Kenji was poking at his status window like it was a phone screen. "Okay, so if I focus on [Blade Saint]... More text appeared, whoa, it expands!"
[Blade Saint - Unique: Master swordsman potential. You understand how to use swords naturally. Learn sword techniques 50% faster than normal. At Level 10, you unlock special advanced moves."]
He started grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
Aria did the same,
[Frost Empress - Unique: Grants mastery over ice and cold. The user can freely shape frost and conjure frozen constructs, bending ice to both offense and defense. Natural resistance to extreme cold greatly reduces damage from freezing environments and frost-based attacks. All ice-aligned magic consumes 30% less energy, allowing prolonged combat and spellcasting. This affinity also accelerates the learning and execution of advanced frost spells, unlocking techniques of devastating glacial power.] She nodded in satisfaction.
Marcus's read aloud his skill description.
"[Divine Aegis – Unique: A blessing bestowed upon a true protector. The user can manifest radiant shields of holy light, capable of turning aside both physical and magical attacks. By direct touch, they may channel restorative energy to heal wounds and purge afflictions. A divine sense warns the user when bonded allies are in imminent danger. Holy magic cast by the user is significantly amplified, while all protection- and barrier-type spells consume 20% less energy.]
His eyes burned as they filled with tears.
"I can protect people. Actually protect them. This is what I was meant for."
All three turned to Hiroshi.
He was sitting on the edge of his bed, slightly apart from them in the common room. He'd been quiet since they left the throne room. Just following along.
"What about yours?" Kenji asked, genuinely curious.
Hiroshi opened his skill description. Read it once. Twice. Hoped maybe he'd misread it the first time.
He hadn't.
[Adaptive Evolution – Unique: A growth-oriented ability that responds to conflict and experience. When engaging in combat or intense training, the user gains minor, temporary stat increases tied directly to the actions performed. Each relevant stat receives a +1 boost, lasting seventy-two hours before fading. These enhancements stack only through varied effort. The user may also replicate techniques observed from others. However, copied abilities manifest at reduced effectiveness and lack the refinement of the original wielder.]
Hiroshi hesitated. He wasn't sure whether revealing his skill was a good idea. Why were they even telling each other about their abilities in the first place?
Still, now that he knew theirs, staying silent would only breed suspicion. It would definitely come back to bite him later, and that was the last thing he wanted.
With a quiet breath, he decided to tell them.
He spoke the name quietly. It didn't sound impressive, yet something about it felt weird.
The room went quiet for a moment.
Kenji tried to be encouraging. "Plus one per fight is something though, right? It adds up over time!"
Aria thought for a while before saying, "At plus one per fight with a seventy-two hour timer, you'd need to be in constant combat just to keep any advantage at all. And even then, the gains would be extremely slow compared to normal leveling."
Marcus jumped in, almost blasting optimistic energy in the room. "But you can copy techniques! That sounds really versatile! You could learn from all of us!"
Hiroshi kept reading the fine print at the bottom of the description. "With reduced effectiveness. It doesn't say how much it reduces the power, or how the copying even works. Could be ten percent weaker. Could be fifty percent."
Kenji stood up, walked over, and put a hand on Hiroshi's shoulder. The gesture was kind. "Hey man, seriously, don't worry! We all start somewhere, right? Stats can grow!"
"Those baseline numbers are really concerning though," Aria said. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything, Hiroshi could tell. Just stating facts "Even normal people here average seven or eight in their stats."
Marcus nodded. "The gods work in mysterious ways! Maybe you're meant to support us from somewhere safe! Every good team needs someone smart handling strategy and planning!"
There it was. The hidden feelings.
Translation: stay in the back where you won't die immediately and drag us down.
"Yeah," Hiroshi said. He forced a smile. The same customer service smile from FamilyMart. "Support. That sounds good."
They're being kind, he thought. Which somehow makes it worse than if they were just mean about it.
A knock at the door interrupted them.
A servant entered, carrying an armful of books and pamphlets. "Hero orientation materials, as requested by Archbishop Therion."
He set them on the common room table and bowed.
"Hero Candidate?" Kenji frowned, pointing at one of the labels on the stack. "Why does this one say 'Hero Candidate' instead of just 'Hero'?"
The servant looked uncomfortable. "The, ah, designation is... administrative, sir. A formality."
"What's the difference?" Aria asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not qualified to explain the details, my lady. The Archbishop can clarify during tomorrow's briefing." He bowed again and practically fled.
After the servant left, they gathered around the table. The stack included guidebooks, bestiaries, something about dungeon safety protocols, a pamphlet about the Demon King threat, maps, and what looked like a System mechanics manual.
Kenji picked up the top one, it was a thin book with "Hero Basics" written in gold letters. "Oh cool, a guidebook. Like a tutorial."
Aria took the thickest book, labeled "System Mechanics and Magical Theory." "I should read the technical documentation. Understanding the underlying principles will be important."
Marcus grabbed the Demon King pamphlet, which had a dramatic illustration of a horned figure on the cover. "I should understand our divine mission."
Hiroshi immediately grabbed the monster encyclopedia and started reading.
The others skimmed their books, chatting casually while they read, flipping through pages.
Hiroshi needed to study. Even in a fantasy world, he couldn't escape books and learning. With a quiet sigh, he took mental notes, forcing himself to absorb the information.
"So basically we train, get stronger, fight through dungeons, and eventually face this Demon King," Kenji said, closing his book after maybe ten minutes. "Got it."
"The dungeon overflow phenomenon is interesting," Aria murmured, still reading hers. "Self-sustaining monster ecosystems that grow exponentially if not controlled."
"Our purpose is clear," Marcus said, setting his pamphlet down. "Protect the innocent from the forces of darkness. Drive back evil. Standard holy mission."
Hiroshi paid them no attention, remaining hunched over the bestiary, fully absorbed.
Goblins had poor night vision but excellent hearing. They fought in groups, usually five to fifteen individuals. Pack tactics, they'd surround you, go for weak points. Their own weak points were throat, eyes, and joints because they wore scrappy armor that didn't cover those areas properly.
Slimes were resistant to slashing and blunt damage but weak to piercing attacks. Their cores were always in the center.
Dire wolves hunted in packs of three to seven. Faster than horses. There attacks are always Coordinated. The alpha always hung back during initial attacks, directing the others.
"Hiroshi," Marcus said gently. "You're really focused on that."
"Information is important," Hiroshi said without looking up. "You need to know your enemy. Their patterns, their weaknesses."
"Were you a gamer back on Earth?" Aria asked.
"RPGs mostly." He paused. "Which I guess is relevant now."
Kenji grinned. "Oh! You're a strategy gamer! That's perfect for the support role! You can tell us the best ways to fight stuff!"
There it was again. Support role.
Hiroshi kept reading. Found the section on level expectations and survival rates.
Normal civilians were Level 1 to 5. Town guards were 5 to 15. Professional soldiers were 15 to 35. Knights were 35 to 60. Elite knights hit 60. Heroes were expected to reach Level 120 or higher, with the strongest historical heroes reaching Level 120 or 160.
Then he found the survival statistics table.
Level 1 characters entering F-Rank dungeons, the absolute weakest dungeon classification, had a 2% survival rate when going in alone. That jumped to 15% with proper party support.
"We should sleep," Kenji said, yawning and stretching. "Big day of combat training tomorrow."
"Indeed," Marcus agreed. "We should be well-rested for our duties."
"Adequate sleep is necessary for proper cognitive function and physical recovery," Aria added, already heading toward her room.
They moved to their separate bedrooms.
Hiroshi stayed at the table.
"Hiroshi," Marcus called from his doorway. "You coming to bed?"
"Soon. Just want to finish this chapter."
Hiroshi sat by the window, books stacked beside him, reading by candlelight.
The castle at night was peaceful. He could hear guards changing shifts in the distance. The view from the window was beautiful, gardens and courtyards lit by magical lamps, two moons hanging in the sky.
It should have been comforting.
But in reality it wasn't.
Hiroshi's hands were shaking from fear.