Five hours passed since the tournament. For the next hour, he had to participate in the “award ceremony” - clapping his hands as Amelia was called the champion for the seventh time in a row. Then, there was a great party – he had to stay for three more hours, otherwise, he would be viewed as a sore loser that can’t withstand in the presence of the actual winner.

Few nobles and members of the clergy that were more interested in raising their rank would make painful remarks in a crowd of those similar to them addressing him, like:

“My, my. To be honest I was expecting more from someone that was called a hero! Our Amelia still got it!”

It was said as he was passing by, the obvious attempt of provoking him. He didn’t give them what they wanted, quite the opposite.

“I also am saddened that I couldn’t meet your expectation, vice-count, but, to be honest, I don’t feel bad for losing, I mean, did you see her? Amelia was… flawless. Such minimalistic, yet elegant but also focused moves, she completely outclassed me, if I was only allowed to train under her… Oh, how much I envy her whole class of swordsmanship… Oh, forgive me, it must be pathetic for me to say that - I beg your forgiveness, I have to excuse myself. I have no time to waste, I need to get stronger…”

And just like that he gained an excuse to leave the ball earlier.

He entered his room, strip himself to the belt and started washing his face.

If there are more people like Amelia, or creatures of similar power, this world was not a joke. Right now, he was level 27 but taking in consideration that he had lots of skills of a hero - that would easily place him around people of 40-ies levels.

But, apparently, that was not everything. He must find some way to become stronger, much stronger.

In the end, he was tasked with the quest of killing an abomination that even Amelia didn’t want to face. But how…?

A knocking to the door

“M-Mike? Are you there?” Ingas warm, bit shy voice was slightly muffled by the thick door “Ah, yes, please come on in!” “I am sorry for intrussio…” she went in, looked at his half-naked body and jumped back right away “… W-W-WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!” “I am definitely not naked!...” that silly behavior made him chuckle “… actually, I was wondering, I got hit by Amelia in the back of my neck, the pain is still there, I want to check if there are no damages, but I can’t move my head like that to see that area, could you please check it for me?”

Another lie, this time innocent one, he just wanted to see her troubled face some more. It was just too adorable!

With lots of hesitation, priestess re-entered the room. She would move behind him and with gentle touches, she kept on inspecting his body – upper part, that’s it!

“Y-You did a great job! Everyone is amazed by your progress! In just a year you managed to hold your ground against…” “Hold my ground? Please, don’t make fun out of me, Inga…” “I am not! You were just as fast as she was! You turned into a blur, no one could keep up with your moves!” “… we not only weren’t in the same league, but I also was not even a challenge at all! Her stance was beautiful, her moves flawless, her aura…”

Inga’s fingers slightly tightened their grips on his shoulders in speechless helplessness.

Was she… jealous? Mike made a most fundamental mistake – he complimented another woman in the presence of the one he wanted to conquer. He had to quickly erase this bad impression.

“… I just… I just have to get stronger… as strong as she is, otherwise… I…I… I will not be able to p-p-protect you.”

He turned his head to the side avoiding eye contact, he wanted to look like a person that got embarrassed by what he just said.

Her grip momently lost its strength.

“I heard that people of your kind – offworlders can get stronger just fighting with enemies, I don’t understand this concept fully, but one of previous heroes left the information about something that was called… layering system? No-no, leveling system?”

Mike’s teeth clenched. What kind of utter moron was spreading information regarding his skills left and right?! Fucking idiot! If you say less, then less information your potential opponents will be able to use against you!!!

“I… I think you are right, though I am not sure I completely understand this system. I thin that I indeed did get stronger each time I kill enemy, but to think there is something like that…”

He said that pressing “skip notification” button that popped out in front of his eyes.

“Sooo… that means you can just keep killing monster to get stronger.” “Y-yeah.” “And if you would be killing stronger monsters, you would speed up the process.” “M-makes sense to me.” “… What if you would have a tool to kill monsters normally outside of you reach?” “What do you mean? Please, Inga, do you know such a tool?” “T-that actually a very well-known fact – each hero has its own divine weapon, something that turns into relic once they die. The thing is, the power of their weapon is so strong, that no other person can’t use them…” “…Except other heroes?”… that would make sense. “No. Not even heroes can use one another's weapons. The previous once called it a soul-bound system. These weapons are always marking the place where hero’s ashes lies. If you try removing the blade and go more than a few steps away from their tomb, their weapon would just vanish and materialize by their side again.” “H-hey, I thought that once hero dies he returns to his world.” “His souls, yes, his body? No. The previous hero left us vast information regarding your system so we could train the next one faster… According to him, once you die here it’s like having a dream. You wake up with all memories of what happened here…” “How could he tell what happens when he dies without dying?” “Oh, the previous hero died plenty of times! He just had an inborn ability Undying Will – it would take some time, but he would keep on returning until his quest would be done. Each time he returned, he was a little bit weaker though and he had to re-gain part of his powers as if making few steps back in his progress…

An exp-loss system upon death. The skill that defied death? Is this for real? What kind of cheat was the previous hero!?

“T-then, why isn’t this hero here anymore?” “Oh, because his quest was to stop the demon invasion. He did that. Then, he lived a happy life for the next one hundred and twenty years as a paladin’s trainer. Had a wife and kids.” “I see… then, back to the topic. The relic blade?” “Yes, each hero can go for a journey to craft his own weapon. First you go to the mountains to obtain the rare metal ore that will be used to create a weapon of your liking by our best blacksmith, then you will have to go on pilgrimage to bless the blade in twelve chapels, undergoing trials and challenges, and then you have to return to cathedral, here in capital… where… um…” “Where what, Inga?! Please, don’t tease me!” “S-sorry. We don’t know. The hero is let into the deepest chamber under the altar, where your weapon and soul are supposed to be consecrated… but we have no idea what’s going on there. Only heroes are allowed in, not even prophetess.” “A blade of a hero? A blade even stronger than Amelia’s?” “A-anoo… Not necessarily, stronger, but of the same quality for sure!” “What do you mean?” “Y-You see… the last hero gained so much power, that he could abuse something he named the system. He made it so his sword could be passed to specific people, so his legacy keeps on protecting our nation even after his death. Amelia is using that blade right now. That’s the relic from three hundred years ago.” “How was she chose to wield it?” “D-do you remember me saying that hero had a family? Last hero’s name was Seraphiel Scarlet.” “Scarlet, you say?” “Y-yeah. Amelia. Is a…” Inga took a moment counting in her head “… a grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand… How many times did I say grand already? S-sorry! She is the thirteenth generation of the last hero’s family.”

Mike's heart skipped a beat.

Well, that clarified a thing or two.

“Is he ok?” Lanele asked with voice full of worry. “… he is like that for five days.”

Priestess and Blanka were both sitting with Giselle in her and Zariel’s room. They were drinking tea as white-haired magician was meditating in the corner of the room with his backs resting on the wall.

“Don’t ask me! You are the mage here! You should be the one knowing if he is ok! I tried waking him, but once I approached him I was burned! This little fuck set up a fire barrier around himself!” “Giselle, never wake up meditating magician! Breaking his focus can caused a powerful backlash! That’s why he set it up!... And I am pretty sure he told you that. More than once.” “He could have mentioned it, I guess?” dragoness just rolled her eyes. “But five days? Meditating indeed is a form of mental practice, can be also used to cast much more powerful spells, but just as training he shouldn’t be overdoing it, just like you can’t force your body into extreme fatigue for five days without a single night of sleep…” “He is.. training?” Gis eyes twitched “Y-Yes?” “For five days?” “T-that would seem so.” “GO OOON! KEEP ON WORKING!...” suddenly, Giselle’s excitement burst like a volcano “… BREAK YOUR LIMITS! ONWARD! I AM PROUD OF YOU! YOU CAN DO IT! AND EVEN IF YOU CAN’T, DO IT ONE MORE TIME!” “G-Giselle?!” “I… I thought he needed to rest after this whole event with Kim and he just had to deal with it… but he is copying up with his loss by training?! THAT’S MY MAN! I am all fired up!”

She dropped on the floor next to him, landing on her belly before she would furiously start performing pushups at the pace that would make every ordinary man’s arms break.

“I will not… let you… leave me… BEHIND!!!” she yelled doing her 50th pushup in less than ten seconds “Giselle! For fuck sake calm dow…” “MAXIMUUUM! EFFOOOORTS!” “Honestly, these two…” Blanka just gigled “So loud… can’t you shut up for a damn second?”

This voice… It came from Zariel’s mouth, but it wasn’t his voice. It sounded somewhat... feminine?

“Love? Is that you?” “He is busy. He ordered me to tell you to shut the fuck up. You are breaking our focus.” “Just who the fuck are you and what did you do to my man, you wench?” “That’s the second time I was allowed to possess the main body, and the first one when I am allowed to speak, so we were never formally introduced. My name is Pride. I am one of the master’s inhibitors.” “Thank you for your elaborated introduction that left no doubt unanswered.” Lanele whispered readying her staff “Witty, aren’t we? You sure you want to attack me? Not only as I am not hostile toward you but also once you yourself have mentioned what would happen if you would break His focus?” “Or you could just stop being the bitch and tell me what the fuck you are doing in Zariel body, you bitch.” Giselle hissed helplessly, she wanted to punch the creature, but it was inside of Zariel’s body. Normally she wouldn’t even hesitate to hit him if that could improve his condition, but this whole meditation made her rethink her strategy “Such oratory skills, how are you not a poet yet?...” woman in mage’s body growled “… I am one of the pillars that keeps His sanity intact. I am one the reasons that he didn’t turn in a blood-obsessed monster just like that imposter did. That’s all you have to know. I am tired with this conversation. I was only told to deliver a message. Master, after he consumed the Fake One, has reached an Enlightenment, now, he tries to understand the nature of his powers, which requires all of us to work in unison. Don’t yell. Don’t move, it would be best if you would leave this place, dig a hole, went inside and just died. Just… What are you doing? Stop it STOP IT! GWAh…”

Zariel’s eyes rolled back into his skull for a moment or two, then, his mouth opened again, this time replaced by a masculine, yet very soft voice

“I am sorry for Pride’s attitude, please, pay no attention to her words. My name is Envy, and I allowed myself to take her place because she was taking too long for the simplest task. We have no ill intentions, it’s master Zariel that orders us around. We are but a underling-consciousness that he commands. Right now, we are sailing via soul storm of vile thoughts of creatures that became part of us. It’s exhausting. It’s tasking. Our resolve may snap any moment and we would have to start from square one. I humbly beg for your cooperation – if you could not disturb our peace that would be appreciated… also, Miss Lanele, right? Can we ask you to burn the incense? Our fatigue is growing and we need some relaxing stimuli from the outside to ease our pain. If you could that, it would be lovely! Now, I beg thy forgiveness, but I have to aid my companions...”

Creature bowed his head and closed his eyes, soon, any sign of reasoning left Zariel’s face, replaced by dull nothingness.

“The fuck was that?...” Blanka said quietly “… Giselle, you strike quite a deal here, you got at least two boyfriends and one girlfriend in the price of one.” “… As soon as Zari wakes up, I will have quite a conversation with him. A long one. A brute one.” “Why am I thinking that fists will be involved in this conversation?” “Just what exactly is your opinion about me? I don't want you to think that I am some barbaric, mindless brute... I mean, I am one, I just don't want you to think this way...” This time, Giselle was joking. A bad habit of Zariel – turning every confusing and dangerous situation in a joke – finally affected her as well. “… and where are you going, Lana?” “For incense. Whatever he is doing, it takes too long indeed. The burden on his mind must be unbearable. If this will somehow improve his state, it’s worth being done? Right?”

Elven maiden shut the door behind herself as she started heading toward nearest apothecary, leaving the beast demi-god alone with two fighters alone.

“… Gis, how do you think – should we trust these… things? Just for sure, let’s poke him with a stick, what do you think? Giselle? Giselle? Gis?”

But dragoness was not responding. She was just looking at a white-haired man with an uneasy expression.

In the meantime inside of Zariel’s mind, eight figures were standing in the middle of pub, they pushed the tables and chairs aside making room – for a deep, dark hole which was located on the floor, above it, a humanoid figure was floating clad in sticky, dark mass that was desperately clinging to him. That ooze like substance every now and then was forming hands - digging their nails into the body, or heads that would constantly yell, scream, cry and murmur.

“One of us! He is one of us! Why are you taking him awaaa…”

Lighting strike the face, piece of ooze crumbled and felt into the hole below – into subconsciousness level of mind, where it belong.

“Fucking impurities, almost as annoying as Lust and even equally hard to rip off the body once it clings to you…” One of the figures performing a cleansing growled “That was rude, Sloth! Don’t compare me to it! I am cute and smell nice, while this ooze is nasty, clingy, smells bad and…and… and who sane… would be into it?... into covering your whole body in ooze… rubbing it into your body… play with someone in this ooze…. Fuck. I am into it.” “Degenerate…” “GUILTY AS CHARGED! Give me a second! I will hop in real quick just to check if… AYU! Don’t hit me, meanie!” “Focus, useless horny rabbit!” “Degrade me mooore!... later, it would return the favor!” “Silence.” It was Zariel. Once his rough, exhausted voice echoed across the hall, everyone returned to their tasks.”… we are almost there.” “Boss, maybe you should take a break? Your mind is in terrible condi…” “Shut the fuck up. Proceed.”

Painfully slow, methodically, layer after layer, one after another the pieces of dirt were crumbling and falling.

Hour, two, three more. Zariel’s mind started giving up, but his resolve didn’t. The pub started shaking, shifting, blinking, showing how much mental damage he took, but, eventually, one last piece of corruption fell off the body and portal below the humanoid creature closed. Being slowly descended on the floor as Zariel collapsed fighting for breath.

Greed and Pride quickly approached the magician and helped him get up, Envy followed his brother and sister bringing a chair and glass of whiskey – even though they were not real, they were a form of tricking the brain and letting it believe he was actually resting.

Creature, until know completely white and emitting a dim light started gaining colors. His hair turned blonde, his skin somewhat dark as if it was excessively sunbathing. It looked left, and right, blinked few times. It was more than sure that it was confused.

“W-where am I?” “Home. Kim. You are home.” “B-brother? Is that you? B-but you ate me… You… I… I am sorry.” His voice broke “… I caused you so many troubles! I disobeyed you and… and…” “Now, isn’t he just adorable?” rabbit girl approached Kim from behind and picked him up “… I just want to rub these soft cheeks aaaall day long!”

Kim, taken by surprise, hissed and then growled and at the very end dug his teeth deep in Lust’s hand.

“Oucha! Ya lil ungrateful pest! That’s how you are thanking your big sister that worked her ass off to bring you here!” “I like this kid.” Pride smirked “…Kid, if that degenerate would try something funny with you, feel free to bite her again. And trust me, she will try.” “Brother, who are these people? Where are we?”

But Zariel’s presence vanished – exhaustion made his mental avatar perish. After five days of abusing his mind, five days of surfing over the waves of creatures that tried affecting him and keeping his mental guard up, he could no longer fight back.

He fell asleep, leaving the sins to describe the whole situation to little chimera