21 Hero Association (1)

As Leon fought with the awakener in front of him, Matthew was looking around, and more specifically, Lilian.

Previously, Matthew had assumed that any emotional attachment should have dissipated once the "string of fate" had been severed.

But now, he couldn't help but wonder if Lilian still harbored some lingering feelings for him.

Despite his careful observations, Matthew found himself at a loss for words.

He even teased a random woman to confirm his thoughts, but Lilian just sighed at his actions.

To his surprise, it wasn't Lilian who reacted, but Stacy, who seemed irritated by his behavior.

'Could she actually really be a masochist?' Matthew thought.

'Fucking hell, I hope not...'

However, despite everything, Matthew couldn't shake the feeling that Lilian was behaving a bit peculiarly.

After all, even though she was under the effect of the "string of fate," she had exhibited some rather stalkerish behavior, like obtaining a bottle with his scent. 

And who knows if she didn't search for Matthew's past life or did something more than that.

'Well, it's not like she will find something interesting about me. I'm an orphan, studied a lot, and that's it. If anything, she will be curious about my strength.'

"What are you thinking about?" Suddenly, a soft voice reached his ears.

Matthew didn't even bother to turn his head.

"Nothing much."

"Really? You seem lost in thought," Lilian persisted.

"Ah, just contemplating the pointlessness of this Class Examination." Matthew sneered.

"..."

"It's like, can't the school give us a break? I've been fighting day in and day out for who knows how long."

Lilian let out a deep sigh at his words. "You chose to enroll in this academy of your own accord. Why are you always complaining about it?"

"Mhm...? This is torture; besides, I only wanted to come here to get a high paying job."

'That's what my predecessor had in mind, at least.' Matthew added silently.

"...Really? So, you joined an academy where the most talented geniuses gather just for money?"

"Precisely. I may not seem like it, but I'm quite greedy when it comes to money. I'm the type who would easily betray someone if another offered me more money."

'Well... if that person is dear to me, I wouldn't ever betray them. But, I need to make sure that Lilith has bad impression of me so I can make sure that she doesn't fall in "love" with me again...'

'...she could be already in love with me... but that's just a hopeless thought and it's simply better to assume that she isn't.'

.

"Oh... it seems like Leon won." Lilian suddenly spoke.

Matthew's eyes landed on the huge screen that displayed Leon's victory and saw Leon standing over the body of the awakener he has been fighting with.

"Mhm..."

A thought crossed Matthew's mind as he observed the postures of the fighters.

"Is there a designated resting area around here? My fight isn't for a while," Matthew inquired casually.

Lilian responded promptly, "Not really. But if you'd like, you can rest your head on my thighs~~," she added with a coy smile.

"..."

"Are you bipolar?"

"Excuse me!?"

.

.

.

.

.

A few hours passed since Leon's fight, and it was already nighttime, but the students were still fighting with the awakeners.

As Matthew had predicted earlier, this truly felt like torture.

However, since it seems that tomorrow is going to be a special event, the Hero Association needed to measure the class's abilities fast.

And finally, it was Stacy's turn something that Matthew had been awaiting. He was quite curious to see what skills she had.

"I choose the D-Rank Hero," Stacy declared with a faint smile, becoming the first to select this particular hero.

And the examiners themselves didn't seem to be surprised about her choice, after all, her class should be quite overpowered.

BEEP!

With a loud signal, the fight commenced, and the D-rank hero wasted no time charging toward Stacy.

Standing her ground, Stacy raised her staff and invoked, "I, the Apostle of Light, call upon the Goddess for strength!"

Zoom...!

A radiant golden light enveloped Stacy as she conjured a small white ball of energy at the tip of her staff.

As the D-Rank hero approached, he hesitated, but it was too late.

"Fuck... Protection Barrie—!"

BOOM!

The energy ball collided with the hero, sending him hurtling across the room until he crashed into the wall, a gaping hole torn into his chest.

'...Fuck. That's what I was worried about.' Matthew thought.

Stacy really bears the fate of the world.

"Now, it's my turn," Matthew announced, stretching his body.

"Good luck~" Lilian said casually.

"Pfff, I don't believe in luck." He waved his hand.

Upon entering the examination room, a strange sensation washed over Matthew's body as the safety barrier was activated.

Once inside, he knew that even if he suffered severe injuries, the barrier would ensure complete healing upon exiting.

That's how the safety barrier worked.

"Mhm... I'll choose the D-Rank Hero as well." Matthew spoke leisurely as he stretched his legs.

He gripped his sword tightly and waited for the beep sound...

Their eyes were locked tight...

Beep!

With the sound of the beep, they both lunged toward each other. Matthew swung his sword horizontally, meeting his opponent's blade with a resounding clash.

Clang!

Swiftly, he sidestepped and aimed a kick at his opponent's waist, catching them off guard.

However, his opponent's speed allowed them to evade the kick just in time.

"Advanced Body Enhancement!" The D-Rank hero finally activated his mana.

"Firebolt!"

Swish!

A barrage of flames hurtled toward Matthew, who opted to evade rather than activate his own mana.

"Ah..." Cracking his head, Matthew's eyes narrowed as he dashed towards the D-Rank Hero.

"Firebolt!"

His oponent continusouly threw firebolts to injure Matthew, but Matthew easily evaded them since he was under the effect of the Demonic Battle God.

And as someone for whom every movement was perfect, those firebolts were very easily evaded.

Finally, Matthew reached out to the D-Rank hero and swung his sword horizontally, hoping to get a good hit on his head.

Clang!

Despite his efforts, his opponent managed to block the strike, prompting Matthew to press on with a faint smile.

"Hey... watch out," Matthew cautioned, but before he could finish his warning, another clash resounded.

CLANG!

Splurt!

Matthew swiftly swung his sword twice in a row, the first time tossing his opponent's sword aside and the second time leaving a massive scar on their chests.

"KEUAGH!"

"Stop the fight! The winner is Matthew." The examiners immediately announced.

With a satisfied smile, Matthew exited the examination room, hoping for a chance to catch some rest.

Swoosh!

"Oh, damn it!"

Matthew's instincts kicked in as he swiftly drew his sword, blocking the incoming attack.

CRACK!

His sword shattered upon impact, but he managed to twist his body and deliver a blow to the attacker's face.

Thud!

To his surprise, the attacker remained unfazed, and its head, which had suffered the blow, didn't even move an inch.

And it was only then that Matthew recognized who had attacked him.

"Really? What's your fucking problem!?"