THE HEROES GATHERING 1

After everyone was told to prepare for the banquet, they were escorted to their rooms by the maids and were told to put on the clothes that they were given.

"Oh wow, this looks expensive," Jay thought. "Then let's get started," he said while looking at the expensive clothes. It was a richly embroidered doublet made of velvet and brocade, featuring intricate patterns that subtly showed well-designed magical symbols on both sides.

The colors were deep and regal, such as midnight blue and emerald green, with a high-collared silk shirt with billowing sleeves in a contrasting color to the doublet, and a silver thread woven into the fabric that showed his well-chiseled figure.

"Even if I was a loner in my past life, I still took care of my body. I guess it paid off," Jay thought. The outfit included matching colored pants with black leather breeches, making it both durable and flexible, allowing for ease of movement. Knee-high, polished black leather shoes with silver thread buckles offered both protection and a touch of elegance. Jay looked stunning.

"Whoa, is that me?" Jay asked himself while staring at the mirror in his room. A maid suddenly called to him, "Sir Hero, it's time to come out. The heroes' gathering will soon commence."

"Oh, okay," Jay responded as he quickly finished dressing up. When he came outside, the maid saw him and smiled, commenting, "The dress suits you well, Sir Hero."

"Thank you," Jay responded with a smile.

"Alright, let's go. I think we might be late if we delay any further," Jay said.

"Okay, right this way, Sir Hero," the maid said as she started walking ahead with Jay following behind. As they reached the hall, Jay was speechless. He marveled at the changes the hall went through after it was decorated. It was beautiful. Just as he was staring at the hall, all three maids came in, and behind them followed the heroes.

Like a bright light shining brightly in the middle of the dark, their beauty was a sight to behold, especially when they were together like this. It was like a picture out of a beautiful painting. Especially Avalon and Rein—they were the most eye-catching in the group of heroes.

Avalon was just too handsome, almost moving close to beautiful. Even if the clothes he wore was not different from what the other boys were putting on, compared to him, the rest paled in comparison, especially his arrogant smile which made the boys extremely irritated.

Aiden was also speechless. "How handsome can a person be?" he thought. Rein was also stunning with her beautiful floor-length gown made of silk, satin, and fine velvet, featuring layers of fabric that created a flowing, ethereal effect.

The bodice was tightly fitted and adorned with pearls, gemstones, and embroidery in floral and celestial patterns. Long, trailing white transparent sleeves draped gracefully to the floor, and a beautiful white skirt, voluminous and decorated with multiple layers of fabric, was supported by a crinoline, complimenting her beauty.

It was adorned with lace and white beads, which gave the entire dress a beautiful glow. She wore elegant silver low-heeled shoes made of magical silk, decorated with small mana gems that gave them an enchanting allure and allowed for comfort and easy movement. A beautiful silver gem necklace with two silver gem earrings and a bangle decorated with silver gems made her glow.

Jay could not stop staring at her. He thought, "Is this how nobles here dress? It's too extravagant. Do they spend money like water here? I'm pretty sure my entire worth wouldn't be able to hold a penny to that outfit. No wonder those nobles always have a look of disdain on their faces when they look at commoners. If just their dresses can feed your entire family for generations to come, why would they show any respect to us?" Jay thought.

Although the twins looked good too, just like Avalon, they paled in comparison to Rein. The princess came and greeted them with her gorgeous looks and beautiful smile, soon grabbing all the heroes' attention. Then she spoke, "I hope you liked your outfits."

Avalon came to her front and said, "Yes, I really loved the dress."

"They really look extremely good on you all," Elsa complimented.

"Thank you very much, Princess. You are also looking stunning today," Aiden replied with a smile.

The princess smiled back. "Thank you," she responded. "Alright, the maids will take you to your respective seats. Since the other kingdoms are already coming, I must receive them as the princess of Artenia, so I won't be here to entertain you heroes," she said with a respectful bow.

"The maids will attend to any of your needs, and you can also get yourself some snacks from the table and listen to some music to relieve your boredom. So, if you can excuse me, I'll be going now. Enjoy yourselves, heroes." Then she bowed and left with some maids following her behind.

The heroes were taken to their respective seats. The seats were highly decorated chairs with floral magical patterns on both sides, making them look nice but simple. As they sat down, some maids stood behind them, ready to respond to any of their calls.

The heroes just sat there, staring silently at the other maids doing their own given tasks, until Darius gestured to a maid. "I'm a little hungry. Are there any snacks available?" he asked while scratching behind his head with an awkward smile. "And if there are some drinks, can I have that too?"

The maid bowed and said, "Okay," with a smile. Then she went and brought back some snacks and drinks for the heroes.

"Thank you very much," Darius said as he started digging in. Jay just kept looking around until he spotted a spherical ball placed in the middle of the hall on a table.

"Hmm, isn't that the ball they will use to judge how powerful our class is? I wonder…"

**[Skill: God's Eye activated]**

Name:Orbis Potentia

Description: The Orbis Potentia, crafted by the Ancients during the Age of Heroes, a time when the realms were in great need of champions.

It has been passed down through generations, often guarded by a secretive order of the heroes, mostly by demigods sworn to protect the realms from emerging threats until the arrival of the new heroes.

Skills:

1. Aura Color: The sphere emits an aura of light in various colors, each representing different aspects of the hero's potential [Can't be copied].

2. Intensity of Glow: The brightness of the aura indicates the magnitude of the hero's potential. A grey light suggests weak potential, blue represents average potential, green indicates high potential, while a bright, radiant golden glow signifies exceptional potential.

(Hidden information detected, reveal Yes/No)

"Hmm, hidden information. Why was it hidden?" Jay thought. Then he clicked "Yes." A series of information in red appeared like a warning:

(Dark red, dangerous potential uncontrollable, eliminate on sight)

Jay shivered after seeing that. "What does this mean? Jay thought Let's leave this alone for now. Thinking too much without much information is useless.

Let's just focus on the hero gathering first, then think of the other things after the gathering ," Jay thought.

3. Harmonic Resonance: When the sphere is in the presence of the hero, it emits a harmonic sound that varies in pitch and complexity. A deep, resonant tone suggests a grounded and powerful potential, while a high resonant tone means high potential, while a normal pitch means average potential, and a low pitch means low potential (innate, can't be copied).

"Okay, I guess I can't copy anything," Jay said with a sigh. Then a well-dressed maid with a slightly different maid outfit came to the front of them.

"The princess told me to tell you heroes that the gathering is about to begin, so you should please stop anything you are doing and be in your seats," she said with a bow and left. The heroes stopped eating and went back to their seats.

The sound of a big bell was heard. Then someone said with a loud voice, "The kings and the queens of the other kingdoms have arrived with their respective advisors. They will now be welcomed. The first to arrive is the king of dragons, King Ignatius von Drakonia, and his special advisor, his son Deris von Drakonia."

As the person said that, two very handsome men with dragon horns and tails entered the hall carrying very arrogant expressions on their handsome faces. They looked at everyone around them like dirt. Even when the princess greeted them, they only bowed slightly; they didn't respond, while she only smiled and continued with what she was doing.

The person continued to call their names. "The second to arrive is the queen of elves, Queen Evelina, and her associate, also known as the witch of Pantheon, her sister Aria."

As he said that, two extremely beautiful ladies entered the gathering with indifferent expressions. As Elsa greeted them with a smile, they also nodded their heads, not bothering to respond. Elsa only smiled as they continued to walk to their seats. The heroes just stared at them in a daze, even Jay was no exception.

He quickly shifted back to his normal expression. The heroes also snapped out of their dazed expressions once they realized how inappropriate their behavior was. But who could blame them? The elves were just that beautiful. Only Avalon was still staring with a tinge of lust in his gaze. Only when the person continued with his loud voice did he snap out of it.

"The third to arrive is the king of the dwarves, King Durgrim von Grimhelm, and his associate, his brother Thrain von Grimhelm." Then two short people with very long beards, golden short robes, and a golden hammer strapped to their sides came in. Elsa also came to greet them.

"Hahaha, Elsa my dear, how are you doing?" he asked.

"I am doing fine, as you can see, King Durgrim," Elsa responded politely.

"Hahaha, that's good, that's good. Hope there are some good seedlings in those heroes?"

Elsa responded, "We hope so too."

"Alright, let me not disturb your work," he left after he said that. As Jay saw their outfit, he was speechless. "How can they be so rich? Even their robes are made of gold. And that hammer, it's literally shining. Aren't they worried about being robbed?" Jay questioned in his heart. "What am I saying? One of the strongest kingdoms being robbed? I wish," Jay thought. It was not only Jay who was surprised. Even the other heroes were surprised at how rich a kingdom could be that they even made clothes from gold. Especially Darius; he was especially surprised and could not stop staring.

The other person continued, "The fourth to arrive is the queen of the Feys, Queen Sylph, and her associate, her sister Titania." As he said that, two people entered the hall as Elsa came to greet them.

"Hello, Queen Sylph."

"Hello, Elsa," she responded with a beautiful smile. "Hope everything is well?"

"Yes, Queen Sylph, I am so happy about your arrival."

"Oh, is that so? Well, thank you for hosting us," she responded with a smile. Even if their kingdom is not part of the strongest, they still have two demigods, one of whom is an old ancient tree, so they were still respected, albeit a little bit. But Elsa didn't discriminate; she still greeted them with a smile.

"Okay, I will not disturb you any longer," she said and started walking to her seat. After she greeted the remaining kingdoms with a small bow, they were still beautiful—not as beautiful as the elves but still a beauty to behold. The heroes thought and looked away. Only Avalon still kept looking with a hint of lust in his eyes.

The person kept calling names. "The fifth to arrive is the king of Demi-humans, King Thaddeus von Thunderies, and his associate, his daughter Princess Aeliana von Thunderies." As he said that, two people with animal ears and animal patterns but also But the rest looked human. They entered the hall; the man looked like a lion with his large beard and muscular build, while the girl looked like a cheetah with long legs and a well-proportioned figure. They wore long robes and quickly went to greet Elsa. The man spoke in a flattering tone, which made Elsa smile awkwardly. Then they went to greet the other kingdoms with some flattering words and went to their seats.

The announcer continued to call the last name. "The last to arrive is the King of Monsters, King Aether von Oakheart, and his associate, his daughter Ember von Oakheart." As he said their names, a large figure entered the hall. It was an orc with a straightforward demeanor and determined look. A beautiful orc lady, the only human feature she had was her frame, followed behind with a shy expression. They were wearing robes made of animal hides and chains made of animal remains.

As they went to greet Elsa, the orc didn't make any fawning expression like the demi-humans. He greeted her with a straight expression, "Princess Elsa, it's so good to see you." He said that with a slight bow.

Elsa also responded with a bow. "It's also good to see you too, King Aether. Hope everything is well?" she asked.

"I should be asking you that, Princess, but since you've asked, yes, everything is doing well," he responded. "Thank you for receiving us. I'll not disturb you any longer," he said that with a bow and left to greet the other kingdoms. But they just stared at him coldly and ignored him, not bothering to respond.

It looked like that didn't bother him. He just finished his greeting and went to his seat, his daughter following behind.

"What a straightforward man," Jay thought as he stared at the orc and his daughter. "He doesn't look as weak as they say. In fact, he looks incredibly strong. Add that to his determined and straightforward attitude, he looks like a well-trained warrior," Jay thought.

He had been lonely in his past life after all the betrayals he went through. He taught himself how to judge a person only by staring at them, and when he stared at King Aether, he saw a well-sharpened blade. But right now, it's sheathed, restraining its sharp but powerful edges. "Not judging a book by its cover—that's the best way to explain King Aether," Jay thought.

The rest of the heroes didn't even look at the monster king. Even the faces of Avalon and Aiden showed disdain when they looked at his daughter. Only Jay thought she was still pretty, especially with her shy expression and petite figure but big in the right places. It made her look cute, Jay thought.

After all the kingdoms settled down, Elsa also moved to her seat beside the kings, seemingly waiting. Soon after, the king came in from another door, walking majestically as his name was announced by the loud announcer. "I hereby present the beloved King of the Human Kingdom, King Galick von Darion, and his associate, his daughter Princess Elsa von Darion." As he said that, the king entered the hall, and Elsa went to stand beside him. They started walking straight to his throne at the top center of the hall.

Then he smiled while Elsa went to her sit then he said, "As the host of this event, I hereby declare the Heroes' Gathering to officially begin."