There are four academies, each for the north, south, east, and west. The Hero Society created the academies to train Heroes that will inherit their will.

It is jointly supported by the kingdoms, merchant unions, sects, and the empire.

Their goal is to create heroes that will enforce their interests in the Hero Society.

The Hero Society is aware of the politics that came with the establishment of the academies. It is inevitable, but the gains outweigh the risk.

The academies are Hero-Maker, Hero-Icon, Hero-Hold, and Hero-Crest academy. Each is led by principals who were once Heroic Champions themselves.

Deron joined the Maker academy. So is Alfir.

Deron came to this academy at Eron's recommendation. This is the same school the current Hero King graduated so Deron is feeling more excited than usual.

His red hair is a stark contrast among the commoners milling around. Alfir chose to stay far from this trouble-magnet called Deron.

Black hair and brown hair are the norms among the peasants of this world. But hair color among mutants tends to differ as they grow.

After a year or two, people with black hair and brown hair will then become the minority.

...

Deron is a little bit jumpy today. There are lots of strong people in this place.

Excluding the teachers, the students with purple, white, green, blue, and blonde hair have the aura of a worthy foe. After awakening his mutation, Deron is now able to sense the strength of others. And as a side effect, he felt impulses to battle, but he restrained himself.

There will be an opportunity.

Deron glanced at the noteworthy characters he felt danger from.

Purple ruffled hair. Deron felt a devouring force coming from him threatening to swallow Deron's spirit. Pierre Wallace emanates a swamp-like aura. He is being surrounded by his lackeys, also strong people, but such grunts pale in comparison to Pierre's aura. Pierre has a somewhat dark backstory that almost turned him into a villain. Even now, this darkness remained in his heart explaining his gloomy persona.

White straight hair. Deron feels profound strength from him. Cain Wiz Solomon is aloof and untouchable. People are literally making a path for him, splitting the crowd with his presence. Pierre is just as handsome, but Cain's powers have an idol effect, like a halo of light further giving that boost of flashiness. Though he likes to fight, Cain is a germaphobe with an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness.

Green bob cut hair. She has a meek demeanor that adds to her charm. Deron can feel strong vitality from her. He can feel a soothing aura like the companionship of plants and nature. People stare at her with derision. Sheila Sunscreen is a disconnected commoner that lacks clues about the political ongoings in the academy. The problem with her identity is that she's a daughter of an infamous villain.

Blue single braided long hair. Jana Weizer Bluefield is Sword Blue's younger sister. Sword Blue is a hero known for his weak persona— he never answers to duel challenges, never participated in combat-oriented operations, and never met his own sister even once after a decade of separation. Jana doesn't want to be a hero, despite the power she wields. She only wants to meet her big brother. Deron can feel a dangerous scent from her, like a natural disaster.

Blonde wavy hair. People are keeping their distance from her. It's because of her sensitive identity, she is imperial-born, the eldest daughter of the second prince. Blonde is not common really, it's just the empire has a radical history of slaughtering blonde commoners. Their reason is stupid, saying that these people might claim their inexistent imperial rights and that these blonde commoners don't make a good sight for the imperial family. Lorie Lorena Arandragon exudes a different kind of danger— that if someone irks her in the smallest way possible, that someone will meet a bad end. To Deron's eyes, the danger is too vague to his powers but is vividly threatening in his mind.

"I am pumped up."

Deron bumped his knuckles ready for action. The school assembly and the greeting ceremony will only occur an hour later, at 9:00 in the morning. But there is already plenty of students here. It's not just Deron who is feeling the excitement.

The academy accepts students no matter what age, as long as one has a Special Ability. So, the presence of old men, uncles, and different kinds of people can be expected. But for the uncultured Deron, this is too overwhelming.

As long as you can complete the 4 years with passing marks, you can become a hero. Failing so, the student can choose to repeat the subjects he failed until he gets a pass or he gives up.

The question is, why do they insist on becoming heroes?

It's because of SPIRIT! The mutual feelings of contributing for the better good. To embody a hero's will.

???

Ha! Hahaha! As if... Yeah sure, that was the core principle that functions behind the known Hero System, but there is more to it!

The Hero Society is founded by 4 people— the Solemn Saint, 13th Emperor, Praised Peasant, and the Second Hero King.

The Solemn Saint is benevolent and selfless. She saw the world through the lens of the innocents. She believes that everyone is originally good, and that will never change. Even if a person does evil, that person should not be condemned for the evil he has done, but for his unfortunate circumstances.

Poverty, unfairness, avarice, rage, arrogance, idleness, jealousy, and apathy— Are the true evils that forced people into these inescapable circumstances.

She believes that if there is a hero that can lead by example, cannot be tempted, and have the power to move the people's hearts, then it is worth it even with the cost of her own life. This is the Saint's conviction.

The 13th Emperor, the last of Pendragon, and the first of Arandragon have both wisdom and foresight to raise his empire to a zenith the empire has never seen before. But he didn't, for he is not power-hungry.

He saw the world as a chessboard with his side standing for humanity, and the enemy side being everything that is not part of humanity.

At first, he felt conflicted about the existences wielding magical powers annotating in the many imperial texts that these existences are freaks born to annihilate humanity— abominations meant to bring forth a new era... (Or mutants... an alien word the 13th emperor learned from the oldest texts in the imperial library.)

Then the first Hero King came. It gave the luxury of hope in the most trying times when the Demon King roamed the lands.

Then the second came. This time, the luxury became a charity. From the lowest peasant to the highest ruler, hope has become a symbol.

This time, the 13th emperor wants to make sure that there would be a third Hero King, then a fourth, fifth, third, and so on! For the emperor saw far and beyond, a world filled with fairness and faith forever etched in his vision. He shall make this happen.

The Praised Peasant is a lowly beggar, insignificant and without worth. He is merely a lowly cripple from the slums, but that didn't stop him from reaching his dreams— of a better world. He is humble, knowledgeable, and reliable.

Despite all of his defects, he is someone that the masses never stopped praising— for his stories, knowledge, inventions and the countless inspirations he imparted throughout the generations— are contributions that never stopped being of value to everyone he touches.

It even touched the Hero King and the many Hero Kings that followed. The Praised Peasant fashioned the first and second Hero King's gear, tutored the founding heroes that symbolized the 12 heroic pillars, and built the Hero Code that become the basis of the known Hero System today. He is truly worthless, a one-of-a-kind, a person that cannot be praised enough. A person whose head can't weigh in gold, for he is worth more than the mortal trifles for the greatness he has shown.

The second Hero King is but a nameless stranger, adopted by the first Hero King himself. The second Hero King is justice incarnate. He is headstrong, unrelenting, and forever faithful.

But he doesn't know of a power that went far beyond his Special Abilities— his charisma. People like the Solemn Saint, the 13th Emperor, and the Praised Peasant gathered to his side, and eventually, the Hero System was created.

The system endured time and eventually evolved into a Society.

This is the SPIRIT! The HISTORY!

And in the IN-BETWEENS are the machinations of the 13th Emperor that maintained the Hero Society's self-sustainability.

The first thing he did is exclude political involvement— that means himself, the supporting kingdoms, and even the various merchant organizations.

Second, he made a charity system ranking the heroes with numbers, the Hero King and 12 pillars are excluded from this ranking. He calls it the 'Heroes for Hire' circuit— targeted subjugation of villains namely terrorists, monsters, and corrupt rulers. These three yield a lot of money.

The Heroes get a monthly commission appropriate to their ranks. This is inspired by the Adventurer guild's operations. The only difference is that the Hero Society has insurance, vacations, and very friendly customer service. Heroes don't ask for pay, they just accept whatever is given to them- it sounds so dreamy...

The sinker here is that the 13th Emperor's planning is so meticulous, Hero-work became the most lucrative job in the known world.

(Except SPIRIT, I guess it was all about money then. Sorry for the infodumps, but you have to take this simple historical lesson just to get a hang of where you are going. This is your career we are talking about Deron, so you have to remember it carefully.)

Deron scratched his head as he accidentally recalled Eron's rants. Since awakening his Special Abilities, other than his sensitive danger sensing powers, his memory has also improved by leaps and bounds. Because of remembering Eron's words very carefully, he is now having a flashback of the crammed lesson.

*BUMP

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't see you."

"..."

Dark hair, a mole under his right eye, and danger. It was so subtle, Deron thought that he is hallucinating. The danger looked at him, for a second, Deron felt familiarity coming from this person. But the nonchalance this person is showing says otherwise.

The dangerous feeling is no more, and there is only nothing. It's like Deron is looking at a mass of people, a mob, an extra without any significance in the grand scale of things. It is a weird thought.

"Watch where you step, what if you were a giant? I will be stomped if that's the case."

"..."

Giant? Deron was left speechless by the extra's choice of words. And he was gone, the extra, blending in the chaotic flux of people.

The teachers stood in line as the designated time of the assembly approached.

"STAND STRAIGHT! LOCK YOUR FEET! FOR THE GRAND ASSEMBLY SHALL START!"

It was the lively voice of an instructor. The trumpets sounded. The Heromaker's principal, Armin Kelon in his grey robe and cape made his entrance as he walk with confident strides.

He has gray hair evident of his old age and wields a three-meter-long wooden staff.

There was no flashy display, but the clamor of the students stopped at his arrival. The aura alone of the principal has far-reaching effects, as a result of his overly mutated powers.

"I welcome you to the Heromaker Academy, the place where we make Heroes!"

The suppressed crowd clapped with feverish fervor with the principal's starting words. This assembly is made for the new arrivals in the academy. This is the first time for everyone to be exposed to this kind of assembly, hence their uncontrollable excitement.

The principal raised his right-hand commanding silence over the crowd. He overpowered them with this hand gesture alone.

"Special Abilities have a tale as old as time. It made kings, monsters, and heroes. We don't know where they came from. Some claim it came from the ancient gods giving their blessings to humanity. Scholars thought of these powers to be hereditary, and in many cases, cause atavism that awakens an individual's bloodline powers. To a radical few, they see it as a curse, an invitation to humanity to proliferate evil. Lastly, there are the martyrs, believing that these powers are a gift of the world to spread goodness. The Hero Society is a place where heroes gather, not for a common cause but so that we can rely on someone in our most trying times. You see, we are a chaotic mixture of people— nobility, rehabilitating villains, peasants, merchants, preachers— what we once were and what we will become.

Through our differences, we fought evil in our own unique ways. Every individual is unique, their intentions may differ, but there is always a tangent to their actions— to acknowledge good. The most simplistic goodness that we must expect of ourselves is this. Remember, goodness comes from within. Your intentions are what make you a good person. And the results of it are what makes you a Hero."

...

(13th and Praised— a flashback of dialogue from the past )

EMPEROR: Hey, praised, how are you doing?

PEASANT: What do you want?

EMPEROR: What is up with the attitude? Can't I come just to greet you?

PEASANT: You only come to me because you need something, right?

EMPEROR: Ummm... Sure. It's about the costumes...

PEASANT: You mean the gear?

EMPEROR: Whatever suits you. They are not gaudy enough, can you use striking colors and stuff?

PEASANT: No. It is my principle to prioritize function over appearance.

EMPEROR: You don't understand, appearance also has functions!

PEASANT: Like what? Unnecessarily attracting enemy fire?

EMPEROR: That's the point!

PEASANT: ???

EMPEROR: If the villains are focusing on the hero, didn't that mean more lives are being saved?

PEASANT: Your argument is... convincing.

EMPEROR: Right? And imagine the number of fanboys and fangirls contributing their wealth to our cause.

PEASANT: You mean charity?

EMPEROR: Yeah, whatever suits you.

PEASANT: Last week, you are asking me to improve the Radiophone by adding images to it. Even now, I am racking my brains as to how. Last month, you forced me to take 100% credits for creating the Hero Code. And now, you are making me do weirder stuff. Even Solemn is doing weird stuff under your instructions... What the hell is happening, 13th?

EMPEROR: You see, I want heroes to be something more than what is expected from them... I want them to become a symbol... That even in the face of the greatest odds, people will remember their examples, the heroes' examples...

PEASANT: So you want them to be gods?

EMPEROR: Gosh! NO! What's wrong with your head!? Praised, I don't want them to be worshipped, I want these Heroes to lead us. Not as rulers, but as an ideal. To become role models! Mmmmm...Models...looks like I have a new idea...

PEASANT: And how does that relate to the Solemn Saint performing and singing in these 'idol concerts' of yours. There are even handshake events...

EMPEROR: ...

PEASANT: ...

EMPEROR: Well, she's enjoying it actually... It's all for the bigger picture. One day, the Hero Society will be strong enough it won't be influenced by monetary gains, political maneuvering, and biased agendas.

PEASANT: Fine, I will trust you.