Without even realizing it, his Hidden Boss progress bar had filled up once, converting into 1 Hidden Boss point. First, from duking it out with the saintess and then with the grand paladin. And the last fill-up happened after that meeting with the tower heads and when he nailed down his concept.
He scored the highest percentage when he took on the saintess—like a whopping 40%. Maybe she underestimated him, thinking he was just a level 2 wizard, and he showed her what's what. So, she was very surprised. Against the grand paladin, he only snagged 30%, mostly 'cause he bolted out of there quick, not 'cause he almost fried the grand paladin with his spell.
But the last two events got him thinking. Maybe his cover was blown anyway. Lady Evangeline, Sir Cedric, and Sir Archibald might've put two and two together, figuring out he was the mystery wizard who tangled with the saintess. Otherwise, why would the progress bar shoot up? They must've been surprised by his hidden strength. And when he nailed down his concept, they probably had another shocker moment.
Eh, whatever. He'll deal with whatever comes his way. Since those three level 2 wizards didn't outright call him out or force him to confess he's a level 3 wizard, he would just keep playing dumb.
Anyway, now he had one HBP burning a hole in his pocket. Hm... what's on the shopping list?
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[Hidden Boss]
HBP: 1 (Hidden Boss Points - use this to redeem one [Ability])
HB Progress Bar: 0/100% (fill this progress bar to 100% to get another HBP)
[Paralyzed Face]
Throw all the things life has to offer right at my face and you can see my face won’t change *dead fish eyes…
[Cosmic Weed]
I'm like a stubborn houseplant, you try to get rid of me, but I just keep popping up in unexpected places. You thought you'd tossed me out the window, but surprise! I'm flourishing on the neighbor's balcony too. You thought you'd given me the boot, but guess who's thriving in the garden shed? I'm like the eternal weed of your life, popping up everywhere you least expect.
[Here and There]
Ha ha ha, there's no cage under the heaven that can hold me! One moment I'm here, the next, poof! I'm there! I'm like the cosmic Houdini, disappearing from one corner of the universe to another, leaving everyone scratching their heads wondering, "Where did he go?" From the highest celestial realms to the deepest earthly depths, I'm the master of disappearing acts!
Scroll down to see more…
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The explanation got longer… but it still didn't clear up squat! After muttering some curse words under his breath, he glanced around, making sure Fannie wasn't within earshot. He couldn't bear the thought of her innocent self picking up any foul language.
After making sure Fannie wasn’t around, he let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to his status window. Eyeing the options for the Hidden Boss abilities, he started mulling over the idea that maybe the first three abilities—[Hidden Strength], [Thousand Faces], and [Paralyzed Face]—were the ones meant to be picked first.
Their titles were clearer than the others. The other options had more confusing titles, so choosing from them felt like a shot in the dark, a mix of luck and guesswork. Sure, he could gather some rough ideas of what the abilities did from the explanations, but it still wasn’t enough to make a confident choice.
So, he took his time, weighing the options, and eventually decided that [Cosmic Weed] and [Here and There] were the most useful currently. [Cosmic Weed] seemed like a lifesaving ability, while [Here and There] looked like a teleportation ability.
"Man, this is tricky. Both abilities are top-tier," he muttered to himself. A lifesaving ability was crucial—dying was his biggest fear, especially since he had to make it back to his old world somehow. But having teleportation would make exploring a breeze.
Here's the thing—he reckoned he'd eventually soak up all the knowledge on this continent, but he wasn’t so sure he’d stumble upon the key to getting back home. If not, he’d have to either sail across the sea to another land or venture through the abyss of the forest of death. He was certain he'd encounter something he couldn’t beat or trigger a trap and end up stuck somewhere. Having teleportation ability would be a real lifesaver in those sticky situations.
As Zack mulled it over again, he realized that Cosmic Weed might just do the trick. With that, he wouldn’t have to fear exploring dangerous areas, since his life was guaranteed by the ability. But the snag was, he had zero clue how it worked. If it just plopped him back in the same spot, it’d be as good as not coming back at all since he’d just bite the dust again. On the flip side, grabbing [Here and There] would be pointless if he kicked the bucket before getting a chance to teleport.
Zack’s frown deepened. His train of thought led him to the conclusion that both abilities were equally crucial. But given his current jam, a lifesaving ability seemed like the priority. Who knew what curveballs fate would throw his way? Having a safety net was key.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
With his mind made up, he wasted no time and went for [Cosmic Weed]. Instantly, the know-how on using the ability was zapped into his brain. Checking it out, he couldn’t help but grin.
Without skipping a beat, he activated the ability right away.
***
In the 95th floor’s kitchen, Fannie was humming away, slicing up some mushrooms. As she finished up, Zack suddenly popped into the kitchen from the front door.
“Hey Fannie, what’s cookin’?”
Fannie kept her focus on the chopping board, continuing to slice away at the mushrooms while answering Zack’s question, “Steak with mushroom gravy today.”
Zack eyed the ominous black mushrooms and wiped his brow. If he hadn’t tasted this dish before, he might’ve thought Fannie was trying to poison him with toxic mushrooms.
But, as always with Fannie’s cooking, looks could be deceiving. The taste was guaranteed to be top-notch. Lately, her culinary skills have been on the rise. This steak with mushroom gravy was one of Zack’s favorites from her repertoire. The rich, savory flavor of the gravy with just a hint of herb was a perfect match for his taste buds. He’d even say it beat the cafeteria’s steak any day.
Grinning, he nodded his thanks to Fannie and patted her head before heading back to the front door.
As Zack made his way out, someone else patted Fannie’s shoulder from behind. Meanwhile, Zack’s back was still visible from the kitchen counter, so Fannie could see him as she felt the touch of another person. In that split second, Fannie’s instincts kicked in—there was an intruder. She swiftly activated [Double Enhancement] and cast a reinforcement spell on the kitchen knife she held, [Lightning Blade].
In a flash, her body was surrounded by crackling lightning, and the world around her slowed down. She spun around rapidly, thrusting her knife toward the person’s face who had touched her shoulder.
BOOM!
Feeling her knife hit something solid but unable to pierce through, Fannie quickly backed away. Keeping her focus on the intruder, she unleashed [Zeus’s Thunderbolt], the mightiest offensive spell her teacher had ever taught her. It was leagues above the other top-tier level 2 spells.
She sensed the enemy’s defense was formidable, and while she was confident the thunderbolt could crack their barrier, she wasn’t sure if it would actually harm them. But her goal was simply to buy time until her teacher arrived. No matter how tough the enemy seemed, they’d be toast once her teacher showed up.
But just as her thunderbolt finished forming, a strange sensation swept over her, starting from the intruder in front of her. Suddenly, the entire space locked down. She couldn’t move, couldn’t control her spell—she was completely immobilized. It was a Domain. She was sure of it; her teacher had shown her his domain before, and the feeling of helplessness now was just like it was then.
Resigned to her fate, she was stunned when the intruder spoke up. “Sorry, sorry. It’s me, Zack. Your teacher. I was testing a new ability to see if you could figure it out. Didn’t expect things to escalate like this.”
Was she hallucinating? Wasn’t that her teacher’s voice? As her Double Enhancement wore off, time around her returned to normal. The dust settled from their earlier clash, revealing the face of the “intruder” in front of her.
It turned out to be her teacher after all. Everything matched—the face, the body, even that distinct no aura her teacher always carried. With her teacher retracting his domain, Fannie regained control of her body and deactivated her spell. She turned her head away, still fuming. Even she could get pretty steamed if someone pulled a prank like this. So, she ignored her teacher, her expression clearly showing her irritation.
Seeing the puffy look on Fannie’s face, her teacher felt a pang of regret. He shouldn’t have tested his new ability on her like that. Sure, she was the only other level 2 around to test it on, but he should’ve just shown her the ability and asked for her opinion. Pranking her wasn’t cool.
Taking full responsibility for his childish behavior, he approached Fannie slowly from the side where she had turned her head. “Hey, don’t be mad, okay? It’s all my fault. I’m really sorry and regretful for what I did. I’ll make it up to you. Is there anything I can do for you?”
As he looked into Fannie’s eyes, she turned her head and body away even more. Seeing her reaction, he felt a twinge of guilt. “Ugh, I feel awful for making Fannie mad, but even when she’s angry, she’s still so cute!”
Of course, he couldn’t let that slip to Fannie; it would only make her angrier. Instead of approaching her head-on, he came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“I’m really sorry, okay? You can shout at me or hit me, but please don’t ignore me,” he pleaded, feeling Fannie’s body trembling softly in his arms. Droplets of water fell onto his arm, and his heart squeezed with guilt. Swiftly, he moved to face Fannie again, seeing her bowing her head and crying silently. Panic surged through him. “I’m so sorry. Are you hurt somewhere? Please don’t cry.” With no idea what else to do, he gently brought Fannie’s head to his chest.
Fannie herself was bewildered by her own reaction. In the past ten years, she’d faced much worse situations than this, perilous moments where death seemed imminent. But she never shed a tear.
This time, the tension hadn’t been as dire, and her life hadn’t been at risk at all. In fact, the moment the intruder unleashed her domain, Fannie instinctively knew it was her teacher. It was just the stress of the moment that brought back memories of her days without him. And hearing his gentle voice made her yearn for his comfort.
It was as if she were making up for all the times she’d been alone. The times when she wanted to cry but had no one to turn to because her teacher wasn’t there.
So, she wrapped her arms around her teacher tightly, burying her head in his chest as she let out all her pent-up emotions. She ignored her teacher’s increasingly flustered expression. ‘Serve him right for pranking me out of nowhere,’ she thought, a hint of satisfaction creeping into her mind.
But, seeing the pale face of her teacher, Fannie couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. ‘Alright, I’ll explain to him later, but only after I’ve finished crying as much as I need to.’
Two hours later, Zack finally managed to calm Fannie down. As punishment, he was tasked with making dinner for both of them all by himself. Later, Fannie explained why she had cried, but Zack still felt that the fault lay with him. He resolved never to pull a prank like that again.