—the next day—

I opened my eyes and looked around. Sure enough, we were back. This was definitely the Magic Knight Academy's campus ground. The surrounding vegetation were a hundred percent green and buds had already bloomed into pretty flowers. The moon was bright in the sky but not even darkness could mask the beauty of nature.

After coming back from an environment that was rich in magic particles, I had noticed the difference in quality just from subconsciously absorbing the surrounding particles.

"Alright then, I'm sure everyone is tired so you may all go back to your dorms to rest." Professor Alice said to everyone.

With that single sentence, everyone dispersed and went wherever. The first thing in my mind was to see how Sam and Robert were doing. They were probably fine being without me but I was still worried about them... I blinked a couple times and had a brain fart.

'Hah, I'm not their mother so why do I worry so much.'

—a bit later—

The dorm rooms burst open and in came a disheveled Sam and a mighty fine Robert.

I had already washed up and was practicing my mana circulation while waiting for them.

"Yo."

"Oh, back so soon?" Robert said.

Sam looked at me and nodded upwards.

"Jeez, what in the duck happened to you Sam. Who was it that beat you into such a sorry state?"

"Haha, it's nothing. I tripped when I was training." He grinned widely.

Looking at his sorry state, I knew there was something up but he didn't look like he wanted to talk about it.

"Go get washed up and I'll share my legendary tales with you normies." I jokingly said.

...

After chatting a bit about what I missed out on and what went on during my time at the Wizarding Academy, we decided to sleep since it looked like Sam wasn't in the greatest condition to chat much.

Around midnight, when I was sure Robert and Sam were completely asleep, I got up next to Sam and appraised him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Name: Sam

Race: Half-Human/Half-Angel

Title: NONE

Class: Hero(Mythical)

System: The Ultimate Heroic System(Godly)

Merit Points: 1150

Life Force: 100/100(10 years)

Strength: 82

Agility: 94

Mana: 190/190

Physique: Knight(Expert) - Lvl.8

Magic: Magus(Beginner) - Lvl.6

Spells: Lvl.1 - Earth Manifestation, Wind Manifestation, Water Manifestation, Fire Manifestation, Lightning Manifestation, Ice Manifestation, Light Manifestation, Darkness Manifestation | Lvl.2 - Earth Blast, Wind Blade, Aqua Ball, Flare, Zap, Freeze, Light Orb, Smoke Bomb | Lvl.3 - Wind Arrow

Techniques: Mana Compression(Rare-Lvl.9), Mana Circulation(Rare-Lvl.3), Battle Sense(Rare-Lvl.Max), Imperial Swordplay(Rare-Lvl.4), Imperial Footwork(Rare-Lvl.2), Golden Refinement(Mythical-Lvl.2), Intangible Steps(Godly-Lvl.1), Eight Rebirths(Godly-Lvl.1)

Active Skills: Heroic Strike(Legendary), Transcendence(Legendary)

Passive Skills: Motivated(Rare), Righteous(Epic)

Sealed Skills: Limit-Breaking(Godly)

Blessing: Destined Hero(Mythical)

~~~~~~~~~~

'Holy Mother of Christ! What kind of h*ll did you go through while I wasn't here? Did you encounter an avengers level threat or something?' I thought when I saw his status that had completely surpassed mine. I was only gone for a week and this guy already surpassed me in terms of strength.

'I must train harder.'

—7 days ago—

Daniel had just departed and only me and Robert were left in the room. Even though it was only a single person, the dorm room felt empty without him. Robert fell asleep shortly after; this must be one of those tiring days for him. It was only 8 pm so I decided to go outside for some night training.

The moment my right foot touched the ground, I sensed a faint killing intent aimed at me. Reacting instinctively, I rolled over to the side. I looked around and there didn't seem to be anyone in the vicinity, or that was what I thought. In front of me was a man that was a head taller than me and dressed in a tattered black robe. He wore the same attire as a grim reaper.

He looked at me in silence for a couple awkward seconds and put his hands on his hood. As he took off his hood, I could subtly see his delicate facial features. He had white hair, reminiscent to that of a wise sage. His pupils were completely black, the same as Daniel. When he fully removed the hood, I had a bit of an aha moment.

'Wasn't he the senior from the training field?'

"Sam, the world is in peril. As the hero, you are going to lead humanity, you must be strong. Do you think you have what it takes?" He asked out of the blue.

I didn't even know him yet he somehow knew I was the hero. If what Old Ben told me was true, other than the pope and the headmaster, no one should know that. Just what was this senior's identity?

"Why should I answer you? You clearly don't act like a senior. Who are you?" I tactfully questioned him.

He remained unfazed and asked once again, "Hero, do you think you are capable?"

I looked at him.

'Should I answer him or not? Should I be honest or not? Why should I tell him?' Many other similar thoughts ran through my head.

Despite my hesitation, I somehow felt that I was compelled to answer. It was like a survival instinct that contradicted my will. I had the unnerving feeling that if I answered incorrectly, something bad would happen.

"No..." I mumbled.

"I asked, are you capable? Can you hear me?"

"No." I said, but only loud enough for it to be heard clearly.

"Do you know why you aren't capable?"

To that, I stayed silent. I didn't know by what standards he was judging me by but from my knowledge, even among the students, I was considered top-tier.

"Hmmph, you are weak. Weak because your training method is flawed and because you lack determination. A crisis is about to befall this continent. As the hero of humanity, when that time comes, you must step up. At present, all you're doing is lazing around waiting for impending doom. As a hero, you are not qualified."

When he said I wasn't qualified I thought, 'He didn't know me, and he wasn't a god either. So what gave him the qualifications to say that?' Despite that fleeting thought, I somehow agreed with him. Everything he said resonated with my heart somehow. It felt correct.

I mustered up the courage to ask. "Then... What do you suggest I do?"

"Hero Sam, I will only offer this once. Become my disciple and I will sculpt you into the greatest hero the world has ever seen. I will be back here tomorrow at the same time to hear your answer. Do not disappoint me."