Author Notes at the end.
After Naofumi finished introducing me well, doing what he could, the king didn't say anything directly to me.
But I could hear him. He was talking with his advisor.
They weren't speaking out loud, but I could still follow the discussion well enough. My telepathy wasn't strong enough to pull complete thoughts cleanly, but surface-level intentions and fragmented words? Those came through if I focused a little.
It kept coming back to the same issue.
I wasn't a Cardinal Weapon Hero.
From what I could tell, that bothered them less than it interested them. The question was whether I was useful.
Seems the advisor wanted to test my powers.
That made sense. If I wasn't a Hero, then I wasn't guaranteed to be effective against the Waves. No prophecy backing me up.
But at the same time, I had been summoned.
The king's line of thinking was the easiest to follow. He wasn't overcomplicating it.
If he can contribute, he should be evaluated.
Simple.
It took only a few seconds for the discussion to end. The king had already decided.
"Since you are not a Cardinal Weapon Hero," he said, tone formal, "we will conduct a small test tomorrow after sunrise, to see what you can do, young Nihilux."
Young? Huh.
Oh well, since I don't have a holy weapons I guess this works.
I wonder if he might give me a title in the future, since I will also have to fight the waves.
Anyways tomorrow morning. Before the Heroes formed their parties. Before the crown handed out financial support and sent everyone off to grind levels or whatever the standard adventuring protocol was here.
It works for me.
I might not have a holy weapon, but I wasn't worried about being tested. One of the very first things I had done after realizing I had these powers was test my limits.
Or as best I could test them, anyway.
I hadn't been able to go all out back home. Living in the middle of a city made that kind of experimentation inconvenient. Lifting cars in empty parking lots at 1 AM was one thing. Doing anything more dramatic risked getting noticed, recorded, and turned into a viral video before I could blink.
Still, I had learned enough to be confident.
I knew how much weight I could move. I knew how long I could maintain multiple objects before it became mentally exhausting. I knew lifting myself was effortless, while sustained force on heavier things took focus.
Cars, for example.
I could comfortably move a few at a time three, maybe four if they were compact sedans and I wasn't in a hurry. Any more than that and the mental load started stacking up fast. But for short bursts? I could handle more.
Precision came easier than raw power. Suspending objects mid-air. Redirecting momentum. Applying pressure exactly where I wanted it instead of everywhere at once.
Plenty of ways to pass whatever test they came up with.
After that, the king moved on quickly.
Naofumi started to introduce himself properly his full name, his age, his situation back home only for the king to cut him off halfway through.
"We do not need your life story, Shield Hero," the king said, tone dismissive. "Your name and age are sufficient."
damn
Naofumi blinked, visibly thrown off. "Uh... right. My name is Naofumi Iwatani. I'm twenty years old, and a university student."
Hmm did me being here changed Naofumi's introduction, or did this happen in the anime?
The king nodded curtly, already looking past him toward his advisor again.
I caught Naofumi's expression shift. Just slightly. A flicker of confusion, maybe irritation. Hard to tell. If only I was better at telling people's emotion from just their faces.
I decided not to pay too much attention to whatever was brewing there. If I remembered right, things were going to get bad for Naofumi soon anyway.
"Now then, Heroes. Please confirm your status, and give yourselves an objective evaluation."
But that was a problem for later.
Right now, I had my own thing to deal with.
Well. Enough about that.
Time to see my status magic.
That faint distortion at the edge of my vision had been there since the summoning. A translucent flicker, barely noticeable unless I focused on it. I hadn't touched it yet.
Now, though?
Now seemed fine.
The other four were already doing it. I could see their eyes glazing slightly, attention turning inward as they interacted with whatever interface their weapons provided.
I took a breath and focused on the shimmer.
It responded immediately.
A semi-transparent window materialized in front of me, hovering at eye level. The design was simple clean lines, easy-to-read text, no unnecessary clutter. It reminded me of a game UI, but more... refined. Less flashy.
At the top, in bold letters:
STATUS
Below that, my name.
Nihilux
No last name. Figured.
Underneath:
Level: 1-%@R*&
Well. That tracked. I'd just gotten here.
What's with the weird letter next to my Level?
Next came the stats, laid out in a straightforward list.
Let's see...
I stared at the numbers for a moment.
Okay.
So my physical stats were... not great.
Strength and defense were low enough that I'd probably lose an arm-wrestling match to an average castle guard.
Agility was slightly better, but nothing impressive.
Magic, though.
That was nearly triple my strength stat.
And EP I assumed that stood for Esper Power or something similar was even higher, almost 4 times my magic.
Nice
Probably the resource pool my telekinesis and other abilities drew from instead of traditional MP.
That made sense. My powers weren't really physical. Telekinesis, telepathy, environmental sensing all of it ran on something closer to mental energy than muscle.
If this system recognized that and gave me a separate resource for it, then yeah. That good I guess.
Still I have MP as well. Hmm wonder if I can learn magic. Heck even just basic healing would be very useful.
I scrolled down—or rather, I thought about scrolling down, and the window responded.
Skills:
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Psychic Perception
Psychic Barrier
Parallel Processing (Lv 1)
Inventory
So it did register my abilities.
Good. That meant the system wasn't completely ignoring me just because I didn't have a weapon.
Each skill had a small description next to it. I focused on the first one.
Telekinesis: Manipulate physical objects using mental force. Effectiveness and range scale with EP pool and personal skill. Current capacity: multiple moderate objects within close to medium range.
Fair enough. That matched what I already knew.
Telepathy: Sense surface thoughts and can communicate with the minds of nearby individuals. Effectiveness increases with EP and personal skill. Current range: limited to close proximity.
I grimaced slightly at that one.
Telepathy was useful, sure. But it was also incredibly annoying.
Even at this basic level, if I wasn't careful about keeping it off, I'd catch stray thoughts from everyone around me. Random fragments. Passing emotions. Half-formed complaints about sore feet or what someone wanted for dinner.
It got overwhelming fast.
Back home, I'd learned pretty quickly to keep it suppressed unless I actually needed it. Otherwise I'd just be constantly assaulted by the mental noise of everyone nearby.
And honestly? I didn't like reading people's minds. It felt invasive. Even when it was useful like just now, overhearing the king's discussion with his advisor it still left a bad taste.
And its not just about morals or something. Even continuous use for small periods of time, depending on the number of people around me just is just mentally Exhausting.
I'd use it rarely when I had to. But I wasn't going to make a habit of it.
Psychic Perception: Sense surroundings in a 20-meter radius without relying on physical senses. Range and clarity improve with EP expenditure and personal skill.
That one I'd been using constantly since I got here.
Psychic Barrier: Project a protective field of psychic energy around yourself or others. Durability scales with EP investment and personal skill. Can be maintained passively at low power or reinforced actively.
I'd tested this one a few times back home. Nothing dramatic, mostly seeing if I could stop thrown objects or cushion a fall. It worked but maintaining it for long periods was draining.
Hmm defiantly going to experiment with this a lot. What if I can make different types of barriers. If my normal ones can't stop magic attack as well as physical ones. Then all it would take to beat me is just a single well-placed and timed attack.
Parallel Processing (Lv 1): Divide mental focus to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Improves multitasking capability in combat and daily activities. Effectiveness increases with skill level.
Huh. That one did have a level.
I stared at the list for a moment, frowning slightly.
Most of my abilities didn't have levels attached to them at all. Just... nothing. No "Lv 1" indicator. No progress bar. They were just listed as skills I had.
Which meant the system wasn't going to hold my hand and tell me when I got better at them.
I'd have to figure that out myself. Practice. Experiment. Push my limits until I actually mastered them on my own.
Damn this system is bare bones. Atleast the cardinas hero's had a skill tree or whatever from what I remember.
At least Parallel Processing had a level. That was something.
Inventory was also nothing much, but its description was interesting.
Apparently it was not like a game menu, its more I have to physically or I guess mentally in my case ty opening a 'Rift' in space where I can put things.it also says some other things but the text is Blacked out.
Oh will probably learn about it over time.
I kept scrolling.
Below the skills section, there was another category.
Equipment:
Head: None
Body: Black Hoodie (Defence +1)
Legs: Comfortable Hiking Pants (Defence +2)
Feet: Black Shoes (Defense +3)
I almost laughed.
My hoodie had a defence stat.
Of course it did.
At least the system had a sense of humour.
Or maybe it was just being literal. The hoodie was thick enough to maybe cushion a punch.
I let the status window fade and glanced around.
The other four were still absorbed in their own screens, eyes distant, fingers moving slightly as they navigated whatever menus their weapons gave them.
Naofumi looked focused. Ren looked calm. Motoyasu was grinning. Itsuki's expression was hard to read, but he seemed... satisfied, maybe?
I wasn't sure what their stats looked like, but I had a feeling mine were lower across the board.
Except magic.
That one might be competitive.
I exhaled slowly, hands now in my hoodie pockets.
Tomorrow's test would tell me how much that mattered. Maybe I should try to impress the king tomorrow.
For now, I just had to get through the rest of today without making things worse for myself.
Simple enough.
Oh.
Seems like while I was lost in my own mind again, the conversation with the heroes and the king wrapped up.
The hero's mainly the spear, bow and sword wanted to know how the king will reward them after the waves.
The promised them riches and what not. Soon their talk ended.
"Heroes, please enjoy the feast our kingdom has prepared for you," the king said, standing from his throne. Then his gaze shifted to me. "Young Nihilux, enjoy the feast and rest well. Tomorrow we will have a test ready to see what you are capable of."
I nodded once again, keeping my expression neutral.
Um.
The feast.
That means social interactions with strangers.
I let out a visible sigh. The first one since coming to this world and followed the Attendants who woud guide us as they gestured for us to move.
Is it too late to ask them to send me back?
No. Come on, Nihi.
You can do this.
Just smile once or twice. Maybe nod at the right moments. Keep things simple.
And maybe maybe you can actually make real friends or at least some acquaintances in this world.
...Yeah. That sounded doable.
Probably.
.............
[Naofumi POV]
The Door opened, and the attendant guided us into what looked like a smaller dining hall more intimate than I'd expected from a castle this size.
It was still impressive, though. Stone walls, banners hanging here and there, a long table covered with more food than the five of us could possibly eat. Candles everywhere. The kind of thing you'd see in a fantasy movie.
"Please, Heroes, eat whatever you like, do not hesitate to ask us for anything." the attendant said with a polite bow before stepping back toward the door.
I looked around the table.
Ren was already checking out the food with that same calm expression he'd had since we got here. Motoyasu looked excited, grinning as he reached for something that might've been roasted meat. Itsuki sat down carefully, like he was still trying to process everything.
And then there was Nihilux.
He'd taken a seat at the far end of the table, hands still buried in his hoodie pockets, looking like he wanted to be literally anywhere else.
He hadn't said much since we left the throne room. He hadn't said much at all. Just kind of followed along quietly, answered questions with that glowing text thing when he had to, and otherwise kept to himself.
I got the feeling he wasn't good with people.
Which, fair enough. I wasn't exactly Mr. Social myself.
"Man, this looks great," Motoyasu said, already piling food onto his plate. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."
"Same," Ren agreed, grabbing what looked like bread. "Though I have no idea what half of this stuff is."
Itsuki nodded. "It's definitely different. But it's not bad." He already had a plate full of food.
I picked up something that looked like grilled fish and took a bite.
...Huh.
It tasted like fish. Mostly. But there was something else in there something sweet, like honey or fruit. It tasted different from what he expected.
"This world's food tastes a bit strange," I said.
"Yeah," Ren said.
Motoyasu laughed. "Come on, it's an adventure! New world, new food. You gotta embrace it, right?"
I didn't bother answering. I was too busy trying to figure out what exactly I was eating.
"So," Ren said after a moment, setting down his food. "Anyone else getting major game vibes from all this?"
"Oh Yeah, totally," Motoyasu said immediately. "I mean, come on. Legendary weapons? A status screen? This is basically an classic RPG game."
Itsuki nodded. "It does feel familiar. Like we've been dropped into a game world."
I blinked. "A game?"
"Yeah," Ren said, glancing at me. "You know, like a video game. The mechanics here are pretty similar."
I stared at him. "What mechanics?"
"The status magic," Motoyasu explained. "Levels, stats, skills. It's all standard RPG stuff."
"Right," Itsuki added. "And the whole 'save the world from waves of monsters' thing? Classic game plot."
I looked between the three of them.
They were serious.
"I... don't really play games like that," I admitted.
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Really? Not even MMOs or anything?"
"Not really my thing," I said. "I mean, I've played a few games, but nothing like what you're describing."
Motoyasu grinned. "Man, you're missing out. But don't worry, we can fill you in. Right, guys?"
"Sure," Ren said. "After we eat, we can talk more about it. Might help to compare notes on what we know."
"Good idea," Itsuki agreed. "If this world operates like a game, understanding the rules could give us an advantage."
I nodded slowly, still trying to wrap my head around the idea.
A game world. Right.
I glanced down the table at Nihilux, wondering if he had any thoughts on this. But he just sat there, picking at his food, looking like he was somewhere else entirely.
"Hey, Nihilux," Motoyasu called out. "You doing okay down there?"
Nihilux blinked, snapping out of whatever he'd been thinking about.
He raised one hand, and that blue glowing text appeared in the air.
I'm fine.
The text was in English.
I'd noticed that earlier too. Nihilux's writing appeared in English, not the language everyone here was speaking. Thankfully, we'd all learned English back home me, Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki so we could read what he wrote. But if he wanted to communicate with people in this world using his text trick, he'd need to learn their language first.
I made a mental note to pick up the local language myself. The Legendary Weapons apparently handled translation for us automatically, but I didn't want to rely on that forever. What if something happened and the translation stopped working? Better to have a backup.
And I doubt the weapons will make it so that we can write in this world's language.
Though I guess Nihilux could just use his telepathy thing to talk directly into people's heads. Like he did to me.
That would work regardless of language writing barriers.
But from what I'd seen so far, he didn't seem like the type to do that unless he had to. Too shy, maybe? Or just closed off? I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"You sure? You haven't eaten much," Motoyasu pressed, still with that friendly grin.
Another pause. Then more text.
I am Hungry, just a slow eater.
Motoyasu shrugged. "That's the spirit. You'll need energy for whatever we're doing tomorrow. Make sure to eat plenty."
Nihilux didn't respond. The text just faded, and he went back to slowly eating at his plate.
Ren looked at him, then at me and said with a low voice "He's really quiet."
"Yeah," I said.
"Think he's all right?" Itsuki asked quietly.
I shrugged. "Probably just overwhelmed. I mean, we all got pulled here without warning. Some people need time to deal with that."
"True," Ren said. "Still, it's weird that he doesn't have a weapon like we do."
"The king's testing him tomorrow," I reminded them. "We'll see what he can actually do then."
Motoyasu stretched in his chair. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Did you see him floating around earlier? That was pretty cool."
"Cool, sure," Itsuki said carefully. "But is it useful in combat? We don't really know yet."
I kept quiet on that one.
To be honest, I didn't know what to think about Nihilux.
He seemed capable enough. The telekinesis was real I'd seen it. That telepathy thing was a little creepy, yeah. But he'd asked for help.
So... weird guy. But probably not a bad guy, from what I could tell.
"Hey, speaking of weapons," Motoyasu said, holding up his spear. "Did you guys check out the feature that let's us unlock new forms yet?"
"New forms?" I asked.
"Yeah," Ren said. "If you absorb materials into your weapon, you can unlock new forms. It's in the help menu."
"Help menu?" I repeated.
Motoyasu laughed. "You really haven't played many games, huh? Here, let me show you."
He started explaining how the status interface worked, with Ren and Itsuki chiming in with their own observations. Apparently there were all sorts of functions built into the Legendary Weapons skill trees, equipment slots, something called a "weapon proficiency system."
It went over my head pretty fast.
The conversation kept going like that for a while. Motoyasu talking about party composition. Ren mentioning something about grinding levels efficiently. Itsuki going on about the importance of helping people for justice and doing things the right way.
I just focused on eating.
By the time we were done, I was full enough that I didn't really care what any of it had tasted like.
Sure something's tasted different from back home but still all of it was very good.
The attendant came back and told us rooms were ready for the night. We'd have time to rest, and tomorrow morning everything would start for real.
"We should meet up after we settle in," Ren suggested. "Talk more before we go to sleep"
"Sounds good," Motoyasu agreed.
I just shrugged. "Sure."
..........................................................
The room they'd given us for our discussion was bigger than I expected.
Not massive, but spacious enough that five people could sit around without feeling cramped easly. Stone walls, a few chairs scattered around, a table near the window, and a fireplace that was already lit. The orange glow made everything feel warm.
Ren had claimed one of the chairs immediately, sitting with his arms crossed. Motoyasu sprawled across another, looking completely at ease. Itsuki took a seat near the table, back straight, hands folded in his lap.
I grabbed the chair and sat with others.
Nihilux hadn't sat down at all.
He'd drifted literally over to the window and was standing there staring out at the darkening sky. His hands were still buried in his hoodie pockets.
"All right," Motoyasu said, breaking the silence. "So. Legendary Weapons. Let's talk shop."
Ren nodded. "Good idea. We should compare what we know. Figure out how our weapons work."
"Agreed," Itsuki said. "If we're going to fight together, we need to understand our capabilities."
I glanced down at the shield on my arm.
It was still glowing faintly, a soft green light pulsing from the gem in the center. I'd tried to take it off earlier back in my room after dinner but it wouldn't budge. Just stayed locked in place, like it was part of him now.
I could move it around my body, at least. Shift it from my left arm to my right, or even to my back. But I couldn't make it disappear completely, which was annoying. Sleeping with a shield attached to you sounded uncomfortable as hell.
"Anyone else figure out how to put their weapon away?" I asked.
"Put it away?" Ren repeated, looking at his sword. "No. It's just... there."
"Same with the spear," Motoyasu said, giving his weapon a light spin. "I can move it around, but I can't store it or anything."
"The bow's the same," Itsuki added. "Always present."
Great. So we were all stuck with our weapons 24/7.
That's when glowing blue text appeared in the air near the window.
Try making them smaller.
We all turned to look at Nihilux.
"What?" I said.
He turned his head slightly, still floating. More text appeared.
The weapons. Try shrinking them. If you can change their position, maybe you can change their size too.
I blinked. "How would I even—"
Just think about it. Focus on the weapon and imagine it getting smaller.
I looked down at the shield, feeling a little silly.
Make it smaller. Right.
I focused on it, picturing it shrinking down to something more manageable. Something that wouldn't get in the way.
And... it worked.
The shield began to shrink, the glowing green gem dimming as the whole thing condensed down to about the size of a buckler small enough that it barely covered my forearm.
"Holy shit," I muttered.
"No way," Motoyasu said, staring at his spear. A moment later, it shrank down to about half its original length. "That's so much better!"
Ren's sword shortened to something closer to a dagger, and Itsuki's bow compressed into a smaller, more compact form.
"This is way better," Itsuki said, looking impressed. "Good thinking, Nihilux."
Nihilux just shrugged and turned back to the window.
But I caught the faintest hint of satisfaction on his face before he did.
"Seriously though," Motoyasu said, stretching his arms. "That would've been really annoying. Thanks, man."
...............….
Nihilux POV
I was looking outside the window toward the town.
Turns out Parallel Processing is very useful, more than I'd expected when I first saw it listed in my status.
One part of my mind stayed focused on the view outside, taking in the sprawl of the royal capital as twilight settled over it. The other part tracked the conversation happening behind me—something about weapon forms, then game mechanics, then which version of Japan they were all from.
It was strange to split my attention like this. Not difficult, exactly, but different. Like listening to two songs at once and somehow following both melodies perfectly.
I could use this in combat. One part of my mind was handling offence telekinetic strikes, throwing debris. The other managing defense, keeping track of allies, pulling people out of danger zones.
Or maybe one mind focusing purely on maintaining my Psychic Barrier while the other coordinated attacks. The possibilities were interesting.
Behind me, the conversation shifted. Something about how their weapons worked differently depending on which game they'd played. Apparently there were multiple versions of Dimension Wave—different releases, different mechanics.
Different Japans. Parallel worlds, maybe? Or just different points in time where the same game got released with variations.
I'd been hoping to find an opening. Some point where I could jump into the conversation.
But the more I listened, the clearer it became that wasn't happening tonight.
I had nothing to add to that. I'd never played Dimension Wave. Hell, I barely remembered the anime I'd watched.
So I stayed quiet and kept watching the city.
'Man, the view from this window is something.'
Maybe it was because this was the royal capital, but even from here several floors up in the castle, I could tell the city below was alive with activity.
Lanterns were being lit as dusk deepened. Not electric lights, obviously. Actual flames, flickering inside glass housings, spreading in waves across the streets as lamplighters moved through their routes. The main roads glowed brighter than the side streets, forming a network of golden veins that pulsed through the urban sprawl.
I could make out the layout clearly from up here.
The castle sat at the highest point, naturally. Below it, the city spread outward in uneven rings. The inner districts looked organised wide streets, uniform buildings, probably where the wealthy lived. Further out, things got messier narrower roads, buildings packed closer together, and rooftops at different heights.
And at the edges, I could just barely make out what looked like a wall. Tall. Stone. Encircling the entire city.
Made sense. Medieval fantasy setting. Walls kept the monsters out.
My psychic perception couldn't reach that far not without serious effort but I extended it as far as I comfortably could, just to get a feel for the area directly below the castle.
People. Lots of them.
Markets were probably closing down for the night. Taverns opening up. Guards changing shifts at checkpoints.
Normal city rhythm.
I'd never lived in a place like this. Back home, everything was concrete and glass and artificial light. Cars. Subways. The constant hum of a modern city that never really sleeps.
This was... different.
I found myself wanting to go down there. Walk those streets. See what a fantasy capital actually looked like up close instead of through a window or in some half-remembered anime scene.
Despite my anti-social lifestyle back home and it was anti-social, no point pretending otherwise, I'd always enjoyed exploring new places.
That was my older sister's fault, mostly.
As I like to say, life is too short, just blame it on your sister and move on. q(≧▽≦q)
She used to drag me along whenever she went shopping. Every weekend, without fail. "Come on, you can't just stay in your room 5 days out of 7. We are going shopping, and you will carry the bags"
I'd complained every single time.
But once I was out there, walking through unfamiliar streets, checking out stores I'd never been to, watching people go about their lives... I didn't actually mind it.
I just never admitted that to her.
'I've decided,' I thought, watching another wave of lanterns flicker to life in the district below. 'After these four finish their talk and head to bed, I'm going out.'
The conversation behind me was winding down.
Soon, they'd leave. Head to their rooms. Get some rest before tomorrow's big adventure begins.
And I'd slip out.
The castle probably had guards.
But I could float.
And walls weren't much of an obstacle when you could just go over them.
I smiled faintly at the thought.
Yeah.
This was going to be fun.
...............….
"Anyway," Ren said, standing up and stretching. "I think that's enough for tonight. We should get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
"Agreed," Itsuki said, standing as well.
Motoyasu yawned and stretched. "Yeah, I'm beat. All this summoning and hero stuff is exhausting. See you guys in the morning."
One by one, they filed out of the room, heading to their own quarters.
Naofumi was tired he felt sleepy.
As I walked down the hallway toward my own quarters, I couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow would be a new day.
Tomorrow, we'd start out journey in this world.
Naofumi was determined to do his very best. So what if he was a shield class, and other heroes think that shield class is useless.
He would have his own team and he would do his best.
As I was walking towards my room I saw Nihilux standing in front of his room door for a moment.
Our rooms were next to each other. So seeing was not a surprise.
After watching him for a few moments, he turned and started to walk away. That way goes towards the courtyard. 'Hmm, where is he going?.'
I decided to run up to him and ask where he was going and ask if he is alright.
He replyied with his magic text. That he is fine.
He said that he just going for a short walk. I should go to sleep since I will have to begin my adventure tomorrow.
Is he perhaps nervous? The king did say that he wants to test him in the morning. Could it be that?.
Well I didn't actually get a chance to reply since he decided to walk away before I saw more text that said "Good night Naofumi. I will see you tomorrow."
I go inside my room and start getting ready for bed. But I can't help but think.
I hope he is alright. Hey, compared to us 'Heroes' who just got these weapons with magical powers. He already seemed to have his psychic/esper powers from before.
He seemed pretty calm about the whole being summoned to another world thing as well. His face was always calm and never showed any panic or anything.
As I drift to sleep, I can't help but think about what his life was like. We didn't actually ask him any questions about his past or even how he already had powers.
...............
I was currently walking through the castle garden.
The entire castle was asleep. Guards were still on duty at their posts, but the summoned heroes and most of the staff had turned in for the night.
The talk had lasted longer than I'd expected.
I'd been hoping for some casual conversation.
But by the time they'd finished, it was late. They'd all decided to sleep.
What was I supposed to do? Tell them to stay up and chat?
That would've been weird.
The garden was quiet. Stone pathways winding through carefully maintained plants I didn't recognise. Probably native to this world. The air smelled really, really good here.
'I wonder if the king or someone in the royal family is fond of the garden'
I moved toward the far corner of the garden. Away from the guard posts I'd sensed with my psychic perception. A section where hedges and decorative trees provided cover from the castle windows.
Good enough.
I checked my surroundings one more time. No movement.
Then I lifted off.
The key was not glowing. When I used telekinesis on myself, there was a natural tendency for a faint luminescence to manifest psychic energy made visible. Terrible for stealth.
Suppressing it required active concentration, but not much. Just had to keep it in mind.
I rose slowly, clearing the hedge line, then the garden wall. The castle's outer fortifications came into view as I gained altitude. Guards patrolled the ramparts below, but none of them looked up.
The city spread out before me, lit by scattered lanterns and the occasional larger light source—probably taverns or guard stations. From this height, I could make out the main thoroughfares and the darker residential districts between them.
I angled toward the city proper and started descending.
Time to see what a fantasy capital looked like up close.
...............
Next Day Morning
"I'm telling you, it was insane!" Motoyasu said, gesturing wildly as we walked down the castle corridor. "Those knights didn't even get a chance to engage. He just shut the whole thing down in like ten seconds."
"Less than that," Ren corrected, and even he sounded impressed.
I glanced over at Nihilux, who was walking beside me with his hands shoved in his hoodie pockets. His face was blank as usual, like they weren't even talking about him.
"The king looked genuinely pleased," Itsuki said. "I think he was expecting something impressive."
"Yeah!" Motoyasu grinned. "They had this whole setup ready more knights waiting on standby, healers positioned at the edges."
We were heading toward the throne room for what the attendant had called "the heroes' official departure ceremony." Stupid name.
The test had been early this morning right after sunrise. I'd woken up to a guard pounding on my door, telling me the king wanted all the heroes present to watch the evaluation of "the fifth summoned individual."
When I got to the training grounds, Nihilux was already standing in the middle of the arena, looking weirdly small in his black hoodie. The king was up in some fancy viewing box with his advisors, and a bunch of nobles had shown up too, apparently just to watch.
I had no idea what to expect.
"Okay, so walk me through it," I said. "What actually happened?"
Motoyasu practically jumped at the chance. "Right, so they set it up tactical. Six knights in full armor, actual weapons, spreading out to flank from three sides. Four archers positioned up on the arena walls at different angles north, south, east, west. Classic coordinated assault setup."
"The plan was obviously to hit him from multiple directions at once," Ren added.
"And?"
"And they gave the signal," Ren said.
"The archers fired first," Motoyasu continued.
I looked at Nihilux. "What'd you do?"
Blue text shimmered into existence.
Stopped them mid-flight. Redirected them to the ground.
"He didn't even move," Itsuki said, shaking his head. "Just raised one hand not even toward the arrows specifically, just... up. And all four shots just froze in the air about two meters from him."
"It looked like they hit an invisible wall," Ren said.
"That's when the knights reached him," Motoyasu said. "They were already mid-charge, weapons raised, coming from three different directions."
"They made it maybe three steps into range," Ren said flatly.
I raised an eyebrow. "And then?"
"And then they all just... lifted," Itsuki said. "All six of them."
"He held them there for maybe five seconds," Ren continued. "Long enough for everyone watching to understand exactly what was happening. Then he set them down. Gently. Didn't even make them stumble."
"The archers tried to reload," Motoyasu added. "You could see them going for their quivers. But by then I think they realised it was pointless. What're you gonna do shoot more arrows at the guy who just casually stopped your first volley without looking at it?"
"Total elapsed time from the start signal to everyone standing down?" Ren looked at his hand like he was checking an imaginary watch. "Eight, maybe nine seconds."
I stared at them. "You're joking."
"Not even slightly," Itsuki said. "The nobles in the viewing box barely had time to react. Half of them were still leaning forward, trying to see what would happen when it was already over."
"What did the king say?" I asked.
"He stood up," Ren said. "Walked to the edge of the viewing box and called down: 'You have performed wonderfully, young Nihilux. I am certain you will do great joining one of the Heroes' parties.'"
I blinked. "He wants him to join one of our parties?"
"That's what he said," Itsuki confirmed. "Made it sound like it was expected."
Motoyasu grinned and nudged Nihilux with his elbow. "You should totally join my party, man. We'd be unstoppable! I've got the offence covered with the spear, you handle crowd control and support. Perfect combo."
"Actually," Ren cut in smoothly, "tactical versatility would be better served in my party. I'm planning a balanced approach your abilities would complement that. I am sure you could easily keep up with me."
"Or," Itsuki said, adjusting his bow slightly, "You could join me, I just know we would make a great team.
They all looked at Nihilux expectantly.
I realised I hadn't even considered it. Should I try to recruit him too? I had a shield. No offensive capabilities. Having someone who could actually deal damage would be—
Blue text appeared before I could finish the thought.
Appreciate the offers. Haven't decided yet.
"Fair enough," Motoyasu said, though he looked a bit disappointed. "But seriously, think about it. My party's gonna be the strongest."
"Your party doesn't exist yet," Ren pointed out.
"Neither does yours!"
"Then what did the king say after?" I asked, trying to redirect before they started arguing.
"He leaned over to his advisor," Ren said, "they talked for a bit, and then the advisor called for the boulder test."
Right. The boulder. I'd shown up just in time to catch that part.
"That thing was massive," I said. "Any idea how much it weighed?"
"Guard told me three tons," Ren said. "They use it to test siege equipment. Catapults, battering rams, that kind of thing."
Three tons. That was multiple cars stacked together.
"And he just crushed it," I said, remembering the way the massive stone had compressed inward like someone squeezing a tin can. "It was over in seconds."
"The sound was the worst part," Itsuki said, grimacing. "All that grinding and cracking. And then it just exploded into gravel. Some of the pieces were barely bigger than sand."
I glanced at Nihilux again, who still looked completely unbothered by the conversation happening around him.
"So what did the king say after everything?" I asked him.
Blue text appeared.
He seemed very pleased. Told me I'd proven myself more than capable. Then he mentioned again that I should strongly consider joining one of the Cardinal Heroes' parties for the upcoming battles.
"He really pushed that point," Itsuki said. "But he also gave him an alternative."
"Alternative?" I asked.
"Yeah," Ren said. "The king told him that while he'd prefer Nihilux join one of our parties, if he chose to remain independent, the kingdom would provide him support. Actually said they'd give him a bit more than the initial funding we're getting."
I raised my eyebrows. "More than us?"
"Just at the start," Itsuki clarified. "The king said something like 'to help you establish yourself without the benefit of a party.' But it sounded like after that, he'd be on his own."
That's correct. Larger initial sum to compensate for operating solo. After that, minimal kingdom support.
"Still seems like a bad deal long-term," Motoyasu said. "I mean, sure, more money up front is nice, but you're gonna need a party eventually. The Waves are only going to get harder."
Maybe.
"But you'd work way better with a party," Motoyasu pressed. "Seriously, man, think about it. We could—"
"He said he hasn't decided yet," I interrupted. "Let him think about it."
Motoyasu backed off, though he still looked like he wanted to keep pushing.
We reached the massive doors to the throne room. Two guards pulled them open as we approached, hinges creaking.
"Showtime," Ren muttered.
As we walked inside, I couldn't shake what the others had described.
At level one.
The king had been impressed enough to offer him better starting funds than the rest of us just to keep him working for the kingdom even independently. And judging by how quickly the other three had jumped at the chance to recruit him, they all saw the same thing I did.
He was powerful. Ridiculously so.
And honestly? I couldn't blame them for wanting him on their side.
If Nihilux could do all that at level one, what the hell was he going to be capable of when he actually started levelling up?
.......................
Author here~~
So i actually wrote like 3 chapter ahead and them decide to throw them all away.
truly it felt like someone on crack wrote them. I had ideas in my mind but when i actually wrote them it came out horrible. and the passing was also shit.
i made so many mistakes, i fucked up the power for Nihilux and made his relation with Ren completely devoid of life.
so i decide to just delete them and rewrite chapter 2.
Now i am not a expert writer i just do this for fun. so it took much longer than i expect.
I have plans in my head for the story, but actually writing them that's where i procrastinate.
Still i will try my best to stay on somewhat of an upload schedule.
Also i am thinking of telling the story from multiple POV not just Nihiux or Naofumi.
also comments make the Author happy and motivate him to write more (●'◡'●)