Not much to say, I'm tired.

I know you guys can't believe it, and I had a grand joke prepared to use here...

But I really can't bring myself to write anything else.

Chap about 7.5K words, the usual.

Peace.

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.

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----------

"..."

'While Petter inspected Dae's appearance, Philip looked at Carnatita as she crossed her arms in the air, upset.'

"... Don't mind him, you know he can't see you."

"Humph."

"Look, he was indeed rude towards you, but you tested his patience quite a bit you know, poking in and all."

"..."

"Sigh, that's what I thought." Philip said with a small helpless smile as he closed his eyes

She rarely speaks at all, so I wasn't expecting anything anyway.

"..."

'She looked at him and circled around him before stepping lightly on the ground, creating faint invisible ripples, as if she was touching a pool of water.'

"He asked for it." She said lightly before vanishing into the ground, going who knew where

'Her voice was very sweet and it made Philip feel a bit better just by hearing, it seemed to contain some strange power, or it was just that melodic.'

'It made him remember Lavinda, as her voice also had a similar ability.'

"..."

He asked for it you say...

Perhaps he did... Maybe he did speak too much...

But if that's the case, you could've just told me you felt uncomfortable instead of pushing him to the brink of annoyance, causing this situation in the first place.

And then you leave like a little spoiled kid... I guess you are in a way.

'Philip, however, did not feel relieved and in fact felt even more distressed as he saw her leave.'

'Who knew what kind of trouble she would cause while out of sight…'

'Well, whatever she did, it was impossible to trace it back to him anyway.'

'So without much else to do, he walked to Dae as well…'

…

/About a minute later.../

"... Is this... Really okay?" Petter asked as he saw Philip put Dae atop a small mat on the ground

Why does he even carry a mat around?...

"He's a tough guy, so he'll be okay, although the slap was quite strong, this is exactly what he needs." Philip replied as he looked at Dae on the ground

"ZZZzzz."

"... See? He's already sleeping."

"He said he had a few bad nights of sleep, but I think he was lying, from his looks, he must've skipped it several times straight…"

'Philip snapped his fingers in front of Dae's eyes, and there was absolutely no reaction.'

"Look, he's completely out cold, he won't even react if you act around him..."

"But for the sake of it, don't push it."

"Give him some time to sleep, we can resume our conversation later." He said as he took a white blanket from his inventory, covering Dae

Now or later, it doesn't change things much.

I still have many questions to ask him, my Titles, what I saw, to confirm some things, ask about the future, and much more.

But there's no need to make them one after the other in sequence.

"Why are you covering him?! He's not dead!"

"Oops, my bad." Philip said with a sly smile as he pulled the blanket a little

Though... At this rate, I'm sure he would've preferred to be once he wakes up.

That bump at the back of his head is no joke.

He'll wake up to quite the pain.

"..."

'While Philip turned from Dae, Petter was in deep thoughts.'

Dae's really out cold... I've never seen this before.

It's a good change of pace, from me waking up from being knocked out to him... Heh.

If only I could take a photo of this moment...

Still... I thought Philip was exaggerating a bit in his story, but this is enough evidence.

Only an invisible ghost would be able to hit him in the face like this...

Look, I can almost even see the mark of her hand on his face.

There's no doubt about it, she does really exist, meaning, those jokes I had in my head...

I better forget about them all... Yeah.

'With a silent nod to himself, Petter threw away all of his unfriendly jokes about Philip's unusual companion.'

…

'Eventually, after leaving Dae on the side to sleep soundly, Philip and Petter returned to the training grounds.'

"... Are you going to keep punching this rock or will we move to the next one?" Petter asked as he looked at Philip

"Hum… Just one more punch." Philip said as he clenched his right fist

I'll at least reach the maximum value of the second stage.

Can't say much about the third though.

With my current capabilities, hitting 20 thousand Imperial Units should be nearing my actual limit.

This is, without me putting on my best Titles and using Magic and other abilities to enhance my physical prowess.

Though I believe that would still be against the rules.

Since its a machine to measure something, I'll play by the rules.

I'm sure there is another machine for me to show everything I have at once out there...

"Well then, it's all yours." Petter said as he stepped aside

"..."

'Philip walked forward, looking at the rock as he got into a stance.'

'His muscles all tensed heavily, his veins moving beneath his skin…'

'Petter frowned as he saw that, but he said nothing, he had seen more bizarre things in the last 6 months…'

'Albeit Philip could only use his physical power, his degree of control over it was beyond Superhuman.'

"Haa…" He exhaled lightly as he raised one first

'Without any ceremony, he slammed his hand against it.'

/BOOOOOM!/

…

/A few minutes before…/

"Huff… Parties." A dark-haired boy said as he walked around the elegant corridors of the Fortress

'He looked very young, no older than 19 as his face was still clear, without any signs of facial hair.'

'Even with his clothes and muscles, he didn't look very manly, he had that "mother's child" look...'

Even from here, I can still hear that tasteless music.

Urg... I can't get used to them, no matter how many times I attend them, I can't help but feel…

That they're all a bunch of nonsense.

'The young man seemed very impatient, his personality... Fickle.'

'He didn't seem to be able to stay in one place for long as he zapped from one corridor to the next in search of something... Looking around the place as if trying to remember where to go…'

"Left... Right... Forward... Strange vase... Aha!..."

'Snapping his fingers, he took a step forward.'

"... Aaand... Great, I'm lost again."

"This place is too damn confusing, I preferred when…"

"Oh?... Wait, I'm here." He said with some surprised as he shook his head, stopping in front of a small door

/Creak/

'By opening it, a small room appeared.'

"One part's done, now... It's this damn thing… I hate it." He said with a frown as he closed the door behind him

/Clack/

...

/Silence…/

'As he rested his head on the wall, he finally managed to relax a little as he felt the weight of the party vanish from his body.'

"Once all the noise's out, this place is quite nice." He mumbled to himself with a small smile

I could even sleep here thanks to all this carpet.

This generation does love these for some reason...

"This place would be even better If those kids stopped being euphoric all the time…"

"Ah... Shit…" He said with some realization

I guess I'm one of them now.

'Laughing drily, he waited in the slightly dark room in silence.'

/Shake…/

'After a minute, the room started shaking…'

…

"I… Hold it… Arg… My entire stomach was… Urg..." He said as he rested his head on the door

'Feeling immense discomfort in his tummy, the boy raised his right hand to his stomach, and faint sparks lit up in the dark.'

'And after a small while of shocking his own body…'

"... Phew… What a ride."

"I really hate these old-style teleporters, they jumble my entire system every damn time."

At this point, I can even call this a weakness of mine.

If every time I'm transported like this my internal arrays are twisted to this degree, then if someone were to do this to me on the battlefield I would be screwed.

Unlikely but possible.

/Creak…/

'Opening the door into another corridor, the man felt lost once more as his eyes sharpened…'

"Damn it all, every nook and cranny of this place looks the exact same, they said I could use the paintings and statues as guide marks, but they all look the exact same to me!"

'He turned to look at a painting of a woman on the wall.'

"How many times have I seen her? I swear this nobility they all look the same..."

"Where was the way again?..." He asked himself as he scratched his head

/BOOOOOM!/

/Shake.../

"!"

This...

'Hearing a loud banging sound nearby, he immediately knew where to go.'

…

/Crunk!/

'The boy quickly opened one of the many doors to the training room, rushing inside to witness what was going on.'

'And without any surprise, he quickly saw what was happening, the source of the heavy impact he felt...'

'At about the center of the training grounds, he saw 2 boys that seemed a bit older standing in next to a machine.'

'Behind them was… A body?!'

'But upon a closer look, he noticed that the body was just someone covered from head to toe in a white blanket and that he was still breathing faintly.'

'It was… Unusual but certainly not the most bizarre thing he witnessed amidst the habits of those around him.'

'However, what truly shocked him was what they were doing…'

"..."

That sound and trembling… Was it that man's punch?

He seems a bit familiar... Ah! I recognize him...

Yes, from long ago… The missing guy!

'The boy slowly remembered who Philip was, from the rumors of a missing Hero to the little information he happened to come across over time, he slowly pieced together a truth.'

So all Heroes have now gathered.

That was to be expected, given what is about to be announced.

'Despite his curiosity with Philip, he didn't really care about who he was or what he was planning on doing.'

'He never really bothered to seek such info, as he wasn't someone that enjoyed poking into other people's business, but as he was confined within a "small" place, it was impossible not to hear something here and there.'

'Keeping your ears shut is just another way to shoot yourself in the foot at the end of the day.'

'So from time to time, he would ask someone about something just so he could continue to keep up with the others, even in the most basic of levels.'

"..."

And the one next to him… I forgot his name… Potter? No, that wasn't it...

He's the guy with the unusually high Vitality, the Cockroach that can stand a beating from anyone in the top 10 without a problem...

Normally that would be pretty impressive, but since he's always next to "that guy", most ended up assuming he is his servant or something, unknowingly undermining him in the process.

Since he never talks or expresses his opinion loudly, people just started to treat him as if he didn't exist, intentionally or not.

Although, in that sense, he's like me.

He just minds his own business… Albeit, a tad much.

Because it made people look down on him more than they should,

I can still remember how surprised they were when his true abilities were revealed.

Yet, instead of defending his own ground, he took a step back and retreated from their pressure… Well, that isn't the truth, but indeed up being what most believed in anyway.

... He just minds his business a tad… Too… Much.

Still, they would be very wrong to underestimate the kid.

His Vitality is overwhelming, and it's ready to burst.

It may not be now, but eventually…

'Either way, after taking a look at the two people in the distance, he turned to pay attention to what they were doing.'

The Physical strength machine, that's a simple one.

From the tremor he caused... It must be over 1000 Imperial Units.

'He was a bit far away but everything was still as clear as day.'

'The Numbers beneath the rock read:'

'20000.'

"..."

What a crazy guy.

20000 in six months? Is the Red Knight even that strong physically?

'The boy's expression changed, could there really be a Hero this strong this soon?'

Doesn't that mean his pure physical growth is completely...

As expected… Heroes are a box of surprises… Their potential is truly boundless.

The moment you lower your guard…

'Painful memories crossed his mind.'

"Tsk."

'Shaking his head, he did the only thing he could think of…'

Heroes? What am I even thinking about?...

This isn't about whether we are Heroes or not.

I can't go around putting all Heroes on the same pedestal as that anomaly over there.

Even in the past 1000 years and 10 summonings, the number of Heroes that reached his point was few.

Most flopped before then.

It's just that this batch is full of these 'irregulars', that was the reason why they made a top 10 list in the first place.

Since we were so numerous.

'He turned to the side, making his way to a part of the training ground relatively far away from them both.'

'It was some sort of strange machine that looked like several rectangles floating around a small metallic table.'

[Storm Heart Stirs...]

"!"

What?... Why is it...

'The boy turned his gaze to the side, and his eyes met with Philip's for the first time.'

'From within his blue pupils, he saw a small blue flame ignite momentarily before it vanished...'

'He couldn't tell what it was, but he felt something from the depths of his body react to him, it was a strange feeling of... Power.'

Is it reacting to him?

Interesting...

Storm Heart is the manifestation of my everything, but it's still imperfect.

The only other time it reacted was when I was in the Royal Vault...

Does he have something that could help me perfect it?

Mayhaps... It would be wise to talk with him later on...

But now's not the time.

/Thud/

'Without even a single word, the boy sat atop the table, and the rectangles slowly moved, circling around him…'

While they enjoy the party and their drinks, I'll just do what I'm most comfortable at...

/BZZ!/

'And faint sparks of lightning started to form between his body and the rectangles…'

…

/Meanwhile… A few seconds before.../

"... Who's that guy?" Philip asked as he saw the boy walk out of the door

"Hm?... Oh. That's Oliver."

"... Who?..."

"He's one of the big guys, I think he was… Ranked Number 9 of the top 10 Heroes."

"That may not look much, but the list is quite decent, everyone in there are monsters in their own right."

"And as I said before, the top 10 Heroes were mostly ranked by immediate combat power and nothing else, so it's a bit inaccurate to their true capabilities when compared to all other 100 Heroes."

For example, if I remember correctly, there was one person capable of performing a lengthy ritual that took 24 hours to finish, but the end result would be... Quite explosive."

"There are also other Heroes whose abilities are quite troublesome to deal with, but they lack either time or resources to be in the top 10 right now."

"Dae has his own list as he evaluates the Heroes differently."

"His top 10 list is a bit different from the top 10 list that everyone knows of, but that shows to prove how much he values those 10 people specifically."

"On that note, he evaluates Oliver quite highly, putting him as the third strongest, with him being at the top obviously."

The second one... Ah yes...

It was the 'Outsider'.

"And albeit he was always joking about it, Dae never slacked off in training either."

"In Oliver's case, he's a closer quarter martial artist of some kind with great emphasis on a strange form of Lightning 'Magic'."

"He's quite good at it too, as during his sole fight against Dae a few weeks ago, he managed to land a hit on him…" Petter said with a nod as he remembered the past

"But Dae blocked it before retaliating, that's about the sole thing I remember." Petter said with a nod

Dae's growth has been... Slow, to say the least.

But it has also been one of the fastest.

In other words, he's slow from what I expected him to be able to do...

While he's fast when compared to everyone else.

Even then, his growth is very sparse.

Sometimes he'll remain the same for weeks before exploding in power later...

He doesn't really have the need to sharpen his abilities, so his true combat power is just limitate by what his body can handle and what he decides to show, so that's that.

"..."

'Philip looked at Petter with a dark expression.'

How can that be the only thing you remember?

'Philip looked at Oliver, who was now sitting on the strange machine, releasing lightning sparks from his skin, and he felt a bit odd.'

Heroes are indeed unique.

Of all the people I met so far after I left the Palace, few gave me this feeling.

This foreign emotion... It's like a unique Aura only Heroes possess.

Petter looks like a... Bottle that's under pressure, ready to burst.

While he gives me the impression I'm looking at a rumbling storm.

Although, that wouldn't be precise.

I haven't felt this only from Heroes, as the Elven Princess was one, and Elven girls were another, the daughter of the Azul family…

Now that I think about it, something feels off about this statement… Hum…

'Taking his eyes off Oliver, he turned to Petter.'

"There's still some time left, do you want to check some of the other machines or should we just sit back and wait?"

"I'm fine with either since at the end of the day, won't we go through all of these again?" Petter asked out loud with a shrug

"And since that guy's sleeping, it wouldn't be good to continue our conversation… He would end up complaining or forcing us to go over everything again."

"Not an impossible problem to prevent anyway, we can just continue later."

'Petter walked to one of the chairs on the edge of the training room.'

"Might as well sit back and close my eyes for a few moments as I barely slept in the past few days."

"Once everyone's here... We can think about that when it happens." He said lazily as he yawned

"Hum… If that's what you wish." Philip replied as he looked at the boulder reset its position

I was a bit interested in testing a few of these machines on my own, but he's right.

We'll eventually have to do them all over again, so there's no real reason in doing them all now apart from my own self-satisfaction in seeing the numbers rise.

It's not like I'm trying to keep what I can do a secret, as there's a database for every machine recording everything.

That wasn't my intention anyway.

"Besides... It's not fun to show off without an audience..."

'Thinking about that, Philip went to sit next to Petter, taking out something else from his inventory.'

"Hum? What's that?" Petter asked as he saw Philip take out a small controller from thin air

"My pass time." Philip said as he booted MT up

There's no need to fear too much for MT as I have many excuses to explain its existence.

Besides, it would be very hard for anyone apart from the Heroes to comprehend even a smidge of what it can do.

I just need to limit their knowledge of it and I'll be pretty much able to use MT in the open, no problem.

It's a step-by-step process.

[BEEP]

"MT continue the lesson from where we stopped yesterday."

[Understood, continuing basic Magic theory…]

"What the… You've been studying magic?" Petter asked as he heard MTs reply

That looks like a cellphone, it looks oddly advanced...

Where does he take these from? Last time he took out a blunderbuss from his ass and pointed it at me, now he takes... I don't even know what that is...

"Mostly as a pass time whenever I have the extra time, it's somewhat useful."

It's a bit fun, though a bit complex… About as hard as Calculus.

Though different from that, I can use the formulas I learned to cast a fireball, the most I can do with Calculus is fry my own damn head.

If only I knew my life would take a turn like this, then I would've focused on learning martial arts from the beginning...

It would've made my life easier at the start.

"Magic is pretty fun, but not my thing."

"Different from the Novels, it takes too damn long to understand anything and I can't even fathom doing anything extra in my already busy schedule..."

"How far have you gone into it? We've received some classes on Magic Theory, but that was only for us to understand some simple concepts…"

I can barely even be considered a Magic Apprentice, but by the standards of this world, I became an Apprentice in 6 months, that's not slow at all.

"Me? Well, I didn't have much time to study so about… Third Circle?" Philip said as he raised one of his eyebrows

I've read quite a bit on magic, but only passively.

I might've been able to achieve more if I had focused on it.

Either way, it's only theoretical knowledge, it would be complicated to actually pose as a Third Circle mage.

I have done almost nothing to actually be considered a mage...

Not that I can't, it's just complicated.

"Third Circle... Sigh."

"Have fun then…" Petter said as he closed his eyes, resting his head on the comfortable chair

At this point I'll never try and brag about anything, I bet that if I were to try and brag about having a girlfriend he'll come and say he rizzed up a God...

W-Why did I actually think that was possible?...

"..."

Now that he closed his eyes...

'Before he started with his studies, Philip pulled a pair of headphones from his inventory, putting them on his head.'

'These weren't exactly electronic headphones, they were magic items he made as a test for another smaller project and were relatively unrelated to their current use.'

'But in a stroke of luck, he found out they worked just fine for receiving information from MT just like a headset as long as he made some preparations beforehand.'

'MT couldn't just interact with magic, but through a series of small modifications, it was possible to give it magical capabilities, even if small.'

'MT was as capable as a first Circle wizard, having a Mana Battery that was pretty simple to charge.'

'Its range of activity increased massively with that upgrade.'

/Zuom!/

'By pressing a button, a screen manifested atop the controller, and by using his eyes, Philip scrolled through the options before choosing what he was actually looking for…'

/Music~/

'A good and relaxing music piece for him to listen to as he closed his eyes…'

"..."

Did they stop? Just like that?

'Meanwhile, from further away, Oliver stared at both Philip and Petter, unsure of what to think of their actions.'

'But in the end, he did the same, closing his eyes and waiting for time to pass…'

'The others would be here soon enough.'

…

/About half an hour later…/

"..."

'Philip slowly took off his headphones as he put MT in a more secretive spot..'

Someone's coming… A group.

About 6… And a few more right behind them.

... Oh, it's those girls… And one more.

Looks like the party is finally coming to an end… About time really.

I expected someone to arrive faster, but it seems like things were more entertaining than I expected.

The food was excellent though, I would've stayed just for that.

'As Philip thought of that, the group of six girls entered the training room, followed by a few maids.'

'It was clear why the Maids were there, as different from the guys, most of the girls were wearing some fancy dresses that needed to be switched before the training started.'

'It would be a bit much to have the Nobles wait for the Heroes to get dressed, so to speed things up, they were likely being sent here ahead of time while the king and the others closed things up on their end.'

'Even then, many boys would need help to have their hair done as today was the day for the Heroes to shine, be it at the party or now, they were meant to shine and show themselves to the world.'

'At least, that was how he thought things would go.'

'These girls were likely fed up with the party, so they decided to make their way here ahead of time.'

'Since as Dae said before, all of the top 10 Heroes were taught how to come here on their own, that meant that among those girls, one of them was on the list.'

'And he could easily tell who it was, she was right beside Dae when they entered the Ballroom behind the King, it wasn't hard to spot her, despite her lacking height.'

'Her unique purple hair also gave her away rather easily.'

'If he didn't remember wrong, her name was Vivian.'

'Still, he paid them no heed as he continued to sit down on his seat.'

'What he and Petter forgot to consider was that, in the first place, they being here was unusual in itself.'

'How come they wouldn't be curious about who had arrived first? It's not like there was anywhere else to look at...'

'Thankfully, those girls were too busy following the maids to a private room rather than paying attention to the two guys sleeping in the corner next to… Another guy sleeping on the ground.'

'Though, of course, some of them still looked at them as they walked, albeit from afar and not for long.'

'One of their gazes was particularly strong… This time, however, he felt no System notifications.'

"..."

'With his eyes closed, Philip could still perceive his surroundings, and he managed to discern exactly who was looking at him.'

Hum… Is she upset?

Well… I did blow a cake on her face, I would be too if I were in her place.

But she deserved it, teach her not to peep at other peoples' Stats.

Though, I'm surprised there were no notifications...

I imagined those girls would've tried something against me by now...

Did that girl keep what happened a secret? That's the only way.

'What he found odd was how he didn't feel hostility from her gaze, which was weird considering what he did to her.'

'Still, it mattered little to him either way as Philip was more occupied listening to his music rather than on the Heroes.'

"Hum?... Is it time already?" Petter asked as he opened his eyes

'He looked around, seeing the girls pass behind them.'

"The party must be ending soon, they're the first to arrive beyond us and that guy over there." Philip said without opening his eyes

"... Wake me up when the rest arrive… ZZZzzz..." Petter said lazily as he closed his eyes again, going to sleep immediately after

"..."

This guy is unusually proficient at going to sleep.

Does he have a Skill for this?... Hum... Did he train himself to sleep quickly due to his lack of time?

How pitiful…

'Shaking his head internally, Philip waited for the next group to arrive.'

'And as expected he didn't have to wait for long…'

…

/Sometime later…/

'As time passed, more and more people started to arrive…'

'Heroes of many groups wearing fancy clothes, entering the training room together with some maids and even some Nobles before immediately going somewhere to change.'

'The Nobles on the other hand took their seats quietly whispering at each other.'

'Something seemed strange about them, they looked oddly nervous, like a kid in front of an angry parent.'

'Philip couldn't think of anything else apart from the room itself.'

'Just like how a normal person might feel if they were to enter the Whitehouse, these Nobles might be feeling pressurized by being in such a historical place.'

"..."

Will I have to go back to fetch Viera and Tredis?

It would be pretty embarrassing for them to be left behind alone...

'While Philip thought about what to do, people continued to flock inside the room.'

'Meanwhile, the first few girls to arrive had yet to come back from the back rooms… As expected from girls, taking too damn long to change.'

'Though they deserved some slack, fancy clothes with fancy hair and makeup did take quite some time to change.'

'This made Philip realize that it might be time for him to change his own clothes as well, so he got up from his seat and made his way to the boys' changing room.'

'Dae and Petter were still half asleep while Oliver was still sitting in the middle of the strange machine, dozens of lightning bolts hitting him every second.'

'He was completely unfazed even as dozens of eyes were locked onto him.'

'It was as if he was in his own world...'

'Most importantly, Carnatita was still nowhere to be seen and Philip started to get a little agitated as he thought about what that little beast was up to.'

'But knowing he could do little to stop her, he thought that walking around a bit to occupy himself wouldn't be that bad.'

'So he made his way to the male changing room on the far right side of the room.'

…

/Creak…/

'Opening the door into the changing room, Philip was welcomed with a grand bathhouse of some sort, with massive pools all around and more.'

"..."

Everything is fancy in some way in this place, its overwhelming to some extent.

I know that's not likely done on purpose since high-quality materials deserve high-quality craftsmanship and the fact we are Heroes we need to be exposed to this and that...

But I do miss the simplicity of my old room on Earth that consisted of a table and a bed on the ground...

I miss my room.

"Hero." Someone said from the side

'Philip turned his head to look at the maid, she stood there quietly with a smile on her face.'

[...

Level 60]

These Maids are damn crazy... What's the need for High-Level Maids?

It looks cool to be served by a strong Maid, but nothing else.

I don't have that kind of fetish...

...

'Without being embarrassed, Philip merely did what he was supposed to by accepting her assistance.'

'There was no point in being overly embarrassed or to refuse her time and time again since it would only make her job harder and things to take longer, especially since he didn't know much about his surroundings.'

'So he eventually followed her to a side cabin where she helped him put on his clothes.'

'Philip felt no aversion to having a pretty girl help him change his clothes, but he still had a pretty big problem and it was the reason he refuse the Maids' help back in the Palace in the City of Freedom.'

'Their assistance made him feel like a big baby, especially the ones serving the Crown, as these Maids were trained to be as thorough as possible in their jobs.'

'Which consisted of but was not limited to:'

'A great array of Skills, Magic capabilities, and more, to help him change his hairstyle from its previous sleek way without tangling it too much.'

'With a snap of her fingers, his clothes would be perfectly cleaned and ironed before being set aside neatly, all in the time it took for him to draw in a breath.'

'In less than 5 minutes, Philip was ready, wearing brand new clothes and with a completely different hairstyle, his vibe now being completely different from before.'

'They say the hair and clothes make the man, that was indeed the truth.'

'His clothes seemed to be something in between gym clothes and rubber, skin-tight diver suit.'

'They were made to stick close to the body without exposing much while also promoting as much movement as possible.'

'They were very flexible and Philip could tell they were strong and resilient too.'

'Just by wearing them, he felt way better and more free, so much so he wanted to try punching that rock again.'

'But that would be for later.'

"... Thank you." He said lightly as he turned to look at the Maid

These Maids are indeed very professional, they finished their job in no time at all.

No extra talk, no nothing, 11/10 service, and I don't even have to tip them for doing their job...

Just everything I need.

"My pleasure." She said with a gentle smile as she bowed

'It was a bit hard to discern, but she was blushing a little.'

'For someone so used to doing things like this, perhaps Philip had been a tad much to her…'

'Even if she was trained to act in a certain way, she was still a Human girl, after all...'

'Either way, he paid it no heed, already used to this due to his months with the Maids in the Manor.'

'He got out of the cabin as he moved his arms around, getting used to his clothes while also meeting with a few people on the way out...'

/Chatter…/

'Philip saw a group of four sitting around a few benches as they talked lightly about a series of things.'

'The party, girls, food, Skills, future, training… Home… The usual talk you would expect from their current circumstances.'

'They seemed to have just taken a shower, given the towels hanging around their bodies and the small drops of water falling on their shoulders.'

'They were all very muscular, but that wasn't enough to tell who they were, as by this point in time, all Heroes would've received a lot of physical training and materials to help with that, so seeing a Skinny Hero would be almost impossible.'

'But these guys seemed a bit… Bigger.'

"..."

Hum… I recognize them.

That big guy in the middle… Partison, the strongest Hero… Physically.

A Hero is known for his physical capabilities.

Next to him are his gym bros… Well, they were never really gym bros since they were from the same school...

I don't even think they went to the same gym, I just think they were all just very athletic kids, each excelling in their own fields...

Hum...  That guy is the Hero who awakened as the descendant of the Monkey King…

That other one is the last living descendant of the Fading Swordsman, a Legend of the past.

While the last one, was he the Monster Devourer?... I don't think so, that was someone else.

I didn't quite pay attention to what each Hero got as I was more occupied with studying during my one month in the Palace.

/Laughs!/

"..."

'On the other side of the bathroom, he saw a few middle-aged men sitting next to a bald black man as they laughed and cheered about something.'

Oh… Those are some of my professors.

Well, not all, most professors left the lecture before we were summoned here, so they didn't have the chance to adventure in another world.

Of the ones that remained, none of them were tutoring me, with one of them only being responsible for Internship, something I never really bothered with despite being in an advanced year...

Next to them… Mr. Shiny head, he taught mostly physics and advanced Calculus as he was the Department Head of Mechanical Engineering.

They all changed considerably since I last saw them…

In the first month, the mood had always been one of mostly confusion, helplessness, anger… And many more negative emotions.

Now it seemed they were already used to and more relaxed about their situation, they're laughing and they seem to have accepted their current condition.

It seems the psychological help of the Crown did change them for the better, and they don't seem to have been forced to change unwillingly...

Not to say their powers… As their mentality wasn't the only thing that changed.

'Philip could feel faint traces of energy being released from their bodies.'

'Of course, he could use his Skill to inspect their levels, but for the sake of being formal, he decided not to pry too much just in the situation someone had a defensive Skill like the Sage girls.'

'Scholar Vision was by no means an ultimate Skill, at least when compared to the other things he had in his arsenal… And the Heroes Skills too.'

'Nevertheless, even if he wanted to, Scholar's vision was still dormant after its clash with the girl's skill.'

I'm curious about how much everyone grew…

What sort of sights they'll show?

'With a light mood, Philip turned around…'

[Ding]

[Skill, Golden Eyes is being used on you]

[Skills, Great Schollar's Vision LvMax, and Outer Mantra Lv5 protect your Status]

[Skill, Price Check is being used on you]

[Skills, Great Schollar's Vision LvMax, and Outer Mantra Lv5 protect your Status]

[Skill, Inherit Value is…]

[Skills…]

'As he did so, he met with an unfamiliar person… Followed by a group of people.'

'A group of fancy-looking kids with snobby expressions...'

'He knew who they were.'

'But that didn't matter, because they had just irked him a little by trying to peep where they didn't belong.'

'And despite doing so, they didn't seem to have any intention of apologizing.'

'Honestly, there was no point in being so overly offended by this, it's just a bit above the level of a guy checking a girl's ass on the gym when she passed in front of him…'

'These Heroes were given many tools and incentivized to use them, they surely know of the dangers they could cause, but they likely don't take him as being one of them.'

'In short, they were undermining him… Or they were simply unaware of the dangers.'

'But given how their reactions remained the same, it's clear that they weren't surprised by this outcome.'

'Meaning that, in a sense, they were prepared for it, and as such, being unaware of it would be strange.'

'Philip knew that they had just arrived and that this encounter had been somewhat accidental, but given how coordinated they were, they either thought similar, which was very possible, or they had planned to check on him beforehand, like a silent agreement to do so whenever they met him.'

'And this… Pissed him off even further.'

"... A bit rude to throw Skills at someone just like that don't you all think?" Philip said as he crossed his arms

'He didn't beat around the bush, displaying his dissatisfaction upfront.'

""...""

'Of the four, only one maintained his calm as he looked at Philip.'

'The same one that didn't use a single Skill upon meeting him face to face.'

"Wait, let's not jump to conclusions." One of them said as he took a step forward

'It was a very handsome blond man with green eyes.'

'His appearance was like that of prince charming, his vibe being similar to that of the first and second princes.'

'Unlike the other three, he didn't seem to look down on Philip, but that didn't change the way he saw them.'

Playing Bad Cop and Good Cop? Alright, let's see what you all want.

"And what other conclusion should I reach?" Philip asked as a smirk formed in his mind

"It's a bit shameful but everyone is tired after many days of preparations for this day, and…"

/Creak!/

'Before the man had the time to say his lines, a silver-haired kid hastily opened the doors to the bathroom, smiling slyly as he did so.'

"Ha! I knew it!

'And the moment he spoke, the blond man's expression sullied a little, but only for a moment before he returned to normal.'

"Ed-dy! Do you think everyone's stupid enough to fall into your wordplay?" He said as he stopped near another door that led deeper into the pools

"Damien… I already told you to stop calling me that." Eddy replied with a calm expression, albeit he seemed a bit annoyed

"Yeah yeah, I will… When it stops being funny."

'He turned to Philip, smiling slightly as he tapped his right shoulder without a single care for formalities.'

"Woah! You have quite the stiff shoulder there new guy, you should consider visiting some of the maids, they have quite the good massage!"

"Eddy knows everything about that, he can't sleep well without receiving a good massage you know where." He said with a wink before turning to Eddy

"Take my word of advice and keep an eye out around here, some people just can't keep to themselves."

""...""

'The snobby kids seemed pissed at his remarks, with the exception of Eddy.'

"See you all around, good luck today…"

"This time, I don't think your money will be able to help you all much!" He said with an ironic smile as he made his way further inside

"... Well… I... Apologize for that." 'Eddy' said as he face palmed

"Damien is... Just like that, a bit too self-centered for his own good."

"His prejudice against people is very strong and hard to clear once he settles on it."

"He often tries to help others… Even if it ends up sounding rude and… Pardon my lack of words, retarded."

"He is very confident in his own Skills and that has gotten to his head more than once before, and each time he is taught reality he somehow forgets about it before returning to his normal state... The one you saw just now."

"On that note, I would also like to apologize, sometimes, we just kind of do things without thinking, as many of us can't live without Skills all the time."

"It's just how some of us adapted, that's all."

"I hope our first, awkward meeting doesn't dirty our relationship that much."

"I'm Edgard, also known as the Hero of the Golden Vault due to my Skill."

"To my right is Dougle, and to my left are Richard and Harrison."

"What's up? My bad for before, can't really resist using my Skills sometimes."

"Pleasure... And an apology."

"Greetings... Sorry."

"..."

'Hearing their replies, Philip thought about something for a while before raising his hand and grabbing Edgard's, doing a simple handshake.'

"I'll accept them. Your apologies."

"Still... Once is fine, since it's not the first time someone has checked me up since I returned."

"But hopefully, there won't be a next time." He said plainly as he let go of his hand

"See you all around." He said as he walked past them

/Clack!/

""...""

'As the door closed behind them, Dougle, Richard, and Harrison were left in silence as Edgard let out a small chuckle.'

"He's an interesting fellow, even though we provoked him, he remained relatively level-headed." Richard added as he looked at the door

Damien also ended up reacting exactly as expected, he's really predictable sometimes...

"I didn't expect him to be able to block our Skills, it seems 'his' prediction was correct, as expected." Dougle added as he exhaled

"Uhum." Harrison said with a nod

"... Even if not, there's no need to make an enemy out of anyone." Edgard said as he turned around

"Albeit Damien's words were dry, he's somewhat correct."

"For people like us whose powers depend on our wealth, making connections to gather more resources is what we should aim towards."

"Wasting them in meaningless bouts due to pride or something more fundamental is… Foolish."

"Especially since… I have an inkling things are…"

[The Golden City reacts to a trove of wealth…]

"About to change." He said as he walked deeper into the changing room

…

.

.

.

Notes

Phew, it's over.

Sorry for the delay, this chapter was supposed to be released two days ago, but I came across a massive problem...

I ended up scraping most of this chapter because I wasn't happy with its tone.

This mostly came from the many characters Philip was supposed to interact with and the many Skills they were meant to use upon meeting with him.

After all, when everyone is a protagonist-level character, I need to make them feel like it at the very least.

But due to how tired and fed up I was with this shit, I ended up rushing some of those interactions.

I'm sorry for that, I hope everything went well.

In the end, I pushed Philip's discussion about his shit with Dae for later, which isn't exactly a problem, since we'll end up tackling it later on anyway, but it can be annoying for some that desired answers immediately.

Dae definitely has many clues for many things, but we'll be forced to wait for later as of right now, the gathering of the Heroes has started.

The next Arc will soon be revealed and a new journey awaits Philip.

In this one, he won't be alone for most of it.

In terms of timeline, I have no idea how long it'll take, but likely as long as this one, 6 months.

But different from this one, we'll have several timeskips to cross time faster.

This chapter might've also felt a bit... Stale?

Since not much happens.

Philip sits down and changes clothes... That's it.

In fact, I'm impressed at how much shit I wrote with just that...

Next chapter, the other Heroes should arrive, starting with the Mc saying his reactions to everyone, just like he did in Chapter 1.

Then, we'll have the King and Nobles appear, together with the start of the assessment, perhaps some conflict, ass whopping, showing off, bla bla.

We'll see, I'm tired, that's why I'm being blunt here.

Suggestions are welcomed as always.

Peace.