A complete monster.
That's the goal I must set for now.
Cheers.
The crowd cheered in victory, whistling praises toward the S-Class Hero and chanting words of love.
The severed head of Clayman ignited in her grasp, turning into nothing but ash that was carried away by the night breeze.
After that, Ferris noticed her looking directly at him.
He couldn't help but blush from the embarrassing kneeling he had done earlier—he still hadn't been able to erase that scene from his mind.
Even with a visor covering her eyes, Ferris could still tell she was intently staring at him.
A second passed, and she suddenly did a pose with a peace sign. "Stay safe, good citizens. Firefly, twinkling out!"
Her back suddenly ignited, and flames began to roar in the shape of wings.
Like a rocket, she launched herself into the night sky, leaving behind a trail of blue essence that almost resembled the northern lights.
The fanboy roared, "Ahhhhh! She looked at ME! I'm so lucky!!!"
Ferris glared from behind. Nope. She looked at
As if by coincidence, the fanboy suddenly stopped cheering and shivered.
But still...
Isn't her house only a couple blocks away from here, why did she have to fly so far..?
***
Ferris decided to stay behind near the entrance, taking his time to think about how he'd deal with the new month ahead of him.
With the hundred she gave me, I could use it to buy meat from the Holy Tavern. I need to build my body back up as soon as possible.
Ferris sat on the ruined debris, observing the flood of civilians pouring out like a leaking water tank.
I need to maximize my 9th layer. That should be my first goal. Ferris tapped his forehead a few times.
When receiving a new layer, one must maximize their current layer completely before going into the next layer.
Each layer represents approximately how much essence you can store in your body, and how well you can make use of it.
To maximize it means bringing out your full potential in that specific layer.
For example, a newly born 9th Layer fighting a maximized 9th Layer would be akin to a man fighting a wolf.
Getting close to maximization could only be done in a few ways: One could meditate, bringing in essence closer to their heart and just go slightly above the threshold before releasing it. This was similar to weight training.
Another was to simply use your essence until you burn out—basically the same as tearing bits of your muscle in order to let stronger ones replace them.
Lastly, one could nearly die. When a person dies, their body reaches the peak state of essence connection with the world—basically having your soul leave your body and letting the surrounding essence seep through you naturally.
But that would only be effective if the person lived to tell the tale.
Well, I did reach that state... and it didn't seem to pan out well for me. Ferris reminded himself of his death.
"What's troubling you, young man?" a voice called out from behind him.
It was the same old man he had saved earlier.
Ferris stood up and faced him. "Are you alright now?"
The old man chuckled. "Are you alright?"
Ferris sighed. "I'm fine. The villain didn't injure me."
"You're planning to become a hero, right? Something tells me there's something bothering you." The old man got closer and inspected Ferris's body. "Wow, aren't you out of shape for that?"
Did you really have to point that out? Ferris awkwardly chuckled.
"Well, I'm sure you can do it. There's some impurities inside you. Here." The old man placed his hand on Ferris's chest.
It glowed with a green haze around the point of contact, followed by a euphoric sensation that revitalized his body and a pleasant wave of healthy, clean essence.
The old man
Former C-Class Hero, Rank 94: Mediman
Blessing:
Revitalization
"Although... the only drawback to this blessing is that I can't use it on myself. it's a support-type blessing. I was never at the front lines, so nobody really noticed me—
Cough.
The old man released his hand, stepping away and coughing a few times.
Ferris's expression twitched. A blessing that transfers one's essence to another…Damn it, I was too careless!
He held the old man up, but was pushed back.
"Don't underestimate me, or pity me. I enjoyed every single second of my time in the Hero Association. I simply wish that you will succeed better than me," the old man reassured.
The Knight's Creed.
A knight must accept all reasonable forms of rewards with gratitude.
Reasonable? No... This person has given me more than reasonable.
Without as much as a moment of hesitation, Ferris kneeled in front of the old man and deeply paid his respects, then said his thanks.
"I will never forget this sacrifice, kind sir."
A knight must never feel ashamed.
He blocked out the noises from the passing civilians who were staring at him and making comments.
The old man chuckled. "That's the first time in quite a while since anyone has thanked me."
***
Ferris took one last shower before slamming himself on the bed.
Even if the old man gave him his needed Vitality, he still needed to sleep.
. . .
This place again.
It was the same dark forest he entered when he collapsed during the layering process.
Without needing to think why he was back, he immediately turned his gaze toward the same bush.
It softly ignited a blue flame that burned still, as if it was a solid object.
[So, what do you think about this world's power?]
So she was watching... Ferris crossed his arms in front of the flame. "I overestimated myself."
[It's good that you're not getting ahead of yourself.]
He uncrossed his arms and stared into the brightest part of the flame.
"What do you want from me? Since you can watch over me, why bother entering my dreams, and why won't you tell me who you really are?"
The flame flickered.
[Blah blah blah~... So many questions that you'll expect me to answer,] the flames moaned in annoyance.
[I won't visit you every single time. I'll only visit if something interesting happens]
"Interesting?" He questioned the flame's antics.
[Exactly! In fact, I'll tell you something—kind of like... your prophecy]
Ferris remained silent.
[There's going to be a war between heroes and villains soon~ But shhh! Keep this a secret between us!] She teased.
"Aren't they always technically at war?" he pondered.
[Not just a war...] The flame flickered stronger.
[You've already seen firsthand how terrifying blessings could be. Blessings have been here longer than the dawn of human civilization]
[Blessings bring the truth out from the muddy waters of human mortality]
[Since then, there was always a clear divide between good and evil. In fact, there have already been two great wars between those two factions]
Two wars? Ferris looked into his memories but found no major history relating to a great feud between heroes and villains. This information might be hidden from the public.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ferris asked.
The flame remained still in silence.
[I'm just curious which side you'll pick]
Which side? She knows I'm a knight, and yet she questions which side I'll pick?
[Quit overthinking. Anyways, I'll meet you again later.]
The blue flame slowly lost its color and became smaller and smaller.
[Bye~]
Ferris woke up to an early morning alarm. It was 5:30 a.m., and yet—
It feels like I've slept for a full eight hours.The old man's blessing is exceptionally powerful.
He quickly started his first day in May. Every single waste of time would mean an increase in the chance of failing the exam.
If I fail, I'll never be able to apply again. So I'll need to commit to the most grueling training regimen known to all knights!
***
Yaromech yawned as he stepped into a room. His black hair was as messy as his unkempt clothes. Even his deep blue eyes were muddy in color.
He stepped inside an office room. In front of him stood a frail kid he hadn't seen before and a fellow, much older knight.
The old knight spoke. "Sir Yaromech, this child's name is Felix. He has been assigned as your apprentice. Raise him well to become a knight."
"Huh, this runt?" Yaromech yawned again as if he was unbothered. "Uhhh, like~ I guess you should start off with 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run."
The old knight glared. "Yaromech..."
Yaromech shivered. "Huh? Alright, alright... Multiply it by five, then."
. . .
"Unbelievable..." The old knight gave up on Yaromech's questionable intelligence.
Is this person really my teacher now? the young Felix lampooned.
500 push-ups!
500 sit-ups!
500 squats!
And a 50-kilometer run!
Do it every single day!