As Sero slept, he found himself drifting through a dreamlike state, surrounded by swirling colors and ethereal sounds. He felt as if he were floating, weightless, and free from the constraints of his body. He could sense the presence of someone else nearby, a warmth that enveloped him like a comforting blanket.
Sero surged forward, guided by the warm presence until finally he was able to make out who it was.
"My champion." Aphiel smiled and bowed her head in greeting.
Sero stared at her for a moment.
"So, you gonna explain what the fuck is going on?" he asked in annoyance as he fought the urge to rip into her.
Aphiel’s smile faltered and she quickly raised her hands up in defense.
"Y-yeah, I’ll explain! Just don’t get mad at me yet, please!" Aphiel’s calm façade immediately broke under his scathing gaze.
Sero crossed his arms and tapped his finger impatiently.
Aphiel cleared her throat.
"S-so I assume that the biggest question is why you were sent a year into the future."
Sero nodded but otherwise said nothing.
"Well, that’s because… the goddess who told me how to send you back wasn’t clear… so I kind of messed it up and that’s how you ended up there." Aphiel averted her gaze.
Sero's eyes widened. "You... messed up?! So, that's why I'm here?!" His anger began to boil over. "You just sent me into the future like it was nothing?! You could've killed me or sent me to some random time where I'd be stuck or something worse! How could you just do that so casually?!"
Aphiel flinched and stepped back, raising her hands in defense.
"I didn’t mean to! It was an accident! It was my first time, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!" Tears began to form in the goddess’s eyes.
Some of Sero’s anger began to subside as he saw Aphiel on the verge of crying.
"Ok, ok, it’s fine," he sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Is there any way for you to send me back to the first day of the apocalypse?"
Aphiel sniffed and shook her head timidly.
"I’m sorry, champion, but once you returned to Earth, I cannot send you anywhere else."
Sero forced himself to hold in his anger.
"Ok, fine. I’ll let this go since you helped me understand my abilities. Speaking of, I have a question about that. Why am I a Scholar? What made you choose me? What’s the purpose of all this?"
Aphiel made a face.
"That’s a lot of questions… Well, I can only answer the first two," The goddess composed herself. "To answer why you are a Scholar, you remember how I explained that your nature and personality contributes to your class?"
Sero nodded.
"Well, in your past life, you have shown incredible talent for learning and understanding things very quickly. Although, you also had a tendency to be… lazy." Aphiel nervously looked at him.
Sero kept his composure despite his irritation.
"S-so the Scholar is a class that can immediately memorize, understand, and recall just about anything without effort, true to your… personality." The goddess continued carefully, watching Sero’s face.
"That sounds about right," he admitted, even though he wasn’t very happy about it. "I hate prolonged studying and would rather learn things I can actually use."
Aphiel nodded. "That’s why the Scholar is the perfect class for you! I noticed that you changed something called a major several times while attending an academic institute."
Sero grimaced. "That’s because they all became tedious at some point. I just wanted to graduate without having to cram useless side information."
The goddess smiled but Sero got the feeling she didn’t really understand what he was talking about.
"Whatever. So, what made you choose me?" Sero changed the topic.
Aphiel hesitated for a moment.
"Because I saw potential in you!"
"Bullshit." Sero immediately countered.
Aphiel began to visibly sweat.
"I-I mean it! You have the potential to be a great champion! You have the intellect to understand the world and the adaptability to survive in it! You have the strength to fight against the odds and the resilience to overcome any challenge that comes your way!" she insisted.
Sero leaned in closer to the goddess.
"What’s the real reason?"
Aphiel shrank back.
"Ah, well, it’s my first time at this thing, so I had to choose one champion to gain experience, so I chose you because one of the goddesses told me you’d die pretty soon anyway so then I’d be able to gain some experience and try again with a better champion but now I realize that you’re actually pretty promising so I’m resolved to stick with you until the end…" she rambled quietly.
Sero raised an eyebrow. That was... something. It sounded like Aphiel didn't really have a good reason to choose him, but at least it wasn't something terrible like him being destined to die or something.
"All right. Whatever," He sighed. "Was there anything else you needed from me, or did you just want to answer my questions?"
Aphiel blinked in surprise.
"Oh! I just wanted to tell you I’m sincerely here to help you."
Sero grunted.
"Ok, thanks. I’m ready to wake up now."
"Wait, that’s it–?!"
With a start, Sero woke up and found himself laying in what seemed like a hospital bed. He winced as he felt a slight pain across his face and remembered how he face-planted in the street earlier.
The room was surprisingly well-lit and had a clean, sterile smell. There was a window on the far wall, letting in the soft morning light, and a couple of comfortable-looking chairs next to the bed. A large painting hung on the opposite wall, depicting a peaceful forest scene. The bed itself was fitted with soft blankets and pillows, making it seem almost inviting. A small device next to him displayed the time and date. June 8th, 2051. A year after he died.
"Where the fuck am I?" Sero muttered to himself.
"You’re in one of the infirmary rooms of the Ascendants Association." Amaya said as she stepped into Sero’s space.
"Oh? Are you supposed to be my nurse?" Sero asked slyly with a sultry look.
"Stop that. I’m an Ascendant Liaison. I’m here to check up on you after your performance against the C-rank boss." Amaya cut him off.
Sero grinned. "Sure."
"Anyways, I’m curious as to how you managed to pull that off. It was almost as if you were copying me." Amaya continued, her annoyance replaced by curiosity.
"I was."
There was silence.
"You what?" Amaya's voice was flat.
"I copied you."
Amaya scoffed. "You can't copy me. You're not a Spellblade like me."
Sero’s eyes glinted mischievously.
"I know. My Scholar class lets me copy the skills of other classes."
Amaya's expression slowly turned to shock. "You can do that?" She whispered.
"Yep."
"That’s… kind of unfair."
Sero shrugged. "I didn't make the rules."
Amaya looked unconvinced. "You could've at least told me. We could've worked together."
"Well, technically I did. I didn’t even know I could do all that other stuff until after."
The Ascendant Liaison stared at him for a long moment. Sero could tell she was having a hard time believing him.
"Ok, then. Have you decided on what guild you’d want to join?"
Sero shrugged.
"I don’t even know what guilds are out there."
Amaya sighed. "Well, there are several guilds registered within the Ascendants Association. You can ask around, and I'm sure someone would be happy to tell you about them. Or, if you'd like, you can come with me and I can introduce you to the guildmaster of the Blue Wave Brigade."
Sero fought the urge to snicker at the name.
"…That the guild you belong to?"
"Yes. It's the guild I've been assigned to since I became an Ascendant. But you don't have to join it. You're free to choose whichever guild you'd like."
For a moment, Sero thought to himself.
"Nah, I don’t wanna join any guilds."
Amaya looked surprised. "Are you sure? It's not that bad. Being part of a guild can be really rewarding, both in terms of friendship and advancement."
"I’ll pass, thanks."
The Ascendant Liaison frowned at him.
"What do you mean? If you don’t join a guild, it’ll be hard for you to do anything without their support."
Sero grinned.
"Don’t worry about that, beautiful. I know exactly what to do."
Amaya raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Oh? And what's that?"
A malicious gleam slowly crept into his eyes.. "Let’s just say I’ve got some learning to do."
Amaya stared at him for a moment, still unsure if she should believe him or not. But then, she shrugged. "Alright, if that's what you want. Well, I should be going now. If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Sero grunted in response.
After Amaya left, some medical staff came shortly to check up on Sero. They deemed him stable for discharge and he soon found himself standing in front of Amaya at the Ascendant Liaison office again.
"Uh… Did you change your mind that quickly?" Amaya didn’t seem too pleased to see him right after their earlier conversation.
"Nah," Sero shook his head. "I actually don’t have a clue on what to do now. To put it simply, I kinda found myself homeless and jobless."
Amaya raised an eyebrow. "And you think the Blue Wave Brigade can help you with that?"
Sero licked his lips. "No, I think that you, specifically, can help me with that."
Amaya blinked. "Me? How?"
"Are you not an Ascendant Liaison? Help me figure out how to earn income or get some housing."
Amaya frowned.
"Well, like I said, joining a guild gives you a lot of benefits, like housing or jobs you can do to earn money."
Sero matched her frown.
"Well, from the look on your face, I’m guessing you’re not totally convinced about joining a guild, so the only other thing I can think of is mercenary work."
"Oh?" Sero’s eyes lit up eagerly.
"Yeah, mercenary work is pretty much what it sounds like. The government, guilds, just basically whoever that needs extra Ascendant manpower can hire you for their tasks."
"Ok, I wanna do that."
Amaya held up two fingers. "But there’s two conditions."
She took a moment to think.
"The first is that you need to be at least an A-rank to get any real contracts. People who are desperate might hire you if they really need your help, but otherwise don’t expect any big commissions." Amaya started.
"The second is that mercenary work must adhere to the law. That means that jobs you accept as a freelance Ascendant must abide by the law. So, no assassinations, robberies, or anything related to that."
Sero nodded slowly. "So I just gotta promote myself as a strong guy and not commit crimes."
Amaya gave a half-shrug. "Basically. Oh, and one more thing. Since you're new to the city, you should probably get yourself an Ascendant ID card, but you should receive it soon since you just did your assessment. That way, it'll be easier for people to hire you." She handed him a slip of paper with her contact information. "Come see me when you get it and I'll help you start mercenary work. There’s various mercenary organizations that manage and provide assistance to freelance Ascendants."
Sero stood there for a moment.
"I don’t have a phone."
Amaya raised an eyebrow. "Really? You can't even afford a cheap prepaid phone?"
"The only thing I have are these clothes that I’m wearing."
Amaya stared at him.
"Where did you even come from?"
Sero shrugged.
"Long story short, I lost everything I own. I have nothing to my name."
Amaya sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll get you a phone. You can pay me back once you're on your feet. In the meantime, meet me here every day before noon to practice your swordplay. There's a small park nearby where you can train. Once you get your phone and ID, I'll set you up with some mercenary jobs. Deal?"
"Deal." Sero hesitated again. "I don’t have a place to sleep either."
Amaya looked at Sero like he was an idiot. "Alright, fine. We'll find you somewhere to crash. But you have to find some way to repay me for all this. Got it?"
Sero looked at her gratefully.
"Thank you so much!" Tears of happiness began to form in his eyes. "I will definitely find a way to repay your kindness! You are the first person to ever do so for me."
Sero ignored the indignant cries from Aphiel in his mind.
"Please don’t mention it." Amaya made a face.
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Later that night, Sero sprawled across his bed in the small room apartment that Amaya had set up for him. It was a rough 15 minute walk away from the Ascendants Association building, and a further 20 from the nearest food shop, but just having a living space was enough for him at the moment.
"Ahh, this is so cozy." he murmured, despite the cramped space.
"Are you just going to laze around?" Aphiel suddenly asked in his mind.
Sero sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced around the room, taking in the small kitchenette, the makeshift bed he was currently on, and the bathroom with a toilet and a small shower. The place was definitely cleaner than the apartment complex he'd been staying in before the apocalypse, and it had a window that let in some natural light. "Where else would I go?" he muttered.
"Well, that champion said that even if monster outbreaks are contained, there are still some that slip through the defense and lurk in the city. Maybe you could hunt those monsters and grow stronger?"
Sero laid back on the bed. "Nah, I think I’m gonna sleep tonight."
Aphiel went quiet for a moment.
"You know… there could be other champions hunting those stray monsters. You could… copy their skills too…"
Sero immediately sat up. There was a burning greed in his eyes as a malicious grin spread across his face.
"You might be onto something. See, I knew you weren’t that incompetent." He praised Aphiel with an evil chuckle.
"…My champion, you scare me sometimes…"
----------------------------------------
Sero soon found himself wandering through the streets of a city he couldn’t recognize anymore.
"What the fuck… everything is so new…"
It seemed that in the year he was gone, the city had renovated itself with new buildings and amenities. Even the street lights that had flickered in the dark before now shone brightly with renewed vigor.
As Sero walked down the street, he noticed several people on patrol with glowing symbols on their faces and clothing. They were probably other mercenaries or Ascendants. He considered approaching one of them, but decided against it for now. There was no point in attracting unwanted attention when he was still so weak.
Instead, he focused on the task at hand: finding a stray monster to hunt. He hadn't seen any obvious signs of them yet, but he knew they had to be here somewhere. He continued to wander, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.
"Aphiel, can’t you sense monsters or something?" Sero complained after walking for hours.
"…If I could, don’t you think I would’ve been guiding you?"
"Are you giving me attitude?"
Aphiel didn’t respond.
Sero sighed in annoyance. He continued to trudge on, turning the corner into a dark and abandoned street.
As soon as Sero did, he felt a rising sense of danger.
"Champion."
"Yeah, I know."
There was no need for them to say anything else as both Aphiel and Sero could tell something was lurking in the darkness.
A low growl echoed across the abandoned street and a shadowy figure crawled towards Sero. As it came closer, he could barely make out its form.
The monster resembled a car-sized wolf, though it had gleaming red eyes and a black coat. The monster’s teeth were sharp and coated in a purple, smoking slime that Sero assumed was poison.
"I kinda miss the lobster boss."
Sero clasped his hands together, but before he could conjure his mana sword, a fleeting shadow flew past him.
"What the–"
The cloaked figure threw small knives at the wolf-like monster, the blades embedding themselves into its fur with dull thuds. The monster howled in pain and charged at the newcomer.
Sero watched with amazement as the stranger deftly avoided the monster’s claws, leaping around and throwing knives whenever there was an opening.
The monster was soon coated with more knives than Sero could count, and the stranger finally leaped back, snapping their fingers.
In a split second, all of the knives glowed a bright purple and then exploded, causing the monster to blow up into pieces. Dark red blood splattered on the walls of the weathered and vacant houses.
"Oh?" Sero’s body buzzed with power as he subconsciously copied what he saw. He quickly realized that the knives were created with mana and could explode via the user’s will.
As the stranger made sure the monster was completely destroyed, Sero crept up behind them.
"That was cool."
The stranger let out a surprisingly high pitched shriek and whirled around, throwing a knife at Sero.
He yelped, barely managing to dodge the projectile that flew at his head.
"Hey, easy! I’m not a monster!" Sero quickly raised his hands in a gesture of peace.
The stranger was crouched, seemingly on edge as they gazed at him with brilliant violet eyes.
"…Sorry." The stranger quietly said, their voice a soft pitch.
"Who are you?" Sero asked, cautiously lowering his hands.
The stranger hesitated for a moment before finally lowering their hood and answering, "My name is Nala."
Sero was momentarily stunned as she stepped under the streetlights and revealed her face.
Her features were delicate and fair, with high cheekbones and a pointed chin. Her skin was a warm honey brown, contrasting beautifully with her violet eyes. Long, silky black hair framed her face, falling to her waist in gentle waves. She wore a sleeveless, dark blue top that revealed her toned arms, and a pair of tight-fitting black pants tucked into high-heeled boots. A belt around her waist held several knives and other mysterious trinkets.
"Are you single?"
The question took Nala by surprise. She glanced at Sero, her violet eyes narrowing slightly. "Why do you ask?"
"Cause I think you’re beautiful." Sero shamelessly declared.
Nala's cheeks flushed, and she looked away for a moment. "Thank you. But I'm not interested in dating anyone right now." She replied quietly.
He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Maybe you could change your mind later? How about we grab lunch sometime?"
"…Champion." Aphiel’s voice suddenly spoke in Sero’s mind with an exasperated tone.
"Um… not interested. And I don’t know you." Nala shifted uncomfortably.
"Name’s Sero. I’m a mercenary." He grinned, flashing his teeth boldly and giving her a thumbs up.
"Well, you’re not technically a mercenary yet. You don’t have your license."
Sero ignored Aphiel. "Are you a mercenary too?" He raised an eyebrow at Nala.
She glanced at him again, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Not in the way you mean. I'm just someone who enjoys helping others."
"Oh, a sense of justice and whatnot. I’m the same way." He lied.
"Ok…" Nala fidgeted awkwardly. "Well, I have to go now… there’s probably more monsters that need to be purged."
"We could hunt them together?" He stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Ah, m-maybe next time…" Nala shrank away from Sero.
"Champion… I think you’re scaring her off." Aphiel reprimanded Sero in his mind.
Sero grinned sheepishly, taking a step back. "Right, sorry. Well, maybe you could show me how to use those knives sometime?" He offered, gesturing towards the knives on Nala's belt.
Nala raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, but unless you’re a Shadereaper like me, I can’t teach you any of my skills–"
Sero conjured a mana knife and threw it into a nearby wall. He snapped his fingers and the knife exploded with a green flash. There was a crater left in the weathered brick wall.
"Like that?"
Nala stared at him for a moment.
"You’re a Shadereaper too?"
"No, I’m a Scholar." He replied bluntly.
Nala’s mouth opened slightly.
"You're a Scholar?" she repeated, as if she couldn't quite believe it. "But you don't look like one. You don't have the... air about you. I don’t even know what a Scholar is."
Sero pushed aside his hurt and flashed a confident smile. "That's because there’s never been a Scholar before. Anyways, I’m able to copy and use the skills of other Ascendants."
Nala took a step closer, her expression curious. "So you're saying you're a Scholar, and not a Shadereaper... but you can still use my knives?"
"Yep," His face had a sinister grin. "Pretty cool, right?"
Nala hesitated for a moment upon seeing the look on Sero’s face before slowly nodding. "Yeah... That is pretty cool." She glanced at the knives on her belt once more. "Well, if you really want to learn, I could show you some basic stuff."
Sero had to stop himself from drooling. "Yes, please." He said excitedly, his mind racing with the thought of copying more skills and spending more time with this beautiful woman.
"Ah, sorry, but I’m still on patrol, so we could meet up tomorrow night." Nala bowed her head.
Sero nodded eagerly. "Tomorrow night it is." He grinned, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before snapping back to her face. "I'll meet you here at the same time."
"Ok…" Nala gave him a strange look before she threw her hood back on and quickly slipped away into the shadows.
Sero stood there for a moment before turning around to walk back to his apartment.
"Champion?" Aphiel spoke in his mind after a while.
"Mhm?"
"Are you going home?"
"Yep."
"But… you didn’t hunt any monsters. You only copied one skill."
"And that’s what I like to call a job well done."
"You barely did anything."
"I scored a night date with Nala. And I’ve gotta rest for my day date with Amaya. Two pretty girls with truckloads of skills to copy from. I hope there’ll be more women and skills in the future."
Aphiel was speechless.
"Are skills and women all you ever think about?"
"No. I think about money and food, too."
Sero chuckled, picturing the annoyed expression on Aphiel's face. The truth was, he'd never really thought about it before. Skills were like treasures, rare and valuable, and the women who possessed them were even more so. To be able to copy them, to make them his own, to improve upon them... it was a thrill unlike any other. And the women themselves, well, they were just an added bonus.
"Aphiel, if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s this," Sero grinned wickedly. "I refuse to be your cookie cutter stereotypical hero. It’s too much work and frankly, I’m sure there’s people out there who would do a better job of being the heroes. So, I’ll let them do all the hard work and copy their strength to live the comfortable life I’ve always wanted."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing. "As for women, well... they're just a motivator. A way to improve myself, both in terms of skills and experiences. They're like books, each with their own unique knowledge to share. And just like any other bookworm, I can't help but want to read them all."
"…I’ve made a big mistake."
Sero chuckled menacingly. "Well, you’re stuck with me now. Thank you for your guidance, my goddess."