uckily for me, GstringGirl decided to remind me that I still have school tomorrow, and that we could continue our adventure tonight after that. It is still a mystery to me that she does homeschool. I hear that those are quite expensive to do so her family must be loaded.
Not like I know what her family is like. She has been really cagey about the details about her life, but eh she will open up eventually I guess.
Getting up is always the hardest part. I feel like my eyes just wanna shut away from the world as I try to get up, rubbing them off the nasties that built up in them. I stayed there for a minute, letting my brain wake up slowly as my surroundings became more clear and my mind began to process things faster and faster until it was running up to optimal speed. I looked over to my customized Alexandria alarm clock to tell me that it is currently 7 am in the morning, which would mean that I might be late if I don't get up soon.
Huh…curious.
…
…
…
Hah!?
Oh crap! I'm gonna ruuuuun laaaaaaate!
I quickly jumped out of bed, accidentally slipping out of it and hitting the carpet hard. Luckily it was just a minor injury, nothing too big, the only thing injured is my head and my pride, if I had any left.
I can still feel the throbbing pain from my head but nevermind that for now! I'm running laaaate!
I quickly stripped off my shirt and pants into the bathroom and just threw them onto the floor haphazardly without care. I turned the knob the wrong way into the blue symbol, rewarding me with a fresh dose of frozen ice water on my face.
"Ahh too cold!!!" I screamed like a girl before turning the knob the other way, which met my skin like I was in hell itself.
"Ahhh fuck! Too hot!" I changed it again and this time, took it a bit slower and placed it on the warm side. While I let my body soak in water, I grabbed my toothbrush and just scrubbing away without care before finishing in one minute flat.
I didn't even bother with shampooing my hair, just put a bit of soap on my important bits and rinsed it off before being finished within two minutes. One of my fastest times in the shower yet…probably.
And then I realized I forgot my towel, which was in my closet. I ran out of the bathroom and tripped on my discarded pile of clothes but luckily I managed to land on my knees this time, rather than on my face this time. Hurray improvements.
I got up quickly from that and grabbed my towel while grabbing on my clothes to wear on to school. Thank God Winslow doesn't have uniforms and quickly put on a blue polo shirt with a white t-shirt underneath and pants.
I rushed downstairs to see…yup! My parents are no longer there, alongside my brother. Which meant they left me to sleep here! They should have woken me up earlier damnit! Why didn't they?!
No matter! I can still reach the bus station if I hurry!
Quickly grabbing some bread and scarfing it down like there is no tomorrow, I quickly left outside of my house, locked the house and ran about ten feet before pausing for a second…why does my back feel lighter? I looked at my back and got shocked.
I forgot my own backpack?! What type of student just forgets his backpack?!
I quickly ran back to the door and looked underneath the mat in which I kept one of my secret keys to the house and opened the door. I ran straight to my room, grabbed my Armsmaster designed backpack, locked the door again before running full speed to the bus station.
I barely made it in time because after 10 seconds of reaching it, the bus arrived. I was able to get on the bus, sweating in bullets like there is no tomorrow. Some of the students looked at me and giggled. I felt embarrassed and went straight to the back of the bus which thankfully had no one sitting there, not anyone sitting in front of those seats either. I plopped down as I rested my straining lungs and legs from all that running.
The bus ride was gonna take about 15 minutes at least if there is no traffic so I should be able to pass the time by playing with my phone…
Oh…
I left it behind on the desk of my bed.
Fuck. This sucks.
15 minutes of boring window watching later, I have finally made it to Winslow High.
I'm gonna be the first to admit…this place sucks. I'm pretty sure like 90% of us would prefer to go to school anywhere else. But the schools outside are way too expensive for broke-ass students.
I could have gone to Arcadia as well, but with my average grades, not to mention the long waiting line of Arcadia students (waiting lines my ass, you mean empty seats for Wards to stay in), I had basically no other choice but to go to school here.
I mean many people depicted this school to be pretty shitty, but I think that's just like emo-depressed teenagers talking. Aside from the occasional people bringing in drugs, guns, knives, people getting harrassed to being forced into the ABB or the Empire, the school isn't that bad. Just keep your head down and you will do fine here. Don't join any gangs, don't piss off the rich spoiled brats who come here and you will be golden. Like me!
I mean yeah, I don't have friends, I'm basically at the bottom of the social ladder, the loners who usually just survive on their own, not bothering anyone else, but hey! That's Winslow for you.
As I entered the hell that is known as High School, I briefly took a look at the lockers and shivered. I'm not gonna be using these lockers anytime soon after the incident. Sure it's been months but no way in hell I'm gonna suffer like that. Heck, I'm not even the only one as I see some of the students just skipping the damn thing too.
I went to class, seeing Mr Gladly there. I gave him a wave…which he ignored, took my seat and placed my bag behind me. I took out my notebooks and began listening to his boring lectures of history and what not.
I just wish he would talk about Capes already. That would be something interesting at least.
Pain!
So much pain!
I could feel them, biting through my shoulder, teeth sinking like motherfucking vampires!
Is this how am I gonna die to Hellhound if I ever encounter her? Being ripped apart like this? Well if I ever made it out alive, I'm gonna have dog phobia for the rest of my life after this.
Still, I can't let this dog get through *******, I'm already pathetic as it is, if I do let this thing get her….then they would be right…that I wouldn't be fit to be a hero anymore….
I won't let that happen!
I refuse for that to happen!
Even if I die here and now, as long as ******** lives, then I would be happy…
I mean…isn't that what it means to be a hero? To protect everyone with this ******?
I mean…what kind of hero am I if I can't even protect one person…?
"Greg!"
Huh…is someone calling for me?
"Greg!"
Wait…thats ******, I look up to see a small figure falling down, gripping a knife, that is about to stab…
Me?
"Aghhhhhhhh
"Ggghhhhhhhhh!" I shot up from my desk, flailing my arms and accidentally hitting something with my hands.
I felt a bit of sting in my hands but I ignored it as I stared around, seeing all my classmates snicker and some of them even outright laughing at me. I was quite confused at the moment, what did I do that was funny? Did I snore loudly? Made some random mumbo-jumbo words in my sleep? Is it the dumb drool on my face?
"Mr Veder."
I felt a chill down my spin as I see Mr Glady with a slight ugly welt on his right side of his face, ruining the "cool" teacher image that he had going on…or something. He never really cared about social outcasts like me and Sparky so I don't really pay attention to whatever he is doing, just trying to get by…
Which failed with my reflexive slap on his face without meaning to…
Oops.
"Principal office now."
Fuck.
5 minutes later after being banished to the Principal's office, I got rewarded by surprisingly not a punishment. Strange as it is, but the incident was no big deal, it was just the case of teenagers being sleep-deprived. Seriously, they should let us start school later, these schedules are killing the attention span of teenagers I'm telling you!
I mean, the only scummy thing that happened was Mr Glady playing it off as me being the rebellious kid or something like that. Mrs Blackwell didn't seem to buy that and just let me off with a warning not to sleep in class again or I might get detention. She seemed quite more subdued and tired than usual, but I think that's just her grumpiness as usual.
I made it out of the office no better than when I went in, except for the fact that now everyone is now whispering about me falling asleep and slapping the teacher. Great, just when I was able to keep my head down, this happened.
"Yooooo….what happened to you man~?" That dragged-out voice could only mean one thing…
"Sparky!" I went over to where he was. He was just standing there, long hair tied into a braid behind him with a dazed look on his face. If you have never talked to him before, one would assume that he is always high on drugs.
"Well, I managed to fall asleep in Mr. Glady's class due to playing Space Opera last night at around midnight I think? The only reason that I'm not even absent right now is because my online friend told me to go to sleep, which I didn't wanna but my friend told me to so I did but I woke up late and like missed a bunch of stuff before even arriving at the school like my phone, which made the bus trip so boring I swear, I'm gonna bring my home everyday from now on, that's a Veder promise. Anyway, Mr Glady made a huge deal out of it but Mrs Blackwell didn't seem to care so she just told me not to do it again or I might get detention."
That's right, if you can't tell…i talk a lot. Like a lot a lot, like you wouldn't even believe.
See in order to get as many local friends as possible, I have to keep on talking because if I stop talking, it will become awkward between me and my friends and then they will start to drift apart and before I know it BAM! Lonely Greg Veder once again. I can't afford for that to happen again so I will keep talking and talking.
"Oh wow that cool man I guess…" If Sparky never had that weird dazed expression on him, I would think of him as a hippie with the way he drags out every word as if to sound hip to something, but that's cool! Honestly!
We both began to walk to our next class, which I would fill the walk with whatever news that came to mind such as the recently formed super villain team called the Undersiders where they robbed the casino called Ruby's Dreams on March 2.
The clip for said robbery wasn't as clear as he would have liked but he got enough of the picture to conclude that it wtouch-and-gond go type of situation. A blob of darkness covered everything, blinding everybody including the camera and after about 15 minutes of pure tense moments, it was gone. No one was injured but a bunch of money was just robbed right out of their asses.
To be honest, he wasn't as invested into that particular news as the one that was really recent and something that shook everyone's foundation of heroes and villains alike.
Scion disappeared on March 1 and hasn't been seen since. It wasn't like before where people were somewhat able to monitor him but something weird happened when a strange purple portal opened up on the island of the Caribbean. Scion flew through the portal to investigate but then the portal closed with Scion in there and since that event…that's it. Nothing ever happened. No golden light blasting through, no punches that could tear reality apart, not even another purple portal opening up again, that was it he just flat out disappeared.
And ain't that the result of conspiracy theories, one of which I had a hand in or rather, I had one before getting banned on the forums…again.
My theory is that Scion is an alien from another universe and whatever that portal was is his home place and he decided to just leave earth for like forever since he is at home and all. I mean, what else could he be other than an alien with his strange golden skin, no pupil in his eyes and so many broken powers that it doesn't make any sense.
Also, I placed another theory on top of that, he is the one giving us superpowers for experimentation reasons and that he may come back after and take over humanity or something like that.
…What? I'm not crazy, I swear this is nothing but the truth.
"Oh wow man, that's so wild. Looks like Brockton is becoming more weird every single day~" Of course, Sparky just seems to take it in stride, not caring of the fact that we could die here because of Scion being an alien overlord, going back to his home planet to prepare an invasion to Earth like the movies portrayed. Oh no, not caring about it one bit. "But anyway, my mom just got me a Gameboy and I'm gonna play some Pokemon, wanna come hang out later?" Sparky asked as we closed into our classroom.
I could only shrug. "Maybe later, I haven't been able to convince my mom to buy me one yet, telling me that I need to focus on school first and what not." As we were about to enter the classroom, I heard a thud a few ways behind me. I turned around to see a girl on her knees, presumably being tripped on by one of the girls on her side.
Taylor Herbert, the girl who was on her knees with her long black hair and glasses. Sophia Hess, the star athlete and one of the tormentors of the aforementioned girl.
"That's right you slut! You belong on the floor like the trash you are! I bet you're the kind of person who smells their fingers after scratching your butt!" Sophia says mockingly as two other girls surround Taylor in a triangle formation.
Madison Clements, the cute one of the group and Emma Barnes, the leader of the group and one of the prettiest girls in the school.
"Yeah! I bet the reason why Brockton Bay is shit is because you exist. Just go die in a ditch." Madison added with her cutesy voice that seemed kinda forced. Or maybe that's just me and that's my imagination.
"Nah, maybe it would be better if she doesn't die, that way, she can watch her whole family kill themselves because of you. Just like your own mother. She probably crashed her car on purpose to stop talking to you anymore. I bet that your father will commit suicide right in front of you to show how worthless you are." Emma continued on, spitting on Taylor's hair in disgust.
There was no response from Taylor, except trying to get up from the floor, only to be kicked behind the leg by Sophia.
"Did I say you can get up huh weakling?!" Sophia shouted as she kicked both of her legs. Taylor let out a cry of pain before being silenced immediately by Emma grabbing her chin and her hair tightly. She then put her head into Taylor's ear to whisper some things. I couldn't hear anything from it but I could probably guess that they were more insults as I can see Taylor trying to hold back more tears from leaking out.
I clenched my fist in anger. I don't know why the three of them started to hate on Taylor that had done nothing wrong to them. I have heard that Emma and Taylor used to be best friends before something happened to make Emma turn on her for some reason. I wanted to just go over there and just tell them to stop hurting her and leave her alone…
But I don't… because I can't help her.
People have tried to help her at first, only to be either beaten up, humiliated, or at some extreme cases, suspended and expelled from the school because of the trio. Apparently, they have some sort of monopoly in this school that basically gives them free reign here. The teachers don't do anything as they just ignore her cries of help and the students…just walk by, as if that was something normal, a part of the Winslow experience.
One of the students who did help her last year, ended up in the hospital with broken bones and a ruined face. He never came back to Winslow after that. It sucked.
I wanted to genuinely help Taylor no matter what…but without superpowers…I'm just Greg Veder. Nobody special, a person that you could probably see everyday in the city. But once I figure out how to get superpowers, I will be her knight in shining armor. I will protect her from all that is evil and that maybe she might finally go out with me.
Maybe that's why she rejected me the first time I asked her on a date, she was trying to protect me. She is so heroic without even powers. She is amazing…
So with a promise of getting superpowers and saving her, I ignored the grunts of Taylor and entered our next class with Sparky in tow. Do not worry Taylor Herbert! Your sacrifices will not be in vain!
If I wanted to be honest, coding sucks.
Oh sure, it could be useful if you are trying to make a website, make an app or even hack things but I don't want any of that. I wanna be a superhero damnit. Why doesn't Winslow teach students how to get powers? I swear it's like they are trying to let the villains take over the city or something so that the heroes have more bad guys to fight and more money to make.
But still, if I get this done quickly enough, I should be able to research how to get powers. Mrs Knott is nice like that. Just complete your assignment and you can use the computer for whatever things you want. Like that guy beside me who was watching porn for shits and giggles. I won't judge, besides he's an ABB member and I rather not get assassinated first before getting my powers first thanks.
It took me a while but I did eventually finish the project and I was finally able to continue researching on how to get superpowers on the internet…
With no such luck of course.
I mean, they are probably hiding on how to get superpowers to prevent more villains from popping up and I understand that but come on! Give us a hint for heroes of justice like me so that we can gain power to fight the villains and save the world! It's sad that we need more heroes and yet we are not getting the information needed to get said powers. It's unfair.
But it doesn't matter! I will keep looking until I can find out how to get superpowers and become a hero…
That was about 20 minutes after that I just finally gave up.
It was just too many things for me to read, the only thing I grasped from my research is that only super talented people can trigger due to their brains evolving even further or something along those lines. Which is so totally unfair. You mean to say that the Merchant capes are somehow super talented people?! Then why the hell are they too busy making drugs and kidnapping people?! What for?! Heck, they are high half the time when they do show up to fight.
Stupid internet, not giving the right information.
I didn't even hear the bell ring for the next class as I was just too invested into looking for how to get superpowers. I would have probably stayed in class, if it wasn't for Mrs, Knott, gently nudging me. I looked up at her, my eyes slightly blurry from staring at the screen for a bit too long before it readjusted itself again.
"Greg, it's time for your next class, also please return the book that you have finished reading." She told me before leaving the classroom…wait a minute…book? What book?
I looked over on my desk and on the left side of the keyboard is a brown leather book that looked way too brand new to be here in this school. But I'm pretty sure I never got any books in the first place. Books are too boring for me to read. They are not instant, they don't give you the answers properly and they make me sleepy!
I tried to tell the teacher that it wasn't mine but she left already before I could say anything. I don't remember the guy who was sitting beside me, I think it was the porn guy? Eh whatever, I would rather not deal with an ABB member if I can help it.
So with the reluctance you except from a teenager like me, I grabbed the book and slowly walked towards the shelves of books that are here in the computer lab. Despite this being the computer class, we have books here…for whatever reason. It's strange, we have technology though…why rely on something so…old news.
As I was about to return the book, I stopped myself. I looked over the book once more to read the title, just out of curiosity.
The Record of the Four Heroes.
What a strange name for a book title. Is it a novel perhaps? If it is, it is certainly a strange title to hook people in… I'm in! Just a quick peek won't hurt won't it?
I opened the book and began reading the first lines of the book.
After reading for about a minute or two, I have made a conclusion about this book…
It's a flipping Light Novel…I think? Maybe it's just a book that might have the format of a Light Novel? Whatever, I have never read a Light Novel before so I wouldn't know but I think it might be something similar to this…
Anyway, the basic premise of the story is simple: Four heroes are summoned into another world with their respective weapons. Spear, Bow, Sword and Shield. They are tasked to repeatedly defeat the catastrophe known as Waves, which basically summons a bunch of monsters to invade their home.
Then there are the characteristics of each wielder of the weapons. The Sword stands for Strength. The bow has a sense of justice. The Spear sparks loyalty and the Shield has an iron will.
Then there is the main villain of the story. A princess from the kingdom that they were brought in. She does nasty things to the heroes that forces them to always fight against one another when they are supposed to fight the waves.
And that's about the summary of what I have read.
It fucking sucks!
First of all, the Four main characters are hard to follow. I would know, I always fall asleep if there are like 20 main characters and only one of them is interesting enough to be read or listened to. So sitting my butt to read the other 19 characters first before reading the actual interesting one?! Waste of time!
Second, Shield as a weapon?! Really? Who uses a flipping shield as a weapon?! Granted, it was useful for blocking things but to be part of a legendary weapon?! I mean unless it has a spike in it or something, it's nothing more than a glorified metal disc.
The only thing that interested me was that the princess in the story becoming a villain and messing with people. That is something that I wouldn't have expected. Sure they are other girl villains but this one acted innocent and all that before revealing the fact that she is evil and controlling the other heroes into fighting each other. That sounds cool and maybe I might read it some more.
Of course that's something I would like to do if only there were more words in the goddamn page! For whatever reason when going to the Shield backstory or whatever, it's just blank. No more words after that. I tried flipping every page and skipped to the last one. Nope, nuh uh, no words, nothing just a bunch of words in front and nothing else.
A pity, this idea sounded way too interesting enough. Maybe I should make a new campaign with this story as a base after our current adventure is done in Space Opera? I'm sure GstringGirl would love this idea!!!
As I returned the book back to it's place in the shelves, I began to feel a sudden bout of fatigue. It weighed upon my legs, forcing me to trip onto the shelves, knocking over several books and coincidentally having the same book that I returned land in front of me, which was glowing like crazy. It was flipping its pages like a crazy reader or something and before I knew it, the light was brighter and blinded me.
After that, I knew nothing more.
...at least for a minute or two until…
"The summoning was a success!" An old guy shouted excitedly as it forced me to open my eyes to a really weird room. Looks like what a cultist room would look like if they were cosplaying or whatever. Look, there's even a magic circle underneath us that is glowing…
Wait…glowing…?
"Yaaahhhh!" Nice job there Greg, shout like a banshee why don't you? I pushed myself up too quickly, leaving myself light-headed for a bit before shaking it off easily, allowing me to see a bunch of people in weird wizard cosplay hoods and now they are looking at me…great.
"Oh brave cardinal heroes we beg of you please save our world from the waves of disaster!"
…I'm sorry whaaaaaat?!
Did you just say hero?! Did I just got Isekaied?!
Wooohoooo! Yay now I get to be a hero!
Don't worry Brockton Bay! A hero has arrived and will save you all! Now let me just save these guys first!
"Ok you got it Sir!" I gave him a salute afterward. This is the best day ever!
AN:
So here is another Worm Story from me I guess... It's a crossover this time so yeah...not sure how often I will post so hope you enjoy this story that I will make...eventually.91Self-Fulfillment WriterMar 22, 2022View discussionThreadmarks 1-2 Bottom View contentSelf-Fulfillment WriterA writer that writes for themselves.Apr 14, 2022#10I'm interested in how innocence fares when it collides with hard reality.
Geoffrey S Fletcher~
"..."
"Is that so?"
"Can I just go back to my old world? I already heard this kind of story before."
What?
I looked over to my side and found myself staring at three other people. They look Asian, judging by their definition of their faces and eyes, but their hair color is…unique to say the least.
One of them has dark blue hair, another one has what looks like Olive green and the last one is the fairly normal blonde hair that I have as well but even then, that hair color looks far different compared to my own. His looks way shinier than it had any right to be. It looks like it came straight out of an anime or something like that. He even tied it in a small pony tail of sorts!
Either way, that's not their most important feature though…it's the fact that they have weapons in their hands.
The guy with the olive hair has a bow on him, the blue hair has a sword and the blonde lookalike has a spear. So imma just specify them by their weapons.
It seemed that the bow and the spear guy were the one who spoke while the sword guy just remained silent, looking at them with intense eyes. As I was about to speak out to them, I noticed a weight on my right arm. I turned my head to look at it and hey! I have something too!
Except…its not a weapon…its a shield though…
…
…
…huh guess I'm playing support then, not that I'm complaining honestly. Sure, it kinda sucks that I can't fight with this thing but hey, Panacea is still a hero despite not being in the front lines so maybe I could be that too, except that I have to tank for my squishier teammates, which I'm totally ok with.
Besides, who says that tanks are useless? If League of Legends has taught me anything, it's that every role is vital for the survival of a group.
Tank, Mage, Fighter, Carry or Jungler and Support are very important in winning team fights, cooperation is key too! So I'm definitely not worried. I'm just worried that we have way too many DPS and not enough support in the team. But hey, I'm pretty sure I can do a good job about doing both.
"Even if you send us home when the job is done, that's basically just using us as slave labor, you know?"
"You get where we're coming from, right? Keep in mind that depending on your answer we might have to become your enemies."
Oh Bow guy and Spear guy is still talking huh? And by the looks of it, they are threatening them! Looks like I get to also play negotiator too!
In another world, a certain blonde girl sneezed at being called out.
"Hey now guys!" I made my voice as loud as possible, getting everyone else's attention. "I'm pretty sure that they had no choice but to summon us if their world is in danger alright?' I tried as hard as I could not ruin my first impression. I need to act cool and calm, despite nervously sweating. "Why not just meet the person in charge first before we do anything about this ok?" I turned to look over to the robed old men in the circle. "Can we please meet the one in charge of this summoning?"
There! I did it! My first convo with strangers and I haven't started babbling on and about. go nicely now.
"A-as the young man said, at least have an audience with the king before you do anything rash. You can discuss the details of your compensation there."
Oh no, we made a bad impression now. Nice going Greg, you thought too long and now they are looking at us with scorn in their faces.
"Well, I guess that's that."
"Seems like it."
"Though, talk is talk, even if it's a king."
Oh? The sword guy finally talked. I was wondering if he was gonna stay mute all day or not. It seemed that everyone seemed to reach to an agreement as the other three guys headed toward the exit. I followed behind them, so as not to be left behind. Compared to the dark room we'd started out in, the stone hallway was bright and lively.
...The air here smelled sweet. I wasn't really sure how else to describe it.
On top of that, the scenery we could see through the row of windows lining the walls was positively breathtaking. Clear blue sky, far as the eye could see, hung over a townscape straight from medieval Europe. It makes sense why the air smells different, no cars and stuff that makes smoke…still though…
Holy crap! We really are in another world! I can't stop the butterflies in my stomach. We really are going on an adventure or something similar to that!
But I need to keep calm, I can't let myself break character! I must act the calm and cool person. I take a deep breath and just looked at the scenery for a while, burning it into my memory.
My first look at a new world…
"Oi! Let's go already!"
I scoffed at the rude attitude but it was fine, I can probably look at this scene again later anyway.
Anyway, it seems that we were led to a audience chamber of sorts or I guess the throne room, judging by the two seats on the top over there. One of which is occupied by an old man with a staff. He seemed…stressed out…
Yup really stressed, judging by the glare on his eyes or something.
"Oh? So these are the Heroes of old?" At least we can hear the king so that's nice… oh wait, I knew we forgot something!
I quickly went on one knee and put my head down. I'm pretty sure that we are supposed to do that to a king or something like that, cause I remember people getting killed because of simple disrespect like talking back to the king or not even kneeling to royalty.
Thank God I did since the other guys quickly followed me and also kneel one knee and bowed before him. Hehe, I'm such a good role model. Despite them looking older than me, I'm the one with the most maturity out of them!
"I am the king of this country, Aultcray Melromarc the 32nd. Raise your heads, Heroes."
Heroes huh… Yes it's something that I can get used to being called by. We must be something special then… I hope I can live up to the potential.
"Now, I shall explain the current situation. This country - nay, the very world - is on the path to ruin."
As soon as he began his explanation, I notice something odd about it. It sounded…familiar, way too familiar to a certain book that I just read before coming here…!
"Ah! You guys are from that book aren't you!?"
Crap! I was way too excited and just spouted it out instead of keeping it a secret!
"Hmm? Book?"
Oh no! I messed up!
"Err…I mean that before I was summoned here… I read a book that said something just as familiar as what you are saying right now…your Majesty." I bowed my head in shame of interrupting the king's speech. Judging by the glaring holes I feel in my head, I might have pissed off a bunch of people…oops.
"Wait…you read something like this?"
"No fair! You got a cheat code of sorts! Share it with us!"
Eh? The Spear guy and the Bow guy were glaring at me while the Sword guy just stared at me. I began to felt even more nervous. Quick! Make a hasty explanation.
"I'm pretty sure it's not a cheat code of any sorts you guys! Just…let the…king explain it instead. I just…basically know why we were summoned in the first place." I hope that was enough to please them but…
"Tch, still holding out on information like that huh…there might be cheat codes or something in there."
"There might be something else the king missed that you can elaborate on though…"
Yikes, this is not good…thankfully the king coughed in his throat before continuing his explanation of the waves that were destroying the place or something like that.
Thankfully I kept my mouth shut and the king finished his explanation that was just a rehash tale of the book in my head. Except they were missing details like how the princess of this kingdom may be evil or something like that, not like I know if this is similar or not but best not to make him any more angrier than he is right now.
"Uh-huh. So that's it? We work for you like slaves?"
"That's certainly convenient for you."
"...It really is selfish, you know. Dragging us into a problem that doesn't have anything to do with us."
Oh come guys! Don't piss off the kind any further than this needs to be! I already made him mad, don't add to the fuel guys!
"What they meant to say is that…we just wanna be sure that we get the support we need to protect your kingdom, your Majesty, we don't mean anything bad by it!"
Even after I said that, he still glared at me…ah I think my head is really gonna be on the chopping board soon.
RIP Greg Veder, died by beheading cause he couldn't keep his mouth shut…yeah I'm gonna be a laughing stock…damnit.
"Of course, it goes without saying that we were planning to richly compensate you for your efforts."
The Bow and Spear guy let out a small cheer while the Sword guy just gave a nod. I myself let out a sigh of relief, thank God he still chooses to be kind to us despite our behaviour.
"Besides that, we could also prepare discretionary funds to support you on your journey. It's a small price to pay to ensure your cooperation in saving our world." Whew, that's ok…that's good even! At the very least we won't leave here unprepared for the adventure ahead of us.
"Oh? Well, as long as you make it a promise..."
"Don't think that means you own us, though. We're just cooperating for as long as you stay on our good side."
"...That's right."
Oh my God! Shut up you guys! What are you, Nazi's or something?! Do you want us to all get beheaded you fools!? That is the king you're talking too, the king! Do you guys have like no fear or something?!
"Now then, Heroes. Tell me your names."
"My name is Amaki Ren, age 16. I'm a high-schooler." The Sword guy began his introduction first, not giving away any of his emotions. Like something that I was trying to do except that he got it even more perfectly than me…damn, I'm jealous. As for their names though…i think I would just call them by their weapons rather than names. Asian names are weird…and I might not be able to remember them.
"I'll go next, then. The name's Kitamura Motoyasu, a college student, 21." The Spear guy went next, playing around his spear with a confident look on his face. He reminds me of one of those Empire thugs that have like two ladies on his arm constantly except he looks Asian instead so maybe a playboy?
"Oh, me now? My name is Kawasumi Itsuki. I'm a 17-year-old high-school student." The Bow guy said with a pleasant smile on his face…not! Hey I remember what your words are mister, you don't get to act all kind and nice when you were spouting offense after offense to the king over here!!!
Well, it's time for my own introduction. While I could go by Void Cowboy, I think I already made them all mad already so I'll do a normal one.
"My name is Greg Veder, I'm 15 years old and a high school student." Now that I just noticed…do they even have things like high school in here? Sure it sounds fancy but to them, it's probably an unknown title of sorts. Eh, not like we got any better introduction so might as well.
Huh I also just noticed that I'm the youngest among all of us heroes that were summoned here…weird but something I'm ok with.
"Hmm. Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, eh?" Oi! I may not be the most respectful person but at least acknowledge my existence damnit! I'm sorry if I was rude ok?!
But I decided not to say anything. I already cause enough trouble as it is for pissing them off earlier so I guess that's fair.
"Now, if everybody could please confirm their statuses?" I'm sorry what?
"Huh?" Thank God I wasn't the only one that was sorely confused over here!
Statuses? Like those things from the RPG games or something like that? How do we check those? If this is anything like a real-life game then it should be something that is easily accessible to the player that doesn't require you to shout out words like 'Menu' or something.
I look around me before noticing a small icon on the bottom right of my vision. I think I may found it.
"Umm... how do we do that, exactly?" Alright! Time to redeem myself. I turned around to the heroes with a small glee on my face.
"Guys, it's on the bottom left of your vision. There is an icon there with your weapon on it. Just look at it hard enough and it should appear." I didn't check my status first since I wanted them to check their status as well with me. So with that finished, I stared down at my icon before…
Ping! The icon suddenly expanded into a browser-like window that filled my entire field of vision.
Greg Veder
Class: Shield Hero Lv. 1
Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Weapon), Otherworldly Clothing
Skill(s): None
Magic: None
???:???Huh…neat. Looks clean too, also see-through. But…
What is up with the question mark over there? Is that something unique to me?
"Umm guys, do you guys have like a question mark skill or whatever on your status?"
The three of them turned to look at me with a skeptical look on them as they looked at their own status before telling me their own reply.
"Nope, nothing here."
"Same here."
"...no"
Shoot, so it's just me huh? Oh well, something to figure out on my own I guess. Still there is an issue now…
"I'm only level one? ...What a pain in the ass."
"Yeah, can we really fight like this?"
Both the Bow guy and the Sword guy complained their asses off of being so weak. What did you guys expect though? It's not like we would be summoned at level 100 or something? That is called bad writing. And at the very least we can get stronger so there is that too!
"Uh... more importantly, what the heck is this?" I guess the Spear guy isn't used to something like this. This is something that the future could be but at the same time to have it in a medieval setting is mind boggling too.
"Do you not have status magic in your world, Heroes? Here, it is something that anybody can use."
"No kidding?" Wow! So it's very commonplace here!? Damn, this would be so useful back home. Checking up your HP constantly and what not. Hey Leet, I got an idea for a gadget and your gonna love it! The fucking old people got to it first!
"Anyway, what should we do from here on out? Being such a low level is making me uneasy." Well Bow guy…if this is like any anime that I have watched, we would be getting something like companions.
"Ah, about that. We would like you to go on a journey to polish your skills and strengthen your legendary weapons." Or that…I guess that could work too.
"Strengthen our weapons? They're legendary, right? Shouldn't they be strong from the start?" That…is true. I guess they can evolve or something and that's why they are so weak first?
"I am simply relating the contents of the legend. It is written that 'the summoned Heroes will grow and strengthen their legendary weapons.'" Huh…well look at that, it was similar to the book I read…wait…then why did he get mad at me though?!
"Again with the legends. So can we at least use something else until these things are strong enough to be useful?" Spear guy, please don't disrespect the weapons that could keep us alive? At the very least, you guys have literal weapons while I have just a shield! We should be grateful that we were granted even powers to defend ourselves in the first place!
I'm really getting annoyed with these guys! Much more than the bullies at Winslow…then again I wasn't very popular and wasn't as bullied as much so maybe it has something to do with it? Or maybe it's the fact the world is at stake and they are acting like children?
"We can worry about that later. For now, we should just focus on getting stronger like they asked." You took the words right out of my mouth, Sword hero! Time to add my bit.
"Yup! I mean come on, we can't expect us to get so strong instantly. What if we like, hurt someone because we were too strong or something? It's best we started out weak anyway. Besides, the journey to getting strong would be more fun than just simply one-shotting monsters anyway? Right?"
The Spear guy seemed to share my statement and nodded. The Bow guy just smiled while the Sword guy stared at me with those unfeeling eyes. Did I say something wrong to the guy? Whatever, time to change the subject!
"Well then, should the four of us party up?"
"Wait just a moment, Heroes." The minister or the old guy beside the king interrupted us before we can do anything first.
"Hmm?" The Sword guy and the others, including me, stared at the guy in confusion.
"The four of you are to gather companions individually, then set off on your own separate journeys."...I'm sorry what?
"Oh? And why is that?" I wanna know too Spear Guy!
"It's quite simple. According to legend, the weapons you carry naturally repel each other. Should you operate together as a group, you will do nothing but impede each other's growth." Wait really? I never knew though. The book never said why the heroes were split up in the first place when they journeyed together so that could be it.
"I'm not sure I get it, but basically you're saying we can't get strong unless we work alone?" That's what the old guy is saying Bow hero.
And look, a pop-up just to confirm our fears.
Caution!
Working together with your fellow legendary weapon holders will be detrimental to your progress.
Please try to operate separately as much as possible.
That is such a dumb rule though. If we can't be near each other to gain EXP, then how the hell are we gonna defend the waves and get EXP from it?! This is so rigged against us.
"Looks like it's the real deal..." Unfortunately, it is Sword guy, unfortunately it is…
"So then, we need to gather companions, I guess?" It seemed so Spear guy…wait what's up with that weird expression on his face?
"On the contrary, we will gather companions for you - the best of the best, have no worries. However, the day grows late. For now, rest yourselves and gather your strength. Your journey begins tomorrow." I knew the king would get us companions! I knew it all along haha!
"Thank you."
"Yeah, thanks."
At least they have manners, I should say my own as well.
"Thank you very much your Majesty, we won't let your people and kingdom down!" That much I can promise myself. Looks like my dream of becoming a hero is just within my reach. I can just imagine it now… being in the Wards, meeting my idols there, becoming one of them…and maybe falling in love with a hot cape girl.
Hey, a guy can dream can't he?
Greg Veder
Parameters:
HP: 750
ATK: 1
MAG: 10
DEF: 50
MGD: 50
AGI: 10
I have to admit…my stats…suck.
Sure, I knew the reason why it's because tanks are supposed to have high defense but low attack but come on! Even tanks have higher damage than this crap!, the stats are far more balanced than this garbage! Even a normal human class in WoW had higher attack damage than this!
Sure…there are about an additional 22 plus more stats but when they are mostly allocated to defense…it's kinda meaningless in the end.
Me and the other Asian dudes are currently in a very expensive-looking room, going through our new 'statuses' and seeing what they have to offer. It's probably nighttime already at this point, judging by the lack of sunlight on our balcony here. Seriously though…why add a balcony in a guest room? This has got to be a weird design or something.
Regardless though…the fact that my stats are so heavily unbalanced…makes me very upset. How am I supposed to gain levels with 1 attack stat?! I might actually deal no damage if the enemy has higher defense than my attack, which is very likely, even in beginner stages. This sucks.
But on the other hand…I did discover something interesting. When I checked the equipment that is the [Small Shield], I discovered that it has unique passive skills that caught my interest.
Since this shield is a legendary one, it did not need maintenance. Like maintaining its durability and all that. It seems the shield itself is unbreakable which is neat. But just because it is doesn't mean I won't take damage even if I block. After all, the shock of any attack could still be felt in my body so I would still get hurt, hence the need for defense stat (which I still have too much of).
But that's not all, apparently this is one of its many forms. I discovered this after focusing on the small icon beside the [Small Shield].
Tons of picture icons popped up and spanned onwards, even beyond the menu window in front of me.
I didn't have the ability to change into any of these shields right now, but they were all described in detail.
Incredible… but they are all locked.
To unlock said forms, I need to not only absorb certain monster drops, but also be in a specific level in order to unlock said shield. The required items to unlock said shields are blocked though but I can guess some of the shield's requirements to unlock other types such as [Rope Shield] and [Pickaxe Shield] by name alone.
Still though… [Orange Balloon Shield]? That's an odd one for a shield form but whatever. I don't make the rules or in this case the weapon. Still though…
I just wish my stats weren't so screwed up. Hopefully some of the shields here can actually increase my attack stat. I desperately need it, even if I'm gonna be the tank.
But those aren't the only things I checked in the 'status'. Apparently, all legendary heroes have some sort of special ability that no other people can have if they are not legendary. I had to believe it anyway. Because it would be dumb if legendary heroes don't have special skills that make them unique. That's what I believed when I saw that I had no skills available to us at the moment. At least give us perks as Legendary Heroes damnit!
And lo and behold, it appeared below Skills though it's called Special Functions and it's because of the Legendary Weapons we carry, not because of the person itself. Damn, that's depressing. I wonder why they didn't appear before though when I was checking it last time… maybe there is a glitch or something?
Anyway I have read through them all and found some of the more interesting 'Functions' as Legendary Heroes.
Absorption seems to be the function that is required to unlock various shields. It will absorb monster junk and add it to the shield unlocking requirements.
Bypass seemed to have the ability to basically have infinite levels, which is BS if you ask me. I do wonder what the max level is for normal people here though…
Crafting seems self-explanatory. It can autocraft things for us if we know the recipe for it. Though it does have a disclaimer that the item crafts using this function will have lower quality than if crafted by one's hand. Interesting… maybe I can craft things like potions and weapons? That would be cool! But it works best to craft other types of shields with no drawback in terms of quality. Why craft shields though when we can unlock shields? Because of the next function.
Weapon Copy. An ability to copy other shields. Something I wished I knew ahead of time though! I could have copied so many shields when the guards passed by! Damn…I guess I can do that tomorrow.
Immunity seems like a basic gamer's mind thing that some fanfictions have in their gamer fics. Basically immune to mind control and other curses that control you. But there is something else in it as well.
Immunity: Holy Heroes are immune to slave seals, other control-type curses and mental influences of the ???.
I still wondered what it meant by mental influences though…does it mean that I can't be persuaded to do something like some sort of charm spell or something? Eh, I'm sure it will tell me in due time.
Other functions like Inventory is basically what every gamer needs, an inventory to store things in it which is super handy in a world where bandits and thievery are very common. I can just store all my goods and be ok!
Translation is something I really needed to know. This can translate language if spoken but not written…no wonder I managed to understand everyone here, even the other Asian Legendary Heroes. I bet they were speaking Japanese but since this function just translates it to English, I have no problem listening to it. Looks like I get to pass all language classes let's go! Guess the only problem is the written portion but eh, I'm sure I will figure it out.
The last one I could read was Wave Summoning. This ability teleports me to basically the Waves when they do happen. But they have to be somewhere close though or else it won't work as intended. Like if the wave was like on a mountain and I was in the ocean or something, this function is useless. I have to be somewhat near the mountain in order for it to work. A shame though as I could have used that time to farm while waiting for the last cooldown of the Wave but I can just deal with it.
There are other functions as well but they are all blocked by question marks as well so I most likely need to discover them on my own as well but it's fine! I got all the important information I need and can get somewhat by anyway so it's all good!
I let out a sigh as I closed down my menu and let my body relaxed on the soft mattress. My mind swirls with endless possibilities on how I can be a hero thanks to this shield. Sure, I may not have anything cool like flight powers or super strength but hey, as they advertise in comics and manga, heroes protect lives first before anything else…or something like that.
"Man, this game is awesome! Don't you guys think so too?"
My attention was drawn to the blonde hair replica Asian dude of me, who I noticed…is actually shorter than me, by an inch. In fact, out of all the heroes in this group…I'm the tallest hero. My height isn't really impressive, standing around 5'6 ft as for like Taylor who I believe could be 5'7 or 5'8. And I'm still in my teenage years for God sake! Guess it just goes to show that Asian's would always be shorter than Americans.
Hey! These are actual facts alright?! Sue me!
"I mean, look at this! It looks like something came out from the future or something. I can't believe Emerald Online has advanced this far!" And the spear guy is still talking. I should probably respond at least, tell him something about heroes and responsibility and all that. But before I can even get a word in, the sword guy interrupts.
"Emerald Online? What are you talking about? This is clearly Brave Star Online. And this type of technology isn't even that new. It has been around since 2020."
I'm sorry what?!
"Wait what?!" That's exactly what I said, spear dude! "What do you mean it's been around since 2020?! First of all, the year is 2015 and second of all…what the heck is Brave Star Online? Sounds like a rip-off of an anime or something?" Wait what…did he just say 2015? But I'm pretty sure it's 2011 right?
"Did you just say 2015? That's not right, I'm pretty sure it's 2030. And how could you have not known Brave Star Online? It's the number one trending game in all of Japan and even in America. The greatest VRMMO to exist." 2030?! Am I the only person out of the loop here?! And VR?
"You're both wrong." Oh no, not you too Bow guy. "The year is 2100 and this game is called Dimension Wave. We use things like controllers since VR is banned." This is official, I'm so lost in here.
"Umm…i never…"
"What do you mean VR is banned?! That's impossible!? If anything, it should be booming in the business! Why would it be banned in the first place?!" And I got interrupted by the sword guy, thanks. Luckily before things got more heated, the spear guy decided to stop this argument.
"Whoa whoa calm down guys! Let's reorganize our information first!" He put his hand on his forehead, massaging it as he is processing the information…probably. "Hey. Tell me what you know about the situation with VRMMO, will you?"
"It's common where I live." The sword guy shrugs like it's no big deal.
"Itsuki, Greg. What about you guys?" yay, I exist again!
"They used to exist but due to health risks such as damage to the brain and nerves, they were banned for the foreseeable future." Itsuki hummed in thought.
"I remember reading about it in a light novel before." I gave my piece. It was a very popular trope after all so why wouldn't it be famous?
"Is that so. I suppose I did get that vibe off of you. Then back to you, Ren, what's this Brave Star Online? Is it a VRMMO?"
"Yeah that's right, VRMMOs are ones like Brave Star Online. It has a world system very similar to this world's setup." The sword guy looked really proud of himself right there.
The bow guy decided to interject. "If that's true then, does that mean the world that you two came from only has retro games like the ones you both mentioned earlier?" He pointed to both the Spear guy and me, to which we both nodded. I'm not sure about the development of games from where these guys came from but our games tended to be…more old school. It's just recently that we got a boon of development like the recent League of Legends and World of Warcraft.
The sword guy added his piece as well. "It's interesting though…despite the fact that computer games did exist at one point, none of those titles…seemed familiar to me. In fact, I never heard of them and I have done research about popular games in the past before so I would have at least heard of that game before…" Wait…could it be…?
"Multiverse theory."
My muttering caught the attention of the entire room. They looked at me with raised eyebrows.
"Multiverse theory? You mean that strange theory that proposed multiple universes exist at the same time?" It seemed that the bow hero got the gist of it in an instant.
"Yeah. It seemed that we may have belonged on different earths. Similar but with differences in terms of history. It might explain why we don't recognise the games we heard from each other." That seemed to be the most logical explanation. I may not study a lot in class but some topics that involve different worlds do interest me. Mainly different worlds with different capes and what not. "I mean, for my world at least, it is true as we already made contact with another earth."
All their expressions were varying degrees of shock. Probably hearing the fact that the multiverse and multiple earth's exist for the first time could do that to someone. This concludes for me that they didn't come from Earth Aleph nor Bet, but from another one entirely. Or three other Earths in that case…
"That's…"
"Impossible…there is no way…"
"But…could it be…?" They all seemed to be doubting my words so I decided to ask themselves a simple question.
"I have an idea, why not ask each other questions about your country's history. You guys seemed to be from Asia and since I'm from America, I don't know much about Japan's history. Sorry." I bowed my head as there was nothing I could do to prove my side of the story.
The spear guy seemed to contemplate my solution before turning to the two Asian dudes.
"Guys, can I assume you are all from Japan?" The bow and sword guy nodded. "Ok then…who is the current Prime Minister? We will say it together." To which all the three Japanese dudes nodded. And counted down to three, two, one…
"Yuda Masato."
"Yawahara Tsuyoshi Tarou."
"Odaka Enichi."
…Yup, didn't recognize any of them. Then again, I'm not Japanese nor studied its history so I couldn't compare anyway.
And then they began asking about famous internet slang, net pages, and more online games.
And thus, they arrived at the same conclusion of not knowing anyone else's information.
"Well…guess the American's right. We are all from different Earths with different Japans too!" Thank you spear hero for the very obvious result.
"See! What did I tell you guys hmm?" I couldn't help but grin at my theory being proven true (even though it has already been proven in my world).
"Yeah yeah, you were right and we were wrong, sorry about that." That's a bit condescending don't you think Bow guy?
"...it seems your theory proves correct…but how did your scientist discover another Earth?" Huh…didn't expect the sword hero to ask about that…
I racked my brain as I try to remember how they managed to get in contact with another earth. Sadly, my memory failed me and decided to just wing it.
"Well…i guess it's fine to share this a bit a out my world. So my world, we call it Earth Bet. We have people with literal superpowers and-"
"Whoa whoa whoa hang on? Superpowers? Are you sure there are not Espers by any chance?" I looked at the bow guy in confusion. Espers? You mean people who control things with their mind or something?
I shook my head. "Not exactly, I mean there are capes out there that do have telekinesis or something close to it anyway. As for the mind thing…maybe? I mean Tinkers do use their minds a lot to build stuff but I think it's just their power working…or is it that the power makes the mind different? Maybe they could be considered Espers…maybe-"
"You're getting off-topic here." The sword guy got annoyed with the constant interruption.
"Ah right. So we have super powers in my world and they can be classified into multiple categories but for now. I will just focus on one of them. You can ask about the rest tomorrow. Anyway, the term we used, Tinker are superpowers that are capable of building machines far more advanced than normal technology. I believe a group of Tinkers came together and somehow managed to get in contact with another Earth that also has some capes as well. Ah, capes are people with superpowers if you didn't know. But anyway, that wasn't the only earth we discovered however. So far, we managed to find about 40 more earths after this one as well so I know the multiverse theory or at least the many earths theory is true. And that's why I believe in multiple Earths existing together."
The three other heroes seemed to be taking in all of my words, despite me rambling again here and there. And after my explanation, the spear guy got up, clasped my shoulder and grinned.
"Man, you have an awesome Earth out there! Imagine, being a superhero, saving lives and getting cute girls! You must have at least had a GF right?" I'm not sure why he is so focused on the GF part though…
"Ummm, yeah it is but…i'm just a normal student though…i don't have superpowers nor have a girlfriend."
It seemed that the spear guy winced at my confession but still held that grin regardless. "Hey no worries! Even if you weren't a superhero there! You are now here! You got that uhhh…shield there…" Uh oh…i didn't think that he would cringe at the actual "weapon" I had but…
"It sucks doesn't it?"
"No no! The shield is a totally awesome weapon! It's just…"
"Don't sugarcoat it, Motoyasu. If there is one thing we can agree upon, it's the fact that the shield is useless." Ouch! Right in the feels Bow guy! You didn't have to be mean about it!
"I get it. It's not the best starting equipment but I could make it work-"
"No you can't. It's impossible. You will be dead weight, especially in the harder levels." Ok…that's starting to actually irritate me now.
I glared at the bow guy for making that insulting comment about my shield. "It is not impossible! I have seen superheroes who have unbreakable bodies! Sure they have some form of attack but I can make up for support-"
"But that's the thing though…if you can get support. But I don't think you realized that the shielder class will just get outclassed in the end game. Sure, they are very good tanks in the early and maybe mid-game levels but for end content? It's impossible. You will just die in the end. The mobs might just ignore you and go straight for your comrades and after that…it's over. You let them die for nothing."
I gritted my teeth at the absolute…condescending asshole prick attitude coming from this… bow guy. Isn't he supposed to be a hero?! Why the hell would he belittle his fellow heroes like that!?
He noticed my glare and decided to add more insult to injury. "If you are thinking that I'm just being merely cruel, trust me I'm not. This is exactly like what always happens to those who play that class in Dimension Wave. I don't know about your games in your world but it won't save you now since I'm far more familiar with this game. Sure the names of places are different but everything else looks the same as the one in my game so I will assume that your class is just the same as well. Sorry pal, you got the worst luck."
I genuinely want to just go over there and strangle him for insulting me just because of my shield. Just because of a shield?! He calls me worthless…just because of an item that cant fight back!? Well I'll show him how useful shields could be! Hopefully watching those Mouse Protector interviews and the way she fights would help me use this shield better since she also fights with a sword and shield as well.
As I was about to declare my intention to him a knock on the door interrupted our conversation. The sword guy went over there to open it, letting the maid come inside for a moment.
"Brave Heroes, your meals have been prepared." she bows before she leaves the room. The sword guy leaves first, followed by the spear dude who hesitantly looks back at me with pity in his eyes before leaving as well. The bow hero gets up to leave but stops at the last second before turning his head a bit to me.
"Sorry, that was a bit rude of me. I didn't mean to say that you couldn't be a hero, be strong and save people…but if your class is the shield…then you might as well just try to live a comfortable life here in this new world and just…don't fight the waves. At least you won't die early. We will beat the waves for you and then you can go home in one piece." Having said his piece, he leaves the room and closes the door.
I could do nothing but glare at the door. His words rang through my head about how useless I am. Of how the shield is useless…
I'm not…I'm not useless. The shield is not useless! This shield is not useless! I will make this work. I must make it work so that I can be a hero! If I come back to my world and bring this with me? I can truly become a hero. I will wipe the gangs off my Bay, beat the Endbringers,,, and become the best hero that can stand alongside the greatest heroes of all time.
And to prove this bow prick wrong that even a simple shield-like me can become a hero!
That being said though…
I looked around the bedroom that we were in before going to one of the pillows in the bed. He opened the sheet a little bit and took out a piece of feather. I wanted to see the absorption thing myself first time so don't mind if I do.
I placed the feather into the gem of the shield. The emerald gem glowed brightly as it began to disintegrate the feather in front of my eyes. It looks like I'm watching something made from a high-quality video. It looks…mesmerizing.
After the process was done, the gem stopped glowing and a pop-up appears in front of me.
[Feather Shield - Equip Bonus - 1+ Agi - UNLOCKED]
I selected the new shield in my array of shields and the small shield on my right hand dissapeard before reappearing with a new look. The gem of the shield remained in the middle but the rest of the body now has just dozens of feather, piled and stitched together as if it was meant to be used as a shield rather than a decorative piece.
It looks…weird not gonna lie but it's whatever, the shield is weird enough as it is so I'll just let it do it's thing.
A new notification pinged up under Special Functions. Looks like I revealed an ability that was locked away from me. I quickly search it up and found the ability, Weapon Transformation.
It's self-explanatory. I can choose the shields that I have copied or unlocked through Absorption and transform my shield into that specific form, in this case, the feather shield, providing me the equip bonus and special equip effect if the shield has any special abilities…in which case this particular field doesn't have.
But it gets even better though!
If the child becomes equipped long enough, you can get the permanent equip bonus from the shield without needing to change the shield at all. So if I got a bunch of attack shields and mastered it all, I can deal actually damage despite not having any of these shields equipped at all! This is beyond broken! This is pure bullshit!
"Oh yeah, baby! I told you the shield isn't useless! Eat that prick!" I quickly blushed, realizing that I was talking to myself like an idiot…oops. No matter, it's time to get to business. By absorbing all of this stuff over here.
Sorry King but I'm pretty sure you guys have a bunch of things that can be replaced easily. This is for the sake of getting stronger!
March 8 2011
It was the next day. Early in the morning to be precise, about 10 am thanks to the digital clock that weirdly appears in my face when I complained about not having a clock to read time. Is my shield psychic or something?
Anyway I was so exhausted due to sleeping late thanks to my newfound ability to gain perma bonus effects from all the shields that I have unlocked…which isn't that much, to be honest. Sure, I did absorb lots of things but most of them didn't unlock new shields but rather got stored in my inventory…oops. But it's not like it's a big deal or anything. They were just cheap things that can be replaced like that steel goblet I tried to absorb or those candle holders or pieces of glass that I 'accidentally' broke in order to unlock new shields.
Turns out, I only unlocked a few shields sadly.
The [Cloth Shield] which gives increase the stats of armor with cloth material on it. The [Candle Shield] which gives off a small light around a few feet from where I stand. The [Wax Shield] which gives me the ability to make Wax a better quality than most other people. Don't really see how that's useful but it also gives me more Defense so I'll take it I guess. And the last shield I unlocked is [Knight's Shield] that just gave me a bunch of defense and also gives me an sure that increases the party member's defense based on my own defense. Which is really useful since I won't be able to always be there to block attacks. So having that bonus effect will be really useful.
I slept with the [Feather Shield] though since it was the first shield I unlocked. And when I woke up for breakfast, I saw the MASTERED tag with it. When I checked with my stats this morning…
HP: 750
ATK: 1
MAG: 10
DEF: 50
MGD: 50
AGI: 11
My Agility went up by 1 despite still being level 1 so this permanent equip bonus will be very useful in getting stronger.
I switched back to my small shield again though before meeting with the others both last night and this morning since I didn't want them to know that I somehow already unlocked new shields. They might get mad at me for stealing stuff from the castle but come on! You guys can actually fight, I can only defend so I need to get stronger ASAP. Besides, they probably played this 'game' before judging by their confidence when they were talking in breakfast so I'm pretty sure they have this ability too anyway. I'm just…getting a headstart is all.
"The honored Heroes have arrived."
The audience chamber doors swung open, and inside were twelve people clad in various styles of adventurer outfits.
There were also those dressed in knight-like garb.
Man that was quick! Then again, it is probably for the best since the world hangs in a balance and all that I guess.
We all bowed down to the King to hear his announcement.
"As promised yesterday, I have recruited companions who will accompany you on your journey. Apparently, everyone gathered has already decided which hero they wish to follow."
Each of us should be getting three people if we divided them up evenly.
"Now then, future champions. Please set forth with the Hero to whom you shall swear your allegiance to."
Eh? We didn't get to choose? That is…ridicilous though…
But its not like I can do anything about it anyway. People have their favorites after all so hopefully I have at least 1 or two people with me for this journey.
Our future allies then walked over and gathered in front of each of us.
Ren, 5 people
Motoyasu, 4 people
Itsuki, 3 people
Me, 0 **** Sapiens
…I'm sorry…what? No one chose me!? Why!?
"WHAT IS THIS CRAP?!" I could care less that I'm in front of someone who could probably order a ton of guards to kill me on the spot but at this point? I might as well be dog food to the monsters outside!
Cold sweat ran down the king's face when I voiced my complaint.
"We-well. Dear me, I would never have thought such a situation could occur."
"There's quite a difference in charisma amongst them."
Oh go to hell dude! This is so unfair!
This isn't Brokton Bay damnit! It's not like I have super powers that can one shot anything or the fact that the world is ending or maybe the fact that the world runs based on NUMBERS ON A SCREEN THAT CAN DITCTATE HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU CAN DEAL!
This is serious harassment…and its not fair!
A robed man then began to secretly whisper into the king's ear.
"Fumu, did such a rumor spread..?"
"Did something happen?"
The spear hero put up a sympathetic face and asked.
This is just ridiculous! I don't care if these guys have favorites, I don't care if no one likes me! I'm gonna die out there and I won't be able to be a hero if I don't have any supports! It's not like Panacea can just give people cancer or something. She is a healer and she is usually backed up by brutes, usually her sister. Me? I'm a shield so I need someone to fight for me while I block for them!
So how the hell am I supposed to get stronger?!
"Fumu. To be honest… there seems to be a rumor spreading around the castle about you Heroes, or more specifically the Shield Hero."
"Hah!?"
"According to the legends, Heroes that come to this world must meet a certain condition. It appears you alone didn't fulfill this condition, such is the rumor."
Motoyasu poked me with his elbow.
"Did someone eavesdrop on our chat yesterday?"
What condition?! What type of condition do I need in order to become a hero in the first place?! That didn't make sense! If I didn't fulfill that condition then I wouldn't have been summoned at all!
Ok deep breaths Greg. You got this!
"What…condition?" Crap! I leaked out a bit of anger in me but I couldn't help it. It was just so unfair!
The King looked at me before reaponding. "The fact that you don't even know the condition proves it already."
What the hell type of response is that?! What do the other guys have that I don't?! If you can just clarify damnit!
I was just too angry to be thinking straight. I started to just shut my ears and just take deep breaths. I needed to be calm in order to make this work! I can do this! I can become a hero!
I just…want one person…
Please…just anybody…
"Mr. Shield Hero, I'd like to accompany you instead."
My eyes snapped up to the voice who said those words.
It was one of the spear hero's adventures. (which were all women for some reason. I knew this guy was a playboy!) She had long red hair tied into a ponytail and beautiful green eyes. She is wearing leather armor with a sword strapped into her hip. She raised her hand as she approached me. I started to get flustered because of her beautiful appearance. Damnit! This is no time to get clusters you fool!
"Su-sure! Thank you very much for joining this poor fool of a hero!" Why the hell did I say that?! Why?!
"Is there anyone else that wish to join with the Shield Hero?" The king asked the adventures…
But no one came.
"I see…" The king let out a sigh before turning to me. "Unfortunately for you, it appears you will need to scout for additional talent yourself. But fret not, for I shall be giving you a bonus on your monthly war fund which will soon be distributed."
"Yes your Majesty!"
A wise decision.
Since I'm the one with the least amount of allies, I'll be the one with the largest financial budget.
I'm just thankful that the king isn't mad anymore at me for my terrible behavior.
"Now then, here are your monthly war funds. Brave Heroes, please use this with a clear goal in mind."
Four pouches full of money were distributed to us. And a slightly larger moneybag was handed over to me.
I heard heavy chinking sounds coming from inside.
"Greg will receive 800 silver coins, while the others will receive 600 each. Please use this money to buy equipment for yourselves."
"Alright! Alright ladies lets go!"
"...ok follow me."
"This is it guys! We will be heroes together!"
All the three heroes did their own battle cry of sorts while I just remained silent. It's still very cruel that I'm basically left with only one party member but…
"Sir hero?" I looked over to the one girl that decided to stick to my side. I just gave a smile to her.
"Let's save this world." There were no need for other words for me to say.
Every one of us each gave a salute, and thus the king's audience was