Chapter 9 - Recovery Process

The recovery process would take about 7 days. My ankle was fractured when I hit the ground, and I was stuck wearing a boot for the week. However, the boot was quite comfortable, so it didn't faze me that much.

It was nightfall, so I decided to sleep in one of the campsite's many rest houses, where heroes stationed at the camp could sleep for the night. Mayumi and Yui had exited the hut we were in earlier and went their separate ways.

I entered the hut and was greeted by a man in a red knight's coat with black hair. He said his name was Cyprus. He wanted to introduce himself to me. We sat down, and spoke to each other, regarding the recent attack, as well as the Hero Camp.

"So, Yukio Sazuke, is it? Welcome to Camp Theta. I'm sorry you couldn't receive a formal welcome, but now that you're here, allow me to semi-formally introduce myself."

"My name is Cyprus Elrod. I'm a level 4 hero, and the commander of Camp Theta. It's a pleasure to meet you. As far as I'm concerned, you'd like to join the Hero Camp, yes?"

Cyprus Elrod, alias "Deadeye". Hero Level 4, Rank 7. He specializes in the use of the crossbow, as well as other ranged weapons. His specialty is his triple bomb-arrow strike, which he uses to stun monsters in preparation for a large-scale attack.

"Yeah. I'd like to join the Hero Camp, and help in the fight against the monster race. I heard that we're transferring in 7 days, and that I'll be able to go to Camp Alpha to apply." said Yukio

"That's true. Every month, we rotate camps. It's unfortunate that we don't have any level 5+ heroes in Theta though. Theta is located away from most of the monster hot spots, so it was never required to have high level heroes around. But this battle proved differently."

Camp Theta was one of the lower-leveled camps in this world, located away from primary monster activity hot-spots. Because of this, they've only ever needed heroes within the level range of 1-4.

Camp Kappa, where Ambrosia was stationed, is in a similar situation, however Ambrosia was stationed there for a hero training mission, where she trained low level heroes. Yukio then asked another question.

"Could you inform me of how the Hero System works? Yui explained it to me a little, but I'm still confused."

"Of course. Allow me to explain,"

"The Hero System is a system where heroes are ranked based on their stats, such as strength, monsters killed, quests completed, etc. When you apply for the Hero Camp, you will be put through an initial placement test, and be placed into a role and a rank based on your results. You can choose the role you wish to pursue, but the rank will be determined by how well you do on your test. You can only be placed into levels 1 or 2 initially."

"Furthermore, there are 7 levels of heroes. As you progress through your journey, your rank will move up or down, depentant on how you perform. When you reach rank 1 of your level, you will be given the option to accept a quest that is a level above where you are, and if you complete it, you will be ranked up to the next level."

"This is what makes level 7 so hard to reach. You would need to first reach the top spot in Level 6, and then accept, and complete, a level 7 quest. Currently, only 17 heroes are in Level 7. Some have died attempting to reach the next level..."

Yukio took in all the information, and began to process it. He was now understanding how the Hero System worked, and was getting excited. Then, he asked a very interesting question.

"Cyprus? Who's at the top of level 7? Who's the strongest hero?"

Cyprus smiled, and chuckled to himself. This was the question he hoped Yukio would ask, as it showed his interest in becoming strong. He answered.

"Heh, what, do you aim to take his spot? I don't think that would ever happen. Many have dreamed of approaching his level, and so far, only 1 has ever been able to nearly match him in ability, and she's the 2nd ranked hero."

"But to answer your question, it's a man with no name. He simply goes by the alias "Hero", which is ironic, considering everybody here is a hero. But in all honesty, he's a very mysterious man. He rarely ever shows up to Camp Alpha during transfers, as he prefers to adventure on his own, and return when he feels it to be necessary."

"He possesses superhuman physical prowess, using only his fists to fight monsters. He is able to fly, and some say he has the ability to teleport, however, this has never been documented. One time, a few years ago, it was mentioned that he single-handedly wiped out a group of 6 level 7 monsters with his fists alone, sustaining minimal damage..."

"As far as I'm concerned, the only people who have contact with him are the Hero Camp administrators, whom he reports his kills/quests to, and maybe the other level 7s. His stats greatly outclass any other hero, it's like he's in a level of his own.. a level 8 hero. I've never seen him personally, but I'd love to meet him..."

To Yukio, this "Hero" person sounded like an OP character from a video game. Perhaps he was, considering he outclassed all other level 7 heroes by miles. If Yukio could figure out who this Hero was, and meet him, perhaps he could ask him questions...

"So, if he's as powerful as many claim him to be, how come he hasn't been able to defeat The Shade?" asked Yukio.

"Well, you see, The Shade is also a mystery. In terms of power, I'm sure Hero would have no issue defeating him. The issue is getting to him. Every time a hero approaches the shade, from any direction, regardless if the shade is aware of their presence or not, he will sink into the ground, and disappear..."

"Oh, I see. So he's like an omnipresent being?"

"It appears so... Yukio, it's getting late, I think we should get some sleep. You have a week to recover your ankle before we're transferred back. When we get to Camp Alpha, Mayumi and Yui will take you to the administration to register to be a hero."

"Thank you, Cyprus. I appreciate you telling me about the camp. I'm trying to gather as much info as I can before I enter it..."

"That's a good idea. Now get some rest..."

Cyprus left the building, and Yukio climbed into a vacant bed, and drifted off to sleep. A few heroes were stationed near the gates on night-guard, due to the recent attack. There were no monster sightings that night, and Yukio slept well. The week ahead of him, would be a week for recovery. Yukio kept a journal detailing the events of the 7 days of his recovery.

~ YUKIO SAZUKE'S JOURNAL - RECOVERY PROCESS ~

~The morning of the 1st day came, and I was woken up by Yui, who had stopped by to check on my condition. My foot ached, but that meant it was healing. We chatted for a while, before I got up, and went about my daily routine. I walked around camp, getting to know the heroes stationed there. Two heroes entered the camp, claiming to be level 7 heroes. I talked to them, and got to know who they were. One of them was named Sledge Reaper, and he told me about his battle with the Tiger Frog. The other was a young girl, or so I assumed, until she got angry at me for assuming her age, and kicked me. Apparently she's 28, and I thought she was 12. Her name was "Esper Witch". They seemed like incredibly powerful heroes. They came and went, and so did the day.~

~The morning of the 2nd day came, and this time, I was woken up by Mayumi. Her and I walked around camp, getting to know each other more, and discussing matters regarding the hero camp. A few level 1 monsters were sighted, but were taken care of by the heroes at the camp. I got to witness how heroes slayed monsters, and I was thrilled at the sight of it. Yui and I also went on a fishing trip today, bringing home dinner for the night! It was a good, peaceful day, and I enjoyed myself.~

~On the 3rd day, Yui invited me into her clinic to check on my foot. It was healing properly, and she said that it should make a full recovery within the next 4 days! Today I spoke with Cyprus regarding the different roles within the Hero Camp, such as combat, engineering, and medical professions. I learned that there are different leaderboards for each role, and that every role had their own individual level system based on the hero's skill. I took note of this info, and went about my normal daily routine of exercise.~

~On the 4th day, I left the camp with Mayumi to go adventuring through the grasslands. We encountered more level 1 monsters, and Mayumi cut them down with ease. I took notes, and studied her technique. She showed precision and fluidity with the blade. When we returned to camp, I met up with Yui, and I took a walk with her. It seemed like she had invested some of her time every day to see me, like Mayumi, who saw me to teach me and show me around the camp, as well as provide me with information regarding what it takes to be a Hero. I was establishing connections with heroes, and making myself known. Yui offered to take another walk with me tomorrow, as well.~

~On the 5th day, we had a minor attack on the camp. Two level 2 monsters and a level 1 showed up, hungry, and waiting to feast on us. The level 2 monsters resembled giant octupus like creatures, and the level 1 was a mix between an eagle and an owl. Mayumi and Cyprus took care of the threats. We sustained minimal damage, and only had 3 injuries throughout the camp. I took more notes, and even got to watch the counter-attack up close, to get an idea of the scale of these monsters. They were all much larger than humans, the smallest monsters still standing at an estimated 8 feet tall. Regardless, the heroes took them down, and protected the camp. Yui and I had to postpone our walk to tomorrow, as she was dealing with injuries.~

~On the 6th day, Yui and I took our walk, as promised. It was the final day of recovery for me, as we're getting transferred tomorrow. Yui seems to have taken a liking to me. I'm not entirely sure if it's because of my looks, or my mysterious nature. I could tell that the others knew I was not from here, but they had no idea where I was from, and I couldn't tell them, either. I simply used my presumed memory loss as an excuse to get by. On this day, members from the administration visited the camp, notifying us that tomorrow was the transfer day, and to pack up our belongings. We were to wake up at 8:00 AM, and board the train by 9:30. I was ready to visit Camp Alpha, and apply to be a hero.~

And so, after a week of recovery, the seventh day finally came. Yukio woke up, and Yui was sitting beside him. She smiled, and greeted him.

"Good morning, Yukio! Well, today's the day! We're getting transferred back to Alpha! Before you pack your stuff though, I need you to come to the clinic, I need to make sure your ankle has healed fully."

"Alright, let me just put on some clothes first, and I'll be right over there."

"mm!"

Yui got up, and exited the hut. Yukio and the other heroes got up, and got dressed. When he was dressed, Yukio exited the hut, and walked into Yui's clinic. She was inside, waiting to take another X-Ray of his foot to see if it had healed properly.

"Alright Yukio, just take a seat over there like last time, and I'll get this machine rigged up to your foot! It's the same process as usual, just gimme a thumbs up when you're ready!"

Yukio equipped the lead chestplate, and gave the thumbs up to Yui, who flipped the switch, and scanned Yukio's ankle. As they had both hoped, his ankle had healed fully, and he was now eligible to resume normal activities!

"Would you look at that, Yukio! Looks like your ankle healed itself! Perfect timing too, as we're leaving in about an hour and a half! Here, let me get this boot off of you, so you can go pack yout things before we take off for Alpha!"

Yui exited the room to grab some tools to remove the boot. Yukio sat in the chair, and thought to himself...

"It turns out that my genetics have indeed been modified. This is good, it means I am no longer at a disadvantage... when this boot is off of me, I'll pack my things, and get ready to depart for Camp Alpha. I can't wait to register to be a hero, I'm amped..."