A lot to think about Part 1

For old readers, this was a very important chapter that essentially sets the entire plot of the old novel all the way to the most recent Arc.

For new readers, this chapter is quite full.

To make things flow better, I've decided to cut it into two sections, this one is small and easy to gobble, but the next one will be meaty and maybe you'll have to pay attention to what the characters are saying.

Next chapter should be released within the week so thank you for reading!

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—

Time passed, and the last people in the line used the Orb.

Huhuf also came back, slightly bruised on his face and a little battered. Anger was written in his expression, but Berinou didn't seem to care even as he passed by her grunting.

He slowly calmed down, and when the final person used the Orb, he said:

"... I am quite surprised. It seems most of you used it on the very first day!... I wasn't expecting that. It was so unexpected that our equipment isn't even here yet."

Huhuf was slightly embarrassed as it seemed he didn't predict their cooperation. And for a moment, they were stranded with nothing else to do aside from leaving.

'Hm… I can't let things end like this. But the materials aren't scheduled to arrive today…'

"I can fix that."

Seeing his expression, Eriny smiled lightly as the tip of her fingernails glew with purplish light…

/~Mumble~/

/Sha sha sha…/

Several red flowers mysteriously appeared in the air. If you looked closely, you would see that they were made from thousands of very small lines of words.

Philip wondered what they were about, but waiting proved to be the quickest answer.

/~Mumble~/

Eriny continuously mumbled something in a weak, faint voice so small that even Philip couldn't hear.

"Open~"

/Shishishi.../

The flowers gathered in a faint geometric array around a larger flower…

The large flower spun slightly as it opened, revealing a large yellow portal before them.

/Step…/

"Did you call me Miss Guyk? Quite early in the morning for a commission, don't you say?"

From inside the portal, a small green creature stepped out. 

It had a humanoid build, and its overall appearance could only be described as ugly. Yet, its clothing and posture indicated a pedigree and training of the highest order.

It was a motherfucking Goblin.

/GASP!/

Most of the Heroes in the room were surprised, some by the goblin's appearance and others by the portal and magic show.

Philip was interested in both but mostly in what the Goblin represented…

"Hm… Tsk."

The goblin looked around before clicking its tongue. Not in annoyance or anger, but in deep thought…

"It seems I was called earlier than the predicted time… That will amount to an extra fee due to the inconvenience. You know my time is precious, right?" He asked as he turned to the wizard, adjusting his glasses as he pulled a small notebook from his suit

"Ara~. Do you think you can pull my leg even though you are already being paid extra?"

She crossed her arms as she smiled gently at the goblin. The staff in her hands sizzled with power, pushing the Goblin's hairs on their ends…

"Erm!... It's a… Ahem… A misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding… I was talking about the fee for early delivery, but as you promptly pointed out, it was already included… Ahem ahem…"

/SNAP!/

The goblin snapped his fingers, and a golden coin appeared from thin air. 

The coin was fairly simple with a goblin face imprinted on one side and a large golden box on the other, being about the size of a finger.

From among the students, the rich kids were the ones who showed the largest reaction to this goblin. If you took a closer look, you would see their eyes were focused on his coin.

It was a matter beyond pure greed or morbid curiosity. It seemed their very essence was reacting to it… 

"Hm…"

Philip saw it all but kept to himself as he turned back to the Goblin, focused on his every move.

/Sheen…/

The coin kept spinning in the air, locked in position. Growing larger over time with every revolution.

Eventually, it became an immense six meter tall coin… Although you could argue if it was still a coin at this moment.

/Snap/

The Goblin snapped his finger with elegance, waiting for this moment.

/Crunk… Shaaa…/

The coin "opened" as it parted in the middle. Revealing a large room. Seemingly defying the laws of space-time.

The room was filled with all sorts of items. Although hard to spot due to all of the mist inside, Philip noticed potions, straps, weapons, armor, and much more. 

/Fwoop!/

As the coin opened, the goblin somehow took out a large scroll from his suit's pocket before reading it:

"So… I shall read the delivery. All items are present and not a single less…"

"100 Boxes of Light medicinal potions from the Academy of Mystics… 200 Boxes of Light energetic potions from…"

"300 Boxes of Light refreshment potions from… 50 Medium grade mechanical training dummies made from Esterita ore, 100 sets of Beginner training clothes from the Martial Union…"

/Fwoosh!/

/Fwoosh!/

As the goblin went through the very, very long list, the items inside the coin slowly flew out, piling into a small hill before the golden gate.

"... How much do you think all of that's worth?" Roy asked as he looked at the items

"More than I would like to hear."

"... That seems about right."

…

/Chattering…/

With each other, he uttered, the more excited he became. And while he thought he was hallucinating, Philip could see his eyes slowly turning into two gold coins as he reached the end of the list:

"... And finally, 50 Boiling potions from the Nothern Tribes…"

"Phew… Fifty huh… You guys sure gave us a hard job."

"Is there anything missing, oh dear customer?" He asked as he turned to the instructors

"... No."

Huhuf's expression was that of a happy boy. Satisfied that this wouldn't end in a "disaster".

"Then I shall take my leave. Thank you all for using our services."

"Before the golden coin, I stamp the seal of the deal!" He said out loud, taking a parchment full of symbols and markings. Stamping it at the end before rolling the parchment and storing it inside a luxurious container

He then turned to face the Heroes, smiling lightly as he adjusted his monocle.

"I pray you can all become our customers…"

"Don't overstep your boundaries. Merchant." Huhuf said deeply as his eyes narrowed

"Hoo… I misspoke…" 

The goblin merchant smiled mysteriously before he bowed and left. 

"That goblin is so surly. He didn't even say hi to me~… Even though I'm the VIP here…"

"You can talk some sense into him later… We now have a big mess to deal with. For now, let's…"

"FINALLY THIS SHIT'S OVER!!" Berinou exclaimed out loud as she took a step forward

"##!!"

"EVERYONE THAT HAS A COMBAT CLASS, TO ME!! PICK YOUR WEAPONS AND ITEMS AND LET'S…"

/BANG!/

Huhuf kicked Berinou's ass, sending her flying across the gymnasium. The speed of his kick was such that Philip could barely even see him moving out of his place at all.

"..."

'Looks like the Orb wasn't wrong. With a world so vast, being a Hunter won't lead me far… I need to find out how to acquire my next Class and fast.'

'Otherwise these guys will surpass me.' 

"Annoying loudmouth… That was for earlier… And for interrupting me… And for causing trouble… In fact, I believe this was too little…" 

/Tap tap…/

The old man placed his left hand on Huhuf's shoulder. Trying to calm him down as he exhaled.

Seeing his gaze, Huhuf understood that, in the end, they would have to postpone things for a day, still, they were ahead of schedule thanks to the Heroes' cooperation.

At least he had something to write on his report…

"... Sigh… Let's just finish this… Everyone! You are free to go for now. But before you do so, confirm your teacher by writing into this Book."

"Just write your name and who will be your teacher. Nothing more is needed. If in doubt, tomorrow we shall assist in you in finding a mentor."

"I hope to see you all here by seven tomorrow! Dispersed!"

…

/Meanwhile…/

"Well, after all that talk… That was quick."

"Did you want another long lecture like the ones we had prior to coming here?"

"Don't even make me remember that shit!"

"For now, I think…"

{I will meet you in the library in a few hours, although I can't say if I'll get there on time… Oh! And if I were you. I would hold onto the chance to use Roy's Skill}

"!!"

'Wait! Didn't I tell you to get out of my mind?! Besides, I already did!...'

/Silence…/

'Shit!... Come on, mind Paladin… Wake up already. People are making a mess of this place…'

"Philip? You still here?"

"Hm? Sorry, I just got distracted for a moment… I think we should move on with our schedules."

"For now, I'll go to the library. So make sure to have a use of your Skill ready…"

"Hm? Weren't we going to look for that item?"

"... Small change of plans, I won't use the chance anymore." Philip replied as his eyes narrowed

This answer surprised Roy as he wholly believed Philip would use it again. Nonetheless, he shook his surprise out of his system and replied:

"... It's on you, man. Just make sure to use it, otherwise I will be tight on time."

"Sure."

"So… See you later?"

Philip rolled his eyes as he sighed out loud, saying:

"Come on, Roy. We live in the same damn corridor…" 

…

Roy smiled lightly as they exchanged their greetings, joining the line to write on the book.

After waiting a few minutes, Philip wrote his name and appointed Berinou as his teacher, deeming her the most suitable one to coach him.

Even though she is violent and rather barbaric, she is still here. The fact she was chosen out of all the experts in the Empire to teach some of its most valuable was everything he needed to know.

And while Philip was greatly interested in knowledge and magic, he lacked the time to sit down and play around. Being a Hunter, his Class excelled in Hyper aggression on the battlefield and in special missions.

Even if his mind had been strengthened, that did not mean he could rely solely on it to learn magic at a faster rate than the Heroes built for it. 

He was likely to be kicked out of the classes or be singled out by the others. 

What he expected from Berinou was that learning from her would help him gain the Title for completing the basic training and creating a technique.

There was much to learn and master. This world's combat forms were at the top of his list for learning and contemplating.

But above all that… It was time to see what that man knew about him…

…

Since he had nothing important to do, Philip's first stop was still the library as he still had many books to read.

/Fwoosh…/

Now that his Class had been revealed, he saw no need to hide some of his Skills, so to cut down time, as soon as he was done with his business in the gymnasium, Philip dashed through the forest as he went to the library.

"... Hm?"

'Someone's here.'

/Shoosh…/

As he ran through the woods, Philip heard faint echoes reverberating through the forest, prompting him to stop.

'Weird. I was sure I was one of the first few to leave… Although I stopped by the bathroom before leaving…'

/Clunk…/

'... Looks like I'm not the only one training… Should I… No. I don't have the time for that.'

Philip looked at the source of the sounds for a moment before turning into mist once more, dissipating with the wind…

/Step…/

"Who's there?!"

However, as he crossed through, he suddenly saw himself trapped within a translucent bubble.

"..."

So he moved to the source of the voice, falling before it like a bullet of mist…

/Step…/

Stepping out of the veil of fog, a fully clothed Philip stepped out to face the one who called for him, a young man he had seen before…

"Who are you?!" The boy asked deeply as he crossed his arms

"..."

'I know him… Vincent, wasn't it? The boy with the barrier powers. I see now, there's no way someone like him could've detected me. He must've deployed a barrier around and I crossed into it.'

(Image?)

'This is exactly the reason why I'm interested and warry of the heroes. I have no idea how their abilities work and neither can I prepare or react against them. I barely even felt the barrier form around me before I was trapped inside.'

"I asked you a question!"

/THUUM!/

/BAM!/

Philip felt a powerful impact slam onto his chest, sending him flying back to the trees.

/Crack…/

As the tree snapped, he exhaled lightly, frowning.

'That hurt a little. Like being hit by a car.'

'Barriers… No… I shouldn't limit my understanding of his abilities merely from what he showed once or twice.'

'And while I did try to pay attention to each Heroes Classes during the talent assessment I was unable to see them all. Vincent was amidst those.'

After sorting through his thoughts, Philip came with a short answer:

"I'm just a passerby. I was planning on moving past you but you blocked my path."

"... You're suspicious." He said with a frown as he made a strange gesture with his left hand

Seeing his expression was everything he needed to know. There was no convincing this young man.

He had seen this expression before. It was the look of someone who had fallen into their own Power Fantasy.

There was a simple solution for this issue.

"... Sigh. I'm not in the mood for this." He said out loud as he cracked his neck

/Fwoosh!/

"?!"

Philip vanished from his spot, reappearing before Vincent as he punched toward his waist!

/BAM!/

/Crack!/

However, his fist came to a sudden halt as it smalled against the air, "cracking" it.

"G-Get away!"

/PUSH!/

/SHAA!/

An invisible strike cleaved the earth, leaving behind a trench as if a comet had fallen there. However, the strike did not reach Philip.

/BAM!/

/Crack!/

He easily evaded the strike before slamming his fist against the barrier again, cracking it even further.

"Urg! W-Who are you?!"

"..."

Because of his mask and hood, Vincent could see nothing aside from his red pupils.

While they were devoid of emotion, he could faintly sense a looming feeling of dread as his barrier crumbled with every strike.

Feeling immense fear for the first time since he awakened his ability, he called forth his strongest barrier once more, the same one who protected him from Kim the day before:

[Activating Skill, Seven-Fold Immovable Shield Lv1]

/Sheen!/

/BAM!/

A prismatic barrier formed before Vincent, completely blocking Philip's strike.

"..."

'No reaction.'

He took a step back, assessing his situation.

"Huff… Huff…"

'It… It blocked him… Hm? Wh… What is he doing?'

While he felt the exhaustion of his Skill hit him, he noticed how his opponent had seemingly grown… Ecstatic.

"Interesting…"

'But scary at the same time… To think a brat that closes his eyes whenever I move my hand can form a barrier strong enough to block me a day after awakening his Class…'

'Is the difference in potential that great?'

'... Fine then. May this be a wake up call for me. I must push myself forward even more.'

[Activating Skill, Beastify Lv0 (3)]

/Crackle…/

Philip's heart skipped a beat as he felt his whole body contract.

His veins wriggled as his muscles inflated and twirled. 

His bones shifted and grew, as his vision grew turbid…

[Mind Bastion LvMax secures your mind, retaining your sanity]

[Mind Bastion LvMax maintains your emotions]

However, just as he was about to lose himself to his instinct, he remembered why he was here, who he was.

His body's transformation slowly regressed to his previous form. However, it wasn't the same as before.

Even if little, he had grown bigger. More muscular and barbaric, as if his skin had been stretched like a balloon, holding back his flesh from breaking free of its cage.

'Huff… So this is how it feels to lose your sanity… It feels familiar…'

Philip looked at his hands, feeling the strength within each finger…

/Pull…/

He opened his inventory, taking out a giant double-sized hammer from within.

Philip could barely hold onto it, not because he was weak but because of its ridiculous proportions…

[Bursting Hammer of Demez +9

An old pneumatic press extracted from an abandoned factory by Demez, exiled of the Powder Kegs.

Demez believed that the Powder Kegs were limiting themselves by seeking further power within the lines of mankind's grasp. So he sought the limits of his intellect without Human use in mind.

A hammer far too great for Human use was then born. However, as for the reason behind his exile, the worries of the Powder Kegs thus rang true… As in his experiments, a beast broke free of his control, taking both his life and the hammer on a silent night.

Only much later, a brave Hunter found the lost hammer and beast, taking both with him after a long hunt…

From there, not listening to history, repeated the mistakes of the past, improving upon the hammer's design while making it accessible for Human hands…

But where Demez failed, he succeeded.

]

/Step… Crack…/

Each of his steps dug deep into the earth as he moved closer to the barrier.

Vincent could feel something was wrong; however, he could do nothing to stop him as his Skill required his full attention.

He could only pray at the back of his mind that it would hold…

/Step…/

[Skill, Predator's presence LvMax has been activated]

"..."

'Odd. He barely even flinched… Does his barrier protect him from mental attacks as well? No wonder I couldn't feel his emotions.'

'Heroes… Indeed. A bunch of cheat characters.'

/Raise…/

Philip reached the barrier, putting the hammer on his shoulder.

/Crack…/

He stepped forward, preparing for his swing.

"Urg… C-Can we talk?"

"... A man should stick to their choices."

"But…"

/SWING!/

Philip swung his hammer, activating its hidden mechanism.

/Clack!/

/BOOOOOOOOM!!/

…

/Echo…/

"... that food was quite good, wasn't it?"

"..."

"Dae?... What are you looking at?"

"Hm? Nothing. What were we talking about again?"

"Man, you've been so distracted ever since that ceremony. Are you finally getting embarrassed by the things you said?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Let's go."

"Humph, not honest at all."

…

"... Impressive."

As the dust settled, the aftermatch of the strike was revealed to the world.

The prismatic shield had been shattered, leaving behind only a few colorful layers of light behind.

However, while Vincent was on his last legs. Philip was completely fine.

'Maintaining this form is rather easy. It's similar to eating a Beast Blood Pellet but stronger… Maybe this is how it's supposed to be.'

'Mind Fort became Mind Bastion, so it is easier for me to keep myself collected, and I grew far stronger since I last ate one so maybe it's not the Skill that is stronger but the potential within me that grew.'

'I never understood the conditions to turn man into beast, but I used to believe it were their emotions and desires. The blood distorts them into abominations by magnifying their worst traits and obsessions.'

'Anyhow, that doesn't matter anymore. Although I wonder if it's possible to eat a Pellet while in this state… Would it be too much or would nothing change?'

'In any case, I should leave before someone else arrives, the explosion from the hammer's mechanism was rather loud.'

/Step…/

"Huff… S-Step… A-Aw…Huff… away…"

/Thud/

"..."

Before he could even shatter the rest of the barrier, Vincent lost consciousness, faint traces of blood streaking down his nose and ears.

'Even if his barrier protected him, it seems the impact traveled through it. Maybe Vincent suffers a portion of the damage dealt to the barrier whenever a layer breaks.'

'It's an incredibly potent Skill. I'm both intrigued and fearful of the Heroes' potential.'

He crouched next to Vincent, checking on his condition, and once he confirmed his well-being, Philip put him on the side before vanishing from the scene, clearing some of his traces in the process.

He knew it would be hard to evade the eye of the Crown, but he didn't want to make things too obvious.

With his disguise, it should take a while for them to figure things out, right?

'Unless they use magic to figure out what happened or if someone was watching, they won't be able to figure out my identity as long as I don't take out the items I used here.'

'Well, even if they find out, I guess that's that. I'm a Hero at the end of the day, so it's normal for me to have abilities even if they're out of the norm for the others, as it's not like anything I've experienced so far is weird given the others' standards…'

'The only things I have to keep hidden at any cost is the presence of Gamerverse and the necklace… And I guess that mist Mind Paladin consumed... Maybe what the old principal said as well... But those aren't entirely connected to my Class, so unless someone brings them up directly, the subject should never pop up.'

'The rest is irrelevant.'

Thinking about those things, Philip entered the secluded library and resumed his studies.

…

/Half a day later…/

/Ploft!/

Deep in thought, Philip's concentration was broken by a sudden newcomer...

The hologram of the translucent books vanished from view as he focused his sole attention on him...

"Hm… You sure took your time."

A man hidden by a cloak, his intentions and motives unclear...

...

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Notes

The next chapter is where things turn good! The great reveal and the actual start of Zero Fate against the World.

Thank you for reading. Peace

This chapter was 4k words long