Wilhelm and Iris immediately went and hid behind a pillar nearby and looked at the source of the footsteps. A body made out of silver metal, robotic imitations of a human, with a futuristic rifle of some kind in its hands.

It was an Android.

‘Right, there were those guys here.’

“Ohhh!”

Iris’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the Android.

The Android patrolled around in a set position. If Wilhelm was alone then he would’ve either sneak attacked the android or just run past them but now he got the Overpowered Hero Iris.

“Lady Iris, could you handle that thing?”

“I could,” Iris said as she looked at Wilhelm, she seemed as if she wanted to say something therefore Wilhelm asked her.

“What’s the matter, Lady Iris?”

“No, it’s just, why don’t we stop with the formalities when it's just the two of us? Honestly, it is quite exhausting for me and you could also stop calling me Lady.”

“That’s quite sudden, but alright. You could also call me Wilhelm. Now, could you destroy that thing over there?”

“Of course. That’s easy.”

Iris said as she pointed her finger at the android. Soon starlight engulfed her body, and a bright star appeared on her finger.

In the world of [A Hero’s Tribulations], there are 5 official ranks of magic: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Ultimate.

The [Star Bullet] is a beginner-ranked magic. However, it's considered special because of its Star Attributes that are far stronger than beginner-ranked magic of other attributes. As proof, the star flew towards the android with a shining brilliance as the Android’s head exploded.

‘This is why the Felles Family are cracked. Especially Iris.’

With the [Blessing of The Stars] that is inherited from the Hero Reinhart and passed down to his family, Iris was able to use a Unique Attribute magic called Star Magic. Except for the members of the Felles Family, no one is able to use Star Magic, and even amongst them, Iris is special.

“Let’s go,” Iris said as she walked towards the destroyed Android. Wilhelm did the same and examined the Android. He took the gun out of the Android and fired it. It fired off a sort of energy bullet and exploded on the wall.

“Hmm.”

The power is not bad but his aim is trash since he never held a gun before. Besides, what the gun fired is subtly similar to a more powerful Mana Bullet so Wilhelm is not interested in keeping it as it's not that powerful.

‘Ingame they never dropped the gun but since this is reality, I guess things are different.’

Wilhelm took Iris, who seemed as if she wanted to dismantle the Android, and went to the next room. What Wilhelm wanted from this Ruin is the [Spiritual Sight Contact Lenses]. It is an item that enables the wearer to artificially see through the Spirit World and make a contract with them. For Wilhelm who lacked any sort of talent in spiritualism, he desperately needed that item if he wanted to use Spirits.

‘I don’t get how the hell the Ancient Empire made something like that though.’

Wilhelm went to the next room. If he remembered correctly, then there would be some kind of books inside this room. Wilhelm looked to the side and there was indeed some kind of futuristic bookshelf with leather books on it. The contrast between futuristic and primitive books is quite a sight.

‘For such a grand empire with a sci-fi level of technology, why the hell do they still use books?’

Wilhelm wondered but it was a question with no one to answer. Wilhelm went towards the bookshelf and he then frowned.

‘The fuck?’

[Records of Spirit #157, Containment Facility #1]

He knew what kind of spirit there is in Containment Facility #1, therefore he didn’t curse because of that but because of the language in the book. It is an unidentifiable language resembling Chinese letters and is definitely something he couldn’t read. But somehow, although he didn’t know jack shit about the language, he could read it.

‘It’s like my brain automatically translates the language into English…This, perhaps, is this the Goddess’s gift?’

Wilhelm didn’t know, but at this point, he just decided to accept it. After all, thinking about questions with no answers is just a waste of time. Besides, it was an unexpected harvest that made Wilhelm’s heart beat faster.

Wilhelm looked at the book. It seemed like a short book of records that resembled a diary. Therefore, it could be read right now. Wilhelm stood still as he speed-read the entire book, Iris on the side narrowed her eyes as she looked at him but didn’t bother Wilhelm. The records themselves are jumbled up and full of time skips but Wilhelm can speed-read them and find the most important parts.

Year 0, Day 1:

The Artificial Spirit #157 has successfully turned into the first ever Light Spirit in the world. For the war, the Headquarters said that a King Level Light Spirit is needed if one wanted to make a decisive difference in the fight. Now that we have gained the formula to create artificial Light Spirits, we shall mass produce them and make a King amongst them.

Year 0, Day 39:

No experiments to create an Artificial Spirits had succeeded. It is concluded that only Artificial Spirit #157 which is the son of the Fire Spirit King could handle the forceful change in attribute. He is also the only one with the potential to be a king.

Year 1, Day 102:

The growth of the Artificial Spirit #157 is slow and steady. If we continue at this pace then the Artificial Spirit #157 would only become King after 130 years. It was too long, the war had begun already, therefore it is to be reduced to 7 years of time to become King through any means.

Year 3, Day 8:

The growth of the spirits has increased tremendously, yet it has started rampaging as a side effect…Is this really okay? What use is a weapon if it can't be controlled? Yet the higher-ups seemed as if they wanted any and every weapon they could get for the war so the experiment continued.

The records from Year 0 to Year 3 were quite detailed, therefore Wilhelm decided to just focus on the important parts. However, the diary was cut off abruptly right after Year 3, Day 8 with only the following as the conclusion. The way of writing is also different as if someone else had written it.

Year 9, Day 209

The Experiment Failed, the Artificial Spirit almost reached the level of a King, yet it rampaged and was forcefully sealed in the containment room.

Wilhelm frowned. There were quite a lot of things he got from this diary alone. The Ancient Empire is at war with something and is entirely capable of making weapons such as the Light Spirit King for the sake of that war.

‘It is ridiculous enough already that the Ancient Empire could even create an Artificial Spirit King but what kind of enemy is it at war against that it could rival such an Empire?’

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

There was a lot to think about but Wilhelm was especially interested in the Weapons of the Ancient Empire.

Strictly speaking, the history of how the empire fell and such is of no use to Wilhelm, what he is interested in is in the sentence Yet the higher-ups seemed as if they wanted any and every weapon they could get for the war so the experiment continued.

‘Doesn't that mean the Ancient Empire has tons of weapons lying around?’

As he was thinking that, Wilhelm saw Iris with her narrowed eyes.

‘Let’s think about it later.’

“What's wrong? You could drill a mine with those eyes.” Wilhelm said with a smile as he closed his diary.

“Nothing, since it's ‘Trade Secret’ I won't even bother asking why would you be able to read some lost ancient language. Now that you are done, let's just go,” Iris said as she walked away. Wilhelm smiled bitterly and followed her. Of course, he didn’t forget to take all the books into his spatial pocket ring.

Despite there being many Androids, the journey to the last room was quite comfortable. It was because Wilhelm had a human rocket launcher that the journey went smoothly. Wilhelm picked up a few books here and there but there weren’t any other valuable things and soon he arrived at the last room. Even though the rooms were the same as Wilhelm remembered, it was not a guarantee. Therefore, Wilhelm opened the door with slight tension and immediately hid in the nearest pillar with Iris as he peeked.

Fortunately, things were the same as in the game. Inside the room, there was a 4 m-sized mecha golem and behind it, though Wilhelm couldn’t see it from here, there should be a small box holding the contact lenses. The golem was currently sitting down as if its not activated but Wilhelm knew that it would immediately turn on once it sensed an intruder.

“That looks a bit tough,” Iris said. She was about to unsheathe her sword and fly in there. By her definition, a bit tough meant just a bit tougher than the Androids. Which meant that she could demolish that golem in a minute. Wilhelm, however, stopped her before she could do it.

“Sorry, could you let me fight it alone?”

“After you let me fight all the other Androids? Why?”

“I mean…Do I need a reason?”

Iris frowned at Wilhelm and sighed as she sheathed her sword. Since she was a lot nicer than Wilhelm had thought, he could ask for favors like this.

“Suit yourself then.”

“Ah, if things get dicey, I want you to save me.”

“Alright, alright.”

“And I want you to stop me if I lose control as well. Just knock me out okay? Ah, play around with me for a bit first before knocking me out! For around an hour or two!”

“Alright, hm? Wait what did you-?”

“Alright thanks, you’re the best!”

“No, wait-!?”

Before Iris caught him, Wilhelm dashed forward towards the golem. She will know what to do when the time comes so Wilhelm doesn't need to explain it, he isn’t sure if Iris will believe him if he explained it so as a wise man said it is better to see something once than say it 1000 times.

This Mecha Golem is a boss not meant for Wilhelm when he was not even at school yet, it's a relatively easy boss if you have someone able to use Lightning Magic, but if not then the Mecha Golem’s durability is going to be very annoying. Especially since the Mecha Golem has 2 cores.

The golem recognized Wilhelm and stood up before swinging one of its fists at him. For a bulky golem, its movement is fast. The approaching fist felt like a mountain falling, yet Wilhelm, with movements akin to water flowing, used his sword to deflect the fist.

Bang!

The fist fell onto the ground with a deafening thud, yet the ground remained firm. Wilhelm’s arms muscles trembled despite deflecting its strike.

‘Goddamn, it feels like my palms are ripped apart!’

Even then, the fact that he could deflect it at all meant that his skills had improved a lot. He had trained a lot, but the explosive growth is mostly thanks to the [Sword Fiend].

With that said this golem isn’t supposed to be something to be taken on Wilhelm’s level, Although his skills improved rapidly, his physique and mana remained the same, however, Wilhelm didn’t come here without a plan.

‘This bastard’s weakness is lightning!’

Wilhelm grabbed the scroll containing the Intermediate Ranked [Lightning Spear] from his clothes. He had commissioned it before he went onto Vyne City.

The Golem started to slam its fist toward Wilhelm and this time; he decided to dodge the Golem’s punches, and when there was an opening, he slid down between the Mecha Golem’s legs, and aimed the [Thunder Spear] scroll right at its crotch. Funnily enough, this is where the weakness is since one of the golem’s cores is located there.

Lightning crackled at Wilhelm’s hands and once he ripped the scroll, a spear made of lightning materialized as it traveled with great speed through the Golem’s crotch, and into the mana core as it sent shockwave throughout its body. The Mecha Golem spasmed for a bit, and Wilhelm jumped up high and aimed at the golem’s neck with his sword.

‘The Second Core is at the neck!’

Wilhelm’s sword surged with mana, forming a blue energy that wrapped around its sword as it sharpened and strengthened the sword. Wilhelm swung with all of his might toward the exposed neck. However, the golem managed to react faster by blocking the neck with both of its hands.

‘Motherfucker!’

The sword cut through one finger yet failed to slice through the neck. Wilhelm gritted his teeth in frustration but he soon calmed down.

‘Originally, this is a boss that I shouldn’t even hope to fight against with just one lightning magic scroll.’

But if he knew, then why didn’t he prepare more scrolls of lightning magic?

Wilhelm landed on the ground and looked at the golem. The golem moved towards him or tried to, it was still recovering from the lightning magic. Wilhelm then began thinking about something else.

‘Sword Fiend.’

He knew that the [Sword Fiend] movements recorded themselves onto Wilhelm’s body making his skills explode. That was a very fortunate miscalculation, however what if it's not just the skills that are recorded?

Wilhelm thought about it a lot, the heat that traveled and influenced his emotions during the fight with Gaius. What if, the things recorded on Wilhelm’s body aren’t just the skills but also the ego of the [Sword Fiend].

Just thinking about it gave him chills. The thought of him turning into a sword-wielding monster made him want to puke. However, the benefits of using the [Sword Fiend] made him quite greedy, and it was not even confirmed that it was due to the [Sword Fiend] in the first place.

With that said, Wilhelm is a cautious person. He prioritized his caution above his greed, yet he still wants to relieve some of the greed to a certain extent. That led to this current situation.

‘Before I learn how to control the [Sword Fiend], this shall be the last time that I will use it.’

And since it was the last time, he wanted to get the most out of it. The Sword Fiend recorded its movements and skills onto Wilhelm’s body, the way it fights, the way it moves, and the many sword skills. Although he couldn’t replicate them to their fullest, he managed to gain the feelings of those movements and that is enough.

He had planned with Abraham to let the Sword Fiend take over his body for an hour or two before knocking it out, recording as much of its skills as possible before sealing it. However, Iris is also a good candidate for that, since he had instructed her albeit vaguely, that she wouldn’t immediately knock him out.

He closed his eyes and started to focus. The familiar sensation of warmth engulfed him. This time, he accepted it wholeheartedly. He could feel his sensations and thoughts blurring away like a sandcastle washed away by the sea. Soon, the Fiend opened his eyes.

This all happened in seconds and what entered his sight was a 4m golem running straight at him. The ground quaked with its every step.

The Fiend smiled with a smile that threatened to rip its face apart and took an unfamiliar sword stance as the golem rushed at him; it raised its legs up high to crush The Fiend like a bug, yet The Fiend dodged the stomp with ease, then the golem held both its hands together and raised it high, then brought it down with an immense speed like a hammer, yet The Fiend effortlessly sidestepped the attack as the Golem’s hand hit nothing but the ground, scattering dust.

The Fiend then jumped on top of the Golem’s hands and ran at a fast speed towards its neck, using the Golem’s hands as a foothold, once he was in front of the Golem’s neck, he took a stabbing stance, mana surged from the sword like a storm as it stabbed through the golem’s neck, cleanly embedding itself onto it.

The golem immediately raised his hands and tried to grab The Fiend, however, The Fiend was faster. He readjusted his grip on the sword and pushed the sword while the sword was still inside the golem’s neck. The sword mana ravaged the Golem’s neck as it sliced through it, cutting the last Core in half as the Golem began to fall. The Fiend leaped from the golem and looked at Iris, who was close by. Iris looked at him with a big frown.

When she sensed that Wilhelm might be in danger, she moved close by to ensure she could interfere on time. However, not only did he suddenly change, he began to employ many sword styles at a master’s level. In return, his personality changed to that of a beast. Iris was curious about what kind of ability that was.

‘Not to mention that stab.’

Iris didn't recognize all the sword styles the Fiend had used, but there was one that she recognized. It was a sword style that had been with her all her life.

‘Starfall Sword Style. How did he know of my family’s passed-down swordsmanship?’

Iris tapped her fingers on her sword hilt as she glared at The Fiend. Starlight formed around her as it pressured the surroundings, the pebbles trembled, and the air crackled in fear. The Fiend frowned and took a stance as he looked at Iris, Iris also looked at him before unsheathing her sword, glowing with starlight.

‘Let's think about it later.’

Even Iris knows that the person in front of her is currently incapable of speaking.

“We need to have a long chat after this. Both of us.”

Iris smiled.