Author's note: Ah, the joy of an author. No matter how much you try, you will never be satisfied with your own chapters no matter how much work has been put in. Next chapter, all three reunite! But only the two gods will be able to identify Sam. I went to my favourite manwha Id for some more great names! Hmmm, maybe I should add in Percer somewhere. Nevertheless, if Naoki finds one error, I will commit seppuku because I checked this twice, so there shouldn't be any. Thank you and enjoy!
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Meanwhile, in another place…
King: [… and this is the reason we called you! Help us defeat the demon lord!]
As the king was sitting on his throne and stroking his beard, satisfied with his explanation, Sam could only stare back with a paralyzed face. It was as if though Sam had stared into the eyes of a gorgon. His statuesque figure stood still like a carving after a great battle.
Sam: ‘Calm down. You can do this. This is normal. You are normal. Trucks flying in the air and crashing into planes are normal. Summonings are normal… GAH, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? THIS IS BULLSHIT! AND I’M NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE DENSE PROTAGONISTS WHO PRETENDS THIS IS A DREAM. BUT! WHAT! THE! FUCK!’
A silence pervaded the room as all the students and the teacher were staring blankly at the king. Finally, one person decided to step out and take the lead. It was the bossy girl with the drill hair.
Michelle: [If it’s like that, we accept the request for help!]
Sam’s thought process was interrupted by the stupidity of the statement.
Sam: ‘Does she ever think things through? Why accept? And why does she think that she can speak for all of us? Argh, I hate people like these.’
Sam was yet again interrupted by another voice.
Chinchen: [Nonsense. Why should we accept when it doesn’t benefit us?]
Chinchen took a couple steps forwards and faced the king, pushing the glasses up his nose.
Chinchen: [I assume that there is no way to return to our former world?]
The king stammered a bit before continuing on.
King: [N-n-no, Sir Laillo said that the summoning circle grabs the souls of the recently deceased and transports them to our world. So there is no way to return back to your old world.]
Chinchen: [Who’s Laillo?]
King: [To be frank, I don’t even know. He just appeared one day at the castle and told us that the demons are preparing an invasion. He gave us a summoning circle and told us to activate it on this specific day. He looks like a draconian, but other than that, I have no other information on him.]
Chinchen: [Hmmm. So we are supposed to be dead now… What exactly can you offer us in return for help?]
Michelle: [Hey! I’m the main role here! Stop taking away my role!]
Chinchen could only sigh as he answered her.
Chinchen: [The boss was originally our teacher, but since we got summoned to a different world, and we all know how incompetent he is, the smartest people should take the role of a leader. That means me… and Sam. Speaking of Sam, where is he?]
Sam was still thinking by himself when Chinchen’s words brought him back to reality.
Sam: [Oh… er… I-I’m here.]
Chinchen: [What do you think about this, Sam?]
Sam brought his right hand up to his chin and looked downwards for a couple of seconds. Rubbing his chin, he glanced back upwards to Chinchen before answering.
Sam: [Despite the fact that the king has basically kidnapped us, there isn’t much point over needlessly worrying about trying to return to our former world because we’re already dead. Why not help since we have nothing better to do? I think the most important thing is to preserve our freedom.]
Chinchen: [I was thinking of the same thing. Then, your majesty, can I make a couple of demands?]
Chinchen said this as he turned to the king and pushed up his glasses once more.
King: [Certainly! I’ll comply with your demands to the best of my power.]
Chinchen: [Then, here are my demands. First, every one of us has the choice to do whatever they want. If someone wants to go adventuring, then let them be. If someone wants to retire from the hero business, then you should let them. And finally, my second demand is that, as long as one remains a hero, then you’ll fund us. Is that clear?]
The king nodded back in reply as he listened to Chinchen’s reasonable demands.
King: [Understood.]
Chinchen: [Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment…]
Chinchen turned around to face his classmates and his former teacher.
Chinchen: [Well, you guys heard me. If anyone wants to jump ship, they can do it now.]
After Chinchen said those words, there was a prolonged silence that lasted for several seconds. Sam could swear that he heard crickets chirping during this time. Finally, the silence was broken by one of the students.
Student 1: [Eh, what the heck. I don’t have anything better to do so I might as well join in.]
Student 2: [I guess I’ll do the same.]
Student 3: [I always wanted to know what it’s like to be a hero!]
One by one, all the students (and teacher) had agreed to join Chinchen and the journey to defeat the demon king.
Chinchen: [And what about you, Sam?]
Chinchen had said this quietly to Sam after he walked up to him while the other students were talking among themselves about how they would be the ones to defeat the demon lord. Sam didn’t know this, but Chinchen had looked up to him since the last year of high school. When Chinchen first moved in, he thought that there wouldn’t be any students capable of besting him, until he wrote the first test. It was then that he found out that one student had bested him, Sam. Ever since then, Sam was like a role model to Chinchen, despite the fact that Chinchen himself had more leadership qualities.
Sam: [I’ll stick around for now, I guess. I don’t quite like this, though. It feels as if though we are being forced to fight due to there being no other options. If I find something better to do later on, then I’ll probably quit being a hero.]
Chinchen’s face was showing a smile after Sam’s reply. Even if it wasn’t for long, he still would get to travel with Sam for some time. Afterwards, he turned back to face the king.
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Chinchen: [Now that everyone is in agreement, what is the next step? None of us have combat abilities, so I assume that we will be trained first?]
The king cleared his throat before continuing.
King: [Yes. I plan to send you all to a prestigious magic and martial arts academy in the center of this city. It’s right nearby. However, I want you to check your statuses first to know which area of study you are more fit for. If you have better physical attributes, you would be more proficient in martial arts. If you have better mental qualities, then magic.]
Chinchen: [Excuse me. But how do you check your status?]
The king became flustered for a moment before calming down.
King: [Oh, I’m sorry. I completely forgot in my excitement. You have to say, ‘Show status.’]
At that moment, the room broke out into a clamour as dozens of voices began saying ‘Show status.’
Sam: ‘Huh. I’m fairly balanced when it comes to stats… wait, I have a skill? What is this?’
Sam: [E-excuse me, your majesty. What happens if you have a skill and you want to check it out?]
King: [In that case, you would say, ‘Show skill’ and then say the name of whatever skill you have. You’ll first obtain skills when you’ll begin training.]
Sam nodded back to the King, acknowledging his statement, and then, in a low voice, murmured a couple of words. The skill window popped out in front of him and Sam began to read the description of the skill on the blue background.
Sam: ‘No, how could this be? Why do I have this? No… no… whyyyyyyyy?]
Sam had to cover his face to hide the river of tears that began to flow form his starry black eyes.
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Amaterasu: [Thanks for the ride.]
Old man: [Ha ha ha! It’s nothing, it’s nothing!]
Amaterasu shook her head in reply to the old man.
Amaterasu: [No, no. I’m grateful that you went out of your way to deliver me all the way to the academy. You saved me the embarrassment of being stared at by various people.]
Old man: [Ha ha ha! That’s right, that’s right! Barely anyone has seen an elf before! Besides, I heard from the guards that you went out of your way for us yesterday, so it only makes sense to pay you in kind.]
Amaterasu: [Is that so? Thank you once more.]
The old man waved his hand in reply.
Old man: [Well, I better get going. I hope to see you again, miss.]
The old man took the whip into his hand and whipped the horse once to get it moving. After a couple seconds, the wagon disappeared behind the corner of the street.
Amaterasu: ‘I guess I better get going as well.’
Amaterasu observed the academy and was shocked at how grand it was. Amaterasu remembered when she was once taken around the campus of MIT by her parents in her former life. All Amaterasu could say was this: the size of the Royal Academy in the capital would put the MIT campus to shame. There were many buildings dedicated to many subjects: arts, business, and maths. However, the most popular subjects were martial arts, including fighting with weapons, and magic.
Many children dreamt of entering the Royal Academy to learn there. Extremely talented students would be given scholarships to enter the academy and would be subsequently employed after they graduated. Finding employment after graduating was practically guaranteed since even entering the academy in the first place was a tough ordeal.
As Amaterasu was walking past the various buildings, she noticed their beautiful designs. Not a single one was grey and boring – instead, they were painted in various attractive and eye-pleasing colours. Amaterasu, who had an eye for decoration, was happily observing the details.
Amaterasu: ‘Wow. Those columns are painted in a beautiful sky blue. Whoever constructed this place was a master at architecture. So many different varieties that one could get lost here. Speaking of lost, I don’t know where the principal’s office is… oh, I’ll ask that boy approaching me.’
Walking towards her was a boy who about fourteen years old. He had short, spiky brown hair coupled together with bloody red eyes. His chin was angular and his muscles, though not too big, stood out as he walked. The boy towered over Amaterasu as his height was about two metres, which seemed excessive for someone that age.
Amaterasu: [Hi. What’s your name?]
The boy finally noticed her and seemed to gaze at her for ages, before he ducked down and clutched his stomach.
???: [M-Mercio.]
Amaterasu frowned as she looked at the crouching Mercio.
Amaterasu: [What’s wrong? Do you have a stomach ache or something?]
Mercio shook his head before answering.
Mercio: [N-no. I’m fine. Thanks for your concern.]
Amaterasu tilted her head.
Amaterasu: [Alright, if you say so. So… Mercio, can you please tell me where the principal’s office is?]
Mercio, still crouching and clutching his stomach, pointed at a building behind him.
Mercio: [T-that black building over there is the administrative building. You’ll find the principal’s office on the top floor.]
Amaterasu: [Thank you. By the way, if your stomach is hurting, you should get that checked out.]
Amaterasu proceeded to head on over to the black administrative building.
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Mercio: ‘That girl, is she an elf? Either way, she’s so beautiful – I wonder if she’s enrolling as a student here. No, no. Stop with those thoughts. You already have Michael. Though, I’m not sure how I’ll meet him in this form, but I’ll figure something out!’
Mercio, looking over his shoulder, noticed that the elf was already near the administrative building. He promptly stood up as he noticed that she wasn’t looking at him anymore.
Mercio: ‘Still, a boy’s body is scary. It can have an erection occur out of nowhere. It would have been embarrassing if I was caught looking at her with one. How did Michael deal with this? Geez. I guess I have to adjust it again.’
Observing his surroundings and noticing that no one was watching him, Mercio quickly fixed his erection by using the band of his underwear to contain it.