The secret behind everything.

I fainted after the battle; everything happened so quickly that I lost consciousness without feeling any pain.

Lilith: "He's opening his eyes!"

As I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying in an ornate room on a large bed. Lilith was holding my hand and crying. Malik was standing across from me, watching. A few women dressed in white were applying a healing spell to me. I tried to sit up, but my body ached so much that I couldn't.

King: "You'd better not move; you're heavily injured. But you'll be fine; you're being treated by the best healers in Drynsoll."

"King? So, you're my king."

King: "No need for formality; we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Call me Charles. I watched your battle; how are you feeling?"

"Does it really matter how I feel? In the end, I lost. I couldn't protect my friends because I was weak again."

King: "Friends? Well, you had your reasons to participate in this tournament, but you're not weak. Your opponent was just too strong."

"By the way, where is Saku?"

King: "You really know him. I was curious about what you two were talking about. He said he had to speak and urgently left. He was upset because he thought he harmed you, but when I assured him that I would heal you, he relaxed and left."

"He seems to trust you a lot."

King: "It's a long story... Anyway, it seems like you have things to discuss. Come to me later; the castle is quite large, so don't hesitate to ask the servants for help if you can't find your way."

Castle? Are we in Drynsoll Castle right now? That explains why this room is so fancy. Is he showing off with the size of his castle? One day, I'll definitely live in a bigger castle than yours. Of course, the servants in my castle will be monsters, but they have their own charm, don't they?

I locked eyes with Malik and signaled him to leave Lilith and me alone.

Malik: "Alright, ladies, let's have a little chat."

"But the treatment isn't finished yet!"

Malik: "Hahaha, don't worry, she's strong. Besides, I need some air."

Malik took the two healer women on his arm and left the room.

Lilith had knelt beside the bed, holding my hand, her face buried in it. I could feel her tears on the back of my hand.

"Lilith, I'm sorry for what I said there. I know it's not an excuse, but I felt like I wasn't myself."

Lilith bit my arm.

"Ahh, that hurts. I'm still in the healing process, you know?"

Lilith: "This is your punishment, idiot!"

Lilith started crying again.

Lilith: "Don't ever do something like that again. I thought I was going to lose you."

"Hey, I'm still here, right? And I'll always be here, right by your side..."

After crying for a while, Lilith calmed down.

Lilith: "I haven't forgiven you yet."

"What? Come on, I apologized. What more do you want me to do?"

Lilith: "If you give me a kiss, I can forget about it."

"I guess I owe you that, right? Okay, close your eyes."

Lilith: "Wh-what? Are you really going to do it?"

"Or do you not want to?"

Lilith shook her head quickly from side to side. Her entire face was red, and she closed her eyes tightly, clenching her fists on her chest. It was clear she was excited, her lips puckered as if expecting me to kiss her.

*Sound of a kiss*

I kissed Lilith on the cheek.

Lilith's eyes suddenly opened, her whole face turning as red as a tomato.

"By the way, why did you pucker your lips like that? Were you thinking of something else? I didn't know you had such thoughts, you pervert."

Lilith: "Ahhh! I can't believe I believed in you, idiot!"

Lilith angrily pounded on my shoulder, quick but weak blows. Despite her anger for tricking her, she didn't hit me hard because she knew I was injured.

"Hahaha..."

...

After a while, Lilith fell asleep. According to what Malik said, I had been asleep for almost three days, and Lilith hadn't left my side for a second. I truly owe it to Lilith; she always tries to be by my side, treats me well, helps me with village tasks, and I don't even know how many times she has protected me and saved my life. Without her, I couldn't have gained strength so quickly, and I might not have been able to participate in this tournament. I will never hurt her again; I will always make her happy, Lilith.

Lilith was lying down, and I was still having difficulty walking, so with Malik's help, I went to the king.

When I reached the entrance of the king's room, which was the entrance to the throne room, I encountered a massive door adorned with gold embroidery. As I stepped inside, everything around me looked like a scene from a historical film; the thick carpets on the floor were like an artwork with their embroidered golden patterns. With each step, the softness under my feet and the sense of luxury made me feel like I didn't belong here.

First, my eyes embraced the size and craftsmanship of the throne. The patterns on the gilded throne's back resembled a book telling the history of the kingdom. The elegant details around the throne elevated the king's majesty and power. The legacy of kings who once proudly sat on this throne could be felt in every corner of the room.

Light filtered through the windows, casting a beam of light into the room. The windows invited the first light of the day into the throne room. This light illuminated the atmosphere of the room and made every detail in the throne room more distinct.

As I approached the king's throne, the room felt not just like a seat for a ruler but also like the heart of a kingdom.

The king's advisors and guards silently waited in the corners of the room. The eyes of the officials reflected their loyalty and devotion to the king. The atmosphere of the room was filled with both grandeur and seriousness.

King Charles: "The warrior and his friend are here, my guards."

Guards: "As you command!"

The fact that the guards left the room without saying anything was a sign of how much they trusted the king. They knew that even if we tried to harm him, King Charles would defeat us instantly.

King Charles: "As I mentioned before, you can call me Charles, and I'll call you Daichi, learned your name from your friend. So, let's skip the formality and get down to business. I've arranged a table for you."

As soon as the king finished his sentence, servants entered the room and quickly set up a dining table with a variety of dishes and placed two chairs. Malik's mouth was watering.

"Your Majesty, I mean Charles. Would it be a problem if my friend joined us for a meal?"

King Charles: "So be it, but if our conversation leaves this room, I will find your friend first."

The king exuded an aggressive aura, and I felt like I was about to lose my mind. Malik, on the other hand, seemed less affected than me, but he was definitely scared. Could it be that he couldn't see exactly what I was seeing? This energy seemed similar to the one I emitted during the match. How did I lose control? It was as if the person there wasn't me.

King Charles: "Seems like you're starting to understand something. Sit down and listen while we eat."

Malik and I sat at the table and started eating.

King Charles: "You must have fought with people stronger than yourself until now. It must have been a challenging journey."

How did he know that?

King Charles: "I heard you even managed to land a hit on Arthur."

"I just cut a lock of his hair."

King Charles: "Even so, it's not something to be taken lightly. You are one of the rare individuals who managed to withstand Arthur for more than a few minutes."

Arthur couldn't defeat this guy? I better maintain a good relationship with the king; he's someone I don't want to mess with right now. But why did he summon me here? Is he going to do something to me? Maybe he wants to kill me or take me as a prisoner, but why would he want that? Can I beat him, or more importantly, can I survive this?

King Charles: "Are you wondering if you can beat me? Hahaha."

"I-I'm sorry, it just slipped out. Are you some kind of mind reader?"

King Charles: "Hahaha, no problem. It's normal for someone with your power to think such things."

"My power? Did you summon me here to talk about that? I know I'm in some special class, but how?"

King turned his gaze to Malik, who wasn't paying attention and continued eating. I guess I understood where he got all this information; he must have invited this idiot to manipulate him and get information from him.

King Charles: "Anyway, your class is called 'Strategist,' right? But you think you're weak because its level is too low. You don't have any attack or defense abilities, right?"

"You're right. Despite gaining a few abilities through my own efforts, none of them are related to attack or defense."

King Charles: "Yet, you seem to have found a way to use them. I've seen others who can open portals before, but none used them like you did."

"I'm weak, so I had to do everything in my power to survive and win."

King Charles: "I think I can understand why he chose you."

"Him? Is he the reason for all the mysterious talk and insinuations? Are you finally going to tell me what happened to me?"

King Charles: "What do you think special classes are?"

"Aren't they rare classes? Those faceless bright things gave us random classes, and I happened to get this one. I was excited at first, but my excitement was crushed when I found out it's a crappy class."

King Charles: "Those beings you mentioned must be messengers. I've seen them a few times, but I'm sure they are not the ones who sent you here. Most likely, the gods didn't send you here either, do you believe in gods, Daichi?"

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Believing in them won't change this crappy life of mine."

King Charles: "Hahaha, you're right. So, let me tell you this, secret classes aren't obtained by chance. Those who bestow these classes are the ones who shape your destiny."

"Those who shape my destiny? Doesn't everyone shape their own destiny?"

King Charles: "It's actually a metaphor. In the past and the future, in this world and other worlds, maybe even in other universes, individuals who have achieved great success and overcome challenges are called those who shape their own destiny. Some achieved great powers through hard work, while others got lucky. After achieving these successes and gaining immense power, these individuals surpassed their own limits and became what we call gods today. But gods don't have to be good beings as we think; they all have their own wills and thoughts. Some may be bad, some good, or some neutral gods."

"So why don't they come and kill us? You said the ones who sent us here aren't gods, but aren't they powerful? So why do they take away people's families and loved ones, imprisoning them somewhere?"

King Charles: "They are beings capable of doing whatever they want now. Some take pleasure in our suffering and watch us. The entity that sent us here must be the same as the one bestowing these abilities and systems, and it seems like this entity always desires more chaos, like a system wanting more disorder. By giving us these abilities, it pushes us to work harder and become stronger, as if it wants us to fight more and shed blood, but justice means nothing to it. It allows gods to do what they want and assists only in the empowerment of humans, and, as you've noticed, it doesn't treat everyone equally."

"So what's the purpose of all this? Why are you telling me all of this?"

King Charles: "I don't exactly know why all this is happening, but I'll tell you what I know. Gods can't directly prevent the system's games or help humans, but they can indirectly hinder them. For example, they make humans serve them by offering blessings and make them do what they want."

"Or they take everything from already powerful individuals and imprison them, using them like slaves."

What Lilith told me suddenly flashed in my mind, and I was filled with anger towards the gods.

King Charles: "Yes... I told you that gods offer blessings to humans, right? Special classes are somewhat formed in this way. Gods have the ability to choose the individuals they want as their servants. This way, they can share a part of their power with that servant. They can choose more than one servant if they wish, but the more servants they choose, the lower the level of power they share. Those individuals who become the only servants of the gods are called special classes by the system, thanks to the gods. Since I was born, I underwent rigorous training with the desire to protect my country and always wanted to defend it. I was the only son of my father, the former king, so when he died, I was the only one who could become the king. Therefore, I accepted my fate as a young child and did not deviate from it. When I turned 17, the Paladin God of Guards and Sanctity chose me as his servant, and I started to gain power much faster. Four years later, the former king died, and I ascended to the throne. Also, the wizard you fought is a servant of a god, just like me."

"So both of you being this powerful is because of this. What about Arthur?"

King Charles: "He doesn't have a special class, in fact, he has a very ordinary class, a warrior. He gained his current power from the battles he fought and the hard work he put in. If I didn't have the blessing of a god, he probably would have defeated me."

"So, no matter how hard a person works, they can't compete with a god or a god's servant, is that it?"

King Charles: "Yes, that's how it used to be, but one man disrupted this balance."

"What do you mean? Did someone manage to defeat the gods?"

King Charles: "Yes, and he defeated all the gods. The person you are the heir to."

"What do you mean? Didn't you say he's a human? Also, what do you mean by 'heir'?"

King Charles: "There was once a man who lost his entire family and loved ones just for the entertainment of the gods. He hated the gods for being so powerful and able to do anything they wanted. That day, he was also about to die, just like his family, but a goddess who fell in love with him asked him to hide using her power in exchange for satisfying her. The desperate man accepted the goddess's request and swore to take revenge on the gods one day. He kept working constantly to become stronger, looking for ways to defeat his enemies. Over the years, he continued to fight with the world's strongest individuals, and by maximizing his power and abilities, he surpassed his limits and became powerful enough to fight with the gods. According to him, all gods should be eradicated; no one, good or bad, should possess such immense power. After killing all the gods, nothing changed. New gods took the place of the ones who died, and no matter how many he killed, new ones kept coming. After a while, he became so powerful that killing gods, bending the laws of physics, and granting his wishes became a normal part of his life. Eventually, even humans and gods started calling him the Sovereign, worshiping him, and begging to escape death. But this was in vain. In the end, he realized that the cause of all this was the System that gave us these powers. He set out on a quest to destroy the System and eventually found it. Rumor has it that he fought the System and almost defeated it, but the resurrected gods united against him because the System promised them more power. They killed him."

"Wait, so he couldn't defeat the gods and the person responsible for all this? Even someone as powerful as him? Then how can I be his heir?"

King Charles: "Daichi, do you think he gained all that power through the System? Of course not. Why would the person who controls this system help someone strong enough to kill him? This so-called System is just a trick, trying to deceive us by pretending it's the reason for our strength. But is the only reason for our strength really the system? As you know, you can gain some abilities through hard work. It might seem like the system gives you these abilities, and they probably told you so, but it's a fabricated lie to deceive us. They don't want us to know that we can become stronger on our own without them, trying to create a world where we can't live without them. This way, individuals like that man won't be able to oppose them."

"So what do we do?"

King Charles: "Do you wonder why I call you the heir? Or where I got all this information? After that man put an end to everything, he wrote down everything he did using his magical power in a diary. He did this so that even after his death, the diary would survive, and one day it would fall into someone's hands. Fortunately, centuries ago, the first king of Drynsoll found this book, and we made it our mission to protect it, passing it down from father to son. We've always waited for the day when what was written in the book would come true, the day we would be free from these cruel gods and the system. We waited for the heir to come. Before he died, he used his last bit of power to transfer his abilities to a successor, and it was written that the successor would overcome all of this. When I heard about your released aura, rapid learning capacity, and having a class called 'Strategist,' I understood that you were the successor. Did you not feel a different emotion when you started fighting with weak people? The desire to rule and destroy, because those were the feelings he had after achieving absolute power. Almost every line in the book talked about how he was the strongest and wanted to dominate everything. But when he realized how powerful the system was, he lost his purpose and gained a new one. He wanted to become the system itself and have everything. Maybe that's what he wanted all along. Perhaps, despite blaming the gods for his family's death, he admired their power. At first, no matter what his initial goal was, after a while, he deviated to a dark path. Perhaps, he initially mentioned killing himself because he thought he might go down that path one day. But things didn't turn out as he predicted, and he was killed by someone. So, filled with all his hatred and resentment, he transferred all his powers to a random person at a random time, and that person is you. You are his heir, and one day, you will have his powers."

"All this information is overwhelming. So, the reason for telling me all this is that a psychopathic man transferred his powers to me to fulfill his ambitions? Did he give me these powers? I gained these powers by working hard; there were some abilities I gained for free, probably his, but I don't care. I'll thank him for the abilities and continue on my way. Killing all these gods and even destroying the system? It's sad that he can't do that anymore because he's dead. So, our new plan is to do everything to survive, use any means to protect my loved ones. If necessary, I'll kill all the gods, maybe even destroy the system, but I won't do it for revenge or to fulfill his goals. I am weak, and I probably won't be as excessively powerful as he was, but I'll do everything in my power. I'll try every tactic and resort to all kinds of cunning."

...

"At the end of the day, I'm a strategist, right?"