Eight days ago …

  Strikes connected, I launched a side swipe on a blindspot, yet Sir Gareth, a [Swordsmaster] managed to block me. I didn’t give up. The second he parried, I thrusted my other baton forward, only for him to grab my hand and put me down on the ground, with his wooden blade now at the tip of my neck.

  “What the heck was that?” his face irked. “While you certainly improved in all areas, what the hell are you trying to play with me with that shoddy technique? And where did it come from?!”

  I picked myself up, feeling slightly guilty. “There’s no technique. It’s just something I learnt while fighting monsters in the forest. Even if it’s made-up, I really do feel a connection with this kind of fighting. If there happens to be a similar fighting style then maybe—”

  “Two short swords ain’t the fighting style of a priest. It’s the style of rogues—assassins! The slyest of slies that dared to trample upon a knight’s honor,” he voice reeked with detest. “Pick up a staff, or a sword since you’ve gained the skill already. A priest should fight like a priest. That is the greatest lesson any person could give you.”

  “Alright …,” I feel dejected, but couldn’t really argue with Sir Gareth’s reasoning. In a world where each individual was granted a [Class], it was only natural to stick on the path laid out to them rather than diverge and make your own life more difficult.

  “Hold on, Sir Gareth,” a deep voice came from the corridor, as a familiar Lessing entered the training grounds with his ten-pointed star staff. “While you may be right when it comes to natives of this land, Hero Dmitri is from another world. Their divine titles have bestowed them potentials we are incapable of reaching.”

  “Here I thought you'd agree with me, Ragel. Weren't you supposed to say that it is sacrilege to stray from the path granted to us by the Gods?”

  “Sacrilege or not, our goal remains the same,” Ragel picked up the two wooden batons from the ground and gave it back to me. “To defeat the calamity known as the Demon King is the divine’s most sacred will, which takes precedence over all else. Should the demonic legion destroy civilization, who would ever pray for the Gods? The gifts they’ve blessed us with might as well turn to dust should we allow that to happen.”

  Ragel the Lessing took off the top of uniform, revealing a hardened battle-scarred body, with the lines around his right arm seemingly suggesting that it had once been severed then reattached. Looking above his fiery hair, Ragel was a [Battle Priest] which must be an intermediate class. Rather than opting for his staff, he discarded it and instead picked up two batons, entering the state with a proper stance, which I promptly mimicked.

  “Were you a [Rogue] before you became a [Priest]?” asked Sir Gareth.

  “I have always been on the [Priest]’s path,” he replied. “but I have picked up a thing or two back in my adventuring days.”

  My ears perked. “You were an adventurer?”

  “Indeed, Hero Dmitri. I only became a Lessing less than three years ago. My party wasn’t a famous one by any means, but our line up was quite unorthodox. A [Battle Priest], a [Monk], a [Wind Mage], and an [Assassin].”

  “Dear Kalmia,” Sir Gareth cursed. “You may not have been the Warmother’s servant, but what the hell were you thinking allying yourself with a wretched [Assassin]?”

  “That ‘wretched’ [Assassin] is my best friend,” said Ragel, shutting the knight commander up, which was pleasing to look at. “Hero Dmitri,” his gaze returned to me. “Allow me to give you some advice. [Class] does not determine a person. It is their actions and their actions alone. An [Assassin] who works in the shadows may become your greatest friend, just as a [Priest] may become your gravest enemy. The Gods may have blessed us with talents in specific areas, but they’ve also given us the freedom of choice, to determine how we mold the paths they’ve granted us. The question I ask you now is this. What form do you wish your path would take?”

  * * *

  The question Ragel posed returned to me at this moment, when the warm ember lights spread throughout the city, as buildings toppled and razed by monsters scurrying through the streets. Some looked like animals but enlarged, while others looked like deformed versions or a mix of two or more species’. All of them, however, bore claws and fangs which tore through flesh and armor—stained with the blood of their victims, whose bodies I witnessed from above. Burned, severed, devoured, toyed with like broken dolls. It was horrific.

  A platoon of knights were seen ahead forming a defense line in front of the bridges which separated the inner and outer city, with some on the other side helping the fleeing civilians evacuate, while engaging the monsters head on. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be that many, so the knights only suffered from minor injuries.

  The wind platform disappeared and we arrived at our destination. Sir Aiden, as the person with the highest rank, hurried to the person-in-charge. The palace guards went to reinforce the defense line, while I alongside the archbishops tended to the wounded civilians.

  “Please, allow me,” I said to an injured girl, who looked no older than seven-years-old. I hovered my hand over her bruised legs and whispered, “[Heal].” A warm light then surrounded the injured leg, removing the scrapes and bruises from the surface alongside any internal injury.

  “Thank you, fancy-looking mister,” she smiled, as I smiled back.

  I then turned toward the archbishops. Archbishop Clement seemed focused on healing minor injuries in large groups, while Archbishop Zephyr sprinted between the ones with the gravest injuries: gashed faces, mortal wounds, severed limbs … I still still got a long way to go.

  “Uh, mister?” the girl called. “What’s your name?”

  “My name? It’s Dmitri,” I sweetly replied. “What’s your name?”

  “It’s Alice.”

  “That’s a nice name you have there. But where are your parents?”

  “I don’t know …”

  My heart tightened. “D-did you get separated?”

  “Yeah. We were running on the streets, when a lizard-like monster started attacking. Mommy said to run straight as fast as I can and don’t look back, so I did. But my mommy …,” the girl shook her head fervently. “No, mommy is probably on her way. All I gotta do is to wait, right mister?”

  I couldn’t say it. From the way her story went, it seemed clear of what happened to the girl’s mother. I quickly looked at one of the civilians, a mother carrying her infant son. “Wait! Will you take this child with you just for a little—”

  “Get someone else! Why should I take care of some orphan?” the woman ran off, but not before shooting a disgusted look at the girl, who didn’t seem to understand the word.

  As much fury as I now bore, I tried looking for others who might be willing to take her, yet every single one turned me down. I wanted to help her, but with the amount of injured people around and the screeching monsters on the other side of the defense line, I found myself stuck in this tug-of-war of morality and reason.

  If I announced myself as the hero, then would they … No, there was no time to think. It didn’t matter if their cause for help was ingenuine. So long as the terrified people of Pylfur remained safe, I threw away any wishful thinking.

  A panel opened before me, listing every object inside the item box in the form of a ring. Having read the descriptions through the system, I could roughly understand how it worked. Scrolling to the top and pressing on the top-most items, I said, “[Equip].”

  The noble clothing which I wore phased out—switched places with the one in the item box. Next thing I knew, gone was the corset and the tight-fitted fabric, and I now wore a brand new uniform. A military black and red suit with a golden star around the neckline and the tailcoat end, comfortable knee-long boots, a single wing-shaped earpiece, and a white hooded shoulder cape with Kalmia’s star on the right and Pylfur’s golden flag on the left.

  =====================================

  Special Equipment = [Hero of the Dawn] set

  Special traits detected.

  =====================================

  [Growth Type] = The equipment/weapon’s stats and traits grow in proportion to its wearer/wielder.

  [Self-repair] = The equipment/weapon automatically repairs itself when damaged, faster when not in combat.

  [Self-cleaning] = The equipment/weapon automatically cleans itself when not equipped.

  [Fearless] = Partially removes fear when equipped.

  [Heroic Aura] = Increases its user’s [Charisma] when equipped in public.

  [Fashionable!] = Aesthetic is considered gorgeous to look at as considered by its maker.

  =====================================

  Disregarding that last trait, this armor set seemed tailor made for a hero. While the stats it had were somewhat on the low side, the fact that it would grow as I got stronger meant that I could basically wear it forever without having the need to change gears for higher stats.

  That being said, its last trait was rather odd and very much useless, but who exactly was the maker of this equipment exactly, and where did the name [Hero of the Dawn] come from? Not only did it look like nothing that the people of Pylfur both commoner and noble wore. Heck, it didn’t look like the military outfit which the first prince wore to the ball. It was very much a foreign design, but maybe that was the point?

  One of my duties as the Hero of Pylfur was to garner as much attention as possible from the public, and seeing how everyone was currently staring at me more so than before, this get up really did the job well done. It stood out just as much as Princess Eryliana’s gown back at the ball, for the two were ‘unique’ from the current fashion standards. However, just because I had a pretty costume, it won’t help the civilians currently suffering.

  Alright, Dmitri. You’ve got to do something. There’s something you can do here.

  I was not as powerful as the archbishops nor was I as knowledgeable in the military field as Sir Aiden, who was taking command of the defense line. However, what I had was knowledge about medical emergencies, which the doctors have kindly taught me in their free time. That and the authoritarian training the princess have taught me.

  Back straight, chest pumped, gaze serious. “You three!” I called the three men with large builds. “Help carry the heavily injured people near that building over there. Large wounds, torn off limbs, anything critical. Go!”

  The three immediately went to work, carrying patients with grave wounds next to each other, to which Archbishop Zephyr could then heal them more efficiently.

  “Everyone who has broken brokens go to the right side! Everyone with bruises goes to the left side!” I kept shouting off command after command just as practiced, sorting the patients by medical triage, while at the same time gathering lost children who were separated from their parents. “You two!” I headed toward two women, who were standing idly near the streetlamp. “Please, take care of these children and guide other lost children to your way. Don’t let them out of your sight.”

  “Who are you to give us—

  “I am the Hero of Pylfur. By my authority, you are to forgo that kind of thinking and safeguard the lost children of this city. Or do you wish to incur the wrath of their parents’ souls haunting your dreams for forsaking them?” I sent a sharp glare, as the two meekly nodded to my order.

  “I’ll try to keep a lookout,” said another woman passing by. “I’ll also notify any parents who may be looking for their child!”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  More and more were volunteering to help. Whether it was out of the kindness of their heart or due to the sway of things did not matter. What mattered was how many were saved as a result of everyone working together. Public sentiment may even be changed in the process.

  “I’m impressed,” Archbihsop Clement commented, while performing a large-scale healing ritual. “Do come to the Kalmia Church one day. We would very much love a teaching session with an another-world hero.”

  “Sure thing,” I replied, watching the warm light emanating from the archbishop, which surrounded the injured group, washing away their wounds and mending their bones back together.

  “That’s the last of the ones with broken bones,” he said. “I shall leave the rest to Zephyr, for I must head immediately to my brethren at the church. There shall be reinforcements upon my return.” However, instead of taking the safe path, the archbishop headed toward the blazing streets, immediately sprinting straight through. Being an archbishop with the fierce-sounding [Justiciar] class, he probably would be alright.

  “Dmitri,” Sir Aiden approached me alongside the Knight Captain. “This is Captain Harken. Captain Harken, this is Dmitri, the Priest Hero of Pylfur.”

  “Hero?!” his face shot up. “It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Hero Damitir!”

  “It’s Dmitri, but a pleasure to meet you,” I started to question how reliable the [Translator EX] skill really was.

  Sir Aiden then asked, “What’s the situation of the injured? And why did that Kalmia Archbishop run off.”

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  “We’ve committed to medical triage,” I said, though the two looked confused. “It’s sorting the patients based on the severity of their wounds. Archbishop Clement is heading to the Kalmia Church to get reinforcements. I assume that that’s the fastest way there.”

  “It’s a straightforward path from here to the Kalmia Church,” told the Knight Captain. “However, I fear the archbishop may be getting himself into more trouble than what he can handle. Most of the monsters came from the northeast end through the sewers. I don’t know how they managed to gain access to it, but right after exiting in the slum area, they began their rampage and they are slowly making their way toward the inner capital.”

  “But why didn’t they just attack the inner city to begin with?” I asked.

  “The sewer system is divided into two sections. One for the inner city which connects to the waterways and another for the outer city which leads to the moat outside the walls. That’s the only explanation we have at the moment. We don’t even know yet how they managed to infiltrate the sewers.”

  “We can save the investigation for later,” told Sir Aiden. “For now, any news about the First Prince and the Blade Dancer?”

  I recalled Prince Kaelys’ departure from the ball alongside his silver-haired escort, who seemed to be this ‘Blade Dancer’. Such a cool sounding name! I thought, but at the same time, wondered just how she knew about the coming crisis beforehand. A detection skill perhaps?

  “Nothing, but from the explosion several minutes ago, I reckon they’re engaging with some powerful adversaries. Maybe demons,” his fists tightened. “Gosh, if only they returned to the capital with the Third Legion. Those wretched hellspawns would’ve been exterminated in a blink of an eye.”

  “With the entire northeast district as a casualty,” Sir Aiden added, likely speaking of the possible extensive collateral damage. “For now, our duty remains here to protect the monsters from invading the inner city. Captain Harken, have the knights on the other side fall back and get every able-built man available to stand guard along the bridges equipped with tall shields and spears. Dmitri, I need you to—”

  “SCREEEECCCCHHHH!!!” a deafening cry came from the far side of the burning city. The ground then shook, as hordes of footsteps trampled through the streets until the faint silhouettes broke through the flames and revealed a monster wave made up of different kinds of various shapes and sizes charging forward, witheir beady eyes and sharp talons set on their next bountiful feast.

  “Go up that roof and reduce their numbers. GO!”

  Immediately, I went into the building, climbed up the stairs and through the window, onto the rooftop, where several archers were already stationed there. Bows drawn and arrows both normal and element-enchanted ones rained down the wave of monsters, while the knights below formed phalanxes to prevent their advance. At the same time, a few mages casted area-of-effect spells from blazing fireballs to flying spikes, as I did the same with [Holy Spear]. Compared to the chimera, these monsters’ hides were significantly weaker. It didn’t take long for the entire wave to be wiped out. But just as we were about to rest …

  “Form up! More waves incoming from the west-side bridge!”

  “They're swimming through the waters. Bring out the oil and set the waterways ablaze!”

  “Fliers sighted! Gargoyles and harpies!”

  How big are the sewers exactly? I focused my arsenal on the fliers, for it didn’t seem like magic worked on the gargoyles’ stone skin, but lances and chains formed out of holy light did. Meanwhile, I noticed Archbishop Zephyr near the bridge chanting a long prayer. Thunder struck and the rain fell, calming down the fires till they were completely extinguished. Not only that, dozens of lightning struck down the flying monsters, shattering the gargoyles and turning the harpies into fried chicken. So, this power of an Archbishop of a Sky God?

  The lightning also electrified the water and monster corpses now lay afloat. Archbishop Zephyr seemed to be focusing his weather attack at the two specifically, limiting the monsters’ advance solely to the narrow bridges. The strategies employed really made killing these malformed creatures far easier. Although I kind of wish I could turn off the notification pings.

  =====================================

  STAT POINT

  Used : 64

  Unused : 43

  =====================================

  A lot of stat points. All of which I quickly inputted.

  =====================================

  Name : Dmitri Sergeyevich Petrov

  Age : 17

  Race : Human

  Class : [Priest]

  Titles : [Hero] [World Traveler]

  HP : 70

  MP : 95 (80)

  STR : 3 + 27

  DEF : 3 + 10

  AGI : 3 + 27

  INT : 12

  WIS : 17 + 34

  CHA : 5 + 4

  LCK : 7 + 5

  Skills : [Appraisal C] [Translator EX] [Divinity D] [Sealing Technique C] [Spearmanship D] [Swordsmanship E] [Cooking E] [Performance C]

  =====================================

  [Wisdom] aside, focusing on [Strength] and [Agility] really helped when it came to close combat quarters. It was a lesson or rather an adaptation I went through while training in the forest, which to be fair, was not at all something a healer would do. Heck, I wasn’t sure if a full-on healer was something I should pursue. As in, why do you need healing if you could simply dodge the attacks as they come?

  =====================================

  Prerequisites fulfilled.

  Class upgrade available.

  CHOOSE ONE =

  =====================================

  [Bishop]

  A divine envoy serving the cause of the masses, bringing guidance unto strays, and protecting the weak from misfortunes born from mortal struggle.

  Class Skill = [Holy Sanctuary D]

  =====================================

  [Battle Priest]

  A divine protector thriving on the field of battle, branding vile heretics, and delivering true penance on those who commit crimes undeserving of atonement.

  Class Skill = [Divine Judgement D]

  =====================================

  [Disciple]

  A divine servant obedient to the role of preserver and discoverer of lost knowledge in the pursuit of opening the eyes of the unknown.

  Class Skill = [Watcher of the Deep D]

  =====================================

  [Trickster]

  A fool that knows only to fool others through tricks of deceit, for the sole purpose of fulfilling selfish goals and needs without anyone noticing the theatrics at play.

  Class Skill = [Trick Arts E]

  =====================================

  [Explorer]

  A seeker of knowledge and experience found on the world outside in the pursuit of discovering new lands, culture, and people previously unknown.

  Class Skill = [Wandering Record E]

  =====================================

  This was it. The moment I have been waiting for. A class upgrade signified a person’s growth—a milestone, for anyone who wished to get stronger. Rare were those who reached this kind of growth, and based on what I’ve learnt, it was supposed to be something automatic. You couldn’t choose what upgraded class, for it was dependent on the choices you made, but it appeared to be different for a hero.

  Five options. The first three clearly appear to be a direct path from the [Priest] class, but what of the latter two? I guess I have explored the forest to some extent, but when have I ever tricked anyone? For now, I decided to put it off until the situation calmed and I could receive some guidance from the two archbishops.

  “Oi, what’s that over there?!” one of the archers pointed at a strange lone silhouette atop one of the buildings. At first, I thought it was a harpy because it was standing on two feet and had wings, except they were inverted and skeletal-looking. Regardless of what type of monster it was, I quietly chant a prayer to summon a—

  “Found you.”

  Something was in front of me, its webbed arm grabbed the entirety of my face, as I was suddenly shoved straight through four buildings. Landing on the streets, I tried to get back up despite my broken body, but the force which attacked me did not give me a chance to rest, grabbing the back of my head and throwing me across thirty meters onto another building. Blood spat, organs crumbled, my spine shattered as I lost feeling from down below. Not that it was anything unfamiliar. Only that it hit me like a truck rather than one prolonged agonizing pain trip.

  =================================

  WARNING

  HP at critical value!

  =================================

  “[Heal],” I uttered, putting all of my remaining mana to speedily reconstruct my spine and organs. “[Equip].” Stacks of the red and blue potion disappeared from the item box list, appearing right at the tip of my mouth. One whole gulp of the bitter liquid, my body rejuvenated back to full health and mana. However, I didn’t get up and returned the item vials back into the item box.

  It wasn’t time yet.

  “Still not dead yet? That’s quite surprising,” said a woman—no, a monster in the shape of a woman with crimson skin, slitted yellow eyes, four horns curving inward into her skull, as well as inverted skeletal wings as though they were long segmented claws. It also wore no clothing—not that it seemed to care—revealing basically everything from top to bottom, as well as the scales and spikes protruding out of her body.

  It was certain. This … creature was a demon. An intelligent monster, which gained true sentience, speech capabilities, and abilities rivaling the strongest humans, while also taking their shape be it partly or completely. And after being utterly crushed by one, the textbooks really undermined their strength and sheer intellect, for I now understood why the demonic legion decided to attack the outer city.

  It was to lure the hero, me, who was still inexperienced out in the open, away from the protection of the castle walls and the important figures within. High-ranking soldiers would surely go out of their way to protect their king or be stationed at the inner city, where the rich stayed inside the capitol. But what about the civilians? Who would protect them but the rank-filed city guards?

  Not to mention, the first prince’s forces were occupied by what I assumed to be the ‘main force’ attempting to seize the city, not realizing that they were the diversion for this one demon walking up to me to finish me off. If I had to give this demon a name, it would be a succubus due to its features. However …

  “They were right. You heroes are difficult to kill,” the demon’s intervet wings cracked open, eight talons now aimed at me. “Rejoice. I shall bestow you the honor of having your final words. Speak!”

  There were only one or two words which I wished to utter. “[Chain Seal]!” Dozens of golden chains shot out from above and below, binding the demon’s body whole. Not letting a moment pass by, I quickly thrusted my arm and shouted, “[Equip]!”

  “Gah!”

  A blade pierced through the demon’s stomach. Or should I say, a sickle’s crescent blade and its top hilt, having magically appeared in my now blood-stained grip.

  “You dare!” the demon broke the chains and threw me away. However, I managed to roll and stand back up, my other sickle on-hand. “I promise you, hero, that you shall die a thousand deaths for this transgression!”

  Alongside red blood was this dark ooze spurting out of her splitted stomach. She was about to remove the sickle, however, I'd already finished my prayers.

  “... bring righteous judgement … [Holy Flame].”

  The sickle was set ablaze with radiant fire that quickly engulfed the demon whole, as it let out a distorted shriek. However, I didn’t stop there. Twice more I uttered, “[Holy Flame]!”, amping up the flames’ intensity, having demons scream louder than ever.

  A late pop-up appeared next to me.

  =================================

  Class upgrade chosen.

  [Priest] ===> [Battle Priest]

  Class skill [Divine Judgement D] acquired.

  =================================

  Considering the circumstances, it was the only option to choose. At first, I thought the best option would be to become the supportive and defensive [Bishop], but in a war of attrition, I would most certainly lose. I knew nothing about what a [Disciple] could do, [Explorer] certainly wouldn’t help, and I doubted a [Trickster]’s low-level trick could fool a powerful demon like her.

  They said the best offense was the best defense, and it seemed to be true, until the demon scream turned into a cackling laughter. The radiant fire dissipated and the sickle was now in her grasp.

  “O Poor hero, still too weak to kill me,” she said, mockingly.

  “Tell that to the wound that’s still bleeding,” I replied with the same tone, pointing out the obvious fact. The twin sickles which the princess forged were no ordinary sickles. The first sickle had an [Anti-Healing B] property, preventing wounds from closing up. As for the other sickle …

  “[Fireball]!”

  Flame gathered around her palm, condensing then expanding, quintupling in size, blasting and engulfing the entire street off the map. However, with a single slice, the giant mass of fire was completely extinguished. The demon gritted her teeth, discovering the other sickle’s [Anti-Magic B] property, and it didn’t seem she had any spells which surpassed its rank.

  The twin sickles returned to my ring and back to my hands. I didn’t want her to use a ‘cheat’ sickle against me. Thus, the demon charged straight ahead, yet now, I could perceive her movement and dodged successfully. Was it because of the class upgrade? I didn’t have the time to check my stats, for my focus was fixated on the demon’s attack, who was still slightly faster than me.

  What I couldn’t evade, I parried. What I couldn’t slash, I cut, slowly and carefully whittling her down through unhealable wounds, as the demon became slower and slower. This humiliation in turn tripled her rage, but that only made her attacks, be it her claws or wing talons, much more predictable. Now that I thought about it, she didn’t seem to have an adept sense of fighting. Only brute strength.

  “Don’t you dare make fun of me!” the demon’s skeletal wings extended to incredible lengths, darting at every angle to skewer my body with its sharp talons, following me even in the air.

  [Carapace], [Fleetfoot], combined into [Wind Barrier], and finally …

  “[Collapse]!” the barrier broke, expelling a torrent of wind which knocked the skeletal wings out.

  “[Holy Lance]!” A luminescent lance appeared above me, which I grabbed and darted toward the demon, who tried to block it with a wall of fire. However, it was useless.

  I cut through the magic and in quick succession cut her wings before delivering a swift quick strengthened with [Braveheart], sending her flying all the way toward the place where she put me down the first time. And right as she was about to get up, I conjured [Chain Seals] to bind her down in place. It was for extra measures, despite the current state she was in, bleeding and gasping for air. However, she remained unyielding.

  “You … I will … kill you … I will kill …”

  “Give up,” I told her. “Surrender and I’ll make sure you’re just imprisoned.”

  “Mercy … typical priest … it'll be the death of you …”

  “Maybe, but I also have a lot of questions. About demons and about you.”

  “What is there to know about me? If you think that just because I look human—”

  “But weren’t you, Anna Baelin?”