The party looked at me, everyone beside the princess looked utterly confused. I was just as lost. I even pointed at myself. But the man didn't falter. "If you make me wait any longer, I'll have to take your heads."
Right then, here I come.
I tentatively climbed the ladder up to his area, up close the man was massive. The bulky adventurer who went in before us couldn't even compare.
The servant beside him bent down. Presenting me with a simple steel ring. The middle had an emerald gem embedded in it. I inspected it, it really didn't look special. I guess the reward is still one befitting the third floor. After waiting for a moment with no movement from the king or servant I slipped the ring on.
"Brilliant, it fits you well… now… get out before I change my mind."
I might've been mistaken but the first part of his sentence felt awfully close.
Whatever, if he's letting us go, we should.
I jumped back into the arena and a small dot dug into the middle of it. Sand spilled towards it, slowly opening into a gaping hole. The members gave me looks again but jumped into the hole first. Not even a second thought? Valerie waited with me.
"What does it do?"
I held up my hand, the emerald caught the sun flashing my eyes. "Ack! I don't know?"
She held a laugh. "Since it's you I'll bet it'll have some awfully inconvenient flaw."
I was thinking that as well.
"My stick is good though, maybe I have luck with items?"
"I hope you do." She turned and jumped down the hole.
What is wrong with these people? Would they actually jump off a bridge if their friends did?
"Hah…" After bluffing myself with a few failed jumps, I tripped on my boots.
I woke up on my back. The sudden sunlight made me close my eyes. And the wind wasn't moist like before. It reminded me of something. The place I had spent the formulating years of my life. I was back… in my village. A group of kids ran past me.
The mage, the paladin, and the saintess, the kids who would become the world renowned hero party. Before they were that. And we're just… I forgot their names.
"Hey, Henry, who's that old guy standing over there?" He looked at the mage and pointed in my direction so I turned.
"I'm talking to you."
The hell, I'm not old! I'm in my prime.
No wait, why am I here?
"Do you know a kid named Calvin?"
The pre-paladin tilted his head as the pre-mage and the pre-saintess ran off. "Who?" After losing interest in me, he chased after the two.
I might've been lonely but I wasn't completely forgettable. Something's wrong… Going to the town square I wandered through the buildings I once ran around. Memories I had forgotten surfaced. This fruit shop is where I learnt swordsmanship and became a knight.
Ah, the empty building granny let me borrow for my healer scheme.
I wonder how everyone is doing now?
I stopped in front of a small home. My home. If I exist I'd be here. Taking a deep breath I knocked thrice.
The door creaked open, as I fixed my clothes. Even if they were fake, meeting my parents after so long made me nervous.
"Yeah, I'll get it Mom."
But the one who opened the door was somebody I barely recognized. A face I'd only heard of in stories. Usually accompanied with 'Handsome' or 'KYAAAA!' I saw it recently. Marcus. The hero.
"Ah, are you the milkboy?" He looked down at my hands, no milk. "Is something wrong, your face is kind of scary."
What was different was he was my age, the age he is in real life. A seed of suspicion sprouted. And a plan involving a skill I'd never used with it.
"I'm actually a traveling priest." I casually placed a hand on his shoulder.
Gripping it tightly, my expression twisted.
[I have to catch up]
I had no expectations when I used it. It was a mystery which made it scary but, I had something to confirm.
As if I was melting my view to become one with the world.
"Mage! Use an Ice blast!" The space was hot, sweltering. A dragon roared from atop a pile of rocks. It was as if I was watching it through Marcus's eyes. He whipped his arm backwards. Honey, use a strength buffing skill on me. Oh right he was married.
The surrounding party members were torn bodies and clothes alike. Ash and blood caked the faces of everyone.
The saint emanated a white energy as if the color was purity itself; it calmed the heat.
I felt a well of power unfamiliar to my own. As expected of the body of a hero, a buff can only do so much… Me… no, Marcus knelt down. Concentrated power into his legs and leapt.
What is this?
Flight?
No. As we bound to the top of the rocks with speeds rivaling a dragon, occasionally our feet would touch the ground, it's just as soon as they do we immediately leapt forward again causing the illusion that we were gliding to the top of the rocks.
The dragon looked down at us. To it, this was a mere bug's last stand. Marcus charged an attack, holding the sword at our side. Closing his eyes for a single moment he awakens them with an intense expression. Golden energy flowed from our arms into the sword, the sword expanded to the size of two Marcus's.
We reached the end of the rocks, and once more we put all the strength into our feet. It was too late for the dragon to retreat.
Jumping off the rocks we leaped vertically into the air. Our sword cleanly sliced the neck of the dragon.
We freefell, our sword falling out of our hands. This was it. All we had. As our body was tossed by gravity and wind I caught a glance of the hero party. They looked at me so warmly, such worried expressions. Would anyone look at me like that?
Suddenly Marcus's lips moved. "Princess…"
Then he looked strangely confused, "Why?"
The hole for the next floor opened and it happened to be exactly where we fell.
But it ended there.
I was ejected from the vision and pushed into a grey void.
[You have experienced the Perspective of a 'Main Character']
[A feat has been created]
The title ['Suddenly, I became more handsome'] has been rewarded.
…
[This feat is 'legendary']
[You may choose a skill from the class, 'hero']
What? A hero skill. There's little to no information on them. But… all of them must be great right?
[Selection:
Lion's Pride Lv.76 —-> Cat's Ego Lv.1
Handsome Face Lv.100 —-> Kinda Handsome, I guess? Lv.1
What a useless skill…
Chivalry Lv.56 —-> Backstabber Lv.1
]
It wasn't as useful as Baan's list…
I'm already handsome enough as well.
Honestly there wasn't any debate.
I thought to myself, 'Backstabber'
[The skill 'Backstabber' has been learnt]
[Skill has synergy with 'Whacker' class, a new skill is sprouting]
Wow, what a fruitful skill. I should use it more often.
[Two new skills have been created.]
[Backstabber]
[The more someone trusts you the likelier they are to let down their guard.]
[Divine Scum]
[The more good deeds you do the higher your holiness will become, and the more sinister you are the more demonic.]
[Reorienting you.]
Hm?
A fuzzy feeling entered my brain and I was suddenly back in front of the home. My hand is still on his shoulder. Looking at his face, no time passed. Slapping his shoulder twice, I retreat my hand.
"A priest? I'm sorry sir. My family and I go to church every Sunday already. Have a good day." He seemed to be in a hurry, as expected of a hero, he sensed something.
"Marcus, right?"
He stopped in his tracks, reopening the door. "How do you know that name… who are you?"
"I asked first."
He sighed, rubbing his forehead, as he curled his hair back I felt the urge to curse. He didn't even have to try.
"I don't know who that is, I'm Calvin… Now, goodbye."
Hm.
"Didn't know the hero commits identity fraud. What would the saintess think?" I decided not to divulge that I was actually Calvin. "I'm sure your party's worried sick. Leaving your wife and friends all alone, what would all your fans think." Why am I saying all of this?
He glared at me. "How do you know all of that!"
"Honey, is everything alright." The voice of my mom rang out from inside.
"Yeah! Me and a visitor are gonna have a chat!"
"Alright honey, don't go too far."
He stepped out from the door, flashing a stern expression as he walked past me. "Let's talk somewhere else."
Now we both looked angry.
We walked into a field. The same one I laid in when the priest came.
"How do you know about me? A spy, assassin? If it's either, I won't let you go, threatening my party and wife." But he's still nice enough to warn me about it, he'll get killed for that one day.
"That's not all I know, you recently slayed a dragon. Mutter 'Princess' to yourself. You grew up in this village, you were weak before you became so strong… a kid who only followed others, bullied all the time, you sought solace in a child older than you, the same one you're impersonating."
Marcus looked wide-eyed as I rambled.
"Calvin?"
I shot up.
His mouth hung open.
Before either of us could confront the other, space began to warp. Marcus's shouts became a disgruntled mishmash of sounds. And I stared blankly at my hands.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw my legs. Dragging on the ground. The party seemed intact, I looked up, as expected the princess was dragging me. A new face was there as well. My eyes might've been deceiving me but it looked almost like a shark.
"Alrighty folks, this is it. The spider nest."
He turned back. It was a sharkman.
I tapped the princess on the hand. And she immediately dropped me. "Did you have sweet dreams?"
"Nah, bitter."
The rest of the party watched me stand up.
"The moment we landed here you suddenly fell over. You alright?" The elf asked.
"I'm good. I think it had something to do with the ring."
"I'm glad you're alright, you should've seen your friend. She was so worried she routinely stopped us to check your pulse."
She turned away from me.
"What's the situation?"
The fighter walked out from beside the sharkman. "So far it's been a simple walk with the occasional trap. But thanks to this NPC tanking all of them it was pretty easy."
Now that I look at it there were a few holes in his skin. The gloss of his body made it hard to notice.
Valerie continued. "We just need to eradicate a nest of spiders. It was a nice change of pace after the third floor." Is a nest of spiders a good thing?
Spiders…
Ah, I'm scared. After all I've been through, spiders are still scary. Multiple legs that are somehow slimy and hairy at the same time.
"Right, sounds easy."
The sharkman waited for us to finish some last moment preparations, since I had woken up the strategy had to be tweaked slightly.
"I apologize for not realizing… you're actually quite strong…" Gregory paused, rubbing his chin. "Now that I think about it, I don't know your name. I've just been calling you a thief the whole time."
My smile cracked, "Hehe, it's alright. I'm Janus."
The elf snickered quietly and we all looked at her. "Sorry, it's just… rather cute."
Baan looked at me admirably.
The sharkman watched blankly.