.... Anyways, let's stack as many spells as we can."

"¥öφ ∏♣Ãß Üϖϒ ¢£©·~∇!"

"¥ßÜ ϖϒ öφ♣ ↔ς‡ •É⊗!"

"PK Thunder!"

"Anstoff, use hyperbeam!"

"Stupefy!"

Multiple spells flooded out my mouth as we bombarded the demon lord. Once time was returned, he'd be attacked by them all at once.

"Hmm. We only have five seconds left. Let's get a safe distance away."

I used the teleportation chant and moved to the opposite end of the room.

Time resumed.

"BwAH!!!!"

My barrage of spells landed on the demon lord, and he was tossed about like a rag doll.

After a full three minutes of getting juggled by my spells, the demon lord's body finally fell to the floor.

It seems he only had energy left to heave.

Anstoff approached the demon lord and crouched next to his face.

Hey, Hero, how about taking the demon lord as a vessel? He should be more than suitable.

"Hmm, don't you think his veins might be equivalent to arcane veins too? He's so strong, what if I become his mana pool instead?"

The guys nearly dead. He won't have any energy to resist. With your immense mana, you can just go in and replace his existence completely.

"Oh? So it works like that too, huh? I guess it's worth a shot..."

I began chanting an astral projection spell, and for the first time, my soul was detached from the red robed mage.

It wasn't much different than how I was before. I still had a spectator's perspective, but now I was no longer tethered around an object.

I focused my will and invaded my new vessel.

.

.

.

I slowly opened my eyes.

A throbbing pain filled my head.... my arms.... my whole body.

It was like I was tackled by an entire football team.

Huh? My hand looks, quite large?

"Holy smokes, it worked!" A deep voice came from my body.

"Congratulations, hero. You have your own body and you've slayed the demon lord. It was a total success."

Now that I was no longer possessing him, Anstoff once again had control of his mouth.

"Congratulations to you too, Anstoff. You have your spells and voice back."

I was in a good mood.

I was at the top of the food chain and I saved the world. Truly two birds with one stone. Nothing could beat this feeling right now.

Once I go back, I'll carry out my self-righteous actions and beat down those arrogant talents.

The era of the hypocritical hero was coming.

.

Not.

"Demon lord, Die!!!!"

A hideously old voice echoed from the other side of the room, and a terrifyingly powerful ball of light came my way.

"N-no! Wait! I'm!"

Too late.

The badly beaten body of the demon lord wasn't able to withstand the attack.

... I should've healed myself immediately.

"Heheh! I've killed the demon lord!" Master Sol said.

"Thanks for holding him off so I could prepare that attack. Let's head back now."

The old man gave Anstoff a pat on the back before opening a portal back to the human kingdom.

.

.

.

The kingdom never learned of the huge blunder as everyone thought Anstoff had failed his hero summoning. No one would believe him if he said the hero was killed in the body of the demon lord. He would probably be tried for treason for saying something like that.

Anstoff lived the rest of his life comfortably. He trained under the most powerful mage, Master Sol, and was able to overcome his lack of talent. He was able to become the number one mage of the younger generation.

He was no longer arrogant and overbearing, but instead merciful. He only directed his trash attitude towards cocky brats.

He was the product of my hypocritical heroism.

But alas. The fate of the hero was nowhere near as grand.

Luckily, after I died, I was sent back to earth. I was once again just an average Joe who scraped by in society...... or was I?

When I was sent to the other world, I had no body, yet I was able to claim a new, powerful vessel for myself.

When I was sent back to earth, I was sent back with the perks of the vessel.

I was strong, handsome, and even retained some magic.

My hypocritical heroism would come to fruition here on earth.