This World Needs a Hero

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Dean of Rosenstark’s office.

Yussi firmly locked the door and stood in front of the bookshelf.

It was Rosenstark’s sleeping hours, but her work was just beginning.

As soon as Yussi entered the room, the first thing she did was activate the microphone next to the bookshelf.

Kwaaang-!

The sound of something exploding.

Kuuung-!!!!

The noise of the ground collapsing and extinguishing.

A loud noise that shook the dean’s office.

Yussi’s tense expression finally relaxed after that.

“Haah….”

The chaos settled.

Someone suffers a lifetime from the aftermath the moment they step onto the battlefield.

Except for instinct, finding peace in the midst of the tumultuous roar of the battlefield, the deafening noise that tears eardrums apart, and the whirlwind of intense emotions was a way for some mutants to seek tranquillity.

After taking a few deep breaths, Yussi stood in front of the bookshelf.

In line with her celebrated intelligence, the bookshelf was filled with seemingly difficult books.

Yussi picked out the thickest and most stained book among them with her slender fingers.

Then, she headed towards the spacious sofa, plopped down with her buttocks firmly settled.

While looking down, she examined her own white arm and leg.

More precisely, it was the left arm and the right leg.

Inhuman, white, transparent skin reflected the moonlight.

“…Disgustingly awkward.”

Before the words could finish, her arm and leg, mere conduits of blood and flesh, began to melt away.

Yussi stared disdainfully at the empty space left by the disintegration.

“To think my best is this defective product that can’t even withstand intermediate alchemy.”

Despite being hailed as an alchemist ahead of her time, she was dissatisfied with the performance of the prosthetic limbs she had created.

It seemed almost lifelike, to the point where people doubted whether she had sustained any injuries.

But that was not her concern.

She couldn’t return to the battlefield with this level of ability.

She couldn’t fight by his side.

“…I didn’t refine alchemy to death to just to smell the stench of these kids.”

Yussi muttered, clenching the edge of the table with her remaining hand.

Crack!

The wooden table, which was crafted from solid wood, caved in.

That’s why she needed to find the eighth one quickly.

Only then could she return.

She exerted force into her small fist as if making a determination.

The reason she came to the academy instead of retiring quietly was her aversion to dying.

“I will soon have a decisive clue in my hands,” she vowed silently.

Her deep blue eyes focused on the intricate book in front of her.

It was filled with cryptic expressions, numbers, tables, codes, and various scholarly annotations that were difficult to discern at a glance.

At first glance, they seemed like meaningless scribbles, but they were collected using Glendor’s financial and informational resources.

Information on the eighth Gaho, which was once considered a fantasy.

Yussi had stumbled upon a crucial lead quite by chance.

Soon, the exact details of its capabilities and its hiding place would be revealed.

Of course, she already had a rough idea of its content.

“Evolution…”

Yussi’s fingers rhythmically tapped the partially broken table.

After considering all the clues so far, the identity of Zero Borningenheim’s final Gaho was presumed to be ‘evolution.’

“A completely unexpected ability.”

Evolution. It was a somewhat unfamiliar concept, not an enchantment or a buff.

In its literal sense, one might speculate that it could elevate the performance of the target item to another level or provide a tremendously powerful permanent buff.

Yussi briefly let her imagination run wild.

“If the application extends not only to objects but also to abilities or techniques…”

For instance, elevating swordsmanship to a higher level.

She soon smirked.

“Maybe I’m going too far.”

Unless one was a deity, leaving such an extraordinary power behind seemed impossible.

Even for Zero Requiem Borningenheim, Founder of Rosenstark, it was implausible.

Well, it didn’t matter either way.

It seemed to complement alchemy well.

If used wisely, she could not only escape the tedious current situation but also return to the frontline with a power much stronger than in its prime.

A faint smile spread over her pale face.

“Sir Hero. You came alone, but you will leave with me.”

Yussi turned her gaze beyond the bright moonlight outside the window.

* * *

Crash!

With the sound of breaking glass, the illusion magic was dispelled.

At the same time, a spherical object, the size of a human head, emerged on the altar.

Uuuuuung!

An abyssal sphere that absorbed all surrounding light.

White characters twirled around its surface in a dizzying manner.

I stared at ‘it,’ pulsating like a heartbeat, resembling something’s core.

“…What language is that?”

Even as someone who once roamed the entire continent, it was a language I couldn’t recognize at all.

At first glance, it seemed like haphazard scribbles, but I suspected it to be a language due to some semblance of a system.

Yet, one thing was certain.

That…

‘It is the conduit for the eighth invocation.’

There’s no reason to hesitate now.

I reached out slowly.

Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

My fingertips were sucked into the black sphere without any resistance.

Instinctively, I withdrew my hand.

“…What!!”

Unidentified characters wriggled and were swiftly taking over my body.

In an instant, from the hand and forearm to eventually the shoulders.

Tiny, unsightly insects seemed to climb up my body.

Even shaking my hand vigorously couldn’t dislodge them; it felt as if they were stuck.

“Ugh.”

There was no time to attempt anything else.

The cluster of characters smoothly penetrated even my chest, simultaneously with a massive force piercing through my forehead.

A sensation of my body rapidly expanding from the inside.

Before I could scream, my waist contorted.

Belatedly, agony set in.

‘Kraaaah!’

Unable to scream, I doubled over in pain, the agony growing and darkness engulfing my vision.

I tightly shut my eyes and clutched the cave floor.

How long did I writhe in pain?

When I regained my senses, the first thing I saw was the comments left by the Iris of Laplace.

▼

Zero Borningenheim’s Invocation:

We recommend linking this artifact to get information about ‘evolution.’

▲

…Linking?

Suddenly, the initial guidance message came to mind.

‘It was mentioned that the artifact can learn and grow based on the phenomena or situations the current user interacts with.’

Is this what they meant by learning and growing?

I nodded my head with a perplexed feeling.

▼

Initiating linkage.

– Remaining evolution count: 1

– Would you like to retrieve the recommended evolution list?

Evolution Recommendation List:

– Zero Borningenheim’s Robe

– Black Hope

(The target is currently far away)

– Species Ability: Polymorph

▲

Simultaneously, all information related to Zero Borningenheim’s final invocation flooded into my mind.

What kind of power ‘evolution’ was.

How to utilize it.

Everything.

Evolution, a power that propels the target to a higher dimension, was a capability that completely transformed the being into something different from before.

For a moment, I was speechless.

‘Can a mere human create such a conceptual power?’

Evolution was a consumable power that could only be manifested once the allotted number of uses was depleted.

Only one time.

And there was no need to ponder what to evolve; the most rational choice was conveniently listed in the evolution recommendation.

‘Polymorph.’

While enhancing the robe or the sword would undoubtedly be helpful, my most crucial task at the moment was to continue playing the role of a hero without being discovered.

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‘Well, how will it change?’

Even though I understood what the power of evolution was, it was impossible to anticipate how ‘Polymorph’ would become stronger.

‘Durability? Or perhaps improved stability… Maybe even better mental resilience, allowing me to maintain Polymorph for a longer duration even when mentally fatigued. That would be nice.’

In reality, even now, I could maintain Polymorph reliably as the Hero.

However, transforming into other targets was not easy.

Many relationships ended before accumulating enough understanding, and the inherent instability of Polymorph made it challenging.

‘Well, anything better than now would be appreciated.’

So, with such a modest wish in mind, I faced results that far surpassed my expectations.

. . .

After inheriting the invocation.

I safely returned to my lodging.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter anyone on the way back, but the tension kept me on edge, and my entire body felt fatigued.

It had been a long day.

Originally, regardless of the ability of the invocation, my plan was to lie down and rest for a while.

However, instead of lying on the bed, I had no choice but to run to the private training ground that Yussi had arranged for me.

Thunk!

A spacious training ground made of special material ore with solid surroundings.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath and focused my mind.

What I wanted to do was the same as usual.

Refine my form and mould myself as the Hero.

And, as taught by him.

Swing the sword as practised.

The same basic swordsmanship unfolding in the air.

… But the crucial difference was in the destructive power.

Pa-a-a-ang!

As soon as I swung the sword, I could feel it.

A force several times greater than before.

A speed that was difficult to follow with the eyes.

What I just displayed, if it were me just a few hours ago, would have been an unstoppable blow.

“What is this…?”

It was a remarkable phenomenon.

The senses I had imitated until now were vividly awakening in my body.

I couldn’t possibly let go of the sword.

Something was guiding me.

The image of the Hero vividly drawn in my mind.

The muscles of my body contracted one by one, faithfully following it.

It was called Embodiment.

Hoo-oo-oo-ong!

I swung the Black Hope held in my hand through the air in a grid pattern.

Basic skills that I had practiced diligently every day for several years.

Yet, it felt strange.

Incredibly unfamiliar.

The sense that the sword and the body had become one organic entity.

The black trail drawn by the sword was vivid, as if it could be grasped before my eyes.

…Has the Hero always held his sword with this feeling?

It was a feeling I had never known in my entire life.

But now, I was experiencing a part of that talent.

I was getting a step closer to him.

As part of the legacy of the greatest wizard in history.

I was approaching a step closer to the footsteps of the greatest warrior in history.

The overwhelming excitement that seemed to burst when I realized this spread from one corner of my chest to my entire body.

It was a moment full of excitement and awe.

“Is this really…?”

I cleared my throat.

“Is it not a dream?”

I pinched my skin in disbelief.

Achieving decades worth in just a moment.

No, perhaps achieving a feat that I might not obtain even after decades.

“The growth in strength was my biggest concern.”

My current skill level far surpassed the talent I possessed.

“Ha, hahaha.”

Evolution.

That truly matched the literal meaning of the word.

My Polymorph had evolved.

It was not just replicating the outer shell of the target but a new ability that could replicate the core as well.

‘Something completely different.’

Tock!

I tapped my glasses.

Rather than swinging the sword through the air, there was a much more intuitive way to test the evolved Polymorph’s performance.

▼

Would you like to initiate the ‘Avatar Training’?

▲

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