Mirai’s head darted over to his bookshelf as a tiny blip of light appeared.

 

It arrived without warning and left almost just as quickly, but with it, it took… a [Greater Restoration Potion]? He glanced around the room, his [Truesight] ability allowing him to be certain that there were no invisible thieves about.

 

He looked at the now-empty potion stand with more confusion than anger. For the potion to have disappeared like that, it would need to have been targeted by a high-level spellcaster using something like [Summon Object] or even potentially a high-level rogue of sorts using an evolved [Ranged Theft].

 

But to steal such an item from him… truly, they were expensive potions. Still, anybody with the level high enough to need them would have had the experience fighting monsters and dungeon delving to have enough funds to buy one with ease.

 

Frowning, he scanned the room with [Truesight] again, followed by [Sense Mana] and [Detect Magic]...

 

None of which turned up any answers for him. It was as if the potion had stopped existing in an instant. He was just about to signal for one of the guards stationed outside his study to go get Sorahiko when a menu alert popped up.

 

Congratulations! Your [Greater Restoration Potion] has assisted in an [Heroic] Adventurer’s [Quest]

+2000XP

 

His eyes narrowed, and he immediately called one of his guards in, sending him on an urgent run to get both Sorahiko and Yagi. Something had just happened that most likely involved his [Greater Restoration Potion] being taken to somehow assist someone with the [Heroic] trait.

 

And with the complete lack of noticeable magic being used to take the potion, followed by an odd system message and reward, well… Mirai hadn’t seen his system act weirdly like this since before the fall of All for One, back when he was part of Yagi’s official adventuring party.

Katsuki swore as the rumbling stopped.

 

‘Fuck this incursion, fuck this Dungeon, fuck those guards thinking they can order me around, and fuck whoever or whatever the fuck was making all that rumbling.’

 

He was walking through the [Great Mole]’s boss chamber room, back towards his party after relieving himself in the small section a few [Earth Mage]s had set up for that exact purpose.

 

He stalked past the various groups of people sitting around the chamber, listening in to see if anyone had any news at all about when this fucking thing would be over, so he could get back to doing some actual work levelling up. He was so close to his next class he could taste it, but he was stuck until this fucking [Incursion] was over.

 

Unfortunately, there was apparently no news about the surface yet, all anyone had to talk about was their own excitement about what was going on.

 

“Hey, did you use my HP potion? Its not in my pack anymore!”

 

“No, I didn’t, are you sure you didn’t just drop it somewhere?”

 

“I’ve only dropped a potion once! You dont have to keep grilling me about it!”

 

Tuning out from the inane conversations around him, he sat against the wall, the corpse of the boss monster sitting on the other end of the room, having been absolutely decimated by their 40+ party of Level 20-ish adventurers that the guards had forced them to get into for ‘safety’.

 

He glared at the boss’ corpse, angry at so many things it might have been quicker to list what he wasn’t angry at. But the biggest things pissing him off were the fact that he hadn’t even got the chance to stab the [Great Mole] before the spellcasters had put it down, and the fact that his usual party members wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

 

“What do you think is going on up there? There was like, so much more [Water] mana up there than there should have been for a while! [Air] mana too, I think, but I can’t see that as well”

 

“Nah Nah, you’re right, there was so much of it, it almost felt like it was right in front of us, even from all the way down here!”

 

“The guards are surely pulling out all sorts of shit to deal with this! I heard they even got a famous mercenary to fight with them!”

 

“Ooo, which one? Is it Keigo Swiftwing? I hear he’s the fastest person in the world! After Emperor Yagi, of course.”

 

Katsuki’s eye twitched as his party members continued to prattle on, talking about the same shit they had just talked about for the last week, and finally, after a remarkable amount of restraint from him, he snapped.

 

“Shut the fuck up! If I have to hear you talk about Keigo fucking Swiftwing one more fucking time I’m going to rip your tail off and choke you with it!”

 

The dog-kin [Water Mage]’s ears flattened as Katsuki yelled at him, but the group fell into silence. Katsuki let his eyes close for a moment before he heard the clattering of pots and pans and someone yelling off to his right.

 

He growled and opened an eye to see some old [Craftsman] cradling an arm, which had seemingly been burned by the boiling water he had kept in the pots he had dropped. While Katsuki watched him swear and hop around, shaking his arm, the [Water Mage] stood up and reached into his pack, pulling out a [Restoration potion].

 

Unlike the [Greater Restoration Potions], the basic ones were fairly cheap, so they made sure that the party had a least 4 at all times. The [Water Mage] seemed to offer to potion to the [Craftsman], only for it to disappear in a flash of light before it could be handed over.

 

“What the fuck?”

 

Katsuki glared at the [Water Mage] “What did you just do!? Did you just waste a potion?!”

 

“No, Bakugou! It just vanished! I don't know what happened!”

 

After panicking for a few seconds, the [Water Mage] instead started creating cool water to run over the burn while searching for another potion, being interrupted as a screen appeared in front of him.

 

Katsuki glared at the one that appeared in front of him, too. At the exact same time. With seemingly the exact same message.

 

Congratulations! Your [Restoration Potion] has assisted in an [Heroic] Adventurer’s [Quest]

 

+2000XP 

[500XP Each]

 

Congratulations!

You have reached Level [20]!

+2 [Strength] | +2 [Agility] | +2 [Endurance] | +2 [Intelligence] | +2 [Luck] | 

+5 HP/Stamina/Mana

 

Congratulations!

You have reached Level [20]!

You may now select your second class!

 

Katsuki ignored the Level up message for the moment and instead stared at the first one. His party’s [Restoration Poten] had helped an [Heroic] adventurer complete their [Quest]. The potion that had just been stolen in a flash of light.

 

Katsuki grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He only knew one person with the fucking [Heroic] trait. Somehow, Deku had stolen his fucking potion.

 

‘I’m going to kill that little motherfucker the next time I see him…’

He felt like he needed to throw up. A lot.

 

Warning! You are experiencing [??? 6] from continued contact with the blood of the [Juvenile ??? Dragon]

 

[60 Damage Taken!]

 

Clutching his stomach, or at least attempting to, he groaned as a wave of nausea rolled over him, tearing away his sense of direction and churning his gut. He gagged, feeling as if he was about to throw up, but nothing came out.

 

As the pain shot through him, he felt something move nearby, just… sensing something getting slightly closer, reaching out to him. And while he couldn’t see, it felt sinister.

 

[??? 6] has been cleared by [???] using [Restoration Potion]

 

[60 HP Healed!]

 

A sudden wave of healing energy flooded through him, chasing away the nausea, and he was able to open his eyes, his menu filling his vision. No wait, it wasn’t that it filled his whole vision, it was that…

 

…Troublesome…

 

Everything else was pure black? Where was he? What the hell was that?

 

Warning! You are experiencing [??? 10] from continued contact with the blood of the [Juvenile ??? Dragon]

 

[100 Damage Taken!]

 

[??? is ???]

 

He screamed as every nerve in his body flooded with pain. Taking 100 damage in one instance wasn’t something he had ever experienced before, and it was now his new least favourite thing in the world.

 

Tears shot out of his eyes, floating around him in the void he was stuck in, and he actually was able to clutch his stomach this time as pain and nausea wracked his body again.

 

[??? 10] has been cleared by [???] using [Greater Restoration Potion]

 

[100 HP Healed!]

 

[??? is no longer ???]

 

…Truly, you amaze me, brother, to defy my direct influence so…

 

The healing energy flowed through him again, and he thought he heard something speaking from the void, but if there was anything there he couldn’t truly hear it. Using the temporary clarity the waves of healing gave him, he pulled out his stat menu.

 

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya

HP: 135/135

Mana: ???/90

Stamina: 145/145

 

-Active Buffs-

----

-Active Debuffs-

[Exhausted]

 

He chuckled softly to himself as he saw the active Debuff listed on his menu. It was definitely right. Even with the healing energy, it felt like every one of his limbs had been coated in stone, and his head felt foggy and unfocused.

 

Was this… was this some kind of backlash from [Heroic Surge]? Or was it just because he was in contact with the [Juvenile ??? Dragon]’s blood? Why could he feel something tring to get to him? What was trying to get to him?

 

Warning! You are experiencing [??? 12] from continued contact with the blood of the [Juvenile ??? Dragon]

 

[120 Damage Taken!]

 

[??? is ???]

 

A scream tore from his mouth as he was brought to the brink of his health pool. The pain he felt like nothing he had ever felt before, as if his whole body had been dunked in lava. Why was this happening? Was he being punished? Keeping him alive to suffer from whatever debuff this was like this certainly felt like a punishment…

 

[??? 12] has been cleared by [???] using [Greater Restoration Potion]

 

[120 HP Healed!]

 

[??? is no longer ???]

 

…Your grip is slipping, brother. How unfortunate for you, that your new ‘champion’ shall be in my grasp soon enough…

 

There it was again, that echo of an echo. A voice, just beyond the edges of his hearing, speaking in a soft tone with their words unintelligible. But even if he couldn’t hear it, it felt… mocking? Smug?

 

He shuddered, and prepared himself for the next wave of pain. Or maybe he wouldn’t have too. If it went up at the same speed, of about 2 levels of the debuff each tick, then he would be dead on the spot.

 

He closed his eyes and curled up into a ball, ready to either be in the worst pain of his life, or for it to all just stop, when he felt something grab his shoulder.

 

“I got him! He looks pretty fucked up but he’s alive!”

 

The loud, brash voice pierced the void he was floating in, and when he turned his head, it was like a trail of light had appeared around him, dragging him out of it. The void around him shook, shaking as a feeling of anger? No… laughter, permeated it.

 

As the void finally started to fall away, as greys and greens and browns filled his blurry vision again, the voice at the very edge of his consciousness spoke once more. He wasn’t able to hear the contents of the message, but it was clear

 

… Saved by the bell, dear brother. How unfortunate. Ah well, I shall have to bid you forwell for now, Deku…

“God damnit, Izuku! You’re fucking heavy, what the fuck?”

 

Izuku coughed, blue dragon blood leaving his body as Rumi’s voice slammed into his ears. As well as her… his blurry vision picked up on two sets of bright pink and one set of yellow nearby.

 

Wait, was that he Hatsume’s and Melissa? That would make sense. Why would Melissa be letting out a squeal like that?

 

“Yo, Izuku, can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?”

 

He turned his head to Rumi, the tan and white blob to his left, and groaned as his blurry vision stopped him from being able to see her hand properly. “I-I do-COUGH-on’t k-know”

 

He heard her grumble a little, and winced as she lifted him quickly. “Damn, your sight seems to be a bit fucked up right now, probably hurts all over too, right? I’ve… heard about what you did from Shield’s daughter. I may not fully understand, but I doubt you’re in good health right now, even if your HP  is full.”

 

Izuku almost vomited as Rumi spun quickly with him in her arms, but stopped himself. He heard other voices, slightly muffled from distance and his own foggy ears, saying… something, and Rumi responded. “Yea, I got the XP as well. Now, lets get him away from this [Dragon], so we can get him some proper rest.”

 

Izuku huddled up a bit closer to Rumi as she started jogging, trying to stop from bobbing around too much, as it was giving him a headache. Eventually the blue sky vanished as they entered a building, and a few moments after that, he felt himself getting placed on a bed.

 

He heard Rumi sigh as the two pink and one yellow blobs sat down nearby. “If what Shield’s kid told me is true, then you’re really damn lucky, dude. Get some proper sleep now, alright? Can’t have my party member off his feet for too long.”

 

Izuku tried to respond, but his eyes were already closed. And a few seconds after that, the events of the day caught up with him, and he fell asleep.

 

Properly this time.